6 Simple Ways to Lose Weight

Chiropractor, Grand Junction, CO - Daniel Lonquist, DC, CCST, CCWP Certified Chiropractic Wellness Practitioner. Back To Health Wellness Center, 970-257-9199 Google Places

Doable strategies to help you shed pounds By: Linda Knittel

To turn your body into a fat-burning machine, eat small meals throughout the day.

  Rise and chow

If you think skipping breakfast will help you shed a few pounds, think again. Not eating a morning meal can actually trick the body into thinking it is starving, which makes it hold on to fat or cause you to eat more during the day. To keep your metabolism revved and blood sugar levels steady, eat breakfast within 45 minutes of rising. The healthiest choices contain a balance of fat, protein, and carbs, such as oatmeal with a handful of nuts or a veggie omelet.

·         Combine carbs

If a carbohydrate wasn't grown, picked, or harvested, don't eat it. That means shunning refined breads, pastas, cakes, and pastries, and choosing good carbs like brown rice, sweet potatoes, or an apple. And while you're at it, try to never eat a carbohydrate by itself. Simply adding a bit of good fat, such as olive oil or lean protein will slow digestion, steady blood sugar, and keep the body from storing fat.

·         Drink up

Even if all you did was start drinking more water you would likely lose weight. That's because the body needs to be fully hydrated in order to maintain a healthy metabolism. Try drinking about 1/2-ounce (15 ml) of water per pound of body weight every day, and see the difference.

·         Eat more

If eating more often in order to lose weight sounds too good to be true, listen up. Your body needs calories in order to burn fat. So, to turn your body into a fat-burning machine, eat small meals throughout the day. Ideally each mini-meal should consist of lean protein, good fats, and complex carbohydrates. For example, 4 ounces (113 grams) of chicken, 1 cup (150 grams) of brown rice, and a green salad.

·         Get pumped

You've heard that muscle weighs more than fat, but did you know that muscle burns more calories? That's right, building lean muscle through weight training causes the body to burn more calories throughout the day. When combined with regular aerobic exercise, weight training can help you lose more weight.

·         Cheat a little

You know what they say about all work and no play-well, that goes for weight loss too. Giving up all the foods you love can backfire and sabotage your efforts. Be sure to allow yourself a day each week when you indulge in conservative amounts of your favorite foods. Remember, a serving should be about the size of an average apple.

Linda Knittel, MA, is a nutritional counselor and health writer specializing in alternative medicine, nutrition, and yoga. She has found that incorporating plenty of good fat in her six small meals a day has actually helped her become leaner.

"Friendly Bugs" May Boost Your Mood

"Friendly Bugs" May Boost Your Mood

Chiropractor, Grand Junction, CO - Daniel Lonquist, DC, CCST, CCWP Certified Chiropractic Wellness Practitioner. Back To Health Wellness Center, 970-257-9199 
By Jane Hart, MD

A new study found that people who took a probiotic formula for 30 days reported relief from depression and anxiety.

If winter doldrums or post-holiday blues have you feeling down, you may be interested in new research which links probiotics ("good" bacteria) to improving people's mood. A new study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that people who took a specific probiotic formula for 30 days reported relief from psychological distress.

Probiotics may protect your mind
A preliminary animal study by the authors of this study showed that the probiotic formulation reduced anxiety in rats. In this study, they looked at the effects of a probiotic formula on mood, stress, and coping strategies in humans.
A total of 55 healthy men and women were randomly assigned to a daily probiotic formula (Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175) or placebo for 30 days. Before and after treatment the participants filled out a variety of questionnaires about mood, stress, and coping and had a 24-hour urine collection for cortisol levels (one indicator of stress).
Results showed that compared with the placebo group, the probiotic group reported greater relief from depression, anger-hostility, anxiety, and the kind of worry that leads to physical symptoms (somatization). Urinary cortisol levels were lower in the probiotic group compared with the placebo group.
"Subject to the confirmation of these results, probiotics might offer a useful novel therapeutic approach to neuropathological disorders and/or as adjunct therapies in psychiatric disorders," said lead author Michael Messaoudi, from the Department of Neuropsychopharmacology, at ETAP-Ethologie Applique´e,Vandoeuvre-le`s-Nancy, France, and his colleagues. This study was funded by Rosell-Lallemand, the makers of the probiotic formula provided in this study.
Increasing benefits of probiotics

• Healthy bacteria are important for our health. "Good" bacteria that live naturally throughout our body - including in our gastrointestinal tract and on our skin - are essential for our health. Although you can't see these bacteria they are helping to keep up our defense against illness and infection. Probiotic formulas introduce these "healthy" living organisms into the body and are one way to enhance the balance of "good" bacteria in our system.
• Research shows increasing health benefits of probiotics. Probiotics have been shown to ease gastrointestinal illness and prevent winter colds, but researchers are learning that probiotics may have far-reaching effects on the body and may provide benefit for our central nervous system and brain as well.
• We have more to learn. Although we are learning that probiotics administered in specific amounts may improve our health, we have more to learn about the adequate dose, timing and route of delivery to optimize health results.

(Br J Nutr 2010: doi:10.1017/S0007114510004319)

Jane Hart, MD, board-certified in internal medicine, serves in a variety of professional roles including consultant, journalist, and educator. Dr. Hart, a Clinical Instructor at Case Medical School in Cleveland, Ohio, writes extensively about health and wellness and a variety of other topics for nationally recognized organizations, websites, and print publications. Sought out for her expertise in the areas of integrative and preventive medicine, she is frequently quoted by national and local media. Dr. Hart is a professional lecturer for healthcare professionals, consumers, and youth and is a regular corporate speaker.