Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Weight Loss Supplements: Are They Worth It?

More and more spend hundred and even thousands of dollars yearly on weight loss supplements in the hope of speeding up their metabolism. The main desire is to be attractive and accepted but it is becoming a more difficult goal to achieve. The fitness industry is booming but still a lot of people are unable to cut the flab in spite of all the exercise and diet efforts. In America, more than sixty per cent of adults are overweight and thirty per cent are considered obese. This is because: one, a lot of weight loss products promises unrealistic goals; two, dietary supplement manufacturers rely on the overweight person’s failure to survive; and three, the information about the supplements in the market are just written by themselves just to make sales.


Although the Food and Drug Administration has successfully banned illegal marketers, some products are still available. Consumers could be deceived of the labels which claim caffeine or ephedra free not knowing that these supplements compose of other ingredients that may pose the same health risks. These include heart and digestive problems, headaches, insomnia, and even psychological side effects.

Other supplement manufacturers say that their products contains EGCG which is a phytochemical ingredient found in green tea. This so-called EGCG component claims to speed up metabolism but in reality poses to reduce the risk of cancer. Some studies denote that it could slightly increase the potential to burn calories and now can be found in many weight loss supplements. It has good points on the other hand since the body might conform to EGCG after a period of time. Even the weight loss benefit could sum up to 60 to 70 calories a day. This helps prevent excessive weight gain.

A few other significant effects of weight loss supplements is that it may contain ingredients that makers claim will prevent the absorption of carbohydrates. One good example is Chitosan, which appears most promising, which in fact shows no positive result in fat absorption. It could even take up to seven months for men to lose just a pound of body fat and for women - there is no fat loss at all. Thyroid supplements act as thyroid replacements help regulate and optimize the thyroid at a higher level. This they say makes the body feel like a couch potato and won’t perform the job.

Since the number one reason why people eat is because they feel hungry, there is another type of ingredient that manufacturers made which increases the feeling of being full and decreases appetite, Guar Gum. However, recent studies show that it has no meaningful benefit at all to weight loss. It is ironic that manufacturers mix Psyllium that has the reputation of reducing eating and aiding weight loss for initial studies so far does not support this claim although it helps control blood cholesterol and sugar.

One of the newest innovations in the fat loss industry is by way of skin absorption. There’s a Cutting Gel, which is an epidril product by far the best selling in fat loss creams technology. Rub it where you want the flab cut. For now, it will seem safer to advise the age old remedies to excessive weight gain and that is to invest on walking shoes instead of diet supplements. Weight loss supplements: Are they worth it? One will be better off going to the park and do brisk walking, go to the gym, and have a well balanced diet.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Going Herbal for Weight Loss

These days, there is a great need for overweight Americans to lose those excess pounds. Being healthy would not only lead them to have a healthier lifestyle but it will also literally lighten their load, and improve their overall well-being.

There is a long list of dieting options available. There are exercise programs, exercise machines, dietary supplements, dietary food and drinks, diet pills, and etc. There are even soaps which claim to help you lose pounds while you bathe.

One other available option to shed off those unwanted flab is to go herbal.

Herbal weight loss products have been in great demand for people who want to lose weight the natural way. However, when you take herbal supplements to lose weight, you would have to wait for a longer time for the results because of the more subtle effects of medicines which came from plants and natural herbs.

Here are some herbal weight loss options that you might want to consider:

1. Herbal weight loss products

There are a lot of herbal weight loss products available in the market now. You can check out the Internet and you will find a lot of herbal weight loss pills and products.

Be careful, however, as there are some products which claim to be safe and natural because they are herbal, but some actually have side effects because of non-extensive research on the effects of these products.

Here are some ingredients and chemicals which make up some herbal weight loss products that you should watch out for, as they might have harmful effects to your health:
  • Senna. This is an herbal laxative. Senna is a main ingredient in weight loss teas, and it works by stimulation of the colon. The downside effect of this herb is dehydration. It can also lead to colon problems and can become addictive. Some people, when addicted, are unable to perform bowel movements without it, so watch out.

  • Chromium picolinate. This is a synthetic compound found in herbal weight loss products. Chromium is a nutrient which helps regulate blood-sugar level. However, this ingredient, when taken in high doses, may cause damage in the chromosomes. It can also lead to dehydration.

  • St. John's wort. This supplement increases the production of a chemical in the brain. Used improperly, it may cause eye and skin sensitivity, mild gastrointestinal distress, fatigue and itching.

Although a lot of herbal products claim to be safe and natural, it is better to scrutinize the ingredients and research about the effects of the product itself before going for these herbal dietary pills.

2. Organic food.

In Wichita, Kansas, organic food has found its way to more homes and restaurants. Organic food devotees believe that consuming organic goodies help their bodies as well as the environment.

A person who buys organically raised eggs and vegetables claim to be healthier, and they are not spending money on doctors and prescriptions as these keep them healthier and away from the hospital. This could also be an option for weight watchers, as organic food is known to be kinder to your weight than chemically processed food products.

3. Green Tea.

Studies show that intake of green tea, or green tea extracts burns extra calories. Also, green tea with caffeine can increase fat burning by up to 40% thereby reducing fat.

This is one good option for those who want to lose weight. In a study done, people who took green tea were found to lose two to three multiples more weight than those who did not drink green tea.

These results show that green tea is a natural product for the treatment of obesity. Thus, it also makes for a healthier dietary option, not to mention the good effects that it has on the body as compared to caffeine. A cup of tea gives an immediate energy lift without the side effects of caffeine.

4. Caffeine.

Coffee provides an energy boost to increase fat burning. Caffeine also provides a likelihood to be active, which in turn increases your rate of calorie burn.

5. Immortality Herb

This herb, whose scientific name is Gymnostemna Pentaphyllum, is known to have the following benefits:

  • increases healthy blood flow

  • reduces artery blocks

  • aids healthy blood pressure

  • increases the rate of fat burning


6. Apple Cider Vinegar

There are pills and food supplements whose main ingredient is apple cider vinegar. Here are the benefits of taking this herbal option:

  • weight loss

  • improved cholesterol level

  • improved high blood pressure

  • helps prevent rheumatoid arthritis


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Verdict LenovoT400s

LENOVO T400s laptop specifications:

* Intel Core 2 Duo processors (2.4, 2.53GHz)
* starts at 3.91 lbs. and 0.83 in. thick
* 14-inch WXGA+ LED blackit display (1440 x 990)
* 9.5mm optical drive (Blu-ray, DVD, CD)
* VoIP optimized with hardware controls, 2 megapixel camera, dual digital microphones
* WLAN, WWAN, WiMAX, Bluetooth, UWB
* 3 USB 2.0; Express Card slot or card reader; VGA; DisplayPort; line in/out, RJ-45
* Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics
* 80GB, 128GB SSD; 120GB, 250GB SATA HDD
* 802.11 b/g/n
* Battery of up to 5.5 or 8.5 hours
* up to 4GB DDR3 1067MHz memory

My Verdict: Still Pricey, wait for next year, no dedicated graphics card, hoping for AMD model

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

How to Make Exercise More Fun

Nothing beats waking up in the morning with the thought of going to the gym to lift weights or jog on the treadmill. After a hard days work, the gym is one place you don't want to come into your mind. Furthermore, even the thought of exercising at home with your own equipment can be less than desirable. Occasionally, just trying to get and stay motivated to exercise on a regular basis can be a challenge. No matter how you look at it, exercise can be a downright boring and even tedious activity. So, you may be wondering just how you can get the motivation you need to exercise on a regular basis & have fun. To make exercise more fun, you'll find some ideas below that just may help to make exercise more fun and a little bit easier.

First things first, you should exercise with a friend. You can challenge each other, help each other out, keep each other motivated and on track, have fun - make each other laugh or just make a game out of your exercise programs. You can also try something different. Instead of going to the gym each and every day and use the same piece of equipment or use the same piece of equipment at home, you should try mixing things up. Reverse your routine or just change the order of your exercises. Go to a city park that has playground equipment and use the slide, climb on the monkey bars, do pull-ups, hang from your knees, just do what exercise you want to do with them. You don't always need to follow a strict routine, just get out there and have fun working your muscles.

An outdoor circuit in the park is also something fun that you can try. There are some parks that have circuit courses set up with a planned course where all you have to do is walk or jog to each station and then follow the instructions. Without having a planned course, then you should do a combination of jogging and walking, picking a distance of a couple hundred feet. Jog 100 feet then drop and do a couple of pushups, walk the next 100 feet and then drop to do sit ups. You can also ride a bike around your neighborhood or hike on a hiking trail. A walk in the park or around your neighborhood is also a great & fun way to get some exercise. Doing yoga in the park or on a beach is also a nice and relaxing way to exercise both your body and your mind.

Playing a competitive sport is also something fun that you can try too. A lot of cities have team activities such as softball, volleyball, tennis, soccer, and so on. These types of activities will not only provide you with good exercise but they will also help you to meet new people as well. When you exercise, try to see how your muscles getting bigger. Research has shown that by focusing all of your thoughts on the muscles that you are working, they will respond better. Have fun watching them work with each repetition as your muscles contract and relax.

As you can tell, there are plenty of ways you can make exercise more fun and interesting. You don't need to follow the same routine day after day, as you can do many other things to get in some exercise. The important thing is that you should always try to incorporate exercise in any various forms into your everyday life and make these habits the kind of habits that will last your entire life.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Free Simulator - Use MT4 Visual Back Test Feature Better

Perhaps you already tried doing FOREX trading once before in the past then you have probably heard of the MT4 FOREX trading platform. MT4 provides a good client trading terminal & I use it frequently as there are many standard indicators & custom indicators that one can install in it. Also, many FOREX brokers like InterbankFX, FXPro, & etc use the platform so you can make a good choice of brokers. One feature that you can take advantage of using the MT4 FOREX trading platform is the visual back testing. By using the visual back testing feature, one can test one’s paper trading strategy as well as using Expert advisors (computer programs); the latter with which I am still vaguely familiar.

Nonetheless, for FOREX traders, both experienced & the inexperienced, the visual back tester of the MT4 provides the ability to test one’s FOREX trading strategy with charts from years, even more than a decade back! For more information on using the MT4 visual back testing feature, you may want to head over to fxfisherman.com forums as I have found a free MT4 trading simulator software that allows one to use the MT4 visual back testing feature to a better extent. PDF & software is provided so you can start testing your trading strategy as soon as possible. Now you no longer have to practice your trading system, waiting for hours on end for so little testing data! With the software, you can test a month’s, a year, ten years, & etc worth of data way faster! Happy Trading!

Understanding ‘Plan Your Trade, Trade Your Plan’

You may have already heard the FOREX saying of ‘Plan Your Trade & Trade Your Plan’. Yes it does sound direct & literal, still for folks new to FOREX, the above saying is still vague. Now let me share with you my understanding of the saying ‘Plan Your Trade & Trade Your Plan’. What is your plan? Firstly, you must have a profitable trading system, strategy, or plan; however you want to call it. You don’t have a trading system yet? Well then you may want to make a FOREX trading system. FOREX professionals recommend that you test your trading system with at least 12 sequential months of trading data.

Having a well tested profitable trading system is already halfway to understanding the saying ‘Plan Your Trade & Trade Your Plan’. The other half is sticking to your system no matter what happens to your trade purchases. For example, perhaps the price suddenly spikes 200 pips to your benefit. How do you handle it with your trading system? Does your system close the trade & take the profits immediately? Perhaps your system gives the price some more room in case it moves towards more profits. Whichever is like your system, a disciplined trader shall not deviate from the trading system. Happy Trading!
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