Month: December 2014

Research has proven that if we’ve a single objective as our goal, and if we direct all our energies and resources towards the achievement of that objective, we can’t but win the goal. It is really true, and when it comes to weight loss, it is no different either.

The very first thing you need to do is to make your weight loss goal your priority, and then enlist all the available resources and time towards achieving it. That is the only way you can lose .

I am not telling you to neglect things that are more important than weight loss, but I am pretty sure that the number of such ‘very important things’ is fewer than what you think, and I am also sure that you can, if you want, accommodate your weight loss program in this short list of ‘very important things’.

You see, nothing is more important than your health. If your health goes for a downhill, everything else that you set as ‘important tasks’ will have to stop.

Now, how does this relate to weight loss?

Well, you might not be aware of the fact that obesity is the forerunner of several harmful diseases such as diabetes, heart related diseases, hypertension, etc. Therefore, the main reason why you should lose is not just to look and feel good, but to make sure you live a healthy and long life. There are some ways you can ensure that you always find time for your weight loss program.

Schedule your exercise

Most of the people who don’t find time for their exercises are the ones who never really set any time for it. You see, unless you schedule a specific time for a task, you will never find time for it, and exercise is not anything different. Set at least half-an-hour per day for doing some kind of workouts.

This doesn’t mean that you will have to hit the gym everyday. For most people, hitting the gym is a far-fetched dream. If you are one of them, then try to do workouts at home.

You can even exercise while watching your favorite TV program.

Another important thing to understand is that you should make your workout sessions fun-filled and interesting. Don’t do the exercises that you don’t want to do, otherwise you will soon feel bored and tired.

Make a list of your favorite exercises, and then mix and match them and start your workout session. You don’t need to exercise everyday. If you exercise just five days a week, you are good to go!

Most people never use the weekends for anything, other than watching their favorite movies. Why not use this time more productively by doing some jogging and aerobics?

You see, if you exercise during the weekends, you will need to exercise for only three more days, so that you can take the two other days off!

Plan your Grocery Shopping

When we are on a diet, temptations are always around the corner, especially if there is nothing except junk food in the house.

Therefore make sure you shop for the healthy foods from your local grocery store and keep a ready stock of fresh fruits and vegetables at your home, otherwise you will end up munching on junk foods which will make you fatter.

Resolve to be better next time

We are not perfect, and therefore we would not be able to follow a diet plan perfectly. Slip-ups will happen; sometimes you will break your resolutions, cheat and try to binge on the ‘forbidden foods’.

When this happens, stop ruing and get over it, and make a resolution not to do it next day. Do so every time you catch yourself cheating or breaking a weight loss resolution, and you will see that over time your diet will no longer seem to be a challenge for you!

Consistency is the key

The big difference between the people who lose successfully and those who don’t is that of consistency.

There are people who follow a particular weight loss program or diet plan and stick to it throughput their lifetime; those are the people who actually lose weight.

People who run after one fad diet or another are never successful in their endeavors. Once you get a successful weight loss plan, stick to it while making adjustments along the way. Remember that a rolling stone gathers no moss!

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I heard a little about this a couple of weeks ago. I have always had the idea that joint replacemtn was happening on people that were very physical, mostly runners that are really pushing their hip and knee joints but this is simply not true.

The largest cause by far for knee and hip replacements is people being over. Obesity plays a big part in the wearing of joints

Increase in Hip Replacements over the Years

1997 Hip Replacement Stats

In 1997, about 60.2% of primary hip replacements and 69.1% of primary knee replacements were performed in patients ages 65 to 84, Sunny Kim, Ph.D., of Florida International University here, reported in the April 15 issue of Arthritis Care Research.

2004 Hip Replacement Stats

But by 2004, the corresponding proportions were 52.1% and 58.4%, respectively.

2009 Hip Replacement Stats

In 2009 the stats increased even further. with hip replacements increasing another 123%.

In 1997, 45- to 64-year-olds accounted for 26.5% and 25.6% of primary total hip and knee replacements, respectively. These proportions grew to 36% and 36.4%, respectively, in 2004.

Dr. Kim noted that more joint replacements in a younger and heavier population will likely increase the need for revisions with lengthier operative times, longer hospital stays, and higher complication rates than primary replacements.

From 2000 through 2004, there was a 37% increase in primary hip replacements and a 53% increase in primary knee replacements, a trend that is expected to continue for decades, said Dr. Kim.

Joint Replacement Costs Have Increased

Also, median hospital charges for the joint replacements grew faster than the rate of inflation (1.18) from 1997 through 2004, increasing 1.62-fold for hip and 1.53-fold for knee replacements.

“Given the steeply increasing trend of joint replacements and the expected number of joint revisions needed,” Dr. Kim said, “the healthcare community should be prepared for this upcoming demand of primary/revision surgical loads and its economic burden on government and private insurance systems.”

Arthritis is becoming a “growing public health concern,” she said, as the proportion of persons 65 and older and those who are over or obese increases.

Dr. Kim looked at data on joint replacement procedures performed from 1997 through 2004 in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Estimates of prevalence and costs were derived from a nationally representative sample.

The number of primary total hip replacements performed increased from 153,080 in 1997 to 225,900 in 2004, and the number of primary total knee replacements performed grew from 264,331 to 431,485.

Revision hip and knee replacements also increased over the same time period. Associated hospital charges for primary hip and knee replacements combined rose from about $9 billion to $22.9 billion from 1997 through 2004. Medicare was the principal source of payment for hip and knee replacements throughout the study but it paid a smaller share in 2004 than it did in 1997.

Weight Increase Causing Joint Stress

In addition to a population that is aging and growing heavier, Dr. Kim said that a greater number of orthopedic surgeons and an increasing perception that joint replacement is safe may have contributed to the rising rates of the procedures.

She added that the study was limited by only having data through 2004 and by the inability to include information on prosthesis type, a consequence of the large scale of data collection coupled with the lack of a national arthroplasty registry.

“Establishment of a national joint replacement registry may provide timely surveillance reports as well as other critically important information such as the survivorship of various prostheses,” she said.

This study was supported in part by a research grant from the Columbus Medical Research Foundation.

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This day and age it can be very difficult indeed to go to the gym.  Life is very hectic and busy, which will create a serious challenge for remaining consistent with exercise each day.

Exercise is  however, just what we all need to reduce stress, and give the body the extra energy it needs to carry out normal living.

What Kinds Of Exercises To Choose

The best results of exercise are achieved through the use of refined techniques, functional exercises, cardio, the right nutrition, variety, awareness,  consistency, and motivation over a period of time.

The refined techniques mean correct form to isolate muscles or to target areas of the body.  Efficiency is need to ensure stimulation of the muscles.

With weight lifting training, which is also known as weight resistance training, you’ll need to eliminate any type of momentum.

It is also important to move the about using a full range of motion.  Full range of motion causes the muscle to contract for the right amount of time and help to ensure the right length of the tendons.

The goal here is to strengthen the joints of your body by stimulating the muscles.

Cadence is also helpful, as it is a term that refers to the rate in which the resistance or the moves.  The best results with cadence are gained by slow movements which will cause the muscle to contract for a longer period of time.

You can mix in a series of fast and slow cadence, which is very beneficial with sports type  training.  Using the correct angles will achieve muscle isolation in target areas and help to decrease the risk of injuries, which is great for those using heavy weights.

Weight Functional type exercise is a popular technique that will stimulate the core and torso of your body while you work on another muscle group at the same time.  As an example, when you perform a dumbell press while lying on an exercise ball.

Your abdominal muscles and the core muscles will contract to hold your body into this position, while your chest and tricep muscles will push the dumbells up.  This type of exercise and challenge will cause maximum stimulation to your body and keep the workout interesting and refreshing.

Cardio is another exercise that is great for the heart and lungs.  The total number of calories you burn is very important along with maintaining the right heart rate.

The formula for your  heart rate is 220 minus your age times 60 for the lower number, then 220 minus you age and times 80 for the upper number.    This is also known as fat burning zone.

Cardio will also de-toxify the body and help to strengthen the immune system along with other benefits.  The muscles will contract and pass the lymph along, which will allow the immune system to clear away dead cells and bring new ones in.

Warmup Before Your Workout

Anytime you exercise, warming up is very important, as it will prepare your body for the more  demanding workout of cardio.  You should always allow 15 – 30 minutes prior to lifting and 10 – 15 minutes prior to cardio exercises.  You should also stretch as well, as this will help get the blood flowing through your muscles and get them limber as well.

An ideal schedule for working out is to warm up then follow with cardio.  You can lift weights on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday then cardio only on Tuesday and Thursday.

Even though you may think your schedule is simply too busy to maintain a schedule for working out, you’ll find that adding exercise will actually add more time, as you’ll have a lot more energy in your normal everyday life.

You can think of exercise as the batteries that will help to give your life power.

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