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Weight Loss Exercise

BPA health risks

The very capable guys and gals at the Mayo Clinic have an article today about Bisphenol A (also known as BPA which is the stuff some water bottles and cans contain) health risks. This is something very new to most of us but it involves plastic containers that we store food in.


BPA health risks


An important article in the Sept. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association discusses the health effects of the chemical Bisphenol A (or BPA ) . What is this compound and what are its effects? What might happen as a result of this study?

What is Bisphenol A?

Bisphenol A is a chemical in plastics. It is widely found in the lining of food containers, plastic bottles, compact discs, carbonless paper, and many medical devices. It also is used to coat metal products (food cans and bottle tops), and even water supply lines. Some dental sealants also contain this ingredient.

Now for the BPA health risks. Animal studies done in the 1980s and ’90s identified that low doses of Bisphenol A have adverse effects on the brain, reproductive system, and metabolic processes related to insulin balance and liver function. It may also be related to cancer or even obesity and heart disease. Although it is not immediately lethal, studies show that greatest sensitivity to Bisphenol A occurs during periods of early development and that the substance accumulates over time in the body and environment.

Because of this, the greatest concern is during fetal development, in infancy – and then over the remaining life cycle. Such Bisphenol A animal studies have called into question the acceptable daily intake levels set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Lowing Your Risk of BPA

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences recommends that you can also reduce exposure of Bisphenol A to you and your family by:

  • Limiting canned items – especially those with linings. These include mostly acidic items like canned tomato sauces and canned pasta items. Buy those in glass. Better yet, buy fresh.
  • Avoiding plastic bottles that are designed to be used numerous times – like plastic sports bottles, and even those refillable multi-gallon jugs you take to the store. The National Institute directs you to also avoid plastic containers with the number 7 listed on them – usually encircled with the recycle symbol.
  • Not microwaving plastic food containers and not putting hot foods into them. Likewise, don’t wash these types of containers in the dishwasher. Heat, detergents and scrubbing can break down Bisphenol A and increase exposure. Instead opt for glass or other non-plastic cooking and serving containers.

Some health care providers are also recommending using powdered infant formula instead of ready made. Liquid formulas have more Bisphenol A. Ask your health care provider to help you make this transition.

Check out the full article at the Mayo Clinic site to learn even more about BPA health risks

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Weight Loss Exercise

Canned Tuna Meal

Years ago when I first met my wife I was doing a lot of weightlifting but always had trouble getting enough protein into my diet. One of the things that I learned from her was to eat canned tuna. Although I had grown up on the west coast and had eaten a fair amount of seafood I had not ever eaten a can of tuna before, this was about to change.

My wife made me a simple meal of cheddar macaroni and cheese (the white instead of the orange) mixed with a can of tuna and topped with chopped pickles. To say that this crazy sounding meal changed my life is an understatement. Once I moved out of my parents house and struggled to make ends meet I would always turn to tuna as a very cheap meal and a great source of protein.

Why is Canned Tuna a good meal?


Canned Tuna Meal


So what is it about canned tuna that makes it great as a food for anyone interested in fitness? Well there are a few things that swim in it’s favor:

  • High in protein, one can of tuna has enough protein for a meal
  • Not fat or carbs, if you buy canned tuna in water it is basically all protein
  • High in Omega 3 vitamins
  • Cheap, you can buy a can of tuna for under a dollar and get really good Albacore tuna for under $3.00 if you chop around

One of the things that you should do and that may seem a little strange is to rinse your tuna. To rinse your tuna you open the can and drain the water and then,while leaving the tin lid on top, rinse the tuna with cold water for 30 seconds or so. This action will get rid of the salt and sodium but will not affect the taste at all.

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Albacore has more omega-3 fat per ounce but since it comes from a larger species of tuna, it also has more mercury. Chunk light, on the other hand, comes from a smaller species of fish and has less mercury and omega-3 fat.

The Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency recommend that women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing moms and young children eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) of lower mercury fish and shellfish each week. Since albacore (“white”) tuna has more mercury than light tuna, when choosing your 2 fish or shellfish-based meals, you can safely eat up to 6 ounces of albacore tuna each week (which is a healthy serving of tuna for one average meal).

Other Canned Tuna options

So how often and what can you do with a can of tuna to make a good meal? Well the tuna itself will take care of the protein you need in a meal so making a sandwich, or my mac and cheese above will work. But the thing is that if you want a low fat food that is going to be great for you at the same time it is probably best just to rinse and throw a can of tuna onto a salad, I find this tastes great and is really good for you as well.

If you want more meals I found a bunch at the Food network site as well.

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Weight Loss Exercise

How the Dickens Technique Can Change Your Life

There is a concept called the Dickens Technique, it is used extensively by Tony Robbins to change peoples lives and comes from NLP (neuro Linguistic programming) principles.

The Dickens technique gets its name and process from the character of Scrooge in Charles Dickens book A Christmas Carol. I am sure you remember the story where Scrooge was a miserable guy and he changed after he saw how his actions and way he thought now would absolutely create sadness and lack in the future. In seeing this he of course realized that there was no way to continue and that he had to change.

Well the Dickens technique does exactly this as well. You find a limiting belief, see what the future would be like, look at not having this limiting belief and see how the future would look instead, and then you will make that change.

The trouble often is that we know we should change a belief because it is a good thing to do, but good things to do will not create a very sustained emotional change in us. Instead we need to have a great emotional reason to change for the new belief to be permanent.

Using an example here is an idea of exactly how to use the Dickens Technique

How The Dickens Technique Works


How the Dickens Technique Can Change Your Life

Tony Robbins Uses the Dickens Technique a lot

1. You know that, or you have see information that says that you need to do weight based exercise every week. You don’t really like the idea of going to the trouble of joining a gym, ;earning about the exercises you need to do, and carving out the time from your busy schedule to workout.

2. First look at what would happen if you continued as you are without doing the weight workouts. You look 6 months out with out doing the weights and you are basically as strong as now, you aren’t too worried, you look out a year from now and see that you would have the same aches and pains as you do now, no big deal. You look out 10 years from now though and see that through degenerative issues you may have trouble walking up hills, your weak core leads to back problems, your lack of muscle mass leads to a hunched over posture and a sore neck, and finally you also see that you would be much less vibrant as a person.

3. That limiting belief doesn’t do you any good. Get rid of the thought of it and instead switch to a less limiting belief. You don’t have to commit to being a gym rat every day, that would be a difficult way to get started (here I am using my own limiting beliefs on you, not fair but anyway…).

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4. Now you look at what would be the effect if you just went to the gym once or twice a week. In 6 months you would be transformed. You would be stronger and more aware of how your body works and feels. In one year you have a better physique and are able to work better for longer at work with better concentration, very aware of the effect of food on your body, and also able to leap tall buildings in a single bound (well maybe not yet). Finally 10 years out you can see that instead of being weakened you are stronger than anyone your own age. You walk with confidence and strength thanks to a strong core. And whenever you want to go out and have fun there are no limits that you need to impose on your self, you physically do what you want when you want.

5. Now, critical point, make sure you can feel that way right now. Not that you are super strong right now but instead identify yourself as being at that starting place between the you now and that you in the future. You can use the future you to tell the present time you. Do the work! Make the changes necessary! Get started now because the future you is waiting 6 months, 1 year, and even 10 years out to do the work up front.

How Does the Dickens Technique Really Help?

This Dickens technique may seem a little bit like self-hypnosis, and in fact it is. You are reprogramming the way you feel about something to make sure that you know the consequences of your limiting belief.

Now that I have given you a very concrete example I think it is up to you. Journal your beliefs, I know that most people either free form their journaling to what they want or how the past went but you can also add this in. Ask yourself what irritates you. What you wish you could do. Even ask yourself what is really important that you have been holding back on because it is wrong or stupid.

Quite often we don’t recognise our limiting beliefs and they cause us lots of trouble. People stay poor, sad, jealous, guilty, and unfulfilled because what they have done in the past was to live small. If you get rid of some of those limiting beliefs that you have you can start to build your life up starting now.

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