10 TIPS FOR HEALTHY AND SAFE RAMADAN FASTING

Tips for Healthy and Safe Ramadan Daytime Fasting

1. Hydrate.

Most people practice Ramadan fasting without water or other liquids during the fasting window. While fasting without water can be dangerous, you can prepare for a healthy daytime fast by drinking as much or more water than you feel you need before dawn and after sunset.

Try to hydrate as much as possible before dawn and at sunset. Trying to “make up” your daily water intake by drinking lots of water before bedtime might make you wake up throughout the night to go to the bathroom, disrupting your sleep.

If possible, avoid dehydrating drinks including coffee in the evenings and sugary drinks.

Drink water as soon as you wake up daily for Ramadan!

2. Get enough sleep!

Compared to individuals not fasting, people practicing Ramadan fasting have reported greater alertness in the early afternoons (when most of us start to feel groggy after lunch!), but also in the late evenings and after midnight. Ramadan fasting appears to significantly reduce levels of melatonin, the “sleep hormone”, in the late evenings.

Circadian disruptions that happen during Ramadan may be attributable to nighttime eating and lowered physical activity levels or napping during the day. Late-night social interaction may be an enjoyable part of Ramadan for many people. But late-night events, media consumption and snacking may be something you should minimize at least most nights of the week during Ramadan. These behaviors don’t help you get the healthy sleep that will make Ramadan fasting a healthy, more physically and mentally enjoyable experience.

To improve your sleep during Ramadan:

• Move during the day. Try to get at least 30 minutes of light to moderate physical activity, for example.
• Get sunlight early in the day.
• Minimize caffeine and simple carbohydrates in the evenings.

3. Eat like a king at Suhoor, a prince at Iftar and a pauper before bed.

You should absolutely enjoy community meals and social time eating and drinking together during Ramadan. However, try to stop eating within two hours of when you plan to go to sleep. This will help you sleep better but also conserve better glycemic (blood sugar) control. Getting enough sleep helps with blood sugar control, while sleep loss and shift-work are associated with more low and high blood sugar events, diabetes and other metabolic dysfunctions.

High fat meals close to bedtime in particular can disturb sleep as fat takes longer to digest and can cause gastric upset. Simple carbohydrate intake and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages are also associated with poor sleep quality.

Resource: Effect of Diet on Sleep Quality

Try drinking low-sugar but protein and fruit-rich smoothies before dawn and after Iftar if you have high calorie needs based on exercise, for example, and to reduce hunger levels during the day.

4. Keep moving during the day.

It’s healthy and generally considered to be safe to exercise daily during Ramadan, as long as you don’t feel dehydrated. Based on a report in Diabetes Care on recommendations for management of diabetes during Ramadan, even people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes are encouraged to maintain normal levels of physical activity while watching for signs of hypoglycemia*. Getting physical activity, even exercise “snacking” throughout the day, can help you preserve muscle mass if you lose weight during Ramadan. Daytime exercise can also help improve your sleep quality. You may want to exercise before Iftar so that you can drink water shortly afterwards.

*Talk to your physician if you have diabetes or prediabetes, as you may be at higher risk of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar during or after fasted exercise. Diabetics taking medications to control their blood sugar should not participate in Ramadan fasting without consulting a physician.

“We know that if you are eating less, losing weight and not exercising, you are going to lose more lean mass or muscle mass than you have to,” said Amanda Salis, a research fellow at the University of Sydney’s Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise & Eating Disorders. Salis has participated in Ramadan fasting herself with her husband who is from Turkey. While she was initially nervous about her energy levels during the fast, she found that she actually felt great and had plenty of energy to engage in exercise during the day.

“Fasted exercise feels great to me – it gives you a little burst of energy as it releases your muscle and liver energy stores,” Salis said. “I convinced my husband to keep exercising during Ramadan, as well!”

In previous experimental studies of intermittent fasting, people practicing alternate day fasting chose to exercise on fasted days as often as on feeding days. Many athletes also participate in Ramadan fasting while engaging in high-level performance and competition.

“As long as people are eating enough during the allowed daily feeding period [of Ramadan], they shouldn’t have any concerns about whether they will have enough fuel in the tank, so to speak, to engage in physical activity,” Bloomer said. “If they are eating adequate carbohydrate, they are going to have adequate glycogen* stores for normal performance. It’s just a matter of dealing with issues of hunger. But these typically go away within a few hours [of fasting], and then people actually tend to feel better during the day.”

*Glycogen is stored sugar in your muscles and liver.

However, if you live in a region of the world where it is getting very hot during the day during Ramadan, you may want to stick to light to moderate physical activity and perform this activity indoors to avoid heat exhaustion and dehydration. Bloomer also suggests exercising in the evenings before Iftar so that you can rehydrate shortly afterwards.  

5. Try not to overeat.

As long as you aren’t underweight or at risk of falling underweight, avoid trying to “make up” calories or eating as if you were needing to compensate for your fasting window. Eating normal meal sizes will help you feel more comfortable, get better sleep and even lose weight during Ramadan. For example, you probably shouldn’t be eating twice as much as you normally would at dinner or after dinner. This can cause indigestion and heartburn, particularly in the evenings.

“I suggest that people don’t deviate too much from their normal eating patterns,” Bloomer said. “People often have the idea that they have to dump in loads of food during their eating window to achieve their calorie allotment for the day. However, eating a bolus of 1,000 or more calories in the late evenings, especially from a meal or snack rich in dietary fat, can majorly disrupt your sleep. I recommend eating normal sized meals [in the morning and evenings], perhaps in combination with a meal replacement beverage or protein shake if you are an athlete and you want to get in extra calories to avoid muscle mass loss.”

Eat mindfully and pause during and after Iftar to tune into your hunger and satiety levels. You might find that your eyes are actually bigger than your stomach during this daily break-fast. Eating smaller meals will also help prevent overly elevated blood sugar levels after Iftar.

6. Track your blood sugar.

Test your blood glucose using a blood glucose meter such as Keto-Mojo during your fasting and after eating, and tell your doctor if your levels fall outside of a healthy range.

“During Ramadan fasting, glucose [blood sugar] homeostasis is maintained by meals taken during night time before dawn and by liver glycogen stores. Changes in serum lipids are variable and depend on the quality and quantity of food intake, physical activity and exercise, and changes in body weight. Compliant, well-controlled type II diabetics may observe Ramadan fasting, but fasting is not recommended for type I, noncompliant, poorly controlled and pregnant diabetics. There are no adverse effects of Ramadan fasting on respiratory and cardiovascular systems, haematologic profile, endocrine, and neuropsychiatric functions.” – Alkandari et al., 2012, The implications of Ramadan fasting for human health and well-being

7. Eat more veggies, fruit and protein.

Try to eat a variety of foods in the early morning and evening, going first for as many fruits, vegetables, fat from plants such as olive oils and nuts, and whole grains as you can. These foods, along with protein, keep you fuller during your fasting window and can also help with blood sugar control while you are fasting.

For example, at your pre-sunrise meal you might enjoy water was well as oatmeal with fruit and nuts and some eggs or avocado toast, or a bowl of vegetable soup with a piece of whole grain toast with butter or olive oil, a glass of milk and some dates or a fruit smoothie.

Try to break your daily fast with lower glycemic index foods – choose veggies, fruit, protein, fats and legumes over bread and other carbs. This will help prevent harmful blood sugar spikes that can happen after a fast, especially when breaking a fast in the evenings. We are naturally more insulin resistant, or our tissues are slower to take up glucose, in the evenings.

8. Know when to break your fast early.

If you have diabetes or another health condition for which fasting is normally contraindicated, you are excused from the practice of Ramadan fasting. If you do choose to fast, you should consult your physician and be prepared to break your daily fast if you feel ill or if your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels drop too low, for example. For many people with diabetes, that means a level of 70 mg/dL or less. The risk of severe hypoglycemia increases in subjects with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who undertake fasting during Ramadan.

Ramadan fasting can also cause harmful hyperglycemia or high blood sugar levels. This has been attributed to overeating during non-fasting hours as well as diabetes medication dosing that doesn’t take fasting into account.

“The risk of hypoglycemia is increased significantly among diabetic individuals during Ramadan. Hyperglycemia usually occurred due to overeating during nonfasting hours of Ramadan and change in dosage of antidiabetic drugs to prevent hypoglycemia. Fasting during brightening to sunset results in remarkable changes in eating pattern and daily physical activity. Studies reported that insulin delivery should be rescheduled during Ramadan in which need to insulin reduction in daytime and increase in nighttime. Therefore, it is recommended that diabetic patients use the insulin pump for regulating their insulin requirement during Ramadan.” – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4274578/

Resources:

• Recommendations for Management of Diabetes During Ramadan
• Review of diabetes management and guidelines during Ramadan

Grab fiber-rich fruits and cereals in the morning for Suhoor – they are quick and easy to prepare, too!

9. Eat fiber in the morning, reduce your simple carbohydrates at night.

In a report on recommendations for the management of diabetes during Ramadan published in Diabetes Care in 2010, physicians and researchers from multiple institutions advised that people practicing Ramadan fasting minimize the carbohydrate and fat content of their sunset meals. They also advised that people should consume more complex carbohydrate and plant fibers during their early morning or pre-fast Ramadan meals. Consumption of high fiber whole grain cereals at Suhoor has been found to promote better satiety, improved bowel function and improved blood lipid levels during Ramadan.

“The common practice of ingesting large amounts of foods rich in carbohydrates and fats, especially at the sunset meal, should be avoided. Because of the delay in digestion and absorption, ingestion of foods containing “complex” carbohydrates (slow digesting foods) may be advisable at the predawn meal, which should be eaten as late as possible before the start of the daily fast. It is also recommended that fluid intake be increased during nonfasting hours.” – Recommendations for Management of Diabetes During Ramadan

10. Know when not to fast

Individuals who should not fast and who are exempt from Ramadan fastinginclude pregnant women, children under the age of puberty, elderly and frail individuals, the acutely unwell and those with chronic illnesses in whom fasting may be detrimental to health.

Ramadan Mubarak!

Family ready for İftar meal during Ramadan.

In summary, with Ramadan fasting you are likely to enjoy health benefits as long as you pay attention to what your body needs and do what works best for you. You can further improve your health, focus and energy levels during Ramadan fasting by maintaining a moderate amount of daily physical activity and a high level of vegetable and fruit intake.

Amanda Salis at the University of Sydney’s Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise & Eating Disorders recommends that people consider continuing some form of daily fasting even after Ramadan, to conserve its weight loss and other health benefits. In her own research of Ramadan fasting, she has found that this fasting schedule systematically produces weight loss even in the absence of other dietary changes, without any decrease in resting metabolic rate.

“I used to think that people must dread the Ramadan fast all year long, but I realized after studying it that people love the fasting! Individuals in Muslim communities are often sad when the Ramadan fast is over,” Salis said. “We also know that people tend to regain weight and fat after the Ramadan fast. Most people will lose 1-2 kilograms during Ramadan, which leads to improvements in metabolic health, glucose regulation and fat loss, even if they regain the weight later. So I think the main health message here is to continue some form of intermittent fasting after Ramadan to help prolong its benefits.”

Try practicing your Ramadan fasting and other year-round daily fasting with the added benefits of fasting with friends and receiving up-to-date educational resources on fasting and nutrition with the LIFE Fasting Tracker app. Check out our “Ramadan” LIFE Circles in the app! Ramadan Mubarak!

What you can after a Personal Injury

The moments following an accident or other injury are confusing and overwhelming. You may not know what to do or where to turn if you or a loved one has been injured due to someone's negligence or wrongdoing.

1. Seek Medical Help.

If you or someone you know has suffered a personal injury, the very first thing you should do is seek medical attention. Even if your injuries are not readily apparent, you should see a doctor because many injuries are not immediately obvious and some jurisdictions now require that you seek medical attention within a specified period of time or lose your ability to bring a claim. 

Remember, some injuries, especially soft tissue injuries or brain injuries, do not show symptoms for days, weeks, or even months following the injury. A doctor will do a thorough evaluation to diagnose your injury and provide the proper treatment and may be able to identify injuries that you or your loved one is not even aware is going to be a problem yet.

2. Contact an Attorney.

After you have received the appropriate medical attention, you should contact an experienced and knowledgeable personal injury lawyer. After hearing the details of your accident and injury, your attorney can advise you on whether or not you have a valid personal injury claim. Best of all, most personal injury attorneys will give you a free initial consultation and will work on a “contingency” basis, meaning they only get paid if you get paid, and they take their money out of whatever you receive, so you never have to go out of pocket.

3. Participate in the Investigation.

Once you have an attorney, they will thoroughly investigate your accident and begin planning how to prove your injuries were a direct result of someone else's negligence or wrongdoing. Most attorneys will have teams of accident reconstruction specialists, doctors, and other professionals who will analyze the incident and your injuries to determine what happened, who was at fault, and how seriously you or your loved ones were injured. But, in order for all of that to work, you must remain in contact with your attorney, follow his instructions, and participate in the investigation as directed. Rememer, it might seem like a little bit of a hassle, but your attorney is working to get you the maximum compensation to which you are entitled and can only help you if you help him. 

4. Discuss What Kind of Compensation You Should Receive.

There are several items for which you may be compensated, depending on the nature of your injuries. Your attorney will best be able to advise you as to what you can expect to receive money for, but some common examples include:

Doctor visits

Prescriptions

Medical equipment

At-home care

Funeral expenses

Loss of companionship

Lost wages

Pain and suffering

Punitive damages

Remember, this article is purely for informational purposes and is not intended to replace the advice you will receive from a qualified, competent attorney in your local jurisdiction. So, when in doubt, pick up the phone and call your lawyer.

12 Strategies for Optimizing Your Health

12 Strategies for Optimizing Your Health

     Actually, no surprises there, as the media is a mere reflection of the corrupted medical paradigm that focuses on treating symptoms rather than addressing the foundational causes of disease.

    So, here's my own list of the top dozen lifestyle strategies I believe can make the biggest difference in your health as they address most of the disruptions that are at the core of most health challenges.

#1. Add Sprouts to Your Diet

    One of the most nutritious powerhouses to add to your diet are sprouts. They are an authentic "super" food that many overlook or have long stopped using. In addition to their nutritional profile, sprouts are also easy and fun to grow in your own home as they don't require an outdoor garden.

    They can contain up to 39 times the nutrition of organic vegetables grown in your own garden, and allow your body to extract more vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fats from the foods you eat. During sprouting, minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, bind to protein, making them more bioavailable.

    Furthermore, both the quality of the protein and the fiber content of beans, nuts, seeds and grains improves when sprouted. The content of vitamins and essential fatty acids also increase dramatically during the sprouting process. Sunflower seed, broccoli and pea sprouts tend to top the list of all the seeds that you can sprout and are typically each about 30 times more nutritious than organic vegetables. While you can sprout a variety of different beans, nuts, seeds and grains, sprouts in general have the following beneficial attributes:

        Support for cell regeneration
        Powerful sources of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and enzymes that protect against free radical damage
        Alkalinizing effect on your body, which is thought to protect against disease, including cancer (as many tumors are acidic)
        Abundantly rich in oxygen, which can also help protect against abnormal cell growth, viruses and bacteria that cannot survive in an oxygen-rich environment

Planting and Harvesting Sprouts at Home

    I used to grow sprouts in Ball jars over 10 years ago but stopped doing that. I am strongly convinced that actually growing them in soil is far easier and produces far more nutritious and abundant food. It is also less time consuming. With Ball jars, you need to rinse them several times a day to prevent mold growth. Trays also take up less space. I am now consuming one whole tray you see below every 2-3 days and to produce that much food with Ball jars, I would need dozens of jars.

    I am in the process of compiling more specific detailed videos for future articles but I thought I would whet your appetite and give you a preview with the below.

    My two favorites are pea and sunflower sprouts. They provide some of the highest quality protein you can eat. Sprouted sunflower seeds also contain plenty of iron and chlorophyll, the latter of which will help detoxify your blood and liver. Of the seeds, sunflower seeds are among the best in terms of overall nutritional value, and sprouting them will augment their nutrient content by as much as 300 to 1,200 percent! Similarly, sprouting peas will improve the bioavailability of zinc and magnesium.

    I have been sprouting them now for a few months and they have radically improved the nutrition of my primary meal, which is a comprehensive salad at lunch. They are a perfect complement to fermented vegetables. My current salad consists of about half a pound of sunflower sprouts, four ounces of fermented vegetables, half a large red pepper, several tablespoon of raw organic butter, some red onion, a whole avocado and about three ounces of salmon or chicken. It is my primary meal. In the late afternoon, I typically only have macadamia nuts and coconut candy in addition to drinking 16-32 ounces of green vegetable juice. I break it up occasionally by going to a restaurant with friends.

#2. Make Fermented Vegetables a Daily Staple

    The importance of your gut flora and its influence on your health cannot be overstated. Your gut is home to countless bacteria, both beneficial and pathogenic. These bacteria outnumber the cells in your body by at least 10 to one, and maintaining the ideal balance of good and bad bacteria forms the foundation for good health – physical, mental and emotional. In fact, your gut literally serves as your second brain, and even produces more of the neurotransmitter serotonin than your brain does.

    Cultured or fermented foods are essential for maintaining a healthy gut. The culturing process produces beneficial microbes, also known as probiotics, which help balance your intestinal flora. Fermented foods are also some of the best chelators available, capable of drawing out a wide range of toxins and heavy metals. Just a quarter to a half a cup of fermented vegetables per day is sufficient for most people. Ideally, you'll want to include a variety of fermented or cultured foods, as each food will inoculate your gut with a variety of different microorganisms.

    To learn how to easily ferment your own vegetables, see my interview with Caroline Barringer, a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and an expert in the preparation of the foods prescribed in Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) Nutritional Program. We are currently finishing some sophisticated DNA sequencing experiments on our new high dose vitamin K2 probiotic starter culture.

#3. Optimize Your Vitamin D Levels with Appropriate Sun Exposure

    Vitamin D, once linked to only bone diseases such as rickets and osteoporosis, is now recognized as a major player in overall human health. There are only 30,000 genes in your body and vitamin D has been shown to influence over 2,000 of them. That's one of the primary reasons it influences so many diseases, including diabetes, depression, heart disease and cancer, just to name a few. But while many focus on vitamin D supplementation, it's important to realize that the IDEAL way to optimize your vitamin D level is not by taking a pill, but rather allowing your body to do what it is designed to do – create vitamin D from sun exposure (or a safe tanning bed). Sunlight is superior to supplements for a number of reasons:

        It is natural. Our ancestors optimized their vitamin D levels by sun exposure, not by swallowing it in foods. Although vitamin D is in some animal foods, it is in relatively low quantities and to my knowledge there are no known ancestral populations that thrived on oral vitamin D sources
        When you expose your skin to the sun, your skin also synthesizes high amounts of cholesterol sulfate, which is very important for cardiovascular health. In fact, Dr. Stephanie Seneff, believes that high LDL and associated heart disease may in fact be a symptom of cholesterol sulfate deficiency. Sulfur deficiency, in fact, also promotes obesity and related health problems like diabetes
        Most experts believe you cannot overdose when getting your vitamin D from sun exposure, as your body has the ability to self-regulate production and only make what it needs
        When taking a high dose vitamin D supplement, you also need to boost your intake of vitamin K2, either from food or a supplement, in order to maintain the proper ratio. These two nutrients work in tandem, and vitamin K2 deficiency is actually what produces the symptoms of vitamin D toxicity, which includes inappropriate calcification that can lead to hardening of your arteries
        Sunlight has many additional health benefits unrelated to vitamin D production

#4. Intermittent Fasting

    It's long been known that calorie restriction can improve metabolic disease risk markers and increase the lifespan of certain animals. More recent research suggests that intermittent fasting can provide the same health benefits as constant calorie restriction, which may be helpful for those who cannot successfully reduce their everyday calorie intake. I believe it's one of the most powerful interventions out there if you're struggling with your weight and related health issues. One of the primary reasons for this is because it helps shift your body from burning sugar/carbs to burning fat as its primary fuel.

    Research has also shown that fasting can boost your body's production of human growth hormone (HGH) by as much as 1,300 percent in women and 2,000 percent in men. HGH, commonly referred to as "the fitness hormone," plays an important role in maintaining health, fitness and longevity, including promotion of muscle growth, and boosting fat loss by revving up your metabolism. Other health benefits of intermittent fasting include:
    Normalizing your insulin and leptin sensitivity, which is key for optimal health     Improving biomarkers of disease
    Normalizing ghrelin levels, also known as "the hunger hormone"     Reducing inflammation and lessening free radical damage
    Lowering triglyceride levels     Preserving memory functioning and learning

    

    A simple way to incorporate intermittent fasting into your lifestyle is to simply time your meals to allow for regular periods of fasting in between. To be effective, the length of your fast must be at least 16 hours. This means eating only between the hours of 11am until 7pm each day, as an example. Essentially, this equates to simply skipping breakfast, and making lunch your first meal of the day instead.

#5. Incorporate High Intensity Interval Training into Your Exercise Routine

    Compelling and ever-mounting research shows that the ideal form of exercise is short bursts of high intensity exercise. Not only does it beat conventional cardio as the most effective and efficient form of exercise, it also provides health benefits you simply cannot get from regular aerobics, such as a tremendous boost in human growth hormone (HGH), aka the "fitness hormone," which is essential for optimal health, strength and vigor.

    HIIT has also been shown to significantly improve insulin sensitivity, boost fat loss, and increase muscle growth. Best of all, high intensity exercises are so efficient, you can get all the benefits you need in just a 20-minute session, start to finish, performed twice or a max of three times per week.

    The key factor that makes interval training so effective is intensity. To reap maximum results, you need to work out at maximum intensity, with rest periods in between spurts. If you are using exercise equipment, I recommend using a recumbent bicycle or an elliptical machine for your high-intensity interval training, although you certainly can use a treadmill, or sprint anywhere outdoors. (Keep in mind that if you intend to sprint outside, be very careful about stretching prior to sprinting. Also, unless you are already an athlete, I would strongly advise against sprinting, as several people I know became injured doing it the first time that way.)

    You can also modify your weight training routine to turn it into a high intensity exercise. This is done by slowing it down. The super-slow movement allows your muscle, at the microscopic level, to access the maximum number of cross-bridges between the protein filaments that produce movement in the muscle. To learn more, check out my interview with Dr. Doug McGuff – an emergency room physician who is also an expert in high-intensity interval training.

#6. Get High Quality Sleep

    Sleep is such an important part of your overall health that no amount of healthful food and exercise can counteract the ill effects of poor sleeping habits. Poor sleep has been linked to a number of health ailments, including short-term memory loss, behavioral problems, weight gain, diabetes, increased risk of heart disease and cancer. Sleep deprivation also prematurely ages you by interfering with your growth hormone production, normally released by your pituitary gland during deep sleep (and during high intensity Peak Fitness exercises discussed above). Growth hormone helps you look and feel younger.

    Most people need somewhere around seven to eight hours of sleep per night, but sleep needs are highly individual, and tend to vary depending on your current state of health and stress levels as well. If you still feel sleepy upon waking or feel like you need a nap during the day, you're probably not getting enough.

    Whether you have difficulty falling asleep, waking up too often, or feeling inadequately rested when you wake up in the morning – or maybe you simply want to improve the quality of your sleep – I strongly recommend reviewing my special report on improving your sleep hygiene.

    If you feel well-rested in the morning, that's a good sign that your sleep habits are just fine. But if not, you might want to investigate your sleep patterns more closely. ZEO is an innovative sleep measurement device that allows you to perform a personalized 'sleep study' from the comfort of your own home. The beauty of this device is that it lets you evaluate how various factors affect your sleep. For example, you can evaluate how your sleep was affected by a cup of coffee in the afternoon, or how doing computer work past a certain hour impacted your sleep.

    You could actually go through my 33 recommendations for improving your sleep and evaluate the effects of each one if you wanted to. I recommend using the less expensive mobile sleep manager as that will allow you scan your brainwaves without transmitting the data until the morning when you awake and manually transfer to your smart phone or tablet via Bluetooth.

#7. Get Grounded

    Did you know the energy from the Earth can help you live a healthier life? The concept is known as earthing or grounding, which is nothing more than walking barefoot; grounding your body to the Earth. You can connect any part of your skin to the Earth, but one is especially potent, and that's right in the middle of the ball of your foot; a point known to acupuncturists as Kidney 1 (K1). It's a well-known point that conductively connects to all of the acupuncture meridians and essentially connects to every nook and cranny of your body.

    Compelling research shows that lack of grounding has a lot to do with the rise of modern diseases.

    When you're grounded, there's a transfer of free electrons from the Earth into your body. And these free electrons are probably the most potent antioxidants known to man. Any free radicals they encounter in your tissues will immediately be electrically neutralized. This occurs because the electrons are negative, while the free radicals are positive, so they cancel each other out.

    Another very important discovery, and one of the most recent, is that grounding thins your blood, making it less viscous. This can have a profound impact on cardiovascular disease, which is now the number one killer in the world. Virtually every aspect of cardiovascular disease has been correlated with elevated blood viscosity. It can also help protect against blood clots.

    The ideal location for walking barefoot is the beach, close to or in the water, as sea water is a great conductor. Your body also contains mostly water, so it creates a good connection. A close second would be a grassy area, especially if it's covered with dew, which is what you'd find if you walk early in the morning. Concrete is a good conductor as long as it hasn't been sealed; painted concrete does not allow electrons to pass through very well. Materials like asphalt, wood, and typical insulators like plastic or the soles of your shoes, will not allow electrons to pass through and are not suitable for barefoot grounding.

    Exercising barefoot outdoors is one of the most wonderful, inexpensive and powerful ways of incorporating earthing into your daily life and will also help speed up tissue repair and ease muscle pain due to strenuous exercise.

#8. Drink Pure Water

    Your body requires a constant daily supply of water to fuel all the various waste filtration systems nature has designed to keep your body healthy and free of toxins. Your blood, your kidneys, and your liver all require a source of good clean water to detoxify your body from the toxic exposures you come into contact with every day.

    When you give your body water that is filled with toxins leached from plastic, by-products from chlorination, volatile organic compounds, or water that is contaminated by pesticides, fluoride, or prescription drugs, you are asking your body to work twice as hard at detoxification, because it must first detoxify the water you are drinking, before that water can be used to fuel your organs of detoxification!

    Clearly, the most efficient way help your body both avoid and eliminate toxins is to provide your body with the cleanest, purest water you can find. This is easily done by installing one or more types of water filtration systems in your house.

    If you could only afford one filter, there is no question in most experts' minds that the shower filter is the most important product to buy for water filtration, even more important than filtering your tap water. This is because the damage you incur through your skin and lungs far surpasses the damage done by drinking water (which at least gives your body a fighting chance to eliminate the toxins through your organs of elimination).

    An even better solution to the problem of harsh chemicals and toxins in your home's water supply is to install a whole house water filtration system. There's just one water line coming into your house. Putting a filter on this is the easiest and simplest strategy you can implement to take control of your health by ensuring the water and the air in your house is as clean as possible. To learn more about different types of water and water filtration systems, please see my special report on this topic.

#9. Limit Processed Foods and Replace Non-Veggie Carbs with Healthy Fats

    Two of the most powerful dietary interventions I know of are 1) limiting or eliminating processed foods and 2) replacing non-vegetable carbohydrates and excess protein with healthful fats. Beneficial fats include avocados, coconut oil, olives, olive oil, butter and nuts. Wild Alaskan salmon is also a powerhouse of nutrition, providing critical omega-3 fats. As a general rule, when you cut down on carbs, you need to increase your fat consumption. Both are sources of much-needed energy, but fats are a source of energy that is far more ideal than carbohydrates. Replacing carbs with more protein is not a wise choice as it can produce similar adverse hormonal changes as burning non-vegetable carbs.

    For a comprehensive guide on which foods to eat and which to avoid, see my nutrition plan. Generally speaking, you should be looking to focus your diet on whole, ideally organic and/or locally grown, unprocessed foods. For the best nutrition and health benefits, you will want to eat a good portion of your food raw.

    Processed foods are notoriously high in fructose, not to mention artificial additives. All forms of sugar (but fructose in particular) have toxic effects when consumed in excess, and drive multiple disease processes in your body, not the least of which is insulin resistance, a major cause of chronic disease and accelerated aging. Replacing non-vegetable carbs with healthful fats will also optimize your insulin and leptin levels, which is key for maintaining a healthy weight and optimal health.

    Most people eat far too much protein. Like many areas of health there is a "Goldilocks" dose that provides most of the benefits and minimal side effects. Dr. Rosedale believes that the ideal amount is about one gram per pound of lean body weight unless you are pregnant or doing competitive athletics. But that is a level that will more than supply your body's amino acid needs without sacrificing your health.

#10. Avoid Toxins

    Volumes of books could be written on modern day toxic exposures, but while it may be impossible to list every possibility, if you avoid the most notorious offenders, you'll be way ahead of the game. In general, this includes tossing out your toxic household cleaners, personal hygiene products, air fresheners, bug sprays, lawn pesticides, and insecticides, just to name a few, and replacing them with non-toxic alternatives. In terms of specific toxins, some of the most hazardous yet commonly encountered ones include:

        Mercury – found in dental amalgams and fish.
        Fluoride – found in toothpaste, fluoridated water, and non-organic food (due to the widespread use of fluoride-based pesticides. For example, conventionally-grown iceberg lettuce can contain as much as 180 ppm of fluoride – 180 times higher than what's recommended in drinking water).
        EMFs.  Electromagnetic field exposures are becoming increasingly pervasive and they can interact unfavorably with your biology. So please review the many previous articles we have written on this subject to learn more.
        Bisphenol-A (BPA) and Bisphenol-S (BPS) – Used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics, bisphenols are estrogen mimicking chemicals that can leach into food or drinks from the plastic containers holding them. These chemicals are known to be particularly dangerous for pregnant women, infants and children.

        To avoid plastic toxins such as bisphenols, opt for glass over plastic, especially when it comes to products that will come into contact with food or beverages, or those intended for pregnant women, infants and children. This applies to canned goods as well, which are a major source of BPA (and possibly other chemicals) exposure, so whenever you can, choose jarred goods over canned goods, or opt for fresh instead. Another good idea is to ditch plastic teething toys for your little ones and choose natural wood or fabric varieties instead.
        Phthalates – found in soft plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), as well as many toiletries, including shampoo, toothpaste, and cosmetics. Phthalates is one of the most pervasive type of endocrine disrupting chemicals discovered so far, and have been linked to a wide range of developmental and reproductive "gender-bending" effects. Twelve tips for avoiding common sources of phthalates, see this previous article.

#11. Have Great Tools to Address Your Stress

    Research has linked emotional stress to a wide variety of health problems, including physical pain, chronic inflammation,2 stillbirths,3 lowered immune function, increased blood pressure, altered brain chemistry, increased tumor growth4 and more. Even the conservative Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 85 percent of all disease has an emotional element.

    Clearly, it is not possible or even recommended to eliminate stress entirely. However, you can work to provide your body with tools to compensate for the bioelectrical short-circuiting that can cause serious disruption in many of your body's important systems. By using energy psychology techniques such as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), you can reprogram how your body responds to the unavoidable stressors of everyday life so that "the little things" no longer pose such a great threat to your health.

    Exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and meditation are also important "release valves" that can help you manage your stress. EFT is akin to acupuncture, which is based on the concept that a vital energy flows through your body along invisible pathways known as meridians. EFT stimulates different energy meridian points in your body by tapping them with your fingertips, while simultaneously using custom-made verbal affirmations. This can be done alone or under the supervision of a qualified therapist.5 Since these stressors are usually connected to physical problems, many people's diseases and other symptoms can improve or disappear as well.

#12. Replace Drugs with Natural Alternatives that Address the Cause

    Last but certainly not least, replacing drugs with natural alternatives, or better yet, addressing the lifestyle factors that are causing your health problem in the first place, are your best bets if you want to avoid becoming a disease- or pharmaceutical-mortality statistic.

    Drugs are known to cause well over 125,000 deaths per year in the US when taken correctly as prescribed. This is not so surprising when you consider the average drug label lists 70 potential adverse reactions. Overall, drugs are 62,000 times more likely to kill you than nutritional supplements, and 7,750 times more likely to kill you than herbal remedies. According to the US National Poison Data System,6 the following drug categories are among the most lethal:
    Analgesics, sedatives, hypnotics, and antipsychotics     Cardiovascular drugs     Opioids     Acetaminophen combinations     Antidepressants
    Muscle relaxants     Anti-inflammatories     Antacids     Anticoagulants     Antihistamines

    

    The vast majority of health problems are in fact responsive to appropriate lifestyle changes – the most important of which have been covered above. Type 2 diabetes, for example, is not only wholly preventable, it's virtually 100 percent reversible through diet and exercise alone. Even cancer has been shown to be responsive to such measures. Scientists are seriously looking into a number of dietary treatment alternatives, such as ketogenic- and anti-angiogenesis-type diets.

    For example, research led by Dr. Dominic D'Agostino has found that when lab animals are fed a carb-free diet, they survive highly aggressive metastatic cancer better than those treated with chemotherapy. The reason a ketogenic diet can have such a dramatic (and rapid) effect on cancer is because all of your body's cells are fueled by glucose. This includes cancer cells. However, cancer cells have one built-in fatal flaw – they do not have the metabolic flexibility of your regular cells and cannot adapt to use ketone bodies for fuel as all your other cells can.

    So, when you alter your diet and become what's known as "fat-adapted," your body starts using fat for fuel rather than carbs. When you switch out the carbs for healthy fats, you starve the cancer out, as you're no longer supplying the necessary fuel – glucose – for their growth. Intermittent fasting, discussed above, is one of the most powerful ways I know of to become fat adapted.

The Dangers of Gastric Bypass Surgery for Weight Loss

According to many recent researches, abdominal bypass surgical treatment to cure excessive weight can have hazardous side effects that can drastically harm an individual's health and wellness and could even possibly prove to be deadly.

Some customers have experienced serious hypoglycemia (low blood glucose level) following meals as an outcome of high insulin degrees, causing quashing and triggering traffic accidents. Other side effects of the expected "one stop fat burning cure" consist of confusion, light-headedness, rapid heart price, trembling, sweating, frustrations in the early morning, headaches and much more.

This is frightening sufficient, yet other side impacts such as malnutrition, infection, bowel and gallbladder problems could integrate and cause deadly repercussions due to the shock to the device.

In addition, even though lots of clients have such surgical treatments to curb their extreme eating, after the surgery those aged eating habits (such as eating in front of the TELEVISION, dismissing the "I'm complete" signals their body sends, excessive convenience food, etc.) are still there.

To expand on this, certain practices that have been improved via repeating - such as 'washing off your plate,' could also be canceled out via hypnosis. Consuming in response to 'food still being on the plate' is for numerous people a conditioned reaction reinforced hundreds or many thousands of times as they expanded up. The gastric bypass surgical treatment does not resolve any of this.

After these extreme "weight reduction surgical procedures" have been done and the person continues consuming, they are putting their lives actually in danger since they have not discovered how to care for themselves.

One of the simplest techniques to remove these inadequate eating behaviors is via the use of hypnotherapy, which can help a person uncover the underlying feelings that are driving the negative actions connected to their weight issue. The moment these emotional accessories are eliminated, brand-new healthier strategies could then be implemented in the mind.

By altering understandings concerning food and what food suggests to a person, it enables an individual to make their weight decrease a lifestyle as opposed to a short-lived period. Hypnotherapy is also excellent for assisting an individual conquered resistance to favorable adjustments and makes it much easier for them to endure all their healthy objectives.

To broaden on this, particular practices that have been enhanced through repetition - such as 'cleansing off your plate,' can likewise be canceled out with hypnotherapy. Eating in reaction to 'meals still being on the plate' is for many folks a conditioned feedback reinforced hundreds or thousands of times as they expanded up. The abdominal bypass surgical procedure does not attend to any of this.

Reducing weight - Male Versus Women

Fat burning is a target that touches both on males and females. The reality nevertheless is that guys tend of losing weight considerably quicker as compared with females. This could be an annoying fact for lots of ladies, particularly thinking about that they seem to be the team with higher weight reduction requirements. This is because females care a great deal regarding how they look and wish to look their finest. It could for that reason be discouraging when they appear to be making slightly development, especially in instances where they are competing with male equivalents.

Weight reduction in females moves considerably slower compared to that of guys. This can be as an outcome of mainly physiological factors making all the distinction. They include the following.

Muscular tissue distinction: Guys normally have a lot more muscle compared to women. Little activity will for that reason view a man burn more calories as compared to a female.

Susceptibility: The higher oestrogen degrees discovered in females makes them predisposed to holding and maintaining fats. This is a bodily hormone that works to keep fats within the physical body of a woman to ensure that developing is made easy. This however also indicates that women have to work extra tough compared to males to drop weight.

Physical exercise reaction: When it pertains to workouts, male physical bodies will certainly respond a lot faster as compared to female bodies. A female body will slow metabolic rate in starvation method just so it can cling the fats therefore making it harder for women to burn fat quickly even through working out.

Exercise resistance: Apart from responding gradually to workouts, women normally have a lung capability that is smaller contrasted to that of men. Exercises will certainly for that reason really feel tougher for ladies, specifically in high moisture settings.

Despite having all the differences, it is still quite feasible for women to burn fat and accomplish their targets. The hormones and genes could identify just how long it considers this to be done, but everyone ultimately gets there at their own rate. The trick is to avoid instances where you start comparing on your own with other individual also if a female like yourself. When you have actually set your weight reduction targets, you will be tailored towards attaining simply that and you will certainly be less worried regarding exactly what others are accomplishing.

There are a lot of fat loss prepare for ladies which can help in reducing weight a lot faster. They focus on great diet plan and physical exercises and when complied with purely, the results are inescapable. It is advisable to go for a fat loss strategy that you could keep up with. The workouts could be quite appealing, for this reason you will certainly be anticipating the sessions. Simple exercises such as walking, taking the stairs and quick walking need to never ever be disregarded as they could generate incredible outcomes.

Just how would your life be if you were sexy and match? Would certainly you be healthier if you could a minimum of 5 pounds in a week? If you act now, and click the hyperlink here, you could find out for FREE ways to effortlessly do it!

Weight loss is a topic that touches both on men and ladies. The truth nonetheless is that males have a tendency of shedding weight considerably a lot faster as contrasted to women. Weight loss in women relocates considerably slower contrasted to that of males. Also with all the differences, it is still really feasible for ladies to lose weight and obtain their objectives. There are plenty of weight loss plans for women which can aid in reducing weight much faster.

Looking For Ways To Lose Weight? Continue reading

When you are seeking methods to drop weight, you can spend years hunting for the perfect remedy while shedding useful time that you could be using to drop those excess pounds. Your ideal option is to discover a strategy that you believe you could stay with, and afterwards begin your weight-loss quest one pound dropping off each time. Right here are two indicate bear in mind when you start your quest.

IT 'S NOT AN ALL OR NOTHING TRIP

Yes you are obese, and yes you need to make modifications to vital locations of your life, however are you really never ever before EVER visiting consume a piece of pizza once again? You should be sensible if you want to slim down as this is the primary failure for several on this trip.

Simply look for healthier choices than what you would normally decide on. Instead, start off by looking for one bad consuming routine that you have every day - and crack it. Once that one is taken treatment of and you are comfy moving on, look for one more.

YES YOU DO NEED TO WORKOUT

Not being a health club addict is no justification for not exercising every day. As long as you are physically able to do so, you need to discover something that you will take part in willingly each day.

While making modifications to your diet regimen is one of the best methods to lose weight, starting to physical exercise is the various other. You will certainly not obtain the weight loss you actually desire without doing both at the same time.

There are a lot of techniques to drop some fat, yet the most efficient technique is going to be the one that you will delight in, or at the least, not hate. Anything that brings you discomfort or suffering is not worth it. You'll only stick to it for a few days, then the following thing you understand you are beating on your own up for failing.

Choose your fights when it involves dropping weight, enjoy the periodic piece of delicious chocolate or hamburger, yet know that you will certainly need to put a slightly additional effort into your following exercise session. A healthy and balanced approach to eliminating the fat is one that will stick with you lasting, which is exactly how you will eventually lose the weight.

When you are looking for ways to shed weight, you can invest years browsing for the perfect remedy while shedding important time that you might be making use of to drop those excess pounds. Your finest choice is to discover a technique that you assume you can stick to, and then start your weight loss quest one pound going down off at a time. As an alternative, start off by looking for one bad consuming behavior that you have every day - and break it. While making adjustments to your diet regimen is one of the finest ways to shed weight, beginning to physical exercise is the various other. You will certainly not attain the weight loss you definitely desire without doing both at the same time.

Weight-loss 101 - How to Lose Weight

How to Lose Weight Quickly and Keep It Off

Dropping weight could be a challenge and keeping it off after you've shed it is frequently equally difficult. When it comes to weight loss, particularly fat loss, there needs to be a mix of the appropriate diet plan along with resistance training. There are lots of things that could aid you and hurt you when it comes to weight management, however below are 10 pointers on the best ways to drop weight quickly that can assist nearly any individual.

1. Do NOT starve on your own - Lots of people assume weight management is purely about developing a calorie shortage. This is true to some level, yet in order to lose weight and keep it off, you have to nourish your physical body with the appropriate meals. When you place yourself through extreme, low calorie diet regimens, your physical body goes into "malnourishment" method and starts to save excess fat and sluggish your metabolism. It does this considering that it thinks you are going to STARVE if it remains to burn calories at a regular pace.

2. Restriction your starchy carbs - Starchy carbs like white rice, white bread, tortillas, chips, etc make losing fat deposits tough. Help on your own by loading your diet plan with non-starchy carbohydrates like veggies! Wild rice and wheat or grain bread are ALRIGHT as well, but don't overdo it.

3. Take in additional healthy protein, fiber and water - Protein supplies your muscle mass with the nourishment it needs to grow and stay healthy and balanced. Fat burning doesn't do a lot good if you're just shedding muscle mass! Fiber has various advantages, and actually, lots of people do not eat adequate fiber! Fiber helps you feel fuller, regulates blood sugar level, minimizes the risk of movement, enhances skin, raises heart health, and more! Look into this short article to learn more concerning the benefits of fiber.

4. Get a good evening's rest - Your body does most of it's expanding and mending throughout rest, not while you go to the health club or exercising outside. Without a great 7-9 hours of sleep every evening, you'll be stuck pondering ways to reduce weight. Allow your physical body the moment it needs to obtain healthier. Go to bed!

5. Begin a Higher Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) program - Many research studies have confirmed that HIIT is more efficient in a much shorter amount of time compared to constant state cardio. If you're trying to burn fat for a wedding celebration, reuniting or exactly because, High Intensity Period Training is the fastest means.

6. Limitation your desserts - Obviously if you're questioning how to reduce weight, consuming biscuits, candy and cake isn't really the means to do it. Nevertheless, the real secret is to watch out for hidden sugars in places like juice, high sugar fruits, and yogurt. Avoid anything with a high sugar content. Some timeless sugar threats are pop, sweet, dried fruit, fruit natural yogurt, granola bars and grain. Make certain to check the nourishment truths prior to you mow down on a "healthy and balanced" treat.

Do not stay clear of weight lifting - People typically avoid raising weights considering that they're so troubled about their weight going up. Structure muscular tissue is a good point, and a necessary point when it comes to exactly how to lose weight and keep it off.

Attempt to keep your stress LOW - Stress increases Cortisol degrees which could improve appetite and desires for points you shouldn't be eating! Also things like a hot bath, reading, and reflection will certainly aid.

They likewise work hard to give the right motivation and encouragement while monitoring your type to keep you injury cost-free. If you're brand-new to weight lifting or exercising, this is a really vital action towards acquiring healthier and shedding weight.

Choose a time you can exercise at consistently - Exercising calls for a habit. The easiest means to stick to your job out is to locate a time that functions for you almost every day. Don't attempt to simply wing it whenever you're offered.

If you're consistently questioning ways to burn fat quick, this is a fantastic place to start. There are numerous things that contribute to weight loss, and everyone is various, nevertheless, if you adhere to these guidelines, you will certainly view results.

Shedding weight could be an obstacle and keeping it off after you have actually lost it is usually just as difficult. There are numerous points that could help you and hurt you when it comes to weight loss, but here are 10 ideas on exactly how to lose weight quickly that could assist simply concerning anyone.

Weight loss doesn't do much good if you're simply losing muscle mass! Don't avoid weight lifting - Individuals often stay away from raising weights given that they're so stressed concerning their weight going up. If you're new to weight lifting or exercising, this is a really essential action in the direction of obtaining healthier and losing weight.