Heart Disease And Exercise

The heart is a muscle and needs exercise to stay in shape. When it's exercised, the heart can pump more blood through the body and continue working at optimal efficiency with little strain. This will likely help it to stay healthy longer. Regular exercise also helps to keep arteries and other blood vessels flexible, ensuring good blood flow and normal blood pressure and cholesterol.

When it comes to exercise, a little bit performed regularly goes a long way. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), exercising 30 minutes a day, five days a week will improve your heart health and help reduce your risk of heart disease. You can even break it up into quick and manageable 10-minute sessions, three times a day.

Just be sure to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise routine, as exercising with a heart condition can put extra strain on your heart. Learn the signs of heart trouble during exercise and don’t over-exert yourself.....and remember you can do this!

Never Give Up On Your Weight Loss Journey

Never Give Up, Never, Never Give Up, Never Ever Give Up, Never Give UP!  

That’s right, the secret key to losing weight is not a new fad diet, it’s not a new medication, it’s not a bunch of gimmick supplements, it is A STATE OF MIND!

Let’s face it. You tried to lose weight in the past, and you failed. So what! The key is what do you do now. 

Do you give up, or do you start again. Anyone and everyone who has ever successfully lost weight and kept it off has failed in the past at one time or another. 

However, the reason they were finally able to lose the weight, was because they NEVER GIVE UP..

I know how hard and frustrating it can be,  trust me, because I have been there as well, but trust me never give up. If you have a bad day and eat a bunch of fatty junk, so what, forget about it. Just do not give up, never.

Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do RIGHT NOW and do it. Just start a new day and never give up.  If you tried to lose weight, and it did not work, try something different.

JUST NEVER GIVE UP!

Have you ever considered the cost of quitting? For a real eye opener…what if these individuals had quit.... Thomas Edison...Steve Jobs…Michael Jordan…or Sylvester Stalone. Ask them how much it would have cost them if they had quit. What about you? What will it cost you? For starters it can cost you your life...yes your life, and if it did, think of the love ones who will be left behind,...yes it will cost them dearly as well.

So ask yourself, is this what you want, are you truly trying to hurt not only yourself, but the ones you love as well.

I know what Im saying may be harsh, but sometimes we have to hear the truth, and if me giving you this real talk will get you moving, then I've done my part...now take the inspiration and go, you can do this, and you will do this, and remember "Today Iz The Day".

Written by,

Dwight Obey, Independent AdvoCare Distributor

Self - Motivational Phrase

When working out try visualizing your goals, come up with a phrase that states what you are striving for, and speak it out loud when doing your exercises. 

Some of the phrases I used when I was losing my weight were, ”Today Iz The Day" and "Why wait.....” If you say this over and over, and you are not what you are speaking,  or doing what you should be doing, your mind will sense a mismatch and then have to adjust to make the connection.

When the connection is finally made, we discover the golden nugget we have been in search of..... which is called "TRANSFORMATION"

Jot Down Your Weight Loss Goals Pt.2

Continued From Part. 1

Write down all the bad things that are associated with your weight. 

**Are you missing out on relationships?
**Are you worried about your health?
**Are you worried about dying early?
**Do you want to see your children get married? 

To be perfectly honest, obesity is currently the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States, just behind smoking.

If you are overweight, you have a very good chance of dying earlier than you should. Write this stuff down. The goal here is not to make you feel bad, but instead I'm trying to help you see whats really important in life, and let you know there are love ones who care, and need you.

Do you remember when you were a school kid and the teacher gave you a homework assignment that was due in a week? How many of you ran home and finished the assignment on the first day? Ok, a few of you probably did. However, if you were like me, I waited until the last minute to do the assignment. 

Why? Why did I wait until the last minute? Because I associated more “pain” with the process of doing the assignment than the  “pleasure” I would get from knowing I had finished it. That is, until the night (or morning) before it is due. Now, the assignment is due in a few hours and all I can think about is the “pains” that will come if I do not get it done. 

I will fail, my parents will get mad at me, I will get grounded and not be able to play with my friends. So what do we do? We do the damn homework, even though it causes us pain.

This might sound a little harsh, but the only reason you have not lost weight is because you associate more “pain” with the process of losing weight than the “pleasure” you will get with losing weight. 

When you eat that donut you are thinking about how good it pleasures your taste buds, but instead of thinking that you just added another 200 extra calories that you did not need which can cause you to gain more weight if you continue down this path. 

Overeating on things such as donuts on a constant basis, without a proper diet or exercise, can lead to weight gain, which may cause you to feel unattractive, and even worse more likely to cardiovascular disease issues if you are not careful. 

I know you can do this, 1'm here to help...so lets get started.

Now write down your three month goal, six month goal, and one year goal. Be realistic. Think about losing one to two pounds a week as a goal. Put these goals somewhere you can see and read on a daily basis (Like on a sticky placed on your bathroom mirror). Let this sticky note be the reminder when you wake and start each day that you can do it.

Remember little steps, Rome was not built in one day.

No more tomorrow,..."Why wait...Today Iz The Day"

Jot DownYour Weight Loss Goals Pt.1

I know you have heard this over and over, and over. But did you every actually do it? If you want to really change your life and lose the weight, this time, write down your goals. In fact, let’s take it a little further. If this is not your first attempt to lose weight, then I'm sure you tried some other program or “diet” before and for some reason it did not work. 

The first thing I want to say is, “good job”. 

Not good job for failing in the past, good job for trying again. 

This is a little off the subject, and we will get into this more later. However, anyone who has successfully lost weight and kept it off, failed on some other program at one time or another. You see,....the difference is, they never gave up. So, good job on continuing your quest to lose weight. I know you can do it.

Now back to your goals. I want you to write down why you failed in your past attempts to lose weight. 

Did you lack time, motivation, direction, what was it? Now write down all the negative things about your life, which are related to your weight problems. What will your life be like if you do not lose the weight and keep living the way you are living?  Are you truly missing out on enjoying life because of your weight?

Are you letting your family down, because you cant do the thing they want, because of your weight ?At the end of the day, your kids just want their dad around to play and run with. What about your spouse, what are they missing out on? What about you? If you keeping living the way you are living, what will you miss out on?

To Be Continued............

Visualize The Body You Want

Everyday, especially when exercising, visualize the body you want and the person you want to be. 

Picture the new you in your mind. See your new body. Visualize what that person will be like, how will losing all that weight change your life. How will that person act? Now, be that person. 

Act as if you had already reached your goals. When a situation comes up that might adversely affect your weight loss program, such as blowing off your exercise routine, or that tempting bad snack at work, stop. Visualize the person you’re  trying to become. Now be that person. What would that person do in this situation, now be that person. “Hold an image of the life you want, and that image will become fact.”

Attitude And Weight Loss

If you have been trying unsuccessfully to lose weight for some time, you might need to change your attitude. Take a minute and think back over the past times you have tried. How did you approach your weight loss program? Were you reluctant? Were you skeptical? Did you really think this was the one, the program that would finally work, or did you have doubts and think that you would fail again?

“If you continue to think the way you’ve always thought, then you will continue to get the same results”.

If you think you will fail you will. If you know you will succeed you will. Charles Swindoll said…

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day".  

Powerful phase to repeat each and everyday along your journey

"We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our Attitudes”.

That says it all. When I was losing weight, I read this daily. When I did not feel like exercising I would read this. When I weighed myself and thought about giving up because I did not lose any weight, I read this. I now am giving it to all of my readers, who visit 1st N Weight Loss.  

Good luck on your journey, you got this!

Exercise Nutrition

Food and exercise go hand in hand. If you are on an exercise program, you must ensure that you are getting enough energy to fuel your exercise, as well as all the right nutrients. If you are exercising to bulk up, or exercising to lose weight, there are also many other things to consider.

Before Exercise

One of the most important meals for any athlete is the one before training or competition. Never compete without eating something beforehand, even if your event is first thing in the morning. In general, the pre-exercise meal that is taken a couple of hours before the training session should be based on carbohydrate-rich foods. Closer to the event, carbohydrate rich snacks can be consumed, while high-fat or high-protein foods should be avoided.

During Exercise

It is very important to make sure where appropriate, that food and fluid is ingested during exercise, in both training and competition. Generally, the longer the event, the greater the amount of carbohydrate that is utilized. As a rule of thumb, if your sport or training is longer than an hour, you may benefit from consuming some carbohydrates during sport in addition to fluid.

After Exercise

Recovering well after an exercise session may be a challenge. Recovery will be most effective during the first few hours after the exercise. The aims are to replace muscle and liver glycogen stores, replace fluid and electrolytes lost in sweat and repair the damage caused by the exercise. The best fuel to use is carbohydrate foods, as these foods will replace the glycogen stores depleted during the activity.

All About Water

Dwight Obey, MBA,MSAJS

Most people have no idea how much water they should be drinking, and most people live from day to day in a dehydrated state.  Even mild dehydration has shown to slow your metabolism!

Do you drink enough water?  Most adults should be drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water per day.

Most adult bodies are made up of 50% – 70% of water.  If you don’t drink enough water, it will draw on sources from within the body and this can cause serious problems.

Is there is a difference between pure water and other beverages that contain water?   Obviously you get water by consuming fruit juice, soft drinks, coffee or tea. However, while such drinks contain water, they also may contain substances that are not healthy and actually contradict some of the positive effects of the added water.  Another problem with these beverages is that you lose your taste for water.

Why is drinking water important for weight loss?  One, it curbs hunger by making you feel full.  Additionally, it replaces sugary drinks helping you to consume less calories.  And even some studies show that water can boost your metabolism.

Set a goal to drink one extra glass of water today.  Or, get a water bottle to keep at your desk at work and make an effort to fill it a couple of times each day.  You may need to slowly increase the amount of water you drink by making small and manageable changes in your daily habits.

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The Dreaded Weight Loss Plateau

Dwight Obey, MBA, MSAJS

Weight-loss plateaus happen to even the most dedicated person. A plateau occurs when your metabolism changes as it grows accustomed to the new lower weight and lifestyle changes you have made. After a few months of continuous weight loss, you may find your progress stalled despite still dieting and working out. This can be incredibly frustrating.

To break through, you’ll need to decrease caloric intake even further and increase activity to start shedding pounds again. Try cutting 200 calories from your daily meal plan. But don’t put yourself below a 1,200 calories total.

Better yet, bump up your workout time by 15 or 30 minutes, or ramp up the intensity. Incorporate some more walking throughout the day by getting off public transportation one stop early. Walk instead of driving to the grocery store for a few odds and ends. Plateaus happen to everyone. You can and will move past them to reach your goals.

Losing weight and attaining better health is a learning process. It’s one that also doesn’t come overnight. Steadfast commitment is required. But this change will allow you to adopt the healthy habits needed in order to achieve your goals and maintain a healthy weight for life.

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The Melon Diet

Dwight Obey, MBA, MSAJS

According to Marie Marcus, MS, RD, CDN, nutrition director at Nourish Snacks, these types of diets appeal to people because they have a lot of structure but only require a short commitment.

“Unlike lifestyle change diets, the finite time period of the watermelon diet gives dieters a realistic, achievable goal,” she says. “We’re more likely to willingly punish ourselves if we know it’s only for a few days.”

And with watermelon as the main selling point, Marcus says, “We’re more likely to sign up for a diet if it means we get to eat something we love all day.”

Watermelon is good for you, it’s true. In addition to nutritional benefits, it provides a good deal of water.

“The watermelon diet is really more of a cleanse that relies on the fact that watermelon is over 90 percent water,” explains Marcus. “So it’s low in calories and provides some vitamins and minerals. It’s hydrating, refreshing, and can help you feel full, at least temporarily.”

Before you go stock up on watermelons, Marcus also offers some words of warning. The diet’s restrictive nature leaves people without any dietary source of protein, she explains. Because of this, she can’t recommend the diet to children, pregnant woman, or anyone with compromised immune function.

She adds that, like all flash diets, it’s not a long-term solution.

“Study after study shows that these fad-type diets don’t work in the long run,” she says. “Once the diet period is over, people fall into their old habits, regain the weight, and look for the next diet to test drive.”

For healthy dieters, some optimism: “In general, I don’t advocate for extreme, restrictive diets and cleanses like this,” Marcus says. “But if you’re generally healthy, it’s unlikely to be harmful when followed for a few days. If you have a plan for how to continue your weight loss efforts once the diet is over, and all you need is a little jumpstart, then go for it.”

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Cholesterol, and what you should know

Dwight Obey, MBA, MSAJS

Cholesterol is a substance that your liver produces naturally. It’s vital for the formation of cell membranes, vitamin D, and certain hormones.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance. It doesn’t dissolve in water and therefore can't travel through the blood by itself. Lipoproteins are other particles formed in the liver that help transport cholesterol through the bloodstream. There are several major forms of lipoproteins that are important to your health.

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL), also known as "bad cholesterol," may build up in the arteries and lead to serious health problems like a heart attack or stroke. High-density lipoproteins (HDL), sometimes called "good cholesterol," help return the LDL cholesterol to the liver for elimination.

Your liver produces all the cholesterol that you need, but fats and cholesterol are present in many of the foods we eat nowadays. Eating too many foods that contain excessive amounts of fat increase the level of LDL cholesterol in your blood. This is called having high cholesterol. High cholesterol is also called hypercholesterolemia. High cholesterol is especially dangerous when HDL cholesterol levels are too low and LDL cholesterol levels are too high.

High cholesterol typically causes no symptoms. It’s important to eat healthy and regularly monitor your cholesterol levels. When left untreated, high cholesterol can lead many health problems including a heart attack or stroke.

What Causes High Cholesterol?

• red meat

• liver and other organ meats

• full fat dairy products like cheese, milk, ice cream, and butter

• eggs (the yolk)

• deep fried foods, like potato chips, french fries, fried chicken, and onion rings

• peanut butter

• some baked goods, like muffins

• processed foods made with cocoa butter, palm oil, or coconut oil

• chocolate

Who Is at Risk for High Cholesterol?

• have a family history of high cholesterol

• eat a diet containing an excessive amount of saturated fat

• are overweight or obese

• have diabetes, kidney disease, or hypothyroidism

What Are the Symptoms of High Cholesterol?
How Is High Cholesterol Diagnosed?

• total cholesterol: less than 200 mg/dL

• LDL cholesterol: less than 100 mg/dL

• HDL cholesterol: 40 mg/dL or higher

• triglycerides: less than 150 mg/dL

How Is High Cholesterol Treated?
Medications

• atorvastatin (Lipitor)

• fluvastatin (Lescol)

• rosuvastatin (Crestor)

• simvastatin (Zocor)

Lifestyle Changes

• Eat a diet low in saturated and trans fats. Lean meats, such as chicken and fish that are not fried, and lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are helpful. Avoid fried or fatty foods as well as too many carbohydrates and processed sugars

• Eat fish containing omega-3 fatty acids, which may help lower your LDL cholesterol. Salmon, mackerel, and herring, for example are rich in omega-3s. Walnuts, ground flaxseeds and almonds also contain omega-3s.

• Avoid excessive amounts of alcohol.

• Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

• Quit smoking.

Herbal and Nutritional Supplements

• fiber

• soy

• oat bran (found in oatmeal and whole oats)

• barley

• artichoke

• blond psyllium (found in seed husk)

• ground flaxseed

• garlic

• olive seed extract

• hawthorn

• green tea extract

High cholesterol is usually made worse by eating too many unhealthy foods that are high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and trans fats. Examples of foods that contribute to high cholesterol include:

High cholesterol can also be genetic in many cases. This means that it’s not simply caused by food, but by the way in which your genes instruct your body to process cholesterol and fats. Genes are passed down from parents to children.

Other conditions like diabetes and hypothyroidism may also contribute to high cholesterol. Smoking can also increase cholesterol problems..

Over one-third of American adults have raised levels of LDL or "bad" cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People of all ages, ethnicities, and genders can have high cholesterol.

You may be at a higher risk of high cholesterol if you:

In most cases, high cholesterol is a silent problem that typically doesn't cause any symptoms. For most people, if they have not had regular checkups and followed their cholesterol levels, their first symptoms are events like a heart attack or a stroke. In rare cases, there are familial syndromes where the cholesterol levels are extremely high (familial hypercholesterolemia). These people have cholesterol levels of 300 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher.  Such people may show symptoms from high cholesterol that are due to deposits of cholesterol (xanthomas) over their tendons or under their eyelids (xanthalasmas).  While high cholesterol affects a large portion of the United States, familial hypercholesterolemia affects only about one in 500 people.

High cholesterol is very easy to diagnose with a blood test called a lipid panel. Your doctor will take a sample of blood and send it to a laboratory for analysis. Your doctor may ask that you don’t eat or drink anything (fast) for at least 12 hours prior to the test.

A lipid panel measures your total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines the following blood cholesterol levels as "desirable", or what you should aim for):

These recommendations are for the general, healthy public.  Cholesterol levels may be different if you already have other conditions like diabetes. Your doctor can tell you what your healthy levels should be.

Committing to exercise and a healthy diet is usually enough to decrease cholesterol levels. Sometimes medication is needed. This is especially true if LDL cholesterol levels are very high.

The most commonly prescribed medications used to treat high cholesterol are called statins. Statins work by blocking your liver from producing more cholesterol. These drugs also indirectly decrease the blood levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and some of them may also raise the level of the “good” cholesterol, HDL.

Examples of statins include:

There are also combination products that decrease both the absorption of the cholesterol you eat and also reduce the production of cholesterol in your liver. One example is a combination of ezetimibe and simvastatin (Vytorin).

Since a person's lifestyle typically worsens high cholesterol, lifestyle changes are crucial in order to lower it.  Take these steps to help lower your cholesterol.

Some foods and supplements have been suggested to help lower your cholesterol, although none have been clearly proven to do so. These include:

Certain herbs have also been suggested to be beneficial. The level of evidence supporting these claims varies. None have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of high cholesterol.  Some of these include:

Always talk to your doctor before taking any herbal or nutritional supplement. The herbal supplement may interact with other medications you take.

Dwight Obey, Independent AdvoCare Distributor

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