Obesity the new 4 letter word

I have written several articles on Belly Fat. I think that people see belly fat in the mirror but do not see obesity as such. According to surveys we just don't accept that we are obese. We are overweight or fat or need to lose a few pounds. But that belly fat seems to be an acceptable thing to determine to lose. That is fine with me. If you can get yourself to lose the belly fat then the obesity will just disappear as well. I picked out these three articles from today's newspapers.

From the Orlando Sentinel

First we said they were ruining their health with their bad habit, and they should just quit.

Then we said they were repulsive and we didn't want to be around them. Then we said they were costing us loads of money -- maybe they should pay extra taxes. Other Americans, after all, do not share their dissolute ways.

Cigarette smokers? No, the obese.

Last week the list of ills attributable to obesity grew: Fat people cause global warming.

This latest contribution to the obesity debate comes in an article in The Engineering Economist that calculates how much extra gasoline is used to transport Americans now that they have grown fatter. The answer, it said, is 1 billion gallons a year.

And from another newspaper today

Obesity linked to lack of sleep, says study Monday October 30, 2006 LONDON - A trend for children and adolescents to stay up later and sleep less may be linked to rising levels of obesity, a review says.

Bristol University researcher Shahad Taheri said televisions, computers, mobile phones and other gadgets should be banned from children's bedrooms to enable them to get a good night's sleep.Archives of Disease in Childhood, Mr Taheri said there was increasing evidence that shortened sleeping times result in metabolic changes that may contribute to obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes and heart disease.

And from the LA Times

Quick fixes feed obesity rate Misinformed consumers rely on unproven weight-loss products, a new survey says.
The nation's soaring obesity rates won't fall until Americans stop placing their faith in unproven and possibly fraudulent weight-loss products and treatments. That's the message from some of the nation's top obesity experts, commenting on new data about Americans' continued, naïve hope for the quick fix.....But the 1994 passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act amended laws so that dietary supplements are no longer subject to pre-market safety evaluations.

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I found these articles interesting to say the least. Lack of Sleep contributes to overweight----you bet. Not just in children and teenagers but in adults as well. And not just because staying up later leads to midnight snacks. Just as your body needs dream time it needs repair time.

If it was easy to quit smoking or eating junky food we would all be slender and smoke free. Both the smoking and the junk foods are addictions.

Our bodies crave that junk because the brain has learned to release chemical substances to try and protect the body from all that stuff and that has conditioned the body to want more. Most people have heard of a runner's high caused by endorphins released when the body is exhausted.

Odd as it may seem, people generally crave a food that they are allergic to, just to get this reaction. It is not on a conscious level. On the conscious level they may talk all day about the vile doughnut but on the subconscious level they truly crave that doughnut.

Bottom line.....It is not easy to get healthy but it is possible. The longer you wait to turn things around and start a healthy life style, the harder it is and the more damage has been done.

Tomorrow is Monday and Monday is the most popular day for everyone to start a new project. Don't wait for another Monday. Take positive steps (literally) everyday to improve your health and watch that belly fat and the obesity fade away.

until next time ... smile

Sharon

copyright Answers For Your Health/Shrink Belly Fat

Stubborn Belly Fat

We all know that in attacking the belly fat problem, step one is adjusting your diet. If you are like most people you have been concentrating on getting fewer carbs and fat. Ok, but there is one fat you must delete all together. Trans Fats, a modern invention that is killing you as well as making you fat.

So you have been trying to avoid trans fats. You are maybe reading a few labels but mostly it is a lot of trouble and after all just how bad can trans fats be. Consider ----

Trans fats can actually make you fatter than other foods with the same number of calories.

Trans fats increase the amount of fat around your stomach, not just by adding new fat, but also by moving the stored fat from other areas directly to your belly.

Want to read more...Stubborn Belly Fat

Most of the Answers For Your Health web site is up and running. Please if you find a dead link, please please let me know. How I wish I had a week of no other obligations to work on it. But it is hit and miss in between children and job.

I must admit I have become some what fixated on the big belly problem. You know that I work as a night cashier at a grocery store. It is facinating looking at the food items that people buy and then looking at the people. Some of them actually tell me that certain food items are not for them but are for a husband or child. Guess what, I can see that you are eating that too.

This is my first experience with working with the public from a servant position. I am amazed by the number of rude bullies there are. I blush to think of the times that I was less than polite to a cashier.

Please pass this along...cashiers have no power, we did not set the prices, we can make no decisions, we are working as quickly as we can, yes we sometimes make mistakes and will quickly fix that mistake as soon as we can. If there is no one standing at the end of the counter where your groceries are piling up, there is no one. Refusing to help bag your groceries does nothing but slow the process down. Saying mean and ugly remarks also does no good. It does not change the reality of the situation.

And please stop asking me how many "your ethnic group" people work at my store. I have nothing to do with the affirmative action program but I can assure you that we have a complete roster of all. There is not a minority group anywhere that can say we are prejudiced. This store is open 24 hours a day and they may just be working another shift.

On that note I will leave you for today. I am thinking about creating several blogs that will be on only one topic. What do you think? Do you want a mix on this blog or a dedicated blog?

until next time - smile.
Sharon
copyright Answers for Your Health

Amazing Juggling Finale

Chris Bliss performing an amazing juggling routine. Pure Joy, Pure Focus. It is amazing what a human being can do with the right motivation.

Aloe Vera

To me the Aloe Vera is a symbol of new life from the old. It is a promise that age and bad conditions do not have to kill but rather can just make stronger.

It is an affirmation that when times are good, the good should be used to grow stronger knowing that there will follow a time of want and need.

The Aloe Vera grows bigger each time it is used. I know that sharing and giving is the best way to increase my own self. No matter the season or condition of the plant, it still shares its healing self whenever it is needed.

Is Aloe Vera the perfect plant? It contains over 75 known active ingredients, (probably many more), 19 of the 20 amino acids required by the human body and 7 of the 8 essential amino acids that the body can't produce itself.

Read the complete article on the web site. Aloe Vera is New Life

I am in the process of remaking the site. After the crash, I discovered that many of my pages were corrupt and not showing up when someone tried to click on a link.

So far I have redone the Arthritis section and it is now under Arthritis Help

and moved the Diet and Supplements information to what else Diet and Supplements

I would most sincerely be grateful if you would take a look at the new sub sites and click on a few pages. Let me know if you find any dead links. After so many hours I begin to miss some small details or just get in a rush.

This is taking a lot longer to do than I thought it would, probably because I am doing it the hard way. If I knew a faster way believe me I would do that. I am going to take a few shortcuts as a temporary measure just to be able to get to my home page to do some changes.

I will also be setting up some new blogs that go with each new sub site. But that is a chore for another day.

until next time smile

Sharon

(c)copyright Answers For Your Health/Diet and Supplements

Why do we get a belly bulge?

I received a question the other day about belly fat. Why do men develop a belly bulge when they get older?

Gravity

Ok not to scientific but really true. There are other contributing factors such as lack of exercise and too much sugar and animal fat in their diets.

Let us face the facts of growing older such as shrinkage. Your income shrinks, and your body shrinks. That would be retirement and bone mass loss. I know mostly all the advertising is directed at women but the gentlemen shrink also.

First the exercise. Exercise keeps bones healthy. You are exercising to keep weight under control and keep the muscle mass in shape. You don't want flappy arms and saggy butt. Without the exercise to stress the muscles which in turn stress the bones which is what keeps the bones strong --- you shrink.

When the back bone shrinks, the body begins to protrude in the front, just like bending a straw.

Can this unflattering condition be reversed? Can you exercise? Can you improve your diet?

until next time smile
Sharon
(c)copyright Answers For Your Health.com