An Interesting Approach To Weight Loss

Would you take part in a weight-loss program in which you were explicitly asked not to lose any weight for the first eight weeks?

Although the approach sounds counterintuitive, a study from researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine found that women who spent eight weeks mastering weight-maintenance skills before embarking on a weight-loss program shed the same number of pounds as women who started a weight-loss program immediately. More importantly, the study showed that the “maintenance-first” women had regained only 3 pounds on average a year later, compared to the average 7-pound gain for the immediate dieters.

The study’s authors say that the maintenance-first approach may offer a way to halt the cycle of yo-yo dieting.

Read more information on this weight loss technique>>

Small Bits Of Time

If you spent 10 minutes every day doing something, that would be 1 hour 10 minutes a week, and a staggering 60+ hours a year. Think what you could do with all those small bits of time.

Homesick Students

It can be hard on the whole family if someone goes away to college and finds it difficult to settle and is homesick, so why not give the Bach Flower Reemedies a try.

There are 38 different reemedies, so see which one is suitable. Obvious choices could be Mimulus, Walnut or Honeysuckle.

Lowering Alzheimer's Risk

5 steps to lower Alzheimer's risk as suggested by the Harvard Medical School Newsletter
While there are no surefire ways to prevent Alzheimer's, by following the five steps below you may lower your risk for this disease — and enhance your overall health as well.

1.    Maintain a healthy weight. .
2.    Check your waistline. To accurately measure your waistline, use a tape measure around the narrowest portion of your waist (usually at the height of the navel and lowest rib). A National Institutes of Health panel recommends waist measurements of no more than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men.
3.    Eat mindfully. Emphasize colorful, vitamin-packed vegetables and fruits; whole grains; fish, lean poultry, tofu, and beans and other legumes as protein sources; plus healthy fats. Cut down on unnecessary calories from sweets, sodas, refined grains like white bread or white rice, unhealthy fats, fried and fast foods, and mindless snacking. Keep a close eye on portion sizes, too.
4.    Exercise regularly. This simple step does great things for your body. Regular physical activity helps control weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise (walking, swimming, biking, rowing), can also help chip away total body fat and abdominal fat over time. Aim for 2 1/2 to 5 hours weekly of brisk walking (at 4 mph). Or try a vigorous exercise like jogging (at 6 mph) for half that time.
5.    Keep an eye on important health numbers. In addition to watching your weight and waistline, ask your doctor whether your cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood sugar are within healthy ranges. Exercise, weight loss if needed, and medications (if necessary) can help keep these numbers on target.

For more on ways to help prevent Alzheimer's as well as information on diagnosing and treating it, purchase A Guide to Alzheimer's disease by Harvard Medical School.

Getting Satisfaction From Small Things

Many people belittle themselves for getting immense satisfaction from small things. You hear people say things like: “I know it’s sad but I get such a lot of satisfaction from ..” What that from is varies. It can be

• A tidy desk drawer
• A line of washing
• A new magazine
• The colour purple
• The downy hair on my child’s arm
• Chopping onions finely

The implication is that it’s not a good thing to get satisfaction from small things. But think about this again. Isn’t it better to find lots of satisfaction in small things rather than waiting for your lfe to be perfect before you can be happy.?

Get more tips and insights from my book 500 Plus Health And Happiness Tips >>

My Bicycle Ride From Russia to Turkey

I have been away from the office riding my bicycle from Peterhof (St Petersburg, Russia ) to Istanbul (Turkey). I rode 2596 miles (over 4100 km) through ten countries. It was  quite an adventure – exhilarating, exciting, scary, tiring and much more. I kept a dialy blog about my journey. You can read my blog here>>

Organic Christmas Gifts

I love Green People organic personal care products. Remarkably cheap for such effective products that care so well for you and the environment. And they’re not tested on animals and use some fairly-traded ingredients too.

They’re currently offering 10% off the Christmas Gift Range if you quote the code GPXMAS – offer ends 20th October.