December 24th, 2007 by Phil

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably going to be eating like a horse over Christmas, only to make your New Year’s resolution to lose weight!

Burning fat can seem tedious and boring, not to mention hard work. People, who want to lose belly fat quickly, believe that if they could only be bothered to go to the gym or the pool just for a few hours a week, they could be sporting washboard abs even Arnold Schwarzenegger would be proud of.

Going to the gym is going to help, of course it is, however it is not the only important factor in how to get rid of belly fat. Reducing that waste line with a well balanced diet as well as a good exercise regime will ensure that you get rid of that belly fat with far more efficiency and speed!

Who on earth wants to spend hours a week in the gym, doing endless crunches, reps and sit-ups without seeing any results? The sweating, the aches and pains for absolutely nothing? Oddly this is far more common than it may seem. Many people will try to lose weight over years and still not see results. Worse still, they gain weight!

Why is this? Calories play an important factor in your success in losing belly fat. Most people assume that if they just eat less, they will lose weight. But if they do not burn more calories than they consume, they will inevitably gain weight.

Eating foods like junk food that contain high calories need more than just a few hours at the gym to burn off. What’s worse is that some people even believe that an hour at the gym deserves a cream donut or a slice of cheesecake just as a small reward –how wrong they are. They’ve just spent an hour at the gym only to pile it on again in a fraction of the time.

Eat less calories + burn more calories than consumed = lose belly fat quick; simple right? However where people often go wrong is by exercising when crash dieting or eating foods that lack the right nutrients, carbohydrates, proteins, fiber and fats. This can be damaging for the body’s health.

The food you eat is your body’s fuel, so it’s important to pay attention to what you eat and not just the quantity. Junk foods contain high fats and little nutrients to cater the basic needs of the body.

Going at it in the gym or pool on a poor diet will only make you burn out in the end. You’re body and mind will start to suffer, you’ll be prone to illnesses and fatigue. You’re body will dig into its reserves and you will weaken as a result. What’s worse is that your belly fat will remain. Of course you’ll have the six-pack underneath the fat, but it won’t be visible.

Knowing how to get rid of belly fat begins with knowing how to eat well, especially if you want to lose belly fat quickly. By eating the right foods in conjunction with your healthy exercise regime you will no doubt see better results.

To get a head start for the New Year, go to How to get rid of belly fat. Merry Christmas and Have a Great New Year!

December 13th, 2007 by Phil

Insomnia medication falls into three categories- there are the over-the-counter products which can be easily bought. These often contain antihistamines. Then there are the prescription medications- benzodiazepines and antidepressants.

Using prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids to catch up on your sleep should be avoided. You should consult your doctor before taking sleep medication. You should also avoid taking them for more than 2 or 3 nights in a row, as prolonged use can cause ‘rebound’ insomnia.

Sleeping pills are generally bad news as they will break down your body’s natural sleep cycle and make sleep very difficult in the long term. It may also affect the amount of deep sleep you attain during the night as most major sleeping pills interfere with normal brain wave patterns. Without deep quality sleep the body skips the vital stages of sleep that are required for restoration.

You may find that you wake up feeling groggy, drowsy or tired this is because most sleeping pills take time for the body to break down. In fact sleeping pills do not improve daytime performance whatsoever; they only help tackle the symptoms. Even so, in studies it has been shown that insomniacs that rely on sleeping pills took on average 45 minutes to sleep. This destroys the belief that sleeping pills help you sleep faster.

Sleeping pills may help you get to sleep but with continual use your body will build tolerance, and you may find that you need to ‘up’ your dose to attain the same affect. Since they do not tackle the root cause of insomnia, many users become dependant and even worse ‘chronic users’. Taking sleeping pills is definitely not a long term solution to insomnia.

So if they don’t improve daytime functioning and they do more damage than good including; reducing brain activity in the day, affecting memory and judgment as well as being highly addictive, then why are they being relied upon by millions of adults?

Many sufferers feel powerless and simply do not know how to tackle insomnia effectively. An insomnia patient who seeks advice from their doctor week after week can leave the doctor feeling desperate to help and more likely to resort in prescribing sleep medication.

With only 10% of doctors rating their sleep knowledge as good in a recent survey, we can assume that the general public knows significantly less in terms of sleep education. Sleep medication can seem the only way to get a night sleep.

However insomnia medication is not a long term solution. They will only worsen the condition. With this in mind it’s best to seek alternative therapies and medicines.

December 2nd, 2007 by Phil

Daily life can be tough, with so much going on sometimes, some days can get pretty darn stressful. It’s good to take a breather sometimes and just relax -take some time out to compose yourself. Go somewhere quiet and practice some breathing exercises or EFT to help soothe your nerves.

Stress isn’t good for the body or the mind. It’s important to take note and observe your emotional behavior. Don’t just let it build up inside you. It’s important to release negative energy. Often we do something silly when we’re in a bad mood or our behavior becomes erratic. Remember, you are in control of your emotions.

A friend of mine emailed this video to me the other day. At first I found it amusing, but then I felt sympathy. There have been days in my life where things have seemed too much to cope. But nowadays I pay attention to my emotional levels and put my health first before work.

Anyway here’s the video: