Archive for November, 2008
Beat Depression With Movement
November 25th, 2008 | 
Author: Depression takes its toll on people worldwide. Most of us have felt burnt out or down in the dumps at times. Many of us have felt far worse, bad enough to seek medical help because it is taking over and ruining our lives. Unfortunately medical help has some rather unhealthy side effects like cost, mood swings, health problems and the fact that the problem still remains even if we feel a little better for a short time. Researchers are now proving that there is one way to improve depression that has no side effects and will give lasting results. Exercise.
Exercise psychologist Andrea Dunn, Ph.D., of The Cooper Institute in Dallas reports just how effective exercise can be in treating depression. “It affects the biology in the brain in the same way that anti-depressant drugs do,” she says. Chemical altering medications force the body to be come dependant and never allow the imbalances within to recalibrate and come to stable levels. So just how does exercise actually help if you are clinically depressed?
Research now shows that depressed patients have very low levels of serotonin and exercise is one of the best ways possible to boost those levels. Although historically depression has been considered a character condition, evidence suggests that major depression results from a deficiency of available serotonin. In addition to boosting serotonin levels, exercise combats depression in many different ways. Some of the most easily noticeable differences are;
- Better physical body; less fat, more lean muscle.
- Body functions better.
- Great increase in energy due to becoming more active.
- Less frequent mood swings. Overall mood becomes proactive.
- More positive outlook on life.
- Thinking becomes clearer.
- Greater self esteem and confidence due to becoming healthier and having a better looking better functioning body.
- Handling stress becomes easier. Confident body language such as standing taller, looking people in the eye and taking deep breaths are projected.
The changes stated above cause a ripple effect that enhances other areas of our lives. When these areas improve, so does the way people view you. When you project happiness and confidence that is genuine, people naturally respond in a more positive light. In a way, beginning a movement or exercise program can begin to teach us how to take control of our lives and shape them how we want them, despite not having solved all of our problems. This is not a cure all, but a way to begin to get back on track.
So what is the best exercise program to combat depression? That depends entirely on you. If you hate going to the gym every day and yet you choose an exercise program that takes place in the gym, most likely you will end up getting bored of the same old routine and will not stick with it. An exercise program must be flexible enough to enhance your life. This simply means you must choose a total fitness plan that you enjoy, that you can do anywhere, anytime that you choose. The less limits you have, the more likely you will be to stick with it. Why? Because you like doing it! If you are one of those severely depressed people that cannot muster up the motivation to do anything for any length of time, it becomes an absolute must that you begin with something that you LOVE doing. Listen to the advice your body gives you. There is no perfect plan to follow.
You must learn to listen to your body. This is the key to faster results and better motivation. After you begin to get active, then choose an exercise program that is well rounded and will help to take you to the next level. Fitness is not a quick fix bullet cure all for lifes problems. A quick fix usually helps for a bit and we end up at the beginning again, starting from square one. Exercise and health is a lifestyle choice, an ongoing process that helps you a little bit more each day. When we view it in this way we are far more likely to stick with it for the long run because we understand from the outset that things take some effort and time.
Sometimes we can’t just rely on willpower. Try to identify your strengths and skills and apply those to exercise. Change isn’t simple, but we don’t need to try for monumental changes all at once. Try taking a series of simple steps toward your goal. It can be a very effective way to build up to those huge goals we all have. Just figure out what is the very first step for you.
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Get Off the Emotional Eating Roller Coaster!
James Allen may have inadvertently started a new movement in 1937 when he said, “As a man thinketh, so he is.” Scientists are discovering each day that our thoughts and our upbringing influence every area of our lives, including emotional eating.
Parents who sent their children to bed without supper, or forced them to eat foods they hated, sent a chilling message. Many adults live with the ramifications of food used as reward or punishment. Emotional eating has given rise to alarming rates of obesity, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and other ailments.
TV ads showing pencil thin actors with perfect bodies, perfect teeth, perfect clothes and perfect hair deal a blow to the average person’s self-image. Other commercials insist we can effortlessly achieve miracle weight loss in little time. These commercials are especially egregious emotional eating triggers for people who struggle with loneliness, stress or depression by making them feel hopeless.
Starting and staying with a healthy eating plan begins with accepting yourself, warts and all. Stop worrying about what others say or think. Theirs is nothing more than opinion. Instead of striving for the perfect look, perfect body and perfect weight, understand that perfect is relative, and you are unique. Choosing foods that allow you achieve your healthy weight helps avoid binging and emotional eating.
Learn to recognize whether you are truly hungry or need the emotional fix of your favorite comfort food. If you recently ate something, you are probably not hungry. Instead of heading for more food, do something to avoid emotional eating. Read your mail, clean out a closet, load or unload the dishwasher, or call a friend. Go out for a short walk if possible. Change your perspective with a change of scenery.
Know what sends you racing to the nearest comfort food. Emotional triggers include stress, anger, excitement, boredom, loss or depression. Keep a food journal and note what triggers your emotional eating bouts, and what foods seemingly satisfy your cravings. Your journal will point out your negative eating patterns, arming you with the knowledge to change.
Talk to someone you trust about people or events that are troubling you. A friendly ear is invaluable to a healthy life.
Clean out your refrigerator and cupboards and discard all unhealthy foods. Find comfort in other activities. Read a book, watch a favorite video or call someone you have not heard from in awhile.
Eat a balanced diet, making sure you get enough calories to avoid hunger pangs later. Fill up on high fiber fruit and vegetables, lean protein and low fat snacks. Instead of eating three large meals a day, divide your daily calories into six small meals. This type of eating helps you feel satisfied and is a boon to weight loss.
Keep healthy snacks nearby. Fruit, light microwave popcorn, low fat yogurt, and crunchy veggies with a low fat dip satisfy cravings and helps you stay on track.
Exercise regularly, drink plenty of water, and get plenty of rest to avoid mood swings that trigger emotional eating.
You will probably “fall off the wagon.” Forgive yourself. Tomorrow is another day and a new beginning. Learn what caused your fall and have a plan for future situations.
Congratulate yourself for making positive changes that ultimately lead to a healthy weight and healthy lifestyle.
7 Ways to Kick Smoking Habits For Good
The man’s man. His cool demeanor, hat tilted just so, photographed with nothing but a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. The Marlboro man. Men wanted to be him and women wanted to be with him. He made smoking look cool, sexy and fun, but as the world knows today, it is anything but…
Not only are cigarettes are the number one killer in America they dramatically increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, impotence, infertility, premature birth, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, and almost every other health concern, small or large? How could any habit be worth this?
Its not, but people continue to smoke because the nicotine in cigarettes is highly addictive and smoking provides psychological comfort to some people and perhaps most of all, quitting is so hard.
Experts say that quitting smoking is harder than giving up most addictions including alcohol. This is understandable given the sometimes harsh withdrawal symptoms. For you to be able to stop you must be FULLY committed. Alas, even that, sometimes is not enough. You must have incredible will power, determination and maybe assistance from external sources to be able to kick the habit once and for all.
There are several ways to stop smoking. Research them and find out what will work for YOU as they work differently on different people. Some of these methods include:
1. Medication – There are many prescription medications that are used to counteract any withdrawal symptoms one might experience and to suppress the nicotine craving.
2. Hypnotherapy – This is a safe and proven method to reduce the nicotine Craving. It is more effective than other methods like patch or nicotine gum.
3. Alternative therapy – These include aromatherapy, acupuncture and meditation.
4. Counseling – You need to boost will power many a times. You definitely need counseling under such conditions. Counseling is extremely important for behavioral support. It is important that you have one to one counseling sessions.
5. Smoking Aids and stretchers – these include gum, patches and nasal sprays. These are not as effective as other methods as they still feed your nicotine cravings by releasing small amounts of nicotine into the bloodstream.
6. Will power – Will power is nothing but a state of mind. It is in fact very difficult to implement this state of mind. People of low will power find it difficult to quit smoking. Other, with strong will power can simply give it up in one go, cold turkey.
7. Don’t Give Up – If you fall off the wagon, DO NOT GIVE UP. It is important you try again immediately. Do not give your body time to become re-addicted. Just continue with your original plan.
Whatever method you choose, remember that it is up to you and only you to actually give up smoking. Good luck!
Quitting Smoking – Reverse Effects on Lungs With a Detox
The body wracking coughs that come with long term smoking are unhealthy, unpleasant and unattractive. They are also a sure sign of unhealthy lungs that are being destroyed by cigarette smoke and all the tar and other stuff that clogs up your lungs making breathing more difficult and of course initiating that awful smokers cough.
Quitting smoking may seem like the answer if you are worried about the health of your lungs and your overall health as well but many people worry that it may be too late and that they have done permanent damage to themselves and give up on the idea of quitting smoking or helping save their lungs. This is a shame because even if you double over coughing every few minutes and can hardly seem to go a few hours without lighting up another cigarette there is hope for you as it is never too late to quit smoking cigarettes or to detox your lungs!
Firstly, many people may wonder what a lung detox is as it can sound rather odd as it does not have as much exposure as other detoxification for the liver or bowels or other organs that many diets are linked to. Basically this is a way to speed up the cleaning out of your lungs of all the gunk and filth accumulated from years of smoking by a combination of exercise, dietary changes and vitamins. Lungs do clean themselves out over time once you stop smoking as well but this is usually a long process that can take up to 15 years in a set of very unhealthy lungs where a lung detox may reduce that to a year or so!
The quitting smoking reverse effects on lungs are there if you do not do anything other than quit but the toxins will remain for a lot longer without the aid of the aforementioned detoxification and work in the same way just slower as the body slowly but steadily dissipates the toxins through your internal processes that break down poisons and similar things. With this in mind there is also a secondary benefit from a lung detox that aids with quitting smoking!
Many people who have undergone a lung detoxification process find quitting smoking a lot easier because as their lungs becomes cleaner the body actually becomes quit averse top cigarette smoke, tar and nicotine as the respitory system once again remembers that these things are not just normal items to be found in your lungs but are foreign invaders! This causes many people to feel physically sick from smoking and the reaction from smoking cigarettes becomes so negative it will make quitting all the easier.
This of course is not the only thing you need to quit smoking cigarettes though but the reverse effects on lungs will make it easier to approach the psychological addiction that may have formed from the long years of habitual smoking that ingrain the action of smoking and the comfort of even of just holding one. This dependence on a behavior rather than just a chemical like nicotine confuse the issue further and make people often blame the cigarette for more than its fair share of the blame.
You also need to look at yourself and why you feel the need to smoke beyond the physical cravings that only last for a few days, after that it is more your own mind fighting its own demons which it can lose and before you know it another cancer stick is slipping between your teeth.