Perfect Wellness

Want to know why most of you have already forsaken your New Years resolutions? It is because you failed to embrace one of the most critical and elemental concepts when it comes to improving your wellness. I must warn you, this is not very exciting. It's not very sexy. In fact, most people would perceive this advice as down right boring! So, if you want something that really floats your boat, gets you pumped up, hyped and jazzed about reaching your dream of perfect health, then go to one of those self-help gurus for your fix of false hope destined to be dashed on the rocks of reality. However, if you're really interested in a formula for success that will help you meet your goals of improving your fitness, nutrition and stress management, then I've got some solid advice for you. Are you ready? Are you sitting down? OK, here it goes...embrace moderation.
Yep, that's it! I told you it wasn't very exciting, but when it comes to a strategy that can lead to lifetime wellness, embracing moderation is without a doubt the single most important concept for you to implement. The major problem for most people is their approach to wellness. Many people decide at the first of the year to rid themselves of their past bad habits and neglectful practices. Many people decide to start a fitness program by hitting the gym for a two-hour workout starting at 4:00 am. This is followed by going from a diet rich in meat and fat to a one-hundred percent raw food Vegan diet. And, what the hell, we might as well throw in some deeply spiritual mediation practices twice a day for at least a couple of hours to ensure you are also enlightened within a couple of weeks. Recipe for success? I think not! This fantasy will end the second their fist crashes down on the alarm clock ringing at 4:00 am. Oh well, there's always next year!
I know, this is an extreme example, but in truth it's not really that far off. Many people start something at the beginning of the New Year with really good intentions. The problem is they are typically trying to erase years, if not decades, of abuse and decline. Many people really think they can get in shape in just a few weeks and rarely do they think in terms of something they can stick with for the rest of their lives. We all want that quick fix and the thought of having to spend a lifetime busting butt, eating sticks and leaves and sitting on the right hand of God is simply unrealistic.
This is where moderation comes in. Moderation in our fitness goals means we are just starting out we should set reasonable and, more importantly, reachable goals. For example, a beginning fitness program could start with walking 15 minutes a day, 3 times a week. Moderation in nutrition means we start by simply eating smaller portions. The truth is by the end of the day if your calorie consumption is higher than your calorie expenditure you will gain weight no matter what you are eating. Moderation in stress management means maybe we start by just sitting still experiencing gratitude for all the positive things in our lives for 10 minutes each day. Get the picture? Make an honest assessment of what you CAN do and then just start to build gently from there.
Being reasonable, setting realistic and obtainable goals, being kind and patient with ourselves is truly the path to success. Just remember that one key word when you are tempted to get carried away...moderation.

Scale of Well-Being

There certainly seems to be an abundance of well-being scales. We have spiritual, psychological, financial, general, child, mental, quality of, caregiver, emotional and probably several more. Well-being is defined in Encarta as "a good, healthy, or comfortable state". Of course, many things can contribute to our well being. We also have what seems to be many different types of well-being indicators, such as; others well being, my well-being, New York well being, cultural well-being, American well being, our well-being, over all well being, global well-being, elderly well-being, patient well-being and professional well-being to mention a few.

Well-being is vital in our health and quality of life as well as length of life. According to a study done in the United Kingdom which followed 20,000 people with no history of stroke for around 8 years. Of those 20,000 individuals, about 600 suffered a stroke. Results from the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale showed evidence those patients were less likely to have positive mental health and well-being. The lower the scores on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale the higher the chances were of them suffering a stroke, or to suffer a fatal stroke. (Neurology, 2008)

There seems to be an increasing global interest in the concept of mental well-being and its contribution to all aspects of human life. There is an increasing demand for instruments to monitor mental well-being at the population level and the evaluation of mental health promotion initiatives is growing. "The World Health Organization has declared that positive mental health is the 'foundation for well-being and effective functioning for both the individual and the community' and defined if as a state 'which allows individuals to realize their abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and make a contribution to their community'". WEMWBS (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale) was developed by an expert panel. taking from current criteria. WEMWBS is a good measure of mental well-being with the focus being entirely on the positive aspects of mental health, and offers promise as a useful tool in monitoring the mental well-being at the population level. It should appeal to those whom evaluate mental health promotion initiatives, but it is also important that the scales sensitivity to change is established before it is recommended in this context. (Multiple (RT, 2007)

Our well-being is of importance to all, however you may choose to perceive that. If Joe Schmoe is crashing on the WEMWBS scale and then goes on a shooting spree killing 20 people, it affects us all to a certain degree. If Joe Schmoe2 goes and scores high on the WEMWBS scale and donates 1 Billion dollars to the food organization, health research, or other charitable organization it benefits us all whether directly, or indirectly. So I think it is important that we realize this, for we are all in this boat together, especially more so in this day and age. Our over all well being is more important than we may think or perceive. Today people can seem to be more cruel, self-serving egoists at best, which may not be so good for the over all well being of our global well-being, and more so, our spiritual well-being.

Today we live in a global society, and global well-being is more important now than maybe 20 years ago before we advanced to a global community. What we do in America can, and does have an impact on the well-being of Iraq, or North Korea for instance. We should take this into account when we act and react, how we do business, and other aspects of our everyday lives. If I cut down a tree in Ghana, that can affect the whole world, the same as a suicide bomber in a multicultural mall in Israel. Although those two examples may seem worlds apart in terms of consequences, the results are ultimately the same. Not that cutting down a tree is a bad thing, but cutting all of them down can result in catastrophic events of which we don't even have a clue as to what and or when. So everything we do should be given more consideration, as we do live in a global society, and global well-being is a consequence we should not ignore anymore. As we have learned, or should of learned in the past, is that when things go well, that usually translates into things going well for more and more people, and when things go bad, they go bad all over. Sort of like a snowball effect I imagine, so if we can take some of that to heart, and start to recognize that our actions affect not only us but everyone else to a certain degree, then maybe we are off to a good start in becoming a real global community, and not just so we can make a quick buck, but a true global community where we can communicate effectively and get along together. It's not just your well-being anymore, but the global well-being which we should consider. If the global well-being isn't so well, chances are ours won't be as good as it could be as well.

Well-being research continues to grow, as it turns out it does affect us in both positive and negative ways, and others well-being can directly affect us as well. So maybe the next time we want to rip some ones head off for a making a mistake, or being rude to someone for no reason at all, we should take that into consideration, for it can and does affect us as well, whether it be sooner or later, good or bad.

 

Some Dieters Regain Weight

Appetite Hormone Levels May Predict Dieters' Success

Sept. 9, 2010 -- Weight regain is the bane of many a dieter's existence. Often dieters who regain weight after losing it are viewed as failures and judged for their lack of willpower, but new research may put an end to this blame game.

Weight regain may not be solely a willpower issue.  Some people may actually be programmed to gain weight back based on their levels of two key appetite hormones, leptin and ghrelin. The new study appears in an online version of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

"This knowledge could be used as a tool to personalize weight-loss programs that could guarantee success in keeping off the weight," says study author Ana Crujeiras, PhD, of Compejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago in Spain, in a news release.

In the new study, 104 obese or overweight men and women ate a low-calorie diet for eight weeks and were followed up with six months later. Their body weight, ghrelin, leptin, and insulin levels were measured before, during, and after the diet. 

Ghrelin is the "go" hormone that tells you when to eat, and leptin is the "stop" hormone that tells you when to stop eating.

On average, study participants dropped about 5% of their body weight while adhering to the low-calorie diet. Six months later, 55 people maintained their weight loss, while 49 regained 10% or more of the weight they had lost. Those individuals with higher leptin and lower ghrelin levels before dieting were more prone to regain weight, the study showed. 

While this may seem counter-intuitive based on the actions of these hormones, the researchers suggest that it may be a matter of some people being resistant to the effects of these hormones.

Their brains may not be getting the fullness or satiety messages that these hormones are delivering. You may have a lot of leptin, but your brain is resistant to its effects; much like people with type 2 diabetes become resistant to the effects of the hormone insulin.

Going forward,  "these hormone levels could be proposed as biomarkers for predicting obesity-treatment outcomes," the researchers conclude. "Our findings may provide endocrinology and nutrition professionals a tool to identify individuals in need of specialized weight-loss programs that first target appetite hormone levels before beginning conventional dietary treatment."

Louis Aronne, MD, founder and director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, agrees. "There is something physical going on in people who regain weight," he says.

"Resistance to these hormones is a risk factor for weight regain," he says. Aronne dubs this condition "fullness resistance" and says that your brain is resistant to signals that come from your stomach and intestines telling you that you are full and to stop eating.

View the original article here

Healthy Diet Mistakes

Trying to eat healthier? Great. Just avoid these 9 common diet mistakes.
One of the happiest days of my life was when I found out that chocolate (yes, chocolate!) was actually good for me. The rich, creamy candy I'd been surreptitiously snacking on since I was a kid was packed with heart-healthy antioxidants.
I gleefully loaded up my shopping cart with bars and bags of chocolate -- dark, of course -- and gorged myself silly.
Then I came to another realization. Dark chocolate, though undoubtedly healthy in small quantities, happens to also be loaded with sugar and fat. I owed my thighs a sincere apology.
The problem is, there is no quick fix when it comes to healthy eating.
"A healthy diet relies on a lifelong commitment to eating the right foods and eating the right way," says Sari Greaves, RD, nutrition director at Step Ahead Weight Loss Center in Bedminster, N.J., and an American Dietetic Association (ADA) spokeswoman.
Even if you already knew that, you may still go astray when you try to eat healthier.
Here are a few of the most glaring diet mistakes people make, and how to fix them before they derail your healthy eating plan.
One diet promises that you can lose 10 pounds in a week by eating as much as you want -- as long as what you're eating is cabbage soup. Or grapefruit. Or cookies.
Bad idea.
If you go on an extreme, short-term diet, "you're setting yourself up to be very hungry and then bingeing," says Marjorie Nolan, MS, RD, CDN, CPT, a registered dietitian in New York and national ADA spokeswoman.
By cutting out entire food groups, you're also prone to nutritional shortfalls and boredom. Eventually, you're going to crave the foods you're missing.
"Even when the diet works...it doesn't teach you how to maintain your weight loss. It's just a gimmick to restrict calories," Nolan says.
Some of the one-food diets can also have unpleasant side effects. Grapefruit acts as a diuretic, which can lead to dehydration, Nolan says. It can also make you gassy and can interact with some drugs, such as those that treat high blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythms.
Fix It: "The bottom line is, if a product or diet sounds too good to be true, it probably is," Greaves says. She advises steering clear of any diet that promises fast results.
"Weight loss should be a gradual process in which you lose no more than half a pound to 1 pound a week by eating a well-rounded diet," Greaves says.

The Healthy Slow Cooker

A winning combination of healthy eating and convenience.
Here's an ideal combination: a tasty meal, nutrition for good health, and the convenience of a slow cooker. The Healthy Slow Cooker offers more than 100 delicious, nourishing recipes that are healthy and contain key nutritional, health and wellness information. Along with a complete nutrient analysis, each recipe will feature: - An icon denotes vegan friendly recipes - "Mindful morsels" that highlight particular nutritional elements - "Natural Wonders" that provide an a overview of a dish's healthful benefits
For example, Indian-Style Chicken with Puréed Spinach provides 400% of the daily requirement of Vitamin K, and cumin in the recipe improves digestion. Here's a small sampling of the tantalizing array of recipes: - Creamy Polenta with Corn and Chilies - Moroccan-Style Lamb with Apricots and Raisins - Ribs 'n' Greens with Wheatberries - Winter Vegetable Casserole - Cranberry Pear Brown Betty - Indian Banana Pudding
For diabetics, the book features a separate section of useful advice and nutrition guidelines.
Price: $24.95
Click here to buy from Amazon

Selling Renewable Energy Credits

Selling renewable energy credits is a new and interesting market. Here is some information about selling renewable energy credits and a basic understanding of the market.

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are frequently referred to as Green Tags, Renewable Energy Credits, and/or Tradable Renewable Certificates (TRCs). RECs represent the environmental and economic value of electricity produced from clean, renewable, emission-free energy resources that will never be depleted and are safe for our environment. A REC is not actual energy, just the right to say that you have offset the production of dirty power with clean power.

Producers of green power should consider selling renewable energy credits as well as the power itself, which will increase their profits. Other parties can buy RECs if they need to satisfy regulatory requirements or improve their corporate appearance. When RECs are sold, the organization buying the RECs obtains the right to claim environmental advantage.

Selling renewable energy credits allows energy users across the country to support alternative energy generation. RECs contribute to the growth of the renewable power sector, and with buyer support will continue to help make alternative power even more cost competitive.

In areas which have a REC program, an alternative energy provider (such as a wind farm) is credited with one REC for every 1,000 kWh or one MWh of electricity it creates. The average residential customer uses about 800 kWh per month. A certifying organization gives each REC an exclusive identification number to make sure it isn't sold twice. The green energy is then fed into the electrical grid (by law), and the complementary REC can then be sold on the open market.

Several certification and accounting associations attempt to ensure that RECs are legally sold and correctly tracked. The Climate Neutral Network, Green-e, and the Environmental Resources Trust's EcoPower Program certify RECs. If you are interested in selling renewable energy credits, start with your local electric company or one of these organizations.

There are two main markets for selling renewable energy credits in the United States - compliance markets and voluntary markets. A policy called the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is responsible for creating the compliance markets. Renewable Portfolio Standard requires electric companies to supply a predetermined percent of their electricity from renewable sources by a specific year.

For example, California electric companies must provide 20% energy from renewable sources by 2010. Electric utilities in these areas with RPSs must demonstrate compliance with their requirements by buying RECs. In the California sample, the electric companies would need to hold RECs equivalent to 20% of their sales.

Want to help companies and property owners go green? Sell your RECs on the voluntary market. Voluntary markets allow customers to purchase renewable power, generally out of a desire to go green. Most commercial and domestic purchases of RECs are voluntary. Alternative power providers can sell their RECs to voluntary buyers, usually at a lower price than compliance market RECs.

Detractors indicate a flaw with this system. It is argued that it does not necessarily replace dirty energy. Since some alternate energy resources, most notably wind resources, are irregular and unpredictable, their production does not replace an equivalent amount of other sources, per kW of capacity. However, they do replace on a per kWh basis, electricity from combustion sources, thus reducing greenhouse gases and undesirable byproducts.

Weight Loss Pill

Study Shows RIsks Increase in People Who Already Have Heart Disease

Sept. 1, 2010 – People who take Abbott's weight loss pill Meridia have a higher risk of nonfatal heart attack and stroke, a company-sponsored study shows.

The increased risk was seen only in patients with underlying heart disease. When the FDA learned of the study results last January, Meridia use was restricted to patients without known heart problems.

The European regulatory authorities went further. They banned the drug, known generically as sibutramine and in Europe as Reductil.

Later this month, an FDA expert advisory panel will meet to decide whether Meridia should remain on sale in the U.S.

The researchers reporting the study, W. Philip T. James, MD, DSc, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and colleagues, including researchers from Abbott, say the drug should stay on the market as long as it isn't sold to people with heart conditions.

The editors of the New England Journal of Medicine disagree. In a strongly worded editorial, they call Meridia "another flawed diet pill." They note that in return for offering a weight loss of under 9 pounds -- less than 5% of the body weight of the overweight participants in the study -- the drug had a one-in-70 chance of causing a heart attack or stroke.

People with underlying heart problems had an even higher one-in-52 risk of heart attack or stroke. And the New England Journal of Medicine editors note that many people who are overweight or obese have undiagnosed heart problems.

Since "the modest weight loss with [Meridia] did not translate into clinical benefit," the editors say, "it is difficult to discern a credible rationale for keeping this medication on the market."

James and colleagues find that among 10,744 overweight or obese people with heart problems or type 2 diabetes, 4.1% of those taking Meridia and 3.2% of those on placebo had nonfatal heart attacks. The nonfatal stroke rate was 2.6% in the Meridia group and 1.9% in the placebo group.

Importantly, they suggest, Meridia did not increase the overall death risk or the risk of death from heart disease and stroke.

Meridia "should continue to be excluded from use in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease," James and colleagues conclude.