When It Comes to Obesity, Personal Trainers Have It Wrong!

I hate to start off 'going negative' but it is illustrative and appropriate to reduce to the point of absurdity the approach used by personal trainers in general and the clown trainers on the TV show "The Biggest Loser" specifically.

Everybody wants to make a buck on the plight of the overweight. The Purposefully Primitive approach, to use an old hackneyed analogy, is to teach overweight individuals how to fish rather than sell them fish. There is an obesity epidemic in America. As pointed out in a recent New York Times article, 30% of the population is obese, obesity being defined as 30% (or more) body fat.

A 200-pound obese person holding a 30% body fat percentile would carry 60-pounds of fat. If that same individual carried a 40% body fat percentile (not uncommon) they would have 80-pounds of fat to haul around on a daily basis. Hold a pair of 30 or 40 pound dumbbells in each hand to give your self an idea of how much weight this represents in real terms. Body fat is not near as dense as iron so the space on the body needed to carry body fat is voluminous.

How to melt off adipose (fat) tissue is the subject of great controversy within the fitness community. One element of the obesity solution is the use of cardiovascular exercise to mobilize and oxidize stored body fat.

Personal trainers and fitness experts have a huge collective blind spot in that they continually mistake exercise mode for cardio method. What is the goal of cardio exercise? The systematic elevation of the heart rate for a protracted period of time on sustained basis: the benchmarks are frequency, duration, intensity.

Fitness experts force clients to become adept at a mode of exercise they are biased towards, despite the fact that the mode, jogging, is injurious, ruinous and unnecessary.

Coming soon! "The Obesity Solution" is designed to help overweight men and women physically transform themselves into healthier, thinner, more fit individuals. Designed by Marty Gallagher, a world champion coach and former washingtonpost.com fitness columnist, he will take you by the hand to help you achieve permanent fat loss.

For more information, visit [http://www.purposefullyprimitive.com/announce.html] and get a FREE special report on how to stick to a diet the easy way!

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Paying The Price for Obesity in Yet Another Way

There are a 2 issues here I would like to address:

Powerfully discriminating 

It was unfair of the airline to suggest it was the passenger's fault they were obese

Powerfully discriminating: Yes it is. There are many reasons why the concept of body weight is painfully misleading & inaccurately judgmental.

Many of us in the health & fitness field implore people to look beyond BMI - a number based on weight. As much as the airline is altruistically contributing to fighting obesity (NOT) how about: very tall people, muscular builds, pregnancy, medical treatments... weight is not directly correlated with body fat. How bout skinny fat people - higher body fat, low body weight - yes I get it a kilo is a kilo - but don't say its to bring awareness to the obesity epidemic.

Fault: Why do we live in a world obsessed with fault - Sorry - fault leads to scapegoating, finger pointing & absolving ourselves of responsibility & the opportunity for personal growth & self betterment. Yes, there are many contributing factors to obesity, and yes, there are options for dealing with obesity. Fault is irrelevant - finding a go forward plan is very relevant.

Obesity is a chronic illness - as cancer, heart disease, alcoholism, arthritis... and yes there is always a silver lining... obesity is no exception. Chronic illnesses have medical & behavioral solutions. Hopefully we would not try & treat cancer or heart disease by ourselves - we seek guidance from health professionals.

We know obesity is a major contributor to all of our top lifestyle killers. Not only is it physiologically deadly, but obesity can be emotionally mortifying as well. As much as an obese person says "I have tried everything" yes - they easily could have tried everything they know - but the fact is...

there are many contributing lifestyle factors to obesity undiscovered, and is within personal power to lose the fat, get healthy. Help is needed to discover these issues.

We wouldn't treat cancer ourselves, please find out treatment options for obesity. People usually do think they are doing everything possible - just not true. Fact is, most people do not know what clean nutrition is, portion size, physical activity & what other lifestyle factors are fat loss saboteurs. That paradigm of diet, starve... not helping here.

Sustainable fat loss is a science to cure a diseased state, and should not be left in the hands of pop trends & fads. Understanding the fat cell is key here - but remember:

Fat cells do not go away, they only shrink 

Fat cells give new meaning to "be fruitful & multiply" 

Fat cells secrete nasty toxins, making sustainable fat loss very challenging

If an oncologist told us we needed surgery to remove a cancer or we would die, we do it. There are many circumstances where weight loss surgery is mandated equally to tumor removal. Again, obesity is a chronic illness - treat it accordingly. Get evaluated by an obesity surgeon who knows the many types of procedures available - because chances are there are many more procedures than you know, and many more procedures out there, but not available through local bariatric surgeons. Obesity is the leading cause of heart disease, cancer, diabetes... Treating obesity with the same passion & vigilance as cancer - that will save many thousands of lives. And yes... our health is our responsibility.

So let's ditch the guilt, blame, shame game. And Samoa airlines - please don't hide behind the gravity of the obesity epidemic as the noble excuse for higher revenues. Given current obesity numbers, yes it makes sense mathematically you would profit from such a policy. Your guilt of obesity is as shameful as the tobacco companies saying they are committed to reducing smoking - while their ways insidiously ensure increased addictions and profits.

Shira Litwack, Medical Fitness Professional... proud creator of thousands of health enthusiasts & corporate health cultures world wide...

Designing personal & corporate health coaching programs determined by your medical risk factors, lifestyle demands & health saboteurs.

Employee Appreciation... Engagement... Camaraderie... the real measures of success!

Medical Fitness Professional,Lifestyle & Weight Management Health Coach,Fitness & Nutrition for chronic illness recovery, Smoking Cessation Counsellor

Radio Talk Show Host/Producer bestinhealthradio

Director of Health Mentoring & External Resources Canada For International Center of Excellence The Obesity Control Center with Dr. Ariel Ortiz

Cancerfitcare Provider & Regional Director

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HealthCoach@Bestinhealthradio.com

http://bestinhealthradio.com/BestInHealthRadio.com/Best_In_Health_Radio_-_Health_%26_Fitness.html

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How To Detox Appropriately to stay away from health problems

By Jasmine Brown

There are many reasons to begin a detox and there are many ways to go about a detox, but which detox plans are healthy and really work? Another question many people might have is, how to detox and what to expect when detoxing. These are all great questions and it will be up to you to do your research before you begin any type of program to answer these questions.

The first step to a healthy detox and finding the answer to the question, how to detox, is to consult your physician. Many detox products and programs will inform you to consult your doctor before you begin. Most programs require you to eat/drink certain foods and take vitamins that might interact with other medications that you may be taking. Another important reason to consult your physician is to ensure that your body is healthy enough to handle the strict regimen of a detox program.

Once you are certain you're healthy enough to take part in a detox you will have to decide precisely what program to use. The majority of detox programs tend to be about seven days long and they need you to consume small quantities of foods that are simple to digest to permit your own intestines to take a rest. Most of the programs available on the market require a mainly liquid diet causing you to be craving for something a little more substantial. Which means you may really have to end up being motivated along with determined to take part in this kind of program.

One way to detox the body as well as thoroughly clean out your colon is to consume lots of fiber. There usually are numerous foods that's high in fiber. A number of these kinds of foods consist of brown rice, organic fruits as well as vegetables, beets, radishes, artichokes, cabbage, spirulina, broccoli, chlorella, as well as seaweed. These tend to be foods which are usually loaded with fiber and are generally excellent to eat if you're wanting to detox.

Another way to answer the question, how to detox, is to use water. Water can be used a number of different ways when trying to detox. You will need to drink at least two quarts of water each day. This will help cleanse your system and rid toxins from your kidneys. Water will also make you feel fuller to help you stay on track. Another way you can use water is to complete hydrotherapy. You can do this by taking a very hot shower and then standing in the cold water for about 30 seconds. You should alternate the hot and cold water three times and then get into bed for 30 minutes. This will help to make your skin look younger and healthier.

About the Author:

View more information how to detox and the mistakes others make upon their new quest to living a healthier life. Click here where I inform you about my personal view on how to go about detoxing.

Can Obesity Affect Your Mental Health?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that by 2020, two-thirds of the global burden of disease will be attributable to diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Philip James, a member of the expert panel and chair of the International Obesity Task Force, warns: "We now know that the biggest global health burden for the world is dietary in origin and is compounded by association with low physical activity levels. This is going to plague us for the next 30 years." In early 2011, WHO reported that there approximately 345 million people worldwide who had a BMI of 30 or more (which is considered obese on the BMI index).

Why are obesity rates increasing?

The main reason obesity is increasing worldwide is a result of changes in diet and physical activity. The "nutrition transition" toward refined food and increased fats play a major role in the increase. Urban areas or cities tend to have a higher amount of obese people then rural areas do. This is mainly due to food being more readily available and often cheaper in urban areas, as well as workers tending to have jobs which are less physically demanding then rural areas.

Obesity could be linked to depression and other mental disorders

As obesity reaches epidemic levels in the US and other first world countries experts need to also look at the idea of weight gain being associated with personal emotional problems. A considerable amount of obese people suffer from depression but they may be caught in a vicious cycle whereby their diet is poor and regular exercise is not achieved, which in turn, increases the weight and their depressive symptoms.

According to the July 2006 Issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, a study was conducted on a group of 9,000 adults and the results indicated that there were approximately 25 per cent more incidences of mood and anxiety disorder in obese patients compared to patients of normal or average weight.

The association of obesity and mental health also continues with other studies which have been conducted. According to Anna Rydén, Researcher in the Health Care Research Unit, at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden, there is a link between obesity and mental illness. The results from the Swedish SOS (Swedish Obese Subjects) study showed that obese patients were more prone to anxiety, impulsive behaviour and irritability before they had undergone gastric surgery or conventional treatments of diet and exercise, then they were after receiving treatment. Previous research has also shown that prolonged stress can lead to both depression and other physical problems such as an increase in blood pressure, insulin resistance and abdominal obesity. Improving obese patients' ability to cope with stress should also be included in the overall weight reduction process.

From the results discussed in this article it is clear that the connection between obesity and mental health issues is an important health issue. The National Obesity Observatory report entitled "Obesity and mental health" which is written by the NHS (National Health Service in the UK), have also indicated this as a public health concern in their March 2011 issue. Gender, severity of obesity, level of education, socioeconomic status, ethnicity and age have all been suggested as potentially important risk factors that could affect the association between obesity and mental health. Women seem to be greater at risk of the association rather than men. One suggestion of women being more susceptible is that more stigma tends to be attached to a woman that is overweight than her male counterpart.

The report also indicated that there are differing opinions as to the age and cause of the association between the two conditions, however, there is strong evidence to suggest that by the time an obese person reaches adolescence, there is an increased risk of low-self esteem and impaired quality of life, particularly in areas such as physical appearance, fitness competency and socialising.

Approaches to dealing with obesity and associated diseases vary widely from country to country. Unfortunately all too often obesity is not always seen as a serious medical condition and tends to be only treated when other diseases have developed as a consequence. Some high-risk patients are given weight loss drugs but these cannot generally be used in the long term due to side affects such as anxiety and hypertension. However, new drugs are currently being tested which should help improve the side effects of taking weight loss medication. Surgical procedures such as gastric bypass, gastroplasty and liposuction are also becoming increasingly popular. However, most experts still believe that a calorie controlled diet and exercise are the best methods for long term weight loss and if we can convey this message to our children, we may just have some hope of tackling obesity and the diseases associated with it.

Until next time,

Nadine Douglas

For more information, click here for your FREE weight loss report: http://www.flatbellynow.org

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How Does HIIT Compare To Regular Cardiovascular Exercise?

By Russ Hollywood

An increasing number of fitness enthusiasts are choosing high intensity interval training over regular cardiovascular activity in the gym, firmly establishing HIIT as one of the most popular weight loss tips in the post millennium era. If you're thinking about tackling a HIIT routine, you need to know the basic facts first.

Today you will discover the science behind HIIT and the reason it has become such a practised method in gyms around the world over the last few years.

The old notion of staying on a cardiovascular machine for an hour or more is now yesterday's advice. This is due to the fact that HIIT has been shown to yield far more results in a significantly lower time frame. When fat loss is the goal, HIIT is certainly the way to do it.

HIIT was initially discovered almost by accident, when researchers were trying to discover if exercise could help to prevent our metabolism from lowering as we got older. They noticed that the individuals who had been working at a higher level of intensity in the gym had the far greater weight loss results. Back in 1985 this was big news, but it wasn't until five years later that these results were confirmed in a much more in depth study.

That was the starting point for HIIT. Since then, many sprint coaches and swimming trainers adopted the approach to help their athletes increase their explosive speed in their selected events and HIIT gradually made it's way into the world of mainstream gym training.

A 2001 study from Canada provided the first concrete evidence for HIIT as an effective method to lose weight. Studies confirmed that not only did it increase the body's usage of carbohydrates, which is uses for fuel in the workout, it also increased the fat metabolizing enzyme HADH. This was a shock at the time, because it doesn't actually use fat for fuel, it uses carbohydrates. Better still, this increase in HADH lasted for a massive fourteen hours. []

So not only was HIIT proven to be effective for losing blubber, it increased the body's ability to burn excess fat for over half a day after the workout had finished!

The study went on to show that it also increased lean muscle mass and prevented muscle breakdown during exercise. The best result of the study, however, was the fact that the HIIT group burnt off over six times more body fat than their steady state cardiovascular counterparts. This showed that one calorie burnt during a HIIT workout was equal to six during regular cardiovascular activity.

While most new concepts and fads fall to pieces when the real scientific data is made available, HIIT just keeps on building a stronger case. Since these breakthrough reports were conducted there have been many further studies showing the fat loss benefits to a solid and consistent HIIT plan.

High intensity interval training is now a fitness principle which is adopted by millions of gym enthusiasts worldwide. Whether you are a personal trainer, a bodybuilder, an athlete or just somebody who is looking to find effective weight loss tips which work quickly, HIIT is here to stay.

About the Author:

More Help: Get a complete guide on how to take high intensity interval training from personal trainer Russ Howe PTI, as well as the five key weight loss tips that will help you to build a great physique this year. Russ teaches hundreds of clients per day how to get in shape, why not you too?