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10 Factors Contributing to Weight Gain and Obesity
Let’s call this one out right now; obesity doesn’t just happen by itself. There are some external factors contributing to obesity. These factors can run the gamut from the consequences of your actions to things that are in fact out of your control. Understanding the cause of your weight gain or obesity is a great starting point so you can begin to craft an approach to manage your weight. Your Gene Pool – Friend or Foe… Research has shown there’s a strong genetic link to obesity. That is, whether you eat unhealthy quantities of food or not, you have a greater likelihood of being obese if your parents are…
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What is Obesity?
I want to be crystal clear about this. This article is not about fat shaming. It’s about acknowledging any weight challenges you have so you can move forward slowly, surely and confidently to take significant positive action. It’s important to define what is obesity. The fact is one of the most significant and most common health issues currently ravaging the world is obesity. When you struggle with obesity, you risk having high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar, and high blood pressure. If your weight is not in a normal range, you are more likely to develop prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Body Size To measure your body size to…
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Diagnosing Diabetes
If you suspect you may be developing issues with high blood sugar or if you are at risk for developing it because of your family history, diagnosing diabetes is a subject with which you want to be familiar. The most commonly used tool to diagnose diabetes is the glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. Your doctor uses this blood test to determine what your average blood sugar level has been for the past two or three months. Your blood sugar can spike from time to time, so getting an average over a few months is a preferred reading. I have a friend who ate a chocolate bar before going for his yearly…
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Fats are Good for You
Not all fats are bad. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the sugar industry and the big food manufacturers began telling us eating fat was bad. They avoided mentioning the fact that your body must have certain fats for you to survive. Essential fatty acids are one example of fats you need to be healthy, and you need to consume healthy fats to keep your brain healthy. In fact, your brain is actually more than 60% fat. Let’s talk about which fats are good for you. “Big Sugar” spent a lot of money telling us fat was bad for you and sugar was part of a healthy diet. Look…
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Your Diet and Diabetes
What about your diet and diabetes? If you take only one thing away from reading this, it should be that your diet is the single most important factor when it comes to your health! Exercise is of course important if you’re going to be as healthy as you can possibly be. However, fitness gurus, personal trainers and nutritionists will all tell you the foods and beverages you put into your body have the most significant impact on your health. Regular sleep, reduction of stress and staying hydrated also greatly influence your health. It cannot be overstated that as much as 60% to 75% of your overall fitness, mentally and physically,…
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You Have Prediabetes – How Terrified Are You?
You’ve just been told by your doctor you have prediabetes. You’ve left his office armed with all the tools traditional medicine has to offer you. You have your test kit with your lancets so you can prick your finger twice a day and draw blood, your glucose meter and very likely a prescription for a drug like Metformin. Maybe this diagnosis explains why you’re fatigued all the time or why you’re suddenly drinking so much water or even why that cut on your foot just won’t heal. It could explain a host of other symptoms too like your blurry vision. You get home and get on the innerwebs to find…
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Meal Delivery Reviews
I hear from people all the time about how healthy eating is so much work, takes too long, they’re just too busy and so on. I get it. On my busiest days, it’s a challenge to get to the grocery store if I’m low on supplies, never mind cooking. Enter meal delivery kits to save the day and keep you from doing takeout or heaven forbid, the drive-thru! If you’ve ever considered a meal kit subscription, making a decision can be a bit daunting. There are a lot of programs out there, and they’re all trying to win your business! I thought it might be a good idea to review…
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Diabetes and Prediabetes Symptoms
Did you know one of the most common diabetes and prediabetes symptoms is chronic fatigue? It’s true, and it’s because diabetes prevents your body from using energy properly. Instead, it stores glucose (your body’s favorite energy source) in your blood rather than letting it get to your cells where it’s needed. When you have diabetes, it’s common to feel as though you never have enough energy. Even after pounding back a few cups of coffee and getting lots of rest, you may feel exhausted after doing little or no even physical activity. Here are a few of the other more common symptoms of diabetes. Overweight and obesity Frequent urination You…
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Meditation and Depression
Depression is a huge problem all around the world, so today I want to explore meditation and depression. More than 264 million people globally suffer some form of depression according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2020 In 2015, about 16.1 million US adults had at least one major depressive episode in the past year 11% of adolescents have a depressive disorder by age 18 Women are 70% more likely than men to have depression and about 12 million women in the United States experience clinical depression each year Depression is the leading cause of disability in the world (WHO, 2020) Depression is a mental health diagnosis where certain symptoms…
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Healthy Productivity and Personal Growth
“In order to be knowledgeable in these changing times, we must pursue a constant program of self-improvement, a never-ending journey into new fields of knowledge and learning.” – Og Mandino Healthy productivity and personal growth can take many forms. These forms and focuses will change during our lives depending upon goals we set and challenges we experience along the way. Paramount for me, on more than one occasion, personal growth showed up in the form of healthy eating; first when I was twenty-eight years old and then again in 2012. When I wanted to write a post on healthy productivity and personal growth, I decided to invite a few friends…
