HealthyBehaviors.com Offers Unique Interactive Weight Loss and Fitness Journal

Online service allows users to set intermediate and long-term goals for making permanent positive lifestyle changes – incorporating personalized step-by-step plans designed by leading experts.

St. George, UT April 18, 2006 -- People looking to lose weight safely and effectively now have an innovative program available to them that gives them a clear “roadmap” for success. HealthyBehaviors.com (Healthly Behaviors) says that never before has there been a system that delivers the levels of feedback and positive reinforcement for incremental improvements that theirs provides. Expert-designed measurement plans are available for weight loss, as well as all aspects of general fitness and health – with more scheduled to be added soon.

The interactive website employs experts who expose users to different approaches to health and fitness improvement – with many articles on various topics of interest, and measurement models, or “templates,” for the site’s proprietary, scored matrix tracking system.

“People choose what matters to them, and then select from an inventory of templates that they adapt to their current levels of health and fitness – setting up unique personal goals,” said Larry Jones, President and Co-founder of the company. “Once their goals are set up, it’s just a matter of logging in weekly to update progress with just a few quick clicks of the mouse.”

Measurements are converted into numeric scores that are displayed on a graph, so users can easily see how they are doing on their goals. “It’s really easy to print out the graphs,” continued Jones. “Then weekly progress shows up clearly, providing excellent feedback and reinforcement of success. And, as 'they' say, nothing succeeds like success.”

The group of content providers for HealthyBehaviors.com includes Nicole Williams, MD, a bariatric (weight loss) physician in Beverly Hills, CA, Marc Sorenson, EdD, a nationally known author and health and nutrition expert, Tony Caterisano, PhD, a professor of Health and Exercise Science at Furman University, and athletic walking advocate Jeff Salvage of Philadelphia – just to name a few. The company says that other prominent experts are about to be added to the roster, providing a broad array of fitness interest areas, including running, swimming, and cycling.

HealthyBehaviors.com, with headquarters in St. George, UT, is a company dedicated to helping people make permanent, positive lifestyle changes with a low-cost, membership website. They integrate proven behavioral technology into their interactive system in order to effectively induce changes in habits in incremental steps – the best known method for making long-lasting health behavior changes.

Why is It Important to Help Boost Your Metabolism Post 1

Have you ever started a weight loss program with a friend and found that your weight loss buddy lost much more weight in the same time period? It seemed like the weight just melted off of him or her with little effort on their part.

While you had to sweat for every ounce you lost their extra pound just seemed to melt away. Well ,this is not necessarily because you did something wrong.

Nor does it signal any shortcoming on your part. It may simply be a matter of the difference in your friend's metabolism as compared to your own. But what is your metabolism and can it be boosted?

The best approach this problem is to find an effective way to boost your metabolism and increase your level of fat burning.

Metabolism is simply speaking the rate which food is consumed by the body and converted into energy by various processes. The word metabolism is derived from the Greek word 'meta' meaning change or transformation.

Metabolism is an essentially important function of the body. It allows the body to break down the food consumed to perform various tasks.

Metabolism is responsible for the successful actions like:

- maintenance and upkeep of the muscles and tissues

- repairing and healing damaged and injured parts of the body and

- keeping the body running by providing energy and ridding the body of harmful toxins.

Metabolism is essential for a healthy body because it aids in the system of digestion. It also allows the body to comfortably absorb nutrients in food.

The kind of food you consume affects the metabolism of the body. If you eat healthy nutrient rich food you will more positively affect the metabolism of the body.

We will discuss metabolism more our next post in this series

Toward Remedies For Your Ache Joints by Steff McIntyre

Knee, back, and hip pain is for many older persons the proverbial pain in the backside. Much of our persistent pain is caused by Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis and a major source of pain in our joints like knees, elbows, hips and back.

It is the result of degeneration of the cartilage in the joints and happens as we grow older.

The many symptoms and effects of osteoarthritis are compounded by the fact that as we age, our body loses its ability to effectively repair the cartilage of our joints. One of the prime symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA) is pain and stiffness of the joints.

While there is no simple known cure for OA, its symptoms can be relieved to a certain extent through the use of drugs - supplements and other treatments.

One of the primary actions you can take for joint aches is rest. You should also steadily avoid any activity that puts undue pressure on the joint.

-- An Overview of factors contributing to Osteoarthritis --

Research has shown that obesity is one of the contributing factors for OA. Thus, weight loss is one of the recommended remedies for joint ache relief.

Even a loss of 5 to 10 pounds of body weight can significantly reduce the pressure on the lower joints of your body (hips, knees and ankles). Another preventive step you can take (after conferring with your doctor or health professional) is to -- remain active.

Joint surfaces tend to show more wear and tear with age. Also, the body does produce adequate amounts of lubrication fluids for the joints as you grow older. This is where exercise proves fruitful.

Any movement helps in the delivery of vital minerals to a joint. Also, you can better lubricate a joint if you keep it warm by moving it.

An exercise routine for seniors is very necessary to keep the joints nimble. Again, always check with your physician first before starting with physical exercise.

The best warm up routine for maturing persons is one which involves gentle stretching. We should usually look towards low impact activities like brisk walking, swimming etc.

A non-invasive way of treating joint aches is the application of herbal creams. These are usually absorbed through the skin and are good at providing temporary relief. Check with your doctor because many of these creams may not be strong enough to provide you adequate relief.

You can also seek out homeopathic medicines for joint ache relief. Most practitioners of homeopathy recommended the taking of vitamin and mineral supplements in these cases.

Some supplements to consider are:

- cod liver oil and kelp

- minerals like copper, iron and zinc, and

- vitamins A, C, E and B-complex.

There is a whole range of alternative therapies which promise to ease joint aches. An exotic one is acupuncture.

Now, a modern equivalent of acupuncture is also gaining popularity. It is called transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation or TENS.

Also, you might want to try ginger baths. Even soaks and compresses have been effective for some people with this herb.

This is because they soothe the joint through warmth, thereby relieving the soreness. Another potion is warm footbath for aching ankles.

Essential oils can also be helpful in this regard (especially peppermint and rosemary). They are purported to be particularly effective if taken just before bed.

Some people claim Allopathic drugs can help to relieve the pain and inflammation.

Until recently, NSAIDS or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were the standard drug therapy recommended for patients of OA. Examples of these drugs include aspirin and ibuprofen.

They certainly help in short term pain relief and inflammation suppression. But recent studies show that NSAIDS might actually promote the progression of Osteoarthritis. This is because they interfere and inhibit the cartilage repairing abilities of the body.

Some studies suggest in the case of menopausal women, they even stimulate the condition of osteoporosis and impair the function of the immune system.

A good supplementary drug in place of NSAID might be glucosamine sulfate or GLS. This compound performs the function of a building block for GAGs (glycosaminoglycans).

GAGs promote the absorption of the mineral sulfur in the cartilage. The use of GLS has been found to produce better results than NSAIDS.

Doctors are also not averse to recommending the use of anti-inflammatory herbs for standard ache relief. Not only this, they also supply bone-building minerals to the body.


-- Eat Away at Your Pain --

Diet also goes along way towards help with joint aches as a result of OA. You should take care to avoid...

- red meats
- sugar
- some vegetable oils (apart from olive oil) and
- alcohol.

You might also want to consider cortisone injections. If administered to an acutely inflamed joint, they sometimes give immediate relief. However, be aware that these injections have been proven to harm the body's immune system.

-- Try Supplemental Healing --

Fortunately there are natural products that can give you all of the benefits of stronger pharmaceuticals, but without the potentially harmful side effects. The makers of Phosoplex appear to provide such a product. Phosoplex™, available from Amazon and www.BODeStore.com, provides joint lubrication, pain relief and can actually help rebuild the cartilage between the joints.

By undertaking some thoughtful lifestyle changes, including exercise, some dite changes and the introduction of some supplementation, you can go a long way to combating joint pain.

Article courtesy of...
HealthandFitnessVitality.com, Copyright 2006 All Rights Reserved

Nutritionist/Best Selling Author Dr. Ro and Oprah's Personal Trainer Bob Greene Promote Active Lifestyle at Launch of McDonald's Asian Salad

The new Asian Salad is served on a bed of mixed greens with a colorful mix of Asian vegetables including snow peas, red peppers and edamame, toasted sliced almonds, mandarin oranges, warm orange-glazed chicken and Newman's Own® All Natural Low-Fat Sesame Ginger salad dressing.

With every purchase of the new Go Active! Happy Meal for adults, which includes any Premium Salad, as well as the new Asian Salad, a Dasani® water or medium soft drink, consumers will receive one of the four collectible Yourself!Fitness(TM) DVDs, featuring the virtual personal trainer Maya. Each 15-minute DVD provides a specific workout routine, including Yoga, Cardio, Core and Strength.