Don't be stupid

Now I know that New Years is just a few days away now. Like most people you might be making unrealistic resolutions that you cannot keep. For example losing 20 pounds a month in weight. That is not only unrealistic but can be dangerous. The most drastic weight loss I have ever gone through was losing 15 pounds in 3 days, that was because I had the flu and between not eating much and spending my time either puking or pooping it was not a very nice way to lose weight. In fact for the next week after that I was extremely weak. I had the advantage of being in my late teens at the time so my young strong body could handle it. Nowadays forget it, I would end up in ER.

You don't want to lose weight by unconventional means either. Don't be planning on that trip down to Mexico for liposuction from a back alley doctor. Those places are known for leaving the patient with more health problems then they arrived with. A friend of mine went down for dental implants Mexico and ended up with a bone infection.

Lose those excessive pounds the old fashioned way, by eating less and being more active. Don't eat more than your body can use in energy and maintaining bodily functions.

Have a great new year and don't make unrealistic plans that you know you can't keep.

Weight, diets, exercise and asthma

I suffer from asthma and I have always had to take precautions before working out. I often have had to use my inhaler before exercise to prevent an asthma attack. My asthma is not triggered by exercise but by indoor allergens. Dust is my enemy.

Some people with asthma have to go to the extremes of using allergy mattress covers, special indoor filter systems and in some cases diet precautions.

I am lucky that I have what the doctors call very mild asthma. I only need my inhalers when needed. I will not let my asthma stop me from taking care of the rest of my health.

Relaxing after a workout

We have a spa or should I say we use to have a working spa. The darn thing developed a leak and right now I am not able to use it after my strenuous workouts. I had just bought a new spa filter for it too. I don't know how it will take me to get around to having it fixed so I have devised other ways to relax after a workout.

Taking a shower should not only leave you clean and refreshed but if you use the right aromatic body washes can help your body and mind relax after a workout.

Going for a leisurely walk after working out helps your body unwind and cool down too.

What you need to avoid is just sitting down after a workout. Your body needs to cool down slowly and just sitting will often cause muscle cramps later in the day or at night.

Sleep and weight loss

Did you know that the quality of your sleep affects your weight? Lack of sleep not only causes you to have dark circles under eyes but weight gain too. If you have anyone in your family that suffers from sleep apnea then you know what I am talking about.

Constantly waking up during the night forces the body to dump sugar into the blood stream to get the body up. The sugar is coming from recently digested food. That sugar dump actually causes the body to gain weight by not releasing energy stored in the fat cells. The body is now constanly using recently digested food as an energy source and will leave stored fat alone. As long as there is food somewhere in the body, fat will not be reduced. The sugar dump can also lead to diabetes.

If you are overweight make sure that your sleep pattern is not the cause of your weight problem.

Being disabled and overweight

One of the major causes of being overweight in adults is being unable to exercise due to physical limitations. Another factor is depression. Often those 2 factors go hand in hand in the development of an overweight person.

When an adult becomes disabled they often go on social security disability. If their disability is not apparent to the average observer then they could be the victim of ridicule. That ridicule will often cause the disabled person to become depressed and that depression can lead to overeating, alcoholism or even drug addiction.

Contrary to popular belief, being on disability is not a free ride but only enough of an income to barely get by. Next time you see an overweight disabled person consider that over eating might be their "mental crutch" that they have had to lean on due to depression.