"Pfizer's New Contraceptive may Cause Cancer In African Women" - Obianuju Ekeocha, Coordinator Culture Of Life Africa

Recently, the Pfizer & Melinda Gates Foundation partnered to launch  a new contraceptive into the African market, Nigeria included. But, the new contraceptive may be doing more harm than good to african women. The following article, sent in by Obianuju Ekeocha of the Culture of Life Africa, an organistion that protects the sanctity and dignity of Life in Africa, explains while this is so.


I stumbled upon the recent joint announcement  of Pfizer Inc., the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) to expand access to Pfizer’s injectable contraceptive, Sayana Press (medroxyprogesterone acetate), for women in the world’s poorest countries. Some of the targeted countries named for this expansive contraception project include Burkina Faso, Kenya, Niger, Senegal, Uganda and my own country Nigeria. 
This announcement was immediately picked and praised by many News Agencies in the western world including BBC News where it was described as "The One dollar contraceptive set to make family planning easier "
One cannot help but wonder, "easier" for whom? For Ugandan, Kenyan and Nigerian women? Or for the multi-billionaire Pfizer, Gates and CIFF?
Reading this announcement and the related News articles further, I realised that this project is not a new one rather its inception can be traced back directly to the extensive contraception fundraising project launched by Melinda Gates 2 years ago during the Family Planning summit of 2012.
All of it seems now to be actualised in this cheap contraceptive device targeted towards the poorest women in the world.
So by sheer determination and will, these wealthy figures - Pfizer, Gates & CIFF, have succeeded in rolling out in the world of the poor,  the $1-per-piece device designed to become the prevalent self injectable contraception of the developing world, the wonder device that will make it all so easy to sterilise millions of women across my Continent.
They claim that this would be the pathway to development as well as the emancipation and elevation of African women. They tell us that it will give African women control over their lives.
But I dare to ask them exactly how sterilising the wombs of the poorest women in the world would give them control over famine, draught, disease and poverty. It absolutely will not make women more educated, or more employable. This extensive contraception project will provide food or safe drinking water for women who submit to it. It will not make African women happier or more satisfied in their marriages. No. It will only make them sterile at the cheapest rate possible.
This is certainly not what the African women have asked. It is not the miracle that our hearts crave amidst the trials and difficulties of Africa. But yet in a world of shocking cultural imperialism, it is what our "betters" have chosen to unleash upon us.
And what is more insidious is that this product being launched is the self-injectable version of the highly controversial Depo-Provera that has been put into question in the developed world after having been shown in various studies to carry dangerous and even lethal side effects.

In October 2011 the New York Times published an article entitled Contraceptive Used in Africa May Double Risk of H.I.V. This article was based on a cohort study by prestigious medical Research journal The Lancet that clearly stated that "the risk of HIV-1 acquisition doubled with the use of hormonal contraception especially the injectable methods."
And what is most shocking is that this study was partly sponsored by the Gates Foundation and yet after these findings, they have gone ahead to launch this high risk product in targeted countries of their choice (Uganda, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria and many others), countries where the women may never be able to raise their voices when the lethal effects set in.
In addition to the HIV-related effects of this product, there is also the doubled risk of breast cancer demonstrated by various studies like the extensive research done by the Fred Hutchingson Cancer Research centre, Seattle and published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) in February 2012, with the research team stating clearly after their studies :
"We found that recent DMPA (Depo-Medroxyprogesterone acetate a.k.a Depo-Provera) use for 12 months or longer was associated with a 2.2-fold increased risk of invasive breast cancer."

In addition to this publication the team also made a compelling press release following their research.
Furthermore, this same product Depo-Provera has been clearly linked to permanent bone density loss and on this very note, Pfizer has had a staggering number of  prosecutions, class-action law suits and out-of-court settlements all to the tune of millions of dollars.

As a direct result of this, the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a compulsory "black-box" warning on this product that reads :
"Use of Depo-subQ Provera 104 or Depo Provera may cause you to lose calcium stored in your bones. The longer you use Depo Provera, the more calcium you are likely to lose. The calcium may not return completely once you stop using Depo Provera. Loss of calcium may cause weak bones that could increase the risk that your bones might break, especially after menopause. It is not known whether your risk of developing osteoporosis may be greater if you are a teenager when you start to use Depo Provera. You should only use Depo Provera long term (more than 2 years) if other methods of birth control are not right for you".
This product is flawed. It is dangerous. And from all indications it could be lethal.
And in the developed countries, it has been marked as such.
In spite of this glaring reality, that which has been deemed unsuitable and terribly flawed in the land of the rich, has now been brought in to the land of the poor.
As an African woman my heart is racing today as I consider this latest collaborative move by Pfizer, Gates Foundation and CIFF.
I think about the full implications and ramifications of this on my people, my sisters, my aunties and my friends.
I think about the poor women in Africa who will have no means at all of filing class-action lawsuits against these giants from the western world.
I think about our sorely inadequate healthcare systems in Africa that is not in any way equipped to deal with the fallout or onslaught of the medical side effects like breast cancer, osteoporosis (bone density loss) as well as increased HIV infection rates, all associated with this contraceptive product.
I cannot help but think about the thousands of African women who will die as a direct result of this $1 per piece product.
Yes, my heart is racing and my mind is reeling as I try to take it all in.
Simply put, this is racism, it is imperialism and it is a form of colonialism where the poor African women are being treated as subhuman subjects to the wealthy and worldly.
Who will speak up for the women of Africa? Who will lament the crass disregard for their well being? Who will complain about the cruel disrespect with which they are being treated? Who will shed tears for the irreparable damage that could befall them?
I am only one African woman, but from where I stand I choose today to speak up, to lament, to complain and to shed silent tears for my fellow African women, with the hope that by the end of today, my words and tears may reach and touch the hearts of people of goodwill around the world who will join me in defending the dignity of the African women.

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Aloe Vera: The Commander Of A Multitude Of Health Benefits

The health benefits of Aloe Vera are numerous, beginning with improving the digestive system all the way to preserving food; it can result in optimal health in the long run. Aloe Vera strengthens the immune system, delays the aging process, cures dermatitis, alleviates menstrual problems, reduces arthritis pain, heals wounds, cures nausea, eliminates ulcers, lowers blood sugar levels, prevents diabetes, reduces oxidative stress, inhibits cancerous growth, heals the side effects of radiotherapy treatments, promotes hair growth, and soothes acid reflux symptoms.
This widely useful plant also lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, improves cardiovascular functions, alleviates joint and muscle pain, enhances life span, and cures gum diseases. This plant has been used for ages to alleviate pain, since it has excellent anti-inflammatory properties.
Studies are still being conducted to discover more benefits of the aloe plant that will undoubtedly make it even more important in the medicinal practices of cultures all around the world.
Aloe Vera is also known as medicinal aloe, and some of its common names are Lily of the Desert, Burn Plant, and Elephant’s Gall. It belongs to the family of succulent plants in the genus ‘Aloe’. The origin of Aloe Vera is believed to be in Sudan and has been used for more than 6,000 years. The great virtues of this plant have been recognized by many civilizations, including the Egyptians, Spanish, Persians, Greek, Italians, Africans, Japanese and Indians. Aloe Vera grows best in warm, dry climates and is densely found in India, Africa, and other arid zones. This species has a wide usage in herbal medicine. The Aloe Vera plant has compounds such as mannans, polysaccharides, lectins, and anthraquinones that are extremely beneficial for human health.

Aloe Vera plant is often a stemless or sometimes very short-stemmed juicy plant that grows 60–100 cm (24–39 in) height, and the offsets spread out wide. The leaves of this plant are thick and fleshy; and the color varies from green to grey-green. Some varieties of this plant have white flecks on the upper and lower portions of the stem surfaces. The margin of the leaves is like saw-tooth and the flowers bloom . This plant can be easily grown both indoors and outdoors.
Nigeria Natural Health Online will feature subsequent articles on how to apply aloe vera for specific purposes. Always keep a date with us.

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The Difference Between A Babalawo And A Herbal Practitioner

In the Nigeria society, there is a certain amount of apathy against herbal practitioners by a generality of a public. This apathy is mainly borne out of the fact that most people do not know the difference between herbal practitioners and babalawos or [witch doctors] . Some people feel that if you are a herbal practitioners then you must be a witch doctor. But this is wrong. Infact, majority of herbal practitioner in Nigerian cities are elder christians or muslims.

Have you heard of charmers, enchanters, sorcerers, conjurers, magician, witchcraft and wizadry before, these group of people, who are the real babalawos, use a multiplicity of natural elements like air, water, earth, fire and herbs to execute things in the spiritual realm to have a physical effect.


Herbalists, also sometimes called herbal practitioners and licensed herbalists, are specially trained in the field of herbal medicine. An herbalist uses plants and other natural substances to improve health, promote healing, and prevent and treat illness.
Herbal medicine, also called herbalism, botanical medicine, or phytomedicine, has been used for thousands of years. In Western civilizations, including the United States, herbal medicine is considered a type of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 80 percent of people worldwide use herbal remedies as part of their overall health care.
Herbalists use the seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, and flowers of plants called herbs or botanicals for medicinal purposes. In some country, herbal products are classified as dietary supplements, rather than drugs or medicines (pharmaceuticals). Labeling standards and health claims for dietary supplements, including herbal remedies, are set by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act.

In Nigeria, herbal product are regulated by NAFDAC, which these they required approval for such product to be distributed and sold  only not Nigeria but also exported to other country. On account of NAFDAC certification, Nigerian herbal products are respected in most country of the world. However, the local market appears to be suffering from an influx of foreign herbal products, especially from countries in Asia.

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Fight Asthma And Other Aiments With Fish Oil

The rate of asthma keeps rising. The fact is that, children’s asthma is continuing to increase at an alarming rate. Environmental pollution and poor eating styles are largely the culprit.
Essential fatty acids in fish and fish oil will restrain the inflammatory chemicals associated with this disease. Research shows that children who eat oily fish more often than once a week have one-third the danger of getting asthma as children who do not eat fish or eat lean fish regularly.
Fish-oil supplements are beneficial for both children and adults with asthma. Again, the key benefits of fish oil take months before the natural anti-inflammatory benefits start to take hold.
The health benefits of fish oil also include its ability to aid in the treatment of various heart diseases, high cholesterol, depression, anxiety, AHDH, weakened immune system, cancer, diabetes, inflammation, arthritis, IBD, AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, eye disorders, macular degeneration and ulcers. It also helps aid weight loss, healthy pregnancy, fertility and skin care (particularly for conditions such as psoriasis and acne).
Most of the health benefits of fish oil can be attributed to the presence of omega 3 essential fatty acids like Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Other useful essential fatty acids in fish oil include Alpha-linolenic acid or ALA and Gamma-linolenic acid or GLA.
While fish oil has plenty of beneficial qualities, There is need to know the particular source of fish oil to consume for maximum benefits.The most common ones among these for obtaining oil are albacore tuna, herring, mackerel, sardines, lake trout and salmon. The quality of fish oil greatly depends on the type of fish from which you retrieve the oil.

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Why You Should Consider A Regular Diet Of Bitter Leaf

Bitter leaf is a common vegetable found all over Nigeria, especially in the southern part of the country. Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) is used in preparing the popular Bitter leaf soup. It is also known as Onugbu, Shiwaka & Ewuro by the Igbos, Hausas&Yorubas in Nigeria.

Although this plant has been around for hundreds of years, only a few people know of its medicinal and healing properties.

  Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) as the name implies, is actually a bitter plant whose leaves, extracts, stems and barks are used for culinary,medicinal and curative purposes.  
  Vitamins in Bitter leaf include: Vitamin A, Vitamin C ,Vitamin E, Vit.B1 and Vit.B2.

Bitter leaf is very familiar to some people but others may not have any idea about this wonder leaf. Bitter-leaf can grow anywhere unlike other leaves that only grow in certain places and temperature. These leaves flourishes anywhere they grow. They add beauty to all places where they are present. The most distinctive characteristic of this plant is its bitterness. Every part of this plant is bitter starting from the leaves to its roots. The bitterness of this plant is actually good for the body. It has a lot of health benefits to people. The plant can remind people that life is not always sweet; it takes to taste bitterness before you can achieve sweetness. This plant is very useful in toning the vital organs of the body especially the liver and the kidney.

The liver is one of the most important organs of the body. It has a lot of vital functions that is needed for normal functioning of the whole system of the body. Without the liver all major process in the body will be paralyze. The liver is known as the largest organ inside the body. It has an approximate weight of 1-3 kg in an average adult individual. There are a lot of major functions that the liver should do every day and this includes the production of bile acid that helps in fat metabolism.

Without the liver fats will not be digested inside the body to be use as energy. Bitter-leaf can be very helpful in maintaining the livers optimum health to release bile acid every time people eat fatty foods. Another major function of the liver is the production of glycogen. Glycogen is stored energy that is release in times of low level of glucose especially for people who do fasting.

The liver should be well taken care of by using bitter-leaf. Once the liver is been damage it can’t be restored into its normal function. People with liver problems can boil a bitter-leaf and drink a glass of it every day.

Another very vital organ inside the body is the kidney. Kidney helps in the excretion of waste products inside the body. If the normal function of the kidney breakdown there will great huge problem inside the body. Bitter-leaf a natural herb that is useful in taking care of the kidney and the liver.

Diabetic patient can also use bitter-leaf as one of their medication to prevent high sugar level in the blood. It will not only lower the sugar level in the blood but also repair impaired pancreas. As you all know pancreas is the organ responsible for the production of insulin for glucose to reach each cell to use by the body as energy. Impaired pancreas does not release the right amount of insulin to maintain the right sugar level in the blood. Bitter-leaf is a real wonder of nature. You can take the benefit of this amazing plant by squeezing its leaves in ten litters of water.

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Foods That Help To Reduce Blood Sugar

 Healthy eating is essential when it comes to the management and prevention of diabetes. Some substitutions and alternatives will help you to keep diabetes at bay and make it more manageable if you already have the disease.
High Fibre, Slow-release Carbs
Blood sugar levels are impacted by carbohydrates more than by proteins and fats. This does not necessarily mean that you should avoid them completely. The types of carbs have to be chosen carefully.

• Limit carbohydrates that are highly refined
• Focus on high-fiber complex carbs (slow-release) – blood sugar levels are aided with slow release carbs as a result of the slower digestion that keeps too much insulin from being produced by the body. You will stay full longer and the energy provided lasts longer.

Some substitutions can make a big difference.

• Eat brown or wild rice instead of white rice
• Cauliflower mash, sweet potatoes, winter squash and yams can take the place of fries, and mashed white potatoes
• Whole-wheat pasta, whole grain or whole wheat bread in place of regular pasta and white bread.
• Rolled or steel cut oats instead of instant oatmeal
• Bran muffins instead of pastries or croissants
  Be Careful with Sweets
  Sugar does not have to be eliminated with diabetes, although it should be eaten only in moderation. A few adjustments have to be made to have dessert.
  
• Skip bread because the sweets will give you extra carbohydrates.
• Healthy fat should be added to dessert- fat will slow the process of digestion preventing blood sugar spikes. Healthy fats include yogurt, nuts, ricotta cheese and peanut butter.
• Sweets should be eaten slowly and with a meal instead of by themselves. Eat half the amount of dessert you would typically eat and substitute fruit for the other half of dessert.

Nuts
Fiber, magnesium and healthy fats are provided by nuts which hunger is kept at bay. Cholesterol levels are improved and heart disease risk reduced by some varieties of nuts. There has been research suggesting that diabetes risk is reduced by eating nuts.
Fish
Fish like salmon are high in omega-3 fatty acids, although breaded and deep fried fish should be avoided. The risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiac death is reduced while cholesterol levels are improved by eating fish in those with diabetes.
Water Foods
You can eat as many of these foods as you like, they are referred to as “free foods” and include most fruits and all vegetables. Blood sugar can spike quickly with things such as canned fruit with syrup, dried fruit and fruit juice, therefore they are not among the foods that you can eat all that you want without worry.
When it comes to the prevention and management of diabetes eating foods that reduce cholesterol, reduce risks of cardiac disease and allow blood sugar levels to maintain a level balance will work wonders. Substitutions for foods that you would typically eat, minor changes such as eating fruit for dessert can help to prevent diabetes.
Be Careful with Sweets
Sugar does not have to be eliminated with diabetes, although it should be eaten only in moderation. A few adjustments have to be made to have dessert.

• Skip bread because the sweets will give you extra carbohydrates.
• Healthy fat should be added to dessert- fat will slow the process of digestion preventing blood sugar spikes. Healthy fats include yogurt, nuts, ricotta cheese and peanut butter.
• Sweets should be eaten slowly and with a meal instead of by themselves. Eat half the amount of dessert you would typically eat and substitute fruit for the other half of dessert.

Nuts
Fiber, magnesium and healthy fats are provided by nuts which hunger is kept at bay. Cholesterol levels are improved and heart disease risk reduced by some varieties of nuts. There has been research suggesting that diabetes risk is reduced by eating nuts.
Fish
Fish like salmon are high in omega-3 fatty acids, although breaded and deep fried fish should be avoided. The risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiac death is reduced while cholesterol levels are improved by eating fish in those with diabetes.
Water Foods
You can eat as many of these foods as you like, they are referred to as “free foods” and include most fruits and all vegetables. Blood sugar can spike quickly with things such as canned fruit with syrup, dried fruit and fruit juice, therefore they are not among the foods that you can eat all that you want without worry.
When it comes to the prevention and management of diabetes eating foods that reduce cholesterol, reduce risks of cardiac disease and allow blood sugar levels to maintain a level balance will work wonders. Substitutions for foods that you would typically eat, minor changes such as eating fruit for dessert can help to prevent diabetes.

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Computer Diagnosis: The New Wonder In Alternative Medicine

With Dr. Amadi Godspower opening the Radionic Computer Lab Centre in Lagos, Nigerians are becoming more aware of the impacts computer diagnostics and electronic computer healing on the general healthcare delivery. The wonders of this development cannot be over-stressed. Let’s take a look at the scenario that gave birth to computer  diagnostics.

 Physicians and other health care professionals often prescribe medicines that will only work at certain levels.  These medicines – whether natural medicine or orthodox - are said to have a narrow therapeutic window.  This means that if the level of the medicine is too high or too low, it  may cause serious side effects or not provide the benefits it should.  For example, blood thinners are prescribed to thin the blood to prevent clots.  If the level is too high, people can bleed to death. On the other hand, if the level is too low, a clot could form and cause a stroke.  For these types of medicines, it is important that the right amount be prescribed.
Calculating and prescribing the right amount can be complicated and time-consuming for health care professionals.  Sometimes determining the right amount can take a long time since health professionals may not want to prescribe high doses of the medicine right away or sometimes they make mistakes. 
This is where the use of computers in diagnostics comes in. Several computer systems have been designed to do these calculations and assist health professionals to prescribe these types of medicines.
A review of studies that evaluated these computer systems showed that computerized advice for dosage can benefit both health professionals and patients. When using the computer system, health professionals prescribe higher doses of the medicines right away and the right amount of the medicine is reached quicker.  Using the computer system also reduces the length of time patients spend in the hospital while the right amount of the medicine is reached. 

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Why Bananas Can Cure Impotency

Can banana cure impotency?  that is the one question most practitioners in the natural health sector,Nigerians included,have been trying to unravel over the years. in a  recent survey from a german research institute,Tao, experts examine the peculier qualities of the banana fruit that positions it for the cure of impotency.
Bananas contain tryptophan (although it’s not one of the major sources, a medium still contains about 10.6 mg of tryptophan).
 Tryptophan is one of the 20 amino acids which are building blocks of proteins (btw, an incredible number of articles on the internet call tryptophan as a “mood-enhancing protein” and that is technically not correct). Tryptophan helps the body to produce serotonin - which has a calming effect on the brain (creates a stable mood) and acts as a mild sedative. It should be noted that the only way our our body gets it’s dose of tryptophan is through our diet - it does not produce tryptophan naturally; bananas is one of the easiest ways to get it (references: Nutritiondata.com, Chemistry Daily, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, NIH MedLinePlus).
Bananas are good for your blood: Bananas are one of the highest sources of naturally available vitamin B6: Vitamin B₆ plays an important role in converting tryptophan to serotonin (read #3 above), and also helps the body to make hemoglobin - a crucial ingredient of your blood. Vitamin B₆ is also essential for antibody production and to maintain a healthy immune response. It also helps to convert carbohydrates to glucose and thereby maintains proper blood sugar levels. A medium banana can take care of 1/5th of your daily recommended intake of vitamin B₆ and is one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to increase your dietary intake of the vitamin (references: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements)
Bananas are one of the highest sources of naturally available vitamin B6: Vitamin B₆ plays an important role in converting tryptophan to serotonin (read #3 above), and also helps the body to make hemoglobin - a crucial ingredient of your blood. Vitamin B₆ is also essential for antibody production and to maintain a healthy immune response. It also helps to convert carbohydrates to glucose and thereby maintains proper blood sugar levels. A medium banana can take care of 1/5th of your daily recommended intake of vitamin B₆ and is one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to increase your dietary intake of the vitamin (references: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements).  
 A single serving (one medium-sized banana) contains 16% of the daily recommended dietary fiber intake for a normal adult - that’s substantial for a single serving of any food. Fiber improves laxation (smooth bowel movements). Fiber-rich diets have also been linked to lower risk of coronary heart disease and of type 2 diabetes. Also, view this information in light of the following facts

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The 9 Commandments Of Gym Ethics

Many people who want to lose weight go to the gym to do so. However, some people do not get the desired result because they ignore some important ethics of the gym. Experts provide the following admonitions for those who want to get the best out of the gym. 
Forget about all the things floating around in your head distracting you when starting your session, your crappy job, annoying girlfriend, or whatever. Not even working out when being angry works; you may feel like you’re having a good work out because you’re just going at it with great strength, but if your mind is somewhere else and not in the work out, then little to no progress is made. Leave these things at the door of the gym. Focus on getting the best out of the session. When you concentrate on the work out (or any other task for that matter) you make the most out of it, so leave the cluster behind and focus. If music or connotations help you, then use them too. If they distract you, don’t follow the trend and do what works for you.

If there is one thing that grinds distraction at the gym, it’s people talking on their Mobile phones. There is absolutely no need to have a mobile phone with you at the gym! At the very least, turn it off or silence it. Unless you’re a stock broker or a doctor-on-call please refrain from doing this. It’s annoys everyone else that is training hard and trying to stay focused, furthermore it distracts YOU the most. We don’t think about it too much but any distractions – especially phones – break our pattern of work out and as a consequence, we lose focus and effectiveness.

Dressing to sweat is key. It might seem silly to spend a little bit of money on training gear, but this is one of those few little things you can do that will really give you a big return of investment. Don’t go to the gym in your cotton T-shirts and baggy tracksuit bottoms. You came here to run/cycle/lift and sweat. I don’t see too many 400 meter runners or Olympic weightlifters in cotton T-shirts and baggy tracksuit bottoms. Dress like a pro in matching top and bottoms and you’ll start to train like a pro. Appropriate footwear is also extremely important; if you’re lifting you must have flat shoes without Gels, shocks or whatever else. 

Get a quick warm-up under your belt and perform some static/dynamic stretches. Don’t be that guy that pulls a muscle on the treadmill or while picking up a pen. This is imperative. Inappropriate warm-up and stretching could seriously damage your work out in both, short run and long run. For example, if you don’t warm-up and stretch properly, you can get tired easily or pulling out of muscle because you started too strong too early. The warm-up is as important as the work-out. Give it importance.
 
Keep focused on your goals through the session, whether they be to gain muscle, lose fat or increase fitness level (Remember that you must know exactly what you want). If you don’t see results right away even when you pour your heart into it, don’t panic. This is a marathon not a sprint, you’ll get there eventually. Don’t give up or get frustrated due to small set backs. Just pick yourself up and smash through it next time! Don’t worry about what the other meat heads in the gym are lifting; it is not your concern. You aren’t training to impress other men. Don’t even waste your time looking. Focus on your own needs and goals.
 
Don’t go to the gym and start irrelevant conversation. If a conversation with other gym folk is unavoidable make it short and to the point. The last thing you want is some gym friend who will just distract you from your session (as harsh as that may sound). You can always talk after your work out is over, not during it. If someone gives you advise, critique or praise for your efforts, that’s another thing. Pay attention, but don’t take everything that other gym rats say too seriously. While some people may actually know what they are talking about, it’s not the same for everybody. Therefore, be very selective and very careful with the things you listen.

One thing that is confusing is the fact that people go to the gym and never break sweat, and never show any signs of physical exertion. Don’t act like those overweight people that walk on the treadmill while reading the newspaper, or lift ridiculously light weights for 20-30 reps. Your training must be intense whatever your level of strength or fitness. It’s the only way of building muscle! Lift heavy and fast, most people have no need to do more that 12 reps of an exercise (Crunches, Pull-ups, etc are excluded). When I step off a treadmill I feel like someone has poured a bucket of water over me. How can you expect results if your intensity is below the required standard? There are no excuses for poor training intensity. Go hard, go fast or go home. If you aren’t naturally physically strong or fit, you will need to push yourself outside your comfort zone. It may cause you pain and discomfort, but that pain is not there to make you quit, it’s there to make you stronger.
 
Make sure you note what you’ve done for that session: distance ran, time, Avg Heart rate, weight lifted, reps/sets etc. In order to see where you going, you have to know where you’ve been. Plus, this will save you time, you won’t be scratching you head wondering what weight to use. I can look back for up to 6 months and see what I did for a particular session and how much I weighed. That’s how professional athletes train, and you should be doing the same. Bodybuilding.com is an excellent resource for writing down your progress. If not, a simple document or a journal will do it.

Finally, take a nice and easy warm-down and stretch after your session, it’ll help with your recovery and may prevent any DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Warming-down and stretching after the work out is as important as warming-up and stretching

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The Essentials Of Water-rich Foods - Experts Speak

Your body is composed of about 60% water. The functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients and maintenance of body temperature.
"Through the posterior pituitary gland, your brain communicates with your kidneys and tells it how much water to excrete as urine or hold onto for reserves," says Guest, who is an adjunct professor of medicine at Stanford University.
When you're low on fluids, the brain triggers the body's thirst mechanism. And unless you are taking medications that make you thirsty, Guest says, you should listen to those cues and get yourself a drink of water, juice, milk, coffee - anything but alcohol.
"Alcohol interferes with the brain and kidney communication and causes excess excretion of fluids which can then lead to dehydration," he says.

For years, dieters have been drinking lots of water as a weight loss strategy. While water doesn't have any magical effect on weight loss, substituting it for higher calorie beverages can certainly help.
"What works with weight loss is if you choose water or a non-caloric beverage over a caloric beverage and/or eat a diet higher in water-rich foods that are healthier, more filling, and help you trim calorie intake," says Penn State researcher Barbara Rolls, PhD, author of The Volumetrics Weight Control Plan.
Food with high water content tends to look larger, its higher volume requires more chewing, and it is absorbed more slowly by the body, which helps you feel full. Water-rich foods include fruits, vegetables, broth-based soups, oatmeal and beans.

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