Vitamin and Mineral Supplements: What You Need To Know Before You Buy

Important! Read this before you buy another vitamin-mineral or nutritional supplement product. This information is vitally important to your health. All vitamin supplements are not the same. AND there is no one supplement that is good for everyone. If anyone ever tells you that theirs is the one supplement that everyone needs, run, don't walk and don't look back.How do you choose the vitamin-mineral and nutritional supplements that you take? Or maybe you don't take any because you're so overwhelmed by the choices and you don't know which to choose.One product claims it's "the most comprehensive answer to the body's need for life-giving nutrients." It has "100's of healthy nutrients from all natural whole-food sources."Another company says they produce the "highest quality nutritional ... products available" that "make you feel and look wonderful."Still another company boasts "an exclusive line of cutting-edge nutritional products" that are "quality, wellness and life-enhancing."Then there's the product that states it "has a total of 165 nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and whole food extracts" which gives you "a more complete and broad spectrum of ingredients [and] faster absorption..."These are only a few of the claims made for nutritional supplement products available today. There are hundreds of different vitamin-mineral and nutritional supplement products competing for your dollar.So, how do you choose? Maybe you've heard someone say what fantastic results they got from taking a specific product. You tried it and you didn't feel any different. Perhaps you did this a few times, with several different products, and still you got no results. You might even have gotten discouraged and decided that vitamin supplements just don't work. Or quite possibly you continued to take them simply because you felt you needed to, to be healthy, even though it didn't make you feel any different.Why do some people get such fantastic results that they rave about it to everyone who will listen and some people don't get any results at all ... with the same product? It all boils down to biochemical individuality. In other words individual differences. Those who get the most dramatic results are generally the most deficient in the nutrients that product provides. They had deficiencies the product corrected. And why didn't you feel any different? Because the nutrients in that product were not the right nutrients for your body or they weren't in the right proportions.Not everybody needs the same vitamin and mineral combinations in the same proportions. But everyone needs certain amounts of vitamins and minerals to be healthy. Vitamins and minerals are essential to life. And with the nutrient deficient soils our foods are grown on, most people don't get enough nutrients from their food alone to be truly healthy. Even the American Medical Association (AMA) recommends that every adult take a vitamin/mineral supplement daily.So how do you choose a good quality supplement that will give you all the nutrients that you need?First, let's take a look at some facts that you need to know about how vitamins and minerals work in your body.1. Vitamins and minerals work together. They need to be taken in the right proportions to be effective. For example, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, in the right proportions, work together to keep your bones strong.2. If you take too much of one nutrient, it can cause deficiencies in other nutrients. For instance, if you take too much calcium, it can cause your body to absorb less magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. Too much vitamin C can cause a copper deficiency.3. Taking too much of some nutrients can cause the same symptoms as a deficiency of that same nutrient. This happens with calcium, zinc and vitamin C.Your personal needs are also dependent upon your metabolism. Is your metabolism fast or slow? Certain nutrients speed up your metabolism and others slow it down. If you have a fast metabolism, you don't want to be taking nutrients that speed it up even more. If your metabolism is slow, you shouldn't be taking nutrients that slow it down. You want a nutritional product that will balance your unique body chemistry.Choosing the right nutritional supplement sounds complicated, but it's not. It can really be quite easy. You see, your hair holds the key. It contains the blueprint of the mineral balance in the tissues of your body, past and present. And because minerals interact not only with each other but also with vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and fats, the mineral status also gives you information on your vitamin needs as well.Your hair gives you a good picture of your body's nutrient needs. When you have a hair mineral analysis test, there's no guessing, no trial and error. With proper interpretation of the results, you know what's in balance in your body, what's out of balance and what your body needs. And with the proper selection of nutritional products based upon the results of your hair analysis, you will get the nutrients your body needs.(c) 2006 Christine H. Farlow, D.C. Find out more about how hair analysis can help you improve your health and choose the right supplements for your unique nutritional needs at http://www.healthyeatingadvisor.com/customnutrition.html

Diet Tips - Five Easy Ways to Lose Weight Fast!

By: Stephen Todd Many people hate the idea of rigid diets - the good news is that if follow the five proven weight loss tips below, you will lose weight easily.The diet tips require no real willpower and can improve anyone's diet and chances of healthy weight control.1. Drink WaterOne of the most effective diet tips is to drink plenty of water. In fact, water is possibly the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off.Water acts as a natural appetite suppressant by keeping your stomach full and fending off dehydration that leads to hunger cravings. Water also provides the additional benefit of flushing out toxins from the body and keeping it hydrated.Water also helps your body metabolize stored fat by helping the kidneys flush out waste. When you don't drink enough water the liver that works to provide stored fat for energy also takes on the role of helping the kidneys eliminate waste and thus becomes less effective at metabolizing fat.2. Eat BreakfastMany people believe one of the best diet tips is skipping breakfast, as it will help them lose weight, this is totally incorrect. Skipping breakfast can make you hungrier later in the day leading to distorted satiety signals (i.e. it's hard to determine when you're full). This can actually result in eating more as a result.If you don't have time to eat breakfast or don't like to, at least have a liquid meal to fuel your body after sleeping and having no nutrition for several hours.3. Increase Fibre IntakeEating lots of foods rich in fibre helps keep food moving through your bowels. Just like water, fiber rich foods bulk you up and make you feel full. In fact, the average person could lose around 10 pounds a year just from doubling their fiber intake.High fiber foods are generally low in calories and fill you up, so eating more of them means you're eating fewer calories and leaving less room for calories from other foods. Fiber also cuts calories by attaching itself to some of the other proteins and fats that you eat and eliminates them as well.The average person consumes about 8g of fiber per day, but many experts recommend 25g. Start your day with a high fiber cereal and keep eating fibre throughout the day.4. Eat Healthy FatsMany experts claim that fat causes obesity, raises your cholesterol and causes heart disease, but this is not strictly true. If fat is all that bad, why is it part of our natural diet chain? The reason is fat can be very good for you.Fat provides the body with essential fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic acids) needed for normal reproduction and growth, as well as for production of prostaglandin, a hormone like compound that regulates blood pressure, blood clotting, and inflammation.When eating fats you should eat healthy fats. Eating "healthy" fats includes the cold-water fish, mackerel and salmon, nuts, and olive oil. By eating healthy fats over unhealthy ones you will lose weight.5. Lean ProteinProtein is a great weight control tool because of the immediate satiety factor and because it keeps you full for longer periods. It also balances out carbs by preventing insulin spikes that can lead to a drain in energy and sugar cravings.Protein also helps maintain muscle mass, which is very important in the fat burning process. At least 20% of calories should be in the form of protein.Article Source: http://www.nulife-weightloss.com/articlesMore dieting and general health information and FREE exclusive diet and health magazines, are available on our web site: www.net-planet.org

Effective Reduction Of Cellulite

Cellulite is a nightmare for many women and even some of themen have to deal with it. The cosmetic industry is aware of thefact that 80% of the women suffer from cellulite and as a resultthey developed numerous solutions to help those women get rid ofcellulite. But those solutions have a price tag that makes themnot affordable for everyone. High priced products are not always as effective as the pricetag would make us think. Nothing is further from the truth. Infact, we may consider those solutions as too easy too believe.One has to put some physical effort in the daily routine inorder to achieve results. Physical effort to reduce cellulite means massage and it can bedone in an easy and much less expensive way. The only thing youneed is a cheap body lotion. You have to keep in mind though that this massage will not meltthe fat away, but it will assist in the reduction of celluliteeffectively in combination with proper diet and a littleexercise. Follow the steps described below and you will see results: . The lotion will be needed to enable your hands to slide withease over the cellulite areas. . The massage starts at the lowest point and goes up towardsyour heart. . Always apply moderate pressure, to high pressure might damageyour skin. . There are 3 moves you have to alternate : . Long sweeping strokes using your knuckles, fingers or palm ofyour hand . And circular motion, again using your hand as describedabove. . Kneading motion by grasping your skin with your thumb andfingers and massage it in circular motion like it was a dough. If you do this every day for at least 5 minutes you will seeresults.There are many alternative ways to take care of ourbody. So, before deciding to buy expensive, easy to dosolutions we might be better of putting some effort in lessexpensive more effective solutions. A better way to start a better and healthier life is toconsider our body as a whole and do proper research either inbooks or the internet looking for ways to eat healthier and doexercise within our possibilities, even if there are physicallimitations.About The Author: Rudy Dhondt is the webmaster ofInfocellulite. For more useful information to reduce celluliteeffectively visit: http://www.infocellulite.com

Workout Like A Professional With A Weider Home Gym

One can exercise very conveniently from home with the WeiderHome Gyms. You can buy them directly from the manufacturer atvery reasonable prices, most are below $1000. The Weider Home Gyms are designed specifically with economy ofspace and ease of use in mind. Most of these machines arecollapsible and can be stored somewhere out of the way untilyou want to use them. The compact design allows it to be usedin the home or apartment without taking up a lot of livingspace. Depending on which muscles that you want to exercise, differentpieces of Weider home gym equipment can be used. If your purposeis a full body workout then owning a home gym would be theappropriate choice. With the Weider home gym equipment that comes with two completestations for the arms, back, legs, and chest, there is not amuscle in your body that you cannot exercise. The Weider home gym equipment gives you a machine withresistance up to around 400 pounds that you can use to do morethan 65 different workout exercises. Only a few years ago youwould have that to go to the gym for that versatility in yourworkouts. These home gym machines have power rod technology that givesyou a power workout in the convenience of your own home. They have different models of machines including the Weider MaxWeight System, Weider 1120, and the Weider Home Gym Advantage. The Weider Advantage can work nearly every muscle in the bodyand thereby gives you the option for varying your routine andgaining the most benefit from a well-rounded workout. You can,just like the serious bodybuilders, target your biceps one day,chest muscles the next, your legs the next day, etc. People of different body types and different fitness levels canbenefit from Weider Home Gyms. There are even seriousbodybuilders who make use of them. Apart from the versatility of these machines they also carry abrand-name, which through many years of excellent service hasdeveloped a respected reputation for quality and value formoney. It does not matter if you want to include toning into yourweight loss program or if you want to build muscles for astronger physique, the Weider home gym equipment has what ittakes to help you attain your goal.About The Author: For more home fitness and diet informationvisit http://www.bestdietfitness.com/

The Difference In Bodybuilding For Women

When we think of bodybuilders, we often automatically think ofmen with large, sculpted muscles competing for titles. But whenit comes to the sport of bodybuilding, women have taken a largerrole than ever working to build their own muscles and competeon the same level as the men. Subsequently, bodybuilding forwomen has become increasingly popular for participants and fansalike. Bodybuilding is significantly easier for men than it is forwomen based on one simple fact; the hormone testosterone isresponsible for the building of muscle in our bodies. And whileboth men and women have levels of testosterone in their bodies,men have significantly higher levels. Therefore, the ability tobuild muscle comes much easier to men. Bodybuilding for womencan be more difficult but the results are just as spectacular. Whether taking on the sport as a hobby or in order toparticipate in competition, bodybuilding for women can be aterrific way for women to achieve optimum fitness andnutrition. And for a gender that is often held to higherstandards for physical appearance, bodybuilding allows women torevel in their physical power as well as their femininity. Bodybuilding for women just like bodybuilding for men requires a strong commitment to diet and exercise. For mostwomen this means a weekly workout routine that combinescardiovascular exercise, core work, and weight training. But,unfortunately, when it comes to this sport some women, in aneffort to increase the levels of testosterone in their body andthus increase their ability to build muscle, will turn toanabolic steroids to enhance their performance. The effects ofsteroid use can be disastrous on many levels and result in abevy of physical repercussions including hair loss, acne,muscle weakness, high blood pressure, and, in some cases, thetaking on of male physical characteristics. Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to bodybuilding forwomen is that intense workouts and dieting will significantlyreduce the body fat percentage in a woman's body. While thiscan be beneficial to a certain extent, body fat shouldordinarily be kept at balanced levels in order to maintain ahealthy lifestyle. Dangerously low body fat can result in aloss of the menstrual cycle and a number of physicalmanifestations. Bodybuilding for women done safely - can result inbeautifully sculpted muscles and overall physical health afantastic reward for hard work and sacrifice.About The Author: For easy to understand, in depth informationabout bodybuilding for women visit our ezGuide 2 http://bodybuilding.ezguide2.com