The thinking that first compelled the ancient Egyptians to develop the very first natural colon cleansers might have seemed, until a few years ago, as absurd to the modern day intestinal health consumer as the old notion of the four elements of earth, fire, water and air.

And while we would be foolish to dismiss all ancient thinking, including that regarding colon cleansers, as having nothing to teach us about our health and wellbeing, we must temper thoughts based in the ancient world with the information we have gleaned about the world we live in since that time. The Egyptians believed that the origin of all illness was the colon, and that a healthy intestinal area led to a more broadly based sense of wellbeing.

While anyone who suffers with colonic or intestinal discomfort or disease can most surely testify to the importance of maintaining the health of this region of the body, modern medicine has shown us that not all ill-health can be ascribed to the colon. The importance of the colon, and by association the significance of colon cleansers, was reasserted when natural medicine became popular several years ago.

Some practitioners of a medicine based on a so-called more natural approach to the body argue that our modern lifestyles have resulted in the build up of matter in the colonic region, which actually poisons us if not removed. Hence the significance of colon cleansers and intestinal health, and the resulting popularity of this type of product, which can now be purchased in a whole host of guises, from homeopathic remedies to oxygen-based colon cleansers.

It might be argued that just as we moved on from the Egyptian’s way of thinking about colon cleansers, so this recent interest in this aspect of our intestinal health is just another fad. While the medical establishment largely refutes the necessity of these colonic aids, millions of consumers report them as being invaluable to intestinal health.

It is in our nature to rediscover old ideas and to incorporate them into our lives again, and colon cleansers are one such example of this. As long as we temper our enthusiasm for the old with new knowledge, then our adoption of Egyptian health habits might not be a bad thing. Certainly enough people report the benefits of good colon health, and colon cleansing in particular, for us to be silly to dismiss it.

Timing your workout can be crucial. There are specific times during the day during which your body burns fat most efficiently. It has to do with your eating cycle – or more accurately with your body’s digestive cycle. The body burns more fat when you exercise on a relatively empty stomach – contrary to many claims out there that state otherwise. The longer you wait to exercise after a meal the more fat your body will burn.

Is that truth or myth?

A university researcher studied the effects of exercising on a full versus an empty stomach. A group of women participated in 2 exercise studies. In one they exercised twice before meals and in the other, after meals. Evidence showed that when the subjects exercised on an empty stomach (before meals), blood glucose levels were lower in the periods following meals and during the night, than the when they exercised on a full stomach (after meals).

This suggested that exercising before meals can help to regulate blood glucose levels almost as well as 2 popular glucose-lowering drugs. (1)

To take it one step further, since this type of exercise method lowers blood glucose, lower amounts of glucose may translate to decreases in body fat. Remember excess glucose in the blood (from carbohydrate) may be stored as fat.

This study, it seems, supports the widely popular theory that the best time to exercise for fat loss, is on an empty stomach. A theory which many claim is only a myth.

I decided to put this theory to the test.

I am well into my thirties now, and I find it more difficult too keep the pounds off these days (with everything being constant). In other words, I am not eating more calories than I did 10-15 years ago and I’m also not exercising any less. And yet I had put on an extra 12 pounds. By the way, I also have a slow metabolism.

So, I wanted to see if there would be a significant difference when I exercised before breakfast instead of 2-3 hours after dinner which is what I had been doing. My workout was exactly the same, I didn’t change anything. I jogged for 30 minutes and followed that by 15 minutes of high intensity interval training.

The results were shocking. I lost 11 pounds in four and a half weeks – that was extra weight around the mid-section that I was carrying around for quite some time.

In truth, however, I am not really a morning person and find that my body has a hard time waking up for a workout first thing in the morning. If you’re not a morning person, you’ll know what I mean.

So I am going to experiment by switching my workout period to first just before lunch and then just before dinner (on a fairly empty stomach). I’ll let you know what the results will be. I have a feeling they’ll still be more favorable with respect to weight loss than when workouts are conducted after meals.

Reference:
http://www.umich.edu/~urecord/0506/Nov21_05/06.shtml, “Exercise nearly as successful as drugs at lowering blood sugar”, retrieved 6 July 2006 from http://www.umich.edu/~urecord/0506/Nov21_05/06.shtml

John Tiniakos helps make weight loss easier through proven weight loss methods using information and analysis from the worlds leading scientists. To subscribe to his blog or his free monthly newsletter that includes valuable, up to date tips on diet, weight loss and health and to receive 2 free reports visit http://www.nulife-weightloss.com For more information on his latest ebook “Nulife Natural Weight Loss Program” visit http://www.nulife-weightloss.com/natural.htm

Being overweight seems to be a pre-determined fate for so many Americans. An estimated 64% of Americans are considered overweight. That equates to over 125 million people that are overweight and need to loose weight. Or you can call a spade a spade, which equates to over 125 million FAT Americans, which also means that there are a lot of very unattractive Americans.

Supposedly having too much body weight has been the result of you being lazy, unhealthy, unhappy, selfish, greedy, and unattractive. NO, it hasn’t been the result of any of those reasons! Overweight Americans are often some of the most tenacious career-conscious individuals. They are overworked and often fall into weight problems because they are working long hours, without enough rest and exercise! Approximately ½ of the other 36% of thinner adults choose to condemn those Americans who aren’t as fortunate to have a fast metabolism and the luxury of time to exercise. These very adults have the time, because they also find the time to ridicule the other 64% of the population that need to lose a few pounds.

This all may sound a bit harsh, but suck it up! The slogan ‘Thin is in and Fat is Out’ needs to go right back out the door with the aerobics instructor that brought it in. Sure, if you have a weight problem, you know you have a weight problem. It is not something you don’t have the intelligence to see. See Barbie, while you were on the beach with Ken, the fat chics were getting an education! Being overweight is still considered one of the biggest sins someone can do to their own bodies , but what about the people out there with true medical problems that prevent them from being thin.? They still fall into the thin person’s stereotype of a FAT LAZY person? The sad truth is that people who are exceptionally overweight allow others to ridicule them about their weight. The misconceptions that people who are overweight won’t work, are overall lazy people, unhappy, unattractive is a load of bull.

Just take a look around you; Some of the most beautiful women in the world are either overweight now or have been at some time in their life. LOOK AT OPRAH! She is gorgeous, but she wasn’t always the size she is now, but she was still a pretty happy woman, not to mention a huge success. If you look in the “heftier women magazines” you will find more beautiful women than what you find on the runways of New York, it’s a fact.

Whether we want to hear it or not, the fact is that “grown-ups” still act like children to get ahead in life. It really is the “take the camera off of me and point it over there at someone else” approach. Think of your girlfriends. You likely have one in the bunch that is as cute and prissy as can be, but whenever she isn’t getting the attention from the opposite sex, she will inevitably draw attention to your weight. Don’t pay it a second thought and here’s why. Even though you could get into a dirt throwing contest and bring out all of her faults, (for example that she really wears a lot of make-up because she needs it!) there’s no point because it really doesn’t matter. So you might be overweight, big deal, you are a beautiful person inside and out. Can anyone thin top that?

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet marketer. He runs the website 11-Weight-Loss.net. Terje enjoys to give advice and help people with fast and rapid weight loss as well as tailoring a great fitness diet among other things.

Be Aware

Everyone has specific health care needs, and young people often make the mistake of thinking they, as a group, do not need to worry about health care. While statistically, students may not be the biggest health care users, there are any number of unplanned events that can lead to you needing health care. If you don’t have insurance you’ll regret it. These can range from driving and sporting accidents, std’s and other illnesses, and travel insurance needs.

Whatever your specific needs, you might want to consider investing what’s on offer as part of student health care plans. They will often provide the right balance between protection and affordability that students are looking for.

Many students when they head off to college go out with the HMO network of their parent’s insurance plans and this will be another reason to investigate student HEALTH INSURANCE. Many schools and colleges will have some form of insurance available if students require it. You will have to pay of course, but often, because of the amount of insurance they buy, they can negotiate better deals and prices than you would otherwise be able to find.

They can also have terms and coverage that suit you and the activities and needs you are likely to experience most closely. As with all insurance though, shop around. Just because it’s your college’s plan, doesn’t mean it’s the best option available to you. There are as many insurance plans, as there are customers these days, so you should see what’s available and make sure you are getting something you want and need before you hand over your money.

HEALTH INSURANCE

In other cases, your school will require you to have some form of HEALTH INSURANCE. This may be a condition before you can enrol. If you cannot afford a full traditional health plan, a student insurance plan may be more affordable and will allow you to meet your school’s insurance requirements.

Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the insurance site http://www.insure121.com/ where you will find information, news and links to the leading providers of insurance in the UK. If you found this article interesting you may find more articles of the same nature in the insurance guide located on site.

Before diving right in to family HEALTH INSURANCE plans a quick primer on individual HEALTH INSURANCE plans is necessary. An individual HEALTH INSURANCE plan is just what you may expect- a plan to cover one person or individual such as yourself. Typically, if you do not have a spouse, life partner or any other dependents to cover this option is most likely going to be the most cost effective. There are many benefits and options from which to choose and many things must be considered before deciding on the right individual HEALTH INSURANCE plan to include cost, coverage and freedom of choice when selecting what physicians, doctors or healthcare specialists to see for your medical needs.

When searching for a particular plan there are several popular choices, the indemnity plan is the most traditional HEALTH INSURANCE plan covers visits to the doctor, physician or health care specialist of your choice. In addition, this plan will cover the procedures that the physician or specialist deems necessary. There are some costs involved such as deductibles and out-of-pocket limits, which can vary, and as expected these factors will have an impact on the cost of the plan. Though this plan offers the most freedom of choice in regards to whom you see for your medical coverage needs, it is generally the more expensive and cost prohibitive type of individual HEALTH INSURANCE plan.

Individual managed plans, also referred to as, HMO’s or Health Maintenance Organizations, are more cost effective than indemnity plans but for a reason because you do sacrifice several of the freedoms associated with an indemnity health care plan. With an HMO, you are provided an approved list of doctors whom you must see for routine medical appointments. In addition, any specialist whom you must see has to be done by or through a referral from a physician within the HMO network. If you only go to the doctor for your yearly physical and occasionally for an antibiotic, this plan could work well in covering your medical and HEALTH INSURANCE needs. Finally, HMO’s do cover health emergencies though you will have to jump through more hoops and paperwork drills in order to receive proper coverage.

As you may suspect, a family HEALTH INSURANCE plan is one that covers the health care needs for a family. It comes as no surprise then that since these health plans cover more than one person, the cost is going to be higher. Keep in mind, the more people that need to be covered, the more the plan is going to cost. Also there are other mitigating factors that can affect cost, such as gender, age and whether or not someone smokes cigarettes or drinks alcohol. These factors will play an important role in determining the affordability of the plan. There are family indemnity plans that offer the same benefits an individual indemnity plan offers. This can be a bonus that is worth the extra cost when dealing with multiple people. Interestingly enough there is family HMO’s as well. As with the individual HMO, you will sacrifice the freedoms that you have with an indemnity plan. Of course, the cost will be more expensive than that of an individual plan, but will not be as high as an indemnity plan.

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Easy HEALTH INSURANCE Guide. A website that specializes in providing HEALTH INSURANCE advice to include easy ways to find cheaper family and individual health plans that you can research in your pajamas from the comfort of your own home.