If your family history includes coronary heart disease, you are wise to look at ways to reduce your risk for heart disease. Coronary heart disease although affected by genetic makeup, is also related to your lifestyle.

Think of the more common risk factors for coronary heart disease:

* Cigarette smoking – a lifestyle choice

* Elevated cholesterol – in part, a lifestyle choice

* High blood pressure – affected by life choices

* Obesity – resulting from lifestyle choices

* Prolonged periods of inactivity – a lifestyle choice

You probably know that changes to your lifestyle can readily reduce the risk for heart disease. Such changes do not require a physician’s help, although you will want to seek your physician’s advice. Nor do actions to reduce the risks of heart disease require participation in a program.

A report in the “American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine” for March/April 2007; 1(2): 79-90 called for practical steps doctors could take to help you change your lifestyle. That report states that most individuals who change lifestyle do it without any program, and gives these examples:

* “…more than 90% of individuals who have stopped smoking have done this without a formal smoking cessation program.”

* “The majority of individuals who lose weight also do this on their own.”

You can make lifestyle changes that will reduce heart disease risks.

Reduce Heart Disease Risks with These Steps

You can reduce the risk for heart disease by making a few changes in your current lifestyle.

1. Chocolate First

Can eating chocolate reduce the risk for heart disease? You have heard reports of it on television. You may have heard it discussed at the office. Is it true?

In 1996, University of California-Davis researcher Andrew Waterhouse found that chocolate contains phenols, chemicals that might reduce heart disease risks. Waterhouse wrote about his findings in the British medical journal Lancet, telling how he had used laboratory experiments to measure the amount of phenols in such products as baker’s chocolate, cocoa powder, and milk chocolate. He found that it took less than 2 ounces of milk chocolate to provide the same amount of phenols as a 5-ounce glass of red wine, which was already known for reducing heart disease risks. He reasoned that not only can eating chocolate reduce the risk for heart disease, but that more research would show that it actually does.

In 2003, Dirk Taubert, MD, PhD, and his colleagues at the University of Cologne, Germany published a further report on chocolate in the Aug. 27 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. Dark chocolate, they found, lowers high blood pressure and reduces that risk associated with heart disease. They had done clinical research to show the effects in humans. Milk chocolate and white chocolate did not have this effect. Milk, whether blended into the chocolate or used to wash down the chocolate, diluted the effect.

Why dark chocolate? The answer is the phenols that Waterhouse discovered in chocolate back in 1996. Cocoa phenols are known to lower blood pressure.

In addition, phenols lower the risk of heart disease by keeping fat-like substances from oxidizing in the bloodstream and clogging the arteries.

So can eating chocolate reduce the risk for heart disease?

It can reduce some risks – if it is dark chocolate – the darker the better – and is not washed down with milk. European made chocolates appear to be better than American made, since they contain more cocoa phenols.

2. Smoking

Another lifestyle change that can reduce the risk of heart disease is to stop smoking. Those who say they can’t stop smoking have not been determined or committed enough. As quoted above from the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, ” more than 90% of individuals who have stopped smoking have done this without a formal smoking cessation program.”

If you are serious about reducing heart disease risks, stop smoking.

3. Obesity

Overweight sounds nicer than obesity, but whichever way you look at it in the mirror, it is a lifestyle change you can make to reduce heart disease risks. You don’t need to join one of the many programs advertised on television, or ask your doctor for prescription medication. You need to change your way of eating and get exercise.

4. Exercise

While the industrial age, followed by the information age, brought us many benefits, they also took away the benefits of farm work. A great number of us have developed a sedentary lifestyle that increases heart disease risks. To reverse that, and reduce the risks of heart disease, we need to follow a regular exercise program.

5. Cholesterol

Your genetic makeup may predispose you to higher levels of cholesterol. To reduce this risk of heart disease, you can change your diet to one of the many that reduce cholesterol intake.

Conclusion

There are other risks for heart disease, but these are examples of those that can be reduced by making simple changes in the way you live. Can they be eradicated without medication? Sometimes they can. Can they become less of a risk for heart disease without medication? Yes. It certainly is worth making the necessary changes.

CAUTION: The author is not a medical professional, and offers the information in this article for educational purposes only. Please discuss it with your health care provider before relying on it in any way.

2007, Anna Hart. Anna is married to a man who suffers from heart disease, and brings to her writing years of experience and research. She invites you to read more of her articles about heart disease at http://www.your-heart-disease-blog.com. You wont want to miss Annas additional insights and perspectives on risk factors for coronary heart disease. Visit Anna now.

Author: Anna Hart

A starvation diet in my mind is any diet where you are starving yourself. I know that when we are dieting usually we will restrict our calories so that we are burning more calories than we eat but on a starvation diet we are actually restricting calories to such a point that we affect our metabolism and force our bodies to jump into a phase below dieting where we are not able to lose weight anymore.

To understand a starvation diet we need to look at what we are doing to our body when if we decide not to eat at all for a few days. First of all our bodies will think that we are just between meals and our body will start to use up blood sugar and then start burning up carbs until they are gone. Once we have run out of carbs our body should use fat and muscle tissue for energy but instead will start to lower our metabolism in a fight to protect our bodies…this is the starvation phase. Eventually if we did not eat our bodies would start to burn off our fat and muscle and our metabolism would slow to a point where we would become very lethargic and our organs would start to slow down and eventually shut down and we would die. There are not many people that would go this far bad as we see in people with bulimia this definitely does happen sometimes.

Instead of using a starvation diet to lose weight what most diets tend to do is to confuse the mind and body so that our metabolism well stay up and will continue to burn fat while at the same time hopefully not burning the muscle that we have nearly as quickly. If we look at bodybuilders in their dieting phase before a competition they must lose all of their fat so they have to diet fairly hard and expect to lose some of their muscle – actually quite a bit of muscle.

When you are looking at a diet and do not want to starve look at the following points.

1. What is the goal of your diet? Usually the goal is to lose fat

2. What are you going to do to lose that fat? If you diet your body needs to stay a little bit comfortable and if your try to lose weight too fast you will go into starvation mode.

3. What are you going to do to raise your metabolism? Most people will use exercise for two reasons, firstly the exercise will burn calories to help you lose weight, but even more importantly getting exercise will force your body to raise your metabolism so that it can be ready when more exercise is going to happen.

In reading this hopefully you will see your body as I do, and that is that our bodies are machines that adjust to stimuli fairly quickly. Your body will speed up and slow down it’s burning of calories and storing of fat. I hope this will help you a little bit in learning to control your body using diet and exercise.

For more information on picking a diet and workout plan for yourself you can visit my build muscle book review or my fat loss for idiots review.

Author: Bill Nadraszky

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So much has been written on the topic of weight gain, eating disorders, and body image, and, by all appearances, the problem is getting worse. Statistics shows that 95% of women dislike their bodies and their physical appearance, and now this rampant dissatisfaction has extended to men as well. Once thought to be the focus of teenage girls, studies are showing that eating disorders are increasingly prevalent among middle-age adults, and even beyond.

Is this gnawing discontent unreasonable? With obesity numbers reaching staggering proportions, you may very well think disgust with one’s physical appearance is a normal, and perhaps even a healthy problem to have, if it helps people change their diets and their lifestyles. Then, of course, there is the advent of ever-new disorders, such as pregorexia (compulsively restricting food intake during pregnancy, which impairs the healthy development of the fetus) and orthorexia (an obsession with eating healthy, organic foods).

Is there any solution to this ever-growing and ever-present problem? Or are we doomed to be a population condemned to ever-expanding waistlines, and an ever-increasing obsession with how we look and what we eat?

There is a way to end these ailments, whether you are overweight, or have a distorted view of your body, or find yourself obsessing when you need to order non-organic. Yet, contrary to popular opinion, the solution doesn’t come from solving the problem, per se. Rather, the solution comes from seeing the problem as an opportunity. Now wait – before you silently yell obscenities at me (What do you mean my life-long affliction with food and with my body is an opportunity?!), and stop reading this article immediately – stay with me for just a second – give me a moment to explain what I mean.

As long as you consider your struggle to be a problem, you reinforce your belief that there is something wrong with you that needs to be fixed. If you are overweight, and especially if this has been a life-long or at least a long-term challenge, you probably have a story or two about what is wrong with you. It might sound something like this:

“I am lazy.” “I just like food too much.”

“I can’t stay away from sweets.”

“I have no self-control.”

“I am a fat slob – I will never have the body I want.”

Depending on your particular disorder, your story might also sound something like this:

“I must be thin.”

“I will hate myself if I gain weight.”

“I wish I had her body.”

“If I eat, I will get fat.”

“I must exercise all the time or else I will gain weight.”

Now, in the beginning stages of body-image struggles and eating disorders, you may convince yourself that you do not have a problem, that everything is fine, and that you are perfectly normal. Yet after living in the mental hell described above for a while, you start to get a sneaking suspicion that something might be wrong. You get the notion that maybe you are not living with all the peace, tranquility, and love that is possible.

At this stage, you become convinced that you have a problem and are in need of a solution. You come to believe that something is inherently wrong with you. You know that there is more to life, that you are capable of something great, but you are stuck in a web of pain and suffering, not sure which way to turn. In my experience, having healed myself of a negative body image, eating disorders, and obsessive-compulsive behavior that lasted for well over a decade, I have found the following to be utterly transformative:

Your greatest struggle, your deepest pain, your most desperate confusion, holds the keys to your transformation. The secret is in shifting how you look at your problem. Instead of seeing it as a problem, consider it an opportunity. Now, it is up to you to discover the opportunity. It is easy for others to point out a problem to you, but you alone can uncover and in fact create an opportunity out of your adversity. Every challenge holds the keys to unlimited blessings; you need only become aware of your ability to transform your reality, and then stay open and alert to possibilities that come your way.

According to eastern wisdom, we all have within us the ultimate guru or teacher. This teacher is always with us, always calling us to discover our true greatness, our inner-being, that part of ourselves that is magnificent, grand, and wondrous, that part of ourselves urging us to live our very best life. Unfortunately, very few of us learn how to listen to this inner-teacher as children. As we go throughout life, we lose our connection to ourselves, becoming increasingly tossed to-and-fro by the challenges and adversities of life. Our life becomes a mess of problems and adversities.

These problems, whatever form they take, are opportunities in disguise. They are calling you home. The challenges you face grab your attention. When you don’t listen, you find yourself stuck in a seemingly disastrous web of suffering, possibly unable to stop eating despite the health risks of your weight, unwittingly starving your own child because of your insecurities, refusing to eat after your recent divorce, or whatever form your particular suffering takes.

Yet you always have a chance to return home. You always have the opportunity to dive within yourself and connect with this inner-teacher. No matter how much pain and suffering you our experiencing in any moment, you always have the choice to stop, close your eyes, look within, and seek to discover the seeds of opportunity that are latent in your current adversity. So whether you, yourself, are struggling with excess weight, an eating disorder, a negative body-image, or any other problem, or if a friend or loved one is struggling, here are a few simple steps to help you connect with your inner-guide an unleash the opportunity that will transform your adversity into a great blessing:

• Consider the possibility that your problem, whatever it is, holds the seeds to opportunity. Just being open to this possibility will create a shift inside of you.

• Take the time to go within. There is no substitute for diving deeply within yourself. As the teacher Krishnamurti once said, “In oneself lies the whole world, and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand.”

Traditionally, going within is accomplished through the practice of meditation. There are many different styles to choose from – the key is to make meditation a regular part of your daily routine. Regular meditation yields tremendous health benefits, both physically and psychologically, and it also helps you tap into your inner wisdom.

• Find a teacher, guide, or a coach who can help you explore your internal landscape. When you are at the beginning stages of getting to know yourself, when you are beginning this path of spiritual and personal inquiry, a teacher, coach or guide is extremely valuable. This person could be a psychologist, a spiritual teacher, a yoga instructor, or a life coach. Look for someone who understands where you are coming from and a person to whom you feel a connection. Often this emotional bond is the most important component in getting you the assistance you need.

Remember always: you can transform any adversity into opportunity. Your greatest pain and greatest challenge can be your greatest gift to yourself and to the world. Dive within and discover the keys to create a body and a life of your dreams.

Sarah Maria is a body-image expert who helps people feel great in and about their bodies and themselves. She shows people how to discover the beauty that is already inside of them, right now. Once they connect with this beauty, they will discover that anything is possible – that they can create a body and a life that they truly love. Learn about her book Love Your Body, Love Your Life, and sign up for her free e-zine at http://www.breakfreebeauty.com Begin to transform your body and your life today!

Author: Sarah Maria

Eating disorders are fast becoming a common issue in modern days. Many young people are not shielded from the impact of the media. Thus, it really is crucial that you should be aware on how to prevent eating disorders.

The media has a major influence on the development of eating disorders. It helps to set unrealistic expectations on what body image is considered beautiful. By being constantly exposed, the mental development of you or your child gets distorted. Unintentionally, some families use the television as a babysitter. This is dangerous as children can be quite impressionable. Hence, you will need to prevent eating disorders from an early age.

Thin models are often used by the media. It has been found that the body weight of an average female model used is about 25% less than her ideal weight. However, the model often achieves her looks unnaturally. Most of these models have either undergone plastic surgery or are anorexic and having an eating disorder themselves. Not forgetting, the photos that appear on print media such as magazines are often airbrushed to hide or take away any perceived flaws. In this manner, a beauty standard is set that realistically, is hardly attainable.

Your rate of exposure to images is at least 400 to 600 times per day. These figures represent the average number of advertisements that you view on a per day basis. So one way to prevent eating disorders is to cut down your exposure to these ads. Also note that one out of eleven of these advertisements is actually for a beauty product.

While in school, your child may be subjected to peer pressure. Young children can be mean unintentionally and often tease each other about their appearance. If your child has a low self esteem, he or she may be likely to yield to these pressures by starving or through developing bulimia.

Studies show that because one out of seven college-aged females has a problem with bulimia, and one out of a hundred has a problem with anorexia. These sufferers need psychotherapy as the causes are often deeply rooted on a psychological level. If no treatment is sought, eating disorders can escalate out of control. One out of every ten people who suffer from an eating disorder eventually dies because of the damage to the body that the eating disorder causes.

Preventing eating disorder is clearly an issue that everyone will need to do more for. The media needs to play a more responsible role on the images shown to our impressionable younger generations. In the meantime, it is not right that all you do is to point an accusing finger at the media. There is much that you can do if you do not want our future generations to hurt their bodies through eating disorders. More preventative measures will have to be in place.

Surviving on only an apple a day? Learn what are eating disorder symptoms and the dangers of developing an eating disorder here on this site at http://www.eating-disorder-research.com

Author: Sandra Kim Leong
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Okay…you’ve done it. You went through the chemo. You may have gone through radiation. Maybe you even had surgery. But now it’s all over. The chemicals have killed your cancer cells. So, now what? The fact that you’re still here is a testament to your will to live, but your body is in rough shape. Your hair might be gone. You’ve lost weight. Every cell in your body has been poisoned.

It’s strange how no one ever really tells you what to do after your breast cancer treatment is finished. I’m sure many clinics and hospitals have after care programs, but they’re seldom useful. Your body is broken down and it needs to be restored to its natural state. Not only that, the treatment you’ve just suffered through may have killed the breast cancer, but the underlying conditions that put it there in the first place haven’t gone anywhere. It’s time to clean it all up.

You see, conventional cancer treatments…conventional medicine in general seems to only concern itself with symptoms and not causes. Have a headache? Take this pill every time you have one and you’ll never have one. Or…figure out the underlying cause of the headache and fix that and you can forget about the headache and the pill. You’ve killed the cancer. Now it’s time to attack what made your body a nice place for cancer to thrive in. It could be your immune system. It could be your oxygen levels. It could be your pH. there are a host of things that can cause breast cancer. Once you find the right natural remedies that will reverse all of these conditions you can be sure that your breast cancer will never come back.

Most doctors and the medical establishment in general don’t care for natural cancer treatments. Not because they don’t work, but because they are natural and can’t be patented as a drug. Why cure your breast cancer when they can keep you coming back for years? You’re a customer, not a patient. Now that your breast cancer treatment is finished, take the time to restore your body back to health. Once everything is back in balance, you’ll feel like your old self again in no time.

You can get access to over 350 natural, non-toxic cancer treatments and 2,000 testimonials of people who have used them when you click here now: Kill Your Breast Cancer

Author: Vanessa Ryan

Hair loss is a more common problem than you may think. Statically, in a given population, at least 40% of men (and some women) are either bald or have thinning hair. Hair loss is something most men secretly fear but hope will never actually occur. There is an exceedingly long list of possible causes for hair loss. The medical term for hair loss is Alopecia. Hair loss happens when the hair follicles don’t replace hairs that are lost by the body. Heredity, hormones and age are the biggest contributing factors to male hair loss.

There is a great deal of information out there concerning hair loss, which can make it difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction. Keep in mind that this information is never intended to replace the advice of your physician. Looking for information on treatments that can help you stop or reverse your hair loss can help to provide you with the necessary information and the tools you will need in order to help in treating your hair loss. A number of sites on the internet have helpful information about hair loss.

Although much research has been done, nothing exact has been found to completely arrest hair loss or stop the balding process. Advances in genetic research have helped scientists to gain new tools with which to learn about the genetics of hair loss. Research has been done that confirms that hair loss is inherited like the color of your eyes. It has also been shown that a person with a balding father also has a significantly greater chance of experiencing hair loss. Research has shown that Minoxidil can be effective at slowing or stopping the progression of hair loss, particularly at the crown of the head. Even though there is little clinical research on the effects of herbs on hair loss, many people see from experience that herbs do work. The need for on-going research for adequate hair loss treatments continues.

There are several medical treatments as well as natural treatments that can be used to help treat hair loss problems. Treatments for hair loss vary greatly depending on the initial cause of the baldness. The two FDA approved treatments for hair loss that have gotten a lot of attention in the news recently are Propecia and Rogaine. Different treatments work on different areas of the scalp. Hair vitamins, scalp therapy treatments, and special conditioners and shampoos also prevent or help aid in hair regrowth. It is very important that you consult with your doctor concerning treatment of your hair loss. The good news is there are a number of treatments for even the most difficult cases of hair loss, and with modern treatments, hair loss is no longer an affliction we have to live with.

It is important to understand that hair loss is also a natural part of the body’s renewal process. A natural occurrence of hair loss is considered to be in the range of 100 hairs per day. Hair loss is a progressive condition. It has long been an issue troubling many males and females regardless of age, and is actually fairly common. Hair loss is a problem dreaded the world over by both men and women alike, and suffering from hair loss is one of the most traumatic experiences anybody can experience in their lives.

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Author: Renee Adair

Health experts believe that the prevention of heart disease, particularly arteriosclerotic heart disease, is possible. To be sure, some risk factors are uncontrollable, such as sex, age and genetics; but there are a number of dietary and lifestyle changes that can reduce the risk.

Arteriosclerotic heart disease may be referred to as arteriosclerosis and is characterized by a thickening of and loss of elasticity of the blood vessel walls.

Atherosclerosis, which is a very similar and often confused term, is defined as a form of or a stage of arteriosclerotic heart disease, in which plaque builds up on the inner lining of the blood vessel walls. The prevention of heart disease focuses primarily on preventing this build up of plaque.

Plaque that is found in the arteries of the heart is referred to as atheroma. This plaque is composed of an inflammatory accumulation of macrophage white blood cells. It is believed that increasing amounts of LDL or bad cholesterol begin circulating in the blood stream, with dietary changes and habits that begin in school age children and are often carried over into adulthood.

Current research indicates that LDL cholesterol irritates and damages the lining of the blood vessels, leading to the inflammatory responses that cause the plaque. It is apparently a very slow process. It is quite possible that efforts for the prevention of heart disease should begin at a very early age.

Some of the suggestions from the American Heart Association for the prevention of heart disease include controlling childhood obesity and improving the nutritional value of the typical child’s diet or the typical “school lunch”. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean sources of protein, such as fish or chicken, which is not fried or breaded, are heart healthy choices.

The best tests for detecting early arteriosclerotic heart disease are not commonly used or widely accepted. They are typically not covered by health insurance plans and often the disease is not detected until symptoms appear. According to data collected in 2004, a heart attack or sudden death is often the first symptom of arteriosclerotic heart disease. Thus, the yearly check-up is extremely important.

While doctors typically do not perform extensive tests for the early stages of heart disease, they do typically check weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These are the best indicators that the medical community has at this time. Additionally, a simple blood test for C-reactive protein, produced by the body during the inflammatory process, can indicate that inflammation of the arteries is present.

High blood pressure, high levels of LDL cholesterol or C-reactive protein circulating in the blood stream, along with obesity, age and heredity are all risk factors for the development of arteriosclerotic heart disease. Blood sugar levels also play a role, uncontrolled diabetes, particularly Type II or adult onset diabetes is currently considered a risk factor.

However, adult onset diabetes appears to be related to improper diet, lack of exercise and obesity, as well. While reducing age or changing parents is not possible, controlling the other risk factors can help with the prevention of heart disease.

According to the most recent research, it appears that using a combination of approaches for the prevention of heart disease is more effective than a single approach. Among these approaches are: making dietary changes, losing weight (particularly around the abdomen), reducing blood sugar levels to low normal and taking certain dietary supplements.

Controlling blood pressure and lowering LDL cholesterol may be achieved through dietary changes or prescription medications may be necessary. The same is true for reducing blood sugar levels. The dietary supplements that may help with the prevention of heart disease include anti-oxidants, the B-vitamins and folic acid.

Mangosteen puree, a dietary supplement, contains the most antioxidants available from a single source. These antioxidants destroy free radicals that can cause cellular damage leading to arteriosclerotic heart disease.

Mangosteen is an exotic fruit from Southeast Asia, and should not be confused with the more mundane mango. Mangosteen is an excellent source of B-vitamins and folic acid which helps lower homocysteine, an amino acid found in meat. High blood levels of homocysteine are related to the early development of arteriosclerotic disease.

In addition, the mangosteen contains natural anti-inflammatory properties which may be helpful for the prevention of heart disease.

Mike Leuthen is chief editor of [http://www.restore-your-health.com] Visit us on the web to learn more about how to prevent heart disease and to ask the editor questions.

Author: Mike Leuthen

Men and women have obvious physical differences, but there are differences that go far deeper. One of those deeper differences is how we respond emotionally. This difference is demonstrated through the different reactions and emotional responses to life’s situations. Generally, men will keep their emotions bottled up inside, whereas women, on the other hand, will express themselves freely.

In addition, it has been documented, that men and women are different when it comes to displaying certain symptoms of diseases. One such difference is the exhibited affects of heart disease and their variance in symptoms between men and women. Two of the differences include the difference of symptoms demonstrated and the age at which heart attacks occur.

Symptoms
The health of both men and women suffer from the effects of heart disease. Yet, the symptom exhibited from heart disease in women varies significantly from how the symptoms are expressed in men who suffer from heart disease.

First of all, it’s important to note that both men and women die from heart disease. However, the percentage of women dying from heart related diseases is greater than their male counterparts. What may contribute to this disproportionate statistic of fatalities attributed to heart disease in women is that the signs of a heart attack in a woman are not as apparent as a man who is experiencing a heart attack.

Generally, when a patient, who fits the profile, is experiencing chest pains a standard operating procedure is to order an angiogram. The results of this angiogram will reflect any blockages of the coronary arteries. The differing results of this test are striking between the two genders. The hearts of men are more likely to show signs of blockage in the coronary arteries, while the coronary arteries of the women will not.

Yet, medical experts emphasize that the health of a woman’s heart is still in jeopardy. This is due to the discovery that heart disease in women begins within the small arteries of a woman’s heart. These small arteries, as opposed to the larger coronary arteries in the male heart, have exhibited blockage which eventually deprives portions of the heart. This particular heart malady is called microvascular disease and is a prominent heart disease in women who experience the symptoms of chest pain associated with a heart condition.

Age
Another contributing factor of heart-disease in women and men is age. The age difference, between the two genders, is significant when experiencing the realities of heart-disease.

Unlike men who suffer heart attacks at earlier ages, women suffer the effects of cardiovascular disease during the later stages of their life. This fact is borne out in that the leading cause of death amongst older women is heart-disease. The average age for heart attacks amongst women is at the age of 70.

To counter the effects of heart-disease in women at a later stage in life, it is highly recommended that women become actively engaged in fighting heart-disease at an earlier age. The recommended timeline, to become more aware of heart-disease in women, is immediately following the menopausal stage

In addition to thinking early about heart-disease, preventative measures include a healthy diet and a routine form of aerobic exercise. These preventative measures should be in concert with the management of hypertension, weight control and regular cholesterol screenings.

Click on any of these links to find out more about congestive heart disease, heart disease in women and chronic heart disease.

Author: Dayne Amiel
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Consider this:

Already since 1972, over 60 million people in the USA alone have successfully quit smoking!

At one stage over 60% of the adult population was addicted to this drug. Today it is 28% and dropping.

Now, isn’t this a fair thought.

If all these people can do it (60 MILLION OF THEM!) – and they include EVERY TYPE of person imaginable – surely that is PROOF that IT IS POSSIBLE to successfully quit smoking.

Here’s another Fact.

We now know from the latest scientific research, that although nicotine is one of the world’s fastest acting drugs — the actual PHYSICAL withdrawal pangs when you give up ARE SO MILD, YOU WILL HARDLY BE AWARE of THEM WHEN YOU STOP.

YES, you have read that sentence right!

I know you will want to argue with me on this point, but, first, let me first make the following points.

The Desire to Smoke

Yes, when you stop smoking you will feel the desire AGAIN and AGAIN to smoke.

We all know that feeling — ‘I must have a cigarette’. But that desire in itself is not bad or painful.

It is just a feeling, a sensation we feel in our body.

However……..this is where, for most of us our problems start.

If we start to fear that ‘craving’ or try to use ‘Willpower’ to REPRESS it or FORCE it go away, — “I wish this feeling would go away” we WILL create pain and tension.

This is what as smokers we have all done in the past.

That ‘feeling’ of wanting to smoke then becomes painful, annoying and terribly irritating.

Now this is the hard part to realize.

The pain, the horror does not come from the desire to smoke, but from HOW we deal with this desire, moment-by-moment WHEN we stop.

Can I emphasize this.

You do not have to experience ANY pain or agony when you stop. Yes, when you stop you WILL experience a.

Temporary feeling of loss

A feeling that you are being deprived of something

A feeling of emptiness

A feeling that you will never be able to enjoy yourself again.

A feeling that you must have a cigarette

These feelings, although very real in themselves are not inherently bad or painful. What is important is how you deal with these feelings when you QUIT SMOKING.

The key part of quitting smoking naturally is learning how to deal with these cravings when you stop.

Conflict

Right now, you don’t want to give up smoking because you are TERRIFIED of how you will FEEL when you can’t smoke.

Let’s be honest.

You smoke now because you enjoy it.

Or — to be more accurate: You smoke now because you have conditioned yourself to enjoy it.

It is important that we are honest with ourselves here.

In fact, even the ‘THOUGHT’, the mere ‘thought’ of not been able to smoke probably fills you with complete dread now.

But there is another undeniable fact: This ‘pleasure’ is killing you. Again we must be brutally honest here. Everyday, you are systemically destroying your health.

This is the conflict all smokers face.

On the one hand, smoking is killing you and you desperately want to stop.

..And yet on the other hand, you don’t really want to stop because you believe you really enjoy it.

Yet, one other truth cannot be denied and this applies to every smoker.

We are terrified of how we will F-E-E-L when we can’t smoke. We are convinced it will be unbearable and impossible.

FEAR

Right now, the ONLY thing — yes, THE ONLY THING stopping you from quitting smoking is this fear of how YOU WILL FEEL WHEN YOU STOP.

And yet this very fear is the actual key to quitting smoking naturally.

Quitting smoking is really all about learning HOW to deal with the cravings and feelings you WILL get when you stop.

When you learn how to do that – you will realize that there is nothing to fear when you give up.

What is there to fear?

When you get the craving to smoke, which you will, again and again – - you will now take the OPPORTUNITY to ‘change’ or ‘transform’ that craving so that it is actually enjoyable or at least tolerable to experience.

Imagine.

You have decided to give up smoking. It’s dinnertime.

You have finished a day’s work.

You finish your meal and ….. subconsciously, you reach for a cigarette. But then, of course you remember you no longer smoke.

Bang! At that moment, certain gut feelings will arise.

Feelings of regret……..a feeling that you are missing out on something important and then maybe….. terrible feelings of emptiness….. We all know how it feels.

But the real question is: How will you deal with this feeling — this craving to smoke?

Will you just suffer it, try to repress it and hope that it will go away? That is one option. The old willpower method.

Or will you give in to the feeling — and start to smoke again (promising to start again tomorrow)?

Or will you – - for the first time ever: – - follow our instructions and actually ALLOW yourself to transform the feeling/craving so that it is actually enjoyable or at least pleasant or tolerable enough to experience.

You see, when you can do that, you will no longer be AFRAID of these cravings when you stop smoking.

In fact, you will start to WELCOME them because they will give you another opportunity to RESPOND and DEAL with them in this NEW WAY.

This process is the essence of quitting smoking naturally and finding it a pleasant and life-affirming experience.

Weight-loss?

Are you now beginning to see how these principles can also apply to losing weight.

You see a beautiful cake. You want to eat it….when BANG! — You remember you are on a diet.

Now watch HOW YOU feel when this happens?

Couldn’t we describe it as.

‘Feelings of regret……..a feeling that you are missing out on something important and then maybe….. terrible feelings of emptiness.

Isn’t it essentially the same feeling as not being able to smoke?

However, the real question is the same with smoking: How will you DEAL with this feeling – this craving to eat?

Will you GIVE IN to it — and eat the cake or will you try and FORCE yourself not to eat it- and be miserable?

Why not consider our alternative?

Accept this feeling, this desire to eat. But, instead of giving in to it, learn how to deal and respond to it in a NEW way so that you don’t MIND experiencing it?

Transform the craving so that it is actually enjoyable or very pleasant to experience.

The Joy of quitting Smoking?

Remember, when you stop – yes, you WILL feel something but there will be no physical agony, only a temporary feeling that you are MISSING OUT on something. A feeling that you are being deprived of something SPECIAL — but these feelings will ONLY be temporary.

However, to quit smoking successfully and to start to enjoy doing it we must go deeper than these temporary cravings.

We must realize that:

You find it difficult or impossible to stop smoking now because……… you BELIEVE ABSOLUTELY that you NEED to smoke and even deeper, you BELIEVE that if you give up smoking now, your life will never be as ENJOYABLE again.

In one sentence: You believe your life will be intolerable.

It is these beliefs that makes quitting smoking difficult NOT Nicotine addiction.

Right now, you are not only physically addicted to smoking but you are psychologically dependent or addicted to smoking.

If your addiction were purely physical wouldn’t all these nicotine patches have a 100% success record!

Yet, we all know that even if we use a nicotine substitute, we will still continue to feel a terrible desire to smoke.

Again and again, we’ll feel we must have a cigarette. At times, it will even get to the stage where we just don’t care – even the most dire health warnings will have no affect on us – we just WANT to smoke. Where does this desire come from ?

It comes from our conditioning, our beliefs about smoking.

This moment, we believe that smoking is an essential pleasure. In fact, most of us have a terrible resistance to EVEN thinking about quitting smoking.

Why ?

Because we believe that in order to do anything about our addiction, i.e. give up smoking — we would have to end our pleasure and ending pleasure is something we have NO DESIRE to do.

YOUR REAL JOB

Your real job in giving up smoking lies in REALLY UNDERSTANDING that you don’t NEED to smoke.

You remove the psychological addiction to smoking.

You will never be truly free until you realize that smoking is not a real pleasure and that when you stop, you WILL NOT BE depriving ourselves of a real pleasure……. ……and then you will not only be able to give up smoking for good but you will enjoy doing it!

© http://www.quitsmokingonline.com – All Rights Reserved.

Is it possible to enjoy, yes ENJOY quitting smoking – and not gain ANY weight? Follow Sean O’Riain famous 10-day free online Quit Smoking Course at www.quitsmokingonline.com and prove it for yourself.

Others quit smoking articles available at http://www.quitsmokingonline.com/Articlecontentspage.htm

mike@quitsmokingonline.com

This article will help you remove the need to smoke naturally by argument and reason alone.

About The Author

Mike Mor

I am the author of ‘How to Remove the Psychological Addiction TO Smoking’ and of ‘the Bliss of meditation’ at www.meditation-zen.com [http://www.meditation-zen.com]. This allows me to apply the principles of meditation theory to the process of quitting smoking.

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

Author: Mike Mor
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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There are all sorts of reasons why a person might be overweight, and a host of reasons why that same person has been unable to lose weight. However, whatever those reasons are there is only one real reason why time after time we fail to meet our rapid weight loss goals: procrastination.

It seems every year our society gets a little busier, and our valuable time becomes ever more previous with each calendar year that ticks by. However, for those who are overweight that ticking clock might as well be a ticking time bomb. Carrying extra weight will ultimately lead to a host of long term health problems, including diabetes and heart disease. If you don’t want to be dealing with these deadly diseases in the years ahead then you need to lose weight quickly, starting today!

If you want to achieve your rapid fat loss goals, then you will either be your own greatest ally on your own worst enemy. You can make all the excuses you want, but ultimately it is going to be your ability to stop procrastinating that will see you to success in the battle of the bulge.

Find ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine no matter how busy you are. Ride your bike to work three times a week, go for a walk on your lunch break, or get on the treadmill while watching your favorite TV programs. No matter how busy you feel there is always time in the day to get at least 30 minutes of exercise in. You just need to stop procrastinating and do it.

Make the necessary adjustments to your diet. Before you go to bed at night prepare a healthy lunch for the next day. Not only will it help you avoid the fast food temptation it will save you money by making your food at home rather than purchasing it at a restaurant.

If all this sounds like too much to handle, then find a rapid weight loss diet that takes care of all the details for you. For example, the Everloss Diet combines healthy recipes, an exercise program, vitamin supplements, and a stress reduction activity guide to help you meet your rapid weight loss goals. With everything laid out for you in easy to follow instructions only your own procrastination can stop you from losing the weight you want to.

So stop making excuses and make the lifestyle changes you need to today to avoid deadly health problems in the future. You only get one life. Make time for yourself to make sure you can live it to the fullest.

The author is an avid writer who enjoys writing about hockey and movies. To see more examples of his work please check out his articles:

Best Movies of All Time

Best Sci-Fi Movies Ever Made

Author: Dennis Lindsay
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger