Supplements Boost Energy Levels and Increase Alertness

You can easily become fatigued by many factors including stress, lack of sleep, poor quality sleep, dietary deficiencies or a lack of sunlight even when you are in good health. There are many methods of boosting your energy levels, including exercising and eating a healthy balanced diet. Some natural practitioners and scientists believe that certain supplements may improve energy levels in certain individuals and many studies are underway to investigate these beliefs.

Many people drink caffeinated beverages to give themselves an energy boost, and there are also liquid and capsule caffeine supplements that may produce similar results. Caffeine is generally produced for mass consumption synthetically in laboratories. A healthier alternative to synthetic caffeine is green tea. Guarana is another herb that is sometimes used in place of caffeine supplements, as it contains similar chemicals that stimulate the body.

Vitamin B12is one of the 13 essential vitamins that your body requires to function optimally. The nutrient is needed to assist with the metabolism of certain nutrients and is necessary for the proper functioning of the immune system. Older adults, people with anemia, those who have undergone weight loss surgery and individuals with certain digestive disorders may all be deficient of vitamin B12 and experience symptoms of fatigue and weakness as a result.

A study at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service and the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota, concluded that those who experience symptoms of fatigue from deficiencies often get relief from B12 supplements. Some researchers also believe that vitamin B12 supplements may promote energy in all people, regardless of deficiencies; however, science has not been able to prove this thus far.

Rhodiola roseais another supplement that is under investigation for its benefits for those suffering from a lack of energy. The herb is native to northern Europe and has long been used as a folk remedy in Scandinavian countries as well as in Russia. A study at the Department of Neurology at the Armenian State Medical University in Yerevan found that doctors who were stressed and fatigued from working the night shift experienced a boost in mental functioning and energy levels from taking a low-dose rhodiola rosea supplement for 2 weeks.

Ginseng is an herb that comes in three main varieties: Siberian, Panax (Asian) and American. All three ginseng herbs are sometimes recommended by herbal practitioners from various alternative therapy traditions for patients who are feeling fatigued. Studies have proven largely inconclusive about the benefits of the herbs thus far due to mixed results. The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database states that Panax ginseng is "likely effective" at improving thinking and "possibly effective" at increasing athletic performance, possibly by boosting energy.

You should discuss the use of any vitamin or herbal supplementwith your physician and pharmacist before beginning a supplemental regimen. While energy supplements are generally safe when used as directed, they may pose health risks to certain individuals, such as people with some cardiovascular issues or those who take specific medications. Your doctor can also help to rule out any underlying medical problems that may be contributing to your lack of energy.

4 Secrets to a Flat Stomach

Do you want a flat stomach? I don't know a person who doesn't!

People spend millions, if not billions of dollars, each year in the quest for a flat stomach. Right now there are about 200 or more ab exercise devices out there. There's the ab do-it, the ab rock-it, the ab roller, the ab dolly, and so many more. You would think that with all of these amazing new products that most people would be walking around with that nice, lean mid-section they've always wanted. Unfortunately, that's not the case.

Most, if not all of these products, will do little or nothing to flatten your stomach. And that's because these exercise contraptions cannot eliminate the layer of fat that lies on top of your abs.

In order to be successful at thinning your waistline you must have a basic understanding of how the ab muscles function and how your body burns fat. The first thing that needs to be understood is the difference between fat and muscle. Fat is excess calories and is primarily stored in layers on top of muscle tissue. Muscle is made up of fibers that contract or shorten to produce movement. Fat cannot turn into muscle and muscle cannot turn into fat! However, you can lose muscle and you can gain fat. That's what happens to most people.

So if your goal is to thin your waist line and have a nice flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is decrease / eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs. We all have a flat stomach; it's just some of our's are covered by excess fat.

The most effective way of flattening your stomach is a combination of strength training (with an extra focus on the mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel).

1. You must do some form of progressive strength training.

The primary function of the ab muscle is to flex your torso forward. However, there are also muscles that flex your torso to the side and muscles that rotate your torso. Often times you see people on their ab roller every day doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups.


If you want to effectively strengthen your stomach you need to incorporate the following types of exercises:

* 1-2 forward flexion exercises (crunch, sit-up, etc.)
* 1-2 side flexion exercises (side bends, side crunches, etc.)
* 1-2 rotational exercises (trunk rotations, standing twists, etc.)

The abs are muscles just like any other and should be worked at most 3 times per week. You also want to make sure you are training them progressively, working them harder each time.

2. Use short, hard cardio workouts to increase metabolism.

Cardio workouts are important because they CAN, if done correctly, increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or more! This means you are less likely to store any excess calories as body fat because they are more likely to be used by your elevated metabolism. Plus, you are more likely to burn off some excess body fat.

Below is a sample interval workout that can be done with just about any activity (walking, bicycling, swimming, stair climbing, etc.).

Warm up at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes.
Perform 30 seconds of hard work (almost as hard as possible).
Perform 1 minute of moderate work (recovery time - catch breath).
Repeat this process 6-10 times.
Cool down at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes.

3. Stable blood sugar is the key.

And most importantly, you must stabilize your blood sugar. This is by far the most important factor when it comes to burning away that excess body fat and keeping it off! To effectively stabilize your blood sugar you must feed your body frequently - like every 2-3 hours. The key is to give your body only what it needs at that time. Your body burns calories 24 hours a day, so, why would you only feed it once or twice a day? Give your body the fuel it needs: vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, whole grains, and lean proteins (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.).

Many people are too hung up on how much fat is in food, or how healthy of a choice it is. Calories are calories and it doesn't matter where they come from. If there's extra… where's it going? Yup, you guessed it… body fat! This is not to say that what you eat is not important because it is, it just doesn't have that much of an affect when it comes to fat loss. Try to make healthy choices whenever possible, but don't feel like if you eat a cheeseburger it is guaranteed to be stored as fat.

4. Get the help of a professional.

Unfortunately, most people don't know enough about the human body, nutrition, or effective exercise to meet their health and fitness goals. Ask yourself this one question, "Am I happy with my current progress or condition?" If you're not, you should consider getting the help of a qualified personal fitness professional. Don't depend on the information you get from magazines or from your local gym/health club. A qualified fitness professional can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, and in less time than you would imagine.

If you are serious about your health and fitness goals, and you are ready for that flat stomach, I recommend you start implementing the 4 strategies listed in this article. These 4 strategies can help you take control of your metabolism and burn off that excess body fat and having you looking and feeling great!

7 Surprising Benefits to Walking

Before the advent of cars, walking was a staple in the lives of most people throughout the United States. As common as breathing — and more common than bathing — walking was a primary mode of transportation whose benefits were taken for granted in the simple course of getting from point A to point B. Of course, time and technology have progressed to where walking is less a necessity and more a lifestyle, but the benefits of walking are just as helpful now as they were 100 years ago. If you regularly take part in the most popular physical activity in America, or if you need a good reason or two to start, here are seven surprising benefits that you can gain just by taking a walk.

Dementia Prevention

Dementia is a chronic disorder of the brain and mental processes that can cause memory problems, personality shifts, impaired reasoning and more. One in 14 people over the age of 65 suffer dementia, and one in six people over 80 have it. While exercise has long been associated with supporting brain function, recent studies show that walking can protect older brains from dementia by discouraging tissue shrinkage and preserving memory. For those with a family history of dementia, but have never been motivated to walk for exercise before, pedometers might make a difference. While the causes aren’t fully understood, researchers have found that simply wearing a pedometer increases the amount of walking that users engage in each day by at least 2,000 steps.

Increased Energy

Believe it or not, expending energy through walking will actually increase your energy overall. Especially when you walk at a quick pace, your circulation will increase, and you’ll get a burst of fresh oxygen coursing through your cells, lungs and blood stream. You’ll also relax tense muscles — all of which will make you feel more alert and refreshed. So take a walk when you feel a slump in your energy and attention, even if it’s just for 15 minutes on your lunch break.

Improved Mood

Exercise is a known mood improver. Consistent, moderately intense exercise, like up-tempo walking, can be just as effective in warding off mild to moderate depression and anxiety as antidepressants are. A brisk walk around your neighborhood releases endorphins — feel-good chemicals that ease tension and anxiety. If you’re feeling blue, or if you’ve struggled with depression or anxiety issues before, try a fast-paced walk each day to help keep your mood even.

Lowered Stroke Risk

High blood pressure and high cholesterol both increase your chances for stroke. What can help reduce both of those? Walking. Just one half-hour walk, five days a week at a brisk pace, can lower your risk of stroke by as much as 40 percent, according to South Carolina University researchers.

Support in the Fight Against Breast Cancer

According to the Journal of Clinical Oncology, women who regularly walk after a breast cancer diagnosis have a survival rate that is 45 percent higher than women who are inactive. There is also evidence that suggests that walking for the year before a diagnosis increases survival rates as well. If you’re a woman with a family history of breast cancer, walking may prove to be a wise preventative strategy.

Lowered Risk of Heart Disease

More people die of heart disease in the United States than from any other cause, and research suggests that physical activity may lower the risks of developing it. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, moderate to brisk walking is just as effective as high-intensity running in reducing risks for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. Even just quickly walking for 30 minutes a day is enough to transform your heart health and decrease your risk for serious disease.

Reduced Stress

Sadly, stress is one of the hallmarks of contemporary life that doesn’t seem to be disappearing any time soon. If you’re like most Americans, your schedule, responsibilities, job (or lack thereof), bills, kids, health, customer service woes, lack of sleep and more can all combine to make many days full of a chronic stress that can wear and tear at your health and well-being. If you experience more stress than you’d like to on a regular basis, it’s time to lace up your sneakers and take a walk. Walking does a lot to combat stress. It boosts endorphins, which play a role in combating stress hormones, and it can also put your mind into a meditative state.

Walking is one of the cheapest, easiest and most accessible forms of exercise you can practice, and because it isn’t too hard on your body, you can also do it your whole life long. From cutting your risk for dementia and stroke to reducing stress and improving your mood, it will also make your whole life a whole lot better.

For Busy Women: 3 Tips for Easy Ways to Become More Fit

Whether you are a full-time mom, working mom, working professional, or college student, one of the biggest challenges to becoming fit is finding the time in your busy life. The good news is that this challenge may not be as difficult as you may think.

Did you know that the fastest way to increase your flexibility and build stronger muscles is to engage your brain intentionally during your fitness routine? And, you can actually increase your fitness just by doing your daily activities if you know how to engage your brain.

Our brain is what controls and organizes all of our movements -- our body, our thoughts, and our feelings. In order to move, our brain has to form detailed representation and connections. This is called "mapping" of the brain, which creates the various configurations and patterns of our movement.

One of the most powerful ways to facilitate and greatly accelerate this process is to bring Attention to what you feel as you move. You can reduce hours of mindless repetition of certain movements to just a few minutes of movement infused with your attention to what you feel as you move, and you can get much greater, more fuller mapping of those areas of your body. In response, your muscles get stronger and become more toned, and your body will become more flexible, at least as much, if not more, than doing lengthy, repetitious movement.

Fitness Tip # 1

Movement With Attention: The next time you do any kind of fitness regimen, take a few minutes, slow down, and pay close attention to what you feel as you move. Do this a number of times throughout your workout and you will begin feeling immediate changes that, in a few weeks, can translate into greater fitness, fewer injuries, and more vitality. Experience how your fitness will be enhanced in just a short time.

Another powerful Essential for the busy woman that can greatly enhance fitness is Imagination. If you are really busy and don't have time to go to the gym or take a class, think of the movements that you do during your daily activity as a fitness program. Research has shown that using your imagination can make a significant difference in your health and fitness.

Fitness Tip # 2

Imagination: Think of the movements you do during your daily tasks -- such as carrying your groceries, taking your laundry downstairs, making the bed, pushing the stroller, walking to another office -- as great exercise, and bring attention to your movements from time to time throughout the day. Think of these tasks as your fitness regimen, so you can use the movements to wake up your brain and engage it with ways that increase your fitness with what you are already doing. By doing this, you can increase your flexibility, your strength, your general fitness level, and you will become more alert.

Another Essential that wakes up and enhances the brain to improve your body and fitness is Variation. When you do your fitness program in an automatic manner, you get only a small portion of the benefit because your brain only strengthens already-existing patterns.

Fitness Tip # 3

Variation: Whenever you are doing your daily activities or participating in a fitness program, take a few minutes every so often and change things around. Go a little slower or faster, do it wrong, do it right, move in a variety of ways. Be playful with the variation of your movements and your brain will thrive. This approach will wake up your brain to connect with your body and improve the quality of the organization of your movements. The better the organization of your movements, the more fit you will become. The outcome will yield better organization of your muscles, along with fewer injuries, and greater energy and vitality.

And moving will feel good!

You can't net a negative calorie balance by eating "zero-calorie" foods. But don't rule them out, either. Here's why.

Are there foods so low in calories that it takes as many (or more) calories to digest them as they contain? That is the myth behind diets that claim weight loss through "zero-calorie" or "negative-calorie" foods.


 It would certainly make dieting easier if we could munch on calorie-free foods all day. But other than water and diet beverages, there is unfortunately no such thing as a zero-calorie or negative-calorie food, according to Kimberly Lummus, MS, RD, Texas Dietetic Association media representative and public relations coordinator for the Austin Dietetic Association in Austin, Texas.

Busting the "Zero-Calories" Myth