Tag Archives: Body mass index

Autoimmune diseases no more

Body Mass Index and healthy weight loss

December 6, 2016
Body Mass Index

Body Mass Index and healthy weight loss though has some limitations, but it is still effective in establishing weight problems

Body Mass Index and healthy weight loss: Weight loss motivating factors

To understand the issue of weight and wellness, you first need to know your body mass index (BMI), the common measure of fatness that is at the heart of the debate. Therefore to find your BMI the following guidelines will be helpful:

  • 18.5 or less is considered underweight
  • 18.5-24.9 is considered ideal weight
  • 25-29.9 is considered overweight
  • 30 or higher is considered obese

Many doctors and researchers recommend that the BMI is a useful tool to determine whether one is overweight or obese while at the same time they conceding that it has limitations.

Body Mass Index and healthy weight loss: How much weight do you need to lose to get healthier?

If you are not genuinely overweight, there will be no need for you to lose because this may lead to you being underweight which is also not healthy. The most fundamental issue is the amount of fat in your body, and where they are built up. Muscle, for example, is quite heavy therefore in the event that you’re gaining weight because you have increased your muscle bulk; then the extra weight has no problem at all. There are two approaches which are commonly used to determine if one is overweight:

  • The body mass index (BMI) which helps to determine what you weigh in relation to your height.
  • Waist measurement: this will give you an idea of how fat is distributed in your body.

The BMI is the most common way to try to work out if people are overweight or obese. It measures the relationship between weight and height. People who have a BMI over 30 are considered to be obese. Being obese is a greater risk to health than being overweight. People who have a BMI between 25 and 30 are usually considered to be overweight. However being overweight alone does not necessarily cause health problems, but the problem comes normally when the person already has certain illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes.

The BMI scale cannot always be used in this way because, for example, a certain BMI is associated with different health risks in people from South Asia compared to people from Europe. The same is true for waist measurements. A waist measurement of 88 cm or more could put European women at a higher risk of health problems, while for European men, more than 102 cm could be a sign of increased health risks. This is also true even if their weight is within the normal range.

You can get a better idea of how fat is distributed in your body by looking at the relationship between your waist and your hips. If you have a relatively big amount of belly fat, your risk of disease is higher. A more “apple-shaped” person with a “beer belly” and narrow hips faces higher health risks than someone who does not have much fat stored around their belly. Abdominal fat increases your risk of heart disease. If your body fat is stored around your legs, hips and bottom rather than your belly, then it is less likely to be a health problem. This is often called being “pear-shaped” because you are smaller on the top and rounder lower down.

Finally, being too worried about your weight can itself become a problem and therefore reaching out for the expert opinion from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under doctor Akoury should be your starting point.

Body Mass Index and healthy weight loss: Weight loss motivating factors

http://www.I-AM-I.com/wp-admin

 

 

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Cortisol Connection and weight management tips

September 18, 2015

Cortisol Connection and weight management tips: The role stress play in weight complications

Cortisol Connection and weight management tips

Cortisol Connection and weight management tips are very important in the elimination of all weight related complications

In our previous article we dwelt much on the significance of cortisol in stress management and now we want to focus our discussion on the cortisol connection and weight management tips that will be useful for all of us in keeping fit. With the help of experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a facility founded by doctor Dalal Akoury (MD). This is a discussion we want to invite you to be part of specifically to eliminate any ignorance that is likely to cause us to lose the focus of eliminating all the complications that are associated with weight complications in our lives. Doctor Akoury from her over two decades of professional practice is looking at the happenings of today’s society and she is very much concern with the kind of commercials that tout the effectiveness of supplements like Cortislim ™ and Relacore ™ that propose to help people lose weight and feel less stressed by inhibiting the effects of cortisol. Some of these commercials do not fully inform the general public effectively about some of the following:

  • The function and importance of cortisol for bodily function.
  • The potential link between cortisol and obesity.
  • The potential link between stress, cortisol, and appetite.
  • The harmful health effects of stress-induced obesity.

Therefore to bridge the gap, we want to shade more light on the above omissions so that together we can walk along in this worthy course of proper weight management.

Cortisol Connection and weight management tips: Where does cortisol come from and what is its purpose in the body?

Cortisol has become a ‘prime’ hormone of fascination, discussion and confusion within the consumer and fitness industry, due to misleading television commercials and advertisements. It is a steroid (compound based from a steroid nucleus) hormone that is produced in the cortex of the adrenal glands located on top of each kidney. Fasting, food intake, exercising, awakening, and psychosocial stressors cause the body to release cortisol. Cortisol is released in a highly irregular manner with peak secretion in the early morning, which then tapers out in the late afternoon and evening. Energy regulation and mobilization are two critical functions of cortisol. Cortisol regulates energy by selecting the right type and amount of substrate (carbohydrate, fat or protein) that is needed by the body to meet the physiological demands that is placed upon it. Cortisol mobilizes energy by tapping into the body’s fat stores and moving it from one location to another, or delivering it to hungry tissues such as working muscle. Under stressful conditions, cortisol can provide the body with protein for energy production through gluconeogenesis, the process of converting amino acids into useable carbohydrate (glucose) in the liver. Additionally, it can move fat from storage depots and relocate it to fat cell deposits deep in the abdomen. Cortisol also aids adipocytes (baby fat cells) to grow up into mature fat cells. Finally, cortisol may act as an anti-inflammatory agent, suppressing the immune system during times of physical and psychological stress.

Cortisol Connection and weight management tips: The potential link between cortisol and visceral obesity   

Cortisol directly effects fat storage and weight gain in stressed individuals. Tissue cortisol concentrations are controlled by a specific enzyme that converts inactive cortisone to active cortisol. This particular enzyme is located in adipose (fat) tissues. Studies with human visceral (fat surrounding the stomach and intestines) and subcutaneous fat tissue have demonstrated that the gene for this enzyme is expressed more by obese conditions. It has also been demonstrated in research that human visceral fat cells have more of these enzymes compared to subcutaneous fat cells. Thus, higher levels of these enzymes in these deep fat cells surrounding the abdomen may lead to obesity due to greater amounts of cortisol being produced at the tissue level. As well, deep abdominal fat has greater blood flow and four times more cortisol receptors compared to subcutaneous fat. This may also increase cortisol’s fat accumulating and fat cell size enlarging effect.

Cortisol Connection and weight management tips: What is the potential link between stress, cortisol, and appetite?

Animal and human studies have demonstrated that cortisol injections are associated with increased appetite, cravings for sugar, and weight gain. Epel et al. demonstrated that premenopausal women who secreted more cortisol during and after novel laboratory stressors chose to consume more foods high in sugar and fat. It has been thought that cortisol directly influences food consumption by binding to receptors in the brain (specifically, the hypothalamus). This can stimulate an individual to eat food that is high in fat and/or sugar. Cortisol also indirectly influences appetite by regulating other chemicals that are released during stress such as CRH (corticotrophin releasing hormone), leptin, and neuropeptide Y (NPY). High levels of NPY and CRH and reduced levels of leptin have been shown to stimulate appetite.

Cortisol Connection and weight management tips: Harmful health effects associated with stress-induced obesity

Chronic stress can contribute to several harmful physiological events. When body tissues are exposed to high levels of cortisol for extended periods of time, some cellular and tissue alterations may occur. High levels of cortisol cause fat stores and excess circulating fat to be relocated and deposited deep in the abdomen, which left unchecked can develop into or enhance obesity. In addition, hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperlipidemia (elevated lipids), and hyperglycemia (elevated glucose) have been linked to elevated cortisol levels. Individuals with a high waist-to-hip ratio (which identifies visceral obesity) are at a greater risk for developing cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes mellitus, and cerebrovascular disease.

Are there any practical assessment tips for the fitness professional to utilize? To help identify clients with a potential risk for the diseases described above (which are associated to stress-induced obesity) and distinguish any patterns of fat distribution, fitness professionals can utilize a waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) measurement or waist circumference measurement. The WHR is the circumference of the waist divided by the circumference of the hips. The waist measurement is at the narrowest part of the torso between the ribs and iliac crest. The hip measurement is around the buttocks at its maximum posterior extension.

Cortisol Connection and weight management tips: The significance of cortisol in stress management

Finally professionals should ensure that their clients are aware of the links between stress and abdominal obesity. Cortisol is a necessary hormone that is responsible for fuel regulation and is released while exercising, eating, awakening, and psychosocial stress. However, if there is too much cortisol in circulation, abdominal obesity can develop. This type of central obesity is linked to developing cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes mellitus, and cerebrovascular disease. An effective and regular exercise and stress management program may be a key to reducing and or preventing stress-induced obesity.

Cortisol Connection and weight management tips: The role stress play in weight complications

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

What will you become after quitting smoking

September 4, 2015

What will you become after quitting smoking: A non-smoker or an ex-smoker?

What will you become after quitting smoking

What will you become after quitting smoking? You will certainly regain your health and become more resistant to some of these complications that are associated with smoking.

What will you become after quitting smoking is full of great expectations and many at times our expectations often fail to materialize and we feel disappointed. While some of these “disappointments” are expected since the journey of recovery is never a smooth one, it normally doesn’t erase those expectations we once had. Therefore for a better understanding of this topic of discussion, we employ the expert services of professionals from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. This is an addiction treatment facility that was founded by doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) a well-respected addiction experts of more than two decades now. Together with her team of experts, she is going to help us understand more about this for a couple of articles that we are going to be posting on this platform. Doctor Akoury says that in order to appreciate what you will become after quitting smoking, it is first very important that we understand how to handle withdrawal symptoms and trigger when one decides to quit smoking in its entirely. And to do that, let us progress into the discussion by responding to the following questions:

What will you become after quitting smoking: Withdrawal symptoms which are associated with quitting smoking?

Like I had mentioned before, when one desires to start the journey of quitting smoking, such a person must be very committed, dedicated and make certain sacrifices because it will not be a smooth sailing. Being addictive the challenges will be many and difficult depending on the intensity and duration of usage. Therefore doctor Akoury registers that quitting smoking may cause certain short-term problems, especially for those who have smoked heavily for many years. These temporary changes can result in withdrawal symptoms and the following are some of the common withdrawal symptoms which are associated with quitting cigarette smoking:

  • Nicotine cravings (nicotine is the substance in tobacco that causes addiction).
  • Anger, frustration, and irritability.
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Weight gain.

Cigarette and smoking of other substance is something which has been under serious and intensive studies for a very long time now. From the various studies conducted professionally, it has been established that about half of the population of smokers report experiencing at least four withdrawal symptoms (such as anger, anxiety, or depression) when they quit. Besides these, other people have also reported other symptoms like dizziness, increased dreaming, and headaches. These are just but a few of the challenges that you are likely to meet from time to time. However doctor Akoury says that the good news is that there is much one can do to reduce cravings and manage common withdrawal symptoms. She adds that in the process of recovery even without medication, it is important to note that the withdrawal symptoms and other problems will often subside over time. It may also help to know that withdrawal symptoms are usually worst during the first week after quitting. From that point on, the intensity usually drops over the few weeks. However having said that, it is also very important to appreciate the diversity of people in responding to treatment, for sure everyone is different and unique meaning that some people may have withdrawal symptoms for several months after quitting and not just for a few weeks.

What will you become after quitting smoking: What are some of the triggers for smoking?

In addition to nicotine cravings, reminders in your daily life of times when you used to smoke may trigger you to smoke. Triggers many include different elements including the moods, feelings, places, or things you do in your daily life that turn on your desire to smoke. The following is a sample of some triggers that you need to be careful about:

  • Being around and hung out with smokers.
  • Starting the day.
  • Feeling stressed.
  • Being in a car.
  • Drinking coffee or tea.
  • Enjoying a meal.
  • Drinking an alcoholic beverage.
  • Feeling bored.

Knowing your triggers helps you stay in control because you can choose to avoid them or keep your mind distracted and busy when you cannot avoid them.

What will you become after quitting smoking: What can I do about nicotine cravings?

As a smoker, you get used to having a certain level of nicotine in your body. You can bring to control that level of nicotine by how much quantity of cigarette you smoke, how deeply you inhale the smoke, and the kind (or brand) of tobacco you use. Therefore when you quit, cravings develop the moment your body begins demanding for the missing units of nicotine since the body system is no longer getting the supply as it used to. Ordinarily this will take some time to break free from nicotine addiction and during this duration, a lot of determination and patient will be highly required of you. Also, when you see people smoking or are around other triggers, you may get nicotine cravings. Cravings are real. They are not just in your imagination. At the same time, your mood may change, and your heart rate and blood pressure may go up as well.

The urge to smoke will come and go. Cravings usually last only a very brief period of time. Cravings usually begin within an hour or two after you have your last cigarette, peak for several days, and may last several weeks. As the days pass, the cravings will get farther apart. Occasional mild cravings may last for 6 months. Finally the following are some tips you can apply in the management of cravings:

  • Always remind yourself that they will pass.
  • Keep distance and avoid situations and activities that you used to associate with smoking.
  • As a substitute for smoking, try chewing on carrots, pickles, apples, celery, sugarless gum, or hard candy. Keeping your mouth busy may stop the psychological need to smoke.
  • Try taking simple exercises like for instance you may take a deep breath through your nose and blow out slowly through your mouth. Do this repeated at least 10 times daily or whenever you crave for the stick.
  • Always consult with your doctor about nicotine replacement products or other medications. This is very important because in order to defeat all these challenges, professional input from the doctors will be very necessary and if you have no one to consult you can schedule foe an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today and she will be of great help to you.
What will you become after quitting smoking: A non-smoker or an ex-smoker?

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Underage smoking and the best quitting strategies

August 31, 2015

Underage smoking and the best quitting strategies: Why quitting smoking is not just an option but a must?

Underage smoking and the best quitting strategies

Underage smoking and the best quitting strategies. When teenagers begin to smoke this early, there will be greater consequences when they get old and that is why quitting is encouraged early.

Even though smoking is known the world over to be hazardous to human health, it is one of the most abused drugs after alcohol. The rate at which this killer substance is being used is worrying and this is further complicated by the fact that despites its effects on people’s health it is still a legally allowed substance for consumption. We are alarmed by significant increase of teen and children’s getting into the habit of smoking and that is what is forming the basis of our discussion in this article. Therefore with the help of experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury, we are going to focus our discussion on underage smoking and the best quitting strategies with a view of bringing this unhealthy behavior to manageable levels. Professionally doctor Dalal Akoury states categorically that the younger you start smoking, the more damage your body will suffer when you get older. With that naked fact in your mind we can now approach the discussion from a common footing and we want to encourage you to stay with us on the link to the completion of this worth discussion.

According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, if something is not done now, we may be breeding a generation of smokers and carriers of all health chronic complications that are associated with cigarette smoking. It is true that our young boys and girls are into smoking and this not good not just for our individual’s families but also the societies and the nations at large. Therefore we want to share with us some of the real and immediate benefits of quitting smoking and possible ways of helping yourself do it. Let us begin with the benefits:

Underage smoking and the best quitting strategies: Benefits of quitting smoking

Ordinarily smoking is very unhealthy and therefore the first benefit of quitting is regaining the good health. It therefore means that if you quit you’ll be healthier with a well-functioning respiratory system because smoking decreases your lung capacity.

There will be instant financial benefits in terms of savings realized from cigarette funds. Research has it that the average smoker spends a shocking £27.54 a week and £90,000 over their lifetime on cigarettes. If you were to use this as guideline, you can work out how much money you are saving by quitting smoking.

You’ll have a more rejuvenated skin complexion since all the chemicals in cigarettes restrict blood flow to your skin. Doctor Akoury says that smokers have more wrinkled and saggy faces by the time they’re in their mid-20s something that will not catch up with you.

Quitting impacts positively in the environment and by extension the earth at large. Remember that the deforestation due to tobacco production accounts for nearly 5% of overall deforestation in the developing world.

Someone who starts smoking at 15 is three times more likely to die from cancer than someone who starts smoking in their mid-20s. The younger you start smoking, the more damage there will be to your body as an adult.

Not smoking will make you instantly more attractive. Most people prefer kissing non-smokers. Try quitting and experience the compassionate love that you and your partner will have thereafter.

Underage smoking and the best quitting strategies: How best you can get through quitting

When we are addressing the problems of cigarette smoking, quitting is often the best option that experts will give. But the problem arose on the modalities of quitting and the hindrances of doing so. It all begins from being in denial to relapse after successful recovery. Nonetheless if you have made up your mind that you want to give it up, the question that follows would be “from where do you start?” you may want to consider the following:

The journey of quitting will not be an easy one and the kind of friends you keep will matter most. It is advisable to keep friends who are non-smokers and not your former colleagues in smoking.

It’s very hard to give up by willpower alone. Get all the help you can find: 12 to 18-year-olds get free nicotine replacement therapy (patches, sprays, gum) on the NHS. Ask your GP for help stopping smoking. They won’t be shocked that you’re a smoker.

Take note that all your smoking friends will not want to lose your friendship upon quitting, therefore you must be prepared for a few push and pull. It’s a good idea to have something ready to say when you’re offered a cigarette. You may want to consider the following few reasons even as you think of other better reasons to give on your own, like for instance you could respond by:

  • Smoking costs me (name a figure) annually. I’m giving up so I can buy myself a new mobile/driving lessons/a holiday.
  • I am not allowed to smoke in my work place and therefore quitting is the only option I have.
  • My boyfriend/girlfriend doesn’t like kissing a smoker. It’s true: two-thirds of teenagers say smoking reduces sexual attractiveness.
  • I’m taking my sport seriously and I need to give up if I want to be an athlete.

You must be ready to face all the challenges that will come in the first few days of your quitting. Initially coping will not be easy but progressively all your withdrawal symptoms should subside after the first four weeks. You could opt for using nicotine gum and patches (NRT) as tools of cope with cravings.

Worried about weight gain while you’re quitting? Load your bag up with low-calorie snacks, such as apple chips, carrot sticks, mints, popcorn or chewing gum, to get you through the cravings. Read more about how you can quit smoking without putting on weight.

Always relay on your family support. Having loved ones a round you at this time is very important in your recovery journey. Remember that letting them know your smoking problem will enable them find ways of helping you in quitting.

Do your best to stay away from alcohol, coffee, sugar and sweets while you quit. Studies have shown that these foods (especially the booze) can stimulate cigarette cravings.

Finally doctor Akoury sounds a warning that it will take about a month for the nicotine cravings to subside. Therefore it is important that you take it one day at a time and soon you’ll be smoke free for the rest of your life. Nonetheless if you face any challenges do not hesitate to calling doctor Dalal Akoury for further assistance.

Underage smoking and the best quitting strategies: Why quitting smoking is not just an option but a must?

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

What are your reasons for quitting smoking

August 31, 2015

What are your reasons for quitting smoking: Do you have a quitting plan?

What are your reasons for quitting smoking

What are your reasons for quitting smoking? If you start listing the consequences of cigarette smoking the list will be endless.

For this question (what are your reasons for quitting smoking?) to come in your mind, two things must have happen. One you must have been smoking in the past and second the consequences of smoking must be wearing you down and you want to start on a new sheet of life. Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are well trained to help you go through this worthy course if only you can schedule for an appointment with them on any given day. In the meantime what is bothering is why should you quit smoking? And that we want to equally ask you that do you have a quitting plan? This is what we want to help you understand even as we engage the services of doctor Dalal Akoury a veteran addiction expert who is also the MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. Doctor Akoury is of the opinion that every smoker has his or her own personal reasons for quitting. Such reasons may include the medically proven reasons or social concerns or both. To roll out the discussion the following are some of the most common reasons and you are at liberty to think about what is most important to you:

For your health! – According to the Surgeon General, quitting smoking is the single most important step a smoker can take to improve the length and quality of his or her life. It is important to note that as soon as you quit, immediately your body begins to repair the damage caused by smoking. Ideally it’s best to quit in the early stages of your smoking life but even if this is not so, it doesn’t mean that those who delays in quitting will not have the benefits. The common denominator about this is quitting meaning that irrespective of when one quits, there will be still great improvement of one’s life and health in general.

To save money! – Because of it health effects different authorities are taxing this product severely as a way of controlling its consumption. Cigarette smoking is therefore becoming more expensive each financial year.  In some States, a pack of cigarettes can cost up to $10.00. But that not with-standing, even if a pack costs half that ($5.00) in your neighborhood, smoking one pack per day adds up to $1,825.00 annually. That is money that could be channeled to other much healthy and productive activities.

To save the aggravation! – Because of legislations aimed at controlling the usage of cigarette, smoking is continually becoming less convenient. Such laws being passed include clean indoor air laws that make it illegal to smoke in public places like bars, restaurants and other public places. Are you tired of having to go outside many times a day to have a cigarette? Is standing in the cold and the rain really worth having that cigarette? Wouldn’t it be easier if you had the choice to go outside only when you want to and not when you need to? Think about those they could be very good reasons for you to quit smoking.

Second hand smoking! – Cigarette smoke is harmful to everyone who inhales it, not just the smoker. Whether you’re young or old and in good health or bad, secondhand smoke is dangerous and can make you sick. Children who live with smokers get more chest colds and ear infections while babies born to mothers who smoke have an increased risk of premature delivery, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Clean and air-rated environment! – Ex-smokers don’t have the scent of smoke on their clothes and hair, and their houses don’t smell like cigarettes. Better breathing can mean better sleep at your house: Not only are smokers more likely to snore, so are non-smokers who breathe secondhand smoke on a daily basis. Life is just better as a nonsmoker! Smoking interferes with your sense of taste, so food tastes better when you quit. Your sense of smell also improves, so get ready to really enjoy the scent of flowers or fresh-cut grass. You’ll be able to make it through a long movie or an airplane flight without craving a cigarette. Within a few weeks after quitting, your smoker’s cough will disappear and you’ll have more energy.

What are your reasons for quitting smoking: Workplace wellness?

Lung diseases are among the most common and costly of all health problems. Many potential causes of lung disease can be found in the workplace, but with the proper measures can be easily controlled, creating safer and healthier working conditions for all employees.

There are several organizations that offer’s many resources to help employers adopt and implement workplace policies that support a healthy work environment while providing health education resources to support lung health. Doctor Akoury says that making the decision to focus on improving air quality indoors, providing resources for employees who smoke or are living with a chronic lung disease will curb rising health care costs, help employees adopt healthier lifestyles, and lower the risk of developing costly chronic diseases. It is therefore very important that as an employer you should ensure the safety of your employees at their work stations. The following highlights can be of help to you in determining how lung-friendly is your firm for your workforce?

  • Are chemicals and allergens controlled to ensure the safety of employees while at work?
  • Is work-related asthma documented in order to identify trends and address problems in specific industries?
  • Is your workplace smoke free?
  • Does employee health insurance coverage include a comprehensive plan to ensure access to healthcare services, medications and supplies that keep symptoms under control, while also offering smoking cessation support?

If you’re the above highlights point to you and you have done little or nothing to contain such situations, them it is high time that you re-evaluate your position as an employer towards creating a healthy environment for your personnel.

What are your reasons for quitting smoking: What employers can do?

Create a safe and healthy workplace. You can consult with experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury to show you how. Upon scheduling for an appointment with her, she will take you through the guide to safe and healthy workplaces toolkit which will among other important things includes policy recommendations for addressing lung health in the workplace, along with the implementation strategies, tools and information that can support your efforts. I encourage you to take this seriously so that together we can bring to manageable levels all the complications that come with cigarette smoking in all age groups.

What are your reasons for quitting smoking: Do you have a quitting plan?

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

  • Recent Posts

  • Blog Categories