Family support in losing weight

March 15, 2017

Family support in losing weight begins with the parents by showing good leadership

Family support in losing weight: Necessity of group weight loss

Losing excess weight is a must do thing if we want to live a healthy life. It may not come easy, but it must be done. Overweight people may find it difficult to follow religiously the weight loss program requirements but with the family support, this can be made easier for them. Having said that, there are some obstacles that may need to be addressed. One may ask “supposing my family are the reason why I am in this mess, how will I involve the?” Yes this is a good concern, in that case you may be the one to pioneer it. Something must be done and it will begin with you. First you must stand steadfast in your decision of losing those extra pounds. Staying focus to the objective is going to be very paramount because you will meet obstacles on the way. Take note that it is during this time when demands for unhealthy food stuff will be high. Your children demanding for potato chips, your spouse is busy with their boxes of cookies and leaving them invitingly to destruct you. In other words very many wrong things will be happening just when you resolve to lose weight.

Temptations will be there, but never give up. Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury MD are there to help you navigate through these challenges. It is true that family support is essential in weight loss, but then again if they’re a source of discouragement in their behaviors, it may be unwise to have them on board. However, many experts agree that with a bit of forethought and some clever conversation, we can not only get our loved ones to support our diet efforts, but also help change everyone’s eating habits for the better. Therefore, where do we start from? The starting point would be, knowing what you really want to achieve.

Family support in losing weight: Your perfect world

As the pioneer of the plan, you need to appreciate the kind of behaviors of your family and how they are causing hindrance to your targets. Having known this, the next thing is to articulate the kind of support you need from them. Don’t just tell them that “I want you to support me on my diet” of course they will consent to do so, but then again they will remain wondering how? If plans are not made well, you will fail and feel frustrated, furious for no reason. The solution is to take a moment and think about what you really want in terms of support and then document them. This should consist of the best ways your family could lend you a hand and in doing so the following considerations are very vital.

Be as specific as possible – Instead of just being general like “I want you to Be nicer to me, or Help me,” give specific ideas about what you would like them to do or not do. Meaning that if you want them to eat dessert in another room, put it down in writing; if you want them to make food a non-issue so your diet is never discussed, write that down, too. This may sound difficult but remember that weight loss should incorporate the whole family.

Then share the list with your family – Having written the needs it is important that you read it aloud to them before the whole family. This way it will make it easier for you to remember everything that was on your mind.

And do come prepared for a little negotiation – you must be ready to negotiate and compromise in certain areas where necessary. Compromise has to be built into your diet mentality from the start, and that’s the only way to get your whole family on board. While negotiating you need to be armed with certain offers that you will be willing to give in exchange of their cooperation and support. For instance you could offer to take the whole family out for team building, hiking or other activities which will be acceptable to them yet still lead to weight loss objective.

Family support in losing weight: Necessity of group weight loss

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Effective stress control during holidays

March 3, 2017

Effective stress control during holidays if not done professionally, can cause serious health problems

Effective stress control during holidays: Proper planning of holiday activities

As a means of handling holiday stress, proper planning must be done a head of time. The activities can ruin your time if not managed well. Therefore, for effective stress control during the holidays, the following are essential:

Shopping: This is one of the major holidays headaches which when not properly addresses may cause you unnecessary stress. Therefore as a means of handling holidays stress, doctor Dalal Akoury MD President and founder of AWAREmed health and wellness resource center advices that you need to plan ahead when to shopping for gifts.

Make a list of those people you’re buying for gifts
Ensure that the gifts are within your budget
Decide in good time what you want to buy for them
Get to know where to get all these gifts

You can save time and money this way by not just wandering aimlessly through the shopping mall. And don’t wait until the last minute. Shopping on Christmas Eve is more stress than it’s worth.

Effective stress control during holidays: Exercise and stress relievers

Plan your exercise and stress relievers. Exercise doesn’t have to be 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weights at the gym. For instance:

Ten minutes of exercise three times a day is just as beneficial
That might look like 10 minutes on the treadmill before work
Another 10 minutes of climbing stairs at lunch and
A final 10 minute walks with a friend in the evening

It can be walking through the neighborhood caroling with your family. It can be taking a stroll through the lights at the zoo. You could sign up for a 5km run or walk on almost any Saturday and even on Thanks giving Day. Don’t forget that increased housework is increased activity as well. If you have guests coming, do an extra vacuuming for some additional calorie burn. All these done will go a long way in helping in handling holidays’ stress and weight gain effectively without much straining.

Sleeping: Stress relief definitely comes from exercising, but also from relaxing and sleeping. Make sure your schedule you allocate for some time each week with no obligations. Use those nights to get to bed early so you are refreshed for the next day.

Food: Lastly, plan your food. During the holidays, there is abundance of high sugar, fat and calorie foods. Many are very tasty, but probably not all are your favorites. If there is a special treat or dish that you only get this time of year, have a small serving of it. But don’t waste your treat on high calorie foods that you don’t enjoy. And make the next meal or snack extra healthy that day; you may add in an extra 10 minutes to exercise to compensate for the added calories. Finally, the holidays have special meaning and shouldn’t be stressful. Plan to avoid stress and be successful with your weight loss goals. In case of any difficulties, do not hesitate to consult with doctor Dalal Akoury for her professional input. This will be very helpful for you and your family.

Effective stress control during holidays: Proper planning of holiday activities

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Understanding bodies stress response

October 26, 2016

Understanding bodies stress response so that you can take timely remedies

Understanding bodies stress response: Vicious cycle of avoidance and abuse

Doctor Akoury is reporting that according to one collaborative study it was established that more than 90% of pre-surgical morbidly obese patients use avoidance stress coping behavior to handle emotions, seeking comfort from negative feelings and stressful situations through the use and sometimes the abuse of food. And remember that there are strong associations between avoidance coping behavior, food addiction and lack of control over eating, with most food addicts feeling that they have no control over their addiction in spite of having complete knowledge of its negative social and health consequences. Nonetheless they compassionately recognize the adverse effects the addiction has on friends, family, and self, but feel powerless over such behavior. This generates feelings of guilt and remorse thereby worsening the addictions and setting in motion a vicious cycle of avoidance and abuse.

Understanding bodies stress response: When confronted with stressful situations

When individuals are confronted with stressful situations, specific hormones are produced, which help the body to cope with the situation. One of the body’s stress response pathways, known as the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis, generates a series of brain hormones that eventually lead to production of cortisol by the adrenal gland. Cortisol helps to make available more sugar to the brain and other parts of the body to help cope with the stressful event.

Individuals who are under chronic stress (including those who have constant negative feelings of self) have an overactive LHPA axis. Hyperactivity of this axis has been reported in individuals who are obese as well as alcoholics, drug users, smokers and victims of early abuse or trauma. Elevated cortisol levels on an ongoing basis are not only harmful to health, but also harmful to mood. It can cause depression. It also affects mood by interfering with the actions of one of the brain’s major messengers, serotonin. Serotonin defects cause depression and anxiety. Many alcoholics, smokers, drug addicts and obese individuals suffer from depression and anxiety. Nicotine, alcohol and certain drugs increase serotonin activities and temporarily improve mood. These addictions are a means of self-medication.

Understanding bodies stress response: Food as medication

Carbohydrates also raise serotonin levels and enhance mood temporarily. Studies have shown that the majority of individuals who are obese crave for carbohydrates. Low serotonin and stress induced activation of the LHPA axis are also known to increase the risk for substance abuse and food addiction through another feel good pathway, the dopamine reward system.

The pleasure derived from substances like alcohol, nicotine and certain drugs are, in part, due to the stimulation of dopamine. Eating foods high in sugar, fat or even the smell or taste of an individual’s favorite food activates the dopamine reward system, producing pleasure and satisfaction. Frequent use of addictive substances, such as nicotine, alcohol and food, reduces the pleasurable effects of the dopamine reward system so that more and more of the substance is required to derive satisfaction. Therefore to be safe if this description suits you, then you need to seek for help now by consulting with the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury and all your addiction problems will be addressed professionally leaving you comfortable and healthy to live your life to the fullest.

Understanding bodies stress response: Vicious cycle of avoidance and abuse

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Addictions stress risk and anxiety

September 24, 2016

Addictions stress risk and anxiety could be avoided when we engage in healthy living and being physically active

Addictions stress risk and anxiety: Discouraging the association of stress and addiction

For a couple of times we have been discussing the effects of addictions stress risk, depression and anxiety in relation to substance abuse and we were able to look at certain health conditions including, cancer, heart diseases, stroke and the effect of these problems on immunity. From the various studies conducted so far, it has been established that stress is a very long bridge that connects the body to various illnesses. Without leaving any stone unturned, we want to progress on that discussion sighting the dangers of stress and anxiety in addiction. Our focus is going to be on the following health conditions:

Gastrointestinal Problems
Eating and Stress
Diabetes
Pain
Sleep Disturbances
Sexual and Reproductive Dysfunction
Memory, Concentration, and Learning

These are not conditions that anyone would wish to associate with more so when the individual is also struggling with drug addiction of any level. I know that a lot is being done to salvage the situation and the prevalence of addiction, but even as those efforts are being made, what is you individual contribution to those efforts? If you put substance abuse aside for a while you realize that these listed health conditions are not friendly to humanity yet they are much more resonated by stress, depression, anxiety and drug addiction. On our part as professionals from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury, we are working with likeminded people in this fight against the scourge of addiction. We would wish that if we are to win this fight, then we all need to pool together and join forces to deliver the much needed victory to ourselves, families and the society. Therefore if you are struggling with any of the conditions named, you may want to start the journey by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for the commencement of your recovery.

Addictions stress risk and anxiety: Gastrointestinal problem

The brain and intestines are closely related, and are controlled by many of the same hormones and parts of the nervous system. Indeed, some research suggests that the gut itself has features of a primitive brain. It is not surprising then that prolonged stress can disrupt the digestive system, irritating the large intestine and causing diarrhea, constipation, cramping, and bloating. Excessive production of digestive acids in the stomach may cause a painful burning.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Irritable bowel syndrome (or spastic colon) is strongly related to stress. With this condition, the large intestine becomes irritated, and its muscular contractions are spastic rather than smooth and wave-like. The abdomen is bloated, and the patient experiences cramping and alternating periods of constipation and diarrhea. Sleep disturbances due to stress can make irritable bowel syndrome even worse.

Peptic Ulcers – It is now well established that most peptic ulcers are caused by H. pylori bacteria or the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medications (such as aspirin and ibuprofen). Nevertheless, studies still suggest that stress may predispose a person with H. pylori to ulcers.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Although stress is not a cause of inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis), there are reports of an association between stress and symptom flare-ups.

Addictions stress risk and anxiety: Discouraging the association of stress and addiction

Defeating stress as a solution to substance abuse

August 26, 2016

Defeating stress as a solution to substance abuse involves many activities including exercise

Defeating stress as a solution to substance abuse: Healthy ways of coping with stress

It is true that stress is in evitable in the current lifestyle we are living in however; we can bring stress to manageable levels so that its effects to human life are significantly reduced. Take the endless problem of addiction for example, if this is to be experienced and at the same time the victim is under some stressful situations, the magnitude of the complication may be overwhelming. Addiction on its own is very stressful not just to the victims but also the relatives caring for the addict. Treatment would be very ideal but even once treatment is done, the recovered addict will still have to face the problems that led to their addiction in the first place. This is so because in many instances people get into drugs in an attempt of trying to confuse certain painful emotions, calming themselves after an argument or just to forget that bad day or a problem they are going through. The most painful part of it is that when the effect of the drug is gone and you become sober, that which you were trying to escape from returns in double portions. It is because of this that overcoming stress to solve drug addiction problems become very necessary.

Doctor Dalal Akoury the MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center states that for one to be treated successfully and maintain sobriety for a long time we must individually and collectively resolve these underlying issues of stress and addiction. It is important to note that with the life situations we have today, conditions such as stress, loneliness, frustration, anger, shame, anxiety, and hopelessness will remain in your life even when you’re no longer using drugs to cover them up. Nonetheless, you will be in a healthier position only when you finally address these issues by seeking for help from the experts and professional like those at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center.

Defeating stress as a solution to substance abuse: Eliminating stress without the use of drugs

Drug abuse often shoots from ill-advised attempts to manage stress. In fact many people turn to alcohol or other drugs to unwind and relax after a stressful day, or to cover up painful memories and emotions that cause us to feel stressed and out of balance. This is what is commonly done by many people, but it is the wrong approach to stress solution. We have much more healthier ways to keep your stress level in check. Such steps may include exercising, meditating, using sensory strategies to relax, practicing simple breathing exercises, and challenging self-defeating thoughts says doctor Akoury.

Defeating stress as a solution to substance abuse: Healthy ways of coping with stress

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