According to doctors from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, being obese can increase your chances of suffering from swine flu. Being obese and overweight increased the risk factor in a similar way like other underlying conditions heart disease, diabetes and pregnancy did.
Moreover, asthma and diabetes which is further linked to obesity puts swine flu afflicted patients at a higher risk of serious effects from the virus. Earlier, diabetes, lung, heart diseases and pregnancy were considered to be major factors contributing to swine flu cases, but according to a new survey, obesity is a chief risk factor leading to more severe infection in swine flu cases.
For overweight people, condition becomes more vulnerable as they find it very difficult to breathe deeply and cough forcefully. Also, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that obese people should be given high priority for receiving swine flu vaccines, once it becomes available. Though there are several prescription treatments available in market for obesity like Xenical and Reductil but these medicines do not work for everyone.
Most effective medications available for swine flu and influenza include Relenza and Tamiflu. But it is important to remember that these influenza medications should be taken early for them to be effective. The drugs Tamiflu and Relenza should not be thought of as equivalent to swine influenza vaccines as they do not prevent you from developing the H1N1 flu virus and they can not stop you from getting it in at the first place. All they can do is protect you from the harmful and dangerous symptoms of this influenza virus. Also, according to European Medicines Agency, Tamiflu is not indicated for use with children under the age of one.
Fruits are considered to be part of healthy food because they provide all necessary vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and dietary fiber required to maintain good health. Including more of vegetables and fruits in your diet provides easy weight loss as fruits help in filling the stomach faster because they contain more fiber content and water content and hence, lesser calories are consumed.
Eating fruit helps with:
weight control
Lowering LDL cholesterol
Low blood pressure
Cardiovascular diseases
More energy
Reducing risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes
To achieve healthy weight los, it is recommended that you should eat four- five parts of it every day. Bananas would be an excellent choice while you are on a diet because 75% of banana is water. According to bbc.com, studies prove that grapefruit helps obese people lose weight because grapefruit lowers insulin levels in the body which further makes people less hungry. Other fruits for weight loss include Apricot, berries, cantaloupe, grapefruit, guava, lemon, melon, mandarin, orange, peach, plums, watermelon, etc.
To have detailed look at fruits nutrition facts, you can visit http://www.thefruitpages.com/contents.shtml
There are many activities which lead to weight loss. Few of the causes that can cause weight loss relate to health problems that can be either physical or mental health problems. Anxiety, depression or stress is one such mental health problem which can cause a person to lose weight.
How it results in weight loss?
Anxiety often goes hand in hand with depression, so they are quiet closely related to each other.
Depression results in change of a person’s appetite and eating habits that can either cause an increase or decrease in weight. With depression and anxiety, a person does not find food appealing just because he is too tense to eat. More commonly it causes loss of appetite and hence, loss in weight. Usually, people lose weight, but in atypical depression, you can gain weight.
Missing meals or not having proper meals due to anxiety or depression, can be dangerous for health to such an extent that can cause them to lose a lot of weight which can further cause many severe health issues.
Being anxious is very common, but when anxiety attacks start to strike frequently then it is the time when you should seek treatment.
Metabolism refers to physical and chemical changes occurring in living cells which provide energy for various activities and processes of the body. It is a complex process during which food that we eat is converted into energy to be consumed by body to carry out its several functions. In other words, metabolism involves burning calories by body for its maintenance.
To achieve successful weight loss, one should know how metabolism affects the body. Increased physical activity can result in fast metabolism which in result can help in effective weight loss. Let us take a look at ways to help boost the metabolism process.
Diet
There is a perfect saying, “you are what you eat”. Certain foods when eaten can help in increasing metabolism process. Such foods have very positive overall effect on health and well being of a person.
Increase the percentage of protein-based calories in diets
Eat more fiber
Eat more Often, Eat 5 smaller meals a day
Drink Green Tea. The powerful antioxidants found in green tea, are known to increase metabolism.
Drink Lots of water on daily basis.
Peppers, Chilies and spicy food can increase your metabolism.
Vitamin C is believed to have fat burning quality.
Exercise
Diet is an important factor in increasing metabolism especially when followed by exercise programme.
Aerobic exercise helps not only in booting metabolism but also to burn away extra fat in the body.
Exercise less but more often. Instead of doing 30-40 minutes workout, do 4 smaller 10 minutes work out daily.
Best time to work out is when you wake up I morning which helps burning more fats.
Where dieting and exercise fail to produce results diet pills have emerged as the most effective weight loss treatment method. The other method of obesity treatment is bariatric surgery.
Surgical methods are painful way of weight reduction and are fraught with side effects. The success of bariatric surgery depends on the skill of the doctor. Besides, surgery is an expensive method of weight loss. On the other hand, diet pills are less expensive and convenient options of weight loss. When used in conjunction with reduced calorie diet and exercise diet pills have proven to be effective weight loss aid. Besides, use of diet pills carries fewer side effects.
Reductil and Xenical
Reductil (Sibutramine) and Xenical (Orlistat) are currently the most effective and also the most popular diet pill. Both drugs have been approved by the FDA as prescription only diet pill. When used along with reduced calorie diet and proper physical activity both Xenical and Reductil promises significant weigh loss to obesity patients.
Reductil works by affecting the appetite centre in your brain. It gives your brain the feeling of satiety even when you have eaten less and thus reduces your calorie intake. By controlling your appetite you gradually lose weight. On the other hand, Xenical works as a fat absorption inhibitor diet pill. Xenical prevents the breakdown of up to 30% of the dietary fat in the intestine. The undigested fat cannot be absorbed by the body and is eliminated through normal bowel movement. Through this action Xenical reduces the calorie intake and thereby helps you to lose weigh gradually.
Obesity treatment is a growing business worth billions of pounds and hence it has attracted various scam artists who dupe people of their time and money by selling fake drugs. Since the marketing of prescription medicines requires strict approvals and testing, such people go for herbal medicines as the regulatory norms are relaxed for these drugs. This is not to say that all herbal medicines are fake or useless but many of them, especially the ones being sold over the internet as a “guaranteed weight loss pill” are often fake.
Prescription medicines undergo stringent clinical trials and are tested at various stages for their safety and efficacy and hence are more reliable. Besides, you need to take prescription medicines on the advice of the doctor. This means that if the drug is not suitable for you, your doctor will not prescribe it and you will be saved from undue side effects. On the other hand, herbal medicines are usually sold over-the-counter and hence anybody can buy it from an offline or online pharmacy, so in the case a particular supplement is not suitable for your body, you do not get to know about it and therefore suffer the consequences. This is a serious concern as many of the herbal diet supplements are amphetamine-type stimulants, which can over-stimulate the nervous system, causing ill-health, even death. Some diet supplements are known to have caused serious side effects such as heart attacks, seizures, and death.
For all these reasons, medical experts’ advice obesity patient to go in for prescription diet pills as it ensures both safety and efficacy of the treatment. Experts also recommend patients to consult a doctor before using herbal diet pills. They warn patients from blindly using herbal diet pills just because it claims to be “natural” as it may not always be safe or effective for weight loss.
It is a known fact that exercise is a must for weight loss. You can lose weight by dieting, but if you want to keep fit and in shape, you need to exercise.
So, which exercises are best for weight loss?
If you are a beginner, the best exercise would be walking. It is safe, easy and does not require special training. You get to meet people, breathe fresh air and you can even do push ups on park benches. What more could you ask for? Take your spouse or friends along with you when you go for a walk. The company they provide will keep you away from feeling bored and ultimately quitting. While walking, remember to maintain good posture. You do not need a park or garden for an enjoyable walk. Just walk along your driveway or walk down the block for some time. Start with a 10 minute walk and gradually increase the time you spend on your walks. If you feel any soreness or pain, give your feet a break for a day or two. It is normal to feel such pain and soreness while walking. However, if pain persists, consult your doctor.
Another good exercise is cycling. It is alright if you do not use the traditional bicycle, you can use stationary bikes instead. They are safe and you can even find computerized models that display your heart rate and activity levels. You can also set the resistance of these bikes to suit your stamina. Do not set high resistance if you are just starting out. That can lead to soreness and pain. You can try out spin bikes too. They are more adjustable and provide different levels of resistance.
Swimming is also a good exercise for those who want to lose weight. Swim for 20-30 minutes daily. It will keep you fit and healthy, it can also tone your muscles and can make you a few pounds lighter. If you do not know how to swim, do not hesitate to join swimming classes in your locality. You can easily pick up the strokes. You can even do water aerobics. The water provides buoyancy to help you move freely.
Cardio exercises are a great way to beat those pounds. Go in for bikes, elliptical trainers, steppers or other cardio machines. You can do cardio training at gyms if you cannot afford to buy one at home. If you have friends who have cardio machines at home, you can ask to use their equipment for your work outs.
If none of the above mentioned sound attractive to you, why not try dancing? You do not need to be a Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers for this. Just put on your favorite song and dance to its tune as your heart pleases. Just make sure that you are moving and shaking. You can start with 10 minutes of dancing and work up to about 30 minutes.
If there are fitness classes in your locality, sign up for a program. Several community centers and YMCAs offer fitness classes where you can receive training in exercises, which are suited for your body type and your goals.
So you see exercise doesn’t need to be a tedious, boring activity. Get creative and enjoy your work out sessions to the fullest. In that way, you will be able to stick on to your exercise regimen.