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Archive for March, 2010

What is a diet? Does a diet really help you lose weight? Are they healthy? Why would anyone want to go on one?

These are questions that almost everybody is asking these days.

First of all, despite my normal advice against “diets”, I do have to admit that in some circumstances, for some people, they can help a person’s weight loss program. Let me explain a couple of things, however.

People today get confused when they hear the word “diet”. They usually think that it always applies to some special plan of eating which is intended to help people lose weight. This isn’t always so, and there was a time that the word was simply used to indicate a list of what a person ate. Scholars would, and still do, talk about the “diet” of a tribe, nation, or cultural group. Doctors would prepare a list of foods intended to accomplish some goal other than weight loss, and the word would be applied to that list of foods. Heck, I was placed on one as a small child in order to determine what food might be causing an allergy I had at the time.

Today the word has come to mean a special list of foods you can or cannot eat if you wish to lose weight. Many of these have achieved almost mystical status and many have their own followings. Just witness how far the Atkins and South Beach Diets have extended themselves in our society.

Before Dr. Atkins came along and South Beach was discovered, I am sure you remember such exciting diets as those centered around specific foods which practically guaranteed weight loss success. You could eat grapefruit, cabbage soup, or you could enjoy the promised effects of the negative calorie diet. Most have these have faded away for three basic reasons:

1. People got tired of eating the same thing meal after meal.

2. They were unrealistic in their expectations. How could you get cabbage soup when on vacation, or at a business luncheon.

3. Most of the time, they simply didn’t work.

While “going on a diet” for a short period may produce a small loss for some people, dieting is simply not the answer to a lifelong weight loss problem. If you are just a few pounds overweight and want to drop a few dress sizes by the wedding in two weeks, a diet just might do the trick, and, for that short time, you will probably be able to stick with it as long as you keep your goal in sight.

The downside of a diet is threefold:

* The effects are not permanent or life changing

* It does not contribute to health and vitality

* It may actually contribute to weight gain

I have covered these subjects in more depth in other articles I have written, and, because of limited space, I will just provide a quick overview of these topics.

Most people will not stay on a diet for a myriad of reasons, and it normally cannot be adapted to a new style of eating – a lifestyle change. Admittedly, some people have hereditary or genetic situations that they cannot overcome, but which cause them to become overweight. However, for anyone, at least a portion of what made someone overweight is a part of their life choices, and it is these choices which must be changed in order for permanent weight loss to occur.

Limiting nutritional intake or restricting access to a wide selection of nutritional options, such as in the grapefruit or cabbage soup diet, also limits the individual’s access to nutrients necessary to normal health. Eating some foods, or types of foods, in excess may contribute to other health problems in some people.

Our bodies have been designed to operate and react in certain ways, and this includes how they react and function when changes occur in our diet. One of the effects of a failed attempt is that the body may actually put back on more weight than it originally had to contend with, and may even continue to gain over a prolonged period of time following coming off the program.

True, permanent weight loss for health and fitness hinges on three central points:

* Regular physical activity

* Periods of rest

* A sensible diet

Diet if you must, but realize that for your health and for permanent weight loss, you must do more. One last point. If you do choose to go on a diet, please take a daily multivitamin to help replace the nutrients you are missing.

Oily hair is a result of excessive sebum production from the sebaceous glands attached to the hair follicle. This results in hair becoming dull, lank, lacking volume and attracting dirt more easily. It is a problem that most people deal with at some point, for different reasons. The best way to get rid of your oily hair is to pinpoint the cause of your problem and treat your hair accordingly. Oily hair is difficult to manage, can be limp, and hard to style. A common misconception about oily hair is that it is caused by an oily scalp.

Oily hair is heavy and will not cooperate with any styling product you try. If you try to use gel or mousse to fluff it up, it only looks greasier. Oily hair is prone to being flat, so if your hair lacks volume it is a sure bet that your hair is the oily type. Look for a mild, volumizing shampoo that is geared for oily hair. Oily hair is caused by the overproduction of sebum, which is a natural hair moisturizer. You need to control the amount of oil in your hair to avoid looking too greasy and shiny.

Oily hair is always healthier than dry hair though, and keeping hair oily to an extent will make your hair a lot healthier than if it was too dry. Hair Grease does hair real good and will keep your hair looking real healthy. Oily hair is a problem when it sticks to your head and fails to conform to whatever style you’re trying to achieve. There are millions of people who have problems with oily hair. Oily hair is also more prone to dandruff, so it is crucial to wash your hair daily to prevent dandruff. Apart from that avoid using harsh chemical products on your hair since they increase the chances of dandruff. It is also important to maintain a healthy diet, rich with zinc, carotene and Vitamin B to promote general healthy hair.

Oily hair is a consequence of oily skin and some factors may eventually lead to dry hair, namely inactive oil glands. Oily hair is caused by over secretion of oil and the scalp and hair gets too oily due to this condition. It is hair is caused by overactive sebaceous glands. These glands produce sebum in excess, causing oiliness of skin or hair.

Sebum is your body’s natural humectant and many of you who think that you are doing your body a favour by eating fat-free foods, are actually doing your body a disservice. Your body needs essential fatty acids (EFA’s) to function properly from skin and scalp moisturization to proper bowel movements, your body needs natural fats which you can get from olive oil, meat, nuts, and dairy products etc.

Sebum can also plug a hair follicle, forming a black head or white head. A bacterium that grows behind this plug is called a pimple.
Shampoos that specifically target oily hair can be easily obtained and they contain specific ingredients meant to help cleanse your hair of excess oil. Thoroughly massage your scalp and be sure to shampoo from root to tip before washing it out, ensuring that all the shampoo has been rinsed off properly. Shampoos and conditioners chosen for dry hair and scalp conditions need to be quite nutritive in nature to smoothen the hair and build its strength, while adding moisture.

Caring for your hair is important so it is wise to maintain some kind of routine with your hair care, and to find the hair products that are best suited to your hair and skin. If you have oily hair and are thinking about getting hair extensions fitted, then it is wise to try and resolve the problem first as the bonds that hold the human extensions in place will not hold and will likely fall out. An alternative to bonded hair extensions would be to use clip in extensions instead as they are attached using clips instead of keratin glue. These can be applied and removed in minutes, which means you can remove them which will enable you to use all your hair products as normal in order to rectify your oily hair.

More and more attention is given to skin care nowadays, and this applies to both men and women. Skin care products for men used to be considered taboo, but in recent years it has become acceptable that men want to look after their skin too and are now able to purchase skin care products without suspicion. The beauty industry is obviously aware of this trend, have used it to their advantage and so the range of beauty products for men has become extensive. But, the question here is, does a man’s skin actually need different products?

Apparently, the answer is ‘no’. According to leading beauticians, there is no difference between skin care products for men and women. In fact, the composition of these products (in most cases) is basically the same. The skin care products for men will of course get a masculine fragrance, together with manly packaging, but other than that… no difference.

However, bad news for women – apparently there is a difference in skin – men get fewer wrinkles. Results of a recent survey show that the moisture content of male skin is higher, due to the fact that it is usually oilier and therefore men get far less wrinkles than women.

The next question is? Are expensive skin care products more effective than the cheaper brands? Apparently, again, the answer is ‘no’ – expensive is not always synonymous with better. There are good and bad products out there, but when assessing them on quality versus price, other factors have to be taken into consideration such as brand name, quality of packaging, ingredients and the possible presence of chemical preservatives.

People must decide for themselves what they consider to be important in a skin care product and this will naturally differ from person to person. Some like the luxury of a brand name, while for others it’s the effectiveness of the product that counts. Products from a supermarket shelf are definitely not necessarily inferior to those high-end name brands. What really counts is that we have a product that will clean and hydrate our skins, regardless of price.

Beauty experts also advise that we should avoid habituation because continual use of products may cause them to work less effectively. Therefore, it’s wise to occasionally change products and perhaps with each season change. The same products that rehydrate our dry skins in the summer for example, may also cause them to become greasy in the winter months.

The composition and quality of our skin naturally changes with age and therefore our skin care products also have to adjust with age. As children we have soft, very fragile skin. As we progress to our teens we need to switch to products depending on our skin type – normal, dry or oily. For all three types, some sort of hydration is necessary. The older we get, the drier our skin becomes and we therefore progress to richer moisturizers suited to our skin type.

For either sex, our daily skin care routine in the morning should start with a mild cleanser, followed by a moisturizing cream that is suitable to our age and the season. At night time, again, cleanse the skin and follow with a moisturizing night cream.

Can we really prevent aging? Some products claim to prevent and even remove wrinkles, and although some of these may be somewhat effective, skin aging is primarily due to our genes. There are other factors that can be taken into consideration though:

•Are we maintaining a healthy diet, getting enough nutrition, drinking enough water, eating enough fruits, etc?
•Have we been using enough UV protection? Are we exposing ourselves to too much sun or worse still, sun beds?

As well as the above, there are some things you can do to lessen the appearance of wrinkles and help prevent new ones from forming:

•Get into the routine mentioned previously i.e. removing the dirt from your skin twice daily with a mild cleanser.
•Treat yourself to a face spa twice per week, using an exfoliator and/or face mask for deeper cleansing.
•If you wear makeup, ensure you don’t use cosmetics that clog the pores.
•Moisture is essential in the fight against aging – when the skin is dry it is more susceptible to wrinkles, so always use a moisturizer on your face morning and night (make sure you use a moisturizer with UV protection when the sun is out).
•Stop drinking moisture-robbing sodas and instead drink water throughout the day instead.
•Drinking a little wine or beer has proven to provide some health benefits, however, an excess amount of alcohol in your body can rob it of the nutrients it needs to keep the skin healthy.
•Exercise is another essential key to naturally keeping the skin free of wrinkles. Exercise facilitates oxygen production and the release of toxins. This is essential to the condition of your skin because toxins that build up can damage both the epidermis and dermis layers of the skin, making it difficult to treat the skin.
•It goes without saying that if you smoke cigarettes you need to quit. Smoking cigarettes is the fastest way to develop wrinkles!
•And last but not least.. if you want an instant facelift.. keep on smiling! It’s free and highly effective!!