Lipstick, Foundation and More

More than 50% of people in the US take dietary supplements to enhance an aspect of their health. Maybe you take supplements on a regular basis…

You see, as a nation we spend an absurd amount of money on supplements, to the tune of billions per year.

The main issue here, however, is that lot of these supplements are sold with downright deceptive advertising, and in extreme cases, can cause serious health issues.

Thus, here are 4 dangerous myths about supplements:

1. Dietary supplements are 100% safe: Absolutes don’t exist and supplements are no exception here. In fact, just because a supplement is natural is no guarantee that it’s completely safe. The reality is that many things exist in nature that are deadly.

2. They are backed by valid studies: Most of the sexy charts and graphs you see on the labels and advertisements are made up. You see, the bulk of the data is performed by biased entities that are directly related to the supplement companies themselves.  Read more...

There used to be a time when women only ate what was available in nature. I suspect that arm flab was probably not an issue back then.

Then came along the food industry and the marketing of magic-bullet diets.

Once big businesses caught wind of the profit to be made by selling food and diets, all the lies and misinformation starting hitting the air waves. Eating became very confusing for the average woman.

Perhaps one of the most influential fad diets of all time has been the high protein diet because it produces the fastest short-term weight loss of any other type of diet.

Nevertheless, consider the following 5 arm flab pitfalls of high protein diets before buying all those steaks:

1. Massive drops in energy: You can expect a significant decrease in mental output, and once in ketosis, the need to frequently sleep. Why does this happen? Because your body can produce energy 300% faster when being fed carbohydrates.

2. An inability to exercise hard: Without carbohydrates, exercise will be extremely painful and your ability to recover will virtually vanish. Your body needs carbs to efficiently produce its energy currency, ATP.  Read more...

Improving core stability means improving torso strength by training muscles that make up your torso. Some muscles that help are responsible for core stability are muscles near the spine, internal and external obliques, and of course abdominal muscles. Why would you want to improve these torso muscles?

Torso or core muscles help provide support for your bones during your everyday activities. Improving these muscles will increase your general physical fitness and decrease your likelihood of back and neck pains or injuries from physical activities.

One important thing to remember when performing core stability exercises is to make sure you activate all of your torso muscle groups evenly. The following is a list of five top exercises that will help you activate all of your torso muscles evenly.

1. Straight Crunch. Although old fashion, the straight crunch helps strengthen the “6-pack abs” section of your torso.

2. Crossover Crunch. The crossover crunch is a great exercise that adds a twist of the upper body to the straight crunch movement. This strengthens the muscles that are on the side and front of the abdomen.

3. Back Extension. The back extension exercise is performed lying on your stomach, and contracting the back muscles that run along your spine.  Read more...

Trying to diet doesn’t work. But eating healthy and changing the way you think about foods does. You can find many fat burning foods that are not only good for you but taste good too. You can have some great meals and be fighting fat in the process.

Hitting the fruit section first, apples are a great fat burner and are chalked full of vitamin C as an added bonus. They also have a lot of fiber and are water based so they make you feel full. They have many benefits in addition to them fighting fat.

Also in the fruit section are berries. They are great on their own or in a shake. You can use them as toppings as well for sweetening other foods. Berries are also full of fiber and keep you regular. There are a variety of berries to mix it up and not get tired of just one kind. You can find them at fruit markets as well fresh from the vine.  Read more...

If you are looking for ways to get more from your workout routine, then think about dynamic stretching. While the term may not sound familiar, many of the actually exercises will. What the term refers to are really conventional stretches, however instead of holding the end position, you remain in constant motion. We have all learned many of them at some point in time and just never realized that the group had name.

Walking lunges should be familiar to most people. Many people learn these in junior high gym class. As you step forward you lunge downwards toward the ground and then immediately back up to switch legs, just like walking. Not only does the motion do a great job of stretching the hamstrings, it also does wonders for the muscles around the hips.

Arm circles are another one that most people are familiar with. For these you hold your arms straight out to the sides and make circles . This stretches and exercises the shoulder muscles. A common complaint is not actually about the discomfort from the stretch, but from the accompanying work that other muscles do during the motion.  Read more...

Side effects of weight loss process like tiredness, exhaustion, permanent hunger and never-ending cravings can break even strongest dieter. Hunger can be “sorted” with natural hunger suppressants which are products and foods well known to anybody and available everywhere. These products will help you feel full faster and won’t add anything to your waist or to your list of used calories so you can think about something more pleasant – your new body for example.

Number of products that are “allowed” to dieters is quite high and I’ll give you just an example that natural appetite suppression is possible. Let’s start then …

Water and soups are great appetite suppressants. Water has no calories and you can take it as much as you like. After you start feeling hunger, take large glass of water and wait for a while. Sense of hunger should be suppressed in about 10-15 minutes but if it doesn’t happen then eat (or drink) chicken or vegetable soup which will give you few extra calories and suppress your hunger even better.  Read more...

Is this a flabby upper arms joke? Nope. The truth is that you can lose arm fat without having to touch a weight.

The secret lies in spontaneous fat loss. This method of losing the flab is the easiest one out there, I promise.

Instead, it focuses on manipulating the tools you eat with (spoons, bowls, glasses), the environment you eat in and the types of foods you eat. And the arm fat melts away without any conscious effort on your part.

How do you spontaneously lose fat? Well, here are 4 things you can start doing today so that the flabby upper arms are gone by tomorrow:

1. Buy foods with labels from not-so-cool places. Studies have shown restaurant goers will unconsciously eat up to 500 fewer calories at dinner if they are presented with wine that comes from an undesirable wine-producing area. You have to be creative here, but it’s worth it.

2. Stick with slow digesting carbohydrates. Studies have shown that obese teenage boys will eat 621 fewer calories per meal if they’ve had slow digesting carbs earlier in the day. The slowest digesting carbohydrates on the planet are legumes and vegetables.  Read more...

Having bingo wings is not fun. And lots of nutrition companies know this. Thus, the market is flooded with sleeveless snake oil that really doesn’t help.

However, there are certain supplements that can make your bingo wing mission easier. Now they won’t do all the work for you, but they will lighten the load.

Thus, here are 5 supplements that can help you get rid of bingo wings:

1. Loose leaf south American tea. Specifically, yerba mate. This is the best tea for getting rid of bingo wings. Why? Because it can completely block out any cravings and give you boundless energy for an entire day. The catch? You have to start slow to assess tolerance.

2. Green tea. But not all green tea is created equal. Stay away from bags and stick with loose leaf forms. Be careful if you’re taking any blood thinners like aspirin or fish oil since green tea is also a blood thinner.

3. Glucosamine sulfate. Although glucosamine won’t have a direct and immediate impact on reducing those bingo wings, it will help you prevent joint damage. And once joints wear out there is no way to replace them.  Read more...

Are you trying to get rid of arm flab? Have you been drinking energy drink upon energy drink to keep you active and to burn more fat? Well, there are downsides to drinking these caffeine-laden concoctions.

Unfortunately, energy drinks are extremely seductive. They can curb hunger when you’re trying to lose weight, they can help you overcome a massive sleep debt and they can put you in a good mood.

But here is why you should think twice about taking energy drinks to help you get rid of arm flab:

1. Worsened digestion. Caffeine, the main ingredient in energy drinks, can wreak havoc on your digestive system. When taking in excess, it can compromise your digestive lining.

2. The covering up of poor sleep habits. Even though you may not feel the consequences of sleep loss because of the energizing drink, your body definitely feels it. And sleep loss is toned arms enemy number one.

3. Disturbed sleep. Everybody wakes up while they’re sleeping. The awakenings are so short, however, that you don’t remember them. Caffeine increases the amount of awakenings without you being aware of it. You’ll wake up, be super tired and not know what happened.  Read more...

When it comes to supplements for weight loss, the selection is quite varied. And the risks are varied as well. And the supplements that can really damage your health can be bought by virtually anybody with an internet connection.

How is it that these things are so readily available? Well, first, the US government decided to deregulate the supplement industry over a decade ago. And, second, there are multiple websites that can get you the goods with little chance of detection.

Thus without further ado, here are some weight loss hormones exposed:

1. Steroids. Many doctors would have you believe that steroids do not work. The truth is that they do work. They are extremely effective at building muscle mass and burning fat. But they can also have permanent consequences.

2. Androstenedione. This supplement was made popular by Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa back when they were hitting countless homeruns. A less powerful form of a steroid, this supplement can have the same negative side effects. Considered a powerful aid, many companies can sell similar substances with little regulation.  Read more...