If you’ve watched the news at all lately, you’ve likely heard about the dangers of energy drinks, especially in regard to how they are affecting our children – the largest consumers of these particular beverages. While the intent of these drinks is to give us more energy, it is becoming apparent that it is perhaps more energy than our bodies can safely handle.

What Makes Energy Drinks So Damaging?

We’ve known about the negative effects of too much caffeine for ages, which is why there are tons of recommendations about limiting the amount of coffee we drink. Therefore, it only makes sense that energy drinks would fall under this cloud as well as some of the brands have more than twice as much caffeine per serving as a cup of coffee. So, if you’re drinking two or three of them per day, you’re having about a pot of coffee, which isn’t good for you but, unfortunately, the negative side effects don’t stop there.

Whether you spend your days in front of a computer or can’t move around much in your daily life, your sedentary schedule may be impacting you more than you realize. Or, perhaps you understand that your inactivity during your workday is causing you to not look or feel your best, yet you don’t know what to do about it.

Either way, you do have options that will help you improve your fitness levels despite being desk or office bound.  But first, you need to understand why making changes to your sedentary job is important and needs to happen right away.

The Health Consequences of a Sedentary Job

According to the National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability, living a sedentary lifestyle is detrimental to your health. For instance, they report that physically inactive people have a 40% higher risk of developing cancer in the colon or breasts and a 50% higher rate of dementia. Being sedentary also increases the rate at which you lose muscle and bone strength, as well as raises the possibility that you’ll suffer from depression.

(This is Part 3 in our three-part series: How 3 Ancient Alternative Methods Can Help You Lose Weight. CLICK HERE to read Part 1, Acupuncture. CLICK HERE to read Part 2, Can Hypnosis Help You Lose Weight?)

Meditation is part of our earliest recorded history. Long ago, it was used mostly in conjunction with religious practices. Some say that meditation is the oldest form of mental, spiritual and physical health and wellness practice in existence.

The earliest known root of meditation is with the Hindus in India who used forms of meditation to discern the true nature of Brahman. Buddha reached “enlightenment” while he was meditating under a Bodhi Tree. Those that followed Buddha, however, did not believe that mediation was a way to understand a higher being but rather a way of sensing ones connection to all things. Forms of meditation are present in all major religions.

You can’t walk into a store after the first of the year without seeing shelves full of delectable chocolates and candies that say “Be My Valentine.” While it’s great to want to share your feelings with those you love, adding to their waistline isn’t exactly a great way to show your sweetheart that you care. It’s like saying, “I love you, but I want to make sure you don’t live a long and healthy life.” It just doesn’t make sense.

This Valentine’s Day, take a different approach. Choose a gift that truly shows the special people in your life that you want them to be around for as long as possible. Give them something that encourages their health, rather than takes it away. Don’t know what to get? That’s okay because we have lots of ideas for you.

Fitness Products

If your honey likes to exercise or at least wants to work out more because he or she knows that it is good for them, here are some gifts you may want to consider for your active sweethearts:

It’s that time, yet again!  Is weight loss one of your resolutions for the New Year? If you’re like most people, this resolution is high on your list year after year – to get healthy and lose weight. Would you like 2014 to be the last time you make a weight loss resolution?

While it may seem like losing your love handles and jiggly thighs is a resolution that just keeps repeating itself, that doesn’t have to be the case. You can reach your weight loss goal this year, and here are our best suggestions to help you reach those goals, once and for all:

Define why you want to lose weight. You can’t go after something and expect to get it if you don’t have a clear understanding of why you want it. Take some time and think about why weight loss is important to you. Make a list of the positive ways your life will change once you reach a lower, healthier weight, and keep that vision in front of you at all times.

Holidays are full of wonderful celebrations and memorable moments. You get to spend precious time with family and friends, creating memories you’ll cherish for a lifetime. However, the holidays aren’t all candy canes and sparkly lights. Dealing with the stress that comes from several directions can lead to emotional eating and often leaves a sense of fatigue and regret.

Because most people engage in gift giving during the holiday season, there is an added financial burden that can make it harder than ever to pay your regular bills while still bringing smiles to the faces you love with presents wrapped in pretty bows. In fact, even if you don’t hand out a lot of gifts, the costs can still add up if you entertain or buy food or wine to take to holiday parties.

During the holidays you’re surrounded by homemade dishes and desserts that make your mouth water and your taste buds beg for “just one little bite.” But you know that if you give in and gorge on all of these tempting foods, you’re going to gain back the weight you’ve worked so hard to lose – and then some.

So, how do you navigate in and out of the kitchen during this food abundant holiday? By making a few simple changes to the foods you normally eat you can avoid feeling deprived and still enjoy some of your traditional holiday favorites. Here are 10 tips to get you started.

Tip #1: Save up to 56 grams of fat per cup of gravy by refrigerating it first and then skimming off the visible, hardened fat. (This works for meat dishes too!)

Tip #2: If you can’t bear the idea of Christmas without green bean casserole, just swap potato chunks for the cream soup. Then top it with almond slices instead of fried onions for a protein powered crunch!

How would you feel if you knew that your actions were likely putting your children’s health at risk? Certainly, this isn’t your intention, but your thoughts, attitudes and behaviors regarding nutrition and physical activity are handed down to your children just as easily as your genes.

When you make choices consistent with healthy living, your little ones are much more likely to do the same. And, that’s the goal – you don’t want them struggling with food and weight issues, perhaps like you did, when they become adults and start making decisions without your input.

It’s easy enough to point your finger elsewhere and blame your children’s weight issues on sugary cereals, unhealthy food commercials aimed at children and fast food places that promote eating greasy, high calorie food to kids but it’s time to get real and take some responsibility. Yes, all of these factors may contribute to the issue but the bottom line is that you, as a parent, play the starring role in determining your children’s health outcome.

Have you tried to lose weight so many times that you would need more than just your fingers and toes to count them on, as well as those of every member of your family? And does each attempt eventually result in you weighing the same as, if not more than, when you first started your weight loss journey? If so, unfortunately you are not alone.

Dieting is one of the most understood lifestyles around the globe. People everywhere are watching what they eat in an attempt to lose weight and gain health. But, if that’s the case, why is it that there is an obesity epidemic that is threatening the health of people all over the world?

The answer is simple: diet. Not diet as in what food people eat (although healthy eating is obviously very important), but diet as in the process. It’s about what effect calorie restriction has on your physical body.

You Can Blame Your Slow Metabolism on Your Grandparents

When you go to the supermarket, do you know which foods are genetically engineered? It’s okay if you don’t, as most people aren’t sure either.

It’s certainly understandable as you’re forced to remember all sorts of things when it comes to food. You’re expected to watch the fat content (primarily trans fats and saturated fats) and the amount of sodium in foods you ordinarily eat in order to stay healthy and strong.

You also need to know whether a product has anything that you or your family is allergic to in it, and so much more. So, is it really necessary to add one more thing to your already overflowing list of grocery shopping responsibilities?

In short, the answer is yes. Why?

Ultimately, you should know everything that you put into your body – from foods to supplements to anything else you choose to ingest. Your health and that of your family is in your hands, so the more you know about the items you consume, the more you’re able to make informed decisions in regard to your own health and welfare.