In today’s stressed-out society, it can be difficult to even think about investing the time to eat properly and exercise. You may be struggling with obesity, but also struggling with finding the time to care for yourself properly. As your blood pressure and cholesterol increase, your doctor may recommend weight loss. However, time constraints can lead you to wonder how you’ll ever find the time to improve your health.

If you’re short on time, but need to lose weight, use these time saving weight loss tips to help you on your way. The pounds will begin to drop off, and your self-esteem will increase.

Drink Water:
Drinking water can be a great way to improve your health. Hydration helps the body to process and shed extra fat and toxins. Flushing the fat out of your body on a regular basis will lead to weight loss. Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day for optimal health. If you struggle with the lack of flavor, try adding a lemon or lime wedge, or one of the new sugar free drink mixes.

Build Exercise Into Your Day:
Take small steps to increase your activity throughout your day. Park your car further from your office. Walk between buildings instead of calling your coworkers. Take a walk on your lunch break. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Meet your friends for a morning jog. Every little bit helps towards your weight loss goals.

Swap Out High Fat Foods for Lower Fat Options:
This can be a relatively painless way to decrease your calorie count. Swap out your rich ranch dressing for a fat free or low calorie salad dressing. Skip the cheese. Switch to 2% or fat free dairy products.

Avoid Liquid Calories:
Sodas, juices, specialty coffee drinks, and alcoholic beverages can all pack a high calorie punch. Liquid calories dont fill you up the same way food does, so it can be easy to overdo it if you arent careful. Skip the high calorie liquids, and stick with water.

** As a little sidenote on this particular tip, reducing your intake of these liquids, will also help you save money. Now how cool is that.

Try incorporating a few of these tips into your day to see how easy it can be to make healthy choices. Weight loss is a gradual process, and every small step you take towards your goal helps. Even with time constraints, you can make small daily changes to help move you towards your goal weight. You’ll be wearing a smaller size before you know it!

This article is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, nor should it be interpreted or substituted as medical advice. Prior to making changes to your physical exercise routine and your diet, you should always consult your personal physician. Better safe than sorry.

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Medical tourism has grown widely over the years. A number of countries and hospitals have also made their mark by being accredited by the large governing bodies like the JCI and Trent. Some nations are especially popular for their expertise in doing a number of procedures. If you are aiming to get cosmetic surgery abroad, you have to ensure that the country you are visiting has a solid background on that area. Here are some more tips.

Initial Tips

Research medical tourism packages first and check the background and credentials of the health care provider. The patient has to ensure that the practice complies with the standards and regulations set by the foreign country’s regulatory body. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons have been very active in warning patients about the possible pitfalls of not researching your sources well. They encourage patients to only connect with JCI or Trent-approved institutions for optimal health and successful recovery.

You have to research the type of procedure that you are going to get. There are several operations or surgeries that can be made under the category of cosmetic surgery, such as facelift, nose job, botox injection, wrinkle removal, wart removal, skin tightening, liposuction, tummy tuck, etc. You should find out the best way to do the procedure then compare it with the details provided to you by your source overseas. You have to talk to your attending physician and surgeon to ensure that you are dealing with legitimate and professional individuals.

Planning Ahead

It is important that you finalize all the details a week before your departure. Settle local transportation options. You should set how and what type of vehicle will get you after your stay at the hospital. Ask for documents regarding contingency plans just in case any complication or error occurs during the cosmetic procedure. You might require follow up surgery or extra days to recover. A good medical tour operator will secure this document for you. Get this info first before you sign any contracts and secure your rights to protect yourself from any emergency or mishap.

Getting More Help

Consultation may be available for free or at a fixed price as soon as you get your medical tourism package for cosmetic surgery. Determine if your doctor abroad can provide you with any referral or is working with doctors from your home country. You can get full consultation from this other doctor, if the field is the same. Some cosmetic surgeries require longer recovery periods, so you may need a travel partner. Talk to your physician and ask how many days you expect to be hospitalized and how many travel partners should attend to you before and after the operation.

Always make it a point to talk to previous clients who have also gone to the same medical institution or were treated by the same doctor abroad. You can get more tips and details if it is worthwhile to invest in the medical tourism package. You might be able to save more in costs or get better accommodations, transportation and tour packages by dealing with the most reliable individuals.

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Healthy Restaurant Eating
Joe Serpico

Here’s food for thought….did you know the average restaurant meal has over 1,000 calories? That’s enough to blow any healthy eating plan. Fortunately, by following a few simple guidelines, you can dine out without having to sacrifice good taste and nutrition.

1. Avoid ordering an appetizer. It’s not widely known that some appetizers have more calories and fat than the main course. Plus, many appetizers are fried and served with heavy sauces which will add to your intake of saturated fat as well as trans fats and calories. It’s not a healthy way to start your meal.

2. Say “yes” to salad. Salad is a healthy eater’s best friend. Not only will it fill you up so you’ll consume fewer calories overall, but it will also give you a hefty dose of antioxidants which are heart healthy. Be sure to ask your waitress to hold the croutons and cheese which will further reduce your caloric load. Also, choose your dressing wisely. Avoid cream based dressings and go for the vinegar based ones. You also have the option of using vinegar and olive oil which is heart healthy.

3. Make the right entree selection. Go for broiled and grilled rather than fried. Not only will you save calories and fat grams, you’ll also avoid trans fats which are so prevalent in fried foods. Instead, consider asking for a doubles order of vegetables with your entree. Very few Americans are getting the 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables recommended for optimal health. Plus, by avoiding the starch, you’ll be reducing your caloric and carbohydrate load. Also, stick to tomato based sauces rather than cream based and you’ll enjoy a considerable calorie savings. Lastly, ask for the sauce to be served in a separate dish on the side so you can control the amount you eat.

4. Think about what you’re drinking with your meal. By not ordering an alcoholic beverage, you’ve saved yourself a considerable number of calories. Try sipping iced tea sweetened with a noncaloric sweetener, a diet soft drink, or water with lemon. You’ll be glad you did when you consider the calorie savings.

5. Indulge your sweet tooth wisely. Many of the chain restaurants now offer a low fat or low carbohydrate dessert selection such as a low carb cheesecake. These are wise choices for the health conscious eater and still allow you to end the meal on a sweet note. If a healthy dessert option isn’t available, try a cup of coffee with skim milk to help satiate your desire for something sweet.

6. Learn to control your portions. Many restaurants are serving larger quantities of food than in the past. If this is the case, put aside a portion of your entree at the beginning of the meal to take home with you. If you remove it from your plate before you start eating, you’ll be less tempted to overindulge.

By following these steps, you can make your dining experiences not only healthy, but enjoyable. Your heart will thank you!

About the Author

Joe Serpico is webmaster at aa-fitness-guide.com. For much more information regarding exercise, health, nutrition, and fitness, visit http://www.aa-fitness-guide.com

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Choosing Fruits and Vegetables For A Healthy Diet
Dave Saunders

The new food guidelines issued by the United States government recommend that all Americans eat about nine servings of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables each and every day. This is important to provide your body with the minimal levels of essential nutrients and antioxidants needed by each and every cell in your body to support optimal health. When you first hear that number, it may seem like a lot, but it is actually much easier than you think to fit that many servings of fruits and vegetables into your healthy diet plan. Shelves of the grocery stores are bursting with fresh fruits and vegetables. Uncooked, these provide essential nutrients, fiber and even a portion of the water you need every day of your life. In addition, vegetables and fruits are some of the least expensive, most nutrient rich, foods in the supermarket. With all these fruits and vegetables to choose from, it is very easy to make these nutritious, delicious foods part of your daily meals and snacks.

Adding nine servings of fruits and vegetables to your healthy diet plan is not as difficult as it sounds. Seek a variety of foods; choose foods with different colors because those colors are indicators of different nutrients inside the cells of the food. As a general guideline, the nine servings come out to two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables every day. Most people who add this to their diet quickly find that they no longer have cravings during the day and save money on other snack foods which typically provide no nourishment of any kind. So not only do you improve your diet, you can save money and experience the health benefits of a diet, high in whole foods and low in sodium, fat, simple carbs and preservatives.

As your wean yourself from a life of snack foods to better foods, you may experience some changes as your body uses the improved fiber and higher levels of nutrients to deal with your biological “to do list.” This is normal so keep at it and eventually you should experience more energy, better sleep and a variety of other benefits reported by people who share a better diet.

When shopping for fruits and vegetables, choose a variety of different colors. This is for more than purely aesthetic reasons. Different color fruits and vegetables have different types of nutrients, and choosing a variety of colors will help ensure you get all the vitamins and minerals you need each and every day.

New recipes can also provide you the important opportunity to try out some fruits and vegetables you have never tried before. Be sure that you’re cooking things lightly to preserve as many of the essential nutrients as possible. Try to avoid putting any of your food through the microwave because the penetrating radiation heats water, sugar and fat molecules inside the food as well as on the surface and will damage even more of the essential nutrients than conventional cooking practices.

Many people mistakenly believe they do not need to eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day if they just take a vitamin supplement. Nothing could be further from the truth. Supplementation should be a means to supplement, not substitute, the benefits of a healthy diet. Fruits and vegetables contain far more than micronutrients. They also contain the more complex phytochemicals, phytosterols and essential fiber that you need to support proper cell function and optimal health.

While fresh fruits and vegetables are not the only component of a health diet, they are an essential one and are typically left out of the Standard American Diet (which is S.A.D.). Choose optimal health and choose a healthy diet. By adding fresh, raw fruits and vegetables to your daily diet, you too will discover the benefits that others do when they choose a healthy diet.
About the Author

Dave Saunders is a professional lecturer, and certified nutritional educator. He enjoys creating interconnections through his writings and lectures to help others create context and see new discoveries and technologies in more a practical light. You can find out more about new discoveries how to benefit from a Healthy Diet at www.glycoboy.com

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