Thanks to the 'Organic' labels -the consumers can now spare themselves the trouble of going through the list of ingredients on a product's packet in order to decide whether it is organic or not. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has introduced a few national standards that need to be met before companies can use the term "organic" for their food items. Any product labeled 'Organic' assures that it is created without the use of artificial hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, bio energy, or irradiation. The farmers involved in the agriculture of organic foods are not only required to abide by certain water and soil conservation mechanisms, but also need to give a benign treatment to animals.
The Definition of Organic
It may be strange yet interesting to note that marking a food item as organic does not necessarily indicate that the food is healthful and nutritive. The USDA does not claim that food produced organically has more salubrious benefits than conventional food, but it does assure that such foods do not contain any pesticides or harmful chemicals. Therefore, the picky consumers, who pay a lot of heed to nutritional values of everything they eat, are still required to read labels attentively in order to decide how nutritious their diet is going to be. Another interpretation conveys that the term 'organic' does not mean 'natural.' All it means is that USDA has approved the food.
USDA's Steps towards Creating Organic Foods
These days, the USDA makes the use of state and private agencies in order to carry out inspections on food companies to certify them to market organic foods. However, all the farmers making less than $5000 through organic sales are exempted from the process of certification. They do however, have to comply with the latest standards of the government and be veracious about their claims for organic label. A fine, as large as $10,000, can be issued upon the companies and individuals, who try to label or sell a product, which does not meet the USDA standards.
The Benefits of Organic Foods over Conventional Foods
The best thing about organic foods is that they comprise of less amounts of minerals. Most of the other foods contain heavy metals, detrimental to our health in the end. These metals include aluminum, which is responsible for Alzheimer's disease; Mercury, which causes neurological damage; and lead, the mental implications of which are known to affect children's IQ adversely.
Therefore, in a world where nothing can be trusted for complete purity, the consumption of foods, certified as organic can certainly define your path towards a healthier lifestyle.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
What does the Organic Label Really Mean?
Monday, November 30, 2009
Wedding Ideas That Include Children
With their roles as flower kids, bridesmaids, and ring bearer, children have been playing some integral parts in weddings. Whether the children are a part of the wedding party itself, or are simply attending the event as guests, it certainly calls for everyone enjoying the special day to its maximum. Creativity to a wedding could add to its charm, as it is just not limited to floral decorations and cuisines, but is also important when it comes to assigning different responsibilities to the family members in the wedding. For children, this decision is of the utmost magnitude and enthusiasm. At times, in this 'adult' business of wedding, the kids feel ignored. Therefore, make sure to keep these precious young things too actively involved in the process.
Areas of Kids Involvement in a Wedding
Below mentioned are a number of ways by which children can take part in a wedding:
By standing besides the bride and groom, the children can participate, thereby depicting a complete family.
They can help in selecting the colors and the themes of wedding arrangements. Their opinion can add a lot of value to the proceedings.
They could be made to perform a role-play, wherein a young boy can play the groom's role and a girl can act as the bride.
Children can be a helping hand in attending the guests, though should be supervised if they are too young.
Teenagers can accompany the couple in the church too.
Children are very creative. Their involvement back stage can be definitely welcoming. Now in this context, creativity consists of the following:
To some extent, the decorations can be handed over to them.
Children can manage their counterparts very well in the wedding.
Things like table decoration and distributing gifts to all children can also be practiced.
Consult with the kids on specific details. Small contributions, like choosing a favorite flower or a particular color.
Children may display their, such as music, writing, subtle dancing, etc.
One of the marriages I attended lately had teenage girls handing out a single fresh flower to every woman, as they entered the church. This really impressed me and would have definitely made all those women feel special. These are just a few wedding ideas that include children. There can be many more, you just need to be innovative. Who says it has to be conventional? At times, it is nice to see things done a bit differently. This prevents the ceremony from get boring.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Exercise, Good Nutrition, Supplementation = Fat Loss
We know here at LIVE that exercise is the most effective method for instantly boosting metabolism. When weight loss is desired, combining exercise, proper diet and use of appropriate supplements naturally leads to maximum metabolic efficiency and the greatestg chance of results.
Both are absolutely essential. Effective diet which can include supplement intake should be your No. 1 priority. Here's why: Both your ability to exercise and your exercise results will naturally accelerate in the presence of proper nutrition. We tell the people that we are wokring with the 75% of your success will come from the nutrition side. Without proper diet, you won't be able to effectively access energy stores, nor will you be able replace nutrients lost during exercise. When that happens, metabolism declines. We have wonderful fat loss aids here at LIVE, like Yellow Subs, and we want you to take them when you are giving your body the best opportunity for results!
We deal with a lot of people who go to the gym almost religiously. Often, they spend hours working out, and still, over the course of months, they show little or no progress. Every day, they are there huffing and puffing - but they're still overweight in spite of their efforts. We also know people who work out far less and make amazing progress, and still others who maintain a healthy, lean look without even trying. Again, it can come down to the effective use of good diet with that exercise and the use of supplements that ensure the optimal delivery of nutrients for the goal, like Leukic by Muscletech.
Naturally, genetics are a key factor. But so is metabolism, and metabolism is inherently dependent on how you treat your body. If you attempt to exercise intensively without supporting your body's nutritional needs, you won't get very far.
Rest and relaxation, too, are every bit as important as action. Remember that under chronic stress or exhaustion, your body's nervous system (and thus your metabolism) suffers. Avoid compulsively long daily exercise routines. Instead, vary your workouts, including short, intense training sessions in the mix.
Many popular health gurus recommend moderate exercise, such as walking or gardening, as the best solution. Their reasoning is that moderate exercise puts less pressure on the body and the heart. Certainly, gentle exercise is good for you, and it results in less oxidation and fewer free radicals than intensive exercise, but it also limits the challenges you can approach and the level of fitness you can achieve.
I believe the best way to exercise is by providing your body with intense stimuli to which it will naturally adapt. Our body has the wisdom to adjust to physical strain by getting stronger and tougher. Through this adaptative process, the body improves it's own metabolic state.
Intense and short exercise intervals are also effective in pumping blood and oxygen to the entire body. Maximum oxygenation helps rejuvenate all body tissues and, again, this helps boost overall metabolism. A great Supplement that we sell that is perfect to help with short, intense bursts of energy is Cold fusion EX by LG Sciences.
If you haven't been exercising regularly and strenuously, don't try to force yourself to exercise with maximum intensity straight out of the gate. Instead, follow a constructive exercise routine in which you gradually increase intensity over a period of weeks or months. This is where the use of an online personal trainer comes into play.
Nourish your body, exercise intensely and get enough rest, and you can quickly reach a state of maximum metabolic efficiency. In this state, your body will efficiently burn body fat as fuel. Its base level of energy utilization will accelerate, and gradually, this will cause your body to naturally redesign itself.
When you reach maximum metabolic efficiency, you are literally re-creating yourself - at a cellular level - on an ongoing basis. Just because you weren't born with a super-fast metabolism doesn't mean you can't possess one. And just because you are carting around extra fat right now doesn't mean you have to keep it forever.
If you want to live in a young, vigorous, lean body, just give your body what it needs in order to reach a peak metabolic state: Eat well, exercise intensely, get enough rest. Most importantly, get to know your body from the inside out. Enjoy its power, respect its complexity, and it will repay you richly.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Indoor Rock Climbing for Fitness: It's Not Extreme Anymore
Once an activity labeled as an "extreme sport", rock climbing has in the last few years become a very popular workout activity as the use of indoor climbing walls in fitness facilities, community centers and health clubs has increased and made the sport much more user friendly. Not only can it be fun and exciting, rock climbing is one of the most effective strength training workouts a person can ever have, providing fitness and strength benefits that are difficult to match with any other single activity. If you want to work out every muscle in your body in the shortest amount of time possible and get quick results in strength, body shape, toning and muscular endurance, there is no better thing to do. It burns a tremendous amount of calories as well, assisting with weight or fat loss. And did I mention that it is fun? Participants sometimes have such a blast that they even forget to feel tired! Around twenty years ago, the very first climbing gyms started appearing around the United States. One of the first was The Vertical Club in Seattle, Washington, and that is where I first took a lesson and learned to climb. My experience walking in there in 1993 was TOTALLY different than a new climber would have walking into the average climbing facility now. Back then, climbing gyms were primarily the domain of serious rock climbers who needed a way to stay in shape during the bad weather months or in between trips to outdoor climbing locations. Climbing as a general fitness activity hadn't arrived yet.
When I entered the facility that day, I was first greeted by a man on crutches who told me he had just broken his ankle in an outdoor climbing fall. He seemed pretty intense. There were several men climbing near the front without shirts on, their bodies seemingly made of nothing but muscle and sinew. One of them was attempting a climbing move just a few feet off the ground right in front of his buddies, who stood no more than arms reach from him, shouting him encouragement and prepared to break his fall if he came off the wall. He was exerting himself fully while trying the move, and I was struck by his effort, while all he had to do was literally put his foot down and he would have been standing directly on the ground.
I felt somewhat intimidated by the atmosphere. The place was definitely filled with people who climbed seriously, and at that time I was definitely someone who did not. I was glad I was there to take an actual lesson because I would have absolutely no idea how to start for myself. My teacher was the owner of the club, and he was very friendly and helpful. It was almost like having my own personal trainer. By the end of the 2 hour lesson I knew my way around the gym and the equipment and knew how to belay another climber and tie myself into the rope for safety. And I had climbed from the bottom of the walls to the top several times successfully. I was officially a climber, albeit a very enthusiastic beginner.
In the present day, a first trip to a climbing facility for a beginner will be a completely different experience. There are many more climbing gyms around, and like I mentioned above, many fitness centers and health clubs have climbing walls now. These climbing gyms and fitness center walls are used much more now by the average fitness enthusiast who is looking for a fun way to workout or have some recreation, and beginner classes abound. The look and feel of the facilities is usually very family friendly. Birthday parties and social events for kids, corporate outing and team building for adults as well as family recreation outings make up a huge percentage of the business for climbing walls nowadays. A first time visitor will be greeted by an enthusiastic staff wearing matching t-shirts and typically watch a safety video that gives an overview of the procedures of the facility. Then in a small group or individually, they are led out to attempt a few climbs before they are cleared to use the place on their own. The extensive orientation I received at The Vertical Club is mostly a thing of the past. The equipment and safety set up is much easier for the average person to learn, which gets them climbing and having fun sooner. This has greatly increased the number of people who participate in climbing and has led to the serious climbers that I saw on my first trip to The Vertical Club frequently being the minority in the gym at any given time.
Getting your exercise while climbing indoors usually involves you making your way from the floor toward the ceiling of the facility using plastic holds for your hands and feet that have the same look and feel as real rock. These are attached to a wall that is textured to resemble a real cliff face. As you make your way to the top, a cable attached to an automatic belay device or a rope attached to your partner and tied to your safety harness that you wear keeps you safe from a fall. Most indoor facilities have walls for roped climbing that go up to about 30 feet in height, though some in the United States go from 60 to 90 feet. Most facilities also have a version of climbing called bouldering where the climber is not roped but never climbs more than 10-15 feet off the ground, protecting against a fall with large gymnastics pads moved around on the floor underneath. Snug fitting climbing shoes with specially made rubber soles are worn for incredible grip against the footholds.
Indoor rock climbing requires exactly the same fitness and muscle strength and enduranace demands as doing it outdoors. And the benefits are awesome! Unlike traditional weight training which involves lifting weight in a controlled movement in a gym or home setting, rock climbing is "strength training with a twist": you as the climber are now the weight going up or down and rather than an arbitrary number of repetitions to be performed to complete a set, the goal of climbing is to get to the top of the wall. It doesn't matter how it is accomplished, either. Climbing doesn't have to look pretty to be effective. The result is a change of focus away from the effort of repetitions to the effort of working toward the immediately achievable goal of reaching the top. This can result in a very empowering feeling of accomplishment for the climber, because each trip up the wall holds a challenge that can be overcome and a goal that is achieved. This is what has been known to be addicting and can lead you to want to do more. And when you want to do more, you will keep doing it. And that is the biggest secret for long term success in fitness: keep doing it! It is amazing what consistency can accomplish.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Does Birth Control Pills Cause Acne
Causes of Acne
The following are the lead causes of pimples and acne:
Puberty and related changes (activation of sebaceous glands or the oil glands) Hormonal imbalance Dirt Skin types (oily skin is more prone to acne) Highly stressful lifestyle Vitamin and mineral deficiency Rare cases of heredity Cosmetics
Link between Birth Control Pills and Acne Demystified
Birth control pills are effective for acne treatment only in the cases where the main cause for acne is hormone related. Sometimes, an excess secretion of androgen from the ovaries is the leading cause of stubborn pimples and acne. Androgen has the property of activating the oil glands that leads to and increased occurrence of acne. Certain combination of birth control pills help by suppressing the level of androgen in the body. Testosterone (male hormone) is also associated with the increase in the activity of oil glands, thereby promoting acne. Oral contraceptives, especially those containing Estrogen and Progestin, reduce Testosterone in the body. Not all types of oral contraceptives are flatly effective on everyone. You need to decide upon the right combination suitable to your physiology. Of course, this has to be done under the guidance of a medical practitioner. In addition, other acne specific drugs, including antibiotics should be used as supplements to enhance the efficacy of the medication, for instance, benzoyl peroxide, alpha hydroxyl acids, and retinoids.
Preferred Combination and Commercially Available Products
Medicinal formulations containing the hormones Estrogen and Progestin (synthetically manufactured Progesterone) are usually beneficial in the therapy. Estrogen helps in maintaining the hormonal balance and regulates the level of Testosterone. Progestin is added to prevent any side effects caused by excess Estrogen. Lower Estrogen drugs such as Alesse should be preferred, as they do not have lesser repercussions related to the hormone. Ensure that the progestins in the medicine are anti-androgenic and not androgenic. Some of the commonly available brands are:
YAZ Ortho Tri-Cyclen Estrostep Yasmin
Birth Control Pills: Last Resort!
Oral contraceptives are resorted to only after exhausting all the other options, due to the reactions of hormone replacement therapy. If you do not intent to go in for contraception, use of birth control pills for acne treatment is a bad choice. The known side effects of oral contraceptive pills are:
Nausea Irregular menstrual cycles Cyst in the bust area Tendering of breasts Heart ailments Clotting of blood Cancer
While taking the risk of above side effects, you should be aware of the fact that oral contraceptive pills do not necessarily treat acne. Therefore, exercise a lot of prudence in adopting birth control pills for acne cure and try to keep it as last choice, rather than a preferred option.
Precision Trials offer physician research based birth control clinical trials and HPV Research.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Causal Weddings the Latest Trend for Brides
So, you are now engaged to be married. What kind of wedding are you going to have? The latest trend is for couples to go with more causal weddings then full productions. You may have decided that a more causal wedding is what you want to do, though the question is now what?
With young couples's busy schedules, causal weddings are a great idea. With the price a big production wedding can be a strain on new couples getting started in life. Causal wedding allow for a memorable and classy wedding which will still be day to remember.
Invitations
With today's basic graphic computer people can now make classic looking wedding invitations without shelling out the expense. Pick the paper you would like from the store and most basic software packages that comes with your computer has programs for designing invitations and making them personal to you.
Wedding Dress
The latest trend is classy and sexy wedding dresses without long trains. A causal wedding dress still can be just as beautiful with sexy v-necks and open backs. Online allows brides to get wedding dress at low prices.
Bridesmaids Dresses
What to make your bridesmaids love you more than ever. Instead of bright colored dress that they will never wear again nor want to, pick a dress from one of your favorite clothing stores. A classy summer dress can look beautiful and used again.
Flowers
Everyone stills wants flowers at your wedding. It is important to find the right amount of flowers based on the location for your weddings. Many people spend too much time thinking about the flowers which they will never remember in the end.
Reception
The reception is a time for your guest to visit and interact. Often weddings bring people together who haven't seen each other for some time. Most intimate places like a friends or family member's backyard or a personal friend's quite location allows your guest to interact. Many standard locations for weddings place everyone in special seats in a large room and lose the intimacy that your causal wedding can provide.
Music
With everyone having an IPOD or MP3 player, you would be surprised what a DJ your friends and family can be. Set your music player to a set schedule of songs and no one has to worry about the music all night. Working together with friends and family you can compile every song that you would want.
Bridal Online Store has the latest trends in casual wedding dresses and all your wedding dress selections.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Benefits Of Tanning Lotion
The use of indoor tanning lotions is becoming more popular with people these days. An alternate way of saying this would be that indoor tanning lotions are a way to lower the risks associated with other ways of getting a tan. If you compare the do it yourself sunless tanners, lotions are a good way to go.
The Ultra Violet (UV) rays from the sun that penetrate the skin on a daily basis can cause skin cancer due to over exposure. Another issue people face when they spend too much time in the heat without enough water is the risk of heat stroke. Those who lay out in the sun need to watch their skin for spots or other unusual signs, like a blister that doesn't seem to heal.
The same goes for tanning booths which can be very dangerous to someone who does not have experience with them, especially if they are fair skinned and sun sensitive. Some of the settings on the beds will fry you as badly as the sun ever could.
Tanning pills are not very popular and in the past have not worked that well. They have high levels of coloring agents that may color the iris or even cause hepatitis.
Another DIY tanning option is a bronzer which is like a cosmetic. When it is applied it stains your skin and stays on until the next time you shower.
Tanning lotions are a longer lasting alternative that can last close to a week depending on how quickly your replace your dead skin cells.
In many cases, your tan actually looks more natural than laying out in the sun for hours because it can turn out more even and smooth. Also, you don't have to worry about the tan lines of your fancy bathing suit. But the more important benefit of an indoor tanning lotion is the safety from avoiding exposure to harsh light rays.
In the case of a professional tanner like bodybuilders, they are well aware that a good lotion will help their skin keep its youthful vibrant look, minimize fine lines and wrinkles, develop and maintain a world class tan while rehydrating their skin and replenishing the lost moisture.
Some advice for those unsatisfied with that fair skin look, is to realize the health risks of tanning under UV rays, get yourself a good indoor tanning lotion, and enjoy the benefits without the risks.
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