What Do You Need to Know About Cholesterol?

A lot of people is under the impression that cholesterol is something that does not occur in a normal body. That it's caused by extraneous factors, and if you could get rid of those factors, you will no longer have any cholesterol in your body.

This is of course not the case. Everyone has cholesterol. Our livers make two types of cholesterol, each one with a very specific purpose in the body. This purpose has to do with the way our bodies deal with the distribution of fatty material from the liver to other body parts and back to the liver.

The two kinds of cholesterol are: Low Density Lipoproteins and High Density Lipoproteins. The first, LDL, is frequently referred to as the bad guy. In a normal body, it deals with the distribution of fatty material from the liver to other areas in your body. This is not necessarily a bad thing - it only becomes a problem when our bodies don't need that fat! HDL is usually seen as the "good" guy. That is due to its involvement in the process of getting excess fat back from the rest of the body to the liver to be dealt with.

The bad news is that there are several factors, both external and internal that could cause HDL to drop below an acceptable level, and LDL to rise to a dangerous level. We will look at a few of those below.

One of the most important causes of cholesterol levels going haywire is to put it bluntly: eating too much, and eating the wrong food. In times gone by, our forebears had a more active lifestyle. If they ate a lot of fatty food, the body used that to provide energy, and no harmful substances were stored, no balances disturbed. In our time we eat way too much fatty food, which our bodies don't need, and has no other plan with than to store it in the form of fat. The balance of HDL and LDL in our bodies becomes disturbed, and this results in the build-up of fatty tissue in our arteries, often clogging them.

Smoking is another major cause of cholesterol. Cigarettes contain a chemical toxin called acrolein. This is a highly dangerous substance, and can also be found in chemical weapons and pesticides! It interferes in the way that both LDL and HDL carries out its work in the body. HDL is no longer able to carry excess fat from the rest of the body to the liver to be dealt with, and LDL becomes oxidized, its cellular structure changes, and it starts to function abnormally.

Something that not a lot of us know either, is the role of genetic factors in all of this. For a reason we don't quite understand yet, about 70% of people suffer from a genetic disorder causing the production of good and bad cholesterol to become out of balance. Too much bad cholesterol - too little good cholesterol. And the system basically collapses.

Acting alone, a single one of the factors mentioned above might not be deadly. When they work in conjunction however, they form a lethal mix that results in the death of more people in America than anything else. Cholesterol is also one of the major causes of death world wide.

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Would you like to learn more about foods that lower cholesterol? Read other article at cholesterol diet

Four Simple Exercises For People Over Forty

If you are out of shape, beginning an over 40 exercise regiment can be intimidating. You may worry about injuring yourself in an aerobics class or while running. You may dread the discomfort of a strenuous workout. Maybe you are a little nervous about being a novice in a gym filled with athletes. Do not let obstacles keep you from regaining the health of your youth. Instead, try these simpler exercises and take your first steps towards life-long fitness.

One of the easiest and most effective exercises is walking. Your goal for this kind of exercise should be to elevate your heartbeat for 30 minutes. No matter how far or fast you walk, keep it up for at least 30 minutes. Each week, try to walk a little bit further in the same amount of time. Each week, you will get stronger and faster until you are ready to start a light jog.

Riding a bike is a simple alternative to walking that is easier on the joints and you can do in a group. Your bike does not need to be expensive, just comfortable. You can also try a stationary bike but may prefer the scenery of a real bike. Also, many people are using recumbent cross training machines which are essentially cycling machines that train your upper body as well.

You should always start your over 40 exercise routine at your comfort level. If you are not ready for a run or a bike ride, start with simpler exercises. This will increase your chances of success and help you prevent injury. Also, easy exercises help you prepare your body for more intense activity.

You can stick to your over 40 exercise program even if you spend most of your day sitting at a desk or on a couch. Leg lifts easily build muscle and prepare you for increased activity. Ankle weights further increase resistance. You can perform arm curls, using two to five pound weights, which strengthens your biceps. Each of these will help you body prepare for more activity like a brisk walk or light aerobics.

You should check with your local pool to see if they offer water aerobics or other classes. Water aerobics are easier on the joints and can be a great way to develop into a more intense exercise program. The resistance of water makes even a simple leg lift twice as effective. Your pool may also offer equipment, such as foam dumbbells and aqua belts, to increase the water resistance.

Pedometers are a great way to track your activity level and increase your fitness over 40. After wearing a pedometer for a week, you will be able to see when you are most sedentary and improve. For example, if you are often inactive at work, then try to avoid the elevator, park a few more spaces away from the door, and talk a walk around the corner at lunch.

You should not be intimidated. Walking, biking, or simple sitting exercises are very easy ways to begin an over 40 exercise program at your pace. You should never let worry keep you from a longer, healthier life.

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To learn more about over 40 fitness, check out Scott Fisher's authoritative fitness articles on the above mentioned links.

Are Supplements Effective for You?

A lot of people want to lose weight. Maybe you want to lose weight. And in response to this desperation, countless supplement companies have emerged offering everything under the sun.

But there is a catch. Said companies are NOT regulated by the federal government. In fact, they could literally put anything in a bottle and not get slapped by the FDA until someone got sick.

Yet, could the state of affairs really be this bad? The surprising answer is yes. Most supplements do not work at all. And even if you do find a nutrient that has some benefit, finding a company that actually produces a product with purity can be a major headache.

Nonetheless, here is my review of popular supplements for losing fat:

1. Branched-chain amino acids. The claim is that amino acids increase energy levels and help build more muscle. What the marketers fail to reveal is that amino acids provide an extremely small percentage of energy compared to macro nutrients. Moreover, taking a huge amount of one amino acid can block the absorption of another.

2. Carnitine. This nutrient helps transport fatty acids across the cell membrane and into mitochondria, cells that produce energy. Supplementing with it is useless, however. Why? Because the body produces its own supply and does NOT need extra for optimal fat loss.

3. Chromium picolinate. Some initial studies showed that this supplement was effective for reducing waist lines. However, since then, this supplement has failed to live up to expectations. And some research has shown it to be toxic. I recommend saving your money and buying some healthy food instead.

4. Meal replacements. Often found in shiny packets, meal replacements should not be called meal replacements. Why? Because a packet of powder will never be able to replace a meal in its nutritional entirety. These powders have limited applications and remember that solid food will always outperform liquid food.

There will always be a steady supply of products where there is money to be made. So please be cautious whenever you hear of a new supplement that offers some insane type of benefit. And never forget that whole food will always trump any supplement hands down.

About the Author:

Highly regarded writer, Katherine Crawford MS, a Harvard exercise physiologist and recent arm fat sufferer, is an expert on arm toning. Learn how to get sexy and toned arms now by visiting her own site on flabby arms.

Glutamine Benefits

Glutamine is one of the body's vital helpers in its efforts to maintain your health and well-being. It is an important part of protein which is used in building the body's muscles and organs. Brain function, digestion and eradication of free-radicals are just some of the benefits it can provide.

Glutamine actually occurs naturally in the body. However, because we sometimes have to deal with a great amount of stress or we sometimes do some strenuous exercise routines in an effort to lose weight. During normal levels of activity, we have sufficient amounts to keep us healthy. However, during times of stress and arduous physical activity, the demand for this amino far exceeds the body's ability to produce it. So it is recommended that we take supplements.

Glutamine is a supplement of choice for athletes and body builders. Strenuous physical activities are the norm for these people. Thus, they are prone to have their immune systems compromised and weakened, leaving them prone to infections and illness.

You see, our immune system needs this amino-acid. When we are injured or sick, the body produces cortisol, which facilitates the healing process. This amino is cortisol's fuel during this time. So, the more you have, the more fuel your body has to fight off sickness and recover from trauma. However, sometimes the available stock is not enough. So the body then turns to the muscle and sorts of "robs" it of its glutamine. Consequentially, the body will experience muscle loss since it needs protein to maintain its health and structure. Supplementing with will not only boost the immune system but prevent the occurrence of muscle loss.

Now, for those who want to lose weight, here is an interesting thing to know: Glutamine helps curb the appetite, especially our cravings for sweet and fattening food. As you learn to control your appetite and eating in moderation, the long term result would be weight loss.

It also supports a healthy equilibrium between the alkaline and the acids in our body. It also helps to regulate the blood sugar and promotes the production of HGH, which is the human growth hormone.

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A Potential Explanation For Why You're Carrying Extra Weight

Top scientists believe that weight gain is being caused by many things, there is no single enemy here. Therefore, your struggles with body fat is most likely caused by a variety of negative variables.

And in an attempt to figure out the fat factors, many academicians have tried to come up with solid hypothesis. Now these ideas aren't the end all be all, yet they can shed some light on how to begin the battle against fatness.

So without further delay, here are some theories on what's causing your fatness:

1. LPL. Also known as lipoprotein lipase, LPL is responsible for storing fat in your fat cells. Proponents of this theory postulate that people with excess body fat have a higher amount of LPL. And that those with lower levels of body fat have lower levels of LPL.

2. Sheer number of fat cells. Your fat cells can increase in size, but they can also replicate and increase in number. Proponents of this idea believe that overweight individuals have a higher number of fat cells and therefore constantly struggle with losing weight.

3. The idea of a set-point. Proponents of this theory believe that your body tries very hard to maintain a certain weight and any effort on your part to change it results in very specific metabolic compensation. So the harder you try to restrict calories, the harder your body tries to slow down your metabolism.

4. More fat burning fat. Not all fat is greedy. In fact, brown fat actively seeks out body fat to be burned as heat. And this theory claims that people who are leaner have more brown fat while people who are fatter have less.

5. Thermic effect of food. Right after you eat, your body burns a little extra calories because of the thermic effect of food. This theory claims that lean people burn more right after eating in comparison to overweight people.

Now please don't get too caught up with these multiple explanations of weight gain. After all, you do have a lot of control on how your body looks. Consistent research has shown that lifestyle factors account for a very large portion of weight gain regardless of genetics.

About the Author:

Author Katherine Crawford M.S., a Harvard exercise expert and former arm fat refugee, teaches women how to lose arm fat. Discover how to get sexy arms by exploring her website about toned arms now!