AntiAgingByDesign.com

We know that a healthy weight that is maintained through your adult years is powerful in fighting the aging process and diseases that are associated. Still, North America has seen an epidemic of overweight, obesity, and diabetes. People have been on diet after diet and most have been unable to achieve their desired goal and maintain it. Diets don’t work because since people don’t stick with them, they can cause our bodies to store more fat overall. But what if there was a way to focus on keeping muscle, which burns more fat, while we lose weight?

What is the connection between an amino acid called leucine and burning fat more efficiently and consistently? First, let’s look more at the mindset because it is powerful in determining our successes in all areas of life, including weight loss. There is an abundance of discouragement and frustration with failed diets that have defeated folks across age groups. People are afraid to go on diets because when they go off they always gain back the weight and sometimes even more.

Research has found an important clue in the search for why many diets are not successful. When someone starts a diet that reduces calories, his or her body thinks it is going into a time of famine. The body is built for survival so it turns on the famine response, which is to conserve calories. The body conserves calories by storing fat to use in the future, and begins to use protein and body muscle to burn for daily energy. This actually causes a loss of muscle in the body.

This is not to be confused with a healthy calorie restriction diet where less calories are consumed on a long-term basis and people who maintain this lifestyle are active and retain muscle. Scientists believe this is the best way we know to live longer and healthier, with a much higher chance of not developing any diseases of aging. The problem is that the majority of people can not cut their calories 30 or 35% and maintain that permanently because they are too hungry on such a regimen.

Since most people do not stick to the current diet they may be on, they go back to their normal level of calories consumed. The problem is that they have lost muscle, and the ability to burn calories more efficiently, and so when they start eating more again, the extra calories turn to fat. The body now has even more fat than before since that muscle was lost.

People who have gone on repeated diets are in a cycle of losing muscle and gaining and re-gaining fat. Here is why they struggle. A pound of fat burns only 2 calories per day. So if you are 20 lbs (of fat) overweight, and you multiply 2 by 20, you are only burning 40 calories per day. If that extra weight were muscle, it would burn 50 calories per pound and result in 1000 calories.

A person damages their metabolism with this kind of yo-yo dieting, making it almost impossible to lose weight. The reason why weight loss and weight management programs with amino acids called leucine are different is because leucine helps the body build and repair muscle tissue. The body keeps the important muscle (that burns fat) as inches and pounds are shed.

Those who use a leucine powered program can actually retain 100% of muscle mass, a healthier option. This means the weight that can be lost is all fat. Muscle retention improves the body’s ability to burn fat, and improves metabolic rate. Inches and pounds can be lost instead of muscle.

Some athletes take leucine because it initiates protein synthesis in the muscles for muscle building. In weight loss, this muscle building counteracts muscle breakdown when eating fewer calories. The power behind this leucine helps keep more muscle and lose weight from fat. Muscle takes up less space than fat, so the inches come off successfully.

The discovery of leucine to burn fat and keep muscle was the result of years of scientific research and testing. Diets should also be about building good health and product safety although history has proved that many are not. A diet driven by leucine is healthy for our bodies plus it is safe for us. In an age when our daily food intake is not optimal and we lack nutrients essential for good health, it is an added benefit to use leucine to build good health in a weight loss or management program.

For more science and weight loss information, see more about leucine to burn fat and keep muscle.

Let’s face it, it’s a tough world out there, especially for the body’s immune system. On a daily basis we are exposed to viruses and bacteria that cause diseases, and even death. We live in an environment where we travel, or our neighbor travels, all over the world. Even when there is not a major scare like the present Swine Flu that can be spread from people carrying a virus back with them, our lives are fast paced which can lead to stress that weakens our immune system. Most of us have a hard time eating a healthy diet due to lack of time or the appeal of the drive through convenience. Even more of us struggle with getting enough rest or exercise that are both associated with better health. Our immune system is facing an uphill battle on a daily if not hourly basis.

While all of this is stacked against us there is good news. Our immune system is a highly complex system. It runs without much from us. One of the most complex components of the immune system is the interferon cell. The interferon cells are part of the non-specific immune system. This means they are present at the very first and earliest stages of disease and infections.

These cells are what some many call the first line of defense. Interferon cells detect threats to our health. They know when there are viruses, bacteria and tumors in our system and go to work. They set up a shield to protect us against these invaders. They call out other helper cells such as the white blood cells and killer cells to aid in defenses. They are key components to our good health.

Many diseases are treated with interferon treatments and respond. Interferon therapy is used in tandem with radiation and chemotherapy for cancer patients. It is also used in Multiple Sclerosis and Hepatitis C treatments. Russia and Eastern Europe use interferon in low doses to treat common ailments of cold and the flu.

Studies have been done to isolate the components in certain herbs that help provide immune support. To name a few there is pumpkin seed, plantago seeds and safflower flower. These ingredients have all been shown to increase the activity of immune cells. They help activate defenses, alert immune cells and target bad cells. Immune support will enable the immune system to work at peak performance.

It stands to reason if we can ensure we have a healthy immune system the body’s natural interferon cells will work properly. We can take precautions and boost the natural interferon cell’s ability by taking supplements specifically for this. Boosting the immune system is a wise thing to do in such a fast paced, stressful, international environment that we live in today.

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To learn more about a natural interferon supplement, an exclusive blend of extracts from pumpkin seeds, plantago seeds, safflower seeds and Japanese honeysuckle flower buds, and the only supplement to be developed by the scientist who discovered interferon, please visit natural interferon revealed.

Yesterday, on Earth Day 2009, Shaklee CEO Roger Barnett joined Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in SanFrancisco, to plant the 1 Millionth Tree from the company’s One Million Trees – One Million Dreams campaign.  One million trees is truly a fantastic contribution to out environment that has been supported by our entire Shakleee family.  We have great news for a new campaign that will change lives.

These are revolutionary times that we live in.  There are people struggling, many people, to meet their monthly bills and are looking for a way to earn more income.  At the same time that many companies are failing or closing, there are others like the Shaklee Corporation that are growing.  This means that there is opportunity to bring people who need something more TOGETHER WITH a company that can offer them more.  We call it the Land of And.  The opportunity to do well AND to help others do well.

At the event yesterday, Roger announced the company’s new mission to offer 1 Million people a new economic opportunity this year.  I call this an Anti-Aging Home Business for several reasons:

1-  You have the opportunity to represent the anti-aging supplements that belong to our #1 Natural Nutrition company.

2-  We have taken any stress that can lead to aging (!!) away because you are extended an opportunity to start a home business at no cost.  Where else can you start your own business and be in cash flow the very first week?

3-  You won’t have a boss, or a certain time schedule (definitely anti-aging!).  You are an independent and will get out of your business what you put into it.  The sky is really the limit here with no income caps unless you put them on.

4-  The business plan we have has a very cool anti-aging feature:  it pays you forever!  That means that ours is a business that creates residual income, money that is paid month after month, year after year.  It is one that you leave behind to your family.

5-  We have product and marketing information available as well as tools and support that are targeted to help you build a successful home business.

6-  You can start right here, right now.  If you and/or your family can use more income right now, you can partner with a company that is growing, that represents 5 major growth trends for the future, and can help you have the life you want and be in charge of your financial future.

If you want to learn more, contact me today or follow the link under the video..

Is a  HOME BUSINESS a home business part of your financial portfolio?

Are you looking for another stream of income?

Earth Day 2009 is here, but recently there has been a movement to help make Earth Day every day. We see green messages everywhere: television commercials, television news, billboards, newspapers, magazines, radio, print mail, email. Many people are jumping on board and participating in all kinds of ways to help our planet.  Cleaner air, water, and homes can contribute to our staying healthier and our fight against aging.  Changing to energy efficient light bulbs and unplugging electrical products when not in use are two easy and measurable ways to do our own individual part. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of ways to be more ‘green‘.

My favorite way to help is to clean with green cleaners. Getting the chemicals and toxins, from every day cleaning products and personal care products, out of our homes provides huge benefits for both people and the environment. National brand cleaning products are heavily advertised (have been forever) and promise to disinfect, brighten, clean and make our homes and clothes clean and smelling fresh. But at what cost to our health?

Many popular cleaning products contain chemicals and toxins that are not earth friendly and have been associated with serious illness and even deadly diseases. These toxins have been linked with illnesses like allergies and asthma, and more serious diseases including cancer that sadly is not only a disease of aging.

Today, there are many earth day green cleaning alternatives. When first introduced, people weren’t happy with many green cleaning products that were offered. These healthier cleaners have come a long way, and we see brands that have taken their time and their resources to actually test individual green cleaners against familiar store brands. The outcome was that the green cleaning products performed as well or better than the toxic brands.

Many folks choose to clean with natural products that you probably already have in your home. Lemons, baking soda, and vinegar are common every day ingredients that can clean, freshen, and even disinfect your house. Others are more comfortable with purchasing cleaning products for specific jobs throughout the house. The new green cleaning products now offered are healthier to use and for your family to breathe.

While it might be a new concept for many families is to get a healthy financial stimulus from changing cleaners in their homes, it is real and can be done.   Thousands of dollars can be saved by switching to just one green cleaning product.   For example, one bottle of concentrated cleaner at around ten dollars can make thousands of bottles of window cleaner, at a few cents each, when you use only two drops and combine it with water in your spray bottle.  This is compared to buying thousands of bottles of window cleaner at two to three dollars each.  When you mix the concentrate a little stronger, you get the equivalent of hundreds of bottles of all-purpose cleaners that tackle many different jobs in the home.  One bottle of powerful concentrate adds up to huge money savings.

Next we consider the savings to the environment.   Keeping hundreds and thousands of bottles from our landfill is a lucrative contribution to keeping our planet clean.   On top of that if you consider the pollution effects of the manufacture and transportation processes, it is costly financially and environmentally to ship bulky water that we can be adding ourselves at home.

An important consideration of house cleaning is performance, of course.  We want our cleaning products to do their job and we want to see satisfying results. Green cleaning products have come a long way.   When first introduced, people weren’t happy with many brands that were offered.  Today, we see brands that have taken their time and their resources to actually test individual green cleaners against the popular store brands that have been heavily advertised for years and years.  The outcome was that the green cleaning products performed as well or better than the toxic brands.

Our health should be one of our top priorities.  We only get one body and it is our job to take care of that body.  It is not in our best interests to be breathing air that is polluted with toxins and chemicals and nasty fumes that are associated with respiratory illnesses and more serious diseases.  Allergies and asthma in both children and adults are on the rise, and they along with reproductive illnesses and cancer have been linked to everyday chemicals and toxins found in our homes.  The EPA has stated that indoor air pollution can be more dangerous than outdoor air.

When you combine the benefits of saving money, having a healthier home that does not raise our chances of getting sick, and helping our environment in significant ways, that is 3 reasons why to have a closer look at replacing cleaning products filled with chemicals that you many have in your home with natural, effective green cleaning solutions.  Given the serious state of our nation’s economy, we are currently being offered various stimulus packages that may or may not be seriously beneficial to us.   Green cleaning has no downsides that I can see.

Do you suffer from itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, or sinus congestion during certain times of the year, or maybe even year round? Seasonal Allergies affect more than 40 million Americans and cost over 1 billion dollars in treatment cost annually. This adds up to a lot of people searching for relief. If you know what triggers the symptoms you get, you can form a plan of action in your battle with allergies.

An allergic reaction is when your body’s immune system reacts to what it believes to be a harmful substance. The body releases histamines to subdue what it sees as an invader. This harmful substance is usually something common such as pollen, grass, weeds etc. Different people will suffer from seasonal allergies at different times, depending on what their bodies interpret as foreign. Some may suffer from spring allergies when it seems everything is in bloom, others may only suffer when certain plant pollens are in the air, such as the red cedar bloom in Texas. Other unfortunate souls suffer seasonal allergies all year through, going from one allergic reaction to the next.

As each allergic sufferer has different substances that trigger reactions, each may suffer in a different way. The body’s immune system can produce watery eyes, stuffy nose and sinus headaches to name a few of the many symptoms. It is the immune system’s way to rid the body of the substance it sees as hostile.

Over the counter allergy medications and prescription drugs that you can get from your doctor are options that many people use. There are also natural alternatives for seasonal allergy symptoms that may be used to provide relief without unwanted side effects, including some that help make your immune system stronger in order to fight the underlying causes.

It is always advised to discuss natural alternatives with your doctor. The first step you will want to evaluate is your diet. The way to a healthy immune system is initially through proper nutrition. Ensure you have a varied diet full of nutrient rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains that help all of your body systems to function at optimum levels and allow you to better combat seasonal allergies.

Certain vitamins and minerals can aid in allergy relief. Vitamin C has been shown in studies to help alleviate seasonal allergy reactions. It is a natural antihistamine. Vitamin E is an antioxidant. This means it can fight free radicals causing allergies. It can also help the immune system. Magnesium can be helpful in allergy relief. Studies have shown many people seeking season allergy relief are deficient in magnesium. Once the level is raised the sufferer notices less symptoms.

Of course it is ideal to get these through your diet. Citrus fruit and broccoli are good sources of Vitamin C. Vitamin E can be found in whole grains and food such as spinach. Magnesium is located in green leafy vegetables as well as nuts. If you do not have these in your diet consider supplements.

Natural interferon immune builders help the body fight symptoms of allergies, and also work to fight the underlying causes of allergies. Echinacea is an herb that stimulates the body’s natural resistance to foreign invaders, giving the immune system what it needs to stay strong. It is taken for short periods, such as a week at a time, to supercharge the immune system. Other herbs that can be found in combination with echinacea are black elderberry and larch tree; both help the body maintain a healthy immune response.

Probiotics are healthy bacteria that work in our intestines to strengthen our immune system. Probiotics are especially helpful after a course of antibiotics or if your immune system is run down. The use of probiotics has increased significantly in the past five to ten years, and is one of the fastest growing supplements. Seasonal allergies affect many people. Taking a few simple natural steps may help those who suffer find measurable relief during allergy season, and all year long since we are constantly exposed to free radicals, illnesses, disease, and pollution of different kinds including toxins and chemicals.

Pharmaceutical grade vitamins, herbs and other natural supplements may provide better results than lesser quality brands because the ingredients have to meet higher standards and the absorption rate is better because pharmaceutical grade products have delivery sytems that help the body utilize the nutrients.

(To see the buzz about resveratrol.. watch the videos on the Healthy Audios and Videos link above.)

Anti-Aging Income? Why should your income go down when your retire, or even during a recession. Just as we take charge of our own good health for now and for the future, we can choose to increase our income with a health and wellness home business.

Roger Barnett delivers a timely message in the video below.  There are a few testimonials before he begins to talk (1.45 mark) with us about the reality that despite our nation’s economic situation, Shaklee the company is thriving, and people that choose to start a Shaklee home business can change their lives forever.  His message is relevant and important.. the whole way through.  I hope that you like what he has to say as much as I do.

As Shaklee Independent Distributors, we are offered an opportunity to have whatever it is that we choose.  Income is unlimited, helping people is encouraged and very rewarding, and we are our own boss, never to be fired again and setting our own work schedule around the important things in life that we don’t want to miss.

(To see the buzz about resveratrol.. watch the videos on the Healthy Audios and Videos link above.)

Golfers face a variety of health challenges, including golf-related injuries such as golfers elbow, lower back pain and ACL knee issues, that can keep them from enjoying the game. Joint pain, arthritis, and inflammation can have golfers looking for help so that they can play every day or even once per week.

Pain of any kind can be life changing. It keeps us from doing the things we like, or at least from enjoying them the best that we can. People have different levels of pain tolerance, and most of us search for ways to get rid of any pain that we have. It slows us down, and wears us down.

When you have pain, there is something wrong in the body. Inflammation is like a swelling at the site of the pain, and results naturally because your body is protecting itself from whatever is wrong. Inflammation is what actually causes the pain that we feel, and it is present to help you recognize that something is wrong and help prevent further damage.

Not only do we get inflammation from injuries, there are many illnesses associated with inflammation. In fact, many scientists believe that it is inflammation that slowly kills us. Many factors in our lives can cause a build-up of inflammation including: pain and injuries that do not heal, chemicals and toxins in our environment, stress, allergy conditions, poor nutrition through our daily diets, viral and bacterial infections, and how are bodies respond to prescription meds.

What happens is that inflammation affects our body’s tissues and organs which in turn causes disease and illness, in some people at a much younger age than others. Arthritis, joint pain, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimers, chronic fatigue, and cancer, are all ailments that we face as we age.

Doctors prescribe pain relievers for ongoing pain and inflammation, and many people rely on over-the-counter pain relief such as ibuprofen in the form of Advil, or Aleve, aspirin, etc. The problem with these is that there are side effects like bleeding ulcers and other stomach conditions because the meds can eat away your stomach lining.

Science and research have brought new solutions for relief from the pain and inflammation of arthritis and aging. Doctors have been recommending fish oil for some time now, and people that take a good quality, pharmaceutical-grade fish oil brand seem to get the best results. Recently, the discovery of another natural food supplement, resveratrol, that in some ways works in the body the same as fish oil, has provided a powerful addition to naturally fight pain and inflammation

Dr. David Maroon, distinguished surgeon, and noted professor of Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center wrote a book that I am currently reading called, The Longevity Factor.  It gives a thorough background of the science and research behind resveratrol and the benefits of fish oil. He states in the book that some resveratrol products contain polyphenols from the muscadine grape to further enhance resveratrol to help with inflammation. Dr. Maroon recommends the combination of pharmaceutical grade fish oil and resveratrol almost exclusively to his patients with pain and inflammation.

Pharmaceutical grade fish oil and resveratrol can help golfers move easier, have less joint pain, and feel healthier because, together, they reduce inflammation, and natural resveratrol can trigger the gene in our body associated with our aging. Golfers do have healthy choices to help pain and inflammation so that they can enjoy more time on the course.