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How to lose weight fast and easy tips

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

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zeefitness.com http weight loss tips weight loss tips for women weight loss tips for teenagers weight loss tips for men weight loss tips for losing weight fast weight loss tips in urdu weight loss tips in hindi weight loss tips for black women fast weight loss tips quick weight loss tips Healthy Weight Loss Tips We’ve all been there — when you’re carrying extra pounds, losing weight can seem like a daunting task. But the rewards are sweet. The first time you can slide into your skinny jeans(you know, that pair we all save “just in case”)is a moment of pure personal triumph. The key is to sort through all the diet info out there and find out what honestly works. ZEEFITNESS.COM spoke with dietitians, weight loss coaches, personal trainers and real women who’ve lost the weight — and kept it off — to find out the 20 most important tips about healthy dieting. Approach 1. Think lifestyle change, not diet Cooking and Eating 2. Beware of refined sugar 3. Not all fat is bad 4. Eat breakfast 5. Feed your body regularly 6. Watch what you put on your food 7. Stock your kitchen with healthy snacks 8. Plan for eating out 9. Eat smaller portions 10. Avoid eating late at night 11. Drink water The mental edge 12. Get your eight hours of sleep 13. Emotional eating 14. Keep a food journal 15. Get support 16. Stick to your guns 17. If you fall off the wagon, get back on Exercise 18. Combine cardio and weights 19. Break it up 20. Challenge yourself

Tell us what you think about this video in the comments below, or in the Battling For Health Community Forum!
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Hearing loss in American teens on the rise

Hearing problems is on the rise and the increase is most evident among teens. A new research study by scientists at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston revealed that there is a 31% rise in the number of adolescents with some form of hearing loss. The auditory problems are sometimes mild and barely noticeable but they are there.  And previous have shown that among the young, even minor hearing losses can affect communication and social skills, thus educational achievement.

The researchers examined data of over 4500 participants of the NHANES aged 12 to 19 years old and compared data from 1988 to 1984 vs. data from 2005 to 2006.

According to lead author Dr. Josef Shargorodsky:

“About 1 out of 5 adolescents in the United States has at least some evidence of hearing loss. Moreover, about 1 out of 20 has at least mild hearing loss.”

The authors believe that noise is a major factor in this increase in hearing loss.

Indeed, exposure of adolescents to noise has increased in recent years, what with widespread use of portable music devices such as MP3 players and even mobile phones.

This is probably exacerbated in adulthood by increased risk for cardiovascular disease and unhealthy lifestyle.

In another study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, risk factors for hearing loss in American adults have been identified as environmental and lifestyle factors as well as concomitant diseases.

Environmental factors are mainly exposure to noise which results in high-frequency hearing loss.

What is interesting is the fact that the lifestyle factor smoking also results in hearing loss, both at high and low frequencies. In addition, hypertension and diabetes, too, can lead to high- and low-frequency hearing loss. The authors believe that the link between cardiovascular risk factors and hearing loss is due to damage to the cochlea as a consequence of microvascular insufficiency. Cochlea is the snail-shaped structure in the inner ear where sound waves are converted into nerve impulses. Damage to the cochlea results in impairment of transmission of those nerve impulses.  The presence of cardiovascular risk factors in addition to exposure to high levels of noise can exacerbate problems of hearing loss.

Updates on teen health

Teen Vaccination Rates Increasing Across the US
A survey by the Centers of Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) of over 20,000 teenagers aged 13 to 17 years showed an increasing rate of vaccination. As much as 15% increase was reported in terms of vaccinations that were recommended for preteen years for diseases such as pertussis, meningitis, and cervical cancer. Although the increase looks positive, but experts think the current rates could still be improved upon.
According to Anne Schuchat, M.D., director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases:

“This year’s data are mixed. We can see that more parents of adolescents are electing to protect their children from serious diseases such as pertussis, meningitis, and cervical cancer, but there is clear room for improvement in our system’s ability to reach this age group.”

Why hipsters are growing gap-toothed grins
Here is a great argument that parents can use against tongue piercing: teeth gaps. While teens may need care much about the risks of catching contagious diseases through piercings, this argument will appeal to their sense of aesthetics. After all, which teenager would want a gap-toothed smile?
Orthodontists report that metal piercings in the tongue can cause diastema, which is a significant space between the upper teeth. A report of such a case has been published in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics.
But how do tongue studs do this? According to this msnbc report:

Apparently, kids like to play with their tongue studs, often pushing the barbell shaped ornaments back and forth against their front teeth. In the case described in the new study, a young woman managed to create a significant space between her upper teeth — called a diastema — by periodically wedging the thin part of the barbell between them and wiggling it around over the course of seven years.

Other experts report the following cases:

• fractured tooth by repeatedly clacking the piercing against them
• broken tooth when the piercing gets between her teeth as one bites down on some food

Adolescent Brains Biologically Wired to Engage in Risky Behavior, Study Finds
Parents often wonder what goes on in their teenager’s brain to make them do what they do. Scientists are trying their best to find out. And their findings may help us understand the source of rash and risky behavior among adolescents. According to Dr. Russell, professor in the departments of Psychology and Neurobiology at the University of Texas at Austin:

“Our results raise the hypothesis that these risky behaviors, such as experimenting with drugs or having unsafe sex, are actually driven by over activity in the mesolimbic dopamine system, a system which appears to be the final pathway to all addictions, in the adolescent brain.”

Inspiring the young to save lives

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using an automated external defibrillators (AED) are life-saving skills that everybody should learn. Including children. In a previous post, I described a study by Austrian researchers which indicated that school children as young as 9 years can be trained to perform these emergency procedures effectively.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has just launched a new online tool cardiac arrest awareness that teaches 12- to 15-year-olds the above-mentioned skills. However, this is no ordinary teaching tool. In order to inspire the youth to participate, the campaign uses fun and creative ways to learn the basics of CPR and AED use. The new online cardiac arrest awareness campaign is called Be the Beat and it includes video games, quizzes and songs that are appealing to this age group.

But why teach young people CPR and AED use? Because bystander helps increases the chances of a patient’s survival by two or three times during cardiac arrest. And young people are always around with others of their age at school, in sports, in leisure time. In this age group, they do not require 100% adult supervision anymore. In cases of emergency, they should be able to help each other.

Here’s what Beat the Beat has to offer:

• The Basics: Three instructional videos that demonstrate conventional CPR with breaths, Hands-OnlyTM CPR and how to use an AED.
• The Heart Trek Experience: Virtual tour through a 3-D animated version of the heart in which participants earn points by playing video games and taking interactive quizzes.
• The World of Hearts: Users create unique avatars, track and compare their scores in the Heart Trek Experience with other users and view profiles and testimonies of other participants.
• Music Playlist: A downloadable playlist of 100-beat-per-minute songs (100 beats per minute is the correct rate for chest compressions during CPR).
• Stuff: Free printable stickers, T-shirt decals and stationery, and free downloadable widgets and wallpapers.

In addition, the site also offers resources for educators and schools including downloadable lesson plans and templates for creating and sustaining an in-school emergency response plan.

According to Dr. Michael Sayre, chair of AHA’s Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee.

“Be the Beat is helping to create the next generation of lifesavers by empowering teens and tweens to act when they see someone suddenly collapse. Sadly, far too many people are dying from cardiac arrest – we want this campaign to inspire people to help save lives.”

This campaign is supported by Medtronic Foundation. Schools can apply for a $1000 Be the Beat Mini Grant from the foundation.

Photo credit: stock.xchng

Experts: routine depression screening for teenagers

It is a problem that many parents face: clinical depression among teenagers.

As many as two million American teenagers suffer from depression and most go undiagnosed, thus untreated according to the United States Preventive Services Task Force. The task force has recently came up with guidelines recommending primary health care practitioners to routinely screen teenage patients for clinical depression. The new recommendations have been published in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics.

The guidelines apply to adolescents aged 12 to 18 years old. However, the task force found there is insufficient evidence to show the benefits of screening younger children for clinical depression

Depression in young people can lead to

• poor health outcomes
• difficulties in school
• disruptions of family and social relationships
• lowerquality of life
• self-destructive behavior/suicide
• depression in adulhood

It is therefore necessary that clinical depression be diagnosed as early as possible.

“Depression in adolescents has a significant impact on both mental and physical health, and adolescents with depression have more hospitalizations for psychiatric and medical issues than adolescents who are not depressed,” said Task Force Chair Ned Calonge, M.D., who is also chief medical officer for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “It is important that adolescents are diagnosed and treated for clinical depression in order to improve their health and quality of life, especially if they have a family history of depression.”

However, screening for clinical depression should only be done “when appropriate systems are in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care.” Treatment of clinical depression among teenagers can be through by psychotherapy or by pharmacological means using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), or combined therapy (SSRIs plus psychotherapy). However, the prescription of anitdepressants SSRIs should be done with care as this class of drugs is associated with an increased risk of suicidality.

The new guidelines go further than the previous guideline issued by the Academy of Pediatrics which recommended pediatricians to ask their young patients questions about depression.

The new recommendarions cited using “two questionnaires that focus on depression tip-offs, like mood, anxiety, appetite and substance abuse.” The screening should be done by the family doctor or pediatrician who is known to the family and the patient.

Almost 6% of Amrican teenagers aged 13 to 18 are clinically depressed. A lot of cases do not show over symptoms and are therefore easily overlooked by parents and teachers. Suicide due to clinical depression is the 3^rd leading cause of death in US adolescents in the age range 15 to 24 years old.

Photo credit: stock.xchng

The lifestyle of the young is not good for the heart

The trend is disturbing. More and more children and young people are having cardiovascular problems. And the causes can be traced to unhealthy lifestyles.

Lack of proper nutrition

Project EAT, a study conducted by the University of Minnesota looked at 2,500 teenage girls over a 5-year period. Their findings show that 62.7% of female teens engage in unhealthy weight control strategies which include taking diet pills, laxatives, drugs that induce vomiting, as well as regularly skipping meals. The use of diet pills is especially popular. Ironically, these weight control behaviour can actually produce the opposite results. Girls who engage in such strategies are 3 times more likely to be overweight. This creates a vicious cycle of dieting, weight gain and eating disorders.

Lack of exercise

How many hours do your children in front of a screen – be it a TV screen, a computer screen or any other game console? Canadian researcher Dr. Ian Michael Janssen tells Reuters that adolescents nowadays “spend more hours daily in front of a screen than they do in a classroom in a given year.” This translates to lack of physical activity that leads to rising rates of obesity among adolescents. It is estimated that about 50% of Canadian children aged 5 to 17 years old do not get enough exercise. 26% of these children are overweight or obese. Excess weight and obesity are risk factors for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Lack of sleep

In this study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers found a link between poor sleep quality and shorter sleep duration in teens and elevated blood pressure. Poor sleep quality or low sleep efficiency is defined as having “trouble falling to sleep at night or who wake up too early.”

The study looked at 238 adolescents (123 boys and 115 girls) ages 13 to 16 years old. Data on sleep habits and blood pressure were collected. Adolescents with less than 85% sleep efficiency had nearly three times the likelihood of having elevated high blood pressure.

Researchers say the culprit is technology present in bedrooms, be it in the form of phones, music, computers and other multimedia gadgets.

Childhood hypertension shouldn’t be underestimated, ignored or taken for granted. The likelihood of it developing to a full blown adult hypertension and then a serious cardiovascular disease is very high.

The study authors recommend:

“Adolescents need nine hours of sleep. Parents should optimize sleep quality for their family with regular sleep and wake times and bedrooms should be kept quiet, dark and conducive to sleep.”

 

Photo credit: nookiez at stock.xchng

Dude, What’s Going On With Grandpa? Talking With Teens About Alzheimer’s Disease

Teenage years are already complicated ones.  Toss in a grandparent or close relative with Alzheimer’s disease and the issues of driving, varsity sports, the latest fashions, gadgets, acne, social websites, braces and of course, dating are suddenly not so bad to deal with after all. 

Parents tend to go for the extremes when it comes to talking with teens about Alzheimer’s disease. Either they say nothing and almost act like if they don’t mention it, then eventually grandpa will come back to himself.  Or, they burden the teen with all of the information at once AND expect the teen to grasp it and instantly become co-caregivers.  Family dynamics are different and teens are different.  There are also variables such as the teen’s relationship with the affected person; whether or not the affected person lives with or in close proximity to the teen and how the disease is manifesting itself.

Before we get to the suggestions, just a note or four about teenagers in general. 

(1)   Teenage years are charcterized by the need to gain independence.

(2)   Teenagers are smarter than we think they are.

(3)   Teenagers need you much more than you think they do.

(4)   Teenagers tend to think and feel w-a-y more deeply than they appear to.

With those notes tucked into your back pocket, let’s look at some ways that we can talk with teens and help them to navigate the difficult truth:  Grandpa has Alzheimer’s disease.

Your teenager has probably at least heard of Alzheimer’s disease. Explain that it is a disease of the brain.  It is not just getting older or having “senior moments.”  In short, the brain cells die slowly and grandpa will lose various abilities as different parts of his brain are impacted.  Encourage your teen to do her own research and learn about the disease, and possibly present her findings to the family.

Encourage your teen to explore and express his feelings (see #4).  Let him know that it’s okay to be sad, angry and confused.  Your teen may feel jealousy about the amount of time and attention that the affected person is getting. He may feel guilty for getting mad or frustrated. He definitely may feel embarrassed if grandpa is given to strange behaviors.

• The shared journal is a great idea. Take turns writing your thoughts and feelings about grandpa’s Alzheimer’s disease.  This exercise can open communication in other areas.
• Penny For Your Thoughts?  When things get rough, and the communication slows down, agree that one of you can give the other a penny. That signals that you will take some time to sit down, regroup and TALK about what you are feeling.

Be available and present for your teen (see #3).  You, no doubt are stretched.  However, it is really important that you take some time just for your teen, just the two of you.  Hit the mall, play a game, watch a movie, talk.  Just be there so that your teen feels supported and loved through the ups, downs and changes.

Ask your teen for help (see #1, #2).  Tell her what needs to be done and solicit her participation and engagement in the caregiving process.  If there is something specific that you need her to do, then ask, but you may also want to provide a list of things that she can do and encourage her to select the one or ones she is willing and able to do. That way, she understands that she needs to pitch in, but is allowed to select how she’ll help out.  You might also leave the question open ended and allow your teen to evaluate the situation and see how she might be able to help.

Help your teen maintain as much normalcy as possible. (this one covers notes 1-4).  Everything is changing – the family dynamics, grandpa, and your teen.  So, it’s important that, when practical, some things stay the same.  Help your teen to continue soccor, cheerleading, after school job, etc. These are good outlets for your teen to just be a teenager.   

There really is no formula.  The most important thing is to keep the lines of communication open and revisit these issues as time progresses.