Healthy Weight Loss

Do Therapeutic Oils and Weight Loss Mix?

by Karen Brooks on June 11, 2011

Diet and weight loss, those ugly little words that everyone talks about, but no one publicly wants to admit.

The true test of weight for me is when I try on last years clothes. Do your last summers pants still fit this year? Are they snug or a bit loose?  Well, I keep on telling myself that they still fit. What do you say to yourself?

If you are like me, you try to “watch” your weight. Sometimes you may try a fad diet or the latest weight loss product. Then the justification sets in. Am not that overweight am I?

Well I started to look for ways to control my weight. What I learned this week rocked my world!  Here are some little known statistics:

1. Did you know that 60% of  US adult women are overweight? Roughly one third are
considered obese.

2. More than $33 billion dollars are spent annually on weight loss products,
including surgery!

3. The average fat cell can grow 600 times larger than it’s original size!

So, what are some of the ways that you can take charge?

Get adequate hydration - Drinking water is imperative. Watch those new flavored waters. Some of them contain aspartame, and other artificial sweetners. Why, I don’t get it. All you need to do is just add a bit of flavoring. If you want to increase the taste of water, just add a drop of therapeutic lemon or peppermint oil to a glass of water.   Some oils that can aid in weight loss include peppermint oil. It curbs the appetite and improves digestion.  A clinical study was conducted over a 6 month period, involving over 3,000 people, where the average weight loss was over 30 pounds due to the use of peppermint oil.

Emotions/Stress - Elevated stress levels can be the most important factor in trying to achieve your weight loss goal. Excess   stress leads to higher cortisol levels. Cortisol is a long lasting stress hormone. Increased levels result in increased appetite and deposits of fat in the midsection.

Since therapeutic oils work quickly on the emotional center of the brain, they can assist you manage stress and negative emotions quickly.  You can use some off the oils listed below to assist in clearing your emotions and stress. Use them by inhaling them, applying to your wrists, earlobes, or soles of the feet. You can also inhale them by diffusing into the air.

Emotional Correlations for Oils

Lemon – Frustration, feelings of emptiess, detachment and being left behind

Lavender – Abandonment, criticism

Frankincense – Deppression

Pan Away – Pain, exhaustion

Purification – Anger, being alone, negative thoughts, violence

Peace & Calming – Addictions, losing control, moodiness, scared

Valor – Fear of conflict, inability to cope

Avoid Toxins - Toxins get trapped in the body and can interfere with the ability to lose weight. As we loose weight, fat soluble toxins get released into the body and contribute to a sluggish metabolism.

Make sure you avoid artificial sweeteners. Use non toxic personal care products. Essential oils are great for skin care! Lemon oil can cleanse, reduce oily skin, reduce scars, promote healing, acne, stretch marks, and hair loss to name a few.

Peppermint can help with varicose veins, eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis.

Frankincense can help to rejuvenate the skin, reduce wrinkles and scars.

Air Fresheners are loaded with chemicals. Diffuse oils in the air. Your home will smell good and you will get therapeutic benefits from breathing the vapors.

Purchase organic fruits and vegetables. If they are not available, make sure you soak them in water with a bit of thieves, or lemon oil to remove the chemcial residues.

You may be eating the wrong foods at the wrong time - Our bodies were not designed to process proteins and carbs at the same time. Think about our ancestors. They hunted and ate meat, or they gather nuts, grains or fruits. It was one or the other, not a combination at the same time. Within 1 hour of waking, you need to eat a good source of protein. The body digests proteins the best in the morning hours, due to our enzyme production. Learn about what foods you should eat in combination with each other.

Exercise - You need to move! Movement burns calories and stimulates the body to release toxins. Start with a mild exercise program and work yourself up to a full routine.

In conclusion, consider some of the recommendations that I have listed. Every body is different. Experiment and work with these techniques and some of the oils. Stay committed, and give it time to work.

When it is time for another wardrobe change, you might be surprised to see that the clothes are too loose and you need to buy a new outfit!!

Please let me know some of your favorite weight loss tips. I would love to hear from you!

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Health and Fitness Supplements for Women

by Karen Brooks on August 11, 2010

Fitness

Many health and fitness supplements for women are making headlines today. They promise to help you lose weight, feel great, and even shed the pounds where you hate them the most. But are these supplements safe for you to use? And do they follow through on their promises? More studies are showing that health and fitness supplements for women may be a poor decision when it comes to the health of your body, causing more problems than solutions.

One of the first things to keep in mind with health and fitness supplements for women is that many of these have not been scientifically tested. While they might say they have been tested in their labs, this is not a definite indication of quality. Since supplements are not monitored by the FDA or tested before they get on the shelves, they can contain harmful ingredients that are only found to be harmful once people start reporting problems. Another consideration is that those supplements that have been tested may not have been tested on women exclusively. This means that they may contain higher levels of some ingredients that are safe for men but not for women.
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When Losing Weight Changes Your Relationship

December 5, 2009

Losing weight feels great when you’re doing well. It’s especially exciting when you have been significantly overweight for a long time and through your own hard work and perseverance, you are noticing the great results of your dedicated lifestyle change. But what if your partner is still struggling with unhealthy eating patterns? This can make [...]

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