While most people struggle to lose weight, there are many people who are struggling to put on some weight. Weight loss can seem like a cakewalk when compared to weight gain. Healthy weight gain is never easy, but, what's worse is that people assume that eating unhealthy food is the best way to put on weight. They fail to remember that it can also have an adverse effect on their health. Any fast food item can be considered unhealthy, not only because it causes weight gain but, also because it harms the health in the long run. Gaining healthy weight can be very tough and for this, you need to start off with a strict diet and a very strict routine to follow through. It's essential to gain some healthy mass instead of unhealthy fat which does no good for the body other than deteriorating our health. Read ahead to know things that will help to gain healthy fat and muscles-

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Including dry dates and milk in your diet is a must for gaining healthy weight. It is rich in vitamins and thiamine, as well as sugar and proteins. These food items and very helpful ingaining weight and some muscles. They also give a boost of energy. You can also have bananas with a glass of milk, as they are rich in calories and protein.

Also Read |Winter Essentials: Tips To Prepare For A Hill Station This Holiday Season

Having a spoonful of clarified butter mixed with a spoonful of sugar before having lunch is another technique of gaining healthy weight. Eating this on an empty stomach gives the best results. This helps you gain some weight, and muscle mass too.

Also Read |Skincare Tips | Use Ice In Your Makeup Routine And Its Benefits

Mangos are very rich in carbohydrates, sugar, and proteins. These three things are just what you need to increase your body mass. Having some mango along with a glass full of milk is considered to be one of the best ways to gain weight. Have this three times a day for the best results.

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Peanut butter is extremely rich in fatty acids and proteins. It is also rich in minerals and vitamins. In fact, peanut butter is also high in calories.Adding some peanut butter to your meal is a good way to gain healthy weight. You can start your day with a peanut butter sandwich or simply have it for a midday snack.

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Weight gain tips to healthily gain fat and muscle mass quickly - Republic World - Republic World

Highlights

Weight training is an important, inevitable part of weight loss and good health. In this article, we are going to bust the very popular myth that weight training is not important for women. Well, not only is it a part of fitness, weight training is also the most effective way to be stronger and fitter, and prevent onset of diabetes. While cardio exercises help you burn calories and boost stamina, weight training helps in speeding up fat loss, building muscles and toning up your body.

Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar stresses on the importance of including strength training in your fitness routine for improving insulin sensitivity, bone strength and overall strength. Here are other reasons why strength training is important for you:

Weight training exercises can improve overall strength in both men and womenPhoto Credit: iStock

1. Helps you lose fat quickly: Weight training is considered to be more effective and time-efficient way to lose fat. As mentioned above, cardio exercises help in burning calories, but weight training comes with the added benefit building muscle tissues along with burning fat and calories. Muscle gain and fat loss can together help in giving you a more toned body.

Also read:Want To Reduce Facial Fat? Know 5 Effective Tips Which Might Help

2. Helps in strengthening bones: Including strength training in your routine can help prevent inevitable signs of ageing like joint pain and weak bones. This is especially important for women as around menopause, they tend to lose their bone density. Studies have shown the doing weight training exercises can prevent bone loss and reduce risk of osteoporosis and diseases related to bone health.

Also read:These Are The 3 Most Important Minerals For Strong Bones

3. It can give a boost to your confidence: Lifting weights in the gym or doing strength training exercises can give a boost to your confidence. With regular practice, you get stronger and are able to lift heavy weights or dumbbells at ease. A lean and toned body can further help you feel fitter and more confident.

Also read:Try These 6 Tips To Give A Boost To Your Self-Esteem And Confidence

4. Beneficial for diabetics: Lifting weights improve body's insulin response. It helps in improving the way body uses blood sugar, which can be beneficial for diabetics. Regular strength training can even help in reversing type 2 diabetes.

Weight training or strength training can be beneficial for people with diabetesPhoto Credit: iStock

Celebrity fitness expert Kayla Itsines shared this video on Instagram. It includes some common weight training exercises and their substitute exercises using body weight. Watch video below to see how each exercise is done. Make sure you do each exercise with the right technique.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

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Is Weight Training Important For Women? You Will Be Surprised To Know The Answer! - NDTV News

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How to Feed Your Brain to Combat Stress

Theres a very strong relationship between stress and our physical body. Muscle tension, for example,is a type of reflex reaction to stress. Its the bodys way of shielding itself from danger. It might feel like a nagging or gripping pain in the back of your neck or lower back as you type at your computer. Headaches are a close cousin. The relationship is so strong that it has its own term: stress headaches (also called tension headaches). Stress even causes digestive problems. It alters the concentration of stomach acid, which can lead to bloating, cramps, diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndromeand even peptic ulcers. Plus,stress upsets insulin production in the body, which can lead to diabetes and can cause strokes and heart attacks.Healthy diets have been shown to prevent all these harmful physical effects and even reverse the aging process. Your life is short. Your diet is an easy way to take control and maximize your wellbeing.

Having a healthy diet will make you a more effective leader. You owe it to yourself to fuel your brain and brodyproperly, sohere are four steps to create a successful diet plan.

Related: 5 Eating Habits That Rewire Your Brain for Success

Its important to start the day off right. You should make a habit of eating breakfast. Skipping breakfast may make it difficult to maintain stable blood-sugar levels. It matters what you put into your body. Try to choose high-fiber foods such as high-fiber cereals, steel-cut oatmeal, whole grain bread and fresh fruit. Fiber-rich foods digest slowly and keep you feeling full. They also jumpstart your metabolism and stabilize your blood-sugar levels. This will allow you to stay focused and reduce your anxiety and stress levels. As a leader, breakfast really can be the most important meal of the day, but it doesnt end there. You should constantly fuel your body and mind. Intermittent fasting for sugar control and weight loss can negatively affect your mind and relationships with your team. When you value the close connection between your stomach and your mind, you make the most of each day. The gift of life is short and fleeting.

Certain foods are toxic to your brain. You should try to steer clear of refined sugar. Try to avoid foods containing high levels of white sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. And you shouldnt put these foods in front of your team, either. You want to set them up for success. Diets low in sugar have been shown to increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a peptide responsible for the creation of new neurons. BDNF causes neurons to connect and combine and plays a critical role in neuroplasticity. Try to avoid stocking your breakroom or vending machines with products that are high in sugar and make for poor food choices. Also try to avoid foods with a high glycemic index like pastries, soft drinks and fast foods. Instead, try to go forfruits, honeyor maple syrup. Or better, yet go for a natural protein such as soy or seitan that will help to build muscle. Refined sugars will give you a quick boost of energy, but theyll quickly send your blood sugar on a roller coaster --and not an enjoyable one. When your blood sugar drops, your adrenal glands release stress hormones like cortisol. Your performance as a leader will suffer. Youll be more irate in conversations, your relationships will suffer, and you wont be able to make the right decisions that your team trusts you to make.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a gift to any leader. You deserve to include them in your diet. Nuts and seeds, including flaxseeds, chia seeds and walnuts, are your friends and partners.Nuts are known to be heart-protective and contain many antioxidants. Walnuts are especially health-promoting and are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower heart disease risk and reduce total cholesterol and LDL (aka bad cholesterol). Ultimately,omega-3s help to stabilize your adrenal hormones and prevent them from rising too high, especially when youre stressed. They are a powerful antidote against stress.

Its natural to crave caffeinated foods such as coffee, tea, soft drinksand chocolate, but its important to recognize that these foods can harm your overall well-being. Caffeine stimulates the production of cortisol, your bodys primary stress hormone and causes anxiety. Its okayto have the occasional cup of Joe, but try to avoid caffeinenear bedtime, as it may cause insomnia. You should also think about when and if to consume alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant and a sedative and alters the neurotransmitters in your brain. It may be tempting to grab a couple of beers or glasses of wine after a hard day, but try not to do this in excess, as your performance as a leader might take a nosedive. When youre stressed, youre more likely to give in to urges and impulses. Youre more likely to resort to using drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism. Unfortunately, the effects can result in long-term harm and addiction. Its best to avoid these temptations when youre experiencing high levels of stress.

Related: Quick Healthy-Eating Tips for Entrepreneurs

Your eating habits and stress levels go hand-in-hand. When youre stressed, its natural to want to reach for comfort foods like desserts, fast foodand alcohol, but these foods can be addictive and might trigger a downward spiral. By fueling your body for success, youll reduce your stress, improve your productivityand strengthen your relationship with your team, souse these four steps to create a high-performance diet plan.

This is only a jumping off point. There are a lot of additional ways to create a stress-quelling diet.Mybook, Stress-Less Leadership,helps you with diet as you wave away stress using your fourth finger, your physical finger.For a deeper approach, check outmy stressworkshops. And most importantly, take good care of yourself.

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How to Feed Your Brain to Combat Stress - Greenwich Time

By: True REST Float Spa | 0Shares 80Reads

December 23, 2019 // Franchising.com // PHOENIX - With the New Year just days away, True REST Float Spa, the world leader in flotation therapy and the largest float spa brand, tackles the five most commonly made New Years resolutions with one simple solution - flotation therapy.

New Years resolutions that top lists each year include losing weight, quitting smoking, cutting stress, getting more sleep and working out. All of these resolutions can be accomplished with the help of flotation therapy. Additionally, without much effort, flotation therapy practitioners can holistically relieve pain and heal faster.

For the uninitiated, flotation therapy, also known as sensory deprivation, allows clients to float effortlessly atop the water in a float tank or float pod. The True REST Float Spa traditional float pod is 8 feet long and over 4 feet tall and is filled with 10 inches of water and 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts - even denser than the Dead Sea. The water is warmed to a temperature of 93.5 F, the typical skin temperature. Within minutes, a deep state of relaxation and rejuvenation can be achieved. Floating provides a sensory and gravity-free environment that restricts external stimulus, so the mind and body can unwind, and natural healing can begin.

As with all chronic pain conditions and addictions, combating ones stress, which is at the root of these issues, is necessary, said Jim Rowe CEO of True REST Float Spa. Our flotation tanks help to heal the body and the mind. Flotation therapy offers a safe, all-natural, holistic option for alternative pain and stress treatment.

Sixty minutes at True REST Float Spa is all it takes for relief from pain and stress plus a better nights sleep. True REST Float Spa offers a member-based program that allows guests to float in a luxurious spa-like environment. While providing a unique experience, True REST Float Spa is committed to providing holistic treatments to individuals looking for respite.

For more information on True REST Float Spa, visit http://www.TrueREST.com. For more information on True REST Float Spa franchising, visit https://www.TrueRESTFranchising.comor contact Franchising@TrueREST.com.

True REST Float Spa is the world leader in flotation therapy and the largest float spa brand. In 2019, True REST Franchising LLC was ranked No. 7 in Entrepreneurs Top New Franchises and No. 234 in Entrepreneurs Top 500. With over 79 awarded locations, including 34 open locations and another 15 opening soon across the country, it is on its way to servicing 1 million floats. True REST Float Spa has created a luxury float spa experience in 10 inches of water and 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts. Members float effortlessly in their float suite. Each location is dedicated to providing pain relief, relaxation and better sleep through a 60-minute float session. True REST Float Spa offers monthly memberships, programs and packages. For more information, go to https://www.TrueREST.com/. Or visit, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrueREST/, Twitter: https://twitter.com/truerest or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truerest/. For franchising opportunities, go to https://www.TrueRESTfranchising.com.

Jo Trizila TrizCom PR on behalf of True REST Float Spa and True REST FranchisingOffice: 972-247-1369Email: Jo@TrizCom.com

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True REST Float Spa Tackles the Five Most Common New Year's Resolutions with One Simple and Effective Solution - Franchising.com

Every Vikings-Packers matchup carries with it the weight of rivalry, but there havent been too many regular-season games that carried as much additional importance as Mondays meeting, with the division title still undetermined and playoff seeding hanging in the balance. Both teams had reasons to be worried and hopeful, but it was ultimately the Vikings at home who disappointed their fans with an anemic showing and might have given them an unfortunate preview of the playoffs.

The Vikings second loss of the season against the Packers dropped them to 0-4 against teams that will finish better than 9-7 the kind of teams they are in line to face in the first round of the playoffs. What caused Mondays problem in the first place, and are there ways to avoid it looking the same against whoever is waiting for the Vikings in two weeks? Lets take a look at the negatives and, yes, the positives from the defeat.

Negative: Coaching...

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Vikings takeaways: Dissecting Monday's dreary loss and where they go from here - The Athletic

Inside every week or so numerous Britons can be placing themselves on a weight loss program to deal with the Christmas extra.

A 12 months in the past every girl right here resolved to deal with her weight and has now reaped the advantages for his or her well being, too, from banishing power again ache and despair, to placing bronchial asthma and sort 2 diabetes into remission in addition to shedding an incredible 70 stone between them.

Because of this every is going through a far more healthy, happier future than they had been final 12 months. From Christmas puddings to Christmas crackers, right here they inform their tales . . .

A 12 months in the past every girl right here resolved to deal with her weight and has now reaped the advantages for his or her well being, too. Pictured left to proper:Debbie Chesters, 51, Kate Mincher, 54, and Georgie Cox, 33

Debbie Chesters has misplaced5st since becoming a member of a slimming membership

DEBBIE CHESTERS, 51, a mom of two, works in a caf. She lives in Connahs Quay, North Wales, with husband Gareth, 55, a machine operator.

WEIGHT LOSS IN PAST YEAR: 5st (from 17st 7lb to 12st 7lb; peak, 5ft 4in).

DEBBIE SAYS: Two years in the past I used to be requested to get off a trip at Alton Towers theme park as a result of I used to be too giant for the attendants to close the protection bar over me. It was soul-destroying.

My weight affected every thing in my late teenagers I developed bronchial asthma that received worse as I put extra weight on.

I had to make use of an inhaler repeatedly and couldnt do any train or stroll very far as a result of it will set off an bronchial asthma assault.

Eight years in the past I used to be recognized with kind 2 diabetes too which meant doing fingerprick exams twice a day to observe my blood sugar ranges and taking two varieties of remedy.

Even then, attempting to regulate my blood sugar was a nightmare and I developed problems akin to numbness in my toes, brought on by nerve harm, and this can by no means restore.

However since becoming a member of a slimming membership, Ive misplaced 5st its reversed my kind 2 diabetes, so I dont should take remedy any extra and I dont undergo from bronchial asthma assaults both! Ive received a great deal of power a lot I stroll 30,000 steps every day. My docs are amazed by what Ive completed.

Kate Mincher has misplaced6st 3lb and stated her blood stress is now regular and her acid reflux disorder is gone

KATE MINCHER, 54, a mom of 1, is a enterprise improvement supervisor for an animal well being firm, and lives in Stockport, with companion Andy, 54, an engineer.

WEIGHT LOSS IN PAST YEAR: 6st 3lb (from 19st 1lb to 12st 12lb; peak, 5ft 6in).

KATE SAYS: At the beginning of final 12 months, I used to be so fats I might lie awake at evening frightened I used to be going to die and go away my son [aged 19] with out a mum.

From the age of 49, Id be puffing and panting even simply strolling a number of steps. My knees had been actually painful, and I suffered from dangerous acid reflux disorder and wanted day by day remedy for it the physician stated I may need to have tablets sooner or later for my blood stress, too.

This frightened me as we have now a historical past of coronary heart illness and sort 2 diabetes within the household and my mum had a stroke in her 50s and my dad had a coronary heart bypass.

I knew nothing was going to alter if I didnt change myself, so in January I went on a weight loss program.

Inside ten months Id misplaced six stone and I really feel fabulous. Now I play badminton repeatedly, and I feel nothing of swimming 30 lengths at a time.

My blood stress is now regular, my acid reflux disorder is gone and I dont pant once I stroll.

Ive turned my life round and have given myself the very best probability to see my son develop up.

Georgie Cox misplaced9st 1lb. She stated she struggled together with her weight all her life

GEORGIE COX, 33, who collates most cancers sufferers therapy plans, lives in Manchester with husband Trevor, 50, a pc analyst.

WEIGHT LOSS IN PAST YEAR: 9st 1lb (from 21st 4lb to 12st 3lb; peak, 5ft 3in).

GEORGIE SAYS: We had been about to take off on a flight final 12 months once I needed to ask for a seatbelt extension. I used to be mortified I felt that everybody was gazing me.

It wasnt simply embarrassing over the earlier three years, my toes had change into swollen and painful due to my weight. I limped and will solely put on delicate becoming sneakers and I used to be taking eight anti-inflammatory painkillers each different day. My physician instructed me the perfect factor I might do could be to shed weight.

Ive struggled with my weight all my life I used to be a secret eater. I might sit within the grocery store automobile park and gorge on chocolate and florentines earlier than driving residence.

After the seatbelt incident I modified my weight loss program: my plate was at all times a 3rd fruit and greens, and I didnt snack.

Since dropping pounds, my toes arent swollen any extra and I dont want painkillers. We went on a cruise in Could and I did each exercise going mountain climbing, bungee leaping, and ice skating. It was superb.

Cath Younger misplaced 9stafter reducing out cheese, butter, chocolate and crisps, pizza and ice-creamand consuming extra residence cooked veg dishes and contemporary fruit

CATH YOUNG, 56, a retired nurse and mom of two, lives in Cheadle Hulme, with husband Alan, 55, a pc design engineer.

WEIGHT LOSS IN PAST YEAR: 9st (from 19st 3lb to 10st 3lb; peak, 5ft 6in)

CATH SAYS: Two years in the past my again harm a lot that I used to be taking codeine 4 instances a day, and in October 2017 I needed to cease working for 3 weeks.

I requested my GP if my weight was making my again downside worse, and he or she stated that it was.

Ive struggled with my weight all my life, however on vacation in Wales final 12 months, once I might barely stroll a number of steps on the seashore, was the second I realised that issues needed to change.

As a result of Ive a household historical past of kind 2 diabetes I requested a health care provider the place I work to test my blood sugar ranges, which confirmed that I used to be pre-diabetic, too I actually didnt wish to go on to develop diabetes; as a nurse I knew the place it could lead on.

After reducing out cheese, butter, chocolate and crisps, pizza and ice-cream and consuming tons extra residence cooked veg dishes, with contemporary fruit, the load simply dropped off.

And as quickly as I misplaced even a number of kilos my ache improved.

My blood sugar is now regular, I dont have again ache, and dont want the paracetamol and anti-inflammatories I had been taking day by day. A 12 months in the past I might solely shuffle down the seashore: now I run 5km three or 4 instances every week.

I can hardly consider it.

Left to proper: Cath Younger has misplaced 9st, Michelle ONeill has misplaced almost 7st and Michele Rogers has misplaced 8st

Michelle ONeill joined the Cambridge Weight Plan and misplaced almost two stone within the first month

MICHELLE ONEILL, 45, lives in Manchester together with her fianc Dominic Danger, 43, a supervisor for a bus firm. She has two youngsters Kaya, 20, and Cenk, 24.

WEIGHT LOSS IN PAST YEAR: 6st 4lb (from 20st to 13st 10lb; peak, 5ft 7in)

MICHELLE SAYS: Eight months in the past I had my first correct evenings sleep since 2017. Thats once I developed sleep apnoea once I lay down at evening, the fats round my neck would crush my airway and briefly interrupt my respiration, that means I woke round 30 instances an evening.

Dominic by no means slept correctly both as he was terrified I used to be going to die, so he would preserve checking on me.

The docs stated sleep apnoea put me at a larger threat of dying from coronary heart illness as a result of it was placing stress on my coronary heart. I used to be additionally at all times drained in the course of the day, and would go to sleep anyplace. That wasnt my solely challenge.

In 2017 I wanted a proper knee substitute after an accident at work however due to my weight I wanted a wheelchair for a 12 months: each knees prompted me horrific ache and my physician warned me in the summertime of 2018 I would want it completely until I misplaced weight.

That basically frightened me, so I joined the Cambridge Weight Plan and misplaced almost two stone within the first month. By the point Id misplaced 5 stone, the ache in my knees had diminished a lot I didnt want a wheelchair any extra.

And my sleep apnoea had gone, too. I get up feeling refreshed life is regular once more.

Michele Rogers stated gazing pictures of herself at New 12 months final 12 months shocked her into motion

MICHELE ROGERS, 46, a housewife, lives in Stockport with husband John, 48, a elements supervisor for a automobile firm. Theyve two youngsters Danielle, 22, and James, 19. 46, a housewife, lives in Stockport with husband John, 48, a elements supervisor for a automobile firm. Theyve two youngsters Danielle, 22, and James, 19.

WEIGHT LOSS IN PAST YEAR: 8st 1lb (from 20st 1lb to 12st; peak, 5ft 7in)

MICHELE SAYS: Gazing pictures of myself at New 12 months final 12 months I couldnt consider how huge Id received. It shocked me into motion. It wasnt nearly how I appeared Id additionally had a protracted battle with breast most cancers, and docs instructed me that shedding the load would reduce the chance of it returning.

Id been recognized with triple damaging breast most cancers, an aggressive type, in December 2014. After chemotherapy and a double mastectomy I additionally had my ovaries eliminated as a result of I used to be at raised threat of ovarian most cancers, too. It was terrifying and I consolation ate lots once I was first recognized.

However that image made me confront my weight: I wished to be round for my youngsters. I threw out the white bread, and stopped shopping for biscuits, truffles and crisps and I reached my goal weight in August.

I really feel implausible. Ive simply celebrated 5 years in remission. Initially I used to be instructed I had an 80 per cent probability of the most cancers coming again, however now docs say dropping pounds has drastically diminished that determine.

Left to proper: Georgia Lawton has misplaced 7st, Elanor Darman has misplaced 10st and Rebecca Mellor has misplaced 6st

Georgia Lawton stated for years her temper spiralled down as her weight elevated

GEORGIA LAWTON, 22, lives in Stockport together with her companion Louis Waldron, 24, an accountant. Georgia, a assist employee, has dropped from a dimension 26 to a 10/12.

WEIGHT LOSS IN PAST YEAR: 7st (from 18st to 11st; peak, 5ft 7in)

GEORGIA SAYS: For years my temper spiralled down as my weight elevated. At instances my despair may very well be so crushing I couldnt get away from bed. Simply over a 12 months in the past I hit all-time low and wanted six months off work.

My physician prescribed antidepressants Prozac and citalopram however they didnt assist and I used to be consolation consuming much more. Id have takeaways a number of instances a day.

My weight affected my relationship with Louis I by no means wished to exit, so he had a separate social life. Then, simply earlier than final Christmas, a buddy begged me to go together with her to a slimming membership.

I didnt have any intention of becoming a member of, I used to be going to maintain her firm. However one of many members had misplaced half a stone and was so excited, I joined.

For the primary time in years, I felt a spark of one thing optimistic. The subsequent day I modified what I used to be consuming breakfast was now fruit and yoghurt, and a jacket potato for lunch. No extra takeaways.

Inside 4 weeks Id misplaced a stone: stepping on the scales was giving me such a buzz I realised I didnt want antidepressants any extra so I finished them my physician was completely satisfied for me to do that.

By August Id misplaced 7st and for the primary time in years, Im actually having fun with life. Melancholy and anxiousness are previously now.

Ellie Darman stated sheat all times wished to shed weight however struggled to regulate her consuming

ELLIE DARMAN, 44, lives in Leicester and works as a configuration and information engineer for Rolls-Royce.

WEIGHT LOSS IN PAST YEAR: 12st (from 24st 3lb to 12st 3lb; peak, 5ft 11in)

ELLIE SAYS: Ive at all times been obese however ten years in the past, I used to be recognized with an auto-immune situation, psoriatic arthritis my joints grew to become actually painful and since I used to be carrying an additional 12 stone, I struggled to maneuver.

All my joints are affected knees, ankles, elbows, wrists and hips and Ill in all probability want a number of joint replacements at some stage, however being so obese meant that Id have them sooner.

Id at all times wished to shed weight however struggled to regulate my consuming. Then a 12 months in the past, I made a decision to hitch WeightWatchers as Id lastly had sufficient of my weight making my issues worse.

In addition to making higher selections swapping my cereal and toast for granola and yoghurt I began batch cooking meals from scratch.

As quickly as the load began to fall off, my joints grew to become extra versatile. My marketing consultant has instructed me my weight reduction has considerably delayed the necessity for joint replacements.

I nonetheless have this situation it is going to by no means be cured, however now I can transfer round with out getting out of breath and have halved my remedy, which is implausible as a result of there are side-effects to it illness, hair loss, even an elevated threat of most cancers.

Its by far the perfect factor Ive ever completed.

Rebecca Mellor stated aged 32 she might solely crawl up the steps as her knees had been so painful

REBECCA MELLOR, 41, a deputy head instructor, lives in Cheadle, Cheshire, with husband Stu, 42, a decorator.

WEIGHT LOSS IN PAST YEAR: 6st 3lb (from 18st 11lb to 12st 8lb; peak, 5ft 11in)

REBECCA SAYS: Aged 32 I might solely crawl up the steps as my knees had been so painful. I needed to take two anti-inflammatory painkillers day-after-day simply to stroll round. My GP stated if I didnt slim down I may very well be taking a look at knee replacements.

I additionally had very hypertension and since I used to be 39, Id been on two varieties of blood stress tablets.

My weight loss program was very unhealthy. I wouldnt have breakfast lunch could be sandwiches and crisps, and Id have a pizza or a takeaway at evening.

I joined Slimming World final 12 months and my weight loss program is far more healthy now.

Losing a few pounds has given me a brand new lease of life. My knees arent painful weve simply received a canine and I stroll him for hours every day, no downside.

And my blood stress remedy has been halved. Good.

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Meet the inspirational women who lost 70st between them in 2019 - Herald Publicist

CALL OF THE WILD

ICYMI: Were in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, and we humans are responsible.

If it sounds bad, thats because it is. Earlier this year, the UNs Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services released a dire report clarifying the extent of this planetary crisis. Around one million species of plants and animals on Earth face extinction an unprecedented loss scientists and activists are racing to curb.

Now it appears that changes in biodiversity over time are a lot more complicated than we thought. The findings of a new study, published in Science, indicate that at the local level, the actual number of species in a place are holding steady or even going up. So, whats going on?

It turns out that every decade or so, almost 30 percent of all species are being swapped out for other species in any given ecosystem. The relative constancy of species numbers actually masks changes in their identities. These findings have led scientists to question whether species richness (the number of species living in a given area) is actually a misleading metric for biodiversity. The global biodiversity crisis isnt just about loss its about a large-scale reshuffling.

As McGill researcher and study coauthor Andrew Gonzalez put it, The Earth is going through a great geographic reorganization of its biodiversity in response to human activities and climate change. Given what we know it is likely this will continue for decades to come.

The researchers also noted that, while this reorganization is happening everywhere, in some environments, its happening much more quickly. For instance, the turnover in tropical marine hotspots is twice as fast as on land.

Will clarifying these temporal and spatial differences in biodiversity change help refine conservation planning across ecosystems? We hope so.

FINDINGS

Microplastics, it seems, are pretty much everywhere these days.

Theyre in our water, our air, and yes, our soils. And evidence of potential repercussions is mounting, including for the humble earthworm.

New research indicates that worms in microplastic-polluted soils dont do as well as their non-plastic-ingesting relatives. Specifically, scientists found that worms in soil contaminated with high density polyethylene (HDPE), which is commonly used to make bags and bottles, lost 3 percent of their body weight over 30 days, while worms in HDPE-free soil gained 5 percent of their body weight over the same amount of time.

The researchers arent entirely sure how microplastics contribute to weight loss, but suspect it could be related to digestion, including, as Bas Boots, lecturer in biology at Englands Anglia Ruskin University and lead author of the study, put it, obstruction and irritation of the digestive tract, limiting the absorption of nutrients and reducing growth.

Given worms role in soil ecosystems, the findings, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, raise some alarm for the health of soils across the world that are the foundation for our agricultural lands, forests, and grasslands.

CALL OF THE WILD

For centuries, ayahuasca, a psychotropic plant brew, has been central to shamanic rituals across much of South Americas rainforest region. Today, its a life-altering, mind-opening trip thats sought out by thousands of tourists chasing the holy grail of highs, one thats turned a traditional Amazonian healing ceremony into a booming industry.

Ayahuasca tourism has been criticized on many levels. The teas main ingredients, the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) and chacruna leaves (Psychotria viridis) are now wildly over-harvested, destabilizing an already fragile Amazon ecosystem. And of course, the whole practice smacks of Westerners appropriating and commodifying the spiritual practices of other cultures, yet again.

As Mongabay reports, theres another reason to be wary: it turns out that commercialized ayahuasca tourism is a driver of trade of jaguar body parts. Recent research, published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice this October, found that pendants made from jaguar canine teeth, jaguar skin bracelets, jaguar paws, and other jaguar products are being sold to tourists to supposedly enhance the ayahuasca experience.

Jaguars are listed as nearly threatened on the IUCN Red List, and their population is already at risk because of habitat destruction, trophy hunting, and retaliatory killings by ranchers. Jaguar body parts are also highly sought after by the Chinese market; the study found that the recent ayahuasca boom has heightened this demand.

Unless stronger regulations on ayahuasca tourism and wildlife trafficking are enforced soon, researchers and conservationists fear we will lose more jaguars as we try to find ourselves.

NO COMMENT

Since early September, oil has mysteriously been washing up on beaches across northeastern Brazil. Locals say the toll on wildlife and the fishing industry has been high. But in a Facebook Live event in November, Brazilian Secretary of Aquaculture and Fisheries Jorge Seif Jnior said otherwise, suggesting theres little risk to fish. The fish is an intelligent animal, he explained. When it sees a blanket of oil, it flees.

THE BIG OPEN

This past summer, the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) made a big announcement: After mulling the possibility since 2016, the bureau confirmed that it would be moving its headquarters from Washington, DC to Grand Junction, CO. Then, in September, the Interior Department doubled down on the plan. Not only would the BLM headquarters be vacating the capital, their new Colorado office would be located in a building shared with oil and gas companies, including Chevron and Laramie Energy, and the industry trade group West Slope Oil and Gas.

To say its concerning is an understatement, Jim Ramey, state director for the Wilderness Society, told the Denver Post. It really struck me that on the same day as an international climate change strike, the BLM has no shame announcing that its going to set up shop with fossil fuel companies.

The BLM, a bureau of the US Department of the Interior, manages some 250 million acres of public lands, mainly in the West. The move is being touted as an opportunity to put BLM officials closer to the land they are responsible for, and ironically, given the new office space farther from special interests.

But critics have pointed out that, even before the announcement, only a paltry 4 percent of BLM staff were located in Washington, and that the move could result in the loss of career employees hesitant to uproot their lives.

As Michael Saul, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, put it: Putting the BLM office in the same building as the West Slope Oil and Gas Association makes it clear that [Interior Secretary Bernhardt] means to make it absolutely clear to BLM staffers that if youre not putting oil and gas first, youre not loyal to the mission.

CALL OF THE WILD

California has been ahead of the pack when it comes to ending the controversial fur trade. After signing a bill to ban the trapping of animals for their fur this summer, in October, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a second bill banning the sale of fur products in the Golden State.

The new law, which will go into effect in 2023, makes it illegal to sell or make clothing from fur, though it includes exceptions for religious and cultural practices. It also bans the use of most animals in circus performances.

California is a leader when it comes to animal welfare, and today that leadership includes banning the sale of fur, Newsom said in a declaration when he signed the bill. But were doing more than that. We are making a statement to the world that beautiful wild animals like bears and tigers have no place on trapeze wires or jumping through flames.

The statewide law follows several local bans on fur sales, including in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Los Angeles.

CALL OF THE WILD

This fall, Hawaii officially jumped into the climate liability fray. In late October and early November respectively, the City of Maui and the City and County of Honolulu announced that they would both sue fossil fuel companies for their contribution to the climate crisis.

The evidence is piling up that just as big tobacco misled the public and policymakers about the danger of smoking, big oil waged a decades-long deception campaign and covered up the origins of todays climate crisis, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said of the decision.

With these plans, Maui and Honolulu join the ranks of more than a dozen cities, counties, and states suing fossil fuel companies to recoup some of the costs associated with the climate crisis. Hawaiis infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to climate-related sea-level rise, and global warming is expected to increase the risk of drought and wildfire. As Hawaii News Now reported, this year, some 23,000 acres have burned in Maui County, nearly six times more than last year.

The Honolulu suit is part of a joint effort between Mayor Caldwell and the City Council, and is expected to name Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell, and ExxonMobil, among several other oil and gas companies, as defendants. Maui will likely name similar corporate actors.

This lawsuit is about accountability, Maui Mayor Michael Victorino said at a press conference announcing the decision. Fossil fuel companies knew their own experts warned them about the potentially severe or catastrophic effects of doing business as usual, and the damage that could be caused by producing, marketing, and selling their products. We can no longer allow fossil fuel companies to shift the cost of paying for the effects of sea level rise and climate change to our taxpayers.

UPWELL

On the night of November 12, as the historic lagoon city of Venice was battling the worst flooding in half a century, the council for the northeastern region of Veneto which includes Venice and is headquartered in the city rejected proposed budget amendments to tackle climate change. Mere minutes later, floodwaters reportedly rushed into the councils chambers on Venices Grand Canal.

Sharing pictures of the council chamber in Ferro Fini Palace as it was filling up with water, Andrea Zanoni, the Democratic partys deputy chairman of the councils environment committee, wrote on Facebook: Ironically, the chamber was flooded two minutes after the majority League, Brothers of Italy, and Forza Italia parties rejected our proposals to tackle climate change.

Amendments to the 2020 budget proposed by the center-left Democratic party included measures to fund renewable energy sources, replace diesel buses with less polluting ones, scrap polluting stoves, and reduce the impact of plastics, Zanoni said. The environmental campaigner took particular aim at Luca Zaia, the Veneto president and League politician, for presenting a budget that contained no concrete plan to tackle climate change.

The councils president, the Leagues Roberto Ciambetti, rejected Zanonis accusations in a statement to CNN. Beyond propaganda and deceptive reading, we are voting (for) a regional budget that spent 965 million Euros over the past three years in the fight against air pollution, smog, which is a determining factor in climate change, he said.

Venice, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was hit with the unprecedented flood thanks to a combination of seasonal high tides, heavy rainfall, and ongoing subsidence of the city. Reuters reports that a nearly 6-foot tide sent waist-high water flowing through St. Marks Square, cast the citys world-famous gondolas onto walkways, and threatened its medieval, Baroque, and Renaissance art and architecture. The city has about 50,000 residents, but about 20 million tourists visit every year.

The Italian government declared a state of emergency in the city on November 14. In a Facebook post Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called the damage to the city a blow to the heart of our country.

AROUND THE WORLD

Its sometimes said that water is worth its weight in gold. While that may not be strictly true in an economic sense, its hard to think of any other natural resource as vital to life as simple H2O. (Well, air maybe!) Our reliance on water for everything from quenching our thirst, to agriculture, industry, and energy production, becomes all the more obvious in water-scarce times, when conflict over freshwater resources can quickly escalate.

Water-based conflicts are nothing new humans have been fighting over finite resources for millennia. But in a warming world, they are poised to become more common, making efforts to improve water management, efficient water use, and water equity all the more urgent across the globe. Here are just a few examples of recent water-based conflicts compiled in the Pacific Institutes Water Conflict Chronology, which has been tracking water-related conflicts since the 1980s.

Sources: Pacific Institute, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Times of India, Water Education Colorado, Circle of Blue, Amnesty International

1 Mali

This year, hundreds of civilians in central Mali have been killed in conflicts between nomadic Fulani herders and the Dogon ethnic group. The conflict is rooted in ethnic tensions, but has been exacerbated by disputes over land and water, and may be escalating as droughts become longer and more frequent in the region. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes to escape the violence, and are now living in tent encampments. (Water- and land-based disputes between farmers and pastoralists have been reported in Chad and Kenya this year as well.)

2 India

This June, India experienced one of its longest heatwaves in recent history. Dozens of people died as temperatures in parts of the country reached 123 degrees F. Some regions are now dependent on tankers to meet their water needs during the dry months. For example, in the western state of Maharashtra, more than 6,000 public and private tankers bring water to 15,000 villages daily. During the heatwave, multiple conflicts broke out at water distribution sites around the country, some of which resulted in serious injuries. With some 600 million Indians now facing acute water shortages, more conflicts seem likely.

3 United States

The Colorado River has long been a flashpoint when it comes to decision-making over limited water resources in the American West. The rivers water is diverted to quench the thirst of tens of millions of people, and to irrigate millions of acres of cropland. This August, tensions over the river escalated when suspected eco-activists caused some $1 million in damage to a water collection system on Berthoud Pass in central Colorado. The collection system is part of a larger network of canals, pipelines and more that divert water from the upper Colorado to population centers in the Front Range. Plans to divert more water from the upper Colorado River, as well as the Fraser River, have also been met with lawsuits from environmental groups like the Sierra Club and WildEarth Guardians.

4 Mexico

In the Mexican state of Morales, environmental activists have been fighting a thermal-electric plant and pipeline that they worry will contaminate local water supplies. In February, the controversy over the project came to a head with the murder of project-opponent Samir Flores Soberanes. The Peoples Front in Defense of the Land and Water for the states of Morelos, Puebla, and Tlaxcala alleges Flores Soberanes was killed because of his activism against the plant. (Late last year, two vocal opponents of a dam in western Guatemala were also murdered near the hydroelectric project they opposed.)

5 Iraq

Last year, more than 100,000 people were hospitalized in Iraq after drinking contaminated water in the southeastern city of Basra. The crisis led to steep increases in water costs which hit the citys poorest residents the hardest and led to widespread protests. At least 15 people died during the protest, many at the hands of security forces. Basra isnt alone when it comes to water conflicts in Iraq: Water shortages prompted the government to ban the planting of summer crops across the country last year, inflaming protests as well.

TEMPERATURE GAUGE

Its not always easy being green, but a bunch of big banks are giving it a try. In September, 130 banks representing some $47 trillion in assets took the major step of adopting the new UN Principles for Responsible Banking. By signing on to the principles, the banks agree to align their businesses with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals.

A banking industry that plans for the risks associated with climate change and other environmental challenges can not only drive the transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies, it can benefit from it, Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said in a statement after the banks signed the document. When the financial system shifts its capital away from resource-hungry, brown investments to those that back nature as solution, everybody wins in the long-term.

This responsible banking initiative was launched just ahead of the UN Climate Action Summit in New York. The core principles were developed through a partnership between 30 founding banks and the UNEP Finance Initiative. Among other things, they encourage lenders to set targets to increase positive impacts, and reduce negative impacts, on the environment; encourage clients to adopt sustainable practices; and ask them to be transparent about progress towards these goals.

Ultimately, banks that are not in line with their commitments and do not make progress can be stripped of their signatory status, Simone Dettling, banking team lead for the Geneva-based UNEP Finance Initiative, told Reuters.

CALL OF THE WILD

With species dying out all around us on a daily basis, news of an assumed-extinct creature reappearing out of the blue is always a thing to celebrate. So members of the global conservation community were all a-cheer in early November when news broke that the silver-backed chevrotain, a tiny deer-like species not seen by scientists for nearly three decades, had been photographed recently in a forest in southern Vietnam.

Also called the Vietnamese mouse-deer, the silver-backed chevrotain was listed as one of the worlds most wanted mammals. Like other assumed lost species that havent been spotted for decades such as the Himalayan quail in India, the New Zealand greater short-tailed bat, and Venezuelas scarlet harlequin frog conservationists have long suspected that this species might not yet be extinct.

First described by British zoologist Oldfield Thomas in 1910 based on four dead specimens, the silver-backed chevrotain was last seen, dead again, in 1990, when a team of Russian researchers obtained a specimen from Vietnamese hunters. But it now appears that the animal has somehow managed to hang on in a region of Vietnam ravaged by poaching.

There are 10 known species of chevrotain in the world, primarily located in Asia. Despite their nickname, chevrotains are neither mice nor deer, but the worlds smallest ungulates (hoofed mammals). Typically weighing less than 10 pounds, they are shy and solitary creatures who appear to walk on the tips of their hooves and have two tiny fangs.

After a number of interviews in recent years with local villagers and government forest rangers who reported seeing a gray chevrotain rather than the more common, reddish-brown lesser chevrotain researchers with Global Wildlife Conservation and its partners, Southern Institute of Ecology and Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, set three camera traps for five months in the area of southern Vietnam where locals indicated they may have seen the animal. The cameras recorded 280 sightings of the animal within nine months. The teams findings were reported in the November 11 issue of the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

For so long this species has seemingly only existed as part of our imagination. Discovering that it is, indeed, still out there, is the first step in ensuring we dont lose it again, and were moving quickly now to figure out how best to protect it, An Nguyen, a conservation scientist at the Leibniz Institute and lead author of the journal report, said in a statement.

Like all ostensibly lost species, conservationists know very little about the silver-backed chevrotain. The researchers will now have to determine how large, and stable, this population of the Vietnamese mouse-deer is, the wider distribution of the species, and the threats to its survival.

TEMPERATURE GAUGE

Trump v. California (and the climate)

Trumps barbs and snipes against California have been unrelenting (just scroll through his Twitter feed). But hostilities between the president and the nations largest state have recently escalated.

In October, the US Justice Department sued California, for wait for it trying to ensure clean air. According to CNN, prosecutors claim that the states 2013 environmental agreement with Quebec, Canada, bypassed federal authority. The cap-and-trade system between the two regions limits the amount of greenhouse gases that industrial and power plants can emit a move that would probably be lauded if the country werent helmed by a climate change denier.

In a statement released by the Justice Department, Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark accused the Golden State of veering outside of its proper constitutional lane and undermining the Presidents ability to negotiate competitive agreements with other nations.

The suit is just the latest in a long string of salvos geared towards dismantling Californias progressive environmental policies. Trump recently revoked the states authority to set its own vehicle emission standards. Hes pushing to drill for oil off the California coast, and his fracking plan threatens one million acres of the states public land. Earlier this year, the administration cancelled nearly a billion dollars in funding for Californias high-speed rail project, calling it a green disaster. And in early November, as wildfires blazed in the northern and southern parts of the state, he yet again took to Twitter to criticize Californias forest management, threatened to cut federal firefighting aid, and repeated his old trope about how Governor Gavin Newsom must clean his forest floors regardless of what his bosses, the environmentalists, DEMAND of him.

Thankfully, Newsom isnt backing down. He described the Justice Department suit as part of a political vendetta against California, our climate policies, and the health of our communities, noting that the states cap-and-trade program has served as a model for similar policies around the world.

TABLE TALK

New guidelines: No need to reduce red or processed meat consumption for good health.

No, thats not a headline grabber from some beef industry shill, its from a press release for a review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine this past September.

The press release announced that a panel of experts from seven countries had conducted a series of systematic reviews and concluded contrary to nearly all other existing guidelines that most adults could continue to eat red meat and processed meat at current levels. The evidence of any impacts on heart disease, diabetes, or cancer outcomes was too weak to suggest cutting back, they claimed.

The resulting outrage was widespread. Scores of nutrition experts, including food policy advocate Marion Nestle, noted that this contradicted decades of observational studies, including the latest recommendations from the US Dietary Guidelines, the EAT Lancet commission, and the World Health Organization. (It turns out that the panel used a research-rating system that discounted previous nutrition studies to arrive at its controversial findings.)

Others noted that red meat consumption isnt just about human health, either. The environmental impact of meat production is well established, but the panel chose to overlook it entirely, not to mention the killing of more than 150 billion animals for food every year. We know that meat and dairy provide just 18 percent of the worlds calories, but produce 60 percent of the agricultural sectors greenhouse gas emissions. If were trying to limit warming and ensure a livable planet for future generations, then wed do well to skip the steak a bit more often, and pile our plates with plant-based foods.

CALL OF THE WILD

Less than two months after announcing a countrywide ban on six different single-use plastic products, the Indian government has backtracked, saying it will rely instead on voluntary measures to reduce plastic pollution.

Just this summer, India made the much-celebrated announcement that it would implement a nationwide ban on six single-use plastic items, including bags, cups, and straws. The ban was meant to be imposed on October 2, the 150th birth anniversary of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. However, when October 2 rolled around, the government back-tracked, saying it wouldnt impose a blanket regulation on those products after all.

Officials indicated that the policy reversal was made in response to industry concerns. There was a conscious decision within the government not to hit businesses hard for now and discourage use of plastic only on a voluntary basis, said a government representative who asked not to be identified due to government rules.

The six-item ban was meant to be part of a larger effort to rid the country of single-use plastics by 2022. For now, it seems, India will rely on education and recycling initiatives to reduce its plastic footprint a heavy lift, given the 14 million tons of plastic used annually there.

Link:
Talking Points: Winter 2020 - Earth Island Journal