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Top 10 Tips for Staying Healthy, Sexy, and Thin

October 21, 2016 by Tammy Robinson 2 Comments

Everyone wants to stay beautifully thin and healthy. Unfortunately, for many, time and gravity plays a part in our lives, causing our waists to expand and our chests to sag.

Unfortunately, most of us are looking for a magic pill to take care of those pesky problems such as the proverbial spare tire and flabby upper arms.

What few people know is that you can actually keep yourself slim and younger looking, not to mention healthy, by simply following a few tips.

Keep reading to find out just how easy it is to stay healthy, sexy, and thin by practicing a few simple rules most days of the week!

Follow the 80 percent Rule

Most of us love to eat, and why not? It is one of life’s true pleasures! Unfortunately, we tend to eat too much most of the time. You can still enjoy all the food life has to offer, every delicious morsel, and still stay thin. How? Stop eating when you are about 80 percent full. This means you can eat a healthy meal, enjoy a glass of wine, even chocolate cake for dessert! You just need to stop eating when you feel almost full. Slowdown while you are eating and you will feel when you are just about full. This is the time to stop.

Keep a Lookout for Oversized Portions

Too many of us feel that we must clean our plates when we are served as we don’t want food to go to waste. While no one should waste food, keep in mind that by giving yourself smaller portions, you won’t feel forced to finish everything. Remember that you can always serve yourself more if you are still hungry.

When eating out, choose lunch entrees over the dinner sized portion if possible or simply ask for a doggie bag right away and put half (or more) away for tomorrow’s lunch. Eat a salad first and drink a glass of water before you eat anything else.

Cut Back on TV and Video Games

We spend far too much time watching television and playing video games. While these are entertaining pastimes, they are not meant to be indulged in for hours at a time. In fact, you can easily moderate your pastimes with exercise by making a schedule that for every hour you watch TV or play video games, you must spend 1 hour doing exercise or some other type of chore, such as walking the dog, playing outside with your children, cleaning the house, or helping out at a soup kitchen. You can do almost anything during that hour, but you have to make it something where you aren’t sitting or lying down.

Cut Back on Fast Food

Let’s face it; cooking at home from scratch is time consuming and not that much fun for most people. However, the other side of that coin is that fast food is expensive, fattening, and not at all good for you.

Work at making fast food an occasional treat or to be used in a true emergency when you can’t get home and don’t have time for a restaurant. Fast food can be a particularly nasty habit to break, but it can be done.

Mark on a calendar, over a 30 day period every time you eat at a fast food restaurant. For example, let’s say you discover that you are eating at Mickey D’s 3 times a week. During the next month, work at cutting it back to twice a week. The following month, once a week. The next month, make it only 3 times per month. This is a fairly easy way to withdraw from the fast food addiction blues.

Control Stress

Uncontrolled, ongoing stress is as dangerous to your body as getting drunk every day. Find ways to reduce and manage stress in your life. You can start by removing people who cause you stress, or at least limiting the amount of time you spend with them. Then learn ways to manage your stress through relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises, yoga, and meditation.

Be Sun Safe

Although the human body needs a bit of sunlight, it doesn’t need much. Try to get 30 minutes of sun exposure on your bare skin most days. Early morning sun is best. After that, avoid the sun during the hours of 10AM and 3 PM when the sun is at its strongest. Wear sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, and other protective clothing or seek out the shade as much as possible. Be especially careful with your face, unless you think sunspots, wrinkles, and leathery looking skin is beautiful.

Exercise

While you might feel that you don’t have time to exercise, almost everyone can squeeze in 30 minutes most days. Try taking three 10 minute segments if you must. Walk as fast as you can for 5 minutes, then turn around and walk back. If you do that 3 times a day – you’re finished! Some weight training and other exercise would be extra beneficial, but if this was all you could manage, you would be far ahead of the crowd.

Get Your Rest

Americans tend to think of sleeping as something that the elderly and “weak” people do a lot of. This is not true and can be detrimental to your health. Your body needs time to reset, to heal, to repair, and to build everything from new muscle to new brain cells. It can only do this when you are asleep. Most people need 7 to 9 hours each night to feel their best. No, sleeping in an extra 4 hours on the weekend won’t make up for it. Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep each and every night.

Be Social

Study after study has found that people who stay in contact with friends and/or family are happier, healthier, and live longer. This doesn’t mean you have to be best buddies with your in-laws, but stay in touch with people who make you feel good and those that make you laugh. People who have a positive outlook on life are also healthier and live longer than those negative Nancy’s. Find people who you have fun with and those that make you feel good about yourself. Yes, it really is that simple.

Everything in Moderation

This really is the key to life. Everything in moderation, including moderation. This means that it’s OK to stay out really late every now and then, to eat a big piece of cake on your birthday, and to lie in bed watching a 6 hour Breaking Bad marathon. It’s NOT ok, however, to do this every weekend!

Of course, if you only followed these tips and you continued to smoke or drink to excess on a regular basis, don’t be surprised if you find yourself flabby and not-so-fit. These are simply tips to help you stay on the healthy, positive side of life as much as possible. The real work, however, is up to you.

Bitter Almonds and Cancer: Here is the Bitter Truth of It.

July 14, 2016 by Tammy Robinson 14 Comments

Have you seen this meme on your favorite social media site lately? It implies that the US government outlawed bitter almonds, and the tree, because they know that the almonds are a good source of B17, which is “known” to kill cancer.

What do you think of this? Do you think this is true? Does this sound like a huge pile of woo? We are going to look at the link between bitter almonds, B17, and cancer, so we can find out what the bitter truth is.

First, What Exactly Are Bitter Almonds?

There are two types of almond trees in the world, bitter and sweet. Sweet almonds, often simply referred to as just “almonds”, are the kind you find in your food, candy, and everyday nut jars. These are grown in many places in the US, and are a favorite snack for many people.

However, bitter almonds are pretty much what the name implies. They have a bitter aftertaste , but otherwise look like almonds. These almonds, however, are extremely high in cyanide. Yes, you read that correctly, cyanide. In fact, just 7 or 8 almonds can kill a child, and a handful of 20 or so can kill an adult. These are no joke.

So Why Did the US Ban Them?

They didn’t. Bitter almond trees are beautiful and are used as ornamental trees in many locations, especially in and around California. Bitter almond products are what cannot be sold in the US, unless they have gone through an extensive refining process which removes the cyanide. The FDA has also banned any product containing bitter almonds that claim to be “cancer cures”.

Laetrile, B17, and Cancer

Vitamin B17 is a naturally occurring substance found in the pits or seeds of some fruits, including apple seeds and apricot pits, as well as bitter almond. The registered patent for B17 uses the trade name Laetrile. It was founded in 1830 by a pair of French chemists and tried out as an anticancer agent in Germany as far back as 1892. It was found to be ineffective and extremely toxic. ( Which is a nice way of saying people died from the treatment). In the early 1950’s, a doctor, Ernst Krebs and his son, Ernst Jr., began to try a new “purified” form of laetrile to treat cancer patients. It didn’t work. Over the years, Laetrile has been touted by many snake oil salespeople as a “cure” for cancer, but there has never been one study, or even one person, who has showed scientific proof that laetrile has done anything but clean out their bank accounts.

In the early 1970’s, a man from Kansas, who had been diagnosed with a polyp in his colon, decided against surgery and instead had his doctor burn off the polyp. He then consumed vitamins and Laetrile. This seed salesman from Kansas then became convinced that Laetrile had “cured” his cancer, even though the polyp had been successfully removed by his doctor. This is what began the real “Laetrile” movement. This gentleman, named Glen Rutherford, petitioned the court saying that laetrile should be sold to terminal cancer patients and bypass FDA rulings.

The Aftermath

Because the court denied Mr. Rutherfords request, people began believing that the government was “holding out” on a cancer cure. There were several cases of people dying after receiving laetrile in Mexico.

Josef Hofbauer – This 9 year old had Hodgkin’s disease. With chemotherapy, this type of cancer has a 95% 5 year survival rate. His parents rejected all treatments and gave their son laetrile. He died two years afterwards.
Chad Green – He was only 2 and had been diagnosed with leukemia. He underwent traditional chemotherapy and the disease went into remission very quickly, however, his parents heard about laetrile and decided to discontinue chemotherapy. Chad quickly developed signs of cyanide poisoning and doctors petitioned the courts to remove Chad from his parents’ care. They fled to Mexico to continue treatment, where Chad died within a few months due to cyanide poisoning.
Steve McQueen– This famous actor had lung cancer and was told by doctors in America that there was nothing they could do for him at the time (1980) also went to Mexico for coffee enemas and laetrile treatments for three months. He claimed he was “cured” but developed metastasis and had developed a cancerous tumor on his liver, abdomen, and neck within months. McQueen again returned to Mexico to have the tumors removed, despite doctors in the US telling him that the cyanide he had taken had weakened his heart and that he would not survive an operation. He died on the operating table.

The Bottom Line

After Steve McQueens death, laetrile quietly went away. Until social media sites and young people, who missed all the hoopla in the 70’s and 80’s, brought it back to life and gave it a conspiracy theory twist.

The development of many types of cancer is a multi-staged process involving cell mutation, our DNA, and the mutation of genes, along with the malfunction of the body’s natural repair system, and the immune’s system either inability to correct the problem or to recognize the problem in the first place.

This means that chances are that there will not be a single food, drug, or process that will stop or cure cancer. There are many different types of cancer, not only the body part that is affected. You can bet that it will be science that finally figures out a cure.

Oh, and the old “there is no money in a cure”, simply isn’t true. Scientists, their families, friends, billionaires, and important political figures in this world still die from cancer. Don’t you think that if you knew the cure for cancer, even if you were paid to suppress it, you would at least give it to your mother? Father? Children? Spouse? And if there was a cure, as many conspiracy theorists claim, wouldn’t insurance companies want to know about it? Why would they continue to pay millions of dollars for treatments if a natural cure could be found online with simple research?

Companies would make tons of money from a cure or treatment, make no doubt about it. Imagine if you were a scientist working for Big Pharma. You would win the Nobel Prize for certain, your name and the company name would go down in history, and you would have a patent that would net you BILLIONS for YEARS!

Hiding a cure would be next to impossible and would cost far more than what is being spent on cancer research and treatments now. So don’t believe the hype. Bitter almond/marijuana/some natural plant is not a cure for cancer and is not being kept secret by Big Pharma.

There is Only One Way to Prevent Cancer and Disease (It’s Right Under Your Nose)

June 29, 2016 by Tammy Robinson Leave a Comment

Everyone wants to avoid the big C, cancer, at all costs, but do those anti-cancer diets, fruits, or other “natural” substances really work? Is there really anything you can do to avoid cancer?

The answer is yes….and no.

NO – You cannot cure or prevent cancer by avoiding certain foods such as GMO’s, processed foods, sugar, or any other food.
NO- There is no “miracle cure” or preventative measure that Big Pharma, doctors, or anyone else is holding back because they can’t make money on it.
YES – There is only one sure fire way to help prevent cancer, but even this is no guarantee. It’s a great bet, but nothing in this life is guaranteed 100%.

Of course, there are some things that are well known for being a cause for cancer. Things such as cigarette smoke, tobacco products (such as chew), asbestos, certain chemicals, excessive alcohol consumption, coal, estrogen therapy, hepatitis, and radiation. Even use or exposure to these things is not a 100% guarantee that you WILL get cancer, only that your odds are tremendously increased.

In the same way that scientists know that exposure to or consumption of certain substances can greatly increase your risk of developing cancer, other things are known to reduce the risk of cancer. Again, this is not a guarantee that if you follow these guidelines that you will be “cancer proof” , however, it gives you better odds for not developing cancer.

The Truth about GMO’s, Pesticides, Herbicides, and Cancer

Contrary to what you might read on those click bait sites (“GMO’s Known to Cause Multiple Cancers!”) the truth is that, despite being eaten by millions of people for more than 20 years, there has not been one single case of cancer (or any other disease) being caused by these foods. Most people fear them because they don’t understand them. GM crops use fewer pesticides than non-GM crops. Herbicide use is usually increased, but since herbicides focus on certain plant aspects that humans do not have, there is relatively little to affect humans. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we should drink a big glass of herbicides along with our meals, however, there really isn’t anything to fear from the very low levels of herbicides found in conventional foods.

Sugar and Cancer

We bet you have seen at least a dozen articles screaming “Sugar Feeds Cancer Cells”. Scientists know that every single cell in your body relies on sugar to operate normally. Every single cell, including cancer. This isn’t to say that sugar shouldn’t be controlled in your diet. Diets that are high in sugar usually lead to obesity, which increases your risk of cancer.

However, the idea that, if you could somehow remove all processed sugar from your diet, you would never get cancer is completely unfounded.

Other “Cancer Causing” Nonsense

There is not one shred of evidence that you will get cancer from aspartame, your deodorant, or from eating a McDonald’s now and then. Why do many websites claim that these things are cancer causing? It sells. Pure and simple.

Your Best Odds of Cancer Prevention

You don’t need any miracle fruit or eat tons of a certain vegetable to prevent cancer. You simply need to follow this little 4 step plan. Yes, it really is this simple.

Eat Lots of Fruits and Vegetables.

It doesn’t matter if they are conventional or organic, since both use pesticides, the fact remains that a diet high in fruits and vegetables has been proven over and over to help prevent cancer. Fruits and veggies contain carotenoids, vitamin C, lycopene, and antioxidants that keep your immune system functioning properly and protect you from mutating cells, which is the root cause of cancer. By the way, eat the whole fruit or vegetable, not just juice. Getting plenty of fiber is the best way to avoid colon cancer. If you do nothing else, simply adding more produce to your diet will reduce your risk of cancer. True story.

Cut Back on Red Meat and Processed Meat

Eating a vegetarian or vegan diet is NOT the best way to fight cancer. Humans are omnivores that require a certain amount of meat and dairy products in their diets for optimum health. This doesn’t mean, however, that you should go all out Paleo. A diet high in red meat and processed meats, such as hot dogs and bacon, have been shown to increase the risk of cancer. Try going meatless two or more days each week. Make meat a side dish, rather than the main course.

Eat Healthy Fats

Eating fats in moderation are one of the keys to a healthy diet. Avoid trans fats and partially hydrogenated fats or oils. These are well known for increasing the risk of cancer. This means avoiding most fried foods and bakery items, such as donuts and cakes. Make these the occasional treat, not something you eat every week.

Healthy fats are olive oil, avocados, dairy products such as cheese and milk, nuts, and seeds. You should also try to include fish, such as salmon or tuna, in your diet twice each week, as these fish are loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Cook Smart

Remember to wash all produce to remove as much of the pesticide residue as possible. Keep in mind that organic produce also has pesticide residue, so wash them also! Eat raw produce as much as possible and steam the rest, with the exception of tomatoes, which have increased levels of lycopene after cooking. Do not fry under extremely high heat. Do not “blacken” meats, and always store cooking oils in dark colored containers or inside cabinets, away from heat and sunlight. Grill or steam meats and veggies as much as possible.

Yes, it’s that simple.

Of course, there are other tips for avoiding cancer, such as exercise, drinking alcohol in moderation, and trying to maintain a normal weight, but so far as diet goes, if you follow the four steps above, you are way ahead of the cancer game, no doubt about it.

Why don’t you see these simple eating habits being put in bold letters on most woo websites? Because there is no money in it. True story.

What is the Biggest Killer among the Retired in America?

May 28, 2016 by Tammy Robinson Leave a Comment

You might not believe it, but regardless of how much money you have saved, how carefully you have looked after your health, no matter where in the world you decide to live, there is one thing among American retirees that kills more people than just about anything else and it’s not what you think it is.

This common problem is the same as smoking almost a pack of cigarettes each day, never getting off the sofa, or drinking to excess everyday. In fact, this problem outweighs obesity but is something no one talks about.

What is this deadly problem?

Loneliness.

Don’t shrug and hit the back button, hold on a minute. This isn’t junk science or some television guru gobbledegook. This study was done by Merrill Lynch and Age Wave back in 2013.

First, a group of soon to be retired persons were asked what they thought they would miss most when they retired. As you can imagine, “A reliable source of income” topped the list, with “Social Connections and Interactions” coming in a distant second.

However, when a recently retired group of people was asked what they now miss the most, “Social Connections and Interactions” topped the list, with that good old reliable income coming in second.

This shows that what most people “think” is the most important thing before they retire quickly loses its importance once people leave the workforce.

In fact, in another study by MLAW, retirees said that it wasn’t so much what they were doing during the day, but who they were doing it with. Which means that if it came down to going to a baseball game alone or going to pick up trash on a highway with your grandchildren, most people are inclined to choose the later.

This is what is being called “The New Social Security”, which is the value that social relationships have to physical and mental health. This has been shown to be an important factor in numerous studies.

The New Social Security

One of the interesting things that this study found was that, if you are married, you are more than likely to get most of your pleasure from your family – your kids, your grandkids, your spouse and perhaps even in-laws.

This means that if you had planned on moving away to the country or to the beach or even to a foreign country, you should think twice about those plans if it will take you far away from your family.

You should either start considering moving to where your family/children are or, if they are spread out, consider the costs of travel as a part of your retirement plan.

Studies have shown that retirees who believe that they will “love the peace and quiet” of living alone or at least far away from family and friends, are often the ones who find themselves suffering from depression, high blood pressure, and even more serious problems such as cardiovascular issues and cancer.

Being socially interactive lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s, reduces blood pressure, and reduces the risk of developing mental health issues.

Find ways to stay socially connected, even after you retire. Visit the ones you love as often as possible and invite them to your home as well. Even if finances make this impossible, stay connected with Skype, Snapchat, phone calls, even old fashioned snail mail.

The benefits of staying in touch with your loved ones are just as important as regular visits to the doctor and getting regular exercise. Reach out to friends, family, even neighbors and stay young at heart!