Monday, August 31, 2009

Can You Die From A Panic Attack?

It may feel like it but, the fact is, your body won't let you. Every one of us has an autonomic nervous system that is directly involved each time we are faced with danger. The brain sends out signals to the nervous system. The nervous system is divided into two subsections - the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

The sympathetic nervous system gets us ready to "fight or flee" (the "fight or flight" response), and the parasympathetic nervous system calms the body back down to its normal state.

Any time either of these systems is triggered, they stimulate the total body, which has an "all or nothing" effect. Thus, when a panic attack occurs, the person often experiences multiple different symptoms all through the body.

The sympathetic system tells the body to release adrenaline from the adrenal glands on the kidneys. Adrenaline functions as the body's chemical messengers to keep the activity going. When a panic attack starts, it does not switch off as effortlessly as it is turned on. There is always a phase of what would seem increased or endless anxiety, as these messengers travel throughout the body.

After a while, it is time for the parasympathetic nervous system to do its job, which is to return the body to routine functioning after the perceived danger is no longer present.

We can will the parasympathetic nervous system into action by utilizing a coping strategy that we have learned, for instance, a relaxation technique. A helpful thing to bring to mind is that this system will be brought into action at some stage whether we will it or not. The body cannot stay in an ever-increasing spiral of anxiety. It reaches a place where it simply must kick in, relaxing the body. This is one of the many built-in mechanisms our bodies have to protect us.

Eventually the sympathetic nervous system will stop, even if you try to keep it going with worrying thoughts, and the parasympathetic nervous system will take over. This is because, in time, it becomes a little smarter than us and realizes that there really is no danger. You can be certain that your body's primary goal is to keep you alive and well.

You will not die from a panic attack, no matter how hard you try to convince yourself otherwise. Your body will override that alarm and search for a state of balance. There has never been a reported event of someone dying from a panic attack.

It may help to remember this the next time you have a panic attack; the causes of panic attacks cannot do you any real harm. Your mind possibly will make the sensations last longer than the body intended, but eventually everything will return to a state of balance.

The interference for your body that is caused by a panic attack is nothing more than the sensations of doing strenuous exercise. Our body is not distressed by these symptoms because it knows its own capability but our mind panics and overreacts. Most of us have a tendency to always think the worst and magnify our own sensations. A racing heartbeat becomes a heart attack. An excessively active mind makes us think we're on the verge of a breakdown. The correct information will go a long way in overcoming panic attacks.

To learn how to eliminate anxiety and panic attacks for good, go to LoseYourAnxietyFast.com.
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Saturday, August 15, 2009

The Three Pillars of Weight Loss Success

When it comes to effective weight loss, every little bit counts, and that includes a proper nutrition program, a good workout program and lifestyle change. If you really want to transform your body and prevent or even reverse diseases associated with obesity, you need these three pillars:

1. Nutrition:

There are three devastating nutrition realities:

Nutrition Reality #1: You can't out-train a bad diet. You can work out 2 hours a day and still get fat. Even if you resorted to a body builder's diet of chicken, broccoli and brown rice 6 times a day, you can still get fat by eating too much of it. The excess has to get stored somewhere - in your belly. It doesn't matter how "healthy" you eat if you consume too much of it.

Nutrition Reality #2: Diet is 90% of the equation. You can cancel out 2 days worth of working out with 3 minutes of consuming a donut and washing it down with a glass of chocolate milk.

Nutrition Reality #3: "Eating healthy" without a plan is guaranteed failure. You can eat healthy foods but how do you know if you've eaten too much or too little? What do you do when you jump on the scale at the end of the week and nothing has changed? How can you monitor and modify your nutrition program if you're just guessing and hoping what you're doing is working? How do you know how much food to buy?

Most people who try to lose weight fail because 99% of the diet programs out there aren't realistic or practical. You need a simple nutritional plan you can implement immediately, complete with the correct foundational nutritional principles. It's critical to start now and continue until you have developed the habits necessary to see results so that you stay motivated and finally perfect your body and health.

2. Exercise:

We all know that exercise is essential for good health, not only for weight loss because it burns calories and reduces body fat but it also helps strengthen your bones, increases circulation, lowers blood pressure and blood sugar, lowers bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol, helps detoxify your body, strengthens your immune system and decreases depression by increasing serotonin in your brain, which, in turn, controls your appetite and mood. There are probably dozens of forms of exercise, including:

  • walking outside or on a treadmill
  • jogging
  • dancing
  • aerobics
  • swimming
  • water aerobics
  • rebounding (jumping on a mini-trampoline)
  • bicycling
  • hiking
  • golf
  • tennis
  • racquetball
  • working out in a gym or fitness center
  • ice-skating
  • roller-skating
  • gardening
  • raking leaves
  • jumping rope
  • weight or resistance training exercise

If you do something you enjoy, then exercising won't feel like work and you will be more likely to stick to it. The key is making it become a habit so that it's done on a regular basis.

3. Lifestyle change:

If you want to lose weight and keep it off forever, a lifestyle change is necessary. This happens by developing good nutrition and exercise habits you can live with that aren't too restrictive, burdensome, difficult or expensive, habits that you actually enjoy and are easy to develop and stick to.

Losing weight can be challenging, confusing and emotionally consuming -- unless you have a plan. If you have a plan that is designed specifically for you, with clear instructions on what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat and what to do when you "cheat" or your weight loss comes to a standstill and you follow that plan and incorporate some exercise, then your weight loss is guaranteed to happen, and once you have developed the habits necessary to see results, you will stay motivated and will be on your way to literally transforming your body and preventing or reversing any or all of the diseases associated with obesity.

For more information on guaranteed weight loss success and to get 2 free sample plans, go to http://LoseStubbornFatFast.com.
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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Can Weight Loss Really Reverse The Diseases Associated with Obesity?

According to Dr. Toby Cosgrove, CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, who appeared on Fox News' On the Record, "It costs twice as much a year for health care for somebody who's obese than it does for somebody who's normal weight. It decreases the productivity of people, and it accounts for essentially 20 years of aging. In other words, if you're 40 years old and obese, it's equivalent to being 60 years old as far as health is concerned." Dr. Cosgrove went on to say that smoking, obesity and lack of activity are the causes of 70% of the chronic diseases and 40% of premature deaths in the U.S. and that 9% of the cost of health care comes from obesity.

Obesity is determined by the body mass index or BMI. There are BMI calculators online that will give you your body mass index instantly after entering your height and weight. The BMI categories are as follows:

  • underweight = less than 18.5
  • normal weight = 18.5 - 24.9
  • overweight = 25 - 29.9
  • obese = 30 or greater

Dr. Cosgrove, CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, also had this to say, "You're 20 times more likely to have diabetes if you're obese. You're twice the incidence of heart disease, twice the incidence of cancer. I mean, it just goes right up. And some people think that it is worth $50 a pound for how much you lose in the cost of health care."

How do we get fat? By being less active and eating more food, particularly more of the wrong foods or eating at the wrong times.

Dr. Cosgrove stated that it's not too late to reverse disease by losing weight, called disease reversal, and that high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol can all be reversed with weight loss. According to him, the Cleveland Clinic employees (6000 of them) have lost a collective total of 90,000 pounds over the last six months with diet, exercise and lifestyle change!

Here are just some of the diseases that can come from obesity and can, therefore, be reversed or prevented with weight loss:
  • diabetes
  • heart disease
  • some forms of cancer
  • sleep apnea
  • back and joint problems
  • increased tendency to contract infectious diseases
  • high blood pressure
  • stroke

Why is it so hard to achieve weight loss? It has to be a lifestyle change. When it comes to effective weight loss every little bit counts, and that includes a proper nutrition program, a good workout program and some extra help with supplements.

Losing weight can be challenging, confusing and emotionally consuming -- unless you have a plan. If you have a plan that is designed specifically for you, with clear instructions on what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat and what to do when you "cheat" or your weight loss comes to a standstill and you follow that plan and incorporate some exercise, then your weight loss is guaranteed to happen and you will be on your way to preventing or reversing any or all of the diseases associated with obesity.

For more information on guaranteed weight loss success and to get 2 free sample plans, go to http://LoseStubbornFatFast.com.
Read more!