African Mango Scam

Maybe you bought a stockpile of hoodia or ephedra-based diet pills and now you are left with ineffective, potentially dangerous products.

If that has made you skeptical of African Mango, you are not the only one. Before you spend your time and money on a useless product, yet again, read to find out what African Mango is and if it actually works.

What Is African Mango?

African Mango, also known an Irvingia Gabonensis, is made from the nut of the African Mango fruit, which has been ground up and used for centuries as a food thickener and appetite suppressant for hunters on long journeys.
Found in African and Southeast Asia, African Mango has been extensively studied over the past 20 years, but only recently have clinical studies attempted to link it to effective weight loss.

Does African Mango Work?

African Mango has been clinically proven to help subjects lose fat – particularly belly fat – and began working immediately to suppress their appetites and reduce their calorie intake.

African Mango has also been clinically proven to lower levels of leptin, which reduces fat stores and ensures that the weight you are losing is fat, rather than water weight or muscle mass.

Because it is a completely natural ingredient, there are no reported side-effects associated with taken the recommended dosage of African Mango.

10 Exercise Myths

10) Your cardio machine is counting the calories you’re burning.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” said Mark Macdonald, personal trainer and author of “Body Confidence” about the calorie numbers spit out by the cardio machine.

Some machines don’t even ask for your weight or sex.

“It’s not asking your body composition,” he said. “If you’re at 18% body fat, you’re going to burn a lot more than if you’re female at 35% body fat.”

And how many people know their body fat percentage?

The number calculated by your machine is likely not accurate.

9) Women shouldn’t lift weights because it’ll make them bulky.

This one drives Alice Burron, a former female bodybuilder, crazy. She would spend four to five hours a day when she competed, trying to build muscles.

“You really have to overload those muscles to create bulk,” said Burron. “It’s very, very difficult.”

Women have too much estrogen to build large amounts of bulk. Guys build muscles faster because they have testosterone.

The government’s 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommended muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least three days of the week for kids and two or more for adults.

8 ) Heart rate monitors will let you know how hard you’re working.

Heart rate monitoring is a flawed science.

The better detector of how hard you’re working is your own body.

“The perceived exertion, your own sense of how hard you’re working is a much more reliable of exercise intensity,” said Matt Fitzgerald, senior editor of Competitor group.

Perceived exertion means it’s your estimation of how hard you are working out and surprisingly, it’s very accurate, he said.

“Your perception of your limit can change over time. So yeah, even your own perception isn’t perfect. It’s still better than heart rate monitor,” Fitzgerald said.

Heart rates could falter depending on what kind of exercise you’re doing.

The talk test can measure how intensely you’re working out depending on whether you can talk in full sentences, short phrases or if you’re barely able to muster a few words.

“It’s best to learn to recognize your body’s signals and get a better control of your effort,” said Alex Hutchinson, author of “Which Comes First: Cardio or Weights.”

7) Your weight is the end all, be all.

Newbies hit the gym, and then weigh themselves every day on the scale.

Week-after-week, they see no downward trend on the scale and get impatient.

People starting saying, “I haven’t lost any weight. This is pointless, I’m not accomplishing anything,” said Hutchinson.

After a few months of increased exercise, they are healthier because they’ve reduced risk factors such as blood sugar levels. Even though a person may not be losing weight, his health has improved in ways that might not be measured.

“They’re stuck in this paradigm that weight is the ultimate barometer for fitness. They don’t realize the progress they’ve made and give up.”

6) Low-intensity exercise burns more fat.

In general, low intensity exercise has its place — it’s less stressful on joints.

The myth is that if you exercise too intensely, you end up burning carbohydrates instead of fat.

It’s the most dangerous type of myth because there’s a kernel of truth in it, Hutchinson said.

The more intensely you exercise, the higher proportion of carbs you burn. You may burn less fat, but the total amount of calories burned is higher and that is the bigger picture.

When your body has burned up all the carbs, it starts burning fat.

“You can ignore zones and pay attention to how many calories you burn, which ultimately determines how much body fat you’re going to lose,” Fitzgerald said.

5) Chug a protein shake after workout.

“It’s eating another meal,” said Macdonald, a personal trainer who helped TV host Chelsea Handler get in shape.

Protein shakes, powders and bars are good for emergencies, but “they’re the lowest quality food.”

“You’re better off eating real food,” he said.

The products are more processed. The best way to get protein is through foods such as a turkey sandwich, Greek yogurt with nuts and fruit.

Martin Gibala, chairman of the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, agrees. “Protein sources in real food are Number 1. Cheaper and real food may provide other benefits, vitamins and minerals. And some of the components in food may act synergistically in ways we don’t understand.”

“When we isolate the compound we think works, it’s not as good as the real foods.”

4) You can spot reduce for tight abs or toned arms.

You may have crunched in vain.

You won’t see muscle definition or a nice six-pack despite how many crunches you do, because of the layer of fat resting on top of your muscles.

“Don’t focus on a body part. Try to get them all,” said Burron, a spokeswoman for the American Council on Exercise. “You might have beautiful triceps — it may not be flopping all over the place. Until the fat is gone, most people wouldn’t know it’s there.”

3) As long as I go to the gym 30-45 minutes, that gives me a pass to do what I want for rest of the day.

The gym doesn’t negate a bad diet.

Also, emerging research suggests that if you’re sedentary most of the day, it may not matter how hard or often you exercise.

People who spend more time sitting during their leisure time have an increased risk of death, regardless of daily exercise.

Sitting for hours can shave years off life.

In a study of more than 123,000 healthy people, the American Cancer Society found that women who spent more than six hours a day sitting were 40 percent more likely to die sooner than women who sat less. Men who sat more had 20 percent increased risk of death.

Essentially, those who sit less, live a longer life than those who don’t.

2) No pain, no gain.

“The ongoing perception is that people need to feel pain through the entirety of their workout or they’re not getting the benefit — that one’s very frustrating to me,” said Burron, a personal trainer. “You shouldn’t be exercising at a level of pain ever.”

Feeling discomfort during a workout is OK.

“If it’s so intense you’re thinking of passing out, you can’t continue this session for longer, then it’s too difficult and you’re at increased risk for injuries or burnout,” Burron said.

“You want to exercise smarter, not harder,” she added. “That’s the premise. You don’t have to kill yourself. You just have to be smart about it.”

1) Stretching will help prevent injuries.

A growing number of studies challenge the entrenched assumption that stretching helps prevent injuries.

“The way we were taught to stretch, to try to touch your toes — there’s little evidence it prevents injuries,” Hutchinson said.

A review published in 2007 of 10 randomized studies about stretching after or before physical activity found that “muscle stretching does not reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness in young healthy adults.”

Static stretching is when you stay in place, bend over to touch your toes, or try to pull your ankles towards your hips.

A study presented this year at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons found that such static stretching before a run neither prevents nor causes injury.

Then a new study published this month in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that static stretches that last longer than a minute could be detrimental to performance.

Athletes often swing their arms and warm up before a game. That type of dynamic stretching such as high knee jogs, walking lunges can help move your muscles through different ranges of motions.

This type of dynamic stretching is different from clutching your limbs, because it focuses on movement.

A study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research found professional soccer players who practiced dynamic stretching had higher range of motion than when they practiced only static stretches.

While toe-touches and extra flexibility might be required in gymnastics or figure skating, it’s irrelevant for more everyday activities like basketball or weightlifting.

Healthy Fat: What is it and How to Get it

Maybe you’ve heard about healthy fats. Like me, you were probably skeptical. I imagine myself standing in the grocery store, utterly confused by which foods were deceptively good for me and which would linger on my hips for the rest of my adult life.

According to Dr. Melina Jampolis, Physician Nutrition Specialist,”fat is essential for the absorption of the very important fat soluble vitamins including vitamins D, A, K and E that help protect your vision, keep your immune system functioning properly, and maintain bone health.” It also used to create hormones, line membrane of cells, and protect the nerves. Dr. Jampolis suggests that if you are trying to control your weight, you should try to measure out healthy fat servings.

Nuts, avocados, olive oil – these are all healthy fats that can be incorporated into your meals.

Dr. Jampolis even has a formula to help you calculate the number of fat grams you would need to eat to total 25 percent of your total calories:

2. Divide this number by 9

3. This equals your minimum total daily fat grams.

4. According to the dietary exchanges, a serving of fat contains 5 grams of fat so you can divide this number by 5 to calculate your daily servings of fat

For example, if you were eating 1200 calories per day: 1200 x .25 = 300 calories/9 = 33 g/5 = 6.5 servings of fat per day. Note that more than likely you get fat elsewhere in your diet (meat, cheese, packaged foods, dairy that is not fat free), so you should adjust your daily fat exchanges downward to account for the fat in other foods that you eat.

5 Weight Loss Tips

If you’ve been battling with weight and are sick of putting in effort and seeing no results then you need to reassess your weight loss attitude and the means by which you’re trying to see these results. You can’t expect to to beat yourself up every time you fall off of the weight loss band wagon because you’ll end up eating more because you’ll be sad and discouraged. Instead, you need to make a commitment to living a healthier lifestyle and if you make a mistake and eat a handful of M&Ms then you need to forgive yourself and jump back on track as soon as possible. We’ve found these 5 tips to be effective when it comes to weight loss and will help you reach your weight loss goals quicker than you thought possible.

1. Skip the bread basket:White flour and processed foods are the antithesis to weight loss. The number one reason why most people are overweight is because they consume too much processed white flour. This includes bread, pasta, cereal, cookies, crackers, cake, etc. Often times these foods are easy to turn to in a hurry and make up a large portion of our diets. These foods can be replaced with whole wheat versions, but if you’re serious about weight loss then you’ll cut gluten-based products be they white or wheat out of your diet altogether.

2. Follow the 50-25-25 rule: This concept has to do with the way you fill your plate at mealtimes. Your plate should always contain 50% lean protein (chicken breast, salmon, turkey, tilapia etc.), 25% whole grains (the best are brown rice, quinoa, or a gluten-free pasta), and 25% should consist of leafy vegetables. With this combination, you are getting all of the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to function at its peak and process the food you eat in a more efficient way. This also allows you to focus on portion control and not eat entirely one food group at a meal.

3. Up your protein consumption: Protein is the basic building block for lean muscle mass. Lean muscle burns more fat than the fat in your body does even while you’re sleeping. Protein also keeps you fuller for longer so that you’re less likely to mindlessly snack or overeat during meals.

4. Drink more water: Being hydrated is an essential part to any weight loss program. Water helps flush toxins from your body that may be slowing down your body’s fat burning processes and keeping you from losing the weight you’d like to be losing. Keeping your body hydrated is also a good way to boost your energy so that you can be more active throughout the day.

5. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise-Getting out and being active is so much more important than simply promoting weight loss. Exercise promotes heart health, bone density, clearer skin, and lifts your overall mood. Losing weight is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise, but you should be getting 30-60 minutes of exercise 3-5 times a week to be healthy. Start slow and work your way to longer periods of time with higher intensity.

Losing weight can be a daunting task for any individual, but with these 5 tips and a commitment to improving your health you should be on your way to reaching your diet and fitness goals in no time.

Two tips to Feeling Better

People are always looking for ways to cut body fat, feel healthier, and look better. People look at this goal and firstly they look to exercise. Some of the more assertive people might even start a work out program. While that can be a good thing, it can sometimes fail because of the program being unstructured and fall apart after less than a week.

One of the biggest reasons that a workout program can fail is due to our society’s love of instant gratification. Working out is hard, it takes effort and motivation, and that which we all lack, time. Getting motivated can happen through many different things, a commercial for an ab workout or a supplement you want to try, maybe jealousy from someone on a TV show, but I’d rather focus on what you do with the motivation.

One of the biggest things people focus on when you talk about working out is the abs. We all want great abs ,everyone in the world wants a slim, good looking stomach. A study by a personal trainer I saw recently gave me a shocker. He said that the number one failure to getting abs was ab workouts. Most people don’t realize that you probably have well shape dabs, they’re just hiding under layers of fat. Working out your abs can send your body into a stat of overworked and unmotivated disappointment. The real key you can find is diet and cardio. Of course these are two of the most hated words in the English language. Convincing yourself to do cardio is probably the hardest personal battle you’ll ever go through. The result, however, is easily worth it. Starting a program that includes cardio can make you start feeling healthier within a week, albeit a bit sore. A regulated cardio program can cut down those layers of fat that have been weighing you down from feeling and looking great. Later on when you’re set into your routine you can start to build the actual ab muscle that’s already there.

The other important aspect of any discussion over health and fitness is definitely the diet. Don’t worry though, I won’t tell you to stop eating. I love eating too much to do that to someone. In fact, one of the best ways to lose weight is to snack on healthy food through the entire day and eat plenty of well portioned meals. The killer that will get you is the sugar. Simple sugar is a two edged sword. The body burns simple sugars as a form of energy, the metabolism of your body is able to utilize the sugar so easily that if you’re eating large amounts of sugar, your body will burn them in stead of the fat you have stored. That’s what makes sugar such a killer to any diet and/or workout program.

Trying out these two simple things can make this simple tip a great way to improving your health.

Flatter Belly in 24 Hours

Most of us have the unpleasant bloating feeling during the day. Here are a couple of tips to help give you a flatter belly in 24 hours.

1. Yoga in the morning. It may be an optical illusion, but we do look slimmer when we stand taller. Throw out the balancing book and try morning yoga instead.

2. Eat breakfast. Most of us are rushed in the morning and go out the door without anything in our stomachs. We need to eat breakfast and take time our time. When we rush through meals, we gulp a lot of air, which can lead to gas and bloating.

3. Keeps snacks light. Try berries or a banana. Stay away from apples and pears since they are full of fructose, a cause of gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Trade in your coffee for tea. Caffeine in coffee can over stimulate your digestive track, causing gas build up.

4. Do not over stuff yourself at meals. There sometime isn’t enough digestive liquids to help your stomach handle large meals, which leads to bloating,

5. Drink a glass of water before going to bed. Water helps to cleanse your body of toxins that cause bloating.

Which Gym is Best for You?

Gym memberships too often turn out bad. Too many people make the decision to join a gym, health club or fitness center without giving the decision its proper consideration. They may decide on memberships because the gym is just around the corner, because so-and-so joined and likes it, or because the gym is offering an “incredible” limited-time only offer. While these things can certainly be factors in a sound decision, alone they are inadequate.

Gyms can be very different. They cater to different clientele, provide different equipment, have different hours and so on. The first step in choosing the best gym membership for your personal situation is deciding what it is you need from the gym in order to accomplish your fitness goals.

Here are a couple of things you need to ask yourself:

• HOURS. When do you plan on working out? Is the potential gym open at that time and how busy is it at that time?
• EQUIPMENT. Is the equipment kept up, in adequate supply and organized in a way that works with your goals?
• STAFF ATTITUDE. Unhappy staff is unhelpful staff. Do the staff members enjoy their work? Do they seem to be more qualified or concerned with a certain type of clientele at the expense of others?
• FELLOW MEMBERS. Are there enough like-minded members who are also serious about their goals? Is the general member just trying to get a date for Saturday night? Are the members courteous and respectful of others, toweling off their sweat when finishing with a piece of equipment, Or do they find it acceptable to start conversations with people trying to push out that last rep?
• CLEANLINESS. Is the facility clean and conducive to a positive experience? Do you plan to shower at the gym and, if so, are the showers someplace where you can achieve that “clean” feeling?
• LOCATION. Is the gym accessible within your schedule?
• PRICE. How much is the gym membership plan going to cost you?

Once you have narrowed your search to a couple of potential gyms, go in and get a sales presentation with a guided tour. Ask for a trial membership. If the gym you are looking at refuses a request for a free trial, thank them and head for the door. What are they hiding?

Gyms that allow you to pay month-to-month for a couple of months before signing a longer term contract are confident in their facility and this is a very good sign.

Use your trial gym memberships to answer those last remaining questions you have.

Good luck on your search for your perfect gym!

Healthy Weight Loss

It’s a new year and most of you are thinking about eating healthier and exercising. But where do you start? Start by thinking about your health risks. Do you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol? Then maybe consider a diet with low salt/fat and fresher, unprocessed foods.

Most of these fad diets tell you that counting carbs and eating a ton of grapefruit will make you shed pounds. When it comes down to weight loss, it’s the calories that make a difference. Weight loss is only possible when you are burning more calories than you take in. You can do that by cutting extra calories from food and beverages and increasing calories burned through physical activity.

As you browse your magazines and internet diets you should look for diets that:

• Include foods from the major food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat dairy products, lean protein sources, nuts and seeds.
• Include proper amounts of nutrients and calories to help you maintain a healthy weight.
• Include foods you like and can easily find in your local grocery store.
• Fits your lifestyle and budget.

As important as it is to eating healthier, you must also be exercising. While you can lose weight without exercise, exercise plus limiting calories can help give you the weight-loss edge. Exercise can help burn off the excess calories you can’t cut through diet alone. Exercise also offers numerous health benefits, including boosting your mood, strengthening your cardiovascular system and reducing your blood pressure. Exercise can also help to maintain weight loss. Studies show that people who maintain their weight loss over a long term get better results.

Remember that the most successful way to weight loss is a commitment to make a permanent change in your diet and exercise habits.