“What is hoodia gordonii?” 
Hoodia gordonii is a leafless, cactus-like plant that is derived from a plant that typically grows in South Africa and Namibia.  It contains a natural appetite-suppressant known as P57 (or hoodia p57), which was discovered by native bushmen, who used the meat of the plant during long hunting trips.

Since then, several sources have noted the ingredient as being good for energy boosters and increasing metabolism, claims that are based on the plant’s native usage for indigestion and infections.  Based on the plant’s suppressant properties, hoodia gordonii has become popular as a weight loss supplement.

Let Hoodia Gordonii suppress your appetite. Overweight adults and children have become a worldwide concern. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1 billion people, worldwide, are overweight. The small plant seemed like a miracle answer to a growing problem.  Try Hoodia Gordonii.

It’s not all about weight loss, though discussions on metabolism seem to focus almost exclusively on this concept. In fact, even if you feel that your weight is perfectly fine, you have a lot to gain by increasing your metabolism. Following a list of the benefits you stand to gain by applying the advice in this book:

1. Lose weight. Let’s start with the most obvious benefit. By increasing your metabolism, particularly your BMR, you will burn more calories just by doing the activities you usually do. Even while you lie in bed and stare at the ceiling or even while you are sleeping, your body is working to burn the calories you consume. With an increase in metabolism, you can actually shed one or two pounds a week. Best of all, the results are long-term, unlike a quick-fix diet! Now, isn’t that more satisfying – and easier – than going on a fad diet?

2. Eat more without worrying about it. Since you burn calories faster now, you can eat more without feeling guilty. This does not mean overindulging or snacking on junk food, though. But in general, you can be less concerned about the quantity of food you eat.

3. Feel more energized. People with faster metabolism report having more energy. With an increase metabolism, your body is performing efficiently to release the energy you need to get going.

4. Look better. The skin of people with a fast metabolism is brighter and more radiant. Their faces are pinkish, more alive with color. With a faster metabolism, you will not only feel good but also look good!

5. Be healthier overall. Your body functions more efficiently with a faster metabolism. Digestion, absorption of nutrients and blood circulation are improved. And you won’t need as much sleep as you did before to feel refreshed the next day. In sum, expect a faster metabolism to make you look and feel more wonderful.

Sleep More to Fight Obesity
Obesity Tied to Lack of Sleep, Say Researchers
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health NewsNov. 16, 2004 — Skimping on sleep may make you more vulnerable to obesity, according to a new study.

The finding is based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I (NHANES I). More than 9,000 people participated in the initial study, which was conducted from 1982-1984. They were initially weighed, and later, researchers obtained a self-reported weight for follow-up. More than 8,000 people took part in a 1987 follow-up study.

People who reported getting less than seven hours of sleep a night were more likely to be obese on initial evaluation. The study also showed that they were also more likely to develop obesity during follow-up.

Participants who slept five hours per night were 73% more likely to become obese than those getting seven to nine nightly hours of sleep, say Columbia University professor of medicine Steven Heymsfield, and James Gangwisch, PhD.

Even one hour of sleep can make a difference.

People getting six hours of sleep per night were 27% more likely to become obese than those getting seven to nine hours.

The lightest sleepers — those with only two to four hours of sleep per night — were 67% more likely to become obese than people who slept for seven to nine hours.

Those numbers were calculated before taking other variables into consideration. However, the link between sleep and obesity held even after adjusting for those factors, say the researchers, who reported their findings in Las Vegas, at the annual scientific meeting of the North American Society for the Study of Obesity.

More work is needed to explain the sleep-obesity relationship, but the researchers have some ideas.

In a news release, Gangwisch says humans may have evolved to store fat in summer, which has short nights and plentiful food, to prepare for winter’s long nights and historically scarcer food supply.

“As a result, sleeping less could serve as a trigger to the body to increase food intake and store fat,” says Gangwisch.

Other studies have also shown that insulin sensitivity and levels of two appetite-related hormones — leptin and ghrelin — can be affected by sleep deprivation, which could impact weight.

Leptin is associated with appetite control and ghrelin has been identified as an appetite stimulant. During sleep deprivation, leptin levels fall and ghrelin levels rise.

That may be a recipe for ravenous, tired people who may end up raiding the refrigerator when they might be better off turning in earlier or hitting the snooze button.

Sugar:  8 Shocking facts

• by Brett Blumenthal - Sheer Balance, On Yahoo, Shine 

In case you haven’t heard, sugar is quite the bad boy for a healthy diet.  Part of the reason for this is because the more sugar you consume, the more you crave it.  And while sugar is an ingredient that is definitely worth indulging in once in awhile, over indulging can cause many health problems, both in the short term and the long term. Why, however, has it become such a problem?  In a recent teleconference that we held, expert Allison Reyna enlightened us on some very interesting factoids about the sweet white stuff and why it has become such a topic of concern in recent years:

1. Today’s Consumption: Today, an average American consumes 2-3 pounds of sugar each week.  While at the end of the 19th century (1887-1890), the average American consumed only 5 lbs. per year.
2. A Continual Rise: Over the last 20 years, sugar consumption in the U.S. has increased 26 pounds to 135 lbs. of sugar per person per year.
3. Hidden Culprits: Sugar consumption includes highly refined sugars that are incorporated into many of the foods we eat (bread, peanut butter, condiments, sauces, etc.).  Some of these are better known as sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup.
4. 4 Classes: 4 classes of simple sugars (Sucrose, fructose, honey, and malts) are deemed “harmful” to optimal health when long-term consumption is over 15% of carbohydrate calories ingested.  Hint…complex carbohydrates (veggies, beans, legumes, whole grains) are the way to keep this number below 15%.
5. Health Issues: Simple sugars have been documented to contribute to and/or aggravate health problems, including: asthma, mood disorders, mental illness, nervous disorders, diabetes, heart disease, gallstones, hypertension, and arthritis.
6. Insulin Impacts: Sugar raises insulin levels, inhibiting the release of growth hormones which depresses the immune system.  Further, too much insulin promotes the storage of fat, so that when you eat foods that are high in sugar, you’re enabling rapid weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels, both of which have been linked to cardiovascular disease.
7. Degenerative Disease: Sugar has no real nutritional value (minerals, vitamins and fiber) and as a result, has a deteriorating effect on the endocrine system, causing sugar consumption to be one of  the 3 major causes of degenerative disease.
8. Cancer Culprits: Turns out that cancer’s preferred fuel is none other than glucose. Controlling one’s blood-glucose levels through diet, exercise, supplements, meditation and prescription drugs - when necessary - can be extremely important to a cancer treatment program.

So next time you think of having a lump of sugar in your coffee, remember, a long time ago, people found a way to drink their coffee without the sweet taste of sugar.

 8 tips for boosting your energy level 

Feeling energetic is a key to feeling happy. Studies show that when you feel energetic, you feel much better about yourself. On the other hand, when you feel exhausted, tasks that would ordinarily make you happy—like putting up holiday decorations—make you feel overwhelmed and blue.So here are some tips for giving yourself an energy lift.

1. Exercise—even a quick ten-minute walk will increase your energy and boost your mood. This really works! Try it! Here are some tips to sticking to an exercise routine.

2. Listen to lively music.

3. Get enough sleep. If the alarm blasts you out of a sound sleep every morning, you’re not getting enough—and it matters.

4. For some people, taking a 10-30 minute nap is a big help. I can’t nap, myself, but my father has been known to take three naps in one day.

5. Act energetic. Research shows that when people move faster, their metabolism speeds up. Acting energetic will make you feel more energetic.

6. Talk to friends. I’ve noticed that if I’m feeling low, and then run into a friend on the street, I walk away feeling much more energetic. Reach out if you need a boost.

7. Get something done. Crossing a nagging chore off your to-do list provides a big rush of energy. For a huge surge, clean out a closet. You’ll be amazed at how great you feel afterward.

8. Do NOT use food. It’s tempting to reach for a carton of ice cream when you’re feeling listless, and you might feel inclined to give yourself a “treat,” but in the end, all those extra calories will just drag you down.

Energy (or lack of energy) is contagious. If you feel energetic, you’ll help the people around you feel energetic, too. And that makes them feel happier, too. In fact, studies show that being an energizer was one of the strongest predictors of a positive performance evaluation at work.

Springtime is time to play outside with your children or your friends.  The lawn is getting green and the days are getting longer.  This is a sure sign that summer is just around the corner.  Play outside or move for at least 60 minutes each day for health and fun. 

Time to evaluate, for the summer is just around the corner.   We need to be ready

the summer activities.  Get your body in shapeand your spirit ready.

Why Hoodia?

A Resource To The Hoodia Cactus

What is the hoodia cactus?

There is a succulent like plant that grows in many parts of the world that is hoodia.  The one that has been of interest to the Western World since the 1990s is from South Africa.  This particular type plant known as Hoodia Gordonii has an amazing appetite suppressant.  Since its discovery by the media it has become a very popular diet supplement around the world..

Why hoodia from South Africa?

The Hoodia Gordonii plant has been consumed for thousands of years by the ‘San Bushmen’, a primitive tribe of the South African desert.  They would eat the cactus on the long journeys across the desert wilderness or hunting trips.  When eaten it gives the feeling of being full or not hungry.  The research has not shown any side effects.

What is ‘P57”?

Hoodia Gordonii, grown in South Africa is the kind of hoodia that has the appetite suppressant result.  The active ingredient that causes this astounding result is a molecule known as “P57”.  The research on this extract was carried out by the ‘Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’ or C.S.I.R..   The rights to ‘P57’ were sold to a British pharmaceutical company called Phytopharm.  Only they can extract the molecule called ‘P57’ for use in their products.  This is due to patent laws.  The whole native Hoodia Gordonii plant cannot be patented so other companies can and do produce products from this plant legally.

How Do I Know what I Am Getting?

Of the many varieties of hoodia only Hoodia Gordonii is believed to have the natural appetite suppressing quality.  It is best to buy from a reputable company that has had their product certified as pure Hoodia Gordonii.  This plant is rare and protected by the South African government so it will not be over harvested.

Hoodia Gordonii

Do your research and enjoy the benefits of this wonderful discovery.  Be sure to get pure certified Hoodia Gordonii products for best results and with no side effects.

ENERGETIC YOGA from Women’s Health

Legs up the Wall

All-Day Energy Yoga: Evening #4

10-minute sunset yoga plan for all-day energy

Fold two or three blankets so they’re 2 feet long, 6 to 8 inches wide, and 6 inches thick when stacked. Place them about 3 inches from a wall and parallel to it. Sit in the middle of the stack with your left side facing the wall, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor. Simultaneously lower your right shoulder, straighten your legs, and rotate your hips so that the backs of your legs sweep up the wall. Scoot your butt in as close as possible. Your torso should now be perpendicular to the wall, with the blankets under you. Keep your eyes closed while slowly inhaling and exhaling for 2 to 3 minutes.