Ahh, as the New Year soon approaches, it’s now the right time to look back and analyze yourself a bit. For a lot of people, the onset of New Year is the ideal time to make promises with themselves and make resolutions which they could try to fulfill. Sadly, most Americans who make resolutions never actually keep them, and here’s why:

• They have an all or nothing mentality.
• They make too many resolutions.
• Their resolutions are not specific.
• They don’t track how they are doing.
• They don’t make adjustments.
• They only think big.                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire, who led an analysis, said he and his team had asked 700 people about their strategies for achieving new year resolutions. Their goals ranged from losing weight or giving up smoking to gaining a qualification or starting a better relationship

People who kept their resolutions tended to have broken their goal into smaller steps and rewarded themselves when they achieved one of these. They also told their friends about their goals, focused on the benefits of success and kept a diary of their progress.

But consider this: if hard-core addicts can break bad habits — some by moderating, not just quitting — there’s still hope for you. Whether your goal for 2013 is to get fit or tame your drinking, experts say there’s a lot you can learn from people who have successfully moderated their habits to help keep you off the resolution merry-go-round.

Don’t Kid Yourself You need to know the difference between enjoying yourself and self-medicating. It’s not that self-medicating is necessarily bad — but you should give yourself parameters. If you are adhering to them, O.K. If not, you need to check yourself.”

Quit Cold Turkey — Temporarily “Theoretically, there are very good reasons to take a break from a behavior, totally,” says Reid Hester, director of research at Behavior Therapy Associates, explaining that an initial period of complete abstinence can make it easier for people to moderate behavior by eliminating the habitual, automatic aspect of the unwanted activity.

Do What the Dalai Lama Would Do Alan Marlatt, director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, studies “mindfulness-based relapse prevention,” which uses meditation and other ideas from Buddhist teachings to help people break bad habit.

Don’t Try to Scare Yourself Straight Research shows that in the long term, the pleasure of victory is a better incentive than the agony of defeat. Punishment is a poor motivator. It sets people up for failure. If all you do is punish yourself for failure, you won’t stay motivated to change for very long.

Get Better Friends-Social support is critical to changing all kinds of behavior. Good friends can not only help you through slip-ups but also help keep your New Year’s resolutions from taking over your life

When goal-planning is complete, your final task is simple: just do it.

Sorry guys we have some terrible, horrific, dreadful news to ruin your evening. You know the delightful little chewy tapioca balls that transform regular old milk tea and coffee and slushies into that delightful treat named bubble tea – boba balls if you’re nasty?

Yeah well, those tapioca balls may actually be nastier than you. A new report out of Germany this week finds that those boba balls have been found to contain carcinogenic chemicals known as “aspolychlorinated biphenyls” (PCBs).

According to Huffington Post, the report was made by the German researchers at the University Hospital Aachen, who tested tapioca balls from a German boba chain that uses tapioca balls manufactured in Taiwan. The results weren’t pretty:

“[What we found] includes in particular styrene, acetophenone, and brominated substances that shouldn’t be in food at all,” scientist Manfred Möller, of the Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine at the University Hospital Aachen, told German newspaper The Local, notes the AFP.

Yikes. While they had everyone’s attention, the researchers saw fit to note that the pearls also pose a choking hazard to kids.

Really? You don’t say!

Read More Here

The filmmaker behind the controversial Kony 2012 viral film campaign was detained in Pacific Beach, Calif., on Thursday after being found drunk and performing a sex act in public, NBC San Diego is reporting.

The San Diego police department told the TV station Jason Russell, 33, was possibly under the influence of a substance when he was found vandalizing cars and masturbating.

Mr. Russell, the co-founder of Invisible Children, was acting strange and running through traffic in his underwear.

Jason Russell’s 30-minute video, now viewed 76 million times on YouTube, highlights the atrocities perpetrated by Kony, head of the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group that once terrorized northern Uganda.

Funded by the San Diego-based charity Invisible Children, the film tells the story of a former child soldier named Jacob and then issues a call to action to viewers to help “make Joseph Kony famous.”

Although the film has raised more than $5-million and won the backing of millions of people, including celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Rihanna, the charity behind the project has faced criticism over their message, methods and financial transparency.

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Sugar!! Yup!

It meets all the criteria for an addictive substance:

• It stimulates release of neurotransmitters in the brain, such as dopamine and serotonin, in a manner similar to alcohol, cocaine, and other drugs of abuse.
• People eat it compulsively, despite negative consequences and the intention to stop.
• With continued use, people develop a tolerance to its effects.
• Heavy sugar consumers have trouble functioning without it.
• When consumption ceases, withdrawal symptoms occur.

These recommendations will make it easier to get a sugar problem under control.

• Keep sugar and sugar products out of your house. This includes white and brown sugar, corn syrup, and maple syrup.
• Eat enough healthy food to satisfy your hunger. Eat healthy, whole food snacks like fruit, carrots, red pepper, cherry tomatoes, dates, and dried fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth. Drink plenty of water, too.
• Eat three regular meals each day, which include greens and fibers. This will help you maintain a steady blood sugar level throughout the day and reduce your sugar cravings. Eating a diet high in fiber also helps to reduce sugar cravings.
• Take a multivitamin and mineral supplement. Chromium picolinate and l-glutamine help to reduce cravings for some people.
• Get regular exercise, plenty of sunlight, and adequate sleep to reduce sugar cravings.
• Be kind to yourself. To end the struggle with sugar, learn to nourish your body well and respond compassionately to your own feelings. The best sugar substitute is genuine self-acceptance.

“Develop your passion for healthy food. If you think of  food  like medication and eat only the non-addicting foods, you should not have to worry about your health!”- From the best selling book, Eat This Lose That! Written by well known Cardiologist, Dr. Kota J. Reddy, from the Reddy Wellness Center.

It’s well established that sleep apnea—characterized by repeated episodes of breathing cessation and partial awakening during sleep—contributes to daytime fatigue. Now, experts are beginning to realize that sleep apnea can have more serious consequences as well.

Sleep apnea is more common than we thought. According to the National Institutes of Health, if affects more than twelve million Americans! The most common risk factors for sleep apnea include male gender and being overweight.

Fortunately, treatment for sleep apnea (including lifestyle measures, weight loss, and continuous positive airway pressure), can help resolve the sleep apnea as well as some of these related health problems.

• Try to live a healthier lifestyle by exercising, eating right, quitting smoking and reducing your alcohol intake. Losing weight is the most effective way to reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea, as one of the main causes of obstructive sleep apnea is fatty deposits in the back of the throat.

• Ask your doctor whether a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine and mask will help you. The CPAP equipment helps to keep the airflow moving through your respiratory system while you sleep. It is one of the most effective ways to treat sleep apnea.

• Consult with your doctor to learn whether surgery is the answer for your sleep apnea. Removal of the tonsils or adenoids often alleviates the symptoms of sleep apnea.

• Avoid lying on your back while sleeping, as doing so can cause the fatty deposits in the back of your throat to close your airway.

• Follow through with your doctor or sleep-disorder specialist if there are any changes, whether positive or negative, in your sleep apnea symptoms, so that you will know what is working best for you.

• Stay alert for any of the warning signs or symptoms of sleep apnea, such as headaches, drowsiness during the day, a dry or scratchy throat, waking up frequently during the night or gasping and choking upon awakening.

“If sleep apnea is left untreated, it could lead to a lot serious health problems. When you stop breathing during sleep, your oxygen level drops. The brain senses this as danger because it could not survive without oxygen.” Dr. Kota J. Reddy, Cardiologist, and Founder of Reddy Wellness Center, also adds, “If left untreated, sleep apnea leads to several health problems including heart diseases.”

One reason why people frequently wake up at night is because they are having nightmares. And why do they have nightmares? It has something to do with what they eat. Chocolate may be the culprit. Causing aggravated sleep disorder in which people act out violent nightmares.

About one in 200 people, mostly men, suffer from the condition, called rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, or RBD. Normally, people are paralyzed while dreaming, but those with RBD thrash about and shout in their sleep.

The sufferer acts out what’s happening in his dream – which could mean punching and kicking their partner.

Researchers were first alerted to the chocolate link by a patient who lashed out during recurrent dreams in which he tried to protect his home against intruders.

The patient had found that the outbursts happened after he ate chocolate biscuits, ice cream or syrup before bed.

Robert Vorona, from the Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in the U.S. state of Virginia, said the problems started after the patient suffered head injuries in a car accident.

But chocolate made the symptoms much worse.

In a report due to appear in the journal Sleep Medicine, Vorona suggests chocolate might help block a natural process that paralyses sleepers when they dream.

He has successfully treated the man with a sedative, but says the symptoms recur if he eats chocolate.

Dr. Kota J. Reddy, well known- Cardiologist, and founder of The Reddy Wellness Center, explains in his book, Eat This Lose That! ”When you eat sugar and starch, your insulin level goes up. At night, this insulin brings down your blood sugar too low. Your body will be on alert and will wake you up by giving you nightmares. You are now in a ‘fight or flight’ mode. Your blood pressure goes up, you are in distress and you are fully awake.”

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Heart disease!  The number one cause of death of men  in the United States. Promoting a healthy diet and lifestyle can decrease your chances of heart disease which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Small changes in your daily routine can make a big difference in saving your life.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2003 just over one million American men died of heart disease or one of the nine other leading causes of death. That represents 80 percent of all deaths by men that year.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States for men and women. But, as  Dr. Kota J. Reddy, well known- Cardiologist who’s helped hundreds reverse diabetes and heart disease, Founder of The Reddy Wellness Center in Houston, TX, explains in his book, Eat This Lose That! that heart disease can be prevented, reversed, and even abolished. Dr. Reddy is a firm believer of changing one’s diet and getting rid of salt, sugar, and starch to start the body’s healing process.

According to  Dr. Kota J. Reddy at the Reddy Wellness Center, “there are about 1 million heart attacks each year in this country, that’s one every 30 seconds.”

Statistics

• Because men usually develop heart disease 10 to 15 years earlier than women, men are more likely to die of it in the prime of life. (American Heart Association)
• Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women.
• Nearly 700,000 people die of heart disease annually – the equivalent of 29 percent of all deaths in the United States. (CDC)
• About a quarter of all heart-disease-related deaths occur in men ages 35 to 65. (CDC)
• In 2004, heart disease was the cause of death for 410,628 males. (American Heart Association).

February is Heart Health Awareness Month so make sure to get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked. If you experience crushing chest pain, excessive sweating and unusual shortness of breath, contact 9-1-1 immediately. But just because February is over, it does not mean you cannot be aware of the signs, this Awareness should be all day everyday.

Let thy Food be thy Medicine and thy Medicine be thy Food – Hippocrates
We have a direct influence everyday on the final product of our health. In fact, our body and health are more of a work in progress and it’s never too late to aim for an upgrade.

Our body is constantly remodeling itself. Constantly changing, for better or for worse. This internal and external renovation is not a random process out of our control. On the contrary think of yourself as an artist, Exercise as your paintbrush and Foods as your paint.

Food is our  fuel but also can have either positive or negative effects on your system and your frame. Your choice either way. Learning to make the right food choices involves being smarter about both the quality and quantity of the things you put in your mouth. , and realizing once and for all that extreme diets don’t work, not for the long run.

Exercise is a powerful stimulus that causes predictable specific changes in your body including structural, hormonal and biochemical ones. Yes, remodeling even takes place at the cellular level. The overall result is very positive for your body both internally and externally. A stronger, healthier, more resilient you.

Perhaps Jack La Lanne said it best: “Exercise is King. Nutrition is Queen. Put them together and you’ve got a Kingdom.”

So much of how your body functions, thrives or fails is under your direct control with your lifestyle choices. For example, 70% or more of premature deaths are lifestyle related and preventable. Exercise and nutrition are cornerstones but other factors like genetics, stress and luck also play some role.

Cardiologist, Dr. Kota J. Reddy, founder of Reddy Cardiac Wellness, says the combination of sugar, starch & bad fat is what causes heart disease. In other words, everything man made leads to heart disease! Dr. Reddy’s mantra for treating his patients by reversing diabetes and heart disease  is, “Learn to Eat to Live and not Live to Eat!” What is your mantra for life?

We all know how fantastic working out is for your health. But what happens when your workouts aren’t delivering the results you want? Or you’re not getting the results you think you should be getting? While any kind of physical activity is good, some workout plans are better than others and—as you might suspect—a lot of other factors come into play when trying to lose weight and tone up. So if your workout isn’t working for you,  there could be one main reason…Your Diet! This could be the biggest factor! 

You haven’t changed your diet. 
Exercise is awesome, but if you’re not eating a nutritious diet with the appropriate number of calories for weight management, you could be shooting yourself in the foot. Proper nutrition fuels your workouts, but eat too much and you could gain weight (or hurt your weight-loss efforts), and eat too little, and you won’t have enough energy to exercise.

Get-Results Remedy: If you can’t seem to see those muscles you’re trying to build, start logging your food to see how many calories you’re eating a day. If you’re regularly eating more than you should (it just takes an extra 100 calories a day to gain an extra pound a month), then try choosing lower-calorie versions of your favorite foods and slowly decreasing your caloric intake until you’re at the right level! On the flip side of that, if you find that you’re eating too few calories, that can also slow your metabolism and leave you drained at the gym.

You reward yourself with food.
Do you allow yourself to have that extra piece of pizza or order that dessert when dining out because you “went to the gym” earlier? If so, you may be undoing all of that good calorie-burning with too many treats.

Get-Results Remedy: Familiarize yourself with the calorie contents of your favorite foods—and find out how many calories you’re really burning through exercise. Remember that while you may have run 3 miles at the gym, that only burned 300 calories, which isn’t nearly equivalent to the calorie count in that brownie sundae you ate later. Focus on how good exercise makes you feel rather than what it allows you to eat after; and choose foods that fuel your workouts, rather than the other way around.

“If you exercise, you may lose a few pounds, but most people do not lose any weight with regular exercise because they still eat sugar and starch. In fact, some people even gain weight.” Well known Cardiologist, Dr. Kota J. Reddy, Founder of The Reddy Wellness Center also states, “If you do not exercise and eat sugar and starch, no doubt you will gain weight, even if you do not exercise.”

When it comes to rice, looks are deceiving. Chefs and food stylists like the attractive, photogenic qualities of fluffy white rice. Brown rice, however, when compared to white rice, wins as the superior choice for a number of other reasons. Much research concludes that color is not the only factor that separates these two types of rice. Brown rice and white rice are different in some very important ways that can affect your health.

White Rice: Diabetic Risks

Diabetics are often warned about the link between eating white rice and bringing on a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. The message is that if you are a diabetic or are at risk, stay away from white rice. Medical experts advocate replacing white rice with brown rice if you have diabetes. A study team at the Harvard School of Public Health recently found that eating five servings per week of white rice increased the risk of diabetes. They also found that replacing white rice with brown rice lowered the risk.

Brown Rice: Fiber Advantages

Brown rice has more fiber than white rice, and the difference is due to the way both types are processed. White rice is brown rice that has gone through some changes in the milling process. With brown rice, only the husk is removed. White rice is polished and pre-cooked or parboiled. The bran is also removed. The bran is kept intact in brown rice, and that bran gives you a healthy dose of fiber.

Brown rice contains nutrients like magnesium, manganese and zinc. White rice has less amounts of these nutrients, but is fortified with iron and some B vitamins. Brown rice is the only form of the grain that contains vitamin E.

However,  Dr. Kota Reddy, Cardiologist and author of best selling book Eat This Lose That! says, “Yes brown rice does have more vitamins & minerals than white rice but both have relatively the same amount of starch. They are broken down into sugar equally in the body. The body does not discriminate!”