Exercise is a great way to fight osteoporosis early in life.  Believe it or not, exercise is critical for the prevention of weak bones and, besides its other positives, this is just another reason why exercise should be a daily part of your routine.  Any weight-bearing exercise is particularly good for osteoporosis, such as weight training, running, or other high-impact sports and activities.  While you have probably heard that running is hard on the knees or hips, in reality your bones are getting stronger the longer one continues this type of activity.  The striking and impact of your foot on the pavement or hard ground actually works to harden the bones to breakage over time.

Weight training is another very popular exercise that is good in preventing osteoporosis.  Weight training has become increasingly more popular over the years, and gym memberships have risen drastically as men, women and children alike can now be found lifting weights for good health.  Weight training also helps to increase bone density, as well as improve your posture, improve your mood, and many report an improvement in self-confidence.

Other than exercise, you can help prevent osteoporosis with certain supplements.  Some of the most common supplements for the prevention of osteoporosis are calcium and vitamin D.  Most people are aware that calcium is important for strong bones and teeth.  They hear it on commercials and their parents tell them from the time they are little to drink their milk. However, most people probably do not take it as seriously as they should.  It really is a good idea to supplement with calcium every day to help prevent osteoporosis down the road.  Calcium supports bone density and bone healing.

While it is true that milk and other dairy products are a good source of calcium, you may not be getting all the calcium you need from these sources.  If you are a vegetarian or vegan especially, who does not consume any dairy products, it is especially important for you to take a calcium supplement.  Broccoli and fortified orange juice contain good amounts of calcium, but you probably cannot stomach enough broccoli to make it worthwhile.

Vitamin D occurs naturally with sunshine, so getting your exercise outdoors can help provide you with the vitamin D you need.  Remember to wear your sunscreen, of course. While outside activity in the sun can be a wonderful and fun source of Vitamin D, you will likely not get enough of it without supplementation.  Some areas of the country are sunnier than others, and then there are the winter months to consider when people tend to stay indoors more often.  With the amount of Vitamin D supplements available, it can easily be incorporated into your daily routine.

In keeping up with your protein consumption, and also increasing your Vitamin C and Vitamin K intake, you can also help keep your bones stronger and prevent osteoporosis.  Again, you can do this by supplementing if you are uncertain as to whether your diet provides sufficient amounts of these important vitamins.

A supplement called glucosamine chondroitin, which is actually two supplements generally sold in a compound as one, is very helpful with joint pain associated with age and increased activity level.  While not directly helpful for the prevention of osteoporosis, it is used to treat osteoarthritis.  You may want to consider adding this supplement to help prevent the aches and pains that sometimes occur in your bones as you age and try to maintain the same level of activity and fitness.

Supplementing with these vitamins, minerals, and aminos can be very beneficial when used in combination with a healthy lifestyle and diet.  Make sure to keep your alcohol consumption in moderation for healthy bones as well as cut out any smoking habit you may have, since smoking and heavy drinking both increase the risk of osteoporosis.  Follow these simple rules and you will increase your chances of having strong, healthy bones for life.

Medifast is physician supervised program available with unlimited counseling and regular physical exams.

This program can work for anyone if you need to loose 10 to 100+ pounds! It is packed with vitamins, minerals and has a main ingredient of the ’super-health-food’ soy.

I feel that it is especially helpful for those that have developed a disorder with food or are obese.

PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS?

You always hear that MEDIFAST will inevitably cause you to gain your weight back. This is true for ANY weight loss program. Let’s stick to reality here. If we do not remain steadfast and committed in taking care of our bodies then yes of course the weight will
come back. Only with exercise, education about nutrition and a love of life can we stay at a healthy weight. Medifast does work for those who decide to work with it.

A DAY IN THE LIFE..

Let me give you and example about a regular day on the program Meals should be 3-4 hours apart.

8:00am – I have awakened from sleep, revived and ready for a new day. I am ready for breakfast. Oatmeal sound great…especially Apple and Cinnamon. The oatmeal is best mixed with 3/4 cup of water
(if you like it thick use 1/2) and needs no sprucing up but I add a packet of Splenda and a little vanilla extract for that ‘gooey’ texture I like!

12:00 – I have a bowl of vegan chili with MediFast multigrain crackers (mixed with 1 cup water and heated for 2 minutes let set hot!!!) with bits of fresh onion and celery mixed in not to mention
a dash of garlic powder and paprika. The chili really does not need these extras but it is okay to add them if it is desired.

3:00 – I grab a delicious peanut butter protein bar gives me a boost and makes me feel like I’m cheating!

6:00 – I decide to have a small ‘meal’ for dinner (you can eat the MediFast products only or have 1 meal a day within guidelines). I have grilled turkey breast with a couple of cups of lettuce, a few
onions, fat-free honey Dijon dressing, and another packet of crackers.

9:00 – I have my last meal for the day. A favorite treat of mine. Canfield’s Chocolate Fudge soda mixed with a packet of Mocha Chocolate MediFast, a packet of Splenda, and a dash of chocolate extract (this was frozen made earlier in the day). It tastes so good…like chocolate ice milk! Yum.

THE RUN-DOWN

Basically to wrap things up in summary…
You can have 5 supplements a day and one meal. You
can also have two fast soups, that do not count as a supplement (beef, chicken, tomato) and up to 2 packets of crackers. The shakes (two different chocolates, vanilla, strawberry and orange),
oatmeal, chili, creamy soups and candy bars (peanut butter, chocolate devine, mint chocolate, berry, lemon and oatmeal) are counted as supplements. You can add small amounts of veggies,
extracts and spices to any of the soups (Chicken Noodle, Creamy Tomato, Chicken and Broccoli) and chili. You can also have any non-caloric drink as much as you want but need to get in at least 64 oz. of water a day. Coffee (milk can be used!) is allowed but limited to three cups a day . For dinners, 3-4 oz. of lean meats
(chicken, turkey, beef, pork, fish, shrimp) are allowed with or in lettuce greens (a couple of stuffed cups of lettuce allowed) with a few veggies in the salad and 2 tablespoons of low-fat or fat-free dressing. A cup or two of other cooked or raw veggies (green beans, broccoli, etc.) can substitute a salad.

Once you get into the swing of things, find out which foods you like best, and develop a schedule…things go pretty smoothly. The first three days of adjustment may have minor side-effects such as headaches, fatigue, and grumpiness but those first three days are worth any mild discomfort considering how helpful and how far you can go in healing the body and mind of obesity with this program.

By following similar steps like the above any person can effectivly lose weight with Medifast.

There is a good chance that you struggle with this problem as well.  Sure, you might stick to a raw food diet for maybe a week or so, but those killer cravings always seem to rear their ugly heads again.

Once they’re back, it’s all you think about and before you know it, you’re parked at the nearest fast-food joint chowing down on the fattiest, most unhealthy food you can get your hands on.  You spend the rest of the day feeling guilty and dreading your next visit with Mr. Scale.  And the cycle continues…

What to do?  Is there anyway to end this madness?  Don’t you wish that there was one easy and effective way to finally lose weight? Well, to day is your lucky day!  Here is the #1 rule for healthy raw food weight loss:

Eat More Food!

Sounds crazy, right? To tackle the weight loss issue, we have to get to the root of the problem: cravings. Many of these cravings can be avoided by simply eating more!  We are so often told to eat less and less and less for weight loss.  This is not the answer.  Eating less food than your body needs means receiving less volume and fewer nutrients than you require.

If you allow yourself to eat as much food as you want, I promise you will see a significant reduction in cooked food cravings. Of course, you can’t just eat *any* foods.  You want a raw diet comprised of mostly raw sweet fruits, 1-2 pounds of non-sweet fruits and tender greens, and limited amounts of fatty foods (i.e. half an avocado or 1-2 ounces of nuts per day).

You also want to be sure and eradicate (or at least limit) food such as salt, onion, garlic, and pepper from your diet.  These foods are irritating to the body and they can and will lead to water retention.

How This Rule Helped Me

As wary as I am to admit it, I used to binge eat.  Not only was this physically and mentally damaging, it prevented me from staying at my ideal weight for very long.  Luckily, this never became a daily practice for me, but it was a nasty frequent habit nonetheless and one that became harder and harder to stop.

It was not until I learned the value of eating as much raw foods as I wanted and actually implemented this in my life that I no longer felt the urge to binge on unhealthy foods.

There were many days in which I actually ate 3000 calories worth of raw foods…well over my caloric needs for the day.  And yet, I still lost weight! That’s the beauty of a low fat, high fruit raw food diet.  You really can eat pounds of food a day and experience vibrant health.

What other diet can promise that?

Moral of the Story

Eat more raw foods! I don’t care if you just had a huge meal of 20 bananas!  If you feel cravings coming on, go grab an apple or some grapes or pineapple, etc. And don’t cause yourself unnecessary stress by worrying over how much you are eating.  Your appetite will gradually lessen as your taste buds and tummy become accustomed to simpler foods.  You won’t have to eat quite as much to feel satisfied.

Today, I honestly can’t even imagine eating those unhealthy foods that I used to binge on.  My belly is far too full on delicious sweet fruits!

When choosing a plan, there are several factors to consider. First of all, can you stick to it? If you choose a diet that requires you to eat a lot of fruit, but you can’t afford to buy fresh fruit every day, then it won’t work for you. If you choose a diet that is low in carbs, but you absolutely crave pasta, then that won’t work either. You have to find a healthy weight loss plan that works with who you are.

If you have particular healthy problems or issues, then find a plan that is designed for it. There are diet plans for diabetics, ones that are gluten-free, sugar-free, and dairy-free. There are plans for vegetarians, vegans, and people who are kosher. Choose a plan for your lifestyle and needs and you will be far more successful.

A good healthy weight loss plan is also one that you can afford. A lot of plans require you to buy pre-packaged foods at exorbitant prices. Unless you are very wealthy and don’t mind eating cardboard-tasting food, then stay away from these kinds of diets. Also try and avoid diets that require you to starve yourself or eat vast amounts of a particular type of food. These are not healthy and can actually do long-term damage to your organs.