The Health Gazette

Okay - I haven’t tried this out, but I have to admit the demo looks pretty slick.

Patient Prompt emails, calls, or text messages your clients to remind them of their appointments, allows them to respond to confirm, and it does it all automatically. Reminder calls consume quite a bit of time for us these days, but I can’t imagine not doing them. This might be just the solution.

I’m not sure how patients would respond to the automated system. You can actually record your own message so that clients hear a familiar voice, but I still tend to lean more toward the full-service, “real person” approach from a service quality perspective. If you’ve tried it, or have any thoughts, leave a comment and let us know.

Achieving weight loss is not that easy. It needs a good strategy, planning and motivation to lose weight. Some of the weight loss tips, which can be followed at ease, are listed here to stay healthy as well as to stay fit with a perfect body figure.

Eating the right way helps achieving weight loss goals. Taking meals in smaller amounts, frequently helps in being energetic all the day and prevents from eating more.

Eating out is often associated with obesity as when dining outside, most of the people don’t check what they eat. Hence, to achieve weight loss, it is better to avoid dining outside.

Break fast should not be skipped as it has been found out that, people who do not skip their break fast are very successful in losing weight. If break fast is skipped the bodily metabolism slows down and when food is taken during lunch, it results in increased insulin levels and in turn weight gain.

It is good to stay away from beverages rich in fat and sugar as they will increase the insulin levels in the blood, while caffeine content can lead to dehydration.

Diet strategy can be planned in such a way that, without having to cut the favorite foods, they can be consumed in smaller portions along with healthy fresh vegetables or fruits to get a filled up feeling. By this way, the nutritional value of the food consumed is increased and fat rich foods are minimized.

Increased consumption of protein helps in burning the calories and avoids the storage of fat in the body. Protein supplements also help in building and preserving lean muscles.

Water plays an important role in weight loss as water hydrates the organs and the body. It suppresses hunger pangs, and can be taken in more amounts to get a filled up feeling.

Plan how you want your diet plan to be, adhere to it strictly and it is advised to keep a log for noting down what you eat and the amounts you eat with the weight measurement every week to analyze if you are progressing or not. Stay motivated while going through weight loss measures to attain success.

If weight is lost the healthy way, it benefits the person with a lower blood pressure, being able to be energetic in spite of controlled intake, healthy heart and organs, better body figure, less stress made on the bones, joints and muscles, and the most important of all stress free.

The myths about weight loss are making rounds everywhere and they never cease to end, as the people are very much concerned and are in the look out for easy way to lose weight, hence lots of wrong theories going around. Listed Below are some weight loss myths along with corresponding facts.

Myths Pertaining to Physical Exercises:

Myth: Exercise when done on an empty stomach results in more fat burn out.

Fact: The weight loss is said to be effective when the calories consumed are burned the same day no matter, how they are burned. Hence the impact of exercising with an empty stomach is the same as with a full stomach. Studies have revealed that the increase in metabolism seen in anaerobic exercise is reduced after a full meal. It means that more energy is used for digestion than to repair muscles.

Myth: The more the exercise the more the benefit.

Fact: It is not true. Even though every exercise session is good for an individual, there is a required level and frequency to get optimum results. After the optimum level, the exercise done will have an opposite effect by not allowing the body to cope up with the stress created by the exercise, which can be actually detrimental towards weight loss.

Myth: Muscle turns into fat once the exercise is stopped.

Fact: It is not true. Muscles, as a matter of fact, cannot be converted into fat as they are entirely different kinds of tissues. When the exercise is stopped, the muscles shrink but do not disappear. If the calorie intake is more, which is not burned it actually deposits as fat.

Myth: More the Sweat, More the hard work is done.

Fact: This too is not true, as sweating is the body’s cooling ability. Sweat can be due to lot of factors like body temperature, type of exercise done, fat deposition of the body, room temperature, the kind of clothing used for exercise, and the intensity of exercise done.

Myth: Drinking water while exercising might lead to cramps.

Fact: If more litres of ice cold water are drunk in one go while doing exercise may result in cramps. Hence, it is good to drink water consistently before, during and after exercises in order to replace the fluid lost and to avoid any discomfort being caused.

Myth: exercise done to tone the abdominal muscles also tones potbelly.

Fact: When exercise is done for the abdominal region only that region gets toned up. The fat deposits are not burned, reducing the potbelly. Fat reduction happens uniformly throughout the body and there is no possibility for spot reduction.

The success of weight loss programs relies on healthy diet and physical exercises done regularly. Eating healthy diet and regular workouts enable to lose weight on a long term basis. Losing weight should be done on a slow and steady pace rather than relying on the diet pills and fad diets, which actually are good only for a shorter period of time and bounce with weight gain after a certain period with lot of side effects. Eating healthy foods is the ideal way to loose weight.

Positive steps towards eating healthy foods and reducing weight at the same time:

Having a breakfast is a very important meal of the day, as it starts the day with some nutritious meal. Breakfast provides the necessary energy for the whole day and keeps the metabolism moving. Having a healthy breakfast will keep you away from unhealthy snacking or binging during lunch time. It is good to have a breakfast which is of a small portion with good amounts of protein and fiber, so that it keeps you filled until lunch time. High fiber foods are very good for the reason that they are not rich in calories and they pass through without being absorbed by the body.

While taking foods, it is good to check the calorie value and fat content of the food. Also, one needs to eat meals regularly, otherwise it might lead to binge eating. Small and frequent meals consumed daily keep people to have control over their diet and to be sure of what they eat. The meal pattern chosen should be ideal for the lifestyle of the person. However, meals have to be eaten at least three times a day without fail.

Fiber intake is the best way to loss weight and they are available in two forms, one is the soluble form found in the beans and oatmeal, the other is the insoluble form found in the vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Both the forms are good, as the soluble form lowers the cholesterol in the body while the insoluble form adds bulk to the diet. Fibers swell in the stomach, giving a feeling of fullness to the person. Fresh fruits and vegetables provide the necessary vitamins and minerals to the body and curb the urge to eat more.

Drinking enough amounts of water is very good to the body. It is very much needed to regulate temperature regulation of the body and to add viscosity to the blood. It is also a natural hunger suppressant. Drinking ice cold water helps to heat up the body and aids in burning up to 400 calories a week. Amazing isn’t it?

We see a lot of people struggling with weight issues and their body image. With the available resources and materials for weight loss spilled all over the place, those, who are over weight, are a bit confused about which method to follow to shed those extra lbs. Although the basics of weight loss do not change, they depend on setting realistic goals, cutting the calorie intake and exercising a little bit. Many presume that a weight loss program is all about a restricted diet, or fad diets, or diet pills and involving strenuous physical exercises. But, actually the basics of weight loss program are rational, flexible and healthy to which any one can adhere to while they work well on the person aiming to lose weight.

The first basic step towards weight loss is to set a reachable goal. When setting a goal to reduce weight, it is good to know the reason for doing so, benefits you may get at the end of the weight reduction program and the changes you are willing to make in your diet. This kind of analysis of the self helps understand the problem the better way and helps in setting realistic goals for weight loss. The weight loss efforts should be a reasonable one and should be gradual.

Once the goal is set to reduce say two pounds a week, then comes the step of creating a food journal to analyze and monitor what you eat for the particular week. This food journal helps keep track of what you eat, or drink. Sometimes the feeling towards the food you eat is also jotted down. This is very important as it throws light on the food pattern and habits of the person. The weight loss is also recorded. By reviewing the food pattern, the foods that needed to be avoided can be seen clearly and can be substituted with healthy foods. The secret is to be very consistent with this surely you will see positive results. Water is a very good natural hunger suppressant and can be taken in good quantities, if you note that you are drinking less amounts of water. It too can contribute to the weight loss efforts.

When the diet is combined with good exercise say walking or swimming or aerobics, it too aids in burning calories. The exercise should be in such a way that when it is done, it should be enjoyable, choose the kind of activity which interests you a lot than slogging. Exercise too needs to be tracked in the journal to see its effects with your own eyes.