Health Effects of Caffeine

How many of us drink caffeine first thing in the morning? I know I do and my choice was not a good one. This article was very informative on the good and bad of caffeine and how to make adjustments to your caffeine intake. Please SHARE this article and your thoughts!

Health Effects of Caffeine

By Contributor on July 23, 2015

Caffeine has its perks, but it can pose problems as well. The best thing you can do is to find out how much is too much for you, as well as the overall health effects of caffeine. Once you know the health effects of caffeine you can properly determine whether you need to curb your consumption.
Do you rely on caffeine to wake you up and keep you going? Well you aren’t alone. Caffeine is used by millions of people every day to increase wakefulness, alleviate fatigue, and improve concentration and focus. This can be a problem.
Caffeine is a powerful stimulant, and it can be used to improve physical strength and endurance if used properly, but it can also have some very bad side effects on your health if over used and over consumed.

Where can caffeine be found and is there a difference?

 Caffeine is found in Coffee, Green Teas, Energy Drinks, soda, and in a pill form. Caffeine that you find in soda, pill form, or in the majority of energy drinks are synthetic versions of caffeine which is not a form of caffeine you want to be consuming. Then add the sugar levels that are in soda and most energy drinks, and you are on the road to weight gain and an unhealthy body. If you are going to consume caffeine it should only come from coffee, green tea, or if you are using an energy drink you need to verify that it is coming from green tea or other natural herbs that have been found safe for consumption. The cleanest most natural energy drink on the market is Energize by Beachbody. This product can found in their top selling Performance Nutrition Line.

How much is too much and what are the health effects of caffeine?

Some science says that up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. The key word here is “Appears”. The newest science has shown that low doses of caffeine may have beneficial effects on the body, were high doses can hinder how the body operates.
Caffeine dosages really should be tailored to each individual. If you are new to caffeine or supplement that contain caffeine, keeping consumption at 100 mg or lower per dose would be a good idea. Typically, 200 mg or less of caffeine has shown to have fat-burning and performance improvement properties. Heavy caffeine use can cause unpleasant side effects, and caffeine may not be a good choice for people who are highly sensitive to its effects or who take certain medications.
Heavy daily caffeine use that is more than 400 mg a day may cause side effects such as: Insomnia, Nervousness, Restlessness, Irritability, Digestion issues and Bloating, Fast Heart Rate, Muscle Tremors, and Weight gain just to name a few.
High doses have been found to not improve performance or aid in fat burning because it causes sedation and relaxation effects by triggering those receptors in the brain. It also creates an inhibition of serotonin levels, acetylcholine, and your adrenaline system. When this happens to these systems you will see slowing in performance, and fat burning abilities.
Of course you only want the health effects of caffeine that are good. So you may need to take a look at your consumption and see how you can curb your caffeine habit to bring your consumption to the levels that will have a positive benefit.
Depending on your consumption, cutting back on caffeine can be challenging. An abrupt decrease in caffeine may cause withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue, irritability and nervousness. Fortunately, these symptoms are usually mild and resolve after a few days.
To have health effects of caffeine that will benefit you, try these tips to get your consumption in line:

• Keep tabs. Start paying attention to how much caffeine you’re getting from foods and beverages. It may be more than you think. Read labels carefully. Even then, your estimate may be a little low because not all foods or drinks list caffeine.
• Cut back. Remember to do it gradually. Decrease the amount by a few ounces each day. Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages late in the day. This will help your body get used to the lower levels of caffeine and lessen potential withdrawal effects.
• Go decaf. Most decaffeinated beverages look and taste the same as their caffeinated counterparts.
• Shorten the brew time or go herbal. When making tea, brew it for less time. This cuts down on its caffeine content. Choose herbal teas that don’t have caffeine.
• Check the bottle. Some over-the-counter pain relievers contain caffeine, and can be as much as 130 mg of caffeine in one dose. Look for caffeine-free pain relievers instead.

The bottom line is that caffeine can be a part of your daily routine if consumed at doses that benefit your health versus hinder it. When done this way, most of the time it doesn’t pose a health problem. Be mindful of those situations in which you need to curtail your caffeine habit. If you plan on using nutritional supplements that have caffeine make sure that is a high quality product that uses naturaly low doses of caffeine, such as the Energize from the Beachbody Performance Line. Also keep in mind that when consuming these products you may have to keep your other caffeine beverages to lower levels.
When taking these things into consideration it will provide you the positive health effects of caffeine versus negative effects.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/health-effects-of-caffeine/#!236

What Is a Balanced Diet? Here’s Your Sign!

Eat a balanced diet. Whenever I hear that, I think RIGHT I know but where do I start? This article has some great info on some easy steps you can take to get started right! I love the 90/10 concept. What steps could you take to start?

Everyone knows that you and your kids are supposed to be eating a “healthy balanced diet”. That’s great, but “What Is A Balanced Diet?” How exactly is a healthy balanced diet different from what most people eat? While you ultimately have to decide what the best nutrition is for you based on your lifestyle, goals, and choices, but there are several things that hold true.
A healthy balanced diet is filled with as many “real foods” as possible. That means foods that haven’t been filled with chemicals, including artificial colors and flavorings. If it comes in a box, no matter how “all natural” it is, you’re probably better off not buying it.

Choosing the path of a healthy balanced diet is a lifestyle change, and can take some practice. Here are some great suggestions to get you started on your path to a healthy balanced diet.
A good way to start is to slowly eliminate packaged food to foods and meals that you create. There are a number of recipes available that will allow you to make your own foods and meals that only take few minutes up front. Another idea to keep in mind is “mason jar” recipes. These recipes allow you to prepare your meals ahead for maximum convenience while still staying on your healthy balanced diet. These recipes include salads, oatmeal’s, and more. There are plenty of other options that will allow you to put together your favorite foods once and enjoy them for up to a week without any further effort.

Never deprive yourself of any food group. This doesn’t mean that you should be chowing down on unhealthy snacks and high-fat foods. It does mean that you shouldn’t limit yourself to fruits, vegetables, and lean meats all the time, either. It is okay to have a splurge item every once in a while. Rule of thumb eat balanced 90% of the time and you will be on the right track. Focus on eating a wide variety of foods so your body gets all of the nutrients it needs and that you are not depriving yourself of something that you really need in order to function at your optimal level.
Foods that you should be limiting are refined grains and added sugar. Added sugar, in particular, can be hard to catch! Many foods that you buy prepackaged or at restaurants contain added sugar content to help them taste better or to cover up the taste of other additives, which is one of the reasons why it’s often better to cook your own when possible. Refined grains process through your body very quickly and are turned into sugar. Whole grains, on the other hand, will keep the nutritional content of the wheat intact.
Eat the rainbow. No, not that popular candy that comes complete with a week’s supply of sugar and enough artificial colors to take you to the moon and back. Rather, eat a “rainbow” of fruits and vegetables. Different colors tend to indicate that the fruits or vegetables have similar nutrients in them. That means that you should fill your plate with all sorts of different tones. Not only is it pretty (which, according to research, will make you enjoy eating it even more), it also contains a variety of different nutrients.
Control your portion sizes. A good rule of thumb is to start by dividing the portion you would normally eat in half. To help control your portions, pay attention when you’re eating. Don’t plop down in front of your television or computer screen; instead, concentrate on the process of eating. Enjoy the flavor and texture of your foods instead of mindlessly shoveling your meal down before going back for more. Also, use this old trick: use a smaller plate to help your portions seem larger.
Try not to drink your calories with soda and other similar drinks. You often don’t realize how many calories there really are in your favorite coffee drink or that soda that you drink by the bottle, but it can pack on the pounds fast. When possible, drink water–and lots of it! Staying hydrated is one of the most important things you can do for your body. The only caloric drink that would be highly recommended is a total nutrition shake. These can be used for a healthy snack or meal replacement when used with a recipe.
Implement these suggestions and you will be on your way to creating a healthy balanced diet that fits your lifestyle.

 http://www.gettingfittogether.com/what-is-a-balanced-diet-heres-your-sign/#!236

How Often Should I Eat?

Awesome article, I know it sounds crazy but people who eat more often maintain a healthier weight. I know I need to get more consistent with this. I would love for you to SHARE your thoughts!

How Often Should I Eat? Let’s face it, since the dawn of man the rule for consumption of food was simply to eat to survive. Well our modern society and lifestyle has changed and flipped that simple process.

Obesity rates continue to grow and will be affecting more than two-thirds of Americans in the next 5-10 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So you can see the simple rule has flipped and it appears that humans survive so they can eat.

Through the years we have seen nutrition and diet science, and programs change their design about what foods best suit our needs as a society, but you don’t hear about when to eat. The question that seem to arise most often is “How Often Should I Eat?”

The most popular approach to the question of How Often Should I Eat for general health and weight maintenance has been to spread calories throughout the day by consuming 5-6 smaller meals. The concept of doing this method is that you are most likely to feel less hungry at any particular time, and in turn you will not be apt to over indulge or eat in excess.

A study found in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, shows data on this approach. It states that people who were of their ideal weight and able to maintain their weight reported eating more often than individuals who were overweight and obese.

How Often Should I Eat?

The overall hypothesis is eat small meals and snacks spread out every 3- 3 ½ hours from the time of breakfast. This proves to keep you sustained which avoids greater levels of hunger, and will limit overeating. Therefore control of caloric intake and, ultimately control of body weight.

Though we know that eating throughout the day with 5-6 smaller meals can benefit for weight maintenance, how does is measure up for weight loss.

According to a study done by Circadian Biologist Ph.D. Amandine Chaix, consuming meals 5-6 times throughout the day can aid in weight loss, but it needs to be meals that are healthy and portioned appropriately. It was found that if the foods were high-fat, sugar or highly processed that the individuals still became obese. The complete findings found that those fed in the 9-12 hour window with 5-6 smaller meals that were portioned and low in processed, high fat, and high sugar were leaner. “So, already being obese and switching to time-restricted feeding with healthier foods and portions, does create weight loss. That is powerful.” Chaix said.

The research of meal timing shows further benefits in addition to those who want to lose weight and maintain their weight, especially as it relates to the consumption of protein.

When spreading the protein consumption throughout the day in smaller doses the body is able to assimilate and use the protein for greater gains and recovery of the muscle tissue. This can help maintain muscle loss during weight loss, and through the aging process.

How Often Should I Eat?

The answer is 5-6 smaller meals per day. Spaced out every 3-3 ½ hours after the consumption of breakfast. Though you must also keep in mind that for weight loss and maintenance the number of calories at each meal and throughout the day still plays a very large role in this process.

If you are trying to lose weight, you need to consume smaller meals spread throughout the day, create a calorie deficit through portioned meals, and exercising appropriately 5-6 times per week. If you need assistance in implementing a meal plan and exercise regimen that will keep you eating throughout the day and exercising appropriately, Beachbody’s 21 Day Fix combines all of this in one package and you get a FREE Coach to help keep you on track and motivated.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/how-often-should-i-eat-food/#!236

3 Day Detox Cleanse: A Healthy One

3 Day Detox Cleanse: A Healthy One

This article has some great information on a healthy way to cleanse or jump start your nutrition after a holiday weekend or summer parties. This is such a healthy option with great results! I would love to hear your thoughts!


A 3 Day Detox Cleanse is the latest hype for kicking off a healthy lifestyle. The question is…are they really good and are they healthy.

Everyone wants to see results fast! Kick starting the weight loss process can help you feel better about yourself and where the process is going go. Unfortunately, many so-called cleanses are not that healthy and leave you feeling sluggish, slow, and deprived. Juice fasts and liquid cleanses tax your body. They’re hard on your organs and create a rebound effect when you return to normal eating. In general, the weight lost from these types of cleanses are really just water weight. Sure, it works to get you into a special dress for a party or your skinny jeans for a special date, but you want long-term results that will keep your body healthy and make you look and feel better than ever.

Well you no longer have to feel that way or have those issues when doing a detox cleanse. The 3 Day Refresh is a healthy cleanse that may help flatten your belly and fit into your clothes better while still giving your body the vital nutrients it needs in order to function.

Here’s how it works:

The 3 Day Refresh is simple. You start off your day with a serving of Shakeology and a fruit for breakfast. Shakeology comes in six different flavors, so not only will you be able to find one that you’ll love, there are over 101 recipes that you can create!. Mid-morning you will use the Fiber Sweep Drink. No worries, it is not one of those run to the bathroom drinks. Then for lunch you will enjoy a variety of vegetables, a healthy fat, a fruit and drink the Vanilla Fresh Protein Shake which is packed full of nutrients and protein that your body needs. In the afternoon you will have an afternoon snack of vegetables and a choice off the healthy fats list. You will then finish out the day with dinner. Dinner will include a selection from one of the many amazing meal recipes and a second Vanilla Fresh shake. This program is designed to help naturally remove waste and toxins from your body. You feel full, satisfied, and ready to take on your day with more energy and enthusiasm than ever before.

Can it be done more than once?

The 3 Day Refresh is a fantastic program that is designed to rid your body of impurities. It’s not designed as a long-term solution, and therefore should not be repeated over and over again. Though you may do the 3 Day Refresh quarterly or even on a monthly basis to kick off each month. It has been reported that people who have used it more than once find themselves losing more weight and finding more energy each time.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/3-day-detox-cleanse-a-healthy-one/#!236