Archive for April, 2008

How Free Radicals are Killing You

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

free radical article
You may have heard people talk about free radicals before, but do you have any idea what they are? I didn’t, but I did some research on free radicals to try to give you a “For Dummies” perspective on the topic of free radicals. Free radicals do not really affect weight loss, but they do harm your overall health. If you’re not healthy, then weight loss is kind of a moot point.

In general, a free radical is any molecule that has a single unpaired electron in its outer shell. To understand why that matters, you need to go back to Chemistry 101.

The atoms in your body contain protons and electrons, and these atoms make up molecules that are the building blocks of your living cells. On the outside of the atom are those little electrons floating around, looking to reach maximum stability of the atom by filling out their outer shell with its required number of electrons. Atoms with full outer shells will tend to not enter into chemical reactions. The laws of chemistry state that atoms will always try to reach maximum stability.

If the outermost shell of electrons is not full, the atom will try to fill the void, or empty out its electrons in that shell. It can fill the void by sharing electrons with another cell. The unstable atoms “steal” electrons from stable molecules, causing the molecule itself to become a free radical, leading to a chain reaction that can disrupt the life of a living cell.

Why do free radicals happen?

When the body metabolizes food, cells break down. Usually the breakdown results in stable atoms, but it’s not always the case. Sometimes the body’s immune system will create free radicals to neutralize viruses and bacteria. But this is natural and this level of free radical activity can be handled by our bodies.
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Power Tea as a Weight Loss Supplement

Saturday, April 12th, 2008

power tea weight loss supplement

There’s been a lot of talk on Oprah and other television shows about the power of green tea as a weight loss supplement. This article is going to take a look at the pros and cons of using green tea, not only for weight loss but for its health benefits as well. We’ll review Power Tea as product that enhances the benefits of green tea.

What is Power Tea made with?

Obviously the main ingredient in Power Tea is green tea. This particular product uses organic great tea, to avoid the harmful effects of chemicals and fertilizers. It is supplemented with Guarana, citris aurantium, and Vitamin B12, all of which have their own weight loss and energy benefits that we’ll discuss in detail.

A Brief History of Green Tea

Green tea has a long history of use in Chinese medicine. Its benefits include the ability to treat headaches, body ache, and poor digestion. It has been said that it improves well-being and can increase life expectancy. The real benefit of green tea is its high level of polyphenols, which fight free radicals in the body. Green tea is common in many other fat burner products because it helps with improving metabolism and thermogensis without increasing heart rate.

What does the Guarana do?

Guarana is an added ingredient in PowerTea that has some pretty incredible powers. It comes from a fruit found in the rainforest. Its seed has up to 4 times the amount of caffeine than a comparable coffee bean. Guarana is a stimulant that can increase mental alertness, stamina, and endurance.

What does the citris aurantium do?

Citris aurantium is another ingredient with roots in Chinese medicine. It is often called bitter orange because it is made from the immature and unripe fruit of the citrus family. Studies show that it can increase your metabolic rate at rest, and encourages the use of stored fat in the body for energy production. In addition, it burns these extra calories at a faster rate without actually causing any increased jitters.

What are free radicals and how do they affect the body?

Those polyphenols in Power Tea? They’re antioxidants that fight free radicals. But what are free radicals in the body and why should you care?

Without going into a long chemistry lesson, we’ll try to give you the gist of free radicals in the body. Free radicals do not usually form naturally in the body, and when they do your body can take care of them. Free radicals create unstable molecules in the body thus damaging healthy cells. They work against the immune system and are responsible for aging.

Over time pollution, radiation, smoking, herbicides and pesticides cause free radical build up in the body. The free radicals speed up the aging process and create a better environment for cancer cells to form. Free radicals do not really affect weight loss, but they do harm your overall health. If you’re not healthy, then weight loss is kind of a moot point.

The antioxidants in Power Tea stabilize these free radicals naturally. Studies show that antioxidants can prevent many diseases like cancer, stroke, arthritis, and cardiovascular disease.

Should I try Power Tea for weight loss?

As you can tell from this article, the benefits of green tea are numerous. But green tea alone will not help you lose weight. That’s where Power Tea comes in by adding supplements like guarana, citrus aurantium, and vitamin B12. When combined together, Power Tea can be a great supplement to any weight loss plan. Not only for losing weight, but improving overall health.

Keep in mind, of course, that you won’t lose weight if you do not improve your diet and commit to some exercise. Any weight loss product on the market won’t help you if you don’t take these things into consideration. Always consult your physician before starting a weight loss regime.

Want to learn more about free radicals?

Green Tea Benefits

power tea weight loss supplement

The Problem with Weight Loss Product Commercials

Friday, April 11th, 2008

weight loss commercials on tv

There are thousands and thousands of weight loss products out there in America. Anytime you see commercial on television, there’s a 90% it’s going to be a car commercial or a weight loss commercial. Most of these commercials promise instant results with pounds of fat lost and you looking like a model.

The problem with most of these commercials is that they do not tell the truth, or are very good at leaving out things you need to know to make a product effective. They want you to think it’s easy, but it’s not that easy to lose weight. There are two types of weight loss commercials: those that promote diet products, and those that promote exercise machines or routines. Each type of commercial usually neglects the other. And that is the problem with weight loss marketing… losing weight is balance of both diet and exercise.

You can work out for an hour a day on your Chuck Norris Total Gym, but if you’re eating a Value Size Number 5 from Burger King every night, then you’re not nearly going to lose the amount of weight you think you are. You can try diet pills that burn fat and suppress your appetite, but they are not going to do much good if you sit on your ass all day long. Weight loss is a combination of healthy diet and good exercise. You don’t have to be a fitness nut to lose weight, you just have to pay attention to what you are eating and doing throughout the day.

Weight Loss is not Easy.

Weight loss is easy if you’re a trained athlete and you want to shed a few pounds before a match or game. But if your whole life you have been overweight, then you know it is not as easy as it sounds. The weight loss commercials for diet products neglect to tell you that exercise is vital to speeding up your metabolism and making your body healthier. They want you to think that just taking a pill will get you to lose weight fast, but that just is not the case. Diet products should be a supplement to good diet and exercise, not the actual reason you’re losing weight.

And did you every notice exercise commercials always throw in a little blurb like, “And with our custom diet plan, you can lose weight fast!” Losing weight with diet and exercise combined? What a novel idea!

“I tried everything else and this is the only thing that works”

This is a common staple in weight loss commercials, but it is really a stupid gimmick if you think about it. Say you launch a new weight loss product and get 1,000 people to try it. You can assume that at least 5 people lost weight with the product, and that’s enough people to use as testimonials in your commercial.

It’s a simple numbers game. People who want to lose weight will try many things to lose weight. Eventually they’re going to find something that works for them. It’s not because the product is the greatest weight loss product ever, but more than likely it is something the tried and they like to do. Some people would hate to work out on a Total Gym, but may find it fun to work out to a Hip-Hop Abs routine. ‘

If you’re thinking about buying a weight loss product from television, do your due diligence. Always keep in mind that losing weight and keeping it off is a matter of combining diet and exercise. For exercise products, find a product that you think you will like doing forever. For diet pills and products, know that you will have to put in some exercise throughout the week to get the full benefit of it.