Have you ever wondered why we Age, get Disease?
I found it rather interesting to hear recently doctor saying that it is NOT normal for people in their sixties or seventies to be running active lifestyles to the point of running a marathon or something similar. Well, regardless what this particular doctor may think, we are what we eat (and drink and think and do) and that diseases, regardless at what point in our lives they happen, are most probably caused by what goes into our bodies and that will determine whether we will be visiting doctor’s surgery on a weekly basis once we are 50 or even a lot earlier, or we will more frequently visit local sport centre and still play tennis at the age of 70…
As our brain uses only 10% of it’s potential, the same could apply to our physical abilities – if we were to give our bodies 100% throughout our lives, the outcome would have been a lot more different than what wellness trends report each and every day… Well, not so long ago, diseases were indeed accepted as unfortunate but inevitable facts of life, but we know now that diseases are caused by what we eat or don’t eat. What you put in, you get out as our focus shifts towards prevention of disease, not it’s treatment!
Our body’s health depends on the health of each and every cell and to slow down the aging, limit sickness and prevent disease, those cells need proper protection and nourishment. We have all heard of Free Radicals. What are those exactly? Well, each and every cell is made up of many atoms and when those are healthy, the cells are too and when healthy cells replicate – our body remains young and free from the disease.
On the other hand, we have another type of an atom that is damaged due to smoking, stress, sunlight, pesticides in our food, pollution, travel, medications, foods and it’s additives, x-rays, exercise, chlorine in water, Mercury in tooth fillings and seafood and many more factors. Those unhealthy and damaged atoms have only one instead of two electrons and are called Free Radicals. Free Radicals alter and eventually destroy cells. And it is exactly those cells that die and cells that replicate themselves in a damaged state that are the cause or contribute to premature aging, sickness and diseases such as cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and many others.
THE SOLUTION ARE ANTIOXIDANTS!
Antioxidants are super atoms that have extra electrons that they can give to those Free Radicals to neutralise them and eliminates their harmful effects. Antioxidants are indeed a body’s defence against destructive free radicals and they help prevent aging, sickness and disease.
Antioxidants are found in fruits and vegetables, nuts, oils, beans. Organically grown local produce will have more antioxidants than non-organic alternatives that have travelled for miles, even across different countries or continents. Antioxidants are also found in high quality supplements as most adults do not eat the right foods to properly feed their cells.
“Don’t underestimate the threat free radicals pose to our health. Scientists now believe that free radicals are causal factors in nearly every known disease, from heart disease to arthritis to cancers to cataracts. In fact, free radicals are a major culprit in the aging process itself. By controlling free radicals, antioxidants can make the difference between life and death, as well as influence how fast and how well we age.”, Lester Packer, Head of Packer Laboratory, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley
Heart Disease and Cancers are the most common killer diseases that are caused by the damaging effects of Free Radicals.
Heart Disease mostly comes from the build up of fatty deposits on the inner surfaces of arteries, which stops the normal blood flow and could lead to heart attack or stroke. Recent research has highlighted that those fatty deposits are influenced by free radicals, which cause it to become sticky and stick more easily to the walls of arteries. Antioxidants can therefore help in reducing the risk of free radicals oxidizing the fat and making it more sticky.
The common explanation for Cancer is that damaged and altered DNA that controls cell growth, development and replication, is the cause for the disease. The DNA has been proven to be damaged by Free Radicals, which is believed to be the main cause for most cancers. Antioxidants, once again, not only can protect DNA from free radical damage, but can also repair it.
So, the importance of antioxidants can not be overemphasized and next time when you get a simple cold remember that it is a symptom of your body lacking antioxidants in order to fight free radicals. It does not need medication, it needs nutrition, antioxidants.
And for the question Why should you take Vitamin and Mineral Supplements, please read on related article on The Importance of taking Supplements. Be careful, not all supplements are created equal!
Bianca-Trish Edgar’s Story: “My weight loss journey… so far!” Story of 230 lbs weight loss & still counting!
“Ever since I was a little girl around the age of 9 I have suffered from Bulimia Nervosa the eating disorder. I have been overweight all my life and went through extreme bullying right from nursery school through to high school, college and into the work place. To the point I tried to end my life 6 times in my teens, I found it extremely hard dealing with school, and social environments for over 17 years.
I was classed as clinically obese at only 11 and told I would not be able to have children easily because of Pcos when I was just 16. The only thing that has ever made me feel good about myself has been my music. I have loved singing, writing songs and poetry for as long as I can remember and doing this gave me a sense of security as you can now see music… no one can ridicule you if they do not see you! That is what I thought anyway.
When I was 18, I moved 150 miles away to South Devon with no friends or family. I felt scared, alone, isolated and very depressed. I worked very part time at a local CO-OP 5 minute walk away, yet physically I could not walk up and down stairs let alone down the hill to the supermarket where I would pack shelves. So I would take a taxi twice a day spending nearly as much as I earned.
I was the biggest I have ever been weighing 29 Stone and wore a 38 dress size, I had many health issues including osteoarthritis, IBS, PCOS, Manic Depression, extreme menstrual cramps.
One of the days after writing a new song I decided to take the plounge and send a demo tape off to some producers in the area. The following day to my surprise I had a phone call from an excited producer who was based over an hour away. He asked me to go as soon as I could down to the studio to record as he said I had a lot of potential. So, I took the day off work, travelled to the studio and was thinking that I could FINALLY be getting my break. My life may finally have meaning.
I walked up the path and knocked on the door shaking, I was so anxious and excited at the same time. When he opened the door and realised who I was, he looked at me up and down then laughed in my face as he said “I won’t sign you, You’re TOO FAT!” and he slammed the door. I was heart broken, I didn’t know what to do, I froze, I felt like my world was crumbling down around me and I could not even run round to my mums house.
I went back to my apartment with the intention to finish things once and for all. I sat looking at photographs and starting thinking about my mum and the amazing things she had achieved with Herbalife. My phone rang and it was my mum, I started to cry and begged her for help. She sent some products and I started them straight away.
I felt the difference in my energy after only 2-3 days, I even walked to work. It felt amazing. I lost an incredible 150 lbs and many dress sizes. Today, after taking a 5 year break to have my TWO CHILDREN after being told I would be able to naturally and getting engaged to my fiancé Mark. I have been back on the products since December 2007 and have lost 80 lbs since then. So, in total, I have lost 230 lbs and still counting and an amazing 12 dress sizes. I have hope and excitement for the direction my life is going and I want to help as many people as I can to achieve their dreams and inspire people to believe! “If You Can Dream It, You Can Achieve It” and that is the true power of Herbalife!
You can follow Bianca’s story at her sites:
www.thelast120lbs.com
www.youtube.com/thelast120lbs
www.thelast120lbs.blogspot.com
And there is also her FaceBook group TheLast120lbs
What Bianca’s story shows is not just the power of our incredible Herbalife products, as I know how magnificent they are, but her determination, her spirit and the fact how crippling the effects of obesity are and how there must be many people like Bianca used to be that suffer in silence, feel they are marginalized (and probably they are), discriminated against and who do not know how to turn their life around.
It is true that sometimes it needs to get worse before it gets better. I hope her story will reach many who lost hope and who need to believe that their life can indeed change around! I admire Bianca as it must have taken an incredible mental strenght to achieve what she has to date!
Please help me share her story and forward it to whoever you think may need the glimmer of hope and inspiration! Please let me know if you have Herbalife story you would like me to share with the world! We can do it together!
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