Jogging and Running

Jogging/Running Basics

Jogging and running are as basic as exercise gets. So, put on your shoes and bound down the road -- or onto a treadmill.

Run alone or with a group. This versatile activity can be adapted to reflect your goals -- to lose weight, run a race or reduce stress. All you need is some decent shoes, a supportive sports bra and a stretch of road or a treadmill to run on.

Running is a great cardio workout, but take steps to protect your joints. Buy the right pair of shoes for your running style, weight and injury patterns and be sure to warm up and cool down properly. Learn how to minimize your risk of common problems such as stress fractures, shin splints and plantar fasciitis. Seek advice from a qualified personal trainer, the experts at your running club or an orthopedic specialist.

So what's the difference between running and jogging? If you feel like you're running, then you're running!

Upside of Jogging and Running

• You can run virtually anytime and under any conditions.
• It's a good way to be alone and think.
• Or you can spend time with a partner.
• You can also take it indoors on a treadmill or gym track.
• It burns a ton of calories. Even a modestly paced jog burns about 8 calories a minute.

Downside of Jogging and Running

• Pounding on the road over long periods of time leaves you susceptible to overuse injuries.
• Doing too much, too quickly opens you up to injuries such as shin splints.
• Some people find jogging and running a bore.
• Some runners don't like to go unless the weather is nice. Some love racing outdoors but can't stand a treadmill.

Are Jogging and Running for You?

This chart can help you see how jogging and running fit your goals and lifestyle concerns.

Body Parts Worked	Cardiovascular system and legs.
Calories Burned	Varies considerably depending on pace. For jogging, about 544 calories an hour for a 150-pound person, 635 for a 200-pound person. For 6-mph running, raise those estimates to 680 and 907.
Gear	A good pair of running shoes. For women, a good sports bra.
Instruction/Facilities	None required. Your local running club may have classes, teams or informal groups.
Time	20 minutes, three times a week to start. Build up to longer runs, five or six days a week. Start with a simple walk/run program and gradually build up your running time.
Schedule/Flexibility	Should be able to fit any schedule.

Jogging and Running Tips

• It all starts with your feet. Pick shoes that have the same basic shape as your foot. Example: If your feet are long and narrow, look for a shoe that's long and narrow. Make sure the shoe is designed for running: flexible with plenty of cushioning and support.
• Shoes wear out, even if you can't see obvious wear. Track your mileage and change your shoes every 500 miles or six months, whichever comes first. Replace more frequently if you're a larger runner, someone who pounds loudly or you see wear sooner.

When choosing a jog bra, look for one with the highest support rating because running is a high-impact sport. Larger-breasted women may want to wear two bras for extra support.

Biking & Running

The wind in your face, the scenery, the great thigh and butt workout: Biking and running are great ways to cover major ground and get in a good workout. If you enjoy the outdoors you can go mountain biking or ride a bike around your neighborhood. If you’d rather work out at home or at the gym, hop on a stationary bike, run on a treadmill or sign up for a spin class. Biking and running are two of the best ways to burn calories and lose weight -- and have fun while you exercise.

Eat Away Your Anxiety

You won't hear this very often from a nutritionist: Sometimes you've got to emotional eat. There are instances when you can eat away whatever is eating you. Before you get too excited and run out to Krispy Kreme, find out what foods actually work and what will make your anxiety worse.

• Eat complex carbohydrates. During anxious times, turn to carbohydrates. Carbohydrates act as a tranquilizer by increasing the amount of serotonin, the neurotransmitter in your brain that calms. Complex carbohydrates, such as baked potatoes, whole-wheat bread or low-sugar whole grain cereal, take longer to digest than sugary carbohydrates, so the effect is longer lasting. This helps prevent rebound hypoglycemia often caused by too much sugar, which would make the anxiety worse in the long run. For the best results eat your carbs straight, without fat or protein to interfere with the effect.
• Don’t get too hungry. Ever notice how edgy people on diets are? Chronic hunger can cause anxiety, even in folks not prone to it. That’s because blood sugar levels are too low to sustain brain levels of seratonin.
• Include omega-3 fatty acids in your diet: Although evidence isn’t conclusive, there is evidence that including essential fatty acids in your diet helps alleviate anxiety and depression. Good sources are salmon, flax oil, nuts and seeds and some specially bred eggs.
  
• Take a multivitamin and mineral supplement. Even subclinical malnutrition or deficiencies can lead to feelings of anxiety. The B vitamins, whose role it is to unlock the energy in food, are especially crucial, particularly B-6, which helps manufacture serotonin in the brain. Choose a daily supplement that supplies 100 percent of the daily recommendation of all vitamins and minerals.
• Stay well hydrated. Chronic dehydration, however slight, can cause anxiety. Gulp! Be sure to get your eight glasses a day.
• Break the caffeine habit. Colas, coffee, tea or chocolate, no matter where you get your caffeine, too much of it can overwhelm your nervous system and take you from heightened alertness over the edge into nervousness, anxiety and, in excess, panic attacks. For many folks, eliminating caffeine from their diet may be the biggest benefit.
• Eliminate alcohol. Many people reach for a drink to calm their nerves, but the result can be just the opposite. For some, the hangover, insomnia, increased urination, subsequent dehydration and thirst set the stage for anxiety. In some cases alcohol can lead to panic attacks. A glass of diluted 100% fruit juice is a better drink choice in stressful situations.
• Try herbal remedies. Many herbs are showing promise as anxiety relievers, including, St. John's Wort, chamomile and lemon balm. Be sure to check with a health-care professional before using any of these, particularly if you are on other medications, pregnant or nursing. While not an herb, a supplement of the amino-acid, tryptophan, has been shown to relieve anxiety in some people. That may be because your brain can make seratonin out of tryptophan.
• Exercise. It's not a food, but it can't be ignored in any discussion of stress. Plenty of exercise is the one of the best all-natural ways to reduce stress and anxiety. It relieves muscle tension, reduces blood pressure and, if prolonged, produces endorphins that make you feel relaxed.

LASEK or LASIK - Laser Treatment to Correct Vision

LASIK surgery is a very popular eye surgery among people who wear contact lenses or glasses. LASIK eye surgery has been proved to successfully correct common vision problems (myopia or nearsightedness, hyperopia or farsightedness, astigmatism and a combination thereof) in most of LASIK patients.

Studies on LASIK outcomes reported that at least 90% of LASIK patients achieve 20/40 or better visual acuity after LASIK surgery. This means that only 1% or less of LASIK patients that experience complications after the surgery and even most of the complications are treatable with enhancement surgery.

LASEK is a relatively new eye surgery, developed for patients that will not do very well with LASIK. The condition is probably because they have too thin or too flat of cornea. LASEK is an abbreviation of Laser Epithelial Keratomileusis. It is basically a variation of PRK (Photo Refractive Keratectomy). PRK is an eye surgery that has existed before LASIK eye surgery.

Studies show that LASEK procedure may helps in reducing risk of LASIK complications that usually occur when cutting the corneal flap during the LASIK surgery - not ideal in thickness and diameter.

The Procedure of LASEK Eye Surgery

The procedure of LASEK eye surgery consists of three steps:
1. There is no hinged corneal flap created with microkeratome blade or laser as in LASIK surgery. Instead, a finer blade called trephine and an alcohol solution is used to loosen the edges of epithelium. Then, the surgeon used a tiny hoe to gently lift the edge of epithelium and hold it back out of the way.

2. Excimer laser is used to remove the underlying corneal tissue.

3. The last step is to place back the epithelial flap into its original position by using a kind of spatula.

What you can expect from LASEK is almost similar to what you can expect from LASIK, only with some differences. The epithelial flap heals in about a day, but you will have to wear a bandage contact lens for about four days. Eye irritation is something that is avoidable for a day or two. The time for LASEK patients to recover good vision is often longer than LASIK patient, but of course it may vary from one person to another. Usually, it takes four to seven days.

Shoulder Exercises

Shoulder Press

Step 1: Hold a dumbbell in each hand and sit up tall on a chair that has firm back support. Place feet on floor hip-width apart. With palms forward, bend elbows and raise the dumbbells up so that they are level with your ears. Pull abdominals in so there is a slight gap between the small of your back and the bench.

Shoulder Press

Step 2: Straighten arms up without locking elbows then slowly lower to start.
Challenge yourself: Do the move with the right arm only, then left.

Lateral Raise
Step 1: Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing in, arms straight down at your sides. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart.

Lateral Raise
Step 2: Lift your arms up and out to the sides in an arc-like path until your hands are at shoulder level (like you're airing out your arm pits). Slowly lower to the start.
Challenge yourself: Hold for two counts at the top of the movement before lowering.


Front Raises
Step 1: Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms down at sides, palms facing in, and stand up tall with feet hip-width apart.


Front Raises
Step 2: Raise right arm up and forward to shoulder height and then lower to start. Repeat with left arm. Continue alternating to complete the set.
Challenge yourself: Do all reps with right arm, then left.


Shrugs
Step 1: Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, arms straight down in front of you so that hands are in front of thighs, palms facing in.


Shrugs
Step 2: Keeping arms straight, raise shoulders up to ears and then slowly relax back to start.
Challenge yourself: Hold top of movement and squeeze shoulder blades together before lowering to start.

Water Works for Weight Loss

Nothing quells the appetite like water, lots and lots of water. Start out with two quart bottles in the morning and carry one with you to work or wherever you go. If you like, divvy up the 64 ounces of water into eight (8-ounce) bottles or four pint (16-ounce) bottles to carry around with you all day. Freeze half of them the night before and they will last all day, even in a hot car. Keep some unfrozen so they will be ready to drink immediately.

Yes. You will have to make more frequent bathroom trips, but it is worth it. Drink your 64 ounces of water before dinner, if possible, so you're not up half the night going to the bathroom.

Water not only fills you up and lessens your appetite, it prevents those "hungry horrors" we all encounter when our blood sugar drops and we reach for cookies, candy, ice cream, fries or other high-calorie treats. Water also flushes out the system, rids the body of bloat and toxins and rosies up the complexion. Now, start splashing.

Arm Toning Exercises

Double Bicep Curl

Step 1: Stand on the center of your exercise band with your feet hip-width apart and holding a handle in each hand. Let arms hang down at your sides with palms forward.

Double Bicep Curl
Step 2: Curl handles up to shoulders to tighten the band. then slowly lower to start.
Challenge yourself: Do all reps with right arm then left.
*Can substitute the exercise band with dumbbells for this routine.

Bicep Twists
Step 1: Stand on the center of your exercise band with your feet hip-width apart and holding a handle in each hand. Let arms hang down at sides with your palms facing in.


Bicep Twists
Step 2: Curl right handle up close to your shoulder, rotating forearm as you go so that it faces front of shoulder at the top of the movement. Slowly lower your hand back to start and then repeat with your left arm. Continue alternating to complete the set.
Challenge yourself: Do all reps with right arm then left.
*Can substitute the exercise band with dumbbells for this routine.


Band Triceps Extension

Step 1: Stand on the center of your band which is placed next to a chair and hold a handle in your right hand. Lean forward at hips until upper body is at a 45-degree angle to the floor, and place your free hand on top of the chair for support. Bend right elbow so that upper arm is parallel to floor, forearm is perpendicular to it, palm faces in and the band is reasonably taut.


Band Triceps Extension

Step 2: Keeping upper arm still, straighten arm behind you. Slowly bend arm to lower start. Complete all reps then repeat with left arm.
Challenge yourself: Give three short pulses at the top of the movement before lowering to start.
*Can substitute the exercise band with dumbbells for this routine.

Chair Dips

Step 1: Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair with legs together, knees bent, toes lifted and heels digging into floor. Firmly grasp sides of chair seat, straighten arms and slide butt just off the front of the chair so that your upper body is pointing straight down.

Chair Dips

Step 2: Bend elbows and lower body in a straight line. When upper arms are parallel to the floor, push back up to start.
Challenge yourself: Rather than doing in a "seated" position, straighten out your legs and balance on your heels.

How A Needle Can Save A Patient With A Stroke

Keep a syringe or needle in your home to do this...It's amazing and an unconventional way of recovering from stroke, read it through it can help somebody one day. This is amazing. Please keep this very handy.. Excellent tips. Do take a minute to read this. You'll never know. One's life may depend on you. " My father was paralyzed and later died from the result of a stroke.
I wish I knew about this first aid before. When stroke strikes, the capillaries in the brain will gradually burst." (Irene Liu) When a stroke occurs, stay calm. No matter where the victim is, do not move him/her. Because, if moved, the capillaries will burst. Help the victim to sit up where he is to prevent him from falling over again, and then the bloodletting can begin. If you have in
your home an injection syringe that would be the best, otherwise, a sewing needle or a straight pin will do.
1. Place the needle/pin over fire to sterilize it, and then use it to prick the tip of all 10 fingers.
2. There are no specific acupuncture points, just prick about a mm from the fingernail.
3. Prick till blood comes out.
4. If blood does not start to drip, then squeeze with your fingers.
5. When all 10 digits is bleeding, wait a few minutes then the victim will regain consciousness.
6. If the victim's mouth is crooked, then pull on his ears until they are red.
7. Then prick each ear lobe twice until two drops of blood comes from each ear lobe. After a few minutes the victim should regain consciousness.
Wait till the victim regain his normal state without any abnormal symptoms then take him to the hospital, otherwise, if he was taken in the ambulance in a hurry to the hospital, the bumpy trip will cause all the capillaries in his brain to burst. "I learned about letting blood to save life from Chinese traditional doctor Ha Bu-Ting who lives in Sun-Juke. Furthermore, I had practical experience with it. Therefore I can say this method is 100% effective. In 1979, I was teaching in Fung-Gaap College in Tai-Chung. One afternoon I was teaching class when another teacher came running to my class room and said in panting, "Ms. Liu, come quick, our supervisor has
had a stroke!" I immediately went to the 3rd floor. When I saw our supervisor, Mr.Chen Fu-Tien, his colour was off, his speech was slurred, his mouth was crooked-all the symptoms of a stroke. I immediately asked one of the practicum students to go to the pharmacy outside the school to buy a syringe, which I used to prick Mr. Chen's 10 fingers tips. When all 10 fingers were bleeding (each with a pea-sized drop of blood), after a few minutes, Mr. Chen's face
regained its colour and his eyes' spirit returned, too. But his mouth was still crooked. So I pulled on his ears to fill them with blood. When his ears became red, I pricked his right earlobe twice
to let out 2 drops of blood. When both earlobes had two drops of blood each, a miracle happened. Within 3-5 minutes the shape of his mouth returned to normal and his speech became clear. We let him rest for a while and have a cup of hot tea, then we helped him go down the stairs, drove him to Wei-Wah Hospital. He rested one night and was released the next day to return to school to teach. Everything worked normally. There were no ill after-effects. On the other hand, the usual stroke victim usually suffers irreparable bursting of the brain capillaries on the way to the hospital. As a result, these victims never recover.- " (Irene Liu) Therefore stroke is the second cause of death. The lucky ones will stay alive but can remain paralyzed for life. It is such a horrible thing to happen in one's life. If we can all remember this bloodletting method and start the life-saving process immediately, in a short time, the victim will be revived and regain 100%
normality. If possible, Please inform your friends or relatives after reading. You never know if it may help save a life from stroke.

Provided by: Nisreen Dr. Sk. Abbas

Butter & Margarine Compared

This is very interesting . . . . .
Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow colouring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavourings.

DO YOU KNOW............ the difference between margarine and butter?

Read on to the end...gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.

Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few
only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries whereas margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

And now, for margarine.........

Very high in trans fatty acids.

Triples the risk of coronary heart disease.

Increases total cholesterol and the LDL (this is the bad cholesterol)

Lowers HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancer up to five fold

Lowers quality of breast milk

Decreases the immune response

Decreases the insulin response

And here's the most disturbing fact.........
HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC..

This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

You can try this little experiment yourself:

Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:

* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)

* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

BEWARE OF Aspartame

Diet Softdrink is doing it...

Please read this! It may help you or someone you know.

(This letter was originally authored by a social worker)

In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick. She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard
time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed; she was in so much pain.

By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription
medications. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and so sick...she just knew she was dying.

She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughters name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of.. She
also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to FL (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd.

On March 19th I called her to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they didn't find anything on the test, but they believe she had MS. (Multiple
Sclerosis)

I recalled an article a friend of mine E-mailed to me and I asked my sister if she drank diet soda? She told me that she did. As a matter of fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment... I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking the diet soda !!! I
E-mailed her the article my friend, a lawyer, had sent.

My sister called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me she had stopped drinking the diet soda AND she could walk!!!! The muscle spasms
went away. She said she didn't feel 100% but she sure felt a lot better. She told me she was going to her doctor with this article and would call me when she
got home.

Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed!
He is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweeteners of any kind...
In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda... and literally dying a slow and miserable death.
When she got to FL March 22nd, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning! She is well on her way to a complete
recovery . and she is walking!!! No wheelchair!! !

This article saved her life.

If it says "SUGAR FREE" on the label, DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!

I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on "ASPARTAME," marketed as 'NutraSweet, ' 'Equal,' and 'Spoonful.'
In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. It was
difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be rampant.

I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject. I will explain why Aspartame is
so dangerous:
When the temperature of this sweetener
exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid
is the poison found in the sting of fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions,
multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple
sclerosis is not a death sentence..., methanol toxicity is!

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Carbonated drinks. The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may become a life-threatening condition.. We have seen
patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas.

In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis,
(when in reality, the disease is methanol toxicity),
most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved
markedly.

This also applies to cases of tinnitus and
fibromyalgia.

During a lecture, I said, "If you are using ASPARTAME
(NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc.) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain,
unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss..., you
probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!"

People were jumping up during the lecture saying, "I have some of these symptoms." Is it reversible?" Yes! Yes! Yes! STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels!
Many products are fortified with it!!!

This is a serious problem. Dr. Espart (one of my speakers) remarked that so many people seem to be symptomatic for MS and during his recent visit to a
hospice; a nurse stated that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed
with MS. This is beyond coincidence!
Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave
carbohydrates. It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!

These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores
in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs.
Formaldehyde (formalin) is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve "tissue specimens."

Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store it IN our body!!!

Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the "diet products" and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost an average of
19 pounds over a trial period.

Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some physicians, who believed that they had
a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame drives the blood
sugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and
phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.
Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE. Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates the neurons of the
brain; causing various levels of brain damage, seizures, depression, manic depression, panic attacks, uncontrollable anger and rage.

Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics, as well.

Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and AHD have
had complete turnarounds in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their diet. So called
"behavior modification prescription drugs" (Ritalin and others) are no longer needed. Truth be told, they
were never NEEDED in the first place!

Most of these children were being "poisoned" on a daily basis with the very foods that were "better for them than sugar."
It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be partially
to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.

Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e., mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy. Children are
especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NEVER be given artificial sweeteners. There are
many different case histories to relate of children suffering grand mal seizures and other neurological disturbances due to the use of NutraSweet.

Unfortunately, it is not always easy to convince people that Aspartame is to blame for their child's illness. Stevia, which is a sweet herb, NOT A
MANUFACTURED ADDITIVE, helps in the metabolism of sugar, which would be ideal for diabetics. It has now
been approved as a dietary supplement by the FDA. It is known that for many years the FDA outlawed this
true sweet food," due to their loyalty to MONSANTO Chemical Company."

Books on this subject are available:

EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT KILLS written by Dr.
Russell Blayblock (Health Press 1-800-643-2665) AND:
DEFENSE AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE-written by DR H.
J. Roberts, also a diabetic specialist.

These two doctors will soon be posting a position paper with case histories on the deadly effects of Aspartame on the Internet. According to the Conference
of the American College of Physicians, "We are talking about a plague of neurological diseases directly
caused by the use of this deadly poison."

Herein lies the problem: There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was included 100 different products and strong objection was made concerning it's use. Since this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings and still, nothing has been done.
The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets. Sadly, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED!!

There are now over 5,000 products on the market that contain this deadly chemical and there will be thousands more introduced.

Everybody wants a "piece of the Aspartame pie." I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame,
knows how deadly it is. And isn't it ironic that MONSANTO funds, among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association and the
Conference of the American College of Physicians? This has been recently exposed in the New York Times. These
cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry and are required to endorse their products.

Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require label warnings on products containing Aspartame, especially regarding pregnant women, children and infants. The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and
the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioral symptoms. The bill
was killed.

It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and uninformed public.

Drink Water on Empty Stomach

It is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven a its value. We publish below a description of use of water for our readers. For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure for the following diseases:

Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all
eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.

METHOD OF TREATMENT

1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water...interesting

2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minutes

3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.

4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours

5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.

6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.

The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure/control/reduce main diseases:

1. High Blood Pressure - 30 days

2. Gastric - 10 days

3. Diabetes - 30 days

4. Constipation - 10 days

5. Cancer - 180 days

6. TB - 90 days

7. Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment only for 3 days in the 1st week, and from 2nd week onwards - daily.

This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times.
It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine workin our life. Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active.

This makes sense...the Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals...not cold water. maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating!!! Nothing to lose, everything to gain...

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you.

It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion.
Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

A serious note about heart attacks: Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive...

How to Lose Weight

You won't even have to change your clothes

Despite what you may think, losing weight isn't a mysterious process. In fact, weight loss doesn't even have to involve strange diets, special exercises or even the 'magic' of pills or fitness gadgets. Want the secret to weight loss? Make small changes each and every day and you'll slowly (but surely) lose those extra pounds.

Rules of Weight Loss

To lose one pound, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. Whew...that sounds impossible doesn't it? Here's how it works.

1. Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is what your body needs to maintain normal functions like breathing, digestion, etc.
2. Calculate your activity level. Use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. throughout the day.
3. Keep track of how many calories you eat. Use a food journal to add up what you eat and drink during the day. If you're eating less calories than you're burning, you'll lose weight.

Example:

Mary's BMR is 1400 calories and she burns 900 calories in daily activity. To maintain her weight, she should be eating 2300 calories but, after keeping a food journal, Mary finds that she's eating 2550 calories every day. By eating 250 more calories than her body needs, Mary will gain one pound every 2 weeks.

This example shows how easy it is to gain weight without even knowing it. But it's also easy to lose weight. In fact, you can start losing weight right now by making a few simple changes. If you can burn an extra 500 calories each day, you'll lose a pound a week and you won't even have to change your clothes. Try these ideas:

Instead of....	Do this...
Having an afternoon Coke	Drink a glass of water. (calories saved: 97)
Eating an Egg McMuffin	Eat a small whole wheat bagel +1 tbls of peanut butter (calories saved: 185)
Using your break to catch up on work or eat a snack	Walk up and down a flight of stairs for 10 minutes (calories burned: 100)
Hitting the snooze button	Get up 10 minutes early and go for a brisk walk (calories burned: 100)
Watching television after work	Do 10 minutes of yoga (calories burned: 50)

Total Calories Saved: 532 (based on a 140-lb person)

Focusing on daily changes is the best way to reach your goals. No, you won't lose weight overnight but isn't it better to permanently change your life for the better? Say it with me: My Health Is More Important Than My Appearance. Repeat that 10 times a day and you're on your way to better health.

Top 10 Most Effective Ab Exercises

The following exercises are part of the American Council on Exercise's study to determine the most effective ab exercises. Keep in mind that ab exercises won't reduce fat over the abs or create the coveted 'six-pack' abs. That comes with good genes and low body fat, although you should strengthen the abs along with the rest of the body to build muscle and raise your metabolism.


1. Bicycle Exercise

The Bicycle exercise is the best move to target the rectus abdominis (i.e., the 'six pack') and the obliques (the waist), according to a study done by the American Council on Exercise. To do this exercise correctly:

1. Lie face up on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head.
2. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the ground without pulling on the neck.
3. Straight the left leg out to about a 45-degree angle while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee.
4. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.
5. Continue alternating sides in a 'pedaling' motion for 12-16 reps.

2. Captain's Chair

The Captain's Chair is the second most effective move for the rectus abdominis as well as the obliques and can be found in most health clubs and gyms. To do it right: 1. Stand on chair and grip handholds to stabilize your upper body.
2. Press your back against the pad and contract the abs to raise the legs and lift knees towards your chest.
3. Don't arch the back and remember to breathe smoothly.
4. Slowly lower back down and repeat for 12-16 reps.







3. Exercise Ball Crunch

The exercise ball is an excellent tool to strengthen the abs and comes out number three for working the rectus abdominis. To do it right:

1. Lie face-up with the ball resting under your mid/lower back.
2. Cross your arms over the chest or place them behind your head.
3. Contract your abs to lift your torso off the ball, pulling the bottom of your ribcage down toward your hips.
4. As you curl up, keep the ball stable (i.e., you shouldn't roll).
5. Lower back down, getting a stretch in the abs, and repeat for 12-16 reps.

4. Vertical Leg Crunch

The vertical leg crunch is another effective move for the rectus abdominis and the obliques. To do it right:

1. Lie face up on the floor and extend the legs straight up with knees crossed.
2. Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet.
3. Keep the legs in a fixed position and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement.
4. Lower and repeat for 12-16 reps.

5. Torso Track

The Torso Track is a tough exercise because it can hurt your back if you're not careful.

1. Grip the handles of the Torso Track and pull the abs in without holding your breath (as though bracing them).
2. Exhale and glide forward as far as you comfortably can. If you collapse in the middle and feel it in your back, you've gone too far.
3. Contract the abs to pull your body back.
4. Add tension by using more tension chords.

6. Long Arm Crunch

This move, ranked 6th in the ACE study, emphasizes the upper part of the abs. To do it right:

1. Lie on a mat and extend the arms straight out behind the head with hands clasped, keeping the arms next to the ears.
2. Contract the abs and lift the shoulder blades off the floor.
3. Lower and repeat for 12-16 reps.

7. Reverse Crunch

It may seem like the reverse crunch is for the lower abs but, remember, the rectus abdominis is one long muscle, so you can't separate upper from lower. To do this move right:

1. Lie on the floor and place hands on the floor or behind the head.
2. Bring the knees in towards the chest until they're bent to 90 degrees, with feet together or crossed.
3. Contract the abs to curl the hips off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling.
4. Lower and repeat for 12-16 reps.
5. It's a very small movement, so try to use your abs to lift your hips rather than swinging your legs and creating momentum.

8. Full Vertical Crunch

In a full verticul crunch, you really work the abs by involving both the upper and lower body. To do it right:

1. Lie on your back and extend the legs up towards the ceiling.
2. Place hands behind your head (lightly cupping it) and contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor.
3. At the same time, press the heels towards the ceiling, creating a 'u' shape with the torso.
4. Lower down and repeat for 12-16 reps.

9. Ab Rocker

The Ab Rocker (or roller) is number 9 for targeting the rectus abdominis. To do it right:

1. Sit on the Ab Rocker and grab the bars in each hand.
2. Contract the abs and rock forward, originating the movement from the abs rather than using momentum.
3. Release and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.
4. Go slowly to reduce momentum. Try to focus on the abs rather than pushing with the arms.

10. Plank on Elbows and Toes

The plank exercise ranked number 10 in the ACE study and is a great way to build endurance in both the abs and back, as well as stabilizer muscles. To do it right:

1. Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor.
2. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows.
3. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels.
4. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air.
5. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-5 reps.

Teeth Whitening: How to Prevent Stains

In order to achieve near perfect teeth whitening, there are a variety of teeth whitening products and procedures designed to help you obtain those pearly whites you desire. From in-office visits with your dentist to over the counter products, there's something for everyone regardless of the level of whiteness they hope to achieve. In order to maintain white teeth however, it's important to know how to prevent stains from forming in the first place. Armed with this knowledge, you'll be able to prevent stains and maintain a healthy smile for many years to come.

Products like cigarettes, cola, red wine, coffee and tea stain your teeth horribly and should be moderated if not eliminated completely from your lifestyle. What many people are unaware of is that many antibiotics also cause teeth yellowing. If you notice this happening, schedule an appointment with your dentist to find out what course of action you should take. Whitening toothpastes work to prevent stains from forming, so while you may not notice a significant difference in how white your teeth are you can be content with the knowledge that stains are being prevented.

By taking preventative measures to control stains, there won't really be a need for any teeth whitening products. Combining whitening toothpaste with a healthy diet and moderate or no consumption of teeth staining products will ensure a beautiful, pearly white smile for many years to come. If you're concerned about the whiteness of your teeth, keep these points in mind for a beautiful smile that you can't help but show off.

5 Tips To Conquer Your Snoring Problem For Good

If your snoring isn’t tied to a more serious issue such as sleep apnia, there is a good chance you can respond to some of the self help tips to eliminate snoring. It’s definitely worth giving these tips a try and seeing if they help you improve the quality of your sleep. Your partner and family will thank you for it when they do.

• Lose Weight and Stop Smoking

The more fat you carry the more fatty tissue forms around your throat. This will narrow the airway and increase your chances of snoring. eating less and improving your general fitness level can be a huge assistance in developing the ability to breath freely in your sleep.

Smokers have a narrower airway than non smokers, and whether you yourself smoke, or if you are merely exposed to second hand smoke regularly the effects are the same. Stopping smoking can have an effect on the noise and intensity of your snoring.

• Improve Your Sleeping Posture

Sleeping on your back results in the tongue and soft tissues at the back of the mouth and throat sliding backwards and blocking your airways. In cases of mild snorig simply rolling onto your side may completely cure your snoring problem. Of course saying to change your sleep habits is easier said than done. You will need to train yourself to sleep differently. One popular method of doing this involves tying a ball or similar sized object to the back of your bedclothes. This will be uncomfortable every time you attempt to lie on your back and even in a semi-conscious state your natural reaction will be to roll onto your side.

• Change your heads position

The position of your head may be directly contributing to your snoring. Bending your neck by sleeping with one or two pillows can cut off the airways. There are specialty stores that can sell a special snorers pillow designed to counter this problem.

Some success has been noted by people who elevate the head of their bed by several inches. now gravity is working with you to help your snoring problem and the tongue and loose throat muscles are likely to move forward, clearing the airways, rather than backwards to obstruct it.

• Be Careful of Alcohol, Sedatives and Certain Foods Before Bed.

Drinking before you go to bed will often lead to snoring. Alcohol acts as a muscle relaxant. It relaxes the muscles in your airways which makes snoring worst. Sleeping pills and tranquillizers will have the same effect, yet some doctors will prescribe them to help you sleep when there is a snoring problem. While you will be able to sleep it is likely the snoring problem will get worse!
Certain foods are also a bad idea. Dairy, soy or skim milks can prevent mucus from draining properly. The retention of mucus in the airway limits the air flow and leads to snoring.

• Keep Nasal Passages Clear

When you have a blocked nose inhalation is hampered leading to more noisy breathing. When you suffer from allergies or colds you may find yourself more prone to soring, even if you don’t normally have any problems at all. It’s possible to purchase nasal decongestants over the counter at your local pharmacy. If you prefer homeopathic cures nasal strips can assist in opening the nasal passages.

While taking antihistamines can assist, it does relax the muscles in the throat and lead to snoring. If you are looking for a more permanent solution to a snoring problem for you or your partner, there is a simple exercise program which can be done in 3 minutes and can lead to an end to all your snoring problems.

The Basis Of Controlling Your Diabetes

Diabetes is caused by the body failing to produce enough insulin. The insulin hormone is produced by the body to help turn sugar into usable energy. When it is lacking the diabetic will notice increased thirst and hunger, increased urination, weight loss, blurred vision and fatigue. One of these symptoms by itself is probably not cause for alarm, especially if it is mild, however when they appear together diabetes is a possibility worth checking for. When left untreated diabetes is a serious illness that can lead to other serious illnesses such as strokes or heart disease. There are a series of tests your doctor can perform to ensure that you have diabetes and not something else. It’s also a good idea to talk to a doctor before you begin treatment anyway as they can give you pointers and hints.

Whether you elect to follow a natural approach (with Cinnamon, Ginseng, Magnesium, Chromium, Aloe Vera Gel and Zinc) or a more mainstream medical approach (Insulin, Sulfonylureas, Meglitinides etc), a healthy diet and regular exercise will be the most important part of your treatment and recovery. A healthy diet is important not only to avoid contracting type II diabetes, but also in healping treeat or prevent a large number of other diseases and disorders. Hippocrates, often called the father of medicine is credited with the saying “Let food be your medicine”, and this advise is as valid today as it was in his time. A healthy diet can go a long way to preventing and even healing any number of conditions. It’s important to understand not just the importance of the types of food we eat, but also how we eat them. The body responds well to food at regular times, chewed thoroughly and given time to properly digest. A healthy diet including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and as few additives and preservatives as possible will go a long way.

Exercise every day is another important part of your overall health that can prevent or delay the onset of many illnesses and diseases. Regular exercise keeps your body in good working order and able to fight any new infections or disorders more effectively.

The best course of action is to combine a good healthy diet with regular exercise. This theme is mirrored in “How To Play The Diabetes Game And Win” the internet book that many people are claiming is responsible for curing their diabetes problem forever.

4 Most Popular Treatment Options For Male Pattern Baldness

With over 40% of men suffering from male pattern baldness during their 20’s and an estimated 90% being affected by their fiftieth birthday it is little wonder that such a huge industry has sprung up around hair restoration and replacement. Hair replacement options include toupees, wigs and extensions. Hair restoration includes all those medications and treatments that are designed to get your own hair growing again as it once did.

Propecia

Finasteride is supplied in 1% dosages under the brand name Propecia. It can also be found under a variety of other names such as Proscar, Fincar, Finpecia, Finara, Finast, Finax, and Prosteride. It is currently the only oral medication approved by the FDA for the treatment of male pattern baldness. Nine out of ten subjects experienced improved hair growth after 3 to 12 months use of Propecia in a recent independent study. Propecia will bind with the enzyme 5 alpha reductase which converts regular male testosterone to the baldness causing hormone dihydrotestosterone.

Unfortunately there are several drawbacks to using propecia. Firstly it is expensive and to work long term the patient must take the drug indefinitely. It also has known side effects including impotence and gynaecomastia(growing man breasts). These side effects are experienced in between 1 and 3% of users, and in most cases stopping use of the medication will stop the side effects. As the drug was only FDA approved in 1998 there is little research on the long term effects of it’s use.

Minoxidil

Minxidil is a topical lotion which works best in younger men. As with Finasteride once treatment commences with Minoxidil the drug must be used indefinitely to maintain results. The foam based version of minoxidil was found to produce the same results without the side effect of shedding hair on discontinuation of use.

There are two main side effects of Minoxidil. The first is that it can create an itchiness or dryness in the scalp. The second is that if use of the drug stops, the hair will eventually shed over 12-36 months. Other than this the patient may also experience lightheaded-ness, blood pressure fluctuation, increased heart rate and headaches. Minoxidil is generally marketed over the counter in a 5% dosage. Women should take a lower dosage of 2% and pregnant women should not use the drug at all.

Laser Therapy

Laser therapy works to stimulate the blood flow in the scalp and heal damaged hair follicles. After a single laser session the blood flow in the scalp has been shown to increase by 54%. Treatment by laser has been shown to correct multiple issues of the scalp and hair, including baldness, fine hair, split ends and dandruff.

The main concern with laser therapy is that it requires specialized equipment and can be very expensive. Specialized laser clinics can charge thousands of dollars for a short course of laser therapy, which is fair enough when you consider the pricetag of the machine is tens of thousands.

Herbal Lotions

Herbal Treatments have been around for hair loss for centuries, and have varying degrees of success. In some cases the effectiveness of a herbal remedy is not so much due to the contents of the tonic as the act of massaging it in which will naturally increase the bloodflow. In other cases the herbal hair remedy has dramatic effects and hair regrowth is close to 100%. This is fantastic for the self esteem of hair loss sufferers, as ultimately everyone would prefer regrow their own hair than resort to toupee’s, brushovers and shaving heads.

Stay Fit in No Time

By Selene Yeager, Women's Health When your schedule is overloaded like a sherpa on Everest, there are days, weeks, even months when you make it to the gym as often as the paparazzi spot TomKat's offspring. But luckily, that doesn't mean you're destined to morph into Kirstie Alley before she met Jenny Craig. In fact, U.S. military studies show you can stop the skid toward mush by doing just one- to two-thirds the exercise you usually do. "Women make the mistake of thinking, 'If I can't do my full routine, why bother?'" says Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., fitness research director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts. "But just one workout a week will maintain your strength. And if you exercise at the same or greater intensity, you can keep your fitness while doing much less than usual." Just how long will this kind of bare-minimum workout keep you in decent shape? If you can devote about 20 minutes to exercise once a week, you can preserve fitness for up to 2 months — plenty of time, we hope, for whatever's clogging your schedule to ease up. Until then, here's precisely the least you need to do to keep your endurance, strength, and flexibility intact.
Endurance
Expert Rec
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) prescribes 20 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity (brisk walking, running, or a cardio-intensive class) on most days of the week to keep your heart and lungs pumping like champs. To keep your pounds in check, the USDA recommends 60 to 90 minutes.

Get by with Less
You can slice your usual cardio routine by up to half as long as you add intensity, according to a 2005 Canadian study. Researchers found that regular exercisers who cranked out 30-second, full-throttle sprints on exercise bikes — 15 minutes' total training time, including rest — three times a week for 2 weeks as their sole source of training doubled the time they could ride hard before hitting the wall. Follow-up research revealed that exercisers pumping out 10 minutes of sprints at a similarly high intensity three times a week for 6 weeks reaped identical fitness gains to those ticking off an hour a day of moderate-intensity exercise 6 days a week for the same period.

The Least You Can Do
Climb. Gyms aren't filled with StairMasters for nothing. "Stairs are the most convenient, and highly effective, training tool," says Harvey Newton, C.S.C.S., owner of Newton Sports Consulting in Haiku, Hawaii. There's nothing like fighting gravity to add intensity. Duh, you say. But Newton suggests this twist on the standard stairwell slog: one-two stair repeats, which work your muscles harder. Start at the bottom of two to four flights of stairs. The first time up, take them one step at a time with quick, light foot strikes. The second, take two at a time. Walk down nice and easy and repeat for 10 minutes.

Strength
Expert Rec
To build muscle, the ACSM recommends a minimum of one 8- to 12-rep set of 8 to 10 exercises targeting all major muscle groups, 2 to 3 days a week. Most fitness experts suggest two to three sets for maximum strength gains.

Get by with Less
Reach for the weights once a week, targeting all the muscle groups you typically work. A 2002 study from Ball State University put 10 sedentary adults on a traditional strength-training program 3 days a week. After 3 months, half the group returned to inactivity, while the other half hit the weights just once a week. The quitters returned to their weakened state, but the once-a-weekers maintained all the strength gains they'd developed in the first 3 months.

The Least You Can Do
Try Dr. Westcott's once-a-week, 5-minute strength routine, "The Power of Four". "Navy research shows you can maintain strength and even lose fat and gain muscle, by doing just four exercises," Dr. Westcott says. The key is to hit all of your major muscle groups. And one set will do it: Studies show you get 50 to 90 percent of your strength gains from your first set.

Flexibility
Expert Rec
The average desk drone loses a quarter to a third of her range of motion during her adult life. Not good: Decreased mobility sets you up for overuse injuries like muscle strains and tears. That's why the ACSM wants you to stretch 2 to 3 days every week, performing at least four stretching repetitions per muscle group.

Get by with Less
Stretching is the flossing of fitness: It's the first thing you blow off. But without it your muscles shorten and lose strength. Prisca Boris, cofounder of Yoga for Athletes in Vail, Colorado, recommends doing a downward dog to stave off tight muscles. "It's the ultimate pose for lengthening the spine," she says. To stretch your front: Stand with feet together. Extend your arms overhead, close to your ears, palms facing each other. Press your heels firmly into the floor and, keeping your arms and legs straight, lean your torso to the right as far as is comfortable. Repeat to the left. Do the down dog and stretch sequence three times a week, repeating the flow three times and holding each pose for 30 to 60 seconds — breathing deeply through your nose — before moving to the next.

The Least You Can Do
A once-a-day, full-body stretch sequence that you can do anywhere, any time — no sticking your butt in the air required. "Even 30 seconds a day can keep you from tightening up," says physical therapist Vincent Perez, director of sports therapy at Columbia-Presbyterian Eastside Hospital in New York City. To take your muscles through their full range of motion, try this: Stand up and windmill your arms from the shoulder three times forward and three times back. Place your hands on your hips and lean to the right from the waist, hold for 5 seconds, then repeat on the other side. With your right leg in front of you, draw three circles clockwise with your right heel, then reverse and do three circles counterclockwise. Repeat with the left leg.

Build the Body You Want

By Michael Mejia, Men's Health

Here's a sign of the times: You can actually hire people to come to your house and organize your closets. They'll also do your garage, your attic, and the shed in your backyard. These people are tough on pack rats. They ask questions like "Why do you have this box of dog leashes, but no dog?"

My job isn't all that different. As a trainer, if I see something in a client's workout-or my own-that doesn't belong there, I get rid of it. If I see a redundant exercise, it's gone. Disorganized workout? I organize it. And if I see a client doing a program he got out of some old bodybuilding magazine, I throw the whole thing out and start over.

I can't come to your gym and fix your workout (or organize your closets). But I can tell you what you need to know to organize your own regimen, based on your goals, your available time, and your experience. I'll even throw in six sample workouts for beginner through advanced lifters. Now, about those closets . . .

Goals
I assume the closet lady would start by asking, "What do you need this closet to do for you?" Me, I'd ask the same question, substituting the word "workout" for "closet." Usually, these goals fall into three categories:

Lose weight: If you're a beginner, start with a circuit routine in which you do 10 to 12 exercises one after the other, 10 to 15 repetitions per set, with little or no rest in between. Do two or three circuits.

If you're more advanced, try supersets. In these, you do two exercises back-to-back, rest 60 seconds, and then repeat once or twice. There are many ways to do supersets, but for fat loss, I'd like to see you use as much muscle as possible. One way is to pair exercises that work completely different muscles, such as squats and seated rows.

Build muscle: For most men, I recommend exercises that allow you to do eight to 12 repetitions per set. You can do them as straight sets-complete a set, rest about 60 seconds, do the next set of the same thing, and keep going that way until you've finished all your sets and are ready to move on to the next exercise.

If you have more experience, try supersets, but not the way you did them for fat loss. Pair synergistic exercises-two moves that work the same muscles. Usually, the first is a compound move to work a lot of muscles, the second a single-joint exercise to focus on one large muscle. So barbell bench presses might be followed by dumbbell flies. Shoulder presses could lead in to lateral raises.

Gain strength: There's no secret here-heavy weights, low repetitions (usually three to five per set for the most important moves, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses), and longer rest (up to 4 minutes) between sets. You don't have to do every exercise this way, of course. Start with low reps on your main moves, then do more repetitions with lighter weights and shorter rest periods on less important ones.

Available Time
This is akin to the closet lady saying, "What's your budget?" Before I design a program, I need to know how much time you're going to put in. I'm going to assume everyone is willing to work out 40 to 60 minutes per session.

To me, that's a finite window, just as your closet is a finite size. If you want to do longer workouts, great, but I usually don't go in that direction. If I can't give you a system that gets it done in an hour or less, there's something wrong with my program. To me, the big variable here is how many days a week you're able and willing to work out.

Two days a week: No matter your level or goals, do total-body workouts. You want to hit your major muscles twice a week; otherwise, they'll be completely rested between workouts and will have no reason to grow.

If you're a beginner, stick to circuits, as I recommended above for fat loss. But if you're more interested in building muscle than in losing fat, I suggest doing sets of eight to 12 reps, with perhaps a little more rest in between exercises.

Another option for saving time is to do antagonistic supersets. These pair up movements that involve opposite muscle actions, such as situps and back extensions.

Three days a week: If you're not a beginner, you can adopt a split routine. The easiest to remember is the upper-body/ lower-body split. You alternate between them, so if you're training three times a week, you'll do upper-lower-upper 1 week, then lower-upper-lower the next.

If you're working out four times a week, you'll do upper on Monday and Thursday, and lower on Tuesday and Friday.

What you do during those split routines depends on your goals (explained above) and your experience (explained below).

Experience
Beginners make gains with just about any type of program, so it's best to keep it simple and safe-fairly high repetitions, basic exercises, total-body workouts. The more experience you have, the more you'll benefit from heavier weights and lower repetitions, more advanced exercises and techniques, and split routines.

Another issue is recovery. A beginner can recover in 48 hours and do fine with three total-body workouts a week. A more advanced lifter needs to give his muscles more time to recover, since he's hitting them harder.

Also, the more experienced you are, the less time you should spend on a program before moving on. A beginner can do the same program for 6 to 10 weeks without hitting a plateau. Grizzled iron vets may need to move on every 2 or 3 weeks. You probably fall somewhere in between.