Built Lean: How To Lose Weight Naturally

As the New Year unfolds, millions of people set goals to lose weight…but sadly few are successful. If you are one of the millions of people attempting to change your lifestyle, you are about to learn a simple, but powerful framework to help you not only lose weight, but also keep it off for the rest of your life. It’s not smoke and mirrors, it’s not about promising you fast, easy results, and it’s not about crash dieting. This article is a do-it-yourself guide to help you lose weight safely, naturally, and sustainably.

Image via Wikipedia

For many men a visit to the doctors office is only done when necessary, when something is not right; very rarely is it self initiated. It really makes no difference whether this is due to a lack of time on your part or perhaps it is no real motivation because no one should care more about your health than you. So, set aside all of your excuses, man-up and start following a health screening regimen.

You should have your blood pressure checked at least every 2 to 3 years throughout your life since high blood pressure is a huge risk factor when it comes to stroke, kidney damage and heart attack. You should also have a lipid panel test done about every 4 years to test your cholesterol. This test will show the amount of lipids (fat) that is in your blood; unwanted levels are a risk factor of both strokes and heart attacks.

By having a fasting blood sugar test every three years, or less, you will be able to tell fairly early if you have diabetes, it should be completed even more often if there is a family history. Other factors that determine if you should be tested include obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

You should have your eyes checked every year, especially if you are in the high risk group for glaucoma. Some of those risks include severe myopia, those with diabetes, those with a family history of the disease and those that are over 40 years old. If you have a family history of melanoma, have a serious sunburn or are subjected to frequent sun exposure you will want to get a full body exam for skin cancer at least every 4 to 5 years.

Men in their 50’s should be screened for rectal and colon cancer; although 50 is the recommended age those that are at higher risk should begin their testing earlier. This would include those with a family history, any kind of inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis and polyps. The same holds true for prostate cancer screening, it usually begins around 50 but you may want to start earlier as all of these have a better chance of treatment when they are caught early.

No one is going to force you to seek out any kind of screening or testing, it is up to you to take care of your health.

Related articles

• How Family History Affects Heart Health (everydayhealth.com)
• Getting the Right Diagnostic Tests (everydayhealth.com)
• Will the Right Tests Keep You From Having a Heart Attack? (everydayhealth.com)
• Diabetes Management: Tight Cholesterol, BP Control Does Little Good for Diabetics (diabetesdialectics.wordpress.com)
• Intermittent High Blood Pressure: Causes and Treatment Options (brighthub.com)

Interestingly enough the American Medical Association actually stepped back and took another look at “medicinal marijuana” in November of 2009 and as a result they have decided that perhaps it does warrant further investigation and clinical research in order for the plant to be used for medicinal purposes. They even asked the government to re-think their classification of the stuff as a Schedule I form of a controlled substance that lumps the plant in with many dangerous narcotics such as LSD and heroin. The group pointed out that there have only been a very few controlled studies done on smoked marijuana even though there has been ongoing clinical research for over 30 years and are now encouraging further research to be done.

Even the Obama administration, earlier this year, demanded that narcotics agents no longer prosecute those users of medicinal marijuana in the states that do allow its use. This is a big change from the strict opposition of previous administrations even in those states where it is legal. There are 13 states that currently allow the use of medicinal marijuana but there are about 12 or more that are beginning to consider allowing its use.

Of course all of the marijuana advocacy organizations are thrilled with the American Medical Association’s revised position and also with the shift in general about people’s attitude toward the use of medicinal marijuana. Even though the federal policy does still oppose this legalization, citing the Federal Drug Administration’s judgment in opposition of its safe use as medicine, the popular opinion seems to swing toward favoring the continuation of research and its medicinal usage.

Photo Courtesy of “Caveman 92223″ via Flickr.

Every year about 400,000 people have a stroke which makes it third in the cause of death category and the number one cause of long term disability. While you may be familiar with the description of crushing pain that is often depicted on television you may not be aware of other warning signs and some of the risk factors involved with stokes.

There have been times where men have suffered from mild strokes without even knowing it so it is important to be able to recognize the signs that one might be on the way:

• Severe and sudden headaches
• Decrease of loss of vision
• Numbness or weakness on one side of the body, or on the face, leg or arm
• Difficulty understanding speech or difficult to speak
• Sudden or unexplained dizziness

If you begin to experience any of these symptoms you should see a doctor or head to an emergency room immediately. Immediate medical attention is required when you have a stroke as the first hours after the symptoms appear are the most important time in which to get treatment in order to obtain the best possibility of recovery.

A stroke is considered a brain attack which is usually caused by some kind of disturbance, usually suddenly, of the blood flow to your brain. Sometimes this can be due to a narrowing of the vessels or even the result of a blood clot; or it can also be caused by bleeding (hemorrhage) from an artery.

There are three basic kinds of strokes:

Embolic stroke – this is caused by a clot breaking loose from some other area of your body which goes through your bloodstream and then blocks an artery which in turn stops the flow of nutrients and oxygen to your brain.

Hemorrhagic stroke – this happens when one of the arteries that supplies blood bleeds into your brain; this broken artery prevents those required nutrients and oxygen from getting to your brain cells. Often times this is caused by an aneurysm which is an artery that becomes weak over time and then will suddenly bulge and break.

Thrombotic stroke – this one is usually due to fatty deposits building up in the arteries that carry blood to your brain, slowing the flow until it becomes completely blocked.

Many men are under the mistaken impression that having a stroke is just a one time damage to their body; however, a stroke actually develops over time depending upon your particular habits and lifestyle. The conditions that may lead to having a stroke include high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and smoking. Reduce your risk by controlling your blood pressure, watching your weight, quitting smoking and following a regular exercise routine.