|
The use of herbal products should not be treated as a one-off solution, but rather as an opportunity to make changes to one's lifestyle, breaking old patterns and replacing them with new positive ones.
With the American public spending as much as $21 billion1 per year on alternative medicines, there can be no question that the move towards natural medicine is here to stay. However, because of the long-term influence of western medicine, many people still tend to treat alternative medicine as a "magic bullet" in the hope that it will cure their ills. In the case of herbal medicine, a more eco-systemic approach should be taken. We should not only be treating the body: we should be treating life-style as well.
Take the well-known succulent Hoodia gordonii. With Britons consuming as much as 2 million kg's of chocolate per week2, and as many as 64 % of US adults being regarded as overweight or obese1, there can be no doubt that the need world badly needs quality natural weightloss products. Hoodia is used the as an appetite suppressant. The tendency is to think that if I take Hoodia, the weight will fall off me. This is only partially true. You may eat less, and cravings for food may stop, but unless changes are made to eating habits and general lifestyle Hoodia will not benefit you in the long run.
Notwithstanding medical problems such as an under-active thyroid gland that can cause a person to become overweight, Hoodia should be regarded as an opportunity to break the poor eating habits that contribute to an over-weight body. By eliminating cravings and giving the energy system a boost, Hoodia allows us to wipe our nutritional slate clean and start to create new and positive eating habits that will maintain a natural body weight and energy levels.
Once you take your first course of Hoodia, we recommend that you start to take the following lifestyle changing actions into consideration:
-
Drink more water, as with all herbal products it is important to increase your intake of water. Drink at least 5 glasses of water a day.
-
Exercise: There is a direct relationship between the amount of energy (i.e. food) that you put into your body and the amount of energy (i.e. exercise) you put out of your body, with how much weight you gain or lose. It is as simple as that. A 20-minute brisk walk three times a week is the simplest, cheapest way to do it.
-
Balanced diet: Eat lots of grains, vegetables and fruit. Cut down on sugar and salt. If healthy foods get boring, try a large variety.
-
Use alcohol in moderation. Light beers and wines are better than mixed drinks. Remember that alcohol interferes with fat immobilisation and promotes fat storage in the gut.
-
Junk food: Just do not eat it!
-
Always eat breakfast, and stick to cereals based on oats, barley bran, etc, or grainy breads. People who start the day full of good intentions to lose weight and skimp on breakfast, pay later on in the day when their blood sugar crashes and they have to binge or faint.
-
Get to the root of why you are eating. For many people, food is more than just body fuel. People often eat for comfort, boredom or loneliness. Once you get to the source of the problem and get insights on how to deal with it, you can make a choice to lose weight that is endorsed by your own psyche.
-
Social eating: Learn which social cues encourages you to eat and try to remove yourself from the temptation. In general, visible and accessible food is what could do it. This however is not terribly realistic as most of our social gatherings involve large amounts of food. If possible, stick to the carrot sticks and avoid the crispy chips.
-
Set the right goals; don't focus on losing weight, rather on eating correctly and exercising which will lead to long-term weight loss. Let your goals be specific, attainable and most of all: show yourself mercy. Don't beat yourself up if you stumble, and reward yourself when you succeed. Above all, persevere.
-
Check your Glycemic Index: This is a measure of the power of food (especially carbohydrates) to raise blood sugar levels (glucose) after being eaten. Use foods with a low glycemic load because they contain carbohydrates that are released slowly into the system and therefore create steady blood sugar levels. For more information see http://www.glycemicindex.com
-
To conclude, just like the growing of a Hoodia plant (which can take up to five years), weightloss is an ongoing process, a journey towards health and longevity. Herbal products are a tool rather than a solution to a healthier life. To find out more about Hoodia or other African medicinal plant products contact as at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
-
Wishing you health and well-being
Fevertree.
Click here to purchase a quality Hoodia product
|
