It probably wont come as a surprise to hear there is a great deal of confusion around nutrition. In fact, many people reading this article will have only a scant idea about the different food types and what our body actually needs to keep healthy.

One of the simplest systems Ive encountered is this. If the food tastes good, then it has to be bad for you! And then theres its counterpart, If the food tastes bad then it must be good for you. You may identify with these views, or some closely related version! Nutrition for some has been reduced to a concept of good and bad with little else.

Some common weight loss myths that people believe – which arent true!

Myth 1 Cutting down on portion size is the best way to lose weight. Not on its own. If you attempt to lose weight by just eating less, you are likely to gain the weight back. Lasting results will come from changing the types of foods you eat, not just the amounts.

Myth 2 Just cut out fat and youll lose weight. This approach to weight loss, popular in the 80s, simply doesnt work for most people. Even if a food is labeled fat-free, it can still be high in calories from sugar and hidden carbs. Effective weight loss comes from being mindful of your total calorie consumption as well as your fat intake.

Myth 3 Cutting calories causes your body to go into starvation mode and slows weight loss. This is untrue. Your bodys resting metabolic rate can vary by about 15. Nevertheless, eating too few calories and an inadequate amount of protein can make you lose precious lean muscle mass, which will eventually slow metabolism, for the long term. Ideally, stick to the calorie and protein amounts that are right for your body with the Herbalife program.

Myth 4 High-protein diets cause ketosis, which reduces hunger. Ketosis occurs when fat, instead of carbohydrate, is used as an energy source during a high-protein diet. Ketone bodies are produced, which give your breath a bad fruity odor. Ketone bodies do not reduce appetite; but, eating sufficient protein for your body needs can help reduce hunger and support weight loss.

Myth 5 Exercise alone can help you lose weight. While exercise is an important component of a healthy weight-loss program, it is not a great way to lose weight on its own. Exercising for even an hour at a time burns only a moderate amount of calories. Combining exercise with calorie reduction and a healthy eating plan is the most effective way to lose weight and keep it off.

One of the most healthful and helpful steps you can take to improve your health and that of your familys is to learn about nutrition. The principles are easy to understand and armed with the correct information, its possible to make an improvement to your health.

Kim Beardsmore

Entering her second year as a widow, my dear friend Rachael was past the several stages of grief and closing that chapter of her life; not an easy task but necessary for anyone who has survival instincts. She began dating again and I couldnt have been happier for her. Sam was like a brother in a sense; a long time friend from our college days. At first it was dinner and theater tickets but soon developed into weekends at his Lake house.

Post menopausal, it didnt occur to Rachael to consider condoms. And in retrospect, she would not have asked Sam about his sexual activities there were things our generation didnt talk about. Therefore when her physician put her through a battery of tests because of her complaints regarding sudden weight loss and fatigue, she was shocked when she tested positive for HIV.

How does this happen at age 64, she wanted to know. But its a fact anyone can get HIVAIDS regardless of age from having unprotected sex, or sharing needles with an infected person. Latex condoms can help prevent, but not insure an infected person from transferring the virus to another. Because she did not know her partners drug andor sexual history, she was at risk!

Best friends since high school Rachael confided in me. We decided to do an in-depth study of patients 55 years and older with HIVAIDS. But we were immediately at a disadvantage because many, or should we say most, older people often mistake signs of this virus for the normal aging complaints — exactly as Rachael had and they are less likely to get tested. Besides, what patient in their senior years wants to discuss their sexual activity with a physician thats probably half their age? Not!

We soon realized the myths and misconceptions regarding all elderly citizens help put the barriers in the way of diagnosis and treatment of HIVAIDS. It is still assumed that old people live a life of celibacy and sobriety. Unfortunately, senior adults do not always conform to public images any more than teens do. Adding to this the doctors Dont ask, dont tell posture and were at an impasse.

Statistics do confirm that older women are becoming infected at a higher rate than older men. Without the fear of pregnancy, the post-menopausal woman who is uninformed of the dangers may become more sexually active with more partners. Even her biology increases her risk as the vaginal walls thin and lubrication decreases; thus, the membranes are more likely to tear during intercourse, providing access for the virus.

But whatever the reasons failure to communicate leads to failure of diagnosis in its early, most treatable stages. In many ways, HIV and old age converge and aggravate each other rather than conflict. For instance, memory loss may indicate AIDS-related dementia or Alzheimers disease. This distinction is important because dementia can be reversed; Alzheimers cannot.

As if the social isolation among senior citizens who have lost a spouse is not enough, it is multiplied many times over if their families realize they have HIVAIDS. Shamefully, this virus entered a society already having little respect for its seniors. Most adult children lack the patience, and precious few want the burden of caring for their parents in their final years.

While it is common knowledge that the face of AIDS is changing with the greater proportion being people of color, women, children and heterosexuals — what we never hear is that the face is also aging.

2006 Esther Smith

1. Sport is for professionals. This idea applies only in the case of performance sports. The native qualities required for professional sportsmen speed, skills, specific height, etc. can only be developed, they can’t be formed by training. As long as the aim of a regular person is not performance, almost all sports can be practiced for keeping the body in a good shape. It’s all about dosing the training you chose, so that the benefits are bigger than wear and tear. Even the sports considered tough can be practiced in a ‘soft’ way tae-bo, mini-triathlon, jogging, etc..

2. Training is tiring. This idea is true as long as it refers to consuming all your energy muscular and hepatic glycogen, but it doesn’t mean that training gets you into that state of exhaustion which would slow down the process of recovery of the body. Even in performance sports, the purpose is to have rather effective than exhausting training, so that the body can get the stimulation necessary to qualitative progress from one training to the next.

Even more than in other sports, in fitness the sportsman is spared overexerting. However, the training must not become ineffective. People can come to the gym tired after a work day and leave relaxed physically and psychologically and not more tired. This is extremely useful for people with sedentary jobs, but also for those who make physical effort at work. They could use the training by choosing a type of effort meant to compensate the one involved in their job.

3. Training takes too long. Again, this idea is true if applied to performance, which can only be obtained by working a lot. But also in this case short and very intense training or training for relaxation and recovery are often performed. In fitness, you can get to 20-minute training, working only super-series of fast exercises, which could involve, directly or indirectly, all the muscles. Anyway, regular training shouldn’t take longer than an hour and a half. Otherwise, the body will get into the catabolic faze, when the cortisone secretions ‘cannibalize’ the muscles.

4. Any type of exercise is good for solving your problems. What’s true in this refers to some particular cases like excess of adipose tissue. This tissue can be ‘melted’ by any kind of aerobic exercise running, cycling, swimming if this is continued long enough. Even in these cases it was clear that some exercises are more effective than others. There are situations when only a combination of exercises with a certain amount of each, can provide you with the results you expect. More than that, repeating the same exercise all the time can have as a consequence not only losing balance in the antagonist muscles and in the joints involved in training, but also stopping progress or even regressing.

5. You’re older? No more exercises! This is true only if we refer to extremely demanding efforts really heavy weights, fast running, jumping, etc.. There are lots of exercises adapted to different ages. Their purpose is to keep and improve health and also to improve physical shape. The development of movement parameters for older people refers especially to muscular and cardio-vascular resistance as well as mobility of the joints. Because the final purpose of training is not preparing for a competition, the exercises can be organized gradually according to their difficulty, eliminating the risk of accidents. Because it’s based on perseverance, fitness can be adapted without problems for older people and even for people suffering from different affections specific to old age.