Ajit Patel Wellbeing - Effortless Weight Loss

Effortless Weight Loss - Ajit Patel Wellbeing

While there’s no substitute for diet and exercise, there are weird ways you can take care of your wellbeing and lose weight that actually work. Whether it’s checking your emails or sitting in the dark, these weird and wonderful habits can set you on your way to weight loss wellness.

1. Take a multivitamin
In a study of 96 obese women, which was published in the International Journal of Obesity, participants either received a multivitamin, calcium supplement, or placebo for 26 weeks, and those in the former group lost significantly more body fat than the others. Louis J. Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, comments, ‘It’s possible that some people eat more because they’re seeking out certain nutrients,’ so even though the vitamin itself won’t make you lose weight, doing so might reduce your need to consume as much food.

2. Watch where you sit
Although a few post-work cocktails or a nice dinner out with your partner can be just what the doctor ordered, essentially you’re just making yourself an easy target for overeating. However, psychologist Stephen Gullo, author of The Thin Commandments Diet, advises snagging a spot at the end of the table. This may feel like a bit of a conversation no man’s land, but ‘centre seats are where the bread, chips, and other sharing plates usually wind up,’ so it’s best to distance yourself where possible.

3. Read your email
According to a Kaiser Permanente study, people who read weekly wellness newsletters in their inboxes eat more fresh produce and fewer trans fats, and even exercise more. New York City nutritionist Joy Bauer, author of Joy Bauer’s Food Cures, who sends out her own daily tip sheet through joybauer.com, explains that nutrition email blasts are ‘crammed with clever tricks,’ as well as just putting nutrition on your mind. The more you think about your wellbeing, the more likely you are to actually do something about it.

4. Turn off the lights
In study of mice, researchers at Ohio State University found that sleeping in total darkness could make you thinner. Mice who slept in total darkness, as opposed to bright light or dim illumination (such as from a TV screen), were significantly less prone to obesity than mice who slept in brighter situations. Study leader Laura Fonken, a neuroscience student, notes that the mice who slept with light exposure ate at odd times, which is the equivalent of late-night eating.

5. Don’t feel guilty about your diet
Even if you eat an unhealthy meal, Kristin Neff, an associate professor of human development and culture at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of Self-Compassion, says it’s vital that you don’t give yourself a hard time. Getting rid of guild is essential in order to build a healthy relationship with food, but also because the stress of the guilt you’re feeling makes you more prone to overeating – what a vicious cycle!

6. Turn off the telly
On average, you tend to spend five hours of your day sitting in front of the television – and you say you’ve got no time for anything! This shocking statistic can help when it comes to your diet, as setting a time limit on your telly time – and doing nothing else exertion-wise – can still allow you to burn more calories. Researchers used an electronic lock-out system which forced telly addicts to watch 50% less TV, and these participants, on this lifestyle change alone, burned an average of 119 more calories per day – imagine what would happen if you replaced that reduced TV time with exercise!

-  Ajit Patel UK, Sanda Wellbeing and Sanda Wellness Group, Goldshield Group, WeMet

Ajit Patel Sanda Wellbeing - Teeth Care for Kids

Teeth Care for Kids: Habits to Keep Children’s Teeth Strong - Ajit Patel Sanda Wellbeing

Brushing, flossing, and using mouth wash is a great place to start with your child’s oral health, but these few hygiene habits will not be enough to keep your kids’ teeth strong on their own. Here is a closer look at a few great ways to continue protecting your children’s teeth long after they set down the toothbrush.

Stock the Fridge with “Detergent” Foods

One of the most interesting ways to keep your kids’ teeth healthy and free from plaque is to incorporate detergent foods into their diet. This includes foods such as carrots, apples, and nuts that will physically scrape away plaque even while the kids are eating a meal.

Avoid Bottle Decay and Deformation

A number of issues can begin to pop up when children are allowed to use bottles for too long during the day or are allowed to keep pacifiers as a comfort item as they grow older. Decay can occur when they are given juices and allowed to sleep with the bottles as this can lead to an increased risk of tooth decay. Pacifier deformation takes place when children aren’t weaned off of pacifiers, an oversight which can deform the interior of their mouths and alter their teeth.

Start the Dental Appointments Early to Avoid Apprehension

Children that are taken to a dentist as early as possible will quickly learn that these trips are just another part of life. This will make it less stressful to schedule annual visits as they become older and eventually begin planning these appointments for themselves. Parents should also lead by example and schedule regular appointments at Westmount Dental Centre or a similar clinic for themselves and their spouse twice a year.

Always Double-Check Medicine

Some estimates show that around 40 percent of people take some sort of medication that could affect their oral health, and this includes children. For kids under the age of 12, some of the worst offenders include syrup-based medication, antihistamines, and aspirin. Fluoride is another common additive that is good in smaller doses, but parents should check with their dentist to ensure that their children’s teeth aren’t saturated with fluoride.

Make Hydration a Habit

Every parent should help to instill the habit of drinking water throughout the day as an alternative to soda and juice. Drinking water is one of the single most important oral health tools as it will keep the gums moist, flush away food debris, remove bacteria, and clean the mouth in between brushing times.

The oral health needs of children will continue to change as they grow older, and these few tips are a great way to ensure that they maintain strong and healthy teeth throughout their lives.

-          Ajit Patel UK, Sanda Wellbeing and Sanda Wellness Group, Goldshield Group, WeMet

Ajit Patel Sanda Goldshield - 5 Dietary Changes For a Healthier Life

The Five Easiest Dietary Changes You Can Make For a Healthier Life - Ajit Patel Sanda Goldshield

When you assess your life, do you feel fit and healthy? If not, you’re not alone. Studies show that almost 50% of adults in the United States make New Year’s resolutions. And losing weight, becoming more fit, quitting smoking, and other health-centric goals commonly account for the most common resolutions.

Whether you want to control your weight or just feel more energized, start with your diet. What you put into your body can have a major impact on your health (and how you feel about it). In this blog, we cover five of the easiest dietary changes you can make to improve your health.

Drink more water … 

While there’s no one right amount of water intake that works for everyone, studies show that almost half of Americans don’t drink enough water. Not only does dehydration lead to mood and circulation issues, it can prevent weight loss and cause serious medical issues. Start with drinking water in place of one beverage you have on a daily basis. Then, add a cup of water to one of your daily meals. 

… And less alcohol

Alcohol is a staple of many social gatherings and celebrations. And one way to make yourself healthier is to limit your alcohol intake to those situations. Cutting down on your alcohol intake reduces the calories in your diet, improves the quality of your sleep, and reduces the risk of age-related disease. Not only will reducing your alcohol intake improve your health, it will likely reduce your risk of injury. Those who drink in excess before operating a vehicle put themselves and others at risk of injury or even death. According to a specialist from Sessions Law Firm, driving under the influence is a serious offense and a DUI conviction can have a significant impact on you and your family. To minimize both your risk of disease and the dangers of driving while intoxicated, it’s best to limit your alcohol intake.

Set an eating schedule.

When you don’t have an eating schedule, you’re more likely to eat unhealthy foods in higher quantities. Set a schedule for yourself, even if it’s only general. Choose a time for breakfast, a time for several healthy snacks, and a time for lunch and dinner.

Eat better fats …

Animal-based fats raise your cholesterol and, by extension, your risk of heart disease. To get healthier, replace bacon and butter with healthier fat options. Switch to lean, skinless meats and add more fish to your diet. Additionally, replace animal fats with plant-based ones whenever possible.

… And more fruits and veggies.

It may sound simple, but adding more natural color to your diet can go a huge way toward making you healthier. This doesn’t mean you have to only eat fruits and vegetables–simply integrate more of them into your diet. Eat mixed fruit for dessert, have a side of salad with lunch, and add strawberries to your morning cereal.

Want to feel more motivated, confident, and fit? These small changes can help you start down the path to a healthier, happier you.

-          Ajit Patel UK, Sanda Wellbeing and Sanda Wellness Group, Goldshield Group, WeMet

Ajit Patel Sanda Wellness - How to Take Control of Your Diet with Healthy Habits

How to Take Control of Your Diet with Healthy Habits - Ajit Patel Sanda Wellness

There are similarities between every popular diet plan you see. More often than not, the weight loss strategy will blame certain foods for your wellness problems, tell you to eat less and/or prescribe some sort of “cheap” approach that over-promises on the results. The problem with these kinds of plans is that they don’t benefit your wellbeing in the long-term, albeit providing short-term results. However, such diets are not sustainable because they’re so strict you almost feel like you’re a prisoner to your dietary warden.

This is why nutrition coach and exercise physiologist John Berardi, PhD, of Precision Nutrition, created a system that makes it easy for you to lose weight in a sustainable way. Berandi, who also serves as a performance consultant for Nike and as an adjunct instructor at Eastern Michigan University and the University of Texas, has found this his Lean Eating programmes have helped people to lose weight over and over again, thanks to an approach that focuses on putting you in control on your weight loss through the formation of healthy habits.

‘Sure, you’re going to see calories and food suggestions like other plans,’ Berandi admits. ‘But that’s where the similarities end. The bigger picture is you’re going to understand how you can adapt this plan to almost any food preference and any schedule. And once that happens, you’ll not only feel less stressed by your diet, you’ll also be able to directly influence the way you look.’

According to Berandi, ‘During a get lean plan—where you want to uncover the body you’ve always wanted—the goal is to shift the way you eat to drop fat without having to feel like you’ve cut calories. So while you will be eating less, you’ll be focusing on more nutrient dense foods that will have you feeling fuller, which makes the process easier than you’d expect. More importantly, you’ll be supplying your body with the type of food you need to burn fat and look ripped.’ Therefore, Berandi and his colleagues have created a four meal plan that you can adapt to fit your schedule.

1. Breakfast:

• Five eggs (Two palm-sized portions)
• One fist-sized portion of spinach
• One cupped handful of old fashioned oats
• One cupped handful of mixed berries
• One entire thumb of chopped walnuts
• One glass of water, green tea or black coffee

2. Lunch:

• Two palm-sized portions of chicken
• Two fist-sized portions of mixed greens
• One fist-sized portion of chopped carrots and cucumbers
• One cupped handful of black beans
• Two entire thumbs of guacamole
• One glass of water, green tea or black coffee

3. Mid Afternoon Snack:

• Two palm-sized portions of protein powder
• One fist-sized portion of pumpkin
• One fist-sized portion of spinach
• One cupped handful of old-fashioned oats
• Two entire thumbs of chopped walnuts
• 8oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• Ice cubes as desired

4. Dinner:

• Two palm-sized portions of wild salmon
• Two fist-sized portions of zucchini
• One entire thumb of extra virgin olive oil
• Two cupped handfuls of sweet potato
• 8oz water

Bertandi adds, ‘We’re not big fans of counting calories. We think you should eat according to hunger cues and adjust according to results. That’s the real magic of what we do at Precision Nutrition. Instead of strict meal plans we teach a habit strategy, outlining best practices like: slowing down your meals, eating lean protein with every meal, eating veggies and fruits with each meal, and including healthy fats.

Also keep in mind that instead of using ounces, grams, and other metrics, we prefer to use the simplest metric possible: the size of your hand. For example, for men we recommend two palm-sized portion of chicken. This is the preferred approach because your hand generally scales with your body size.’

-          Ajit Patel UK, Sanda Wellbeing and Sanda Wellness Group, Goldshield Group, WeMet

Ajit Patel WeMet - Fitness Expert Proves You Can Gain Muscle on Ketogenic Diet

Fitness Expert Proves You Can Gain Muscle on Ketogenic Diet – Ajit Patel WeMet

Fitness expert Mike Roussell, PhD, recalls, ‘The other day, I was on a phone call with a good friend and fellow strength coach, Joe Dowdell, CSCS, of Peak Performance in New York City. I told him my current deadlift personal record stood at a respectable 420 pounds but that I aspired to pull a 500. He told me it was “doable.” Great. Then I threw him a curveball worthy of Dodgers southpaw Clayton Kershaw. I wanted to add 80 pounds to my deadlift … while following a ketogenic diet. Joe let out a big sigh. Staying on a ketogenic diet means eating so few carbohydrates that when your glycogen stores empty, your body cashes-in on a process called “ketosis” for energy. The carbohydrate threshold to stay in ketosis will vary by individual, but the guideline for most folks is fewer than 50 grams of carbs.’ But how can you eat so few carbs and still build your muscle wellness?

‘I was dead-set on eating fewer than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day,’ Roussell details. ‘How low is that? One medium banana would place you over your daily limit! Wait, don’t carbs stimulate muscle growth? How could this work in the long term? More important, can I add 80 pounds to my deadlift without eating much carbs? These questions and more piqued the scientist in me. So I set out to find the answers not only by poring over the scientific literature but through real-world application on the gym floor as well.’ The question is, then, did he do it?

‘Carbohydrates create anabolism largely by setting off a cascade of hormone-driven events,’ Roussell explains. Chief among these events is secretion of a hormone called insulin from the pancreas. Many people realise that insulin regulates blood glucose levels, but insulin is not a one-trick pony. It is so multifunctional that many experts believe it to be absolutely integral to muscle synthesis—among other things. For example, one of insulin’s many roles is driving amino acid uptake; in other words, it gets amino acids out of your bloodstream and into your muscles. Thus, carbohydrates and the ensuing insulin response obviously have a great deal to do with muscle growth.’

Roussell comments, ‘It’s clear that carbohydrates are anabolic. It’s time to circle back to my original deadlift conquest. Was building strength and muscle possible while on a ketogenic diet? Dowdell’s sigh notwithstanding, I found that the answer is an emphatic yes! Don’t get me wrong, being ketogenic while training hard was no cakewalk. In three and a half months, I packed 80 pounds into my deadlift and pulled a new PR of 500 pounds on my first attempt. It turns out that while carbohydrates are anabolic, I am still able to achieve an anabolic feat in the nearly complete absence of carbohydrates. The human body is an amazing machine, possessing the ability to make intelligent adaptations to a variety of situations.’

So how did Roussell’s body adapt? ‘In a chronically low-carb environment, the body doesn’t follow the normal biochemical rules because it has to change,’ Roussell notes. ‘It becomes much more efficient with muscle glycogen, it up-regulates gene expression of certain enzymatic machinery needed for maximum performance, and it adapts as needed to excel in the presence of far fewer carbohydrates and much less insulin. Quite simply, my adventure in carbohydrate-less anabolism was to prove that you can perform at a high level on minimal carbohydrate—at least in the short term. Carbohydrates are not required to flip the protein synthesis switch, but perhaps there are other ways to make the overall anabolic process more efficient and effective. Does that mean everyone should adopt a ketogenic diet? I don’t think it is for everyone (and perhaps not for the long-term), but it’s still interesting to see what your body can achieve through thick and thin.’

-          Ajit Patel UK, Sanda Wellbeing and Sanda Wellness Group, Goldshield Group, WeMet

Ajit Patel Wellness - Eight Foods to Make Your Skin Glow with Gorgeousness

Eight Foods to Make Your Skin Glow with Gorgeousness – Ajit Patel Wellness

They say you are what you eat, and that holds true for all areas of your wellness. Not only does your diet affect your waistline and emotional wellbeing, but it also has a major impact on your hair and skin quality. Free radicals are responsible for a lot of health problems, and the effects of these cell-damagers start to show on your skin much faster than they do anywhere else. Therefore, you have to eat the right foods if you want to be beautiful inside out and give your skin that perfect, radiant, natural glow.

1. Blackberries: These fruits boost your body’s collagen production, meaning that blackberries are nature’s secret weapon for making your skin look supple and smooth. Moreover, blackberries are chock-a-block full of antioxidants, which are vital for fighting free radicals. With enough antioxidants in your diet, you can prevent the signs of ageing and maintain the elasticity of your skin – and blackberries are a great place to start.

2. Avocado: Due to its generous content of healthy fat and exceptionally high counts of vitamins C and E, avocado is essential for hydrating your skin from within. The fact that it packs a bit of fat is a cause for concern for dieters, but as long as you consume avocado in moderate quantities, it’s actually one of the healthiest fruits you can eat. Not only do the “good fats” give you smoother kin, they also make your hair shinier and more lustrous while also keeping your cholesterol levels in check.

3. Brazil nuts: If you’re one of those fortunate souls who suffers from acne, you should consider Brazil nuts your own personal blessing. Thanks to a high dose of a mineral known as selenium, Brazil nuts battle your acne while at the same time boosting the elasticity of your skin. Whether your collagen is deteriorating due to your lifestyle choices or just the general process of ageing, Brazil nuts can stop this collagen corrosion in its tracks.

4. Eggs: The Albumen in eggs (also known as the egg white) is able to launch a three-pronged attack on those nasty skin conditions that make your skin look so dull and lifeless. It’s pure protein, meaning that egg whites tighten your pores, soothe any skin irritation you might be experiencing, and reduce any puffiness under your eyes after a big night out.

5. Strawberries: As with all berries, strawberries are rich in antioxidant, making them your skin’s new best friends. However, strawberries have a brilliant skin-healthy trait all of their very own; ellagic acid. This something extra found in strawberries has an extra-special antioxidant effect, not just protecting you from the damaging effects of free radicals, but also from the harmful effects of UV Rays – it’s basically your natural sun cream.

6. Millet: Adding millet to your diet is a hard and fast way to make your skin glow with good health, especially if its starting to grey and lose life. Try to use millet instead of rice or wheat products once a week, and you’ll see what we’re talking about!

7. Watercress: If you have a bad rash or eczema, watercress can soothe your skin from within. This is because it contains heaps of Vitamin C, which helps to bring instant relief from skin irritating conditions.

8. Oats: As well as being great for your fitness and digestion, oats are wonder-foods for your skin, providing a high dose of much-needed B vitamins. Eating a bowl of oats every morning is a sure-fire way to liven up your skin, but a face scrub made with oats can also help to take your skin to a whole new level of glowing gorgeousness.

            -  Ajit Patel UK, Sanda Wellbeing and Sanda Wellness Group, Goldshield Group, WeMet