This time, I have to congratulate Shauna, a girl managing to lose 175.5 lbs. That’s not the only thing that made us here chose her to be the HEALTHY BLOGGER THIS WEEK! It’s also because she has made the decision to conquer her biggest fear: SWIMMING.

“My heart would race every minute of the lessons, wondering what they’d make us do next. I didn’t want to jump into the pool because I thought I’d make a bigger splash than my friends.”

That was she felt years ago. And now…

“…it’s high time to kiss these old hangups goodbye. I’ll be thirty next year, so it’s sad to still be clinging to the fears of a nine-year-old. I’ve had a good start by conquering my fears of running and cycling, but I know the biggest challenge is the pool.”

That’s what she feels.

Not everybody would do it. Many just let the fear stay in their heart. And, they tend not to do anything about it. Well, living with fear is unhealthy.

You need to face the fear and try to beat it. Shauna did. When will your turn be?

If your turn finally comes, simply email me at nadine at healthifica. com and give me your link so that I can jump right away to your blog…

I’ve been following Anne’s progress on losing weight and her other nice stories in life.

Last weekend she kind of took a break on her WW (Weight Watchers) program. She had cookies, pizza, and pancakes. Yet, she didn’t forget to control herself.

However, she felt guilty. But, I believe, once in a while, one should take a break. Especially on diet.

Many don’t take a break and keep on dieting. And then what? They end up giving up and start gaining weight. That comes out of stress. Most people fail on their diet program simply because they get stressed during the process.

As long as you know that you will be back on track, just like Anne did, a little break will do you good.

And, BTW, Anne, you look wonderful with the new haircut.

Study: Being even a little overweight may shorten life

“Baby-boomers beware: Even being a little overweight at age 50 increases your chances of premature death, a large new study reveals.”

2 Studies Find High Weights Shorten Lives

“Among women, the risk of death increased for any amount of weight above the normal range. For men, the risk was not higher for those merely overweight.”

Just a Few Extra Pounds Could Mean Fewer Years, Study Finds

“The 10-year study of more than 500,000 U.S. adults found that those who were just moderately overweight in their fifties were 20 percent to 40 percent more likely to die in the next decade.”

This is the fourth time Healthifica.com awards a blogger “HEALTHY BLOGGER THIS WEEK!”

Now, we’d like to grant this award to a great weight watcher, Megan, who managed to lose another pound this week.

Realize it or not, Megan’s been leading a healthy life in her process to reach her goal. She becomes more aware of what she eats. She checks food labels. And, she exercises.

Plus, by blogging about it, she can motivate other bloggers to start watching their weight. Not only for a great body but also for health, plus for feeling good about themselves.

Congratulations, Megan! You deserve it.

Ever wished to stay slim forever? If you do, you must be the happiest person to know that there’s a vaccine to prevents weight gain.

I wish … I could stay slim for ever

“The vaccine is being developed by scientists at Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, California. The aim is to find a cure for the obesity epidemic that endangers the lives of millions worldwide through associated heart disease, type-2 diabetes, strokes and cancers.”

‘Anti-obesity vaccine’ developed

“A UK obesity expert said the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study was interesting, but it might not be safe for people.”

A Shot That Fights Fat

“A new vaccine helps rats stay svelte no matter what they eat, a study has found. The findings represent the first published animal research on an “obesity vaccine.” Meanwhile, a Swiss company is testing a related vaccine on people.”

Treadmill is one of the most favorite cardio equipment for it can help burning much calorie. Yet some are avoiding it because it’s kind of boring.

But, you know what, it’s a great challenge! Treadmill can examine your ability to concentrate and fight your boredom. It definitely challenges you mentally.

If you’re one of those who get bored easily with treadmill, try to do it with your favorite music on. Music can create such a good mood to exercise.

Don’t forget to try all available treadmill programs, such as interactive-heart-rate workouts, calorie burn, interval training, or random, so that your ‘journey’ becomes a lot less monotonous.

Put on light weight running shoes to lessen the load on your feet. Also, keep a bottle of water so you don’t get dehydrated.

Have fun!

Water is definitely important if you wish to do a natural diet.

If you increase your water intake, you’ll naturally speed up your metabolism and allow your body to better assimilate nutrients from the foods and nutritional supplements you consume.

If you don’t consume enough water, your upper and lower intestine have a reduced ability to absorb nutrients. The result is that most of the value of your foods and supplements are lost and pass through your body without absorption.

Sugars and carbohydrates are absorbed and processed faster than other nutrients‚ so without an abundant intake of clean water, we can end up getting all the calories without the nutrition. Food cravings are primarily the result of nutrient deficiencies, it’s our body’s way of telling us we need something. If our food is not properly digested, nutrient absorption is not sufficient, then the body keeps telling us we need something in the form of food cravings. [aquasana.com]

Anne consumed 1L water yesterday. It’s a great start. Yet, it would be better if one can consume at least 2L a day.

Are you in a diet? Get as much water!

If you are detoxing, it’s better to have a detox journal. That way, you can:

• record how you feel–both physically and emotionally
• write down all ideas about your hopes, your fears, your thoughts about the past, and your feelings about the present and he future

The journal can be a notebook or a even blog–if you’re ready to have others read it.

Nice writing!

I was looking at the mirror and saw a reflection of my own body. Am I obese? Hopefully I’m not.

If I keep on eating without any control, maybe I can get obese. I don’t want that to happen, and so does Amber.

What else that can cause obesity?

According to what I found, factors that have been suggested to contribute to the development of obesity include:

• Sedentary lifestyle
• A high glycemic diet (i.e. a diet that consists of meals that give high postprandial blood sugar)
• Weight cycling, caused by repeated attempts to lose weight by dieting
• Underlying illness (e.g. hypothyroidism)
• Genetic disorders (e.g. Prader-Willi syndrome)
• Eating disorders (such as binge eating disorder)
• Stressful mentality
• Insufficient sleep
• Psychotropic medications
• Smoking cessation
• Genetic factors