Alaska’s Finest Seafoods

Without getting into a long and drawn out analysis about what Omega-3 acids are and why you need them, this article will instead focus on the numerous benefits of the essential nutrient type. Omega-3 Fatty Acids have experienced a massive surge in press and popularity in the last few years, partly due to recent media attention because of some prospective health benefits claimed by scientists that were later reinforced by the American government.

There are many different cuisines that are described as food for the soul; Omega-3 Fatty Acids can be described as food for the heart. Recent medical studies have shown a direct connection between Omega-3 Fatty Acids and a reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease. These results have been further proven by tests done in various countries, including a joint study done between the EPA and Japanese health organizations.

Quick Omega-3 Facts

Omega-3 Fatty Acids can be easily obtained through your diet – Fish, dairy, and Omega-3 enhanced foods are easily accessible and can be worked into any meal plan. The body cannot process Omega-3 acids in a raw form, but rather it is able to synthesize and process Omega-3 acids that are obtained indirectly through food consumption.

Connections have been made between Omega-3 fatty acids and cholesterol levels – A test done of 60 men (30 test and 30 control) have shown significant reductions in arterial blockage in men with unhealthy blood sugar levels. The difference was quite significant between the test group (who received the Omega-3 fatty acid supplements), and the control which did not. The test groups overall arterial blockage and cholesterol were much lower than the control group.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids boost the immune system – Tests done on Danish infants show that infants who were given milk with an Omega-3 acid supplement had a higher overall immune system maturity rate with no decrease in immune system response.

What does that mean? Their immune systems were better than the babies who were not given Omega-3 supplements.

These acids are still relatively new and unexplored within the medical community, though it can be said with a fair degree of certainty that they offer tremendous health benefits. Omega-3 Fatty Acids are part of your natural diet, meaning that you don’t have to worry about introducing some kind of third-party hormone/chemical/component into your diet. Like creatine, Omega-3 Fatty Acids occur in considerable quantities within fish, which may explain many of the health benefits associated with coastal and Mediterranean diets that are rich in seafood.

As the North American population continues to successfully expand its waistline, it is refreshing to see that there are ways to enjoy a healthy, varied diet without having to dramatically change your current intake. Supplementation of your diet with Omega-3 Fatty Acids can do wonders for your health.

I began to do research into weight loss and pinpointed the things I was doing wrong, there were certain things I had to learn in order to effectively lose weight and keep it off, here is the list:

Healthy is a Lifestyle, not a Goal

This includes your diet and staying active, one of the first mistakes I made was to set a goal of losing a certain amount of weight then once I reach that goal to go back to my normal habits. I reached my targeted weight then stopped running 3 miles every other day and watching my diet, as soon as I went back to my bad habits I gained all of the weight back.

If you’re not drinking enough water, you’re wasting your time

I cannot emphasize this enough, I have tried this weight loss thing 3 times over the past two years and the only time I noticed a difference was when I began consuming a lot of water. I have gone as far as to run 3-4 miles a day and eat cabbage for lunch and had limited results, but now I maintain a balanced diet and have lost more weight than ever because I drink at least a gallon of water every day.

The general idea is to drink an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, at first it will seem like a lot at first and you will be running to the bathroom every 15 minutes but you’re giving your body what it needs. When your body feels as if it is not getting enough water it will store the little bit it does get, that is where those love handles come from. Then the liver has to kick in and help the kidneys rather than its function of metabolizing the body and you’re not burning off the food you consume like you should. So do yourself a favor, drink more water!

Have Fun!

Working out is useless if you’re not enjoying yourself, there are a plethora of activities that you can do to keep yourself in shape. I personally cannot STAND running on treadmills so I only run outdoors. I enjoy lifting weights because of the feeling and the confidence I get from the results but lets take it a step further; If there is a sport you enjoy then there is no better workout, I am a football junkie and since I never played I figured hey.. why not join a flag football league and see what I can really do?

The result: I’ve lost 5lbs since I started the league, 5lbs that I have been struggling to get rid of and I feel like I’m in high school all over again.

It’s okay to use your Imagination

As pathetic as this may sound, when I work out in my mind I am training for the NFL, I even know what position I’m training for. (running back) It may sound dumb but it makes me train hard and keeps me motivated. Figure out what motivates you, is it that guy or girl at work that you’d like to notice you? Take it 88 yards to the end zone like Reggie Bush? Explode to the basket and finish like Lebron James? Forget reality, use your mind and let that motivate you and I guarantee you will be satisfied with the results.

You do not have to be a Nutrition Nazi

As I stated before I was eating cabbage for lunch, barely taking in 1200 calories a day and running miles.. I was hurting my weight loss goals more than I was achieving them. Not only does this work against you but its unhealthy and just plain stupid.

What do I do now that allowed me to lose 25lbs? I eat realistically, there is no way I could maintain a 1200 calorie diet over a long period of time. Now I eat lean meats high in protein such as grilled or baked chicken and periodically Salmon. (hey I am running a business here) Some days I eat more than others, I basically listen to what my body tells me and if I over eat then I know I need to work out that much harder. About every week or two I splurge and may eat an entire pizza or a big dinner and strangely my body responds positively.. it loves it and in a day or so I burn it off plus some. A couple of other tips on nutrition:

Don’t eat after 7pm - your metabolism slows down significantly later in the evening

High Protein Diet - It works, I don’t know why but it just does so take my word for it.

Breakfast, Never Skip it - Never EVER EVER skip breakfast! I just said your metabolism slows down significantly later in the day, well if you skip breakfast it will be that slow from the beginning of the day.

Sugar, cut it out! - Replace soda and Fruit Juice with water, you will cut your caloric intake significantly, put the sweets down and if you must have it then snack on fruits like Strawberries, Grapes, Bananas, etc.

Fried Foods - I’ll keep it simple, don’t touch them. If you eat out a lot avoid the french fries.

The Results

Up until the age of 25 I was a relatively average guy as far as weight goes, I was about 5′8 and 175lbs. That may sound a little on the big side and I am not sure if it is my bone structure but at 175lbs I look 20lbs lighter. So it happened, I found a soul food restaurant here in Georgia and blew up to 225lbs. My daily diet consisted of a Chick Fil A sandwich and burrito in the morning, Salisbury Steak with Macaroni and Cheese then Lemon Pound Cake for dessert.. and that was only lunch! For dinner I loved Lasagna or Spaghetti but I did not eat that until 8pm.

I managed to work my way up to 230lbs and at 5′8 I looked like I was bursting at the seams. People did compliment me on my weight gain, they said it made me look more mature and that I carried the weight well.

But I did not feel right, I could barely walk 100 feet without feeling out of breath so I joined in a potluck at work to lose weight. We all put in $50 and whoever lost the most weight after jumping on the scale got the entire pot. I went from 230lbs to 211lbs and split the pot with a coworker. I did this by drinking nothing but water instead of juice or soda, eating barely anything, and running 2-3 miles a day.

I did pretty well until I won the money, I slowly went back to my old habits of overeating and as soon as that happened I went right back to 225lbs. I began hitting the weight room and that made it even worse, I looked like the incredible hulk but had the athletic ability of a sloth.

continued in Part 2