New Research – Page 4

Is Exercise Better than Prozac?

Great question, huh? I bet you know my answer already. Of course it’s better! Science has proven it over and over. Science has also shown that Prozac is about as good as a placebo, so it’s not hard to beat that over-used drug for elevating your mood. Even so, exercise is definitely the king for getting you happy, and curing depression.

The reason exercise works so well is because it is better at changing your brain chemicals than anything else you can do. Ever wondered why? God created us to move and to keep moving all day. Our modern society however, requires most of us to sit down all day instead. This unnatural lifestyle screws up the chemical balance in our brains and causes a downward spiral of depression, junk food cravings, more sedentary choices, obesity, etc., etc., until we are dead (10-20 years earlier than we have been).

A recent article in Time points out that exercise is indeed the best drug out there. High intensity exercise like the X Gym workout or the X Gym DVD is of course best; and activities like stair climbing offer the most intense “high” with the least time required, but for those who are obese or just want to get moving again, a simple walk can be the first step in a process that will change your mood and entire life.

They told me to write this

Many regular X Gym members have eventually fired their “shrinks” because they just don’t need them anymore. When they are exercising regularly, they find it easier to eat better too. The X Gym member who suggested I write this post said, “I knew there was a reason I was

Is it Your Willpower or Your Brain?

I got this message in an email from Michael Lovitch, Co founder of the Hypnosis Network . I found it so interesting, I just had to post it. I have told people over and over that willpower isn’t a matter of personal strength, but more an issue of how much re-wiring needs to be done in their brain. Michael offers a great explanation on how willpower plays into how the brain works.

Will Power is not a “Character” Issue

Most of us assume that a lack of will power is a personality defect, and that if we had a better constitution we would meet our resolutions (stop overeating, stop drinking too much, quit smoking, get more done, create and follow a budget, etc…)

But the research is now clear that our brains simply aren’t designed for willpower – because willpower is a limited resource.

A series of experiments has clearly demonstrated that the part of the brain responsible for self control, the prefrontal cortex, simply can’t maintain the act of self control for an extended period of time.

Baba Shiv, a marketing Professor at Stanford University, conducted a really interesting experiment that I think really drives the point home:

Cake or Salad?

Baba Shiv’s team assembled two groups. Group One was tasked with remembering a

High-Carb Foods Harm Your Heart

When researchers talk about “carbohydrates”, they really mean sugars and refined flour products like white bread. These empty-calorie foods dominate most Americans’ diets … and when consumed in excess, they cause fat gain, raise blood sugar levels, promote inflammation, and raise heart and diabetes risks.

There is already plenty of evidence that diets high in carbohydrate-laden foods like pastries, white bread, and refined-flour cereals can be detrimental to cardiac health, but in a new landmark study, research from Tel Aviv University now shows exactly how these high-carb foods raise the risk of cardiovascular disease (Shechter M et al. 2009).

The Israeli researchers divided 56 healthy volunteers into four groups and assigned them to eat one of four things:

All Calories Are NOT Created Equal

I have been singing this tune for years, but sometimes it helps to hear it from someone else in their own words. Dr. Sears is very good at explaining things in simple terms, so I just cut and pasted his message on the subject below. Please enjoy!

I was reading The New York Times recently and came across an article, “Calories Do Count.”1 Doctors, public health officials, restaurant chain executives… are all jumping on the bandwagon about how much calories matter.

“Good old calorie counting is coming back into fashion,” the reporter wrote.

When it comes to your health, forget the fashion.

Your body treats calories differently depending on the source. A carbohydrate calorie is not the same as a protein calorie is not the same as a fat calorie. Your body “counts” them in completely different ways.

These three “macronutrients” provoke varying biological responses, some of them good, some not so good, depending on a number of factors.

You probably already know that carbohydrates kick your body’s

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