Walk this way: On the health benefits of hoofing it

There are those who downplay the benefits of walking.

"You've got to get your heartrate up," they say. By which they mean, "Stop moving so slow and start running. Then you'll get results."

According to recent studies, though, this "no pain, no gain" philosophy is off-base.

"Research shows that regular, brisk walking can reduce the risk of heart attack by the same amount as more vigorous exercise, such as jogging," explains a Mayo Clinic article. 


In fact, there are so many benefits to walking--both physical and emotional--that you may want to hit the trails right after reading this article.

A Medicinenet.com article notes that, along with improving cardiorespiratory fitness, walking can: ward off diabetes, lower blood pressure, increase bone density, decrease the risk of breast and colon cancer, stave off depression, sharpen brain function and protect against dimentia and Alzheimer's disease.

In an article on the AARP.org website, former tennis pro Martina Navratilova points out another benefit of walking: spot reduction, namely in the abdominal area. Researchers put a group of men and women, ages 60-70, on a nine to 12-month exercise program of walking or jogging, Navratilova related. The participants exercised several times a week for 45 minutes.  

"By the end of the study, both the men and the women had lost weight, and primarily from the abdominal area," she said.

This is good news indeed, because abdominal fat, sometimes called subcutaneous fat, has been associated with all kinds of diseases. Researches believe that belly fat leads to these conditions because it is a source of chronic inflammation.
(For more information, check out my blogs on abdominal fat and on cooling inflammation.


You've heard it here, the same advice you can find all over the place. It's agreed: walking is great for you. So what are you waiting for? Put on your Pumas and pound the pavement. Your body, and your mind, will thank you.

Cyndi Podlaski is not a fitness instructor or a doctor. She is a Xango distributor who is passionate about health. 

Salads are a great way to incorporate anti-inflammatory foods

photo by O[R]bz

In past blogs, I have detailed the ravages of chronic inflammation, an epidemic of our age.

The bad news is this condition can contribute to Type 2 Diabetes, and has been linked to illnesses like heart disease, depression, Alzheimer's disease and cancer.

The good news is that chronic inflammation can be tackled, one bite at a time. There is an array of inflammation-fighting foods: green tea, ginger, onions, garlic, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cherries, raspberries, pomegranates, blueberries and sweet potatoes to name a few.

Other culinary firefighters include: oily fish like salmon, cod and sardines; grass-fed beef; olive, hemp and canola oils; and green leafy vegetables like spinach, salad greens, watercress, mustard greens, kale, chard and dandelion.

The laundry list continues with: walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts and hazelnuts; cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kale. And just to prove that a cooling diet isn't a restrictive one, the delicious avocado is also anti-inflammatory.

Like flavor? Good, because many herbs and spices are anti-inflammatory. These include: basil, cayenne and chilli peppers, cinnamon, cloves, cocoa, licorice, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme and turmeric.

Bringing it together
Now you know which foods to incorporate into your diet, where do you start? I say start at the beginning, with an easy dish like a salad.

Here's a recipe for a no-fail salad. Start with some salad greens. You can include some iceberg lettuce, but for inflammation-fighting punch, you'll want to focus on spinach or darker lettuces such as Romaine.

Next, throw in as many inflammation-fighting foods as you can. How about avocado to help fill you up, sunflower seeds for crunch, and a touch of ginger for an interesting bite? Or how about layering thin slices of grass-fed beef over a salad enlivened with purple onion and raspberries?

Whatever your salad pleasure, top it with your favorite dressing. One easy mixture is vinegar, olive oil and pepper.

Pair this salad with some crusty bread and wash it down with a glass of Xango, a juice made from the mangosteen fruit, which has startling anti-inflammatory powers. You'll be cool as a cucumber in no time!

Cynthia Podlaski is not a nutritionist. She is a Xango distributor with a passion for wellness. 

Inflammation-fighting foods help us say bye to belly fat

flickr photo/Karimian

If you don't have trouble with belly fat, count yourself lucky.

Many of us find it tough to lose our beer gut, our spare tire, our love handles--whatever you call the layer of fat that collects around the midsection.

It's bad enough that belly fat makes it hard to zip our jeans. Turns out, it can also compromise our health. The problem is that the fat you see is accompanied by fat deep below the surface of the skin.

This subcutaneous fat, called visceral fat, cozies up to our organs and gets busy pumping out hormones, fatty acids and protein molecules called Cytokines.

Cytokines signal the immune system that the body is under attack. This summons white blood cells ready to fight off perceived injuries, infections and irritations.

Cells on constant immune system alert results in chronic inflammation. Along with a host of health risks, chronic inflammation promotes insulin resistance, a condition which can result in weight gain and may eventually lead to diabetes.

When a person has insulin resistance, their cells don't readily absorb glucose, the primary energy source used by cells. The body responds to this resistance by producing more insulin.

Prolonged excess insulin results in a state called "hyperinsulinemia," which makes it hard for the body to use fat for energy. Compounding the problem, extra insulin is not secreted but is instead stored as fat in the body.


It's a vicious cycle, in which fat causes fat.

I know. Not fair. Still, there are some lifestyle changes that can help you win the subcutaneous battle of the bulge. The first is to consume less calories.

According to an article on the website of Washington University in St. Louis, a lowered caloric intake "shrinks the size of fat cells and decreases the amount of fat inside the abdomen and other tissues."

There are also some key foods to avoid if you want to discourage inflammation, says nutritionist Monica Reinagel, author of "The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan."

These include the usual weight gain suspects: Foods high in trans fats, such as fried foods, foods containing hydrogenated vegetable oils and foods high in sugar. Junk food such as French fries, cookies, potato chips, cakes and donuts should be limited because they fan the fires of inflammation.

Fire-fighters
Fortunately, fighting belly fat doesn't always mean abstaining. There are a number of tasty and filling foods that help conquer inflammation. Substituting these for processed foods can promote weight loss without a feeling of deprivation.

When you want to stave off inflammation, look for foods loaded with antioxidants, says Reinagel in an article on the Quick and Dirty Tips website.

Chief among these are fruits and vegetables. Which ones are best? Keep the slogan from the Skittles campaign--"Taste the rainbow"--in mind when picking produce. Typically, the more brilliantly a fruit or vegetable is colored, the more antioxidants it contains, advises Reinagel.

She recommends eating a healthy variety of melons, citrus fruits, berries, leafy vegetables, peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash.

The XanGo connection
I would add juice from the mangosteen fruit--a relative newcomer to the western diet and the primary ingredient in XanGo juice--to that list. Mangosteen, which does indeed have a brilliant purple skin, contains phytonutrients called Xanthones, which are heavy-hitting anti-oxidants.

One of these xanthones, called gamma-magostin, is remarkably efficient at fighting inflammation.

Inflammation is also cooled by eating foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids and beneficial monounsaturated fats, says Reinagel. These include: avocados, almonds, walnuts, olives, olive oil and oily fish like salmon, anchovies, mackerel and herring. If you've got a fish phobia, consider taking fish oil in capsule form.

In my next blog, we'll talk about how to make inflammation-free eating fun with a number of snack suggestions and recipes. Some of these will include seasoning with spices and seasonings known to counteract inflammation.

Thanks for reading. Until I post my next blog, stay cool!

Cynthia Podlaski is not a registered nutritionist or a doctor. She's a XanGo distributor who's passionate about health and well-being. To find out more about XanGo, contact her via http://www.mymangosteen.com/ThePodlaskis/biz/

Belly flop: Abdominal fat carries risks, spurs lifestyle changes

Love handles. Spare tire. Muffin top. Beer belly. Pot belly. More of you to love.

However you put it, extra belly fat is a pain, and not just because it makes your clothes tight in the wrong places. People with excess abdominal fat are statistically at greater risk for heart disease, hypertension, insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, breast cancer and colorectal cancer.

Making trouble
The problem is that belly fat runs deeper than that extra layer of fat just below the skin. It is also deposited deep in the abdomen. Along with cozying up to your organs, visceral fat cells release hormones, fatty acids and other substances that can wreak havok with your body.

Among these substances are cytokines, immune system chemicals that some call "messengers of inflammation." (Natural Health Secrets). Cytokines are meant to fight against certain bacteria or pathogens, but visceral fat cells release them in the absence of any threat, keeping the body on constant alert.

The potential results of this state of inflammation are high blood pressure, clotting problems and insulin resistance.

Deep-belly fat also releases fatty acids to the liver, where they interfere with the production of blood lipids. The result can be higher cholesterol, lower good cholesterol and, again, insulin sensitivity, a condition that is often a precursor to diabetes.

On top of all this, inter-abdominal fat cells release estrogen, which can encourage the body to store fat and interfere with fertility both in men and women. Too much estrogen has also been linked to everything from osteoporosis to thyroid dysfunction and from memory loss to prostate and uterine cancer.

Hard to stomach
It seems like there is no end to the potential ravages of belly fat. So if you've got a large waistline, is it time to panic?

No, because stress may trigger visceral fat to release cortisol, which just causes more belly fat!

The good news, though, is that your belly-fat woes don't need to be the neverending story. Intra-abdominal fat is very responsive to improvements in diet and exercise.

In my next blog, I'll share a number of suggestions on how to tackle your belly fat with some simple lifestyle changes. But for now, I'll give you the quick-and-dirty: consume more fruits, vegetables and water; exercise a minimum of 30 minutes, a minimum of three days a week; get enough sleep; and work to control your stress. You'd be surprised at the difference made by a year of improved habits.

I also am a big proponent of drinking Xango. It's made from the juice of the mangosteen, which contain xanthones, biologically active compounds that have been found to control inflammation.  (I'm a Xango distributor, so I had to get in a plug for a product I've come to love!)

I can't wait to post my next blog, which will be rife with suggestions on how to tackle the fat within!

*Cynthia Podlaski is not a physician. She is a Xango distributor who loves to share health and nutrition tips, and spread the word about mangosteen. For more information, visit http://www.mymangosteen.com/distributors/ThePodlaskis/biz/why_xango.asp or call (714) 342-5587.

Cease fire: The inflammation-cooling properties of mangosteen

Inflammation isn't always a bad thing.

When the body is facing infection--or invasion by bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microbial enemies--our white blood cells and chemicals rush to protect us.

About.com explains the process:

"A sequence of complicated, interrelated events work to defend the body, ultimately bringing plasma proteins phagocytes (white blood cells that engulf and consume foreign material and debris) to the injured area for the purpose of initiating tissue repair."

As in any war, there is collateral damage, in the form of redness, heat and swelling. The Cleveland Clinic site notes that inflammation can also take the form of flu-like symptoms: fever, chills, fatigue, headaches, appetite loss, muscle stiffness, etc.

These temporary reactions are normal. Uncomfortable, but normal. Think a sore throat, a jammed finger, hives or a rash.

Too much of a good thing
Sometimes, however, the immune system gets confused, believing it is in danger when there is no threat. It triggers inflammation that is inappropriate and that, when chronic, can cause tissue destruction.

This is the case with chronic conditions like allergies and asthma as well arthritis in its many forms.

Here is a list of just some of the autoimmune diseases and conditions spurred by inflammation, as compiled on the Women to Women website: acid reflux/heartburn, acne, allergies and sensitivities, Alzheimer's disease, asthma, atherosclerosis, bronchitis, cancer, carditis, celiac disease, chronic pain, Crohn's disease, cirrhosis, colitis, dementia, dermatitis, diabetes, dry eyes, edema, emphysema, eczema, fibromyalgia, gastroenteritis, gingivitis, heart disease, hepatitis, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, interstitial cystitis, joint pain/arthritis/rheumatoid arthritis, metabolic syndrome, myositis, nephritis, obesity, osteopenia, osteoporosis, Parkinson's disease, periodontal disease, polyarteritis, polychondritis, polychondritis, psoriasis, scleroderma, sinusitis, Sjogren's syndrome, spastic colon, systemic candidiasis, tendonitis, UTI's and vaginitis.

What's more, many studies are beginning to point to a link between inflammation and mood disorders. Reducing inflammation can reduce depression, asserts Robert J. Hedaya, M.D. on Psychology Today's Health Matters blog.

The Integrative Psychiatry website takes this line of thinking further:
"Extensive research has shown that brain inflammation is connected to virtually all types of mental illness. Mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, as well as more serious conditions like autism, dementia, and even schizophrenia, have all been linked to inflammation of the brain."

Cooling down

You're getting the idea: Inflammation is a culprit in nearly every disorder imaginable.

If you feel inflammation is compromising your health, the first step is to consult a medical practitioner. There are also ways you can complement your doctor's advice that can have an amazing effect on your well-being. 

The following are some suggestions from Integrative Psychiatry:

1. Exercise for 20-30 minutes at least three times a week, as "exercise stimulates your body's anti-inflammatory abilities and keeps your blood circulating at the optimum level."

2. Encourage immune system balance by getting plenty of rest and implementing daily stress-management techniques such as deep-breathing exercises. 

3. Eat a diet that is high in Omega-3 fatty acids. You may need to take an Omega-3 supplement to ensure you're getting enough. (Good sources of Omega-3 include avacados, nuts [especially walnuts, cashews and almonds], salmon, sardines packed in water or olive oil, herring, Omega-3 fortified eggs, hemp seed and flaxseed.)

4. To turn down the heat on inflammation, eat a high-alkaline diet. This includes plenty of green, leafy vegetables and cruciferous vegetables from the cabbage family.

5. Bone up on vegetable protein by eating more tofu, edamame, soynuts and soymilk.

6. Drink pomegranate juice and green tea for their antioxidant effects. 

The Xango connection

And then there was Xango. 

Studies have shown that drinking juice from the mangosteen fruit (the primary ingredient in Xango) can markedly reduce inflammation. 

For time untold, the people of Southeast Asia have used various parts of the purple mangosteen plant as a medicine. With the help of Xango, juice from the mangosteen fruit is achieving global prominence for its ability to foster health and well-being. 

The fruit's secret is its high concentration of xanthones, phytonutrients with significant antioxidant properties. Among these is the anti-inflammatory gamma-mangostin. (Omega-mangostin carries antioxidant punch, making the mangosteen a double-threat to illness and imbalance!)

On a personal note, I have been drinking Xango juice daily for some time and have noticed an improvement  in all of my inflammation-related conditions, as well as a boost in energy. Bottom line: Xango juice and other mangosteen-based products have got the goods to douse the fire within. 

I suggest combining the mangosteen superfruit with a nutrient-packed diet and regular exercise. Here's to a world without inflammation!

For more information about the benefits of Xango, and the financial benefits of Xango distribution, contact Cynthia Podlaski at http://www.mymangosteen.com/thepodlaskis

*Cynthia Podlaski is not a physician. She is a Xango distributor who loves to share health and nutrition tips, and spread the word about mangosteen.