When it seems most people are trying to lose weight there are actually a significant number of people who want to gain weight. Whether it’s to bulk up for sports or just to look better in your clothes, for some people it can be surprisingly difficult to put on extra pounds.

One reason given for difficulty gaining weight is an overactive thyroid. This condition is known as hyperthyroidism and can be a serious medical condition. Fortunately, it’s quite rare and is almost always accompanied by a variety of other tell-tale symptoms such as a rapid heart rate and feelings of nervousness or anxiety. Check with your doctor if you feel that you may have this because it’s easily detected with a blood test.

If you stayed in bed all day and didn’t do anything else you would still burn 85% of your normal intake of calories just through heart beat, respiration and all the other bodily functions. This is known as your metabolism, or your basal metabolic rate. Oftentimes, the metabolism gets the blame for the inability to lose or gain weight but in reality metabolism doesn’t differ very much from one person to the next. A metabolism that was different enough to cause difficulty with weight control would be quite unusual.
Read the rest of this entry

Healthy skin is the secret to looking youthful. Bringing out the beauty of the skin is not hard, and can be done using skin care products and proper diet.

Drink 64 ounces of water per day to keep yourself properly hydrated. Your skin cells need water to stay healthy and maintain their size. Without water, the skin cells deflate and your skin loses elasticity. Avoid beverages that contain caffeine and sugar because they may take away valuable moisture that you need.

The sun’s rays can damage the skin and even cause cancer. The sun’s rays are also very drying to the skin. Use skin care products and makeup that contains sunscreen to protect your skin every day. Even when it is cloudy outside, the sun’s rays can damage your skin.
Read the rest of this entry