There are many lessons to be learned when we study the ways that ancient groups of people acted. We can learn about art, architecture, food, family, religion, languages and health. Much of our current system of doing things is rooted in some very old, but wise, cultures.

Some very old ways of preventing and treating illness are still practiced in many parts of the world today.

America is just learning. We have been completely focused on putting our trust in doctors and pharmaceutical companies that we’re not accustomed to alternative ways to approach health. We have been conditioned to not consider alternative ways of treating our health.

However, many dedicated people are using ancient and alternative methods of healing and preventing disease. These people believe that what was done so very long ago, and is still being used today, has great value and can help in many ways.

It’s that time, yet again!  Is weight loss one of your resolutions for the New Year? If you’re like most people, this resolution is high on your list year after year – to get healthy and lose weight. Would you like 2014 to be the last time you make a weight loss resolution?

While it may seem like losing your love handles and jiggly thighs is a resolution that just keeps repeating itself, that doesn’t have to be the case. You can reach your weight loss goal this year, and here are our best suggestions to help you reach those goals, once and for all:

Define why you want to lose weight. You can’t go after something and expect to get it if you don’t have a clear understanding of why you want it. Take some time and think about why weight loss is important to you. Make a list of the positive ways your life will change once you reach a lower, healthier weight, and keep that vision in front of you at all times.

Holidays are full of wonderful celebrations and memorable moments. You get to spend precious time with family and friends, creating memories you’ll cherish for a lifetime. However, the holidays aren’t all candy canes and sparkly lights. Dealing with the stress that comes from several directions can lead to emotional eating and often leaves a sense of fatigue and regret.

Because most people engage in gift giving during the holiday season, there is an added financial burden that can make it harder than ever to pay your regular bills while still bringing smiles to the faces you love with presents wrapped in pretty bows. In fact, even if you don’t hand out a lot of gifts, the costs can still add up if you entertain or buy food or wine to take to holiday parties.

During the holidays you’re surrounded by homemade dishes and desserts that make your mouth water and your taste buds beg for “just one little bite.” But you know that if you give in and gorge on all of these tempting foods, you’re going to gain back the weight you’ve worked so hard to lose – and then some.

So, how do you navigate in and out of the kitchen during this food abundant holiday? By making a few simple changes to the foods you normally eat you can avoid feeling deprived and still enjoy some of your traditional holiday favorites. Here are 10 tips to get you started.

Tip #1: Save up to 56 grams of fat per cup of gravy by refrigerating it first and then skimming off the visible, hardened fat. (This works for meat dishes too!)

Tip #2: If you can’t bear the idea of Christmas without green bean casserole, just swap potato chunks for the cream soup. Then top it with almond slices instead of fried onions for a protein powered crunch!

If you ask most any weight loss expert about how easy their program is to follow, they’ll tell you that it is very easy. But are they just trying to make a sale or is it true that their plan is simple to follow? What’s the answer? It depends.

The Plan vs. The Mindset

Generally when someone wants to know if the diet plan is easy, they think they are asking about the mechanics of it, or how the plan works. For instance, eating every three hours or adding certain foods into your menu would fall under this umbrella of information and certainly help you lose weight.

However, in reality, the person posing the question is more than likely asking about how easy it is to change their mindset to properly work the plan. This is a completely different question.

What would you say if you were told that every time you grab a diet soda from the fridge or vending machine that the liquid you are consuming almost guarantees your weight loss failure? Would you believe it?

Or how would you feel knowing that with every sip or guzzle that you take in the name of health and fitness you are pushing yourself further and further from your goal of being fit and trim instead of getting closer to it?

What if you learned that the more diet soda you drink, the greater the likelihood that you are going to wind up adding weight to your body despite the word “Diet” displayed prominently on the side of the can?

Although you may be inclined to disbelieve these statements, you may be surprised to learn that they are true – and there has been a ton of research, available to the public, to prove it.

The Science Behind ‘Diet’ Soda

Some people just don’t like to exercise. Maybe you’re one of them? This prompts the same question over and over again: “Is it really necessary that I exercise, or can I lose weight without having to buy a gym membership and work up a sweat?” Here’s your answer…

The Role of Exercise in Weight Loss

Let’s first look at the facts.  When it comes to losing weight, getting regular physical exercise offers a number of advantages, even if “regular” is 30 minutes 3 days a week. These weight loss advantages include, but are not limited to:

When you are on a weight loss journey, you’re always looking for ways to speed up the fat loss process. You know that it is going to take some time to get rid of the excess weight that you are carrying, but the sooner you can reach your goals, the happier you will be.

One way to do this is to take a fat burner. These are supplements that raise your metabolism by shifting it from neutral into overdrive, helping you create the body that you desire. A few of the supplements that can help you do this are:

There are lots of diet programs available that will help you lose weight, but nothing beats the ones that offer you results at lightning speed. You realize that achieving weight loss is a process, but that doesn’t mean that the process has to be slow.

So, if you want to lose weight at the fastest rate possible, without sacrificing your health, here are the diets you’re going to want to consider:

Finding a diet is easy. Finding a diet that works for you - not so much. So what can you do to increase the chances that you’ll achieve weight loss success on the diet that you choose to follow? It starts with selecting a diet that will work for you, which is easy to do if you follow these seven simple steps:

Tip #1: Examine your readiness

No diet in the world is going to work for you if you aren’t ready to lose weight. How do you know if you are ready? Ask yourself if you are willing to commit to making changes no matter how hard they are? Will you choose to make failure not an option on your route to weight loss success? If your answer is yes to both of those questions, then you are probably ready to kick butt on your weight loss journey.

Tip #2: Define your goal