Strategies to Overcome Insulin Resistance

Despite popular belief to the contrary, it may be possible to cure insulin resistance by following a protocol that includes an insulin resistance diet plan, insulin resistance supplements and a regular exercise program.

Insulin resistance (IR) is characterised by an inability of the body cells to bind insulin and allow nutrients to flow into the cells.

This results in elevated levels of glucose in the bloodstream, leading to many serious health issues. Over time, it may result in blindness, peripheral neuropathy (damaged blood vessels and nerves in fingers and toes that may require amputation) and coronary heart disease to name a few.

Despite the serious nature of this condition and its growing prevalence in our society, it may be possible to cure insulin resistance by following some simple strategies.

1. Eat small meals often

Having a 'Sunday Roast' or dinner with friends occasionally is fine. However, in order to prevent or cure insulin resistance, small meals must be the norm.

Larger meals induce a larger insulin response in the body simply because more nutrients need to be stored. Since it is necessary to keep insulin production as low as possible, replacing the large meals with smaller options is the first step that needs to be taken.

In saying that, having small meals doesn't mean you have to starve. You can still have the same amount of food throughout the day you just need to spread it over 5 meals as opposed to 3. By keeping insulin low you will also help your body use more of its fat stores as a fuel.

This is a major part of the insulin resistance diet plan.

2. Reduce your intake of refined carbohydrates

Refined carbohydrates tend to induce a far higher spike in the blood sugar than other carbohydrates. This of course results in a greater amount of insulin being secreted by the pancreas.

When the receptors on cell membranes get continually bombarded by insulin they become de-sensitised to its action (IR). Therefore, reducing your intake of refined carbs means that less insulin is produced and the chance of the cell receptors becoming de-sensitised will also be reduced.

3. Reduce your overall carbohydrate and saturated fat intake

Carbohydrates induce insulin production far more than the other two macronutrients; protein and fat. Therefore, reducing your overall intake of carbohydrates will reduce insulin production and decrease the opportunity for IR to occur in your body.

All of our cell membranes are made of phospholipids, which are made from fats. If we have a high intake of saturated fats in our diet our cell membranes become harder and less permeable. This promotes IR.

By reducing our overall carbohydrate and saturated fat intake we reduce insulin production and improve the functioning of our cell membranes, which reduces IR.

4. Increase your fibre intake

Since fibre slows down the absorption rate of carbohydrates from the intestines into the blood stream, insulin production will also be reduced. By reducing insulin secretion, you reduce the potential for IR to occur in your body.

Fibre is found mainly in fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods. Some people find it easy to add a couple of teaspoons of psyllium husks to their breakfast cereal in the morning. This is a great way to increase your fibre intake and psyllium has a whole range of health benefits.

5. Add some good fats to your diet

All of our cell membranes are made of phospholipids, which are made from fats. Adding good fats to our diet makes our cell membranes more permeable and flexible. It also reduces IR by allowing the cell receptors to function optimally.

You may want to take some fish oil capsules every day, add some flax seed oil to your diet or simply add some LSA (Linseed, Sunflower seed and Almond) meal to your cereal each day. These are some easy ways to add good fats to your diet.

6. Have 'complete' meals

'Complete' meals are meals that supply your body with a portion of carbohydrate, protein and fat. By ensuring that all 3 macronutrients are in your meals, you slow down the passage of carbohydrates into the blood stream because protein and fat slow its absorption.

A slow and sustained release of glucose into the blood stream means that your blood sugar level will remain stable, insulin will stay low and the potential for IR in your body will be reduced.

7. Use glucose disposal agents

Glucose disposal agents (GDAs) function of insulin by making cell receptors more sensitive to its action. This means they have the potential to prevent and even reverse insulin resistance in your body, which will make it much easier for your body to access and burn fat as a fuel source.

Since insulin resistance is becoming more prevalent these days, most adults should consider using glucose disposal agents almost every day. In order to cure insulin resistance it is best to use it 3 times a day with your breakfast, lunch and dinner meals.

8. Exercise every day

Regular, daily exercise is important for everyone to do but it is even more important if you want to cure insulin resistance. When you exercise your body cells, particularly muscle cells, use up more nutrients. This makes the cell membranes more receptive to insulin since the cells need more nutrients to flow into them.

Both aerobic exercise and resistance exercise should be performed on a weekly basis. This will ensure the cell membranes become as receptive to insulin as possible.

Overall, by combining an insulin resistance diet plan with insulin resistance supplements and daily exercise it is possible to cure insulin resistance.

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Strategies for Building Your Business

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How do you know which strategy will grow your business most effectively in the short and long term? Market penetration, market extension, product development or diversification are the primary strategies for building your business. You can also grow organically (growth in your own business) or by acquisition (of another business). This article summarises what these strategies are, and when you would be most likely to use them.

Market penetration is based on taking the opportunities to sell more of your products or services into your existing market, or penetrating deeper into your market.

Since it costs on average 5-10 times more to source new customers than to work with your existing customers, it makes sense to adopt this strategy if you can.

It will be most applicable if:

- You have a reasonably large base of potential customers in your existing markets

- There is an opportunity for you to sell more of your products/services to your existing customers, and to sell to new customers from the same existing market segment

- You want to sell more of you existing products/services

- Your products/services are still competitive

How to implement this strategy:

- More aggressive promotion and marketing

- More, or more effective, channels to market (whether direct sales or via third party distributors)

An example of this strategy would be Telstra and it's mobile service. Telstra has penetrated deeply into its existing market (Australia in broad terms), using extensive promotion and advertising, and a continually expanding distribution channel of resellers and its own retail outlets. As a result, it has the largest share of the mobile market.

Market extension is when you identify new markets to sell your existing products and services into, whether they are new geographic markets (interstate, regional, international) or new segments in the same geographic market.

It will be most applicable if:

- You have secured a strong customer base in part of your defined market, and still have other areas or segments that still offer opportunities to you.

- You are reaching saturation in your existing market (you have the dominant share)

- You are able to access new markets through the right distribution channels or through your own presence in those markets

- You have the cashflow to fund the time and cost it takes in breaking into new markets

- You have researched the market thoroughly and understand the potential gain and the risks

- You have the ability to service those new markets well

A simple example of this is when companies open offices or branches interstate, to replicate the success they have had in their own market.

Product development is when you develop new or improved products for your existing markets. Product development may take the form of a new product altogether (for example a new software package), an extension to a product (for example a new feature set/enhancements to the existing software package), or a product add-on (for example, a new software module).

- Products and services are often developed when there is customer demand for them, or when technology results in newer versions being available or created by your competitors, or when you have a great idea and research indicates there would be a market for it.

- Product development requires funding, planning, research, testing, marketing, selling through appropriate channels and more testing.

- If you develop new products or services you must do so objectively, and listen to your customers, take notice of the market research and feedback, and be honest about how competitive your new products will be. Don't waste time or money launching products or services that won't sell, or won't sell enough.

- Product development must be an ongoing process to some extent, as no company can survive on an unchanging product or service, year in and year out.

- Generally it's fair to say that if you don't develop and enhance your products, then your competitors will and will overtake you.

An example of somewhat extreme product development is Coca-Cola now selling Lemon Coke, Caffeine-Free Coke, and Vanilla Coke into its existing markets, alongside regular Coke and Diet Coke. This strategy has similarities to the one used back in the '80s, when Coca-Cola had Classic Coke, New Coke (when they changed the original formula), Cherry Coke, regular Diet Coke, Caffeine-Free Diet Coke, Tab, Caffeine-Free New Coke and Caffeine-Free Tab. It created a lot of consumer confusion, and eroded the brand power of the original Classic Coke.

A simpler example of product development is the breakfast cereal manufacturers developing breakfast cereal bars, for breakfast 'on-the-go'.

Diversification is the strategy of developing new products for new markets. This strategy requires a cautious approach as it is based on many unknowns: a new market, an untested product, probably new distribution channels, and probably existing suppliers already competing in the target markets.

Use this strategy if:

- you have a large budget for product development and market research

- you can support this strategy (and the time it takes to start generating revenue) with existing cashflow from the business

Acquisition is a strategy used to fast-track business growth by acquiring, rather than building, new business. You may acquire another company for several reasons:

- to acquire their customer base

- to acquire their revenue and profits

- to generate economies of scale (and reduce costs) for the combined entity

- to acquire their products

- to acquire their expertise

- to access new markets

- etc.

The acquiring company retains overall control of the combined business, and may agree to buy all or part of the other business.

© 2007 BOSS Management Group Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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Weight Loss - 7 Calorie Cutting Strategies

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If you are determined to lose weight or even cut a few pounds of those hips then, reducing the number of calories you eat needs to be your priority. Follow these rules below and you should see those calories dropping off in no time:

1) Eat smaller portions: We tend to eat far too much when sitting down for a meal. In the West we tend to use larger plates which, gives us a good reason to fill them up with more food than we can eat. As a general guide, you should eat no more than will fill your two hands cupped together. This is easier to achieve by using smaller plates, about 7 to 9 inches in diameter should do.

2) Read the labels: A lot of processed food contains many additives and fat that can increase your calorie intake. Even the low fat options can still be high in calories because of their high sugar content. For example, the average box of breakfast cereal contains 250 calories.

3) Chew your food: Your hunger is controlled by your brain, not your stomach as most people think. When you start eating you have about 20 minutes for the brain to register that your stomach is full. Rather than gulping down your food, eat slowly and chew your food at least 20 to 30 times. By taking your time you will eat less and still feel you have eaten well.

4) Cut down on dairy products: These are the staple of the western diet because they taste good and are very versatile. However, they make us fat. If you cannot eliminate milk, cheese, yogurt from your diet then switch to the low fat options. Be careful, the low fat options make up for their lack of fat by including lots of sugar to improve the taste and texture. Remember, more sugar means more calories.

5) Throw away the frying pan: How we cook our food is just as important as what food we eat. Cooking meats in high fat oil will definitely increase your calories. It is better to grill, boil or even better, steam your food.

6) Eat naturally: Increase your intake of fresh organic vegetables. These foods bulk up your stomach leaving very little real estate for the much heavier high fat stuff. Also, vegetables take longer to chew meaning you will eat less. See strategy 3.

7) Cut down on the booze: Believe it or not alcohol contains calories and too much of it can pile on the pounds. The higher the alcohol means more calories for example, depending on the proof the average beer contains between 100 to 150 calories. Wine and spirits will have more calories because of their higher proof.

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