Here’s a strange thing I read about today – you can read it here.

What has our thighs got to do with the rest of the body??

Scientists have just found out some usefulness for having fatter thighs vs thinner thighs… In today’s edition of the British Medical Journal, scientists reveal that thigh circumference is somehow associated with premature deaths and heart diseases.

They found out that the risk of heart disease doubled for both men and women who had a thigh circumference of less than 55 centimetres / 22 inches. (Go measure those thighs now!)

And those that who have thighs of between 55 to 60 centimetres / 22 to 24 inches has optimal protection against heart disease.

But guess what, if your thigh circumference is above 60 centimetres / 24 inches – the protection for heart disease reduces. *grin*

What they actually concluded in their study was that muscle mass and strength are important determinants of longevity and good health. And in the article, one of the professors said that “Interventions which protect or increase muscle mass, such as weight training, may be effective in reducing cardiovascular disease even if no loss of body fat occurs.”

Did you hear that? It means if you do your exercise regularly and still you’re not losing weight, or simply gaining weight with enough exercise – that is still a good thing!

So hey, did you measure that thigh yet?!

We can see that many people are now turning to the inexpensive and natural green tea weight loss plans to help them in their weight control efforts. It is simple too. Green tea can be drunk like any other tea, usually without milk or sweeteners, or if you do not like the taste you can purchase green tea extract.

Research has shown that green tea helps to reduce weight by stimulating the body’s thermogenesis process, which increases the expenditure of energy and the oxidization of fat in the body. Many compounds found in plants have this effect. The special thing about green tea is that it does not increase the heart rate, and is therefore believed to be safer than diet pills such as ephidrine that also work by stimulating thermogenesis.

A lot of people who are overweight have or are at risk of developing hypertension and other cardiovascular problems, so the fact that green tea does not put pressure on the heart makes it a good choice. Ephidrine is not usually recommended if you are in this group but green tea is considered a safe option. It means that you can gradually increase your exercise levels without increasing your risk of heart problems.

There are only two ways to lose weight: one way is by eating less (consuming fewer calories) and the other is by increasing expenditure of energy (using up more calories). Green tea works by increasing output and this can be by around 4%. Most scientists believe that this is caused by the high quantity of catechin that is in the tea and its extract.

Green tea has the added benefit of containing powerful antioxidants that may be beneficial to your health in many ways, strengthening the immune system and protecting against disease.

Keep in mind that green tea does contain caffeine so you should cut out coffee and other forms of tea while you are taking it. Decaffeinated green tea is not recommended because the chemical processes that are used to remove the caffeine may destroy the beneficial properties of the plant.

At the same time you will need to exercise control in what you eat or adjust your diet. If you eat more to compensate for the calories that are burnt by the tea, you will not lose much weight at all. Keeping to the same calorific intake that you have now and taking green tea should result in gradual weight loss and better energy levels over a few weeks. You can of course increase the speed of this by reducing calorie consumption and/or increasing exercise.

Green tea is a simple, easy and inexpensive weight control aid that can easily be incorporated into any weight loss program. The choice of tea or extract offers something for everybody. Natural and safe, green tea weight loss should be part of your program if you want to keep the weight off permanently.