Everthing About Health And Food

Walk 10 Minutes a Day and Increase Your Fitness Level.
Old thinking was to work out in a sweat-filled gym for hours a day. No pain, no gain. New studies show that even short bouts of activity can increase your fitness level, especially if you're new at working out.

"To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first."
-Shakespeare, Henry VIII. Act I. Sc. 1

Park and Walk
Whenever you have an errand, park your car as far away as you can handle and walk to the store. At the mall, park at the farthest end and walk the length of the mall. Use every opportunity to walk. At the end of the day, it all adds up to better fitness.

Crunch in Bed
Before you even get out of bed in the morning, do 10 stomach crunches while lying flat on your mattress. Increase daily by one until you get up to 100. Think you'll never get there? Try it. You may eventually have to set your clock to wake up 15 minutes earlier, a small price to pay for a flatter stomach.


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"Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God, and value it next to a good conscience." -Izaak Walton

Aquatics:
Older people find stress free weightlessness in water is a good way to work out. All kinds of new "water toys" to exercise with are on the sports store shelves these days. Younger people also like aquatic fitness training. There's less stress on the joints and less sweat. …Could be the wave of the future.

The 12-Minute Anti-slip and Fall Routine for Senior Adults:
A Florida physician has developed an exercise routine for older adults that can be done in bed and takes just 12 minutes. Further details to come soon.

Spas for the New Millennium:
More and more hospitals are developing wellness centers that consist of a large variety of fitness machines, whirlpools, lap pools, running tracks and individual health analysis testing. We predict these unisex centers will replace the typical gender oriented "pampering spa' that were once the domain of rich women. More and more HMO's and insurance companies are seeing the value of preventive medicine.

Nutrition Hotline:
"The health of a nation has often depended on the good or bad digestion of a prime minister." -Voltaire

Antioxidant Rich Foods:
Now that everybody's loading up on Vitamin C and E for their proven antioxidant effects, studies show that the best antioxidant dosages are not necessarily in pill-form. Eating your 10 servings a day of fruits and veggies (remember what Mom and Grandma used to harp on?) could be the best way to increase antioxidant capacity. Although all fruits and veggies have them, the best foods for antioxidants are cauliflower, peas and oranges. Amer. Journal Clinical Nutrition, 1998.

New Sugar Substitute Approved by FDA:
More sucralose-sweetened products are becoming available on grocery-store shelves since last year's approval by The Food and Drug Administration of Splenda (sucralose) the latest sugar substitute to be approved in more than a decade. Advantages claimed over other sugar substitutes are no bitter aftertaste and sweetness retention when used in cooking.

Steer Clear of Old Myths about Foods:

Myth: Asparagus is a diuretic.

Truth: Asparagus is not a diuretic. It just creates an odor during urination.

Myth: Potatoes and bread make you fat.

Truth: Both are healthy carbohydrates that average about 100 calories and are low in fat. It's what you add to both that increases fat. (i.e. butter, sour cream, mayonnaise)

Myth: Eating after 6 p.m. makes you gain weight.

Truth: Eating at night tends to lead to consuming higher calories because you are home, near the T.V. (did you ever notice what most of the commercials feature?) near the refrigerator and relaxed. Or you are eating out at a party or in a restaurant where you tend to eat higher fat and calories and larger portions. Calories are the same at any hour of the day.

Myth: Drinking lots of water makes you retain fluid.

Truth: Water acts as a natural diuretic. It will help flush out your system of toxins.


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"Health is not a condition of matter, but of Mind." -Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health.

Mind Your Belt Buckle; Skip the Scale:
In this high-tech world we live in, we sometimes forget the simple ways to do things. If you’ve already started a workout program and can’t seem to see results, check the way your pants fit. Are they slightly loose around the waist, not as tight as they were? Sometimes clothes can show you results that the scale cannot. Weight variations are subtle. Strength-training exercises can sometimes produce a temporary weight gain in the beginning due to muscles retaining more fluid. After a week or so, it quickly readjusts and the excess fluid disappears.

Skip the Math; Get Rid of the Finger; Invest in a Heart Rate Monitor:
To get the most out of your workouts, you need to reach 80% of your heart rate training zone. There are three ways to measure your heart rate. Stop your exercise, hold your index finger to the pulse in your neck and count the beats per minute. The second way is to measure your pulse rate. The third is to use a high tech device called a Heart Rate Monitor. It consists of a chest strap and a wristwatch type band that automatically measures your beats. You can pre-set it to beep when you reach your desired training zone. If you don’t want to bother with mathematical equations to figure your proper heart rate training zone, buy a Heart Rate Monitor. It may set you back upwards of $100 but it will guarantee to measure your heart rate. Most Sports Specialty stores have them. Bicycle shops usually carry them and they can be ordered through fitness catalogues and magazines.

‘Take it to the Next Level’ Circuit Training:
Incorporate circuit training into your fitness routine for a surefire way to reach the next level of endurance, strength and weight loss. Instead of spending 30-60 minutes doing aerobics and another 30-60 minutes doing strength training, combine the two for a more robust workout. Take the boredom out of your routine by spending five minutes on aerobics (standard machines such as treadmill, stair stepper, stair climber, bicycle, elliptical trainer, cross trainer) then alternate with five minutes of strength training (free weights, weight machines, rubber bands.)

source : health-fitness-tips.com

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Always allow about three or four hours to pass between your last big meal and a workout.

Jogging on a full stomach can damage your digestion, warns Torsten Albers of the German Institute for Prevention and Health Management. Nausea and diarrhea are risks, he says.

Better to have a small snack before a workout, like a little bread with some spreadable cheese. A banana that's not too ripe is even better, as it keeps the blood sugar levels from jumping too quickly and its starches and glucose are easy to digest.

"Additionally, it doesn't contain any fructose or lactose, which can sometimes lead to stomach problems," says Albers, a nutritionist. And bloating isn't much of a risk, since there isn't much fiber in a banana.

If you like to eat after a workout, it's best to do so within the first hour or two after exercise. That's when nutrients are processed best, says Albers.

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1. Move More
Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kickboxing. But that's great when you're up to it. Meanwhile, move more. Thought for the day: Cha, Cha, Cha…. Then do it!

2. Cut Fat
Avoid the obvious such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats (i.e. pork, bacon, ham, salami, ribs and sausage). Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts. Most are available in lower fat versions such as substitute butter, fat free cheeses and mayonnaise. Thought for the day: Lean, mean, fat-burning machine…. Then be one!

3. Quit Smoking
The jury is definitely in on this verdict. Ever since 1960 when the Surgeon General announced that smoking was harmful to your health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products that kill. Just recently, we've seen a surge in smoking in adolescents and teens. Could it be the Hollywood influence? It seems the stars in every movie of late smoke cigarettes. Beware. Warn your children of the false romance or 'tough guy' stance of Hollywood smokers. Thought for the day: Give up just one cigarette…. the next one.

4. Reduce Stress
Easier said than done, stress busters come in many forms. Some techniques recommended by experts are to think positive thoughts. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. (i.e.,Soak in a hot tub; walk on the beach or in a park; read a good book; visit a friend; play with your dog; listen to soothing music; watch a funny movie. Get a massage, a facial or a haircut. Meditate. Count to ten before losing your temper or getting aggravated. Avoid difficult people when possible. Thought for the day: When seeing red, think pink clouds….then float on them.



5. Protect Yourself from Pollution
If you can't live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low. Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good. Plant lots of shrubbery in your yard. It's a good pollution and dirt from the street deterrent. Thought for the day: 'Smoke gets in your eyes'…and your mouth, and your nose and your lungs as do pollutants….hum the tune daily.

6. Wear Your Seat Belt
Statistics show that seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes. Thought for the day: Buckle down and buckle up.

7. Floss Your Teeth
Recent studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Nobody knows exactly why. Perhaps it's because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than people who don't? Thought for the day: Floss and be your body's boss.

8. Avoid Excessive Drinking
While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day (two for men) can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney disease and cancer. Thought for the day: A jug of wine should last a long time.

9. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook
There's a definitive connection between living well and healthfully and having a cheerful outlook on life. Thought for the day: You can't be unhappy when you're smiling or singing.

10. Choose Your Parents Well
The link between genetics and health is a powerful one. But just because one or both of your parents died young in ill health doesn't mean you cannot counteract the genetic pool handed you. Thought for the day: Follow these basic tips for healthy living and you can better control your own destiny.

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NEW YORK - How much health benefit you get from physical exercise might depend on your gender, and your race, new research suggests.

The work is based on data from more than 15,000 middle-aged African American and Caucasian men and women who have been participating since the late 1980s in the large Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.


A jogger (2nd L) passes fitness enthusiasts performing stretching exercises after sunrise at Queenscliff Beach in Sydney on the first day of Spring September 1, 2008.(Agencies)

According to a report in the Journal of Lipid Research, people who added about an hour of mild exercise per week or half an hour of moderate exercise had increased levels of heart-healthy HDL.

In the study, "mild exercise" included such activities as walking for pleasure, bowling, or weight lifting. "Moderate exercise" could have been a more strenuous activity such as basketball, hiking, or modern dance.

The research team, led by Dr. Keri Monda at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, also found that increased exercise generally produced significant decreases in harmful triglycerides, but only in Caucasians.

Similar beneficial effects of exercise on HDL cholesterol and triglycerides have been found in other studies.

Monda's team also discovered, however, that increased activity improved levels of artery-clogging LDL cholesterol in women, but not in men. Also, they found, added exercise brought total cholesterol levels down, but only in Black women.

These variations in response, the research team says, "are for the most part" new.

What's behind these differences? The researchers aren't sure, but they speculate that hormonal differences between men and women and genetic differences between races account for at least some of their findings.

Also, they admit, some of their information on the study participants was gathered by questionnaire, and while this is a standard technique in long-term studies, it's not guaranteed to be 100 percent accurate.

Nevertheless, Monda and her colleagues point out, their work provides additional evidence that exercise has a beneficial effect on HDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

"Overall, our results highlight the importance of physical activity on plasma lipid profiles," they wrote.

source : http://www.chinadaily.com.cn
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