How to get fit and healthy

The heart is the central system that controls whole function of the body. The main job of the heart is to pump blood throughout the body and help it stay alive. The heart plays a major role in human health; and exercise plays main role in heart health.

The cardiovascular exercises increase heart rate and keep your hearts in shape. Regular exercises have also been shown to lower blood pressure, freeing your heart from some of the effort in moving blood through our system. But people don’t get much enjoyment and involvement in regular disciplined exercises.

They can do dancing exercise instead of regular exercises like walking. Professor of cardiology at Università Politecnica delle Marche School of Medicine Dr. Romualdo Belardinelli said, “researchers chose the waltz because it has “universal appeal” and is a very aerobic exercise, but he said other slow dances should work, too”.

The Italian did the eight week study on 110 people including 89 men and 21 women who had mild to moderate heart failure. They divided 110 people into 3 groups. First group had 44 men and women, they were asked to do cycling and walking on a treadmill three times a week.

Another 44 people in the second group were asked to dance three times a week. They chose to perform waltzes for 21 minutes, by dancing slow waltzes for five minutes and fast waltzes for three minutes alternately. Remaining 22 people are asked to read books.

The result of the study was amazing, the danced people experienced 18 percent improvement and ability to breathe efficiently; exercised group got 16 percent improvement and the other team didn’t find any improvement.

Elliott M. Antman MD, a heart specialist at Harvard Medical School - “A well-trained athlete utilizes oxygen very efficiently, so his muscles don’t demand as much oxygen-containing blood per minute. This is what allows him or her to exercise harder and further than the average person”.
Do the dancing exercise with full enjoyments and have a healthy heart.

People looking at reducing their weight, are not always aware of diets that will help them achieve the best weight loss results. Pick out the best food from your normal daily diet, and use it to lose weight. According to a recent study by experts, having high quality food rich in nutrients is more important than quantity when it comes to weight loss as well as health.

If you’re serious about changing your food habit to lead a stylish yet healthy life, then the following suggestions on how to balance your diet to lose your weight will be helpful.

Reducing extra fat in the belly is one of the hardest things to do. Whether it’s because of heredity, or  hormonal changes, many people notice an increase in belly fat as they grow older. A research has shown that the excess fat carried around your abdomen can increase the risk of heart diseases, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

If you’re simply looking to reduce the belly fat, then you need to follow 5 easy steps to see amazing results.

Aerobic exercise:
Aerobic exercise is one of the best ways to lose the belly fat. Aerobic exercises, brisk walking or jogging will help you burn belly fat and improve your overall health.

Having healthy meals:
Make sure that your diet consists of lots of fresh vegetables, proteins, whole grains and some fresh fruits. It is better to avoid junk food like cookies, chips; sweets, etc (junk food will raise the blood sugar level, which will lead to reduction in fat burning and increase appetite). Keep in mind, that with a combination of exercises and a healthy nutritious diet; you can lose lower belly fat.

Managing stress:
Try to find ways to reduce your stress as stress is one of the major causes for excess stomach fat, or for that matter, any other kind of problems. Under stressful conditions, the hormone cortisol is released. It makes you feel hungry and stimulates the storage of fat around the belly and abdomen .

Getting enough sleep:
Getting enough sleep helps you lose the extra fat in the belly. Lack of enough sleep lowers leptin (leptin is a protein that helps suppress appetite and tells the brain when you are full).

Drinking water:
Another great way to lose the belly fat naturally is to drink plenty of water. It improves your digestion and increases fat burning metabolism.

Back pain is the most common complaint among middle aged and young people. In many cases, we fail to take steps to treat it. Remember, long –lasting low back pain make you tired, irritable, and less productive and active. If your back pain persists for more than three days, it would be a good idea to see a doctor.

People who spend long hours sitting on chairs without taking any breaks, and those who carry heavy loads regularly, are more likely to suffer from severe back aches. Some of the other common causes for back ache are:

1. Osteoporosis:
Osteoporosis is a silent disease in which the bones become very porous and break easily. The bones that are affected by osteoporosis can break with relatively minor injuries.

2. Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the occurrence of the degenerative joint disease in the spine. The major cause for this kind of disease is the gradual reduction of gap between the spinal disks with age.

3. Tumor
Primary tumors in the spine as well as metastatic tumors in other organs like prostate, lungs, kidneys, intestine etc.

4. Gynecological problems
Endometriosis (tissue that normally grows inside the uterus in an abnormal anatomical location), and after child birth operations are also causes for lower back pains.

5. Sudden injuries caused to the back during an accident, while playing sports, or in some other manner.

6. Smoking habits, hypertension and coronary artery diseases are significantly associated with development of lower back pain.

Ever heard the saying “prevention is better than cure”, this applies to back pain as well. Take the following precautions to avoid aches.

• While exercising, make sure you sit / stand in the right postures. Incorrect postures are known to cause back aches.

• Do not lift heavy weights if you can help it. It increases the risk of back pain

• Give high heeled shoes a break occasionally.

• Don’t sit or stand in the same position for a long time. Try to get up and walk for a while.

• Increased stress enhances the chances of back pain, so make sure you relax by doing Yoga, meditation, taking walks, or anything that makes you feel good.

Superbrain yoga is a simple exercise that helps to increase brain activity. It is purely based on the principles of subtle energy and ear acupuncture. Apart from activating the brain, it also assists in balancing the energies of the heart, throat, ajna, forehead and crown energy centers.
How to do Superbrain yoga?

Step 1: Hold the right earlobe with the left thumb and left index finger.
Step 2: Then, hold the left earlobe with the right thumb and right index finger.
Step 3: Continue to hold your lobes as you press your tongue to the roof of your mouth.
Step 4: Inhale through your nose and slowly squat down to the ground.
Step 5: Hold your breath and do not exhale until you start making your way back up to a standing position.
Step 6: Repeat this action for at least 15 times.

Please make sure that you position the arms and fingers properly, and breathe correctly.
This exercise is in practice for several centuries in India. And they call it as Thopukaranam and generally done before Ganesh idol.

As the era of a fast paced life style gets faster by the day, the most common daily routine has become synonymous with sedentary work, no physical exercise, and a whole load of junk food. A large number of people understand the importance of physical exercise today and have got it into their routines in some form or the other. Some people go to gyms to work out, some people go jogging and some people do yoga, while others consciously take the stairs.

However, the most important thing that is being messed around with on a large scale is diet. Too many cups of coffee, too much sugar, and too much oil is what constitutes a “normal” diet today. Junk food, aka fast food has become the most popular kind of food that a majority of people indulge in. Vegetables, fruits, salads, are almost forgotten .It’s just fat and carb. It is also important to understand that eating healthy is really not about giving up things you love. It’s just about moderating fats and things that aren’t going to do your body any good, and including healthy food into your diet. It is understandable that nobody really has the time to cook or spend time in making their own food, making it “healthy” would take a lot longer!

But there are some simple basic things you could follow, and inculcate into your routine to go healthy. You may find the following tips helpful

• Instead of 5 cups of coffee everyday, go for two cups of coffee, and substitute the rest with milk or juices.
• Make sure your breakfast is healthy and consists of a good balance of proteins, vitamins, carb, and fats. Cereal, milk, eggs, toast, juices, or anything that is traditional to your country is good. Avoid junk, cut down on the cheese and butter.
• You could pack a box of fruit to eat while at work. Carry strawberries, grapes, apples, or even bigger fruits cut into pieces and eat them along with your lunch. You will eat less fried, and a good amount of fiber will go in.
• Drink lots of water. Water is the elixir of life and is very good for your digestion, apart from your skin and hair.
• Take time to chew your food. While you’re at lunch at work, take some time off to savour what you are eating.
• Include vegetables and greens in your dinner, and keep it light so you don’t go to bed on an empty stomach
• Remember, an important part of eating healthy, is eating at right times. Don’t skip meals and don’t remain hungry for too long. It will make you acidic and irritable.
• Cut down on frozen food and go as fresh as you can. There are a million ways to cook different things, and cook them fast too. Make sure you do, with as little oil, cheese, mayonnaise or butter as possible. Cooking can be fun, come up with fun ways to do it; involve friends and family to enjoy it, and quicken it up as well.
• When buying bread, or anything else, check the calorie content. You don’t want to end up obese. If you already are, you need to be extra careful. Go in for whole grain bread and avoid refined grain.
• Eat often, at regular intervals. It doesn’t have to be heavy, but a small snack of nuts can do you a lot of good.
• Avoid the milkshakes and the ice cream; go in for fruit juices instead.
• If you are a smoker, or a heavy drinker, cut down on those as well, to get your body healthier.
• Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, and dinner like a pauper – essentially, keep your dinner light, and eat a heavy breakfast.
• Lastly, remember that there is no strict regime as such. You are your only guide, and nobody is going to penalize you for not going healthy. It’s your body, and your health, and you need to take good care of it. The right amount of exercise, good healthy food, and the occasional indulgence in the tasty fast food will keep you healthy and happy.

The benefits of exercise have been told to us time and again, what kind of exercise we should do for what purpose has been told to us as well. Exercising is recommended by all doctors, beauticians, in fact, specialists of almost every kind. While making your heart beat faster than usual for at least 20 minutes everyday can do wonders to your body and mind, how much exercise is too much exercise?

Exercising of any kind gives you a sense of control. It makes you feel in full control of your senses, you are able to co ordinate your body movements, and for at least a brief while, you forget all your problems. It gives you a good sense of your body, and surprisingly, makes you happy. Exercising brings a glow to your skin, and makes you a lot more beautiful.

So what makes people want to over exercise? There could be a number of reasons for it. Pressure to look slim and trim (blame it on the size zero models!) drives some people to exercise so vigorously, that it actually proves to be unhealthy. Sometimes, as unbelievable as it might sounds, when people get into an exercise regime, they love it so much; they find a way to let out stress, or deal with emotional ups and downs. Sometimes, it leads to compulsive exercising, and they aren’t able to do without it. Over exercising is also linked with eating disorders.

You know you are over exercising when you show the following signs:

Your body hurts after workouts.

You get irritable if you are not able to work out on a certain day.

You have to compulsively exercise more than once a day.

You get irritated if someone stops you in the middle of a workout.

Your eating patterns have changed a great deal.

You are not getting enough sleep.

You feel tired all the time.

You are injuring yourself more often.

You are finding it to catch your breath.

If you are feeling any of the above symptoms, you need to seek some medical help. There is nothing strangely wrong with you, you can be thankful it’s not cocaine you’re having to deal with! While exercising can do wonders to your body, mind and soul, watch out for compulsive exercising and don’t push your body to do more than it can handle. A lot of times, turning to the internet, and lately social networking and other kinds of interactive websites, will help you get expert advice on what you should be doing, and how you should be doing it.