How to get fit and healthy

Exercise daily to stay fit; you might come across this sentence earlier. On reading this sentence, you might think that from this moment I must start doing exercises daily but in practice you won’t follow them.  The two reasons that hinder you from doing regular exercises are laziness and work. When you are filled with lots of work, naturally you may think of taking rest in the leisure time instead of exercising.f

Exercise doesn’t mean that you need to visit gym and get assisted by the exercise practitioner. You can do some simple exercises at home. If you are put up in a sedentary lifestyle, then you must add some physical activity to your life.

Here are some easy-to-follow exercises in your daily life to increase your physical activity:

Walking - A foremost exercise that is followed by most of living beings in the world for leading a healthy life. Try to go for walking in the morning or evening. If you can’t allot any specific time for walking, then just take a walk at lunch, use the stairs instead of the lift and walk instead of driving to the local store.

Super brain Yoga - A simple yoga performed by most of Hindus in Temple, generally called as ‘Thorppih: Karnam’ (Thorppih: = with the hands, Karnam = ears, in Sanskrit), to energize and recharge the brain. It is purely based on the principles of subtle energy and ear acupuncture.

Swimming - Apart from a fabulous workout, it is the useful and recreational activity that can be performed regularly in your life. It helps to maintain the blood pressure and cholesterol of a person. If you have a pool at home, then swimming must be your regular activity.

Cycling - It is a fantastic workout done with a great fun. It minimizes the risk of coronary heart disease and assures you trimmer and toned muscles.

Play - Nowadays kids are struck to TV and computer; take them to garden or playground and play with them instead of sitting on the sideline. This is a great way to burst stress and strengthen your relationship with children.

Alcohol is a part of everything, from family dinners to parties, and business deals. We’ve heard that drinking alcohol helps you gaining weight. Well, this is true. Do you know how? Like any other food or beverage, alcohol contains calories. The average twelve ounce beer has around 130 calories, a 5 oz glass of wine contains 115 calories, and a 11/2oz shot of 80 proof liquor contains 100 calories. So if you consume too much wine, you will automatically gain weight.

Do you really think that gaining weight with over consumption of alcohol is good for health? The answer is no, as alcohol contains empty calories, which means it provides very little or no nutritional supplements like minerals and vitamins which are necessary for good health. Alcohol consumption has been linked with cirrhosis, cancer in liver and stomach, fertility difficulties, heart attacks etc.

Studies have shown that, alcohol stimulates food intake because it increases your blood sugar levels which makes you feel hungry. As a result of this you may gain weight. So Alcohol is not considered a necessary component of a healthy diet. It is better to follow a healthier way to gain weight. Most experts agree that having regular meals, especially breakfast, are important to gain weight.

Eat healthy food frequently. Exercise regularly to keep fit. Some thin people think that exercise is not effective for them. This is not true; exercise keeps your metabolism high. Remember that eating alone is not sufficient to be healthy, so exercise regularly as well.

According to a research, consuming a moderate amount of alcohol may protect against Coronary Heart Disease and type-2 diabetes. It is still not entirely clear how alcohol reduces the risk of CHD and diabetes. But remember it is harmful, if consumed in large amounts. So keep it as moderate as possible.

Do you want to improve your health and fitness? If so, then maintaining a healthy diet plan will help you achieve this. There are hundreds of “fitness foods”, “fitness drinks”, available in the market which will help you boost your body fitness, manage fat/muscle ratio and control your weight. The suggestions in this article may help you switch to a proper diet to maintain your fitness.

It is important to remember that there are 22 vitamins and minerals which are essential for the control of our weight and metabolism. The most important ones are: Vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6, Vitamin C, choline, and inositol, and minerals such as chromium, manganese and zinc. When you eat a wholesome meal and your overall diet is healthy, all of these go into your body in some form or the other.

Have omega 3 fatty acid food such as oily fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel etc at least twice a week. It protects your heart as they contain certain anti-inflammatory substances which help in preventing inflammation of the arteries.

Use olive oil while preparing salads as it reduces the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol levels and thus helps in reducing the risk of heart disease and getting rid of excess weight as well.

Include nuts like walnuts and almonds in your diet, but in moderation. It will raise HDL (high density lipoprotein — the good cholesterol) levels in your body.

To reduce your hunger between meals, drink a lot of filtered water and frequently chew sugarless gum. It will greatly minimize the feeling of hunger and reduce the desire to snack.

Consume green leafy vegetables. These contain folate, a nutrient that reduces homocysteine levels (homocysteine is a molecule that’s a risk factor for cardiovascular disease).

Have green tea. A recent study proves that green tea could reduce body weight by increasing energy expenditure and oxidising fat.

In addition to consuming fewer calories, you have to indulge in some form of exercise as it burns off calories and increases the metabolism rate.

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.

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Physical activities are very essential in keeping a person energetic and healthy. In the case of diabetic, exercise has an important role in regulating blood glucose; avoiding long-term complications of diabetes; maintaining body weight and in minimizing medication.

Exercises like jogging, swimming, fast walking and cycling are good for diabetics. These exercises help to keep cardiovascular system in good condition. These exercises should couple with stretching exercises as warming and cooling down exercises. A typical exercise session should consist of: 10 minutes of warming up exercise of stretching type; about 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise and finally 5 minutes of cool down and stretching exercise.

Precautions before and during exercise

1. Fix the timing of exercise.
2. Avoid the peak insulin activity period for exercise.
3. Pay special attention to proper foot wear. Never do out door exercise bare feet.
4. Do not forget the warm-up and cool-down exercises.
5. Keep in mind the symptoms of hypoglycemia and how to prevent it.
6. Remember the warning signs of impending cardiac complications, such as discomfort or pain in the chest, abdomen, back, neck or arms. These are the signs of inadequate supply of blood and oxygen.
7. If there are any unusual symptoms during or after the exercise, discuss them with your doctor.
8. Measure, if possible, blood glucose before and immediately after the exercise and again an hour later. The exercise should bring down the blood glucose.

If one follow the above guidelines of exercise, good diet control with medication recommended by doctor, one can achieve a good blood sugar control, cardiovascular conditioning, strengthening the muscles and skeletal system. This also helps in avoiding altogether or minimizing the long-term complications of diabetes.

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Today high blood pressure is one of the most serious health issues in the world. Aerobic exercise is a good way to avoid hypertension (high blood pressure). Not only does it manages blood pressure, but also adds years to your life by decreasing stress and reduces cholesterol levels. According to one study, patients with high blood pressure participating in aerobic exercise programs experienced a decrease in blood pressure when compared to patients who did not exercise.

Swimming, jogging, running, cycling, kickboxing, fitness walking, inline skating are all good forms of aerobic exercise. These types of exercises train the heart, lungs and cardiovascular system to process and deliver oxygen more quickly and efficiently to every part of the body. Apart from these, you can also try out other interesting activities such as dance aerobics, step aerobics, low impact aerobics and so on.

Here are some factors you should keep in mind before and after starting aerobic exercises:
1.  3-5 times per week of aerobic activity is fine.
2.  If you are running, do not do it for more than 20 minutes a day.
3.  Don’t start any kind of exercise suddenly and vigorously. A good idea is to start slowly and build up  to   a full program.
4.  Keep in mind, vigorous exercise immediately after a heavy meal might lead to a feeling of dizziness and even vomiting. So depending on a meal you have had, you must wait between 30 and 90 minutes, before you can exercise.
5.  After any aerobic activity, your body needs to calm down. This will bring the heart rate down to near-normal and get the blood circulating freely back to the heart.

Take part in regular aerobic exercises, live healthy, and have fun while doing it.

By Andrew Lacie

By staying fit and healthy as you progress through the aging process you will feel and be looking younger. Aging is a natural process we all have to face however it shouldn’t be something to be afraid of, if we take the right steps to maintain our fitness and health.

There are many things we can do to remain healthy and keep ourselves looking younger throughout the course of our life. The correct eating habits and regular exercise are essential elements of the anti-aging process.

If you are obese or overweight try committing to an exercise program. You will need discipline and a strong will to take this action, however, once you begin to see results your motivation will increase dramatically. After all, you need to think about the consequences if you do nothing. A minimum of thirty minutes per day is required to make a difference. Start walking each day and slowly build up to a little further distance when you feel comfortable but in saying that, you need to push yourself to get out of your comfort zone. Walking, combined with exercises you can do at home, will not only help you shed weight and tone your muscles, but will also do wonders by increasing your heart rate.

It is recommended that you exercise and walk in the morning or afternoon but not before going to bed as this tends to get you all pumped up, which means you won’t be able to relax and may therefore find it’s difficult to get a good night’s sleep.

Your new walking and exercise program will also be beneficial in lowering your cholesterol levels as you reduce your weight. It will also increase your blood circulation thus reducing the chances of heart disease. If you suffer from high blood pressure, look for foods that contain calcium, magnesium and potassium as they help to lower blood pressure.

As you grow older your body needs the proper food groups to live a healthy aging life. Providing it with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients helps to build a strong and healthy body. Taking care of your diet and taking vitamins reduces the risks of certain cancers such as colon, breast and ovarian cancer. Ask your doctor to recommend a diet and exercise regime that can help you stay healthy and fit as you age.

Take the time to investigate the myriad of information available on the internet and in hard cover book form so that you have a thorough understanding of all the essential elements required by your body to keep it in tip top shape. You only get one - Look after it with your life.

Andrew Lacie is a writer and researcher for the past five years on anti-aging processes To receive more valuable information and tips on anti-aging please visit theanti-agingprocess.com

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These are a few tips that will help you enjoy a healthy meal during the holidays:

1. Start your meal with soup as your appetizer. Research shows that people who eat soup regularly lose more weight than people who don’t.

2. Thicken your soup and sauces with cornstarch instead of cream. Cornstarch is very low in calories. One tablespoon of cornstarch contains 30 calories and 0 gram fat. In many occasions, you will only need two tablespoons of cornstarch to replace one cup of cream. One cup of cream contains 580 calories and 60 grams of fat so if you use cornstarch instead of cream, you will reduce 520 calories and 60 grams of fat from your soup.

3. Eat a healthy staple food. After the low-carb diet craze, it seems like Americans don’t know what a staple food is, let alone a healthy staple food. In Asia, people always eat their dishes with a healthy staple food which is big in volume but low in calorie content. This kind of food makes us full while contributing a small amount of calories. Rice is a healthy staple food because it is rich in water content. Seventy percent of the volume of steamed rice is just water. So when you eat rice with your dishes, you will feel full quicker, thus prevent you from overeating. The healthiest type of rice is brown basmati rice. Brown basmati is rich in fiber and resistant starch. According to experts while 1 gram of carbohydrate gives us 4 calories, 1 gram of fiber and resistant starch give us anywhere between 0-3 calories. In addition to that, fiber and resistant starch help control our blood sugar level and satiety.

4. Drink plain tea, water or diet drinks. Many people watch what they eat but they don’t realize that they consume a lot of calories from their drinks. A 12 fluid ounces of soda or juice contains about 150 calories which is equal to 6 Hershey kisses. Most people drink three to four cups of soda or other caloric drinks every day which is equal to about one bag of Hersey kisses!

5. If you serve salad, make sure that you use low calorie dressings. Many people who go on a “salad diet” become frustrated because even though they eat healthy all the time, they still don’t lose weight. A small 2 oz package of ranch dressings contains 170 calories and 15 grams of fat which has almost as many calories as 7 Hersey kisses.

6. Boiled corns and yams are healthy side dishes because they are rich in good carbs and fiber and they are very low in fat content; one ear of corn or 1 medium sized yam contains less than 1 gram of fat. Corn and yam are naturally sweet so you don’t have to add sweetener, oil, or fats to make them tasty. And since they are not processed foods, they are rich in water content and fiber which will make you feel bulky and full with fewer calories than processed foods.

7. Serve fruit for dessert. Fresh fruits are rich in water, fiber and very low in calories. Most fruits contain 0 grams of fat, making fruit to be the healthiest dessert on the table.

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A well balanced diet is responsible for maintaining a healthy weight, protecting the body from chronic diseases and providing enough energy to meet life’s demands. That is why it is absolutely crucial to eat a well balanced and healthy diet every single day. On top of its quick weight loss properties, a healthy diet can improve our mood, our sleep, our energy levels, and our health. So what exactly does a healthy diet consist of and how can you get started?

Eating a healthy diet means consuming foods that contain very little or absolutely no saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and cholesterol. This usually means eliminating all fried foods and majority of other surprisingly healthy sounding foods. Some foods which contain trans fat and a high number of sodium include crackers, cereals, and canned soups (to name a few). The best way to avoid these weight loss damaging additives is to look at the nutrition facts label. By examining a product’s nutrition facts, we can make smart decisions about our calorie intake and weight loss goals. Some of the foods that we should be consuming include: fruit, vegetables, fat-free or light dairy products, lean poultry, and whole grains. Consuming raw fruit and vegetables is especially beneficial because it enables us to get our daily vitamins and minerals. Aside from the vitamins and minerals, raw fruit and veggies are also excellent sources of fiber. Fiber is very beneficial for those of us who are trying to lose weight.

It is a proven fact that consuming foods which are rich in fiber can help us feel full longer. What this means is that we are less likely to snack in-between meals and less likely to overeat during lunch and dinner. The same idea goes for protein rich foods. If quick weight loss is your goal, then it is strongly recommended to include both protein and fiber with breakfast, lunch and dinner. So as you can see, a healthy diet is not that difficult to attain, all that it takes is a little bit of motivation and self control.

Lyla Feldman writes health articles about fitness and nutrition. Some of her favorite passions include studying the medicinal benefits of herbal remedies, colon cleansing and weight loss products.

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