Fitness. All about fitness » health

Tips and Strategies for Encouraging Healthy Eating Habits in Your Family

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:38:00 +0000

Most of us have a pretty good idea of what healthy eating is: lots of fruits and vegetables and not too much fat and sugar. But when it comes to kids, knowing what is healthy is only the start. And even if you shop ‘healthy’ it does not mean that your kid will willingly eat it. There is hope. Kids need some extra encouragement and guidance along with a few of these strategies your kid is sure to eat healthy. Be a gatekeeper. It’s likely that the easiest way to get your kids to eat healthy is to remove the less-healthy options. Take control over what food and snack choices are in your home. If a kid is hungry they will eat it when there isn’t an alternative. Have you ever heard of a kid starving to death because his parents would not feed him potato chips? Keep healthy food in sight. As for those less-than-good-for-you foods, keep them in high cabinets and out of your kid’s reach. Arrange your refrigerator and cabinets so that healthy foods are the first foods that you see. If you choose to have some unhealthy options in the house keep them out of sight and you and your kids will be much less likely to choose them as an option. Make healthy food convenient. Wholesome foods, particularly fruits and vegetables require little preparation which is great for your ‘starving’ kid and you. Have a fruit basket at eye level on the counter at all times or have a container with carrots and celery sticks ready to go in the refrigerator. You might be surprised at how many more fruits and vegetables your kid will eat simply by having them visible and easy to grab. Make learning about food fun. Taking some of the mystery out of where foods come from can work wonders for some selective eaters. Prepare family meals together, have your kid mix the ingredients and serve the food to the rest of the family. Plant a vegetable garden as a family project and put your kid in charge of watering and picking the ripe vegetables. Kids that are involved are more likely to be a willing participant in the eating process. Keep an eye on Portion sizes. Parents often stress over how much their kids should be eating. Whether you are trying to get a selective eater to take a bite of anything green or limit the amount of dessert your sweet-toothed kid wants watching portions is necessary. Knowing the size of a healthy portion will give you some needed perspective. You can use the USDA’s Guidelines for Healthy Eating to learn about what a healthy portion is. Set a healthy example. Keep in mind that eating meals together isn’t just a great way to catch up on your family’s day it is also the perfect time to role-model healthy eating habits. Kids learn by watching their parents…That’s food for thought!

Why Detox Is So Vital?

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 02:38:00 +0000

Put simply, an occasional detox works because it gives your body a break. By channelling the body’s energies away from dealing with meals and snacks that are difficult to digest and metabolise, and which play havoc with blood sugar, you can free up energy for regeneration and cleansing. A detoxification regime increases your intake of foods and drinks that serve our bodies well as building blocks. A detoxification plan provides protective antioxidants and simultaneously cuts out those habits that rob you of nutrients and optimal health. Following a detoxification diet is critical to good health because our bodies are constantly bombarded with toxicity in our everyday lives. Most people can’t avoid everyday pollutants altogether, but they can take steps to protect their health using a healing diet. Once environmental illness is diagnosed, the logical first step to take is removing the offending toxins from a person’s environment and begin body detoxification. Only then can healing begin. Detoxification is the key to getting better. A detoxification plan doesn’t have to be completely restrictive and boring – actually, it should be fun and tasty! The better the food tastes, the more likely you are to stick to your plan. The definition of a detox diet is pretty simple – remove the foods and ingredients that are causing problems with your health. By removing the offending foods, you allow your body to heal, release built-up congestion and really thrive. Focus on simple, fresh foods and you will have a much easier time detoxifying your diet. Taking Detox Teas! As pollutants find their way from our air, food and water into the tissues of our bodies, they tend to take a heavy toll and can interfere with the normal functions of the organ systems. As a result, we are often left feeling swollen, tired, heavy or even “backed up”. One of the best method of starting to detoxify your body is to start taking herbal detox teas. Detox Tea is a gentle way of combating this condition as it helps the body to clean itself out by aiding the two primary filtering mechanisms, the liver and the kidneys.

Cosmetic Surgery: Post-Op Care Is Essential

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 05:25:00 +0000

As with any other surgical procedure, post-operative care is imperative in the case of cosmetic surgery as well. Following the post-operative advice of your cosmetic surgeon could well be the difference between a stellar result and a mediocre one. Regular follow up visits are crucial in monitoring the progress of recovery. The recovery time and the amount of post-operative care largely depend on the type of cosmetic surgery performed. For instance, major cosmetic surgery procedures, such as abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) and sizeable liposuction necessitate proper nursing for a significant period after surgery. Another point worth noting is that follow-up surgeries (or touchups) might be required to eliminate undesired effects of surgery, or to attain better results. For instance, a woman’s breast implants might internally rupture and therefore necessitate a follow-up surgery. Moreover, cosmetic surgery has associated complications and risks, such as scarring, blood clots, bleeding, or an adverse reaction of anesthesia. Thus post-operative care is pivotal for attaining satisfactory results and in order to expedite the recovery process. Post-operative care entails being careful about the body part, which has been operated upon. Undue stress and exertion to that portion, just a few days after surgery, may lead to unforeseen complications. You must strictly follow the advice of the surgeon on this issue. In addition to this, you must have realistic expectations from the surgical procedure. Since a major cosmetic surgery involves a significant recovery period, you must not expect instant results after surgery. The most crucial aspect of cosmetic surgery is to choose a surgeon who has loads of expertise in the pertinent field, since he/she can effectively advise you about proper post-operative care. Cosmetic surgery is something that one opts for in order to improve ones appearance and, in turn, ones life. So if you don’t want to settle for anything less, simply adhere to your surgeon’s advice on post-operative care.

Why Success May Be Killing You — And What To Do About It

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 23:20:00 +0000

You have probably worked long hours and many years to get where you are professionally. It took hard work and real dedication to achieve the success you enjoy now. Reaching professional goals is something to be proud of, but few stop to consider the physical tradeoffs this success often requires. Few people stop during their climb up the corporate ladder to consider what their daily lifestyle may be doing to their health. Often, achieving success means spending day after day at a desk or standing behind a counter. Americans don’t get nearly enough exercise, and with that comes health risks. Those risks include osteoporosis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and a number of other related health problems. It is critically important to get proper exercise on a regular basis. Without it, you will almost certainly have pains and mobility problems down the road. But the right exercise regimen not only can decrease the risk of serious health issues, it can also help you achieve even greater goals, both personally and professionally. Many don’t realize that half-hearted trips to the gym several times a week simply won’t cut it when you’re trying to improve long-term health. A lot of people who work out regularly may not be getting the kind of exercise that prevents health problems and allows them to enjoy a full, active life. The problem with most workouts is they focus on strengthening specific muscles or areas of the body and are very time consuming. That’s great if you’re a bodybuilder, but that’s not how our bodies normally work. While this offers physical improvement in the form of tighter muscles and reduced fat, it fails to provide the bending, twisting and abrupt stops that are important to a truly effective exercise routine. These kinds of motions are common in everyday life, like bending over to pick up your keys. Failing to work them into an exercise routine means the body will never be trained for common movements, which naturally grow more difficult for us as our bodies age. So, while thousands of individuals make monthly payments on expensive exercise equipment and gym memberships that promises to make them look better, they are neglecting the type of movement that extends health benefits down the line. In the U.S., people 35 to 54 years old account for more than one million sports-related injuries each year. While that number sounds imposing, it is completely within our power to change the statistic. So how can we lessen our own risks? The solution is to combine exercise with common movements. Use exercises that approximate the kind of speed and movement you use in sports or other active tasks. Movements like lunges, squats and jumps all build muscle, improve balance and when performed quickly and repetitively, can provide an effective cardiovascular challenge. The best part about this effective workout is that it doesn’t require expensive equipment or a lot of time to pull it off. Getting back to basics with exercise balls, medicine balls and resistance bands is all you need to help prevent injury, as well as tone and shape your body into a stronger, healthier physique.

To Be Successful, You Have To Be Healthy-Part 1

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 01:30:00 +0000

If you were to stop a noontime crowd on the street and ask them to name their most valuable asset, most wouldn’t hesitate to identify their homes as the greatest asset they own. Others may nominate a well-funded 401(k) or a shiny sports car as their most valuable asset. If so, they would be overlooking an asset that came into their possession the day they were born. It’s an asset that many of us under appreciate in our callow youth but can see how it pays great dividends as we grow older. The asset I’m talking about is our health. Many people, however, must not think very highly of this strategic asset in their personal portfolio. Why else would they treat their health so shabbily by making poor lifestyle choices such as overeating and under exercising? We’ve all heard about how unhealthy we are as a culture-with obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease at all time highs. Newsmagazines and “20/20″-type shows report that we’ve become a fat, sick, and tired people. Is that any way to go through life? I don’t believe so. Ten years ago, while I was a college student, I learned that if you don’t have your health, you ain’t got nothing. My body was ravaged by several diseases leaving me a bed-ridden 104-pound stick figure who nearly died. Slowly, but surely, I made a comeback by following seven keys that unlocked my health potential (Add Blind Link) including, eating to live, taking effective whole food nutritional supplements, practicing advanced hygiene, making exercise a priority, reducing toxins in my environment, avoiding deadly emotions and living a life of purpose. Since then, I’ve been inspired to share my message with others through the health and wellness company I founded, Garden of Life which has been named the 14th fasting growing private company in Americal by Inc Magazine, the public speaking I do, the release of several books, including my latest: The Great Physician’s Rx for Health & Wellness. http://www.gprxnow.com/health/index.php?affiliate=buzzplant5

Why Do We Gain Weight?

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:10:00 +0000

There are many factors that cause us to increase body weight, yet three stand out from the rest. Our genetic make up: Every cell in our body has a central control panel, that is a nucleus that contains our genes and chromosomes. This is the instruction manual for your body and this is inherited from your parents. It is this instruction manual that is largely responsible for how your body, and even your mind, behaves. The environment in which we live: Our personal environment may also contribute or cue you to adopt poor eating or exercise habits. This is especially true in today’s society, which is dominated by speed and convenience. For example, escalators, elevators and remote-control appliances make us less physically active. Also, greater availability and the constant marketing of foods that are high in calories, fat and added sugars, and larger portion sizes promote unhealthy eating behaviors. There may also be personal reasons why you are consuming too many kilojoules from food and drinks, or not being physically active enough. For example, when feeling down or bored you may eat more than you need, or if you are feeling depressed it is more difficult to get active. Knowing the reason why you may be consuming excess kilojoules or not participating in physical activity, is an important first step in changing your lifestyle habits to help you reach a healthy weight. Our lifestyle: What we eat and drink and how active we are. This is the gradual gain in weight as a result of eating food and not exercising enough. The extent to which we can affect our genetic make up and our environment are limited. However, lifestyle is the area in which we can significantly manage and if need be, improve our body weight to ensure we maintain a healthy weight for our height, age and gender. This is why learning a healthy nutritious eating pattern and adopting it for life, that is, lifestyle changes has a significant impact on our ability to reach and maintain a healthy weight. Gaining and losing weight works according to some a simple biological principle. When you consume more energy in the form of food and drinks that your body uses each day you will gain weight. When you consume less energy in the form of food and drinks that your body requires each day you will lose weight. Despite what some advertisers would have use believe, weight loss does not occur as a result of any of the following: * Supplements that will melt the fat while you sleep or while you wash * Exercises that don’t take any effort and cause no sweat * Unique food combinations that will allow you to eat what you want and still lose weight In order to lose weight you will need to know approximately your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). Your RMR is the number of calories your body burns at rest in a 24 hour period. When your body gets about 500 less calories than it needs each day as a result of eating less or exercising more, you will lose one pound of weight per week. To illustrate how efficient the human body is in motion, the average female would need to go for a brisk walk for 1.5 to 2.0 hours in order to burn 500 calories. When you consume 500 calories a day more than your body’s requirements, you will gain approximately one pound a week! To illustrate how easy it is to gain weight, one 7oz bag of corn chips has approximately 1000 calories. If you ate a bag of corn chips every day in addition to three square meals its possible you could gain 2 pounds in a week!

Why I Choose Vemma to work from Home

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 20:46:00 +0000

In any business, the one who communicates the best usually wins. Our Home Office team takes the important task of making sure that every Vemma product, website, magazine and brochure stays on the cutting edge very seriously. We know that, as Vemma Members, our success at this task helps you present the business opportunity. We also know that you appreciate our efforts. And now, we’ve just learned that others appreciate it as well! On June 5th we were informed that the V2 Fridge Brick was a distinguished recipient of TWO ‘Award of Excellence’ designations from the 13th Annual Communicator Awards for print media. One award for the V2 Fridge Brick was in the Marketing/Promotion category and the other in the Corporate Identity category. The Communicator Awards is an international awards competition that recognizes outstanding works in the communication field. The entries are judged by industry professionals who look for companies whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serve as a benchmark for the entire industry. The Award of Excellence is presented to those entrants whose ability to communicate makes them the best in their field! Not that we’re going to name drop here, but some of the companies that shared this designation in the past with Vemma were: General Mills, Coca-Cola, Verizon, Dell and Microsoft just to name a few! What we’re most proud of is that all the conceptualization and design for this product was achieved entirely in house by your very own Vemma Home Office creative team. Now when you’re sharing the Fridge Brick, you can say it’s won TWO awards for design and marketing. Award winning products, state-of-the-art websites and phenomenal compensation…at Vemma, we do it all for you! Why does Vemma use fructose as a sweetener in some of its products? We use fructose because it is an all-natural compound/sweetener that is known to have the lowest Glycemic Index* of any of the simple sugars. Because of this, fructose results in lower blood glucose levels after ingestion, making it the preferred sweetener for individuals with diabetes and other insulin-related problems.** Additionally, fructose works the best in terms of mixing capabilities and taste masking properties. It masks the natural bitterness of minerals and mangosteen pericarp without creating a chemical sweetness-like taste. It is important to note that the fructose amount in Vemma is 8 grams per serving. As a comparison, there is 12 grams of fructose in one large apple. So, relative to the amount of natural sugar we take in on a daily basis, 8 grams is very small. http://www.myvemma.com/ronelpret

Online Pharmacy

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:55:00 +0000

Information on this site is provided for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professional. You should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. You should read carefully all product packaging. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Customer reviews are provided for informational purposes only. Customer reviews reflect the individual reviewer’s results and experiences only and are not verified or endorsed by drugstore.com, inc. Actual results may vary among users.

Cosmetic Surgery – Are You Covered By Health Insurance?

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:51:00 +0000

Cosmetic surgery, in its true sense, is an elective procedure that is performed to reshape or enhance body parts a patient may find unflattering. Since cosmetic surgery has an intrinsic aesthetic intent, it is usually not covered by health insurance. The argument put forth by insurance firms is that a person can very well do without cosmetic surgery, and the procedure is used for mere beautification instead of being a life saving surgery. On the other hand, reconstructive surgery is generally covered by health insurance, though the extent of coverage may vary a lot from one case to another. In many ways, the answer to the insurance question lies in discerning whether the plastic surgery procedure is cosmetic or reconstructive. For instance, abdominoplasty (or tummy tuck), when performed on an obese patient to guard the patient against heart problems, is eligible for health insurance. Breast reduction surgery, when carried out with the intent of reducing weight of the breasts to curtail orthopedic pain, is typically covered by health insurance. On the other hand, breast implants or augmentations are performed with the aesthetic aspect in mind and, therefore, don’t normally qualify for an insurance. There is a fine line dividing the two categories of plastic surgery, namely cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, as far as eligibility for insurance is concerned. For instance, eyelid surgery, when performed to attain an aesthetic enhancement is considered cosmetic and ineligible for insurance. The same procedure may be covered by insurance if the eyelids are drooping to the extent of obscuring a patient’s vision. The hard fact remains that most of the plastic surgery procedures are performed with an aesthetical intent, in order to enhance alluring portions of the body. To summarise, plastic surgery that is performed to improve function instead of aesthetics is normally eligible for an insurance cover. However, it’s best to discuss your case with an insurance agent, in order to determine if you are eligible for an insurance cover.

Top 5 Red Flags Of Diet Scams

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:57:00 +0000

Have you wasted valuable time and money trying to lose weight? Then tried again and again? One thing Americans know how to do is market. The desire for quick and easy weight loss has created an ideal opportunity for modern-day snake oil salespeople to pick your pockets by selling magical diet products. One minute you’re innocently reading the newspaper and the next minute you find yourself ordering a sixty dollar, one month supply of diet pills. After all, those before and after photos look great and they say it works. Or you’re now the proud owner of the latest infomercial gadget that promises to wrap, buzz, sway, steam, lift, or glide you to slenderness. All too often you find it’s only useful for drying your clothes on. In our desperate quest to be skinny, we buy the strangest things. Next time you’re hypnotized by a diet commercial, remember these red flags: 1) The product involved putting anything non-food into your body. Pills, potions, chemicals, herbs. None have been proven to cause substantial, permanent weight loss. 2) Promised results require the purchase of any special gadget at all. The only thing you really need for physical fitness is a good pair of walking shoes. 3) The program is based on unproven fads like food combining, “forbidden” foods, or magical effects of certain types of foods. 4) The advertising promotes use of a product but the small print explains that the plan requires drastic calorie restriction and exercise to get results – so why buy the product? 5) Outlandish or miraculous claims are made of rapid weight loss, changes in body shape, or weight loss from specific parts of the body. The fact is that 95% of diets fail and the constant search for a quick fix is a sure path to disappointment. The human body is naturally healthy and strong. It doesn’t need potions and gadgets and certainly doesn’t need starvation. Listen to your body. Give it the food it wants when it’s hungry and stop when it’s full. Move in ways that feel great. Play more. All of these are completely free and will create vibrant, natural, long-term health that expands and enriches life.