Exercising for Healthy Living: Beneficial Effects of Exercise

Exercise is necessary for the maintenance of health and in treatment. In times past, when people were admitted into hospitals, they were confined to beds, now doctors know that without movement, muscles will become weak, circulation will be sluggish and recovery will be slower. Exercise is vital for our body system. We were created to work and labor for our food and other personal needs. Today majority lead a sedentary life style, they get up in the morning, go to work, sit at a desk for hours and then go home with limited body movements.

Ironically, many people don’t hear from their doctor about the benefits of exercise until they find themselves in the hospital and are told to get up and move around as soon as possible. There are many health risks associated with inactivity or lack of exercise:

• Tissues lose their elasticity.
• Lymph nodes’ ability to release toxins to combat infections is impaired.
• Muscles atrophy.
• The heart can lose its strength, causing heart disease and other cardiovascular problems.
• Hip muscles joints through lack of activity can become fragile and prone to breakage.
• Bones can lose density from lack of rebuilding which is stimulated by exercise, osteoporosis results.

Aside from preventing these conditions, exercise can aid your body in a variety of ways:

• It can improve your oxygen intake. Because the body responds to the need of more oxygen for the muscles during muscular activity, more breathing is required. Exercise may be used as a means to accomplish deeper breathing; it helps the body to produce new cells; it encourages better circulation.
• The heart is stimulated by controlled muscular activity.
• Exercise can aid in weight loss and prevent weight gain. According to George Malkmus “obesity is a simple math problem- we take in more calories than we burn and thus we gain weight. Once we burn more calories than we’re taking in, we lose weight and regulate metabolism”.
• Active muscles require more food than muscles at rest. Thus exercise may be employed as a means of stimulating appetite. It also furthers elimination and increases your HDL (the good cholesterol) and lowers your overall cholesterol.
• A proper amount of physical activity will encourage sleep. In many cases, sleeplessness can be relieved by a good walk before bedtime.

To achieve the best results, you should incorporate these three basic kinds of exercise in your routine and life style:

• Cardiovascular exercise- also known as aerobic exercise, strengthens your heart, clears and expands your lungs, builds stamina and transports oxygen into every cell of your body. Egs include cycling, swimming, and brisk walking, skipping rope, rowing, hiking, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Etc

• Strength or resistance training- also known as anaerobic exercise. This will increase your muscle mass, bone density, balance and coordination. This doesn’t have to be about bench pressing twice your weight. It’s mainly about building healthy, firm muscle tone and maintaining it. However, the more muscle you build (up to a point), the more calories you burn even at rest and the stronger you feel. You can start out by buying some light dumbbells and use them daily, or you can use your own weight by doing pushups. Consistency is more valuable than pushing to do more. Your strength will grow according to the regularity of your strength training and your body will tell you when it’s ready to reach for more strength. Egs include weight training, pushups, lunges and biceps curls, functional training, eccentric and interval training, sprinting. Etc

• Flexibility exercise- this stretches and lengthens your muscles. The goal is to improve your range of motion, eliminate stiffness and enhance the function of your joints. Stretching will also free up congestion in tissues and release toxins much more than cardiovascular or strength exercise can, so be sure to drink clean water and fresh juice before and after stretching to support elimination of toxins.

Many individuals usually cite lack of time as a limiting factor in exercise and weight loss. However if you are one of those, try fitting some of these options into your daily schedule-

• Getting up early in the morning and devoting 5-10 minutes stretching your body.
• Work out with a pal if you need some motivation.
• Do “alternative” exercise- take the stairs instead of the elevator, carry your groceries to the care instead of having the grocery clerk do it, park at the back of the parking lot instead of close to the building so you have to walk a little more. Etc every little bit of exercise counts, so always choose the alternative to the sedentary life style.

Inappropriate exercise can result to injury. Moderation is very important in any physical activity. Too much exercise can be detrimental causing more harm than good. Without proper rest, stroke may develop, muscle tissue development is impaired, and muscle damage (rhabdomylosis) may occur, amenorrhea (miss of monthly period) in women has been recorded. Etc

In general, a program of exercise should be associated with a purpose or goal and when finished with a sense of accomplishment. Rather than think of it as a time expense, think of it as an investment with increased yield of efficiency, vitality and alertness. It is better to link exercise with a hobby (gardening, building, exploring, etc) than simply going through the movements. You’ll be amazed at how investing a little time in building and improving your health will make your remaining time more profitable.

Cheers!

Foods that Increase Hunger and Cravings

Losing weight consciously could be a very challenging and difficult task. This explains why so many people give in to their weakness and remain over weight when presented with such challenge in life. Studies have shown that most cases of obesity are associated with poor feeding habits and inactivity. There are certain foods even though are healthy in some sense when consumed in moderate amounts, have increased potential of inducing hunger few hours after consumption,  thus causing one to eat more and accumulate calories. To successfully lose weight, one must learn to control his/her feeding habits and avoid certain foods and beverages that have this increased potential.

There are certain foods that increase hunger and have been associated with high incidence of obesity. These foods have high ‘glycemic index’ that elevate blood sugar which stimulates insulin production with resultant decrease in blood sugar, hence hunger sets in.

Foods/Feeding habits that induce that hunger:

• Chewing gum- though helps to maintain freshness of breath stimulates the stomach gastric juice, saliva is produced which goes down to the stomach tricking it into thinking there is food to be digested, thus increasing hunger.
• High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) – this slows down the secretion of leptin (a hormone that initiates a feeling of satiety and to quit eating) in the body. HFCS has been shown to interfere with metabolism so that a person continues eating. HFCS is worse than sugar for creating stored fats and affecting the liver adversely. Refined carbohydrates from processed flour and grains have high glycemic index ratings. Whole grains are preferable.
• Fruit juice and smoothies- contain high levels of fructose and synthetic additives. Fructose is a major health risk because it bypasses the body’s satiating signals, which encourages over consumption and subsequent weight gain along with insulin resistance. These substances contain concentrated forms of fructose, giving rise to a vicious cycle of blood sugar imbalances.
•  Avoid all forms of refined sugars- a major barrier to weight loss because of its quick metabolism and high glycemic index.
• Salty foods- increase dehydration which in turn increases cravings.
• Diet soda- has been shown to cause weight gain. Upon consumption, the taste buds are triggered which signals the brain and the gastric content of the stomach is increased and prepares the body for digestion. The stomach finally receives a content with no or limited calories which sets the satiety hormones in turmoil, thereby increasing the desire to consume more calories and gain more weight.
• Frozen dinners- replace commercially prepared foods with natural foods. Many frozen foods contain MSG (monosodium glutamate) and other chemicals that affect the nervous system in a way that can over stimulate appetite, leaving you with the desire to over eat.

Foods with high glycemic index include white rice, white bread, cereals, bananas, baked potatoes. Etc

Some foods make you feel full so you won’t want to eat again in two hours; potato is a good example of such foods. Even though they increase the blood sugar level, the feeling of satiety will prevent you from eating too soon. Other similar foods are those with high fiber and nutrients, corn, brown rice, beans, whole grain cereals, vegetables and salads, carrots. Etc Notice how certain fruits and vegetables make you feel.

For a healthy living, one should deliberately choose foods which benefit the body providing energy as well as nutrients for long-term benefits.

Thanks for stopping by!

Diet Soda, A Good Nutritional Replacement For Regular Soda?

Renovating Your Mind

Are you kidding me? Manufacturers replace the corn syrup with non-sugar substitutes making you think diet soda is better for you. It’s just as bad. Maybe worse over the long term than conventional soda.

My friends, you are consuming a toxic dump of liquid conveniently available in cans. Remains of those sticky containers became their own noxious garbage, littering waste drop-offs and strewn all over roadways.

On the ingredient labeling, see listing of phosphoric acid, which is used to prevent bacterial contamination. It also acidifies the product giving it a sharper, cleaner taste. One of the problems with this acidic chemical is a process called leaching. The longer the soda sits on the shelf, the more “this process” allows components of the container to become part of the soda. The same occurs with both sugar and sugar-free varieties.

The bubbles you see floating around the sweet liquid is carbon dioxide…

View original post 589 more words

Role of Appetite Suppressants in Weight Loss

One of the aims of using appetite suppressants is to reduce your hunger cravings. In turn, this can improve your health in a variety of ways, like reducing the risk of heart disease, help lower blood sugar and/or diabetes, decrease musculoskeletal strains, and improve the immune system and digestive system, increase energy levels and improve your outlook on life. Numerous drugs are marketed as appetite suppressants, but this article will focus on natural appetite suppressants because of its significant health benefits and minimal side effects.

Appetite suppressants is a food substance and/or drug which reduces appetite and food consumption and as a result, cause weight loss to occur. These substances are designed to work by tricking your brain into believing that you are full, thus reducing hunger pangs. When we eat, our blood stream carries glucose to all parts of our body and its presence tells the brain we are satiated. Also, when the glucose has been distributed to cells, tissues and organs, the level drop in the blood. When this occurs, a signal is sent to the brain that activates the “appetite center” and hunger cravings set in. There are several body chemicals that have a direct impact on whether we feel hungry or not. These are serotonin and catecholamine. Low serotonin levels increase our hunger pangs and high levels send a signal to the brain through the neurotransmitters to initiate the feeling of satiety.

A number of appetite suppressants are available either as prescription medication or as over-the-counter supplements. Prescription appetite suppressants are usually meant for short term use and some pose potentially serious side effects. Rather than relying on most pharmaceutical medications, it is best advised to seek natural appetite suppressants. Most common appetite suppressants are based on hoodia which is a mix of natural ingredients mostly using green tea as its basis, in combination with other plant extracts such as fucoxanthin, found naturally in sea weed.

Foods known for their appetite suppressant properties include: high fiber foods such as whole grains, lean protein such as fish, beans, salads (eaten before your meal), apples, and grapefruit. Herbs such as Cinnamon are good natural sources. Green tea is also effective. What these foods and beverages have in common is that they make your abdomen feel like it’s full of calorie-rich foods, which in reality contains minimal calories or carbohydrates. It is also important to note the role water plays as an appetite suppressant. Drinking an 8-ounce glass of water before every meal and when you start feeling hungry, suppresses your appetite.

Due to a growing population of obese individuals and increased quest to lose weight and enhance physical fitness, people are resolving to a more holistic and natural approach to curb their appetite and lose weight. There is really something for everyone; you just have to find the right one for you and live a healthy and more fulfilled life.

Best wishes!

Natural Weight loss Tips

 

Losing weight in the context of medicine, health or physical fitness is a decrease or reduction in total body mass as a result of mean loss of fluid and body fat. Unintentional weight loss is mostly associated with disease conditions due to inadequate nutritious diet relative to a person’s energy needs. A combination of factors with respect to this is practiced in an attempt to lose weight.

Accumulation of fat in the body may reduce the quality of life, impair treatment effectiveness in disease conditions and can be a risk factor in earlier mortality. Weight gain results from excessive consumption of fat, sugars, carbohydrates in general and alcohol. Conscious efforts must be employed to improve and maintain fitness, health and/or appearance.

Individuals seeking to maintain their body weight should consume 2000 calories per day. To achieve this, one must be careful to consume just enough calories to meet their needs of being physically active. Low-calorie regimen diets, due to their minimal detrimental effects are most commonly recommended by health professionals and nutritionists. From the total number of daily calories, it is recommended that 55% should come from carbohydrates, 15% from proteins and 30% from fats with no more than 10% of total body fat coming from saturated forms. Studies have shown that increased consumption of proteins can help ease hunger pangs associated with reduced calorie intake by increasing the feeling of satiety.

To enhance your metabolism, exercise is the spark and nutrition/diet is the fuel. An effective time efficient workout plan should include weekly cardio sessions and weight lifting sessions. The cardio sessions help burn fat and the weight lifting sessions help build muscles and maintain physique. To be effective, it is important to combine a quality protein and carbohydrate (fibrous veggie type) together in every meal.

Eating a diet of some starchy foods two or three days per week (on the days you exercise intensely with weights) help make it easier to avoid eating starchy carbohydrate like breads and pastas at other times of the week when you are more susceptible to having them stored as fat due to low physical activity. This technique seems effective in maintaining the mindset that you can stick to this nutritional approach as a long-term solution and lifestyle.

Combined with increased physical activity, long-term low-calorie diets are thought to be most effective long term. Physical activity could greatly enhance the efficiency of a diet. The healthiest weight loss regimen therefore should be a combination of balanced diet and moderate physical activity.