How to Increase Exercise in Daily Life

Member

By Summer Banks
User-Submitted Article

Exercise is important in daily life, as it serves to maintain a healthy body. Therefore, you stand a better chance of fighting off diseases that are brought on by stress and lack of exercise.

Instructions

Step 1

Start slow. Begin by engaging in less stressful exercises like, walking for 30 minutes a day and walking up and down the stairs.

Step 2

Add flexibility exercises. Begin and end your walking sessions with some stretches to increase flexibility.

Step 3

Add strength training. Strength training can also be incorporated into your daily routine by holding 3lb dumbbells as you walk.

Step 4

Add calisthenics. Sit-ups and push-ups are also advisable, starting with five then moving the target higher with time. The sit-ups help in reducing fat stored around the stomach, while push-ups burn fat on the upper back and the upper arms.

Courtesy of www.ehow.com

What is really in you Hot Dog?

Beef and Port - Both are high in protein - and in unhealthy saturated fat and cholesterol; the meat could come from pig and cow skeletal muscle and by-products.

Mechanically Separated Turkey - A pastelike substance produced when tissue is removed from bones through a high-pressure sieve. This product is versatile and cheap - and not just for turkey dogs.

Read more

Get Active

February is American Heart Month

Courtesy of American Heart Association

Finding time in our overscheduled lives for exercise is a challenge for all busy Americans. Especially for those who are parents or are working full-time or both. But the benefits far outweigh the sacrifices it takes to carve out that time. And anyone who has successfully managed to do so will tell you how happy they are to have found the time. They’ll tell you how much more energy they have, and how they are actually able to do more than before they started getting regular exercise. So no more excuses! Take an active role in determining your future. You deserve to give yourself the gift of living well with good health.

Why is Getting Active So Important?

The facts are clear: By exercising for as little as 30 minutes each day you can reduce your risk of heart disease. Without regular physical activity, the body slowly loses its strength and ability to function well. Physical activity = living a longer, healthier life.

Regular Physical Activity Helps: Lower blood pressure, increase HDL “good” cholesterol in your blood, control blood sugar by improving how your body uses insulin, reduce feelings of stress, control body weight and make you feel good about yourself.

American Heart Association Guidelines

We suggest at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise. Or a combination of moderate and vigorous. Physical activity is anything that makes you move your body and burns calories, such as climbing stairs or playing sports. Aerobic exercises benefit your heart, such as walking, jogging, swimming or biking. Strength and stretching exercises are best for overall stamina and flexibility.

The simplest, positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health is to start walking. It’s enjoyable, free, easy, social and great exercise. Check out the Start Walking program to get going with expert advice.

Get Active Success Story:

Mike Wilson, Associate Superintendent of Schools. Previously worked with the American Heart Association and company leader for the Start! Walking Program; City-wide chairman for the 2007 American Heart Walk.
I applied for the Start! Challenge program because of a deep commitment to work with the American Heart Association again and to change my life. I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy at age forty-four. I had a twin brother die of sudden death congestive heart failure at age forty-three. I recently lost my youngest sister the same way.

After my sister died, I reviewed my lifestyle and have determined it needs to change. I have used several excuses to sit around, do no exercising, and have gained weight. I also know that without this change, I am a prime candidate to die of this disease at a young age. I want to enjoy my later years and be around to watch my grandsons grow up and be able to spend quality time with them.

In addition, I want to serve as an example to those people like me. I want to be an example that people with those inflictions can work, exercise, eat properly and can improve their physical well-being. No more excuses! We can do it!

February is American Heart Month

Courtesy of American Heart Association

Hypertension is the single most significant risk factor for heart disease. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can injure or kill you. It’s sometimes called “the silent killer” because it has no symptoms. One in three adults has high blood pressure, yet, about 21% don’t even know they have it. Of those with high blood pressure, 69% are receiving treatment, yet, only 45% have their blood pressure controlled.

What is High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a widely misunderstood medical condition.

The blood running through your arteries flows with too much force and puts pressure on your arteries, stretching them past their healthy limit and causing microscopic tears.  Our body then kicks into injury-healing mode to repair these tears with scar tissue. But unfortunately, the scar tissue traps plaque and white blood cells which can form into blockages, blood clots, and hardened, weakened arteries. Read more

Tips for a Healthier 2010

Courtesy of AmericanCancerSociety.com

Making resolutions is easy; keeping them is hard. Even if you set clear, realistic goals on January 1, many of us find that by mid-year our best intentions have been derailed by work, school, or a busy social schedule. Before you know it, another year has gone by and you find yourself vowing to do better next year.

This year, if your goals involve eating better and exercising more, make your resolutions stick by enlisting the help of these tips and tools. Read more

Hula Hoop Exercises For Weight Loss?

Yes, If You Don’t Make This 1 Mistake
Courtesy of Jennifer Jolan

Listen, you may not know this, but the hula hoop may be 1 of the best and cheapest weight loss pieces of equipment you can ever buy. But beware… if you make this 1 mistake, you are probably not getting the most out of your hula hoop.

You don’t need many hula hoop exercises to lose weight, but you do need to do this for maximum weight loss…

For maximum weight loss using hula hoop exercises, you must use the hula hoop in short bursts… 2 minutes at a time. Using a hula hoop in just 1 session is a mistake. Your metabolism gets much more of a boost doing short mini-workouts throughout the day.

Now, to begin with, 2 minutes or less is probably all you’ll be able to do before you get tired. That’s fine. Read more

Pumpkins just aren’t for decoration

By Richard White
INstride

October 11, 2009

Pumpkins just aren’t for decoration, the seasonal squash is a superfood.

And now’s the time to take advantage of all its health benefits—right down to the tiny seeds inside.

Pumpkin meat is high in carotenoids, shown to decrease the risk of various cancers, including those of the lung, colon, bladder, cervix, breast and skin.

These health-packed compounds are what give pumpkins their orange color. And it turns out they can also help improve our skin color—but without the orangish hue. Carotenoids can neutralize free radicals, nasty molecules that can attack cell membranes and leave the cells vulnerable to skin damage.

Also packed inside pumpkins are lutein and zeaxanthin, considered a friend to the eye in helping prevent the formation of cataracts and reduce the risk of macular degeneration. Read more

More Exercise Can Lead to Lower Blood Pressure

Courtesy of http://www.lifelinescreening.com

Although you can’t run away from most health conditions, if you have high blood pressure, you may be able to walk away from it. Walking and other forms of physical activity play a crucial role in the prevention and control of high blood pressure, also called hypertension.

When you think about the changes you can make to your lifestyle to protect yourself from high blood pressure, you probably know that cutting back on salt and sodium can help. Although that’s important, you should also put a priority on more physical activity. According to an American College of Sports Medicine position stand on physical activity and high blood pressure, “Enormous public health benefit could be realized by people with hypertension if they habitually exercised.” Read more

TV or French Fries?

What’s worse for your health—TV or French fries?

The answer may surprise you… it’s watching too much TV and therefore being inactive. The lack of physical activity can cause high blood pressure, unbalanced blood sugar levels, an increase in “bad” LDL cholesterol and more! So, while we’re not advocating indulging in those deep-fried potatoes… being lazy and camping out in front of the TV is no better!

Let’s Get moving Pickens County!

Healthy Personal Pan Pizza

Who says you have to give up all the good foods you love to lose weight? Well, you don’t. You just have to eat all the good foods you love in a different way and in different portions. We have been eating all the good foods that we love and we have been losing weight. My husband has lost 45 pounds in the last 6 months. I have lost 15 pounds and feel great.

The other evening we were both craving pizza. Now to go out to Pizza Hut and get a pizza, well, that would be a ‘no no’ because you cannot control what is put into and on the pizza. Now at your own home, you can have a personal pan pizza with all your favorite toppings to enjoy and it will be healthy for you!

We fixed a personal pan pizza on a whole wheat pita and it had red and green bell pepper, red onion, sauce, mushrooms, spinach and soy cheese. We added crushed red pepper at the table and it was fabulous! Just know if you make the right choices, you can eat just about anything you want.

Next Page »