How to Increase Exercise in Daily Life
March 6, 2010 by Beth · Leave a Comment
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.
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
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What is really in you Hot Dog?
February 27, 2010 by Beth · Leave a Comment
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.
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The Exercise Habit
February 20, 2010 by Beth · Leave a Comment
Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.
How much exercise do I need?
How do I get started?
Sneak exercise into your day
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Go for a walk during your coffee break or lunch.
- Walk all or part of the way to work.
- Do housework at a fast pace.
- Rake leaves or do other yard work.
Start out slowly. If you’ve been inactive for years, you can’t run a marathon after only 2 weeks of training! Begin with a 10-minute period of light exercise or a brisk walk every day and gradually increase how hard you exercise and for how long.
How do I stick with it?
- Choose something you like to do. Make sure it suits you physically, too. For instance, swimming is easier on arthritic joints.
- Get a partner. Exercising with a friend or relative can make it more fun.
- Vary your routine. You may be less likely to get bored or injured if you change your exercise routine. Walk one day. Bicycle the next. Consider activities like dancing and racquet sports, and even chores like vacuuming or mowing the lawn.
- Choose a comfortable time of day. Don’t work out too soon after eating or when it’s too hot or cold outside. Wait until later in the day if you’re too stiff in the morning.
- Don’t get discouraged. It can take weeks or months before you notice some of the changes from exercise, such as weight loss.
- Forget “no pain, no gain.” While a little soreness is normal after you first start exercising, pain isn’t. Take a break if you hurt or if you are injured.
- Make exercise fun. Read, listen to music or watch TV while riding a stationary bicycle, for example. Find fun things to do, like taking a walk through the zoo. Go dancing. Learn how to play a sport you enjoy, such as tennis.
Making exercise a habit
- Stick to a regular time every day.
- Sign a contract committing yourself to exercise.
- Put “exercise appointments” on your calendar.
- Keep a daily log or diary of your exercise activities.
- Check your progress. Can you walk a certain distance faster now than when you began exercising? Or is your heart rate slower now?
- Ask your doctor to write a prescription for your exercise program, such as what type of exercise to do, how often to exercise and for how long.
- Think about joining a health club. The cost gives some people an incentive to exercise regularly.
How can I prevent injuries?
Pay attention to your body. Stop exercising if you feel very out of breath, dizzy, faint, nauseous or have pain.
Benefits of regular exercise
- Reduces your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes and obesity
- Keeps joints, tendons and ligaments flexible, which makes it easier to move around
- Reduces some of the effects of aging
- Contributes to your mental well-being and helps treat depression
- Helps relieve stress and anxiety
- Increases your energy and endurance
- Helps you sleep better
- Helps you maintain a normal weight by increasing your metabolism (the rate you burn calories)
What is a target heart rate?
The chart to the right shows the target heart rates for people of different ages. When you’re just beginning an exercise program, shoot for the lower target heart rate (60%). As your fitness improves, you can exercise harder to get your heart rate closer to the top number (85%).
What is aerobic exercise?
Examples include walking, jogging, running, aerobic dance, bicycling, rowing, swimming and cross-country skiing.
What is weight-bearing exercise?
Examples of weight-bearing exercises include walking, jogging, hiking, climbing stairs, dancing and weight training.
What about weight training?
What is the best exercise?
Walking is an aerobic and weight-bearing exercise, so it is good for your heart and helps prevent osteoporosis.
More Information
Source
Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.
American Academy of Family Physicians
Reviewed/Updated: 12/09
Created: 01/96
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Top Excuses for Skipping a Fitness Workout
February 20, 2010 by Beth · Leave a Comment
Written by Jeff Behar and Lynn Glenn
Some people like working out, but let’s face it even the most energetic people sometime feel like skipping a workout. The following are some of the most common excuses for missing a fitness workout. Are any familiar to you?
Most Common Excuses for Missing a Fitness Workou
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- Read more
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February is American Heart Month
January 25, 2010 by Beth · Leave a Comment
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
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Sunshine Corn Salad
January 3, 2010 by Beth · Leave a Comment
Now that it’s the beginning of the New Year and we have enjoyed so much of the good foods from Thanksgiving to New Years, its time to get back to our healthy eating habits. Here is a great salad that we all can enjoy. What a treat but you can have this salad all year long! Black olives would be great too!
Like the colors of summer, this salad combines corn, bell peppers and yellow squash for gorgeous visual appeal. What a delightful way to enjoy these garden vegetables. (We fixed this corn salad for Christmas dinner and used red and green bell pepper, was just as good and a little darker in color).
Serves 4 1.5 Cups per serving
1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil (extra-virgin preferred)
1 teaspoon snipped fresh parsley and 1 teaspoon snipped fresh parsley, divided use
1/8 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
3/4 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1 tablespoon water
1/2 medium orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium yellow summer squash (about 2 1/2 ounces), diced
1 tablespoon pine nuts, dry roasted
In a medium serving bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, 1 teaspoon parsley, mustard, salt ad pepper.
In a small microwaveable bowl, combine the corn and water. Microwave on 100 percent power (high) for 2 minutes. Drain in a strainer. Run the kernels under cold running water for 30 seconds to coll. Pat dry with paper towels. Transfer to the serving bowl.
Add the bell peppers, squash and pine nuts. Toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with the remaining 1 teaspoon parsley.
Nutrition Tip: As soon as corn is harvested, its surgars begin to convert to starch. The sooner it’s eaten or processed after it’s picked, the better. That is why frozen corn can be just as sweet as - or sweeter than - corn that sits for days in the produce department.
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How to make a Fat Loss Plate
October 24, 2009 by Beth · Leave a Comment
Courtesy of Robert Ferguson
Making a Food Lovers Fat Loss Plate is remarkably simple. And, best of all you can do it with absolutely anything. To make a Fat Loss Plate, all you need is the right combination of Proteins and Carbohydrates in the right amounts so that you “Optimize Your Glycemic Profile” and move your body from “Fat Storing Mode” to “Fat Burning Mode.”
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Hula Hoop Exercises For Weight Loss?
October 24, 2009 by Beth · Leave a Comment
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
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Fast Food Fat Burning Meals
October 23, 2009 by Beth · Leave a Comment
4 Fast-Food Fat Burning Meals
Courtesy of Robert Ferguson
On the go and wanting to keep your body in fat burning mode? Here are four quick and tasty fast food fat loss meals offered by the golden arches - McDonald’s. The creator of the Food Lovers Fat Loss System, Robert Ferguson, chose these fat loss meals as part of his top selections when you find yourself at McDonald’s:
McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets with Sweet ‘N Sour Sauce
4 pieces, 220 calories (11g carbs, 10g protein,10g fat, 2g saturated fat)
SUGGESTION: To make this a Fat Loss Place, it’s recommended that you double the order. Also, enjoy the sauce as it’s on the low in of calories and sodium. Read more
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Pumpkins just aren’t for decoration
October 14, 2009 by Beth · Leave a Comment
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
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