How to Increase Exercise in Daily Life

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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.

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The Exercise Habit

Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.

How much exercise do I need?

Source

Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.

American Academy of Family Physicians

Reviewed/Updated: 12/09
Created: 01/96

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

Sunshine Corn Salad

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.

How to make a Fat Loss Plate

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.”

Read more

Fast Food Fat Burning Meals

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

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

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