0 You Really Are What You Eat

1 – You Really Are What You Eat
Recent dietary research has uncovered 14 different nutrient-dense foods that time and again promote good overall health.  Coined “superfoods,” they tend to have fewer calories, higher levels of vitamins and minerals, and many disease-fighting antioxidants.
Beans (legumes), berries (especially blueberries), broccoli, green tea, nuts (especially walnuts), oranges, pumpkin, salmon. soy, spinach, tomatoes, turkey, whole grains and oats, and yogurt can all help stop and even reverse diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and some forms of cancer. And where one might have an effect on a certain part of the body, it can also affect the health of other body functions and performance, since the whole body is connected.  With these 14 foods as the base of a balanced, solid diet, weight loss gimmicks and other fly-by-night programs can become a thing of the past in your life. 
Conversely, the ill-effects of an unbalanced diet are several and varied. Low energy levels, mood swings, tired all the time, weight change, uncomfortable with body are just a few signs that your diet is unbalanced.  An unbalanced diet can cause problems with maintenance of body tissues, growth and development, brain and nervous system function, as well as problems with bone and muscle systems.
Symptoms of malnutrition include lack of energy, irritability, a weakened immune system leading to frequent colds or allergies, and mineral depletion that can trigger a variety of health concerns including anemia.  
And since the body is connected, realizing that an unhealthy body will result in an unhealthy spirit only makes sense.  When we nourish our body with these superfoods and complement them with other nutrient-dense and healthy fresh foods, our spirit will be vitalized and healthy as a direct result.
Many modern diets based on prepackaged convenience foods are sorely lacking in many vitamins and minerals, which can affect our mental capacities as well, and cause irritability, confusion, and the feeling of ‘being in a fog’ all the time. 
Superfoods can be the basis of a sound, healthy, nutritious solution to curing many of these ailments and more.  

You Really Are What You Eat

tags:  You Really Are What You Eat, nutrition, Superfoods,

0 Exercise And Asthma

Exercise And Asthma

If you suffer from asthma, you probably think that you

can't exercise properly or safely.  Contrary to what

many think of this subject, there are ways that you

can get in shape and exercise, even if you suffer 

from asthma.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that is marked by

characteristics such as coughing, wheezing, shortness

of breath, and chest tightness.  Asthma tends to occur

with people who are genetically or environmentally

presdisposed to the condition.  

Some of the triggers that may start or make an attack

worse include exposure to allergens, viral respiratory

infections, airway irritants, exercise, and exposure

to things such as dust mites or cockroaches.

You can prevent asthma attacks by doing the following:

1.  Bathe your pets weekly.

2.  Don't smoke or permit smoking in your

home.

3.  When mold or pollent counts are high,

you should stay inside with air conditioning.

4.  Wash your bedding and any stuffed toys 

at least once per week in hot water.

5.  Wash your hands every chance you get.

6.  Get a flu shot.

7.  Wear a scarf over your mouth and nose in

the winter months.

8.  Be proactive and know your triggers and 

how you should avoid them.

Now that you know what you know about asthma, you 

may be wondering where exercise fits in.  As most

doctors will tell you, you shouldn't give up on

sports or exercise at all.  You just have to be

smart about how you play and take special pre

cautions to avoid attacks.

Almost all doctors agree that the best way to 

prevent attacks during exercise is to keep your 

inhaler and medication close by.  You should never

use the inhaler more than 3 times during a game

or exercise session.  If you are up the previous 

night with coughing and wheezing, it's always best

to go light with your exercise the next day.

For something known as IEA (Exercise Induced Asthma),

the symptoms are somewhat different, in the fact

that they appear after 6 - 10 minutes of exercise

and will often be worse in cold or dry air.

If you have IEA, there are several activities that

you can enjoy such as swimming, walking, biking,

downhill skiing, and team based sports.  There are

many activities for you to choose from, to ensure

you get the exercise you need as well.

Keep in mind that the condition of asthma isn't 

"all in your head", it is a real physiological 

medical treatment that will require treatment to

prevent and treat.  Even though your doctor will

be your best friend in treating asthma, you are

the one who can prevent your symptoms.  

Always be smart, take your medication, and be

proactive.  Don't let it put you in a life of 

misery - as you can enjoy exercise just like

everyone else.

Exercise And Asthma

tags :    Exercise And Asthma, Exercises,

0 Cooking with Oils

Cooking with Oils

Everyone knows the foods to eat that improve health,

although how we cook the food can be just as important.

With there being so many oils and butter products

claiming to be the best, it can be quite difficult

to know which ones to use and which ones to avoid.

1.  Canola oil

Canola oil is a popular oil, with many physicians 

claiming that it has the ability to lower the risk

of heart disease.  The oil is low in saturated fat,

high in monounsaturated fat, and offers the best 

fatty acid composition when compared to other oils.

You can use canola oil in sauting, as a marinade

and even in low temperature stir frying.  It has

a bland flavor, which makes it a great oil for foods

that contain many spices.  Unlike other oils, this

one won't interfere with the taste of your meal.

2.  Olive oil

olive oil offers a very distinct flavor with plenty

of heart healthy ingedients.  The oil is rich in

monounsaturated fat, helps to lower cholesterol 

levels and reduce risk of cancer.  It's also rich

in antioxidants and has a very long storage life.

Even though it can be used in cooking, it's the 

healthiest when uncooked, such as with a salad or

dipping sauce.  When you use it with cooking, you

should heat it on low to medium temperatures, making

sure to avoid high heat.

3.  Butter

Butter is one food that has been around for many,

many years.  Butter tastes good, and offers sources

of Vitamin A and other fat soluble vitamins such as

E, K, and even D.  Butter is also made from natural

ingredients and not chemically or artificially 

processed.

You can use butter with cooking, baking, or even as

a spread.  You can also pair it with creamy sauces,

marinades, baked dishes, or even bread.

4.  Margarine

Margarine was first introduced as an alternative to

high fat butter.  When it was first created however, 

it was loaded with trans fat, a substance that we 

now know raises bad cholesterol.

As a cooking oil, margarine tastes good, it's lower

in fat than most oils and butter, and it's quite 

easy to spread.  It's available in a variety of

different products and a good source of vitamin E.

When it comes to cooking with oils, there are 

several at your disposal.  There are many more than

what is mentioned here, although the ones above are

the most popular.  Eating healthy involves cooking

healthy food - which is where your cooking oil really

takes center stage.

0 Changing How You Eat

Changing How You Eat

As you may know, not fueling up with the right 

nutrients can affect how well your body performs 

and your overall fitness benefits.  Even though 

healthy eating is important, there are myths that

hinder your performance if you listen to them.

Below, you'll find some myth busters on healthy

eating.

1.  Working out on an empty stomach.

If you hear a rumbling noise in your stomach, the

rumbling is trying to tell you something.  Without

listening to them, you are forcing your body to

run without any fuel.  Before you exercise or do

any physical activity, always eat a light snack

such as an apple.

2.  Relying on energy bars and drinks.

Although they are fine every once in a while, they

don't deliver the antioxidants you need to prevent

cancer.  Fruits and vegetables are your best bets,

as they are loaded in vitamins, minerals, fluid,

and fiber.

3.  Skipping breakfast.

Skipping breakfast is never a good idea, as 

breakfast starts the day.  Your body needs fuel

as soon as possible, and without it, you'll be 

hungry throughout the day.

4.  Low carb diets.

Your body needs carbohydrates for your muscles and

the storing of energy.  

5.  Eating what you want.

Eating healthy and exercising doesn't give you an

all access pass to eat anything you want.  Everyone

needs the same nutrients whether they exercise or

not, as well as fruits and vegetables.

6.  Not enough calories

Although losing weight involves calories, losing

it too quickly is never safe.  What you should do,

is aim for 1 - 2 pounds a week.  Always make sure 

that you are getting enough calories to keep your

body operating smoothly.  If you start dropping

weight too fast, eat a bit more food.

7.  Skip soda and alcohol.

Water, milk, and juice is the best to drink for

active people.  You should drink often, and not 

require on thirst to be an indicator.  By the time

you get thirsty, your body is already running a 

bit too low. 

Changing how you eat is always a great step 

towards healthy eating and it will affect how your

body performs.  The healthier you eat, you better

you'll feel.  No matter how old you may be, healthy

eating is something you should strive for.  Once

you give it a chance, you'll see in no time at

all just how much it can change your life - for the

better.

Changing How You Eat

tags: Changing How You Eat, nutrition,  How You Eat,

0 Becoming A Healthy Eater

Becoming A Healthy Eater

Being a healthy eater requires you to become both

educated and smart about what healthy eating 

actually is.  Being food smart isn't about 

learning to calculate grams or fat, or is it 

about studying labels and counting calories.

Healthy eating is all about balanced and moderate

eating, consisting of healthy meals at least 

three times per day.  Healthy eaters eat many

different types of foods, not limiting themselves

to one specific food type or food group.

Eating healthy requires quite a bit of leeway.  You

might eat too much or not enough, consume 

foods that are sometimes more or less nutritious.

However, you should always fuel your body and 

your brain regularly with enough food to keep 

both your mind and body strong and alert.

A healthy eater is a good problem solver.  Healthy

eaters have learned to take care of themselves

and their eating with sound judgement and making

wise decisions.  Healthy eaters are always aware

of what they eat, and know the effect that it 

will have on their bodies.

When someone is unable to take control of their

eating, they are also likely to get out of control

with other aspects of life as well.  They could

end up spending too much, talking too much, even

going to bed later and later.  

You should always remember that restricting food

in any way is always a bad thing.  Healthy eating

is a way of life, something that you can do to

enhance your body or your lifestyle.  If you've

thought about making your life better, healthy

eating is just the place to start.  You'll make

life easier for yourself, those around you, and 

even your family.  

Becoming A Healthy Eater

tags:  Becoming A Healthy Eater, Healthy Eater, nutrition, 

0 Choosing The Right Exercise For You

Choosing The Right Exercise For You

The type of exercise you do all depends on you and

what you like to do.  What you hate doing, paying

membership fees, and whether or not to buy equipment

are all things you need to consider as well as 

answer.

If you choose something that you don't like to do,

you aren't going to keep doing it for a long period

of time.  Give it some thought - if you don't like

jogging, you aren't going to get up at 6 AM and go

running.  If you can't find something you like to

do, choose something you hate the least, which will

normally be walking.

Walking is great exercise, as it suits all levels

of fitness.  Anyone can start a walking program at

any time, it's normally the intensity and duration

that differs.  Walking is also a social exercise,

as it isn't difficult to find a training partner

to chat with while you exercise.  Walking with a

partner will also make time go by faster.

No matter what exercise you choose, you should 

start at a low level of intensity and build it up

over a period of weeks, which is essential to the

longevity of your exercise program.  If you start

off too hard, you could end up with an injury

which will require time off to get over.

If you are really in bad shape, you should start

off by walking for 10 minutes each day.  Then,

increase it by 5 minutes every 2 weeks.  To make

things more interesting, you should try walking

a different course every few days.  You can also

roster a different friend to walk with you each

day of the week.

If walking isn't your thing, then you may want

to try a fitness center.  They have loads of 

variety and normally have trainers on hand to 

answer any questions you may have.  When you 

choose a fitness center, make sure that they give

good service.

If they aren't willing to treat you well before

you join, then they certainly won't after you 

join.  You should also make sure that the equipment

they use is well taken care of.  It's easy to 

find out, as all you have to do is listen to the

machines.  If they squeak a lot or make noise, 

then chances are they aren't being taken care of.

If you still aren't sure what you should do, then

you should look into golf or tennis.  Both are

good social activities in most areas, and you can

even meet new friends.  Tennis is great for fitness

although it isn't for someone who is just starting

out.  If you haven't exercised in a long time,

then golf may be the best activity for you.

Choosing The Right Exercise For You

tags:  Choosing The Right Exercise For You, The Right Exercise, Exercises, 

0 Cardio Exercise

Cardio Exercise

Everyone has wondered at some point in time which
cardio exercise is better.  To put it in simple
terms, both low and high intensity exercises will
help you to burn off body fat.  The question here
is which is the most effective to burn off more
body fat.

When scientists first discovered that during
intensive exercises, your body burns glycogen, which
is a form of stored carbohydrates that are stored
in your liver and muscles for energy.  During low
intensity exercises, your body will burn a lot of
fat.

If your wondering whether or not it works, the
answer is no because there are so many obese people
still around.  Even though they are working out
with low intensity routines, it still makes you
wonder how it can be.

The scientists were right when they said the human
body burns more body fat during low intensity
exercises like walking or swimming.  During a
high intensity exercise such as running, the body
will burn a lot more calories.  Even if some of
the calories burnt are from glycogen, there are
still many fat calories burned as well.

To put the icing on the cake, when your store of
glycogen gets low, the carbohydrates from your
food you eat will later get converted into
glycogen to fill up the store and won't be
converted to body fat when they are left unused
for energy.

High intensity cardio exercise will juice up your
metabolism even after you have completed your
workout.  What this means, is that your body will
continue to burn body fat hours after you have
left the gym.  This effect is nearly non existent
in low intensity cardio or aerobic workout.

Accumulatively, your body will burn up more and
more calories during and after you have finished a
high intensity cardio exercise that it will with
low intensity.

You can inject high intensity exercises into your
cardio workout by introducing some interval
training. You can walk for 5 minutes or so, then
break into some jogging for another 5 minutes or
so.  Then, walk briskly again until you have
caught your breath and then sprint for a minute
before you walk again.  From this point, simply
alternate your running and walking for the
next 15 minutes until you are finished.

One of the best things about cardio is the more
you do it, the more energy you'll have.  Cardio
will help you to burn calories, although its more
useful for keeping your energy levels high.

If you've never tried cardio before, you should
give it a shot.  If you like to exercise, you'll
find cardio the best way to boost your energy and
keep in top shape.  If you are just starting out,
you'll want to go slow and keep your cardio
exercise in track - as it is very easy to over
exert yourself.

Cardio Exercise

tags:   Cardio Exercise, Cardio, Exercises,