Wednesday, September 30, 2009

How to Start Exercising the Right Way

How to Start Exercising the Right Way: "

by Louanne Baelde


The toughest part about an exercise program is getting started. The best way to start exercises is to start slow and steady.


In order to change your lifestyle from sedentary to physically active, you need to have a workable plan.


Choose an exercise that you can practice easily all year round. Most people enjoy walking, swimming, jogging, and fitness videos. If you have a medical condition, be sure to consult your physician before you begin any type of vigorous activity.


Always begin your exercise slowly. Be sure to make it fun, not overly strenuous. Give yourself a chance to get used to the new activity. Allow yourself the necessary time to warm up before your exercise and as well, time to cool down afterwards. Five minutes for warm-ups and cool down times are often recommended. By doing warm-ups first, you will be less likely to injure yourself.


Aerobic exercises are a great way to remain healthy or even to lose or control your weight. Regular aerobic exercises help to prevent heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes and cancers. They can improve your muscles and strenghten your bones, and improve your flexibility. Aerobics can also lower your blood pressure, and lessen depression. Aerobic exercises include bicycling, swimming, stair climbing, hiking,running, walking, aerobic dancing and many other activities.


Aerobics use the large muscles in the legs and buttocks to strengthen your heart and lungs. These are called cardiovascular exercises. Regular aerobic exercises makes your heart stronger.


Establish a reasonable schedule by allowing certain days to be off. It is good to exercise at least three times a week. A well thought out schedule will continue and be more productive on the long run. An example would be to exercise maybe every other day with two or three days off every week. Begin your exercise moderately at first with maybe only 30 minutes per day. Make time for several different activities. If you find that 30 minutes is too long of a time at once, break up your session into shorter intervals such as maybe two sessions of 15 minutes. Don’t stop exercising if your muscles hurt at the start; that’s normal and this will gradually decrease and disappear in time. If you experience any severe pain or swelling, make sure to stop.


Choose a convenient time of the day to exercise. When exercising, it’s best to wait a while after eating or to wait till the weather cools off if it is too warm.


Make sure to wear shoes that you can breathe in and that allow enough room for comfort, but yet properly support your feet.


Have a goal in mind and plan to achieve it gradually. A great way to track your success is to use a chart. You could maybe list the minutes you exercise each day.


To succeed, you must stick with your plan of exercise. Make time to reward yourself for each accomplishment. As you progress, you can increase your levels of exertion over time.



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Insomnia: No Need to Lose Sleep Over This!

Insomnia: No Need to Lose Sleep Over This!: "

Insomnia is a very common and disturbing problem. It estimated that about 15% of the population is currently suffering from insomnia and that as much as 80% of the overall population has suffered from poor sleep quality in their life.

Besides creating tiredness and a general sense of irritability, insomnia is also responsible for considerable working days missed from the sleepless worker. Furthermore, the quality of work dispensed by a person who did not benefit from a sufficient night of sleep is non optimal.

A person suffering from insomnia should always consult her doctor to get the proper examinations and diagnosis. When a diagnosis of insomnia is made, a person should sincerely ask herself what she can do to improve her condition.

Too often people tend to “pop a pill” hoping that the magic will happen and that they will “cure” their insomnia. Studies have shown that sleeping pills do not provide the same depth of sleep that helps the mind and the body to fully recuperate. The artificially induced sleep by pills does not provide the same level and quality of sleep a healthy body requires. Furthermore, many pills have potential serious side effects and should not be taken fro a prolonged period.

There are well known substances that can affect the overall quality and quantity of sleep. Such factors that can cause insomnia or poor quality of sleep are: caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate, soft drinks and the so-called “energy drinks”), tobacco, alcohol, other stimulants, etc

It is a misconception that alcohol helps to sleep. It has a first effect as a depressant but has a rebound effect of diminishing the quality of the remaining sleep during the night.

It is a proven fact that exercising helps liberate adrenaline during the exercises and later natural endorphins, our natural “feel happy” hormones. One should exercise at least two hours before going to bed in order to benefit the most from the exercise and not be excited from the exercises thus interfering with their sleep.

Taking naps is becoming more and more common and North Americans are catching-up with this healthy habit. Naps should be short and not taken after dinner as they might interfere with the actual night of sleep.

A proper sleeping environment is a must: the room should be dark during the sleep and noise kept to a minimum. Proper lighting during the day helps to harmonize with the daily cycles. In countries where daylight is very rare (especially in winter) or for people working during night shifts, the proper lighting during the day can greatly help in achieving a good quality of sleep.

Proper hydration is very important to insure optimal body functioning, sleeping included. It is recommended to drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water per day. It is also a very good habit to start and finish your day by drinking a good glass of purifying water.

Stress can be a major contributing factor in the cause of insomnia. The good news is that stress can be controlled and overcome with the proper help. Hypnosis has been proven very efficient in numerous studies to greatly reduce the level of stress and consequently improving the quality of sleep a person feels. By allowing the person to push away all her concerns when night comes and fall into a rejuvenating sleep, hypnosis can be considered a natural and ideal solution to insomnia.



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Swine Flu - How You Can Protect Yourself

Swine Flu - How You Can Protect Yourself: "Swine flu is a very much feared virus at the present time. There is a tendency for some people to panic especially because a certain number of people are dieing from this virus. There is also a rise in people suffering from the H1N1 strain of the virus as it spreads around the globe. Governments of various countries acknowledge that there is a need for world wide awareness but absolutely no need for panic."

Sunday, September 20, 2009

BHTV #14 – Red, Red Wine

BHTV #14 – Red, Red Wine: "

Many people enjoy drinking a glass of red wine with dinner or sometimes dessert. After all, a glass of red wine goes very nicely with meat, red pasta, certain cheeses and even chocolate. In fact, wine is so popular these days that wine bars have been popping up all over the United States. In some areas, they have become the local hangout, competing with coffee shops and bars.


So, since wine is “in” these days, and gets a lot of coverage for its health benefits, this week’s topic is red wine. So, sit back and enjoy the show!


If you haven’t yet, please subscribe through iTunes.


References used while researching this show are Mayo Clinic and Yale-New Haven Hospital.

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Balanced diet reduces the potential of wide range of illnesses, including type2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. www.nutribasic.com

Balanced diet reduces the potential of wide range of illnesses, including type2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. www.nutribasic.com: "Balanced diet reduces the potential of wide range of illnesses, including type2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. www.nutribasic.com"

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Day 17: Increase Energy with Quick Home Workouts

Day 17: Increase Energy with Quick Home Workouts: "Today is Day 17 of the Get Fit and Healthy & Lose Belly Fat Challenge. (<– If you’re just discovering the challenge, we’d love to have you join us. We’ll be repeating the same series of exercises this month, so you can jump right in.)
Here’s a shout out from Scott for those days when you [...]

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Physical Therapy Exercises for Pain Relief | Philip Harman's ...

Physical Therapy Exercises for Pain Relief | Philip Harman's ...: "Physical therapy exercises play a crucial role in helping patients recover from the pain caused by injuries and diseases. Therapeutic exercises are beneficial."

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Aerobic Exercise Can Help Mental Health | EDU.UDYM.com

Aerobic Exercise Can Help Mental Health EDU.UDYM.com: "Usually, mental disorders are treated by a combination of medication and therapy. Not many are told or believe that physical exercise can help people with these conditions to a very great extent. But mental health experts do believe ..."