Cord Blood Preservation

Cord Blood Preservation

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Should we or should we not, is the question most couples ask themselves in respect of cord blood banking, during the later stages of week by week pregnancy. Among various other crucial decisions, cord blood banking might not seem to carry enough magnitude initially; a close look however at the various pros and cons of cord blood preservation might help informed decision making.

Recent scientific research has found that the use of these stem cells can help the body to reproduce disease-free cells in many organs of the body including muscles, nerves and organs. Until recently the best source of stem cells was considered to be in embryos and there is much controversy surrounding the collection of cells from this source. The exciting news is that cord blood cells can be used in the same way with the same positive results.

There are implied benefits of cord blood preservation. Stem cell cord blood can be effectively deployed to deal with a host of diseases and disorders like leukemia, metabolic disorders, sickle cell ailment, thalassemia, leukemia and other genetic immuno deficiencies.

Parents can make the decision to preserve the cord blood before the baby is born. They need to fill out a donor consent form ahead of time and allow the doctor and hospital know the intent to send the blood to the bank. The placenta and umbilical cord are then saved after the birth and sent to the bank.

After the temperature stabilizes, the umbilical cord blood is transferred to liquid nitrogen tanks. Special care is taken to ensure that the cells do not get frozen ice on them- as it will damage the cell membranes permanently.

Cord blood cell preservation is already making a difference by saving more lives. The future of stem cell transplant for many diseases looks bright due to this new advancement. As science advances, the uses for stem cells will increase with the potential to treat or cure many illnesses in the future.

Healing of Hypertension

Healing of Hypertension

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Blood is carried from the heart to all the body’s tissues and organs in vessels, called arteries. Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of those arteries. Blood pressure measurement is a painless and simple test. Blood pressure is one of the key identifiers of general health that will almost always be measured at the doctor’s office. Reliable machines are available for you to measure your own blood pressure at home.

Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). A typical normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg, or “120 over 80.” The first number represents the pressure when the heart contracts and is called the systolic blood pressure. The second number represents the pressure when the heart relaxes and is called the diastolic blood pressure.

Hypertension can only be diagnosed after taking several readings to find your average blood pressure. Your blood pressure needs to be taken at least two times, and each reading must be from a different day. If the average of these blood pressure readings is more than 140/90, you have hypertension. A single reading that is more than 140/90 doesn’t necessarily mean that you have hypertension. However, your healthcare provider probably will want to monitor your blood pressure over time to see if it stays there. You can also have hypertension if the average of only one of the numbers (systolic or diastolic) is too high

In the early stages of disease there are few, if any, signs of hypertension itself, but because hypertensionis commonly associated with an underlying disease you may notice signs of that disease in your pet. Appetite may be decreased in kidney failure, or may be increased in hyperthyroidism, and both conditions can cause weight loss, excessive drinking and vomiting.

Benefits of Applying Feng Shui For a Better Life

Benefits of Applying Feng Shui For a Better Life

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Many people are attracted to Feng Shui and for many good reasons. While most simply believe that it is just some oriental superstitious set of ideas on interior design (but that is just part of the extensive definition for Feng Shui), the Feng Shui that we know today is actually made up of various schools of thought and incorporates the different cultures under which it was born.

The advantage to the different options available in Feng Shui is that even everday people can easily understand and apply it immediately in their homes without having to break the bank. And aside from that, there are advantages that only Feng Shui can incorporate if you can just open your mind and try it out.

Bringing balance is the key. Have you ever found yourself completely overwhelmed with unending junk and completely stressed out of your mind? It’s likely that you are suffering from a visual imbalance in your surroundings. The best way to infuse a sense of balance is by bringing together elements that provide you with a grip of control in the outer balance of things. If you can create some semblance of balance harmony in trivial things like your furniture, you are sure to find that creating balance in other aspects of your life equally manageable.

It helps you to focus on the details. Mindfulness in the small things can be a very good thing. Many people tend to focus on the large things in life so much that even the minor details like how you arrange your home or office seem to be lost. When these “minor” aspects of life continually get put on the back burner they tend to build up and produce a stressful environment which will accumulate into other problems complicating your life.

It also increases the possibilities for meeting new people. Meeting new people and making friends is another benefit of employing Feng Shui. When you apply Feng Shui you’ll more likely to find other people within your social circle who share similar likes and may even help you to increase your knowledge of Feng Shui.

It gives a fresh perspective on things. At any given time, a fresh perspective is always welcome. This positive perspective can invite changes for the better. A new way of looking at home arrangement, for example, may actually serve to benefit you in the long run. The fresh perspective brought about by Feng Shui can actually bring about an enrichment of one?s mind.

Inviting prosperity and abundance. The main goal of Feng Shui is to invite all the good into your life. Prosperity and abundance can be more easily within your grasp and a positive outlook can be expected if Feng Shui is practiced properly.

Increased aesthetic appeal. Beyond all the listed benefits of Feng Shui, the top would surely be its natural beauty. The aesthetic appeal of a properly decorated and organized home, incorporated with good Feng Shui technique, can be a legacy that may transcend generations and promote beauty in all other aspects of your life.

All About Calories

All About Calories

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For years now, calories have been a huge craze. All foods, except water, has some. Every time you eat, you take in calories. Your weight management efforts will succeed on the basis of how much calories you take in versus those you burn off. Many people count calories as listed on the back of product boxes to try and lose weight. But a lot of people don't understand the concept which is why a lot of myths prevail. If you are truly interested in losing weight, it is worth your time to actually learn how calories work.

What are calories?

A calorie is essentially a measurement or unit of energy. The unit was first defined by Professor Nicolas Clément in 1824. Human beings need energy to survive. A calorie measures the energy in food and beverages we take in. This energy is used by the body to fuel physical activity as well as all metabolic processes, from maintaining your heartbeat to building muscle. Each food constituents supplies some amount of calories. Protein and Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram. Fat, on the other hand, has 9 calories per gram. Vitamins, minerals, natural chemicals found in plants, fiber and water do not supply calories.

What do calories do?

We need energy in order to survive. Every bodily process like breathing, pumping blood even metabolism requires energy. Humans acquire this energy from food. Our body burns the calories present in our food through metabolic processes to release energy which is either used up or stored as fat.

How much do we need?

In the case of calorie intake, it's always different strokes for different folks. The factors that affect your daily calorie needs include your age, height and weight, your basic level of daily activity, and your body composition. The recommended average daily calorie intake is of 1940 calories per day for women and 2550 for men.  Larger people with more muscle need more calories. To calculate your recommended calorie intake, use the body analysis tool.

What is the relation of calories and weight loss?

The relationship is quite simple. Excess calories are stored in the body as fat which increases your weight. There are 2 ways to lose those excess calories:

•     Eat fewer calories
•     Burn more calories

For best results, it is recommended to do a combination of both.

When it comes to eating fewer calories you can rely on 'calorie counting'. First, find out how many calories you're currently consuming. You can figure that out by keeping a food journal. Track each food item that you eat for at least a week and figure out the calorie count for each food item (use the nutrional value tool). To find your average daily calorie intake, divide the total calorie intake by the number of days you tracked your intake. Once you know your average daily calorie intake, you can make changes in your diet to reduce your daily calorie intake to lose weight. Some of the changes you can make include reducing the portion size, replacing high calorie food with low-calorie food, etc. Along with this, do phyical activities such as jogging, walking, and cycling to help burn calories. The more physical exercise you get the more calories you will burn.

There are about 7700 calories in one kilogram (about 3500 calories in one pound). That means if you can spare 550 calories per day (by eating fewer calories and/or burning more calories), you will lose about half a kilo per week. This is because 550 calories below each day, multiplied by 7 days in a week, equals 3750 total calories under for the week. And, 3850 calories under equals about half a kilo of weight lost. The same goes for weight gain. If you are 550 above each day, you'll gain a about half a kilo per week.

What is the safe calorie level I can drop to when I am trying to lose weight?

It is not recommended to make large changes in your calorie intake as it can have a significant effect on your health. You should not consume less than 1200 calories a day under any circumstances, even if your daily calorie needs are very low. A very low calorie diet increases your risk for heart problems and gallstones, and should be followed only under a doctor's supervision. Going for a low caloric intake may yield quick results, but it may lead to muscle loss and a slowing of your metabolism. Also, a low calorie diet may not be able to provide your body with all the important vitamins and minerals.

A moderate calorie cut which includes cutting 150-300 calories from your daily diet and burning 150-300 calories in exercise is recommended for an active lifestyle. Reducing calories by 15% below your daily calorie maintenance needs is a useful start. It is generally recommended that weight should be gained or lost at a rate of about 0.5 to 0.8 kg (about 1 or 2 pounds) per week.
What are Empty and Hidden calories?

Empty calories are derived from those foods that offer little or no nutritional value. Foods like junk food, sodas, sugary drinks etc. add empty calories to your diet. On the other hand, hidden calories sneak into your food and add calories to it. Stuff like butter on paratha, sugar in tea etc. lead to an increase in the caloric value of the food.

Are all calories derived from different foods the same?

Lots of people wonder if it matters where their calories come from. But, to be honest, a protein calorie is no different from a fat calorie. The good old saying is always true, 'A calorie is a calorie is a calorie'. However, carbohydrate and proteins are considered good sources because more complex procedure is required to convert them to be stored as fat. Fat, on the other hand, requires a much simpler process and hence can be easily stored leading to weight gain. Also, a gram of fat provides 9 calories where as a gram od protein or carbohydrate provide 4 calories.

Calories are a good tell tale sign to count in to tell you whether you are overweight or not. Compute how many calories you should eat daily in order to lose weight and reach your goal. Understanding the basics of how calories work can go a long way to reach your weight loss goals.

No Time To exercise Lose Weight, Try This!

Exercise Weight Loss

No Time To exercise Lose Weight, Try This!

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If you have no time to exercise or you’re just too tired to workout after a long day at work (or just can’t get up early enough to hit the gym) then I’ve got something for you to try.

This doesn’t only work if you have no time to exercise, it will also help you to make working out a habit if you have trouble staying consistent with your workout program.

You know what I mean, you hit the gym three or four times per week for a month and then take two months off. That won’t get you anywhere!




Start by focusing on making exercise a habit so that it becomes part of your life routine.

And the easiest way to do this is not just to work out first thing in the morning but to make the workout unbelievably simple!

How do you make it so simple that you never skip a workout? Easy! As soon as you roll out of bed, start exercising! This can be as simple as one exercise!

Here are some examples.

Roll out of bed and do X number of bodyweight squats (such as 50 or 100 depending on your fitness level!)

If you can’t do 50 straight take rests when you need it and keep track of the time it takes to complete all 50 and try and beat that time the next time you do it.

Or, reverse it and do bodyweight squats for 7 (or 15) minutes, resting when you need to and keeping track of how many reps you complete. Next time, try and do more in that 7 minutes.

Side Note: The rep numbers will be different for different exercises, as it’s a lot easier to do 50 jumping jacks than it is to do 50 burpees or jump lunges.

You could do a different exercise each day for a week and then repeat.

Maybe a workout plan like this:

Monday — Bodyweight Squats
Tuesday — Push Ups
Wednesday — Burpees
Thursday — Jumping Jacks
Friday — Jump Lunges
Saturday — Jump Rope
Sunday — Rest

If you have a pull up bar or an apparatus like the Lifeline USA Jungle Gym XT, you can get a lot more versatile as well as hitting the important back muscles more directly.

Once you’ve got that down, you can take the next step and just add one more exercise. If you have a kettlebell or two dumbbells you can keep them by the bed and incorporate those as well.

You can also start to use hiit training workouts with these exercises, utilizing the Tabata protocol of 20 seconds of exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest for 4 minutes (so 8 total sets).

One workout might look like this:

Burpees – 20 seconds on 10 seconds of rest for 8 sets

If you have the dumbbells or kettlebells you could do:

Squat (KB or DB in rack position) plus Push Press – 20 seconds on 10 seconds of rest for 8 sets

With two exercises it might be:

Push Ups – 20 seconds on 10 seconds of rest for 8 sets
Bodyweight Squat – 20 seconds on 10 seconds of rest for 8 sets

If that’s too easy you could make the exercises harder by doing narrow push ups, explosive push ups, staggered push ups, clap push ups, spiderman push ups, etc.

For bodyweight squats, you could do narrow stance squats, super slow squats, jump lunges, jump squats, 180 degree jump squats, etc.

The key is to MAKE THE DECISION to do a short workout like this right when you get out of bed.

Once you’ve done that for a few weeks and exercise becomes the normal thing you do in the morning, you can start doing multi-exercise routines.

You’ll no longer say “I have no time to exercise” or “I’m too tired to workout.”

Female Fat Loss: Fat Burning Tips and Tricks

Female Fat Loss: Fat Burning Tips and Tricks

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Fat Loss Facts For Women Of Any Age

All the hype these days is about ways to boost your metabolism and burn fat. It’s hard to know what fiction is and what fact is in this area. Here’s a break down of some of what you may be hearing:

Strength Training

Yes, it’s true. You CAN burn more calories SLEEPING if you have more muscle mass. Strength training is your way to build more muscle and is truly the fountain of youth. Keep in mind too, that studies show that you will gain a better metabolic boost by doing harder exercises. For example, it’s better to be doing 8-10 reps with a heavier weight than 20-25 reps with a lighter one.

 This could also mean doing more difficult body weight exercises like push-ups and pullups. It’s not always necessary to have a huge weight room to do strength training. There are many advanced body weight exercises that can aid in strength and muscle development that you can do at home.

Breakfast

Your metabolism won’t go into” starvation mode” without breakfast, but it is associated with successful weight loss. Make it a habit to consume some protein first thing in the morning. Also, insulin resistance is lowest at this
time; so consuming some complex carbohydrates is a good idea at breakfast time too. This will keep your appetite in check till your next break or even lunch.

Fat Burners

There are plenty of products out there that claim to ‘burn fat’. As desirable as this may seem, it’s likely to be too good to be true. You’d be better off saving your money. Most of these products contain caffeine. They may give you a mental boost, but that doesn’t mean they will significantly boost metabolism or burn fat.

Eating 6 small meals per day

This claim is simple and true. Eating actually does help boost metabolism, which can help you burn more fat. One of the worst things you can do when trying to get leaner is to stop eating. The body needs energy, and providing small meals on a regular basis helps.

Protein

The real claim to fame with adding protein to your diet is the blood sugar stabilizing effect that it produces. You can reduce the insulin spikes that occur with eating carbohydrates alone, and reduce the roller coaster effect
that the insulin produces as well. Often the addition of protein will result in an overall caloric reduction because your appetite is controlled better.

Long Slow Cardio

Many believe that in order to burn fat, you should stay in the ‘fat burning zone’. That is, modify the intensity so that you can carry on a conversation while performing the exercise. This type of exercise, whether it be on a
treadmill, bike, walking or jogging needs to be maintained for over 30 minutes to get into ‘fat burning’. The real result of this can be overtraining injuries and boredom! If this type of cardio appeals to you, great, do it, but
don’t expect to yield huge results in terms of metabolism boosting or fat loss.

Interval training

Interval training causes a greater increase in post-exercise metabolism than regular, long slow cardio. A recent study found that a shorter interval program led to more weight loss than a twice-as-long aerobic training program.

Bottom line: Intervals work!

It seems that common sense wins out again. Sound eating, hard exercise and not relying on magic potions to aid in your fat loss are your best bet to your best health. Add strength training, interval training, mini-meals, and protein to your weight loss plan and you’ll be leaner thanks to your faster metabolism.

Alternative Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Alternative Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Rheumatoid arthritis is considered as a painful ailment with a chronic condition where joints become inflamed. Some people choose to treat their rheumatoid arthritis is with prescription medication. However, some others look for alternative treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in addition to traditional medicine. Rheumatoid arthritis usually comes with several symptoms, such as muscle aches, lack of appetite, joint pain, and fatigue. If you have these symptoms, you may suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, it is better to see your doctor soon and get diagnosis to ensure.


The exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis is still being researched, but it is widely believed that several factors become the cause, such as stress, environmental triggers, and heredity factor. These factors cause the immune system to become overactive that causes inflammation and pain. The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is aiming at relieving inflammation and pain. All alternative treatments for rheumatoid arthritis should focus on coping with symptoms and improving the overall health.

Alternative treatments for rheumatoid arthritis can be done by some supplements, herbal remedies that are combined with a healthy diet. Here are some alternative treatments you can choose to treat your rheumatoid arthritis and give contribution to your overall health.

    Tai Chi

Tai chi is one of alternative treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. It is not only effective to relieve stress, but also to relieve pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Before taking Tai Chi as your treatment, you should consult with your doctor for your safety and find a qualified tai chi instructor to teach you the moves.

    Nutrition

Nutrition is very essential for our overall health and therefore, it can be alternative treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. If you are able to make adjustments in your diet, you will be able to relieve your arthritis symptoms. The arachidonic acid found in dairy products and meat can aggravate inflammation; therefore, you are suggested to have vegetarian diet. You can consume fish oil that contains omega-3 fatty acids to lessen inflammation and pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

    Mangosteen Juice

Although there has been no human study about the effectiveness of this fruit, mangosteen juice can help alleviate pain associated with arthritis with its anti-inflammatory properties.

    Chinese Herbal Formulas

Chinese herbal formulas can be alternative treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. They are very powerful; therefore, you are suggested to consult with a licensed herbalist before using it so that he can prescribe an herbal formula that meets your individual needs.

    Plant Oils

Another alternative treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is using plant oils that contain gamma-linolenic acid. Some types of plan oils can ease pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis, but some others may counteract other medicines and harm your liver.

It is important to consult with your health provider before taking any of alternative treatments for rheumatoid arthritis for recommendation and your safety.

How to Get Rid of Cold Sores

How to Get Rid of Cold Sores

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How to get rid of cold sores fast? This article you will show you how to get rid of cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes using medically sound and well proven home remedies.

Learning how to get rid of cold sores will give you great relief when you need it most. Yes, you have probably seen some wild claims by a few companies. They try to convince you their magic ointment is how to get rid of cold sores.

You give it a try and, again, you find it does not work.

To really understand how to get rid of cold sores, your first step is to know what causes them. Once you do this, then you will see how these proven methods work. You will get much better results this way.

An oral herpes event - often called a cold sore or fever blister - is created by the herpes simplex virus. It comes in two flavors - type 1 and type 2. Either one causes similar sores.

This virus infects nearly 90% of the world population. Not only is it very contagious, but very durable. It lives for a lifetime in the nerve fibers near the original infection area.

For most of your life, the cold sore virus is asleep and not making trouble. In fact, a third of the people infected will never get a cold sore. The other two-thirds will get at least one a year - often more.

When you feel stress, your immunity will fade. This gives the herpes virus the opportunity to become active. From its hiding spot in the nerve roots, the virus will go to the surface, enter cells there, and create new virus.

Once full of new virus copies, the cells burst open and release them. All these close cells bursting open creates the oral herpes cold sore you see and feel.

Now your body has the chore of building new skin and cells to replace the destroyed ones.

How quickly you heal will depend on your health and energy level. Availability of the necessary building materials also determines speed of healing. Primarily we are talking about vitamins, minerals and certain proteins.

Our main purpose right now is to explain how to get rid of cold sores that you have currently active. However, you will also see how to prevent future oral herpes cold sore events.

1. FIRST WARNING OF IMPENDING COLD SORE

The first warnings of a cold sore is a burning, tingling sensation. If you treat it early, you can delay (or sometimes prevent) the cold sore from appearing. This saves having to endure the repair process.

Now you should act quickly and apply ice - or anything cold. It is like giving the virus a cold shower. It discourages the virus from replicating. This trick will definitely slow down, if not stop, oral herpes cold sore outbreaks.

2. COLD SORE CLEANSING IS CRITICAL FOR QUICK HEALING

It is no secret that your body knows how to get rid of cold sores. One way your body does this is by creating a thick fluid to wash away as much of the new oral herpes virus as possible.

This is where you can really help.

Do this by washing the sore as often as possible. Use alcohol or peroxide soaked tissues or cotton balls. You will help your body get rid of millions of virus particles. At the same time, you will prevent secondary bacterial infection.

3. HELP YOUR BODY REPAIR THE COLD SORE DESTRUCTION

Here is a little known tactic. Once the sore has burst open, no longer use ice if possible. It will slow healing. Instead, start applying heat. This will cause more healing blood to rush to the area.

Warm, black tea bags are wonderful for this treatment. They are cheap and convenient. Tea also provides micro-nutrients that aid in cell protection and repair. Discard each tea bag after use.

Boil the tea bags, do not microwave them. Microwave radiation is very damaging to the healing micro-nutrients in the tea (and in any food). The longer you apply heat the better. 10 to 20 minute sessions are recommended.

These methods have proven very effective for those seeking to learn how to get rid of cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes. But you may need or want to learn even more tips, tricks and tactics.

Shape And Firm Your Lower Body; Squats

Shape And Firm Your Lower Body; Squats

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How To Do Squats – Thighs and buttocks are problem areas for women. Squat exercises for women are the best exercises to shape up these problem areas. A well toned body, increased fitness, energy and better health all begins with added lean muscle gains. Adding lean muscle increases the basic metabolism rate of the body. This causes you to burn a higher percentage of calories throughout the day and into the night. Meaning that even as you sleep, your muscles are helping to keep you trim and slim. The lower body has massive amounts of metabolism increasing potential. The best and most efficient way to tap into this is by doing heavy legwork. Not machine leg curls or leg presses but with squats. Bar on the back, sweat producing, breath taking and heart pounding squats.

Naming the squat the king of all exercises is not without foundation; just look at a few of the benefits of this powerful fat burning exercise.

Benefits Of Squats

* Lean muscle mass is increased
* Basic metabolism is faster
* Your general physical fitness and work capacity are positively improved
* Mental and physical energy levels are amplified
* You will sleep better
* Body fat will be lowered
* Endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers are released into your body
* The heavy load on your shoulders, back and legs helps to make your bones stronger by increasing their mineral density
* The connective tissues of your body adapt to the load and in turn become stronger and better able to tolerate the additional stress of the weight

The main muscles targeted by the squat:

* quadriceps,
* calves,
* hamstrings,
* glutes,
* hip flexors, and the
* lower back

If you have ever done a set of heavy squats then you will know that the majority of the weight is handled by the upper thighs or the quadriceps. This is important to know as during the upward motion you need to keep the weight on this part of the leg and not let yourself lean forward or back.

Squats have been blamed for nearly every body ailment in the book due to misinformation and incorrect squatting style. As in all new exercises, if you have not been squatting consistently in the past now is the time to talk to your doctor and get their opinion as to whether or not squatting will benefit you, considering your current health situation. As a lifter, you need to know the correct technique to do any exercise. Some are more tolerant of movement breakdowns than others-the squat is one that is not as forgiving of mistakes in form. Therefore, the following is a mini guide to a successful squat. Each one of the following is a contributor to a successful and correct squat.

At all times during the squat your head should be pulled back, your chest raised and you should have a slight arch in your lower back. You should always be looking straight ahead, and at no time should you be leaning too far forward, or be looking up or down.

Step up to the bar, placing your hands at about the same width as a bench press. Before clearing the bar, make sure it is placed evenly along your traps. The bar should rest on the lower portion of your traps and across your rear delts. It should almost feel as if the bar is going to roll off your back.

Now that you have cleared the bar, take only as many steps back as necessary. Most squat injuries occur when backing up, so make sure that you only back up as far as you need to. Your feet should be placed about shoulder width apart or slightly wider, and they should point out at a 45-degree angle.

Take a big, deep breath, and make your descent. You should not lower yourself straight down, but rather as if you were sitting in a chair behind you. At all times your knee must remain in line with your feet, and they should never bow in. Lower yourself until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground.

As soon as you have reached the bottom position, rise up immediately. Do not relax in the bottom position! Drive up with your heels and straighten your back as quickly as possible. Once you are in the upright position again, take another deep breath, and continue the lift until you have completed the desired number of reps.

Squats as you can see are not just for men. Ladies the squat is a must do exercise for you too. Squats will shape and firm your lower body faster than any other exercise. And beyong the lean muscle gains you can get a great fat burning cardio workout with them.

Getting Ripped Abs; Sprint Workouts

Interval Training workouts

Getting Ripped Abs; Sprint Workouts

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Sprint workouts are one of the best fat burning workouts you can do. Yes, really.

Have you ever seen a fat sprinter? Me, either. I set fat marathon runners all the time, though. Sure, they don’t look fat when you glance at them. What I mean is, too much of the (little) weight they carry, is fat, not muscle. While their overall weight may be okay, the body composition of that weight isn’t always what it should be. They burn too much muscle.

But not sprinters. If you want to shed fat at a record pace and keep your lean muscle and your metabolism revving, sprint workouts are the way to go for getting ripped abs.

You also have to be careful. Sprinting all out on a flat surface can be a great way to injure yourself, especially if you don’t warm up properly.

image; blondeponytail.com

One way to limit the risk of injury (and it can be a more intense, more effective workout, too) is to perform your sprints uphill, instead of on a flat surface.

If you don’t have a hill around that’s convenient, a flat place to sprint (on a track, or a field, not the hard cement or concrete of a road or sidewalk) will do just fine.

You’ll also want to limit your sprint efforts to 85 – 90% of your all out effort. Believe me, it will be enough.

Before a sprint workout, I’ll hit a light jog for a few minutes (if I’m sprinting on a field like a soccer or football field, I’ll jog a couple of laps around the outside) or perform a couple of minutes of jump rope.

Then it’s a few bodyweight exercises like jumping jacks and bodyweight squats.

All this doesn’t need to be long or intense but you want to prepare your body for sprinting.

I’ll then hit my workout, which begins with three or four (progressively harder) sprints of about 30 to 40 yards. Then I’ll start the real thing. These are warm ups. You shouldn’t be bent over hands on your knees exhausted!

    “Interval training stresses energy systems in the body that aren’t accustomed to being used,” says Jeramie Hinojosa, M.S., director of the East Texas Medical Center Olympic Center, in Tyler, Texas. “Blood supply to cells increases, the cells use oxygen more efficiently, and the enzymes that help create energy also increase. This improves fitness.”

In addition, the recover process from intense interval training forces the body to continue to burn fat for energy, which means a significant increase in post workout calorie burning.

Keep in mind, serious sprint workouts are similar to intense weight training sessions for the legs, so your body needs time to recover. If you start doing multiple sprinting sessions per week, cut back on your leg workouts with weights accordingly.

There are numerous ways to perform not only sprinting sessions, but interval training in general, from work to rest ratio, length of work and rest intervals, number of interval ‘set’s, exercises involved, etc.

Besides the variety, you can also build on your sprint workouts as you improve your overall fitness level. Starting out, you might only be able to perform 2 or 3 sprints of 20 yards before calling it quits. But your fitness levels will quickly improve and before you know it, you’ll be doing more sprints of longer length (not necessarily for longer time as your speed will improve as well).

Even so, don’t let these training sessions expand into long, volume oriented workouts. When it comes to hiit training, a little bit goes a long way.

If you aren’t ready for high intensity interval training, here’s a sample progression for you:

    Alternate jogging with walking
    Alternate running with jogging
    Alternate sprints with walking
    Alternate sprints uphill with walking down the hill

If you don’t have access to a hill, you can still adjust the parameters like I mentioned above. Maybe you start out with 3 to 4 sprints of 20 yards.

First you add intervals until you are doing 10 sprints of 20 yards and then you drop back the number of sprint intervals to 4 or 5 and sprint for 30 yards.

Eventually, you may be doing 10 60 yard sprints for your workouts. Yes, it’s the same type of progression ladder you’d use to increase your weights in your weight training routines.

* During your sprint workouts, you don’t need to go all out. Try sprinting around 85 – 90% of a maximum effort.

I’ll add more specific sprint workouts in a future article.

Jump Rope Workout

JUmp Rope workouts

Jump Rope Workout

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A jump rope workout is a fantastic way to burn a lot of calories, improve your overall conditioning, and use as part of a metabolic resistance training program for some serious fat loss.

Two great things about jumping rope is you can take it anywhere and you don’t need a lot of room to get in a great jump rope workout.

You can also use the jump rope as part of your training program, whether you’re using weights or just using bodyweight exercises in your training.

You’ll get a lot more out of jump rope exercises that’s only 10 minutes long than you will doing 45 minutes on the stationary bike the way most people do.

If trying to jump rope for 10 or even 5 minute straight is daunting for you at this point, a great way to get started is using the Tabata Protocol of performing an exercise for 20 seconds as hard as you can, rest for 10 seconds and then repeat.

You do this 8 times for a total of 4 minutes of working out (less, since one third of that time is resting)!

Once you can do that, try adding a second cycle of the Tabata Protocol. Do 8 sets of 20/10, rest 1 to 2 minutes and then do it again.

Once you can do this, you can start adding more time to your jump rope workout and also start adding different techniques like jumping on one foot for 10 jumps, then switching feet, alternating feet, doing double jumps, etc.

But get the regular old two feet jump rope down first!

You can also combine jumping rope with other bodyweight exercises. Here’s an example:

    30 seconds – Push ups
    30 seconds – Jump Rope
    30 seconds – Lunge
    30 seconds – Jump Rope
    30 seconds – Medicine Ball Chop
    Rest 2 minutes. Perform 3 to 5 sets

Another great way to use the jump rope is to incorporate it into your resistance training sessions, whether you’re using bodyweight exercises or weights, or both.

Instead of resting between all your sets, do some cardio, like jumping rope! You’ll burn a ton more calories. I’ll go into more detail on this technique in a future article.

Oh, and if you think a jump rope workout is boring or easy (who can’t jump rope, right?) then check this out.

Training Secret for Lean Muscle And Flat Abs

Fat Loss Fitness Tips Flat Abs HIIT Interval Training

Training Secret for Lean Muscle And Flat Abs

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HIIT training has really exploded in popularity in the last few years. And with good reason. High intensity interval training works! But if you want HIIT training to work for you, you need to know how to make it part of your exercise routine.

You see, long, slow, boring cardio isn’t the best way to lose fat and bring out that sexy, lean muscle you have hidden under there. Don’t get me wrong, old fashioned cardio can be part of an overall program that helps you burn fat, but the “bang for your buck” isn’t as great as hiit.

If you don’t know what hiit is, in its most basic form, you performs short bursts of high intensity exercise (like sprints), with brief periods of rest. For example, you might sprint the straightaway of a track and slow jog the turns and repeat for 8 or 10 “sets.”

It’s not an easy way to work out, but your workouts will be shorter and you’ll love the results. IF you do HIIT correctly. And this is where a lot of people run into problems with interval training.

Regular cardio doesn’t burn nearly as many calories as most people think it does. Want to know how many calories are burned during a marathon of 26.2 miles? Sure, it varies from person to person based on body weight, lean muscle mass, how fast you run, etc. but on average a marathoner burns about 2,500 to 3,500 calories running one marathon.

There are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat. Let’s say that’s how many calories you would burn running a marathon. So if you eat the exact number of calories your metabolism burns off in a week all you have to do is add a marathon every week and you’ll drop a pound a week!

Image by Huffinftonpost

That sounds great, doesn’t it? There’s also the small problem that a good percentage of that weight would be muscle, you wouldn’t lose just fat. Have you seen what a marathon runner looks like? Is that the body you want? I didn’t think so.

And that’s assuming that your calorie intake and calorie burn are equal. Most people start exercising because they’ve gained weight, ie, are eating more calories than they are burning off.

And let’s face it, if you did run a marathon every week, we both know you’d be eating a lot more than you are right now!

So if you don’t want to run a marathon or two every week AND you actually want to get results from your exercise program, what’s left? HIIT Training, of course!

With interval training, you get a one two punch of calories burned DURING your workout, as well as calories burned AFTER your workout (up to 39 hours!)!

Due to the high intensity nature of HIIT training, you will see an increase in excess post exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). What this means is that your metabolism will stay elevated for many hours after you are finished the exercise, allowing you to burn more calories even while doing nothing.

There is little to no EPOC from a low intensity session, meaning your metabolism does not rise, and you burn few, if any calories after the exercise session is over (R. Bahr, et al., “Effect of Intensity on Exercise and Excess Post-Exercise O2 Consumption,” Metabolism 40.8 (1991): 836-841.)

Another study had individuals perform either an endurance training (ET) or interval training routine for a period of 15 weeks.

The interval training group experienced 9 times as much fat loss as those performing the endurance training program (A. Tremblay, et al, “Impact on Exercise Intensity on Body Fatness and Skeletal Muscle Metabolism,” Metabolism 43.7 (1994):814-818)

Numerous studies have shown that hiit increases both one’s aerobic and anaerobic workout capacity while endurance training just improves the former. It has also been shown that intense interval training actually increases aerobic capacity to a better degree than traditional low intensity aerobics (G. Rhodas, et al, “A Short Training Programme for the Rapid Improvement of Both Aerobic and Anaerobic Metabolism,” European Journal of Applied Physiology 82.5-6 (2000):480-486)

So how do you use HIIT training effectively?

This is very important, because improper training will lead to over training, burn out, injury, a loss of muscle mass and a slower metabolism!

My guess is you aren’t working out and eating right to get those kind of results!

Interval training is intense, and while you will improve your aerobic and endurance capacity, you also highly tax your anaerobic system as well.

It’s much more like a weight training workout, as far as how it affects your muscles.

This means you shouldn’t do interval training workouts more than 3 or 4 times per week, you shouldn’t do them two days in a row, and these interval workouts should NOT be long!

Interval training focuses on quality over quantity. Forget 45 minute or 60 minute sessions. Now with hiit you don’t.

Heck, the most famous study done on interval training, by Dr. Tabata on speed skaters, involved all out work for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times. Yes, that’s a FOUR MINUTE WORKOUT!

And the speed skaters all significantly improved their aerobic and anaerobic capacity. One of the other great things about hiit is that you do not need equipment.

Sure, you can do it quite well on a stationary bike or treadmill but you can also go outside and do sprints (hill sprints rock!), perform jump rope workouts (okay, technically that’s a piece of equipment) or do bodyweight exercises, either in a circuit training routine, or just one killer exercise like burpees for a number of intervals.

And if you follow the rule above about limiting your hiit workout sessions so you don’t over train, you also won’t have to worry about burning away your lean muscle mass, wreaking havoc with your metabolism and looking like a marathon runner. Wouldn’t you rather look like a sprinter? What type of workout do you think sprinters do? That’s right! HIIT training!

Add two or three HIIT training sessions a week, along with a good quality weight training program and you’re on your way to fat burning, lean muscle building success!

How To Do The Kettlebell Swing

How To Do The Kettlebell Swing

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The Kettlebell swing is called by some the best fat loss exercise there is. I love doing the swing myself and as far as it being “the best” exercise for fat burning? I don’t know that there is one best exercise you can do but I will absolutely put the kettlebell swing in my top 4 of fat burning exercises. The Swing is the foundation of all kettlebell exercises.

Here is a little side note about kettlebell exercises: ” Kettlebell workouts burn 20.2 calories per minute, that’s double spinning (9.8 calories per minute) and that’s double traditional boot camp workouts (9.9 calories per minute). So if you are on the fence about kettlebells you may want to rethink signing up for that spinning class again”.

Benefits Of The Kettlebell Swing

1) Swings develop the important posterior chain muscles of the body such as the hamstrings, glutes, core and back

2) Swings work the abs and strengthen the core muscles

3) Swings are great for cardio conditioning and fat loss. More and more studies are concluding that greater  fat burning happens when your workouts are done at higher intensity levels rather than long slow endurance type training.

4) Kettlebell swings train the back from the lower back all the way to traps. They train all the muscles together giving you a great functional workout.

That list is not all inclusive but you get the idea. Learn the Kettlebell swing! And it just so happens we have one of the leading kettlebell experts to show us how. The Kettlebell Queen aka Lauren Brooks has a video to show you how to do the swing properly

So there we have one of the best fat burning exercises you can do. Seriously get yourself a kettlebell learn the proper technique for using them (and I think you can see it’s not at all complicated) and in a couple of weeks of use you will be thanking me. Too much Muscle? Yea I Don't Think So For those of you who still think (and there are plenty of you out there) that using kettlebells or weight training you will build overly large muscles take a look at our 2 experts Shawna and Lauren, do you really need anymore proof about that old wives tale? Just my opinion but they look pretty good to me. Except for all those Hulking Muscles of course.

Save Time And Maximize Your Fat Loss Workouts

Save Time And Maximize Your Fat Loss Workouts

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Let’s set the record straight and get you started. Here is The Real Truth about what exercises you should be doing to maximize your workout time.

There is a myth about Fat burning exercises that they should be done slow and for long periods (check out the aerobics classes of the 1980″s and we are still a fat society go figure). The body burns a large amount of calories from fat when you do high intensity fat burning exercises in short bursts with minimal rest periods.

What you must keep in mind is that the more muscles you use at one time, the more fat you are going to start burning. This is how rapid fat loss can be achieved and your optimal weight can be kept. Maximize your workout time by using weight training, kettlebells and bodyweight exercises which are perfect  fat burners. These exercises give you the edge to making your fat loss attempts more successful.

Concentrating on total body exercises involve the major muscle groups of the body which in turn burns more calories long after your workout is over.

Here are some examples of Total Body Fat Burning Exercises:

* Barbell Squats – Front and Back Squats

* Deadlifts

* Kettlebell Swings (if you are not familiar with the swing click the link for Lauren’s article and demo)

* Kettlebell Snatch

* Burpee’s

* Jump Rope

Some forms of exercise actually burn more sugar than they do fat. Exercises that burn sugar are mainly comprised of long duration physical activity followed by periods of rest. This results in sugar being converted for fuel instead of being converted to fat.

These types of exercises include hour long treadmill, and the long aerobics type classes I mentioned earlier. Now I will say this if doing those kinds of workouts is what gets you exercising, well something is better than nothing.

However, they will not burn nearly as much fat as other types of exercise will. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do them of course. Just don’t rely on them as your main fat burning exercises. If you want to burn the fat off in an effective way you need to exercise at a high intensity for short burst’s of time with minimal rest in between. The after effects of this type of fat burning workout give’s you more benefits in the long run.

Fat burning exercises like these actually increase your metabolism and result in calories being burned long after you have quit exercising for the day. When you practice this routine on a regular basis you can actually develop more fat burning enzymes than people who don’t exercise at all. All it takes is about twenty minutes of this type of physical activity and those enzymes start working. This is an important piece of information to keep in mind when you first start. 

This means you should begin by working out at least twenty minutes and increase the time as you progress. Three days a week for your fat burning workouts is a good starting goal and also add in 2-3 strength training workouts a week. While you are working toward reducing the amount of body fat you have you should also do your best to stick to a healthy eating plan.. By combining a healthy diet with the right fat burning exercises you will obtain the results you have been looking for that will be easy to maintain for the rest of your life. 

For the quickest and healthiest path to lose fat, do the right fat burning exercises (squats, deadlifts, pull-ups etc.). your healthy eating plan should be spaced over 5-6 a day, no junk food, eat non processed foods. Be active everyday (it could be just going for a quick walk). So there are the key steps to fat burning success so let’s get it done!

Carbohydrates To Maximize Fat Burning

Carbohydrates To Maximize Fat Burning

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The truth is, not all carbohydrate foods are created equally. Your body reacts differently from carb to carb. 

Carbohydrates Not All Carbs Are Created Equally


The glycemic index or GI describes this difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect
on our blood glucose levels.

Here is the the glycemic index range:

Low GI = 55 or less
Medium GI = 56 – 69
High GI = 70 or more

You may have heard of insulin.  However, there is another important hormone called Glucagon that you may not have heard of.

When you eat high sugary foods (High GI), your blood sugar rises.  Insulin is released in your blood stream to store glucose to glycogen but at the same time surpresses the production of Glucagon.

Glucagon is a hormone responsible for releasing fat from fat cells into the bloodstream to be used as energy. That is what you want.  You cannot maximize fat burning without releasing glucagon.

So the real key is to keep your blood sugar low to constantly produce glucagon. Let’s put it together:

Low GI foods = High production of Glucagon = Fat Burning

The next natural question is what foods are low in GI?

Here is just a small list of low GI foods (below 55) that should be staples of your diet: 

Fruits:
-Plums
-Grapefruit
-Cherries
-Peaches
-Apples
-Prunes
-Dried apricots

Vegetables
-Frozen grean peas
-Raw carrots
-Egg plant
-Brocolli
-Cauliflower
-Cabbage
-Mushrooms
-Tomatoes
-Green beans

Others
-Brown rice
-Yams
-Sweet potato
-Quinoa
-Lentils (Red/Green)
-Navy beans
-Butter beans

Snacks
-Hummus
-Peanuts
-Walnuts
-Cashew nuts
-Corn chips
-Nutella

That is just a small list of foods that are low in Glycemic Index.

Remember, control your blood sugar and your body will burn fat all day long.  Don’t be surprised when you also have more  energy too, when you start eliminating foods that are high in Glycemic index.

The Kettlebell Queen Teaches The Kettlebell Clean

body workouts Fitness Tips Ketteble Clean

The Kettlebell Queen Teaches The Kettlebell Clean

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Lauren Brooks Explains How To Do The Kettlebell Clean.

The kettlebell clean is a basic kettlebell exercise that should be a part of our Burn and Firm workouts. Mastering this exercise will allow you to do other kettlebell exercises such as the clean, push and press or the overhead press. The key to this move is to use the hips and legs to help drive the weight up. The Kettlebell Clean is a great ballistic kettlebell exercise that utilizes the entire body. And keep in mind any exercise that uses the entire body is great for lean muscle, fat burning and cardio conditioning.  Like many kettlebell exercises, the Kettlebell Clean has several variations that increase the difficulty level.

For today we are going to learn the basic One Arm Kettlebell Clean.




Similar To The Swing The Start Position For The Clean:

Feet shoulder width apart

Toes pointing out 30 degrees.

How To Begin The Kettlebell Clean

Start with a little swing to get some momentum going. You are using a one-handed grip on a single bell for this movement. However, as you begin the swing upward, you are going to shrug your shoulder and “pull” with your body/back the bell up to you. (The movement itself is difficult to describe.)

Kettlebell Clean The End Position

The end position is you holding the bell in the “rack” position–the bell resting on your forearm, your forearm tucked close to your body, and your fist near your midline.

Getting it there is the trick. You want the bell to remain close to your body on the swing up. Instead of thinking “clean it to the shoulder” (which is what you are trying to do), think about this mental cue throughout the movement to keep it tight and close to you: “clean it to your stomach.”

Key Points:

• Starting position and initial movement is the same as the swing
• As you initiate a forceful hip drive, let your shoulder shrug and guide the kettlebell up to you
• Keep the bell close to your body. On the bell’s way up to you, your elbow should be tight and close to your body–this helps control the bell
• Rack quickly and bend your knees to absorb the shock until you get used to the movement
• At the rack position, your hand should be near your midline and below your chin, with your arm tight against your body, and the belly resting on your forearm and part of your upper arm.

Thanks Lauren for another lean muscle fat burning exercise to add to our Burn And Firm workout arsenal.

How To Do Deadlifts The Right Way

How To Do Deadlifts The Right Way

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How To Do Deadlifts The Right Way.

And before I get started here Yes women should do deadlifts and I am about to show you why.  A properly executed deadlift works all of the major muscles in the lower body, including the lower back, legs, and butt. The deadlift is one of my favorites.

The main reason is the functional strength you get from doing it. What I mean is unlike any other lift the dead builds strength we use in our everyday lives. Think about how many times you bend down to pick things up off the floor (mom’s I know you know what I mean), picking up your kids etc. The total body strength gains from doing deads are like no other exercise.

Benefits Of Doing The Deadlift:

1) Core Stability – It builds core stability. The deadlift directly targets all of the major muscle groups responsible for correct posture and core strength. The deadlift will also strengthen all the surrounding supporting muscles of the waist, backside, hips and, of course, lower back.

2) Total Body Exercise – it works more muscles simultaneously than any other exercise.

3) Cardio Fitness – It helps to develop cardio respiratory fitness. Like the squat, deadlifts will severely tax the cardio respiratory system if done with enough intensity, high intensity deadlifts aerobically tax the body big time.

4) Functional Real World Strength – ( I mentioned it above but again) Carrying the grocery bags, moving a piece of furniture, picking up your kids the master the deadlift and with your added strength gains common everyday tasks will be easier.

5) Burn More Fat – (see #2) The more muscles an exercise uses the more of a metabolic response in the body equalling more fat loss.

 

 How To Deadlift:

1. When starting out, practice with a light weight until you get the right form.
2. Brace your abs. Breathe out on the way up. Never hold your breath.
3. Use the mixed overhand-underhand grip for heavier weights. This grip provides some reassurance that heavier weights will not slip from the hands.
4. Keep the back straight with no rounding at the shoulders and spine. Keep those hips down, butt out.
5. The bar should travel close to the body for maximum lift efficiency and safety.
6. The key to the lifting process for beginners is to lift with the legs and not the arms and shoulders, although their stabilizing role is no less important. What you want to do is drive through your heels on the way up.

The deadlift is too often ignored in general fitness weight training, especially by women. For men and women wanting to build good looking legs and backside, the deadlift joins the squat as a premier exercise and can go some way toward replacing the squat for those who find balancing heavy weights on inflexible shoulders not to their liking.

Give it a go. Deadlifts are one of my favorite lifts. They have been a key exercise in my workouts for as long as I can remember.Yes they are that good.

If you are still skeptical about using exercises like Squats and Deadlifts I want you to go read

Benefits of sunlight for health

Aerobic Cardio Health And Fitness

Benefits of sunlight for health

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All elements of life on earth depends on solar energy. Including plants, animals, and humans. Sunlight is necessary for plant photosynthesis, converting carbon (carbon) dioxide into oxygen (oxygen), change the water and inorganic minerals into organic substances, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. In other words, life would cease without the presence of sunlight.Dr. Mark Levy, director of the San Francisco Foundation of Psychoanalysis states, "For those with mild cases, thirty minutes of exercise out in the morning sun may be all that is needed to keep the winter blues at bay." It was the influence of sunlight to health us, with 30 minutes to move the body in the morning sun, SAD symptoms will disappear.

Some Benefits of Sunlight

In addition to treating Seasonal Affective Disorder, sunlight also has many other benefits such as:

1) Generate vitamin D.

Some cholesterol is deposited under the skin. When ultraviolet rays entered filtration through the skin, it is converted to cholesterol deposits vitamin D.

2) Reduce blood sugar levels.

Sunlight acts as insulin in which the absorption of sugar by the body's cells accelerated. So the body is stimulated to convert blood sugar (glucose) into a form of sugar that is stored in the liver and muscles (glycogen), thereby reducing blood sugar levels.

3) Kill bacteria.

Sunlight has the ability to kill germs such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Even H.G. Ainsleigh states in Preventive Medicine, that sunlight can suppress the abnormal growth of a variety of cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma, breast cancer and colon cancer. A researcher made an experiment using petri dishes spawned the growth of bacteria in it. Half of the petri dishes were closed and the other half dried directly in the sun. Apparently ½ closed petri dishes showed that bacteria growing more rapidly, while the other half were exposed to sunlight at all no more bacteria growth. All germs are in the affected area to direct sunlight destroyed by sunlight. This experiment really has tremendous implications for application in every home. It is a healthy habit when you open wide the windows in your home and let the sunlight into your rooms. In a certain time, the sun is going to destroy the germs that are in the dust either in a window or on the floor of your room.

4) Helping to build and repair bones.

With elevated levels of vitamin D in your body caused by sun exposure, there will be much calcium is absorbed. This will help build and repair bones and preventing diseases such as rickets and osteomalacia.

5) Increase the function of immune cells.

Solar radiation increases lymphocytes, gamma globulin, and the rising influence of immune cells can be up to 3 weeks old. When you get ultraviolet irradiation for 10 minutes 1-2 times per week the possibility of a common cold can be reduced as much as 30-40%. Germs in the air within 2.5 meters from ultraviolet rays, can be destroyed in 10 minutes. However, irradiation with ultraviolet irradiation with costs while the sun is free.

6) Increase aerobic fitness.

The sun's rays increase the blood's capacity to carry oxygen to body tissues. Thus there will be more oxygen can be delivered to the muscles when you exercise. Other additional factors contribute to the increase in aerobic fitness is a rising presence of glycogen in the liver and muscle after exposure to solar radiation. It is useful to move the body in the sun.

7) Influence of serotonin production.

When you exercise in the sun it will pineal gland is stimulated to produce serotonin, which will raise your mood. Rao & Muller says that serotonin prevents depression and feelings of fatigue.

8) Increasing levels of melatonin at night.

Additionally, researchers in Finland found that rats 'exercise' in the sun has almost 4 ½ times the levels of melatonin at night compared with mice that 'work' under artificial light. The power light outdoors on a sunny day can reach about 3000 lux, being in a brightly lit behind closed doors only to 400 lux. Obviously to be healthy does not necessarily have to work out in the gymnasium room (unless you need a friend to exercise together). Not only the cost is expensive, but also in terms of profits, more reduced than exercising in the sun.

The hormone melatonin is a hormone produced by the night by the pineal gland. Its function is to hold the other gonadal function, brain electrical activity and thyroid function, so you can sleep soundly. Other properties of melatonin is a free radical scavenger powerful even five times more potent than glutathione. In addition, melatonin can slow the aging process. Please note that the plasma levels of melatonin at night change according to one's age. In (i) of children aged 1-3 years (250 pg / ml), (ii) adolescents aged 8-15 years (120pg/ml), (iii) adults aged 20-27 years (70pg/ml), ( iv) parents aged 67-84 years (30pg/ml). Clearly we can see that the production of melatonin decreases as more advanced age. Moreover, melatonin is left gland through simple osmosis, so we can not rely on melatonin produced the day before for today's needs.
Therefore we need to always work out in the sun every day should be in accordance with the recommendations of The Center for Disease Control and the American College of Sports Medicine.This discovery confirms the written advice of Mrs. White in Ministry of Healing p. 275, "The power decreases as we age further enhanced, so that the body's vitality declined to fight the effects of unhealthy living: therefore even more parents need plenty of sunlight and fresh air."
For those who live in a place that has four seasons, the best time to bask in the sun is as follows, in the winter (winter) before 11:00 am or after 1:00 pm, while in the summer (summer ) before 9:00 am or after 4:00 in the evening. Whereas those who live in Indonesia, the sun itself is best before 9:00 am and after 4:00 in the afternoon. If you forget these instructions, remember that the best time is shortly after dawn or when the sun will set. The reason is that at the time of sunrise and began to rise steadily, the light becomes more intense because the reduced atmosphere and more permeable to ultraviolet light. The higher the sun is to a certain point, more direct exposure to sunlight is the point.That is why it is better to get the sun shines when light waves are long and not short. Because when the sun right above our heads, it is likely to get skin cancer is greater. Keep in mind also, that those who are light skinned 5 minutes per day of sun is enough to get 400 units of vitamin D (U.S. RDA is 400 units per day), medium dark skin require six times as much to produce vitamin D in the same amount.

Tea and Coffee for Stroke Prevention

Health And Fitness Stroke Prevention

Tea and Coffee for Stroke Prevention

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Tea and Coffee for Stroke Prevention

Located between the two options, tea or coffee? Drinking just two, taste different and have the 'power with' in preventing stroke. A 13-year study reveals how both drinks can reduce the risk of stroke significantly.

Drinking a cup of black coffee a day reduces the risk of stroke by 20 percent. These effects can also be obtained by drinking at least four cups of green tea a day. The study was conducted in 84 thousand citizens of Japan for more than 13 years.

"This is the first large-scale study to determine the effects of the combination of green tea and coffee in terms of reducing the risk of stroke. Smaller changes can help you reduce the risk of attack," said Dr. Yoshihiro Kokubo, of Japan's National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center.

Catechin compounds in green tea are believed to protect the blood vessels and maintain in good working condition. While the content of chlorogenic acid in coffee, and caffeine can prevent stroke because it lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes.

"Drinking coffee and tea regularly have much positive impact on cardiovascular health because it can prevent the formation of blood clots," said Dr.. Kokubo.

For the daily dish, you can drink coffee and alternately between green tea. Make sure both are served correctly and not too much sugar. Both the coffee and green tea.

3 Ways to Maximize Benefits of Tea

Food Health And Fitness Health motivation High Blood Pressure Supplements Vitamins

3 Ways to Maximize Benefits of Tea

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Three Ways to Maximize Benefits of Tea
Tea has long been known to contain compounds that are beneficial to health. As an example of the flavonoid in green tea is useful as a powerful antioxidant.

Consuming tea is certainly a good habit. However, if you consume tea properly? Consuming tea the wrong way can actually reduce the benefits of antioxidants in your body. For that, consider the following tips to maximize the benefits of tea as reported Fitsugar pages.

- Brewing correct.

Strong tea increases antioxidant content. Therefore, if you are using tea bags, do not be too quick draw your tea bag. The important thing is to make sure you Menyeduhnya properly so that you can get the maximum benefit.

If you're concerned about high doses of caffeine in a cup of strong tea, choose decaffeinated tea. Although it has been processed and eliminated caffeine, decaffeinated tea antioxidants in the still quite high.

- Do not add milk.

Adding milk to your tea may make a more delicious taste. However, if you are looking for the benefits of tea in particular its strength in the fight against the disease, avoid adding milk to your tea cup. Many studies show that milk lowers health effects of tea. Even soy milk also can reduce the benefits of tea.

- Add lemon.

Some foods can increase the levels of antioxidants contained in tea. To that, add fruits such as lemon or lime juice in your tea. Citrus fruits are proven to maximize the benefits of catechin contained in green tea. Besides honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg is also good added to the tea.