Healthy Living Life Guide

Healthy Food Nutrients for Well-Being

2010-03-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

It is becoming increasingly difficult to get adequate

nourishment from our food, and most of us are

unaware of what foods we put into our mouths.

Without realizing it, we deprive ourselves of the

proper nutritional balance the body must have to

function to its full potential.

Here are few but essential food nutrients and

eating guidelines that can help you improve your

eating habit as well as your body to function properly:

1. You need fluids: Water is the BEST way to

obtain fluids. Other good fluids include “fresh”

squeezed juices, herb teas, and clear sodas. Coffee

and tea are permissible in small amounts, when other

drinks are not available.

2. You need whole natural-complex carbohydrates:

You can get these nutrients from fruits and berries

(one or two servings a day), vegetables (five or six servings a day),

and grains (one or two servings daily). At least half of your vegetables

should be eaten raw. Eat nuts and seeds (lentils, dry beans, garbanzos, peas, etc.)

3. You need protein: Protein that comes from a living

source is much more likely to be balanced. You can be

certain of obtaining a good balance if you mix various

sources of protein. Eggs, nuts, seeds, grains, legumes,

sprouted seeds, low-fat meats, fish, chicken, and turkey

are the best sources of protein.

4. You need vitamins and minerals: These essential

elements are found best in vegetables, fruits, whole grains,

and nuts. I think supplementation is necessary for every body,

since it is unlikely anyone can obtain sufficient amounts of

these life-sustaining essentials without supplementation.

5. You need fats and oils: These should be in their liquid

forms and at room temperature. Soy, corn, linseed, peanut,

safflower, and sesame seed are the best oils.

6. You need adequate bulk: These can be obtained from

whole grains, whole fruits, seeds, nuts, and vegetables – preferably raw.

"If we eat unwisely, we may well be digging our graves with our teeth."

Unknown Author.

Flexibility Development Guidelines

2010-02-24T13:28:00.000-08:00

The ability to move your joints through their full
range is an asset that can be maintained throughout
life. As a child, you`re naturally flexible, but as you
age, flexibility tend to decrease.

Disuse, injury, excessive body fat, and muscle
imbalance are common factors in this loss of range
of motion. You can maintain youthful flexibility by
incorporating stretching into your regular workouts.

The following guidelines can help you achieve a
good balance of flexibility.

# Warm up before stretching: An increase in muscle
temperature produced by fast walking, slow jogging,
jumping jacks, or other large muscle exercise will
make stretching safer and more productive. You`re
sufficiently warmed up when you begin to sweat.

# After warm-up, use stretching as preparation for activity:
While some feel that stretching during warm-up
decreases risk of injury in the activity that follows,
there is no evidence that this is true.

Warm up stretching is different from planned program
of stretching for general flexibility. Warm-up stretching
can be limited to what is essential, avoiding overstretching.
Stretch muscle groups used in the activity, hold at
the point of tension for 5 to 10 seconds, and do not
push for flexibility increases. Any gains will be minimal
due to the tightening effect of the workout that follows.

# Stretch for flexibility during cool-down: Muscles
are warmest and more elastic at this point. Stretching
is easier. More permanent changes in muscle lengthening
occur with low-force, long-duration stretching if muscles
are allowed to cool in a stretching position.

Cooling muscles before releasing tension apparently
causes muscle collagen - the connective tissue, like
stretched taffy, to stabilize toward its new stretched length.

# Stop at the point of tension, not pain: Stretching
to the point of pain, or until muscles quiver can risk
overstretching injury.

# Don`t bounce: A sustained stretch is more effective.

# Incorporate 8 to 12 stretches into your program:
Since flexibility is specific to a joint, a well-planned
program for general flexibility will contain one stretch
for each major muscle group. Warm-up or cool-down
stretching may contain fewer exercises because such
stretching is activity specific and has different goals.

Pay particular attention to body areas that are least
flexible and stretch them more often.

# Strive for muscle balance: When stretching muscle
on one side of a joint, stretch those on the other side
as well; for example, if you stretch the right leg, stretch
the left leg, too.

''Success is the sum of small efforts,repeated
day in and day out''
Robert Collier.

Rest / Sleep - A Good Tonic for Well-Being

2010-02-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

There are many people who suffer from insomnia
- they just can`t sleep. To some extent this is due
to the high-pressure, tension-ridden world, we
have to live in, for greater part of the inability to
sleep lies in mind.

The biggest enemies are mental unrest, worry,
fear and anger. If someone has a problem, financial,
an argument with someone, misunderstanding with
a loved one, loss of property or the like, then it is
probably that sleep will not be induced as the problem
is turned over in the mind during sleep time.

There are ways to help gain your precious sleep.
Read a little, or play soft music in a dim airy room,
they should help. You remember the lullaby of a
mother or rocking her baby to a nursery rhyme
are the oldest example of many soft music to induce
sleep. Many do cover themselves with too much
bed clothing for comfort.

The following additional ideas can help you have
a good sleep or rest.

# Try to cultivate a positive attitude towards sleep.
Think of it as an enjoyable and pleasant part of
the 24-hour cycle of your life - therefore it is a
necessity and a must. You need to revitalize
your physical and mental powers through sleep.

# Establish a regular pattern of decreasing activity
as the time for sleep approaches. A warm bath or
reading may be part of the ritual. Give yourself
enough time to unwind.

# Use your daily exercise to reduce nervous
tension.

# After you`re in bed reduce the tension in the
body.

# Don`t panic when you feel you`re about to to have
a poor night sleep. Most people sleep much more
than they think even on a poor night.

# Learn not to probe your problems during
bed time.

Think of pleasant things and you`ll soon fall asleep.

Fitness Walking - It`s Benefits and Importance

2010-02-19T13:36:00.000-08:00

In this post are the general benefits that you`ll

gain after engaging yourself in an effective fitness
walking program.

Here is how walking regularly can benefit your health.

# It trims you down: As you`d expect, walking tones
your leg muscles so that they appear slimmer and
more muscular. And it`s no surprise that walking
also helps promote long-term weight loss. But the
benefits of pounding the pavement go beyond a
reduced fat. In fact, walking can send fat fleeing
from all parts of your body.

# It peps you up: In addition to trimming and toning
your body, walking shapes up your insides. It
benefits your circulatory system directly by
strengthening your heart and enhance the flow of
oxygen to your brain. And brain full of oxygenated
blood means higher spirits and extra get-up-and go.

# Makes your lungs active: Walking also gives your
lungs a workout, which makes your breathing and
metabolism more efficient. As a result, your overall
stamina and endurance will increase, and you`ll feel
more energized all day long. In addition, you`ll feel
better about yourself with every step you take because
you`ll feel and look better, too.

# It reduces your risk: If you have sedentary lifestyle
- if you`re someone who sits a lot, a walking program
can be your best health insurance policy - a policy
to prevent disease, and not pay for it`s treatment.
In addition to helping you reap the health benefits
of avoiding weight gain, walking can do a lot to
bring down slightly high blood pressure. Because
walking prompts blood vessels to widen up, your
blood can flow through them more easily, which
causes your pressure to drop.

Also, walking helps reduce stress - a definite plus
when high blood pressure is a problem.

# It lengthens your life span: For every hour you
walk, you can add an hour to your life. Walk
regularly, and you can strut your stuff for many
more years.

For all these reasons, strolling goes a long way
toward reducing your risk of developing heart disease.

“Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.”
Napoleon B.

Fitness Walking - Tips and Advice for Beginners

2010-02-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

You lead a very busy life. You run a lot of
errands - in your car. And you have little time to
exercise you body. If this sounds like you,
believe it or not you`re sedentary - you spend
a lot of time sitting down. And folks who don`t
exercise just don`t live as long as those who do.

The good news is that you don`t have to join a
gym or buy a bike to become more fit. You can
significantly improve your health - and keep your
mind and body young - simply by doing something
you learned as a kid: walking.

Just follow this simple step plan, and you`ll be
strolling down the road to better health.

# Get approval: If you haven`t exercise in a
while or have never walked for exercise, see a
doctor for a checkup and tell him/her about your
plans to begin a walking program.

# Draft a contract: To help you focus on your
goal - and then stick with it - write up a document
that states what you wan to accomplish. Include
when, where, how long and how often you`ll walk.
As you reach your goals, reward yourself with a
healthful treat such as a new pair of walking shoes.

# Choose good shoes: Walking may be the cheapest
form of transportation, but it`s not free. To
avoid injury and enhance enjoyment, you`ll need
to invest in a good pair of walking shoes. While
almost any type of athletic shoes will work, you
may want to try those made specifically for walking.

# Warm up: Stretching your muscles before walking
will decrease your risk of injuring them. Then
get your legs and body primed for action by
walking slowly for a few minutes.

# Take is easy and slow: At first, try walking
for 5 - to 10 minutes. Do this every day for a
week to get your muscles and feet accustomed
to the exercise. During the second week of your
walking program, take several 5 - to 10 minutes
walk throughout the day. This is less likely to
leave you with sore muscles or blister than if
you take one long walk.

Each week after that, gradually increase the
amount of time you walk until you`re walking
at least 30 to 40 minutes total per day, no fewer
than three times a week.

# Perfect your posture: When you walk, stand tall,
relax your shoulders and let your arms swing
naturally. Keep your pelvis tucked forward so your
lower back remains as straight as possible.

# Chart your course: When you begin your program,
walk at the same time and in the same place every
day, if possible. This will help get you into the habit
of walking. After a few weeks, you can vary your
route. If you`re walking at night, carry a flashlight
and wear light-colored or reflective clothing.

# Cool down: At the end of your walk, slow
your pace and wind down. Then follow the same
stretching routine you used for warming up.

# Keep an exercise journal: To track your progress,
write down how far and how long you walked
each day. You can also add inspiring quotes or
jot down what you saw or how you felt while walking.

# Listen to your body: When you first begin your
walking program, you may experience some fatigue
or find that you`re breathing harder or that your
heart`s pumping faster than usual. These changes
simply mean that your body is adjusting to your
new exercise routine. However, if you experience
any pain, stop exercising and see your doctor.
Above all, walking should be pain-free and fun.

READY, SET, WALK!

3 Easy Steps to Overcome Backache

2010-01-29T05:14:00.000-08:00

Many people are likely to be off work daily with
some kind of back trouble. It is believed that a
lot of these back-troubles or injuries are caused
through the increase effect of bad posture when
sitting or driving a car and when lifting objects.

There is the need to maintain, through exercise
a flexible spine(the long cervical bone at your back)
with strong and firm back muscles. One cannot feel
well and full of life if the back muscles are weak.

Below this post are very simple but effective illustrated
exercises to help overcome a weak back; each is fairly
easy to carry out at any time of the day.

Remember to start gently and work within your capability.
In other words, you are cautioned not to over do it. Increase
pressure by repetition as you get used to the exercise.

# Sample Exercise 1.
Starting Position: Lie on your back with hands by the sides.

Action: Bring knees to chest position, clasping arms a few
inches below knees. Now pull knees and thighs tightly against
chest. At the same time raise your head and try to touch your
knees with the tip of your chin. Hold this squeezed position for
at least 5 seconds. Return legs to straight back to position.
Repeat 10 times. Exhale as knees bend to chest and inhale as
legs are straightened. Carry out daily on hard surface. This has
a better effect.

# Sample Exercise 2.
Starting Position: Supporting the full body, face down, on hands
and toes the back arched.

Action: Swing the pelvis(hips) from side to side. The movement
should be to the limit of your capability from one end(right) to the
other end(left). Think of effective on the spine - a full s-t-r-e-t-c-h
for effectiveness. The exercise should be done slowly and must be
done correctly for effect. Repeat 5 times daily. You will find the
movement tiring at first. It is never easy, but it must make evey
bone pull away from the next to it.

# Sample Exercise 3.
Hanging with full arms stretched is perhaps the best back exercise.
Starting Position: Hang from a bar, a door frame, a tree and try to
become as limp as possible.

Action: Start crossing your legs over one another - right over left
and then left over right. Hang for 20 seconds every day until you
can hang for 50 seconds every day. This exercise will stretch the
spine - the full vertebral column - from the neck to the base of the spine.

''Energy and persistence conquer all things''
Benjamin Franklin.

Self-Growth & Management Tips

2010-01-27T03:34:00.000-08:00

Self-management is one aspect of our lives
that requires a great deal of goal setting,
planning, and application of the set goals
with the sole aim of achieving a main
objective - happiness and a stress-free life.

In the course of this, we try so hard to figure
out the best and effective ways to manage
our time, energy and ourselves so as to live
happily and have fun along the way.

If you are able to come up with good and
effective ideas to develop a more productive
use of your time, energy and talents, you are
more likely to prevent stress or depression in
your life.

Staying productive and finding the right balance
between work and leisure requires effective
management of yourself. This means taking
account of your own energy, personal
preferences and arranging yourself so that you
can express who and what you are - in other
words, deciding for yourself how to organize
things so that there is time for different parts of
yourself - for instance, time for sport, quietness,
friendship, laughter, hard work etc. etc.

You also need to learn to take an objective overview
so that you can ask yourself the question ''What
do I need from myself in my life now?''

The tips and advice below could help you get the
best of yourself out of yourself just like it did to me:

1. Planning your daily life: One aspect of self-management
that you can easily arrange is the planning of your daily
life so that each day you have something to look forward
to. If you have a game, a drink with a friend, a dinner, or
anything else that you enjoy, arrange for the evening, you
will probably feel differently about the whole day. The same
way, if you arrange something that gives you pleasure at the
weekend, it can change the feeling of the whole week. It takes
practice to organize yourself enough so that there are things
to look forward to, but not to such an extent that the activities
become a scheduling pressure.

2. Give yourself the things that bring joy into your heart: It may
be sipping freshly squeezed orange juice at the beginning of the
day, it may be buying something for yourself that makes you
feel good, or listening to a piece of music you love. A good
party, a challenging sport, a moment of quiet meditation or an
intimate talk with a friend, may all, at different times, fill the
spirit. It is often such things that make life worth living.

3. Accepting change: Good self-management requires the
ability to recognise between the times when it is wise to make
a stand and the times when change is necessary. If you can
enjoy the process of change rather than focus on future results,
you cannot be depressed. May be, this is why young kids hardly
ever get depressed.

4. Keeping you inner vitality: To maintain an energetic life without
loss of enthusiasm, you may need to question some of your personal
priorities. For instance, do you run your work or does your work
run you? If you feel you are run by your life`spressure, then your
own force is depressed.

5. Keeping your spirit alive: Maintaining a life of enjoyable productive
requires a degree of hard work: it takes both effort and creativity to
keep your body in trim, your mind active, and your feelings moving,
and it is sometimes difficult to preserve when there are no clear routes
and no guarantees. However, if you are willing to look at and experiment
with your choices, you can discover the pleasure of your own vital style.
When you are enjoyably productive you can give from the heart, and the
more you give from your heart, the more energy you can feel within. The
vital energy cannot be depressed by any outward circumstance.

" Don't let your emotions control your personality; let your personality control your emotions."
Unknown Author.

Health & Fitness Advice for Beginners

2010-01-26T02:29:00.000-08:00

This is the continuation of the previous post -
Health & Fitness Tips and Advice. If you have
not read it, you can look for it in the blog archive
located at the left hand side of this page.

In this post, I am going to elaborate more on
some of the mistakes people make when they
engage themselves in physical exercise.

The following are my suggestions for your
stamina-building exercise program;

# Don`t over do it: One of the biggest mistakes
people make in starting an exercise program
is to ''over do it'' at the beginning. The beginner
should not charge into any fitness program as
if it had to be completed by force. Whether you
are 20, or 40 or even 65, start slowly and build
yourself up. Any time you end an exercise period
feeling stiff and sore and exhausted, something is
wrong. Either you`re sick or you are over doing
it.

# Always exercise when it`s cool: If you exercise
and over do it on a hot day, you`re asking for trouble,
even a heat stroke or a heart attack.

# Exercise when you`re hungry: Never, ever exercise
on a full stomach.

# Don`t exercise - particularly run in the dark in
unfamiliar territory. It is too easy to sprain an ankle
or break a leg by stepping into a chuck hole.

# Use footwear that fits you, and which is designed
for your activity. This is especially true for runners.

# After you have finished with your exercise, do
some little stretching. This will keep your muscles
more active and make your body more flexible.
But DON`T OVER DO IT!

I`ll be right back after this short commercial
break, pls stay tunned! Haa Haa!

Health & Fitness Tips and Advice

2010-01-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

Every individual needs body exercise and fitness
to stay healthy and to help them carry out their
day-to-day activities with much ease. I am not
talking about the super-fitness required by athletes
and super stars, but the every-day-need essential
fitness that is so vital to each individual for his own
well-being.

No matter how hopless you may feel, whatever physical
shape or form you may be in, or whatever your age, you
can always improve upon your health, strength and your
figure.

Everyone can do exercise at any place that is most
convenient to them.

The following are the basic requirements for exercise:

# Timing: Exercise can be performed first in the morning
or late in the evening, before one retires to bed. The time
should be a matter of convenience. As much as possible,
the selected time should be a routine period.

# Dressing: It is very important to be dressed properly for
exercises. Your dressing code could be a T-shirt, singlet/
blouse, shirt should be ideal for the trunk. A pair of shorts,
pants, shirts or loose gown will do for the female. Some
prefer performing in track suit, which should be worn to
protect the body after vigorous exercises. The important
thing is to dress conveniently for the occasion.

# Space: For aerobic exercises, you may take to the road
for jogging, brisk walking; interval running - running alternate
with walking without breaking over a prescribed or predetermined
distance or period.

1. Exercises under this head could be performed on a field
    running round on a track.

2. The gymnasium presents a better facility for all kinds of
    exercises in the cold and temperate seasons.

3. For your daily dose, however, ecxercises could be
    performed in a small space - in the compound on a
    mat or a clean bare floor or on a carpet. Some have
    just enough space for exercise in their bedrooms.
   Exercises are mainly performed with no or minimum
   small apparatus e.g skipping rope.

# Improvement index: Indication of effectiveness is
evident, when the body feels better; the muscles are
toned up nicely and active; one goes through the day`s
normal activities in a more heartening manner without
feeling or noting tiredness; also there is general figure
development and improved body shape.

''Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory.''

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

7 Great Steps to Achieving Happiness

2010-01-22T01:57:00.000-08:00

Many people think happiness is all about wealth - money
and material things. This can be proved wrong because,
most wealthy people do not find their happiness in their
wealth or material things but rather in their social lives.

Having more than enough money to meet all your needs
and expenses does not guarantee more happiness.

Now, here are the 7 - great steps to happiness........

# Invest yourself in closeness: Of all the circumstances
happy people share, loving relationship seem the most
characteristic and most important. So when you are
setting your priorities, time for your loved ones should
be No. 1

#Work hard at what you like: If love is most important to
happiness, keeping busy at work you like may be second
in importance. If your job does not fit that description now
(or look like it will in the near future), search hard for ways
to find work that satisfies your very real need to do
something that is meaningful to you.

#Be helpful: Altruism(the act of caring for people) builds
happiness in one`s life. Doing good makes you feel good
about yourself. It also enhances self-esteem. And there
is evidence that altruism relieves both physical and mental
stress - protecting the good health so important to most
people`s happiness.

#Make the pursuit of happiness a priority: All things may
indeed come to he/she who waits, but why wait to feel good?
Discover what makes you happy and make time to do it.

#Energize yourself: Run, play a sport, dance - the choice is
yours, as long as you keep aerobically fit. Whether the feeling
of well-being produced by exercise is due to the release of
the brain`s natural pain killers - or something else, fitness
is one reliable road to happiness.

#Organize, but stay loose: It is good to know where you are
going and to make plans for fun along the way. But since novelty
(the quality of being new and interesting) makes us happy, be
ready to seize an opportunity to try something different.

#Steady as it goes: We all have our highs and lows, but strive for
a sense of perspective. Emotional intensity can be costly. Those
who hit the highest highs tend to reach the lowest lows as well.

''Having the knowledge is not enough. Action is what produces results''
Anthony Robbins.