Health Care in Daily Life

[annie]

Why Walking Works

Fitness walking is easy, safe and inexpensive. It’s aerobic, it burns calories, and it’s an ideal fat-burning activity. It conditions the heart, improves muscle tone and strength, relieves stress, and can help with back pain, osteoporosis, respiratory problems, diabetes, arthritis, cardiac rehabilitation and a variety of other health problems. Walking is an injury-free way for everybody to keep fit, and fit kids are fitter when all the family walks together.



How to Walk for Weight Control

Weight is determined mostly by the balance of calories - how many you burn vs. how many you eat each day. To lose weight, you need to increase your activity to burn more and/or eat fewer calories each day.

A pound of fat equals 3500 calories. To lose 1 pound a week you will need to expend 3500 more calories than you eat that week, whether through increased activity or decreased eating or both. Losing 1-2 pounds of fat a week is a sensible goal, and so you will want to use the combination of increased activity and eating less that will total 3500 calories for 7 days.

Your weight x distance = energy used walking. Time does not matter as much as distance. If you speed up to walking a mile in 13 minutes or less, you will be burning more calories per mile. But for most beginning walkers, it is best to increase the distance before working on speed. A simple rule of thumb is 100 calories per mile for a 150 pound person.

[annie]

Many young people go on a crash diet to lose weight without knowing the adverse effects that it can cause on your body. The notion that the solution to weight loss is a crash diet or the ability to stay off food is totally wrong and erroneous and should be avoided as it leads to serious health problems. To lose weight you need not deprive yourself of food or starve yourself. The solution is moderation and it involves making five simple changes in your daily food habits.


1. Don't torture your body. You might think that the less you eat the more you will lose weight. You might go on an extremely low calorie diet and completely avoid anything that carries high calories. Well you will lose weight but then your body will be weak. If you make a habit of consuming fewer calories than your body requires, your body will automatically go into the 'starvation mode', which will definitely result into weight loss but you will be losing not fat but important components of your body like water and muscle. Thus although your size and your weight goes down, the fat still remains. With the result that you will experience lethargy, weakness, Fatigue, hunger pangs, headaches and loss of concentration. Thus try to avoid extremely low or extremely high calorie food intake. Just stop torturing yourself.

2. Balance your diet. Eat more of low calorie high fiber foods such as salads and fresh fruits with each meal. Avoid salad dressings. Eat more of whole grain food and also try out vegetable soups, which are great if you are on a diet. Avoid red meat (beef, pork, ham, sausage), organ meat (liver, brain, kidney) and egg yolks since they are bad for your health as they fall into the saturated fat category. These foods contain high level of calories. Saturated fats, oily stuff, sweets, ice cream and chocolates should be avoided as far as possible. Include sprouts in your food intake, as they are rich in protein.


3. Don't skip meals. Don't commit the mistake of skipping meals. If you are thinking that if you skip one meal you might work towards losing some weight but it is quite the opposite. Because when you eat you tend to eat more and this might work against all your efforts of losing weight. Breakfast is one meal that's very important because as the first meal of the day it helps you to raise your energy levels and provides you energy for the rest of the day. Dinner should always be light. Your body burns few calories while you sleep and if you consume excess calories at dinner, it can easily get stored up in the body as fat.

4. Learn a few tricks.

* Instead of eating three large meals in a day eat six small meals.
* Drink two glasses of water prior to each meal.
* Focus on eating. Relish the food you are eating and don't divert your attention to anything else while you are having your meal.
* Never eat while watching television since you don't keep track of how much you are eating and you tend to eat more.
* Chew each morsel thoroughly to liquid consistency. This will help digest the food properly.
* Pause for a moment before taking an extra serving.
* Don't overeat and don't get swayed away by seeing your favourite food served on the table, which might contain high calories.
* When dining out avoid high calorie food.

5. Don't lose heart. Everyone's weight control efforts get sidetracked from time to time. You might get fed up of going on a diet over and over again without getting any result. Don't worry. It is important to remember that temporary setbacks should, after the initial disappointment, serve as stepping-stones to future success. Use your past failures as learning experiences on the way to successful weight control. So pick yourself up and go ahead do it this time.

[annie]

FRUIT FACTS



Everyone knows eating fruits is good for health since fruits make your skin glow and your hair healthy. But what is the best way to eat them? Is eating fruits with their skin more beneficial? Should you eat fruits before or after a meal? There are many other questions, which normally bother you. We have thus brought for you some fruit facts and tried to dispel some myths.

Apple a day keeps the Doctor away


This is very true and it does keep the doctor away. Infact apples and all other fruits, for that matter, have proven over time to do nothing but good for human beings.


It is better to eat fresh fruit

This is also true. When making fruit juice, valuable fibre may be removed. Sugar may also be added to packaged juices that are bought from supermarkets. Sugar syrup may also be added to the juices sold at hawker stalls. So, by drinking juices in place of fruit, you could gain more calories but miss out on valuable dietary fibre.

Fresh orange juice is better than frozen concentrate orange juice



This is a myth. Researchers have recently discovered that orange juice made from frozen concentrate can have higher levels of active Vitamin C than ready-to-drink orange juice. And once reconstituted, the vitamin in frozen juices may keep its potency longer. This is because Vitamin C is destroyed very easily and ready-to-drink orange juice goes through more processing than concentrates.

Yellow fruits are rich in vitamin C



This is true. The puld of yellow fruit is a good source of bioflavonoids, which can help neutralise cancer-causing substances. Colour therapists say yellow foods are foods associated with the sun, and can raise one's spirits and boost optimism. Thus eat lots of yellow fruit like bananas, grapefruit, pineapples, melons, lemon etc.

[annie]

Red fruits contain vitamin A



This is true. Red fruits contain beta-carotene, the plant version of vitamin A. Fruits with a higher level of beta-carotene are redder in colour. Colour therapists say red fruits have a warming and energising quality. Thus eat lots of watermelons, cranberries, red apples, raspberries, red cherries, red plums, strawberries, tomatoes etc.

Green fruits are good for your heart



This is true. Green fruits are the most vital of all fruits since they contain a chemical that protects you against heart attack and keeps your heart healthy. They also protect one against bacteria, thus reducing the risks of food poisoning and tumours. They are recommended for low blood pressure and soothing the nerves. Thus you should include avocados, green grapes, green apples, kiwi fruit, limes etc in your meals.

Orange fruits keep you fresh and active



This is true. Orange fruits are rich in beta-carotene, which makes one energetic and active all day long. It is seen by colour therapists as the colour of creation, and is linked to the mind and ideas. Eat lots of mangoes, apricots, oranges, nectarines etc.

People who want to lose weight can go on a fruit-only diet



This is a Myth.The body needs a balanced diet in order to be healthy. Eating only fruits will deprive the body of the necessary nutrients not found in fruits.

[annie]

Popping a Vitamin C capsule is just as good as eating an orange



This is a myth. Fruits and vegetables contain numerous phytochemicals. For example, broccoli alone may contain as many as 10,000 phytochemicals. Although phytochemicals have been found to benefit the body in some ways, the safety of large doses of isolated, purified phytochemicals, as found in supplement capsules, has not been investigated thoroughly. So, the best and safest source of phytochemicals is an actual fruit and not a supplement.

[annie]

ENHANCE YOUR ENERGY LEVELS

Do you feel exhausted or tired very quickly? Do you feel that you will faint while you are walking on the road? Well if this is the case then you are in trouble coz your body doesn't seem to be producing enough energy. And the first person responsible for this condition is you. Your body cannot produce energy out of nothing. If you eat junk food, which does not contain nutrients, it will affect your energy levels and that is the reason of fatigue, lack of energy and exhaustion.



Following are a few tips that will help increase your energy levels:

1. Exercise regularly at least 5 days in a week for 40-45 minutes. It will help increase your energy levels but don't over do it.

2. Instead of eating 2-3 large meals try eating 5 to 6 mini meals. Studies reveal that people who eat small, frequent meals suffer less from exhaustion and can think more clearly than those who eat 2-3 large meals.

3. In your mini meals include food like fruits, vegetable juices like tomato juice, carrot juice, cucumber juice or a whole grain salad sandwich.

4. To boost your energy consume all foods in their natural forms that is, not processed or refined.

5. Limit your sugar intake.

6. Include sprouts in your food habit. Eat sprouts mixed in your salad since it is a very good source of vitamins and sprouting increases the nutritional value of the food.

7. Eat more complex carbohydrates like jawar, bajra, brown rice, oatmeal seeds and dry food since they contain fiber.

8. Take Vitamin-B supplements since B-complex vitamins protect the nerves and increases energy levels. The natural B-complex sources are leafy vegetables, whole grain cereals, pulses, dals, peas, and banana.

9. Try avoiding eating dairy products since they decrease your energy levels. Instead of eating wheat roti eat bajra roti.

10. Eat vegetables, which increase the oxygen carrying capacity of your blood since that will help increase your energy levels. For that take a glass of raw vegetable juice made of tomato, carrot beetroot flavored by coriander or mint leaves and add a dash of limejuice.

[stevesmith]

Hi,
Great tips posted here.Really very helpful for healthy living.Thanks for posting this blog..

[robin84]

Agree that sleep is a stress buster. But if you become addicted to it you become lazy.

[annie]

The main causes of liver damage are:


1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.

2. Not urinating in the morning.

3 . Too much eating.

4. Skipping breakfast.

5. Consuming too much medication.

6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.

7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil.
As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is20very fit.

8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver.
Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store..

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to 'schedule.'

[annie]

The top five cancer-causing foods are:

1.. Hot Dogs

Because they are high in nitrates, the Cancer Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a month. If you can't live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitrate.

Processed meats and Bacon

Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon, and other processed meats raise the risk of heart disease. The saturated fat in bacon also contributes to cancer.

3. Doughnuts

Doughnuts are cancer-causing double trouble. First, they are made with white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated oils, then fried at high temperatures. Doughnuts, says Adams , may be the worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer.

4. French fries

Like doughnuts, French fries are made with hydrogenated oils and then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer- causing acryl amides which occur during the frying process. They should be called cancer fries, not French fries, said Adams .

5. Chips, crackers, and cookies


All are usually made with white flour and sugar. Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amounts of trans-fats.