Fitness/Exercise and Health

Muscle and Strength

2012-02-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

This blog will give you some advice about muscle-gain/strength and foods to help build muscle. Also check my other blogs related to health, exercise and fitness on pregnancy, healthy foods and much more, thank you.

Watermelon makes you stronger.....

Studies have shown that an amino acid found in watermelon has the potential to boost the amount of weight you can handle and add more reps to your workout. The acid, known as Citrulline malate, buffers muscle fatigue if you consume it daily.

Protein Shakes add years on your life.....

Now even more reason to enjoy your protein shakes before, after workouts and as mid-day snacks.
Scientific studies have shown that consuming amino acids, the building blocks of protein, can increase your lifespan by up to 12%. The amino acids digested when you drink one protein shake a day increase activation of the mitochondria in cells, which in turn, slow down the ageing process.

Muscle-Building Tip.....

Studies carried out by University of Winconsin found you lift faster in the evening, which increases muscle growth overnight.
Also, 20 minutes after your workout enjoy a bowl of Shreddies. Research from the university of Texas showed them to cause a 17% boost in the muscle-building process.

Build an impressive chest by doing crossover cables. This exercise will also keep your shoulders and rotator cuffs free from injury, and works your abs.

And that's about it for now, with just a few tips about muscle building and foods. Hope you enjoy and please check my other blogs, and look out for the ones to come, thanks again.

Healthy Food and Drinks

2012-01-11T13:19:00.000-08:00

Latest blog for 2012 and a few tips on healthy foods and drinks, and their benefits. Check out my other Health and Fitness blogs, and let me know what you think and any recommendations.

· Drink BEETROOT JUICE to boost stamina. This stuff is high in nitrate, which widens blood vessels, optimising oxygen intake for extra energy levels. Great for football, weight training, the lot!

· If you’re serious about fighting against getting cancer then I highly recommend a regular intake of BROCCOLI each week. I’m not the biggest fan of broccoli, or vegetables in general, but chopping them finely and adding them to soups, stews and much more, is a simple and effective way of beating this. Oregan State University research has shown that the chemical Sulforphane, found in broccoli, attacks cancer cells while ignoring the healthy ones!

· PEANUT BUTTER regenerates your liver! Not just a great muscle-gaining aid then! Research done by the University of Virginia found the effects of liver damage can be reversed by eating foods rich in vitamin E, as they help block the RSK proteins that cause cirrhosis. Peanut butter is said to be one of the best sources, so stock your cupboards now!

Next is to antioxidants, and the best foods to find them in.

· Red Kidney Beans – Studies have shown that these help to reduce cholesterol levels. Also high in the fatty acid DHA, essential for eye health.

· Cranberries – These are said to fight against tooth decay.

· Pecans – Eating these can delay age-related Motor Neuron Degeneration.

· Wild Blueberries – These little beauties can help you in your weight-loss goals as they’re said to reduce stomach fat.

Strength Training and Weight Loss; A Perfect Combination by Ross Cohen

2012-01-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

Strength Training and Weight Loss: A Perfect Combination

When you need to lose weight, whether it's a hundred pounds or five, you know you need to exercise. Unfortunately, it's often difficult to make that first step. Perhaps you're apprehensive about your appearance while you work out. Maybe you are simply dreading working out that first time. No matter where you are, there are weight loss exercises that will help you shed those unwanted pounds. You know that you could crash diet, or take some unsafe pills, but just by reading this exercise article, we know that you want to do things the safe way.

Before you begin an exercise regimen, particularly if you've not been exercising at all, it's important to consult a doctor. Your physician will most likely have helpful, specific to you tips and strategies. He or she may even suggest some exercises to do in addition to the ones we'll discuss. Plus, you'll feel more at ease while you work out, knowing that you'll be safe.

Cardio

There are two major categories in weight loss exercises. The first is cardiovascular exercises. Cardio, as it's called for short, elevates your heart rate to a range that is ideal for fat and calorie burning. Furthermore, your blood circulation is enhanced, supplying your muscles with Some examples of cardio include:

Walking

Jogging/Running

Swimming

Aerobics

Zumba

Martial Arts

Dancing

Rowing

Of course, these aren't the only cardio activities out there-truly there is something for everyone. It's important to note a prolonged amount of time, around twenty to thirty minutes, maximizes the benefits of cardio.

Strength Training

Strength training is the other main category of weight loss exercise. It's also the category that people are most likely to overlook. Strength training, often performed with weights, increases your muscle density and Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). What's the benefit to that? Increased muscle density leads to a higher level of calorie burning, even while you're doing nothing! Combining this with cardio is an excellent way to boost weight loss.

Many individuals, particularly women, are often wary of strength training. They don't want to look like body builders! You can rest assured. The types of exercises that would produce that result are far beyond what you'll need to do. Some examples of strength training activities include:

Squats

Lunges

Dips

Pull ups

Push up

Crunches

Of course, strength training's effectiveness is enhanced by adding in the presence of weights, even if they're only the handheld, two pound ones. Here's some further strength training exercises that are done with weights:

Bicep curls

Chest flies

Deadlifts

Bench presses

Shoulder presses

In Closing

As we mentioned before, the best strategy is to combine weight loss exercises from both cardio and strength training. You'll maximize your results that way and lose more weight. You might even find yourself enjoying your workouts because of the variety. No more running on the treadmill night after night! You can add in a number of activities to that treadmill and shed those pounds.

Weight loss is undoubtedly a difficult task. Visit http://www.Ways-To-Lose-Weight.com for wonderful tips, tricks, diets, & exercises, all focused on getting you lean, toned, & thinner.

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Health/Fitness and Exercise in the New Year - 2012

2011-12-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

Health/Fitness and Exercise for the New Year – 2012

Well 2012 is nearly upon us and I’m working on some great new blogs coming in January so please look out for them. There will be more on mental health and depression, muscle building tips, healthy eating guides and much more.

Follow my blogs on here and also follow me on Twitter @JamesHarvey87

Chat to me any time, I’ll be happy to answer any questions as soon as possible and as honestly as possible.

Thanks for taking the time to read this short blog, and again look out for the new blogs coming in the New Year. Bye for now J

The Best Advice to Losing Weight After Pregnancy

2011-12-10T11:04:00.001-08:00

I'm sure you're all wondering how you can get rid of your belly and be thin again. Well good news there. Most of it to all of it goes by itself, to get that extra look, you might just have to put a bit of effort into it. Don't worry, it's worked many times for my friends and I hope it will work for you.

Considering that you have just given birth you won't have time to focus on losing the weight, but good news! It is very important that you don't dive straight into the whole dieting scheme because that is not very healthy especially just after having a baby.

In order to help your body recover you should try to eat healthy foods; this also helps with the whole losing weight. But don't diet! You shouldn't diet yet, first let your body recover.

When you're Losing Weight After Pregnancy, you should try and do a few slow exercises, remember your body is still healing. Try and take a small walks, this will tone your body and get it ready for the harder exercises that are coming.

Don't ever lose patients at any point. If you see other moms lose their weight straight away then that's fine, that's just how their body works, don't every compare yourself to them because this could put you down. The secret is to keep working on your body and don't give up. Stretch and do squats in your spare time, eat carefully and don't give up!

I hope you strive to losing weight after pregnancy and I hope you have a wonderful life with your new born.

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Depression Help Can Come In Many Different Forms

2011-12-08T15:14:00.001-08:00

Depression help can come in many different varieties and finding the right type of help for depression is vital to successfully navigating through the tormented malaise of depression. But truthfully, seeking out depression help is not the easiest thing to do with most people tending to isolate themselves, which in turn fosters loneliness and makes their depression even worse.

If you are feeling down it is important to fight this tendency and do your best to continue to allow close friends and family members into your life along with doing your best to keep a full social calendar.

Exercise - Depression help could be only a few steps away

Let's look at the symptoms of depression. They are recurrent suicidal thoughts, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, reduced ability to think or concentrate, fatigue, sluggishness in voluntary muscle movements nearly every day, problems sleeping, significant weight fluctuations, loss of interest in all or most activities, and an overall bummed-out mood.

In order to be classified as depressed a person must exhibit at least five of the symptoms over at a 6 month period. But while exercise may not provide blanket depression help it can provide some temporary relief.

The primary reason exercise is so beneficial is it increases the body's production of the natural feel good hormones known as endorphins. Scientific research tells us that routine exercise can, and often does, positively affect mood and be a valuable tool in any persons battle against depression. As little as three hours per week of aerobic exercise can profoundly reduce symptoms. One clinical trial compared the effectiveness of an exercise program with that of a prescription antidepressant drug in people over 50. The findings were over a four-month period the two approaches were equally effective.

Herbal help for depression

While the numbers vary, some estimates have as many as 30 million Americans suffering from depression, with many having tried antidepressant medications. Antidepressant generally prescribed for this condition are either serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). Both categories of drugs come with a long list of side effect risks and may do more harm than good especially when prescribed for mild depression. The list of side effects include nausea, sexual dysfunction, diarrhea, headaches, and thoughts of suicide, just to name a few.

Many who are either not willing to expose themselves to the side effect risks, or have tried antidepressant medications only to find the side effects to be worse than their depression, have turned instead to natural remedies. Some remedies have proven to be so effective that they outsell prescription medications in certain countries. One examples of this is the herb St.John's Wort which outsells antidepressants in Germany. St. John's Wort is thought to boost serotonin levels in the brain thus providing a natural form of depression help.

Other herbs which have shown promise in providing help for depression are passion flower and ginkgo biloba and to a lesser degree basil, black hellebore, clove, ginger, oat straw, rosemary, sage, and thyme.

In conclusion depression help can come in many different forms. If you do decide to treat your depression naturally first clear it with your doctor and then make sure to remember give the natural remedy time to take effect.

Whatever choice you make, perseverance and patience in exploring the options on your list of depression medications will in time lead you to the depression help you are seeking and ultimately a happier, healthier life.

Robert D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic consumer advocate for natural health and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field. To discover more about depression along with information about safe and effective herbal and homeopathic depression remedies Click Here

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Fitness/Exercise and Health: Depression Treatments That Are Natural

2011-12-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

Fitness/Exercise and Health: Depression Treatments That Are Natural: Having suffered the disease for a while myself, I thought it best to do an article or two on depression. I searched many articles and re...

Depression Treatments That Are Natural

2011-12-07T05:38:00.001-08:00

Having suffered the disease for a while myself, I thought it best to do an article or two on depression.

I searched many articles and read many comments relating to depression, its causes and all the rest. The best article I came across is written below, check it out.

When you are suffering from depression, the last thing you really want to do is go out searching for ways to cure yourself. One of the hallmarks of depression is that you don't have initiative and you don't even have a need to try to make yourself better, and that is why finding depression treatments that are natural is so important. If there is something that you can do in your own home or at least without a lot of expense that will improve your mental health, then it is definitely worth pursuing.

Can Depression Be Treated Naturally?

Because of all of the prescription medications that are on the market, a lot of people think that depression treatments that are natural are somehow inferior, but nothing could be further from the truth. Natural treatments are almost always the best treatments for any illness or health problem because they are less likely to cause side effects or disturb the inner workings of the body.

What About Prescription Medications?

There is no doubt that the many prescription medications that are available have been enormously successful and have worked for many people. But one thing that the drugs companies don't tell you is that many people have to go through several different drugs before finding one that they can tolerate. Some people are only able to stay on a drug for a few months before finally giving up trying to deal with the many side effects.

Another thing to keep in mind if you are thinking of taking prescription medications for your depression is that they don't solve the long-term issues of depression. They usually only treat you in the short term which means that when you stop taking the drugs, your symptoms may return.

Which Depression Treatments That Are Natural Work Best?

There are dozens of different ways that you can treat your depression in a natural way, but the most obvious of them is that you need to change your diet. Most of us eat far too many fatty foods, foods that are highly processed or low in nutrition and foods that contain chemicals. Even the lotions, soaps, and toothpaste we use are all loaded with items that should be nowhere near a body. Therefore, take the time to try to take the toxins out of your life and you will start to see a major difference in how you feel.

There are also additions to your current lifestyle that are easy to do, don't take up much time or money, and will result in immediate results. If you have never taken an hour out of your day to take a yoga class (even if you do it in front of the television), then now is the time. You should also look into such alternative treatments such as aromatherapy, acupuncture, and relaxation. Whether you use these individually or combine them with good eating and a little exercise, you will find that depression treatments that are natural are safer and more effective in the long term than pharmaceutical ones.

Feeling depressed! Find out about chronic depression and severe depression, the signs and symptoms of depression and conventional and alternative methods for treating depression at depressionanxietycure.com

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6736947vey87 or @fitness_james :)

The Livestrong App for iphone

2011-12-05T14:08:00.001-08:00

Here I have a little information about an app that was commented about by Jentry Nielsen - http://www.healthymaniswhatiam.com/ - after I posted a blog about top apps for health and fitness. This one wasn't listed but thought I should be kind enough to mention it as Jentry left the message, saying he loved it.

Check the blog and comment in question here; http://exerciseandhealth-harvey1234j.blogspot.com/2011/11/top-mobile-apps-for-monitoring-health.html#comments

Now to the LIVESTRONG App

The LIVESTRONG.COM Calorie Tracker application is the companion tool to The Daily Plate service, available for $2.99 at the iPhone App Store. The Daily Plate at LIVESTRONG.COM helps you determine a daily calorie target based on your weight and weight goal. Then you can search the extensive database of more than 625,000 foods for nutritional information including fat, sugar, carbohydrates, cholesterol and more. You can also search 2,000 fitness items and calculate how many calories you can burn with those activities. With a simple tap, you can track how many calories you can consume, burn and net on a daily basis.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/iphone-calorie-tracker/#ixzz1fhWCjW62

FEATURES

Search for any food or restaurant item and track with ease

Search any workout or activity and log your calorie expenditure

Sync with you online account at LIVESTRONG.COM

Manage your weight on-the-go with daily progress summaries and weight progress graphs

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/iphone-calorie-tracker/#ixzz1fhW5pMDA

Back Pain During Pregnancy: Can Prenatal Pilates Help?

2011-12-05T13:11:00.001-08:00

Continuing on the pregnancy subject, here's a blog about back pain during pregnancy. The article is from a popular author by the name of Sean Burton, but I think he offers great advice.

Back pain accompanies every stage of pregnancy for many women. From conception to delivery, the body undergoes significant changes.

Very soon after conception, the body begins releasing the hormone relaxin. This causes ligaments and joints in the pelvis to loosen, making room for baby. Since the pelvis is the foundation of the spine, pelvic instability can lead to back pain. An unstable pelvis also encourages postural changes that lead to back pain.

As the pregnancy proceeds, abdominal muscles loosen to make room for the growing womb. The pelvic floor, a group of muscles, ligaments and tissues that stretches from the pubic bone to the base of the spine, also stretches out as the baby grows. These changes leave the lower back muscles alone to handle the task of supporting the spine and the upper body's weight.

Finally, as the baby grows to full size, your center of gravity changes. This can alter posture significantly, causing muscle aches, strains and fatigue.

How Prenatal Pilates Can Help

Pilates is a popular form of exercises that focuses on developing core strength through body awareness and exercise. One of its major benefits is that, like yoga, Pilates is highly adaptable.

You may want to consider attending a prenatal Pilates course during your pregnancy. Its benefits include increasing pelvic stability by keeping the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles as strong as possible, maintaining flexibility in the back muscles and spine through stretching and enhancing pain management abilities through mental focus and breathing exercises.

First, talk to your doctor or midwife to make sure there is no special circumstance that would bar you from Pilates practice.

Next, seek out a prenatal Pilates class with a qualified instructor. You can look for classes at community centers, gyms, fitness clubs and YMCAs. You'll want to take a class where the instructor can offer plenty of individual attention. This is important; prenatal Pilates is very safe, but only when performed properly. As your body changes throughout pregnancy, your program will need to be altered.

For example, overstretching is a concern for pregnant women. This is because relaxin has made muscles, ligaments and joints very loose. Women are more susceptible to muscle strains late in pregnancy. A prenatal Pilates instructor can guide you as to the types of movements that are safe and beneficial for you along the way.

While you can't stop the changes your body goes through during pregnancy, you can take steps to manage the painful effects they have on your body. Prenatal Pilates is a great way to increase strength and overall well-being during your pregnancy. Pilates can help make this very special time more comfortable.

Education in back pain is the cheapest form of self preservation. Learn about what causes back pain and 4 other things that cause sciatic nerve pain.

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Pregnancy Diet Overview

2011-12-04T15:25:00.001-08:00

What you eat is always important, but during pregnancy your diet is incredibly important to you and your growing baby. Your body is creating a new baby from nothing, and it takes a lot of good nutrients to do that! Some of the most important things to understand are why pregnancy diet is so important, what some of the key nutrients are, and how much you should be getting on a daily basis.

Why is Diet So Important?

Good prenatal nutrition gets you feeling good and gives you the energy to get through your day. It also builds you up to keep you healthy. But most women realize that their nutrition is giving their baby a good start, and that may be the most important reason to focus on it.

It's unfortunate that modern nutrition advice is often poor, and it's especially bad for pregnant women. Women are encouraged to obsess over weight gain and how much they're eating. This hurts mothers and babies. Pregnancy is not the time to forget about good nutrition and eat whatever you want. It is true that you should be sure you're eating good food -- but if you're eating a high-quality diet you don't need to obsess over the scale!

Dr. Thomas Brewer was a doctor and researcher who dedicated his life to pregnant women and babies. He fought long and hard not only to understand how nutrition affects pregnancy, but also to stop dangerous practices common in recent decades (such as prescribing diuretic pills to pregnant women). Dr. Brewer noted that pregnancy "creates nutritional stress for every woman." This means that no matter how well-nourished you are beginning pregnancy, and no matter how well you eat before pregnancy, you still need extra nutrition while you're pregnant!

What to Eat

You and your baby need solid nutrition. You hear a lot of pregnancy jokes about pickles, ice cream, and midnight runs for junk food. But you need to get a lot of nutrients in during pregnancy, and it doesn't leave much room for junk food. You are "eating for two" -- but you're not eating junk food for two! You need to eat real food.

The basis of your pregnancy diet should be animal foods and fats. That's right, I said you need animal products and fats. Protein is very important during pregnancy because it helps you to build your baby. There's a lot of evidence that adequate protein intake prevents many complications of pregnancy.

Fat is vital to your baby. Most moms today are terrified of fat because government and medical authorities have spent more than half a century telling us it's bad for us. It's not. Our babies are lucky -- scientific studies are showing repeatedly that fat is a vital nutrient for our babies and for our own bodies. Your baby's brain is made of fats. A low-fat diet starves your brain -- and it starves your baby's brain.

That doesn't mean that all fats are good. Modern vegetable oils are very bad for you. They're not natural and they do unnatural things in your body and when they cross the placenta. Traditional fats like butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and bacon drippings are good for you and for your baby. They increase your immune system and build strong, healthy cells. They create an intelligent baby. Use butter and olive oil with your vegetables and salads. Eat full-fat dairy products. Cook with coconut oil and other healthy fats.

It's important to get protein and fat from animal products daily. But you should also aim to get plenty of vegetables daily, especially leafy greens. These help you get other trace vitamins and minerals you need. It's important to note that if you're not getting fat from the animal products, your body won't absorb the vitamins and minerals from your vegetables!

Some other important pregnancy nutrients are Vitamin A, Vitamin K2, Vitamin D, Iron, Folate, and DHA. Some of these you'll get from your diet (like iron from animal products). Others you may want to use food-based supplements (such as for DHA and Vitamin A).

How Much to Eat

Again, it's true that you're eating for two during pregnancy. During your first trimester you may not feel as hungry, but your baby is developing rapidly. Be sure you're eating as well as you can every day, striving to get a normal caloric intake and varied nutrients throughout the day. The specific nutrients I listed above are especially important. Focus what you can get on them, and take supplements if you need to. This is when all of your baby's major organ systems form.

Throughout your second and third trimester you should be getting around 2200 to 2900 calories a day. Remember this is not junk food. You need to get the proteins, fats, and vegetables your baby needs for excellent growth. Many women feel that it's a lot of food to eat every day, so don't waste the space! You can break down your meals so that you have three meals and three modest snacks throughout the day. This will keep you feeling energized and build a healthy baby.

By the way, do you want to learn more about how to have a healthy pregnancy, free of complications, and develop skills that will let you go into labor relaxed, confident, and feeling prepared?

If so, download my free guide: Three Births: Which Is Yours?

You'll get my guide and information packed with helpful tips and ideas for a great childbirth experience and how to care for yourself and your baby during a healthy pregnancy (and enjoy it!).

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World AIDS Day

2011-12-01T13:10:00.001-08:00

Well we're nearing the end of the 1st December 2011 and another successful awareness day for AIDS and HIV.
A big thanks to everybody who has done their bit to promote the awareness to people who didn't have a clue or had limited knowledge of the disease, it makes a huge difference.

Please check these links below and to the side for more information on this years World AIDS Day and more.

http://www.voanews.com/policy/editorials/World-AIDS-Day-2011-134832603.html

http://www.un.org/en/events/aidsday/2011/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8920640/World-Aids-Day-2011-What-we-now-know.html

Thanks again for the support on this subject. Also check my other blogs on Health and Fitness and other blogspots on Football and Charity Work.

Raising Awareness for World AIDS Day

2011-12-01T09:07:00.001-08:00

World AIDS Day is the first of December each year. Though varying groups designate AIDS awareness days at different times of the year, December 1st is universally recognized as an international event. It is a day for companies and organizations as well as communities to help spread awareness and education to bring knowledge and understanding to the world.

Understanding AIDS

A big part of World AIDS Day is devoted to educating the public about the disease. AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is the final state of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Not everyone who is diagnosed with HIV will develop AIDS, but everyone diagnosed with AIDS has had HIV. While common viruses like the flu can be cleared from the body by the immune system, HIV can't because the virus attacks the immune system. At this point in time, science holds no answers as to why the body is incapable of fighting off HIV. The virus destroys the immune system's t-cells, which help fight infection. When the disease reaches the stage where t-cells are so low that the body can no longer fight off common viruses and infections, HIV becomes AIDS.

HIV cannot survive outside the body; therefore, it can only be spread through bodily fluids such as breast milk, semen, blood and vaginal fluids. Fluids such as saliva and sweat will not transport the disease. Risky behaviors create a higher risk of contracting HIV. Such behaviors include unprotected sex and exposure to blood (sharing needles, touching another's blood with an open wound, etc.). Risky behaviors such as these, however, can be prevented, which is why AIDS awareness is so important.

For a long time AIDS had no name. Scientists didn't know what it was, let alone how it was caused or transmitted. They believe it was in existence as early as the 1950s, but it wasn't linked to the blood until 1982 when it was finally given its name. In 1987, the first anti-HIV drug, AZT, was introduced, but the disease was still widely misunderstood and feared. With a lack of education and knowledge, America refused to let any traveler or immigrant with HIV into the country with. Actions like this sparked the foundation of World AIDS Day and encouraged people to learn about and understand the disease in order to help prevent its spread.

The first World AIDS day was observed on December 1, 1988. Recognized every year since, iti is the longest-running disease prevention and awareness campaign of its kind. By 1996, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS took over, and the organization shifted its focus to year-round education. The following year, the World AIDS Campaign was founded. Its goal: to spread awareness about the disease and reduce the stigma surrounding it.

Spreading the Word

The World AIDS Campaign focuses on education and prevention with HIV testing at the forefront. Prevention starts with knowledge. People can help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS by getting tested after each new partner or any risky behavior. Because World AIDS Day is observed on the first of December, the entire month is often dedicated to AIDS awareness. Businesses, organization, communities and families alike can all do their part to help spread awareness through education and initiatives such as promotional AIDS awareness items. Cheap and easy, yet not without value, these items can serve as reminders about the importance of testing and prevention as well as the dangers of the disease.

About the Author: Darcy Elizabeth is an e-marketing specialist for Motivators, a Long Island based promotional products distributor. The company's website, Motivators.com boasts a fantastic selection of promotional products to create the best marketing value for your brand.

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Top Mobile Apps for Monitoring Health and Fitness

2011-11-28T12:20:00.001-08:00

A great article I found from author Chandra Heitzman about different health and fitness apps for your mobile, check them out now, and let me know what you think.

Healthcare costs are rising for consumers and for companies providing health insurance to their employees. One solution many companies have explored to help mitigate healthcare costs has been to encourage individuals to focus on preventative care and overall healthy lifestyle choices. When people develop healthy habits, the need for medical care tends to go down and the amount of money spent on medical care goes with it.

Mobile applications exist for virtually every purpose, including a growing number of apps designed to help individuals monitor their personal health and fitness. Some great examples of these apps can be found for both iOS users and Android users:

Loseit! (iOS): Loseit! is a free app designed to help users count calories. It also provides nutrition information for many popular restaurants, allowing users to make intelligent choices while dining out. This particular app also allows users to keep track of physical activity, to monitor both caloric intake and calories burned while exercising. Again, this is one of many apps for the purpose of monitoring diet and fitness, and it happens to be free of charge

iBody (iOS): On the other end of the price spectrum at $9.99, the iBody application provides many of the same functions as the free Loseit! app, but goes much further. Space for recording heart rate and blood pressure can help users maximize the effectiveness of their workouts. These are but two example of a myriad of options available up and down the price scale, so depending on your specific goals and needs there is an app out there that will meet the cost and functionality parameters for which you are looking.

Endomono Sports Tracker (Android): The Sports Tracker helps users map jogging routes and track distance and average speeds. It also provides audio feedback for every mile/kilometer traveled and a history of users' lap times and music playlists. This app also includes elements of gamification, allowing users to challenge friends to beat their time on routes and share the results of their workouts on Facebook.

Food & Nutrition (Android): The Food & Nutrition Tracker is helpful when used in conjunction with the Sports Tracker if weight loss is one of your specific goals. This app provides nutrition information on thousands of foods which makes it easy to make decisions that best mesh with your physical activity level as you work to achieve your goals.

AllSports GPS (Android): If you find using two free apps to be too cumbersome, the AllSports GPS app is $9.99 and it tracks exercise information such as calories burned, distance traveled, and average speed. It also functions as a calorie counter to help keep track of caloric intake. This app is also great for individuals who like to share goals and progress with friends and family.

There are many more apps available than can be discussed here, so rest assured that one or more exists (or will exist soon) to help anyone get healthy and stay healthy. You'll save money in the long run by avoiding many health problems associated with a lack of proper nutrition and exercise. Your body will thank you and perhaps your employer will thank you as well.

For more information about mobile application development, visit Magenic Technologies who have been providing innovative custom software development to meet unique business challenges for some of the most recognized companies and organizations in the nation.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chandra_Heitzman

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Healthy Eating; Starting Young!

2011-11-27T10:37:00.001-08:00

Good nutrition doesn't have to be complicated – for most children, and parents too! it boils down to eating more fruit & veg and eating less junk food.

By encouraging good eating habits in our children from an early age we can help to prevent health problems in later life, such as:

Overweight and obesity
Heart disease & stroke
Type 2 diabetes
Certain cancers

You might think that these illnesses strike later in life – and you’d be right – but they take a lifetime to develop and have their roots in childhood. By helping our kids to eat right from an early age, we can help them to avoid these illnesses in the future. It is up to you as a parent to help your children get the healthy diet, as they don't have the capability of making the correct decision when it comes to health eating. Children follow trends and what their friends are having, so start your children trending fresh fruit and vegetables now!

Eat More Fruit & Veg

Eating fruit and vegetables every day is vital for good health. Worryingly, most children (and most adults!) do not eat enough of these essential foods.

Reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO) reckon that up to 2.7 million lives worldwide could be saved every year if we simply ate more fruit and vegetables.

Experts recommend that we eat 5-10 portions of fruit and vegetables per day – where a portion is roughly a handful. So in the case of a small child, a small apple or a handful of chopped carrots would count as a single portion.

Remember that the recommendation “eat 5 servings of fruit or vegetables every day” is a minimum – 5 pieces per day is not the target, it is the minimum that you need for long term health!

So start getting the health eating habit into your child from as early an age as possible. And encourage cooking and baking with your children; this will help them gain more knowledge of foods and health, and will help them try more variety of foods. Healthy foods can be tasty foods!

My New Health E-Book - BEAT HEART DISEASE AND CANCER

2011-11-25T00:27:00.001-08:00

I have finally published my first e-book after spending hours and hours, years and years getting the vital facts and information you will find in this great e-book series, 'ESSENTIAL HEALTH'.
This is my first title but I am already working on a few others including muscle building, fat loss and much more. Please check them out and recommend them. Only £2.18/$3.23
This e-book; Essential Health1 is designed to give you a few simple facts about BEATING HEART DISEASE and CANCER so you can enjoy life to the fullest and even.......
Copy and paste the below links into your browser to continue reading the preview.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006ATIB1K
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ATIB1K
Thanks for taking the time to read, have a great day :

Quick Muscle Gain For Men And Women

2011-11-15T09:18:00.000-08:00

There are many great shortcuts when it comes to quick muscle gain. If you think that building muscle has to be a major task, you will want to look at the many quick ways you can gain muscle in a very short time frame. This does not have to interfere with your life, but you will have to make some changes in your life that can have some very positive consequences.

It used to be that the requirements for building muscle were about an hour per muscle group. This could leave someone in the gym for hours each day to get the body benefits they seek. Exercise has come a long way over the years and the days of hours in the gym are over.

It is now believed that muscles need an optimal amount of rest for optimum building power. This requires you to work out for a shorter time period each day with adequate rest for each muscle group. The beginner will be delighted with the new muscle building techniques.

It is now recommended that you only work each muscle group very hard only one day per week. Years ago someone would work his or her muscles to exhaustion every single day. This is a routine that can be very disruptive to life and relationships. The new recommendations make it much easier to have a life outside of building great muscles.

When you are training very rigorously, you will want to monitor your diet closely. You want to eat more to gain the muscle you need. If you are eating less, you may not be giving your body the fuel it needs to help build muscle. You can achieve great results by obtaining more calories and this can help you to make better food choices.

Small meals are often recommended compared to large meals. If you are continuously replenishing your body, it can help the body from going into starvation mode. More of the energy your body converts from food can be used to build muscle and this can help you to achieve great results.

When you are looking for quick muscle gain, many things have changed over the years and the guidelines for building muscle have changed dramatically. When you explore the new guidelines and recommendations, you will be giving your body the ultimate chance at gaining muscle in a very short time frame and this can help you to achieve your goals quickly.

Mark Babcock helps average people learn how to build muscle fast. Anyone can achieve this goal effectively with the correct muscle gain information. If you are searching for information that will allow you to find out how to lose weight and gain muscle, then you need to drop by and visit his website today. http://www.havemuscle.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=C_Mark_Babcock

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6104808

2 Vital Health Questions Answered

2011-11-13T12:02:00.001-08:00

Here I have another short blog answering a couple of questions I have been asked myself, as well as seeing them in various magazines and websites.

Along with reading the blogs I publish, check out the adverts at the side and between the blogs. These will show you equipment, supplements, additional advice and much more!

So here we go, the first question I'll be answering today is one asked quite frequently.

Q. Is chicken a better choice than beef? A. All in all the answer is not about whether chicken is a healthier choice than beef, its all about how the animal has been raised. Free-range chicken is extremely healthy! The cheaper version has 266% more fat than it did in 1971 according to studies from the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition! Again with beef, grass-fed is better than grain-fed, with 27% less fat and 10% more protein. Its important when shopping to check different products and their nutritional information. You will find the healthier more expensive!

And the second question is; Q. 'is brown rice a lot healthier than white rice?' A. It sure is! The extra fibre content ensures you feel fuller for longer. But if this fibre is removed (as with white rice), rising blood sugar triggers a flood of insulin from the pancreas, which encourages the body to store fat. Studies showed that people eating wholegrains lost 2.4 times more fat!

I hope these questions and answers were helpful and please leave comments and check back soon for more blogs.

By James Harvey

3 Quick Health Facts

2011-11-12T14:11:00.001-08:00

3 Quick Health Facts
1. You can burn an extra 11% of calories when completing fast reps when working out, opposed to normal speed reps with the same size weight!
2. Take 2-3 tumeric tablets a day to get rid of those aching joints. Get yours from revital.co.uk
3. Enjoy sardines to keep your sperm healthy and reduce your risk of prostate cancer. 100g of these supply 70% of your RDA of Selenium.
And there you have it! Just a brief blog with 3 vital facts about health and fitness.
By James Harvey

3 Incentives to Lose Weight and Gain Years

2011-11-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

Most of us out there fear death! So why do we make ourselves so unhealthy and continue to ignore the advice of the so-called 'experts'!

Now's the time to start paying attention, do something about your health, and even add years to your life! No excuses!

1. Studies from the Journal of American College of Cardiology shows that if your body mass index(BMI) is between 25-30, your more likely to suffer your first heart attack 3 and a half years earlier!

Now you know, go do something about it!

2. Men over 25 years of age, who cut their calorie intake by at least 15%, or 300 calories, increased their average life expectency by a huge 4.5 years. This information is sourced by St Louis University.

3. And finally, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism say that losing 13.5kg, if your overweight, can raise your testosterone to the level of a man 10 years younger!

Now surely that's reason enough to lose that gut!!

So there it is, just a couple of tips to give you the push you need to lose weight, and even gain years on your life!

Building Muscle - A Great Diet For Gaining Weight

2011-11-08T05:06:00.000-08:00

This is a great article I found by a guy called Adi Crnalic, about the foods to eat when trying to gain muscle. Give it a go and let me know how you get on. I will get more articles from this guy.

Building muscle mass means that you'll have to consume more calories than your body burns on a daily basis. In this article, I'll outline an effective sample muscle building diet and proven guidelines that you can use to pack on muscle mass and gain weight fast.

Too many guys make the mistake of training too frequently in the gym and not feeding their body's properly to in order to support muscle growth and recovery. Eating to build muscle and gain weight is not rocket-science, but there are certain guidelines that you'll need to follow in your diet to ensure optimal muscle growth and recovery.

When you eat the correct muscle building foods, your mass gains will increase almost overnight because certain foods produce an anabolic environment in the body, which means that your body will be very efficient at building new muscle tissue.

Here are some proven guidelines that you'll want to follow when you're looking to design your own muscle mass building diet.

Guideline #1: To gain weight and build muscle fast, eat at least 2 grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight each day. So for example, if you weight 160 pounds, you should be consuming at least 320 grams of carbohydrates every day to support energy production and muscle growth.

Guideline #2: To support an anabolic or muscle building environment in your body, strive to eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight every day. Taking the example from above, you should be eating at least 160 grams of protein every day in order to pack on muscle size.

Protein helps to re-build damaged muscle tissue from intense weight training and speeds up to recovery as well as the muscle growth process.

Guideline #3: In order to support muscle growth and reduce muscle inflammation that's caused by intense weight training, eat plenty of healthy omega-3 fats in your diet. If you weigh 160 pounds, you should consume at least 70 to 80 grams of fat every day which comes out to roughly 0.5 grams per pound of bodyweight.

Now that you know how much protein, carbohydrates and fats you should be eating every day to gain weight and build muscle, let's design a sample muscle building diet based on the guidelines above.

Breakfast:

2 Whole Eggs (Boiled)

21 grams Protein powder

1 cup Low-Fat Milk

1 cup Oatmeal

2 tsp Olive, Flax or Salmon Oils

Pre-Workout Snack:

28 grams Protein powder

1 cup Low-Fat Milk

2/3 cup Oatmeal

1 ounce of mixed nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts)

Post Workout Snack

30 Grams of protein powder mixed with 3 cups of fruit juice

Post Workout Meal (Lunch):

6 oz Tuna Steak with Rice and Vegetables

1 cup of rice. Season the rice and vegetables

2 Bell Peppers

2 tsp Olive, Flax or Salmon Oils

Dinner:

6 oz Chicken breast, skinless. Chicken with Salad and Applesauce

1/4 cup Cucumber. Baking the chicken is an easy way to cook it.

1 Pepper. Can make a tasty salad dressing from balsamic

1/8 head Lettuce, iceberg, vinegar, olive oil, garlic and any spices of your choice

1 cup Cherry tomatoes and a side of rice.

Dessert

1/2 cup Applesauce

1 Ounce of almonds or walnuts

Before Bed Protein Shake:

28 grams Protein powder. Late Night Protein Shake with Oatmeal

1/3 cup Oatmeal. Put all ingredients in a blender over ice and blend.

2/3 tsp Olive, Flax or Salmon Oils. Adding water to create desired consistency.

1 cup Low-Fat Milk

Total Daily Calories = 2500 to 2700

Total Carbohydrates = 340 to 360 grams

Total Protein = 160 to 180 grams

Total Fats = 65 to 80 grams

The diet above is an a good example of what your day to day diet should look like if your goal is to build muscle and gain weight through healthy foods and high-protein snacks.

Notice that the diet above includes pre and post workout protein shakes. Although protein shakes are not essential to build muscle, they're very convenient and allow you to easily meet your daily protein requirements.

You can substitute some foods that you don't like or don't have access to with foods that are similar. The muscle building diet that I've outlined above is a great example for someone who weighs 150 to 170 pounds and wants to pack on muscle mass quickly with very little fat gain.

If you weigh more than 170 pounds, you'll have to increase the portion size of each meal in the sample above in order to meet your daily carbohydrate, protein, fat and calorie requirements.

To sum up, building muscle and gaining weight means that you'll have to eat plenty of muscle building foods on a daily basis. Foods that are high in protein, healthy carbohydrates as well as healthy fats will all support weight gain and muscle growth if they're eaten in the proper amounts every day.

Next...

Discover The 4 Killer Muscle Building Mistakes That 95% Of All Skinny Guys Make When Trying To Build Muscle And Gain Weight Fast Click Here

About the author

Once a skinny, pencil-necked weakling, Adi Crnalic is now an all natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and creator of the explosive new muscle building course that shows you how to pack on 20-40 pounds of muscle in just weeks! - Massive Muscle Building

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adi_Crnalic

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6674186

Thanks for reading, and check back soon for more great blogs about health and fitness.

How To Beat Cancer With Natural Remedies

2011-11-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

Every year around the world between 2 and 3 million people are diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancer, about 132 thousands are diagnosed with a melanoma and the numbers are increasing every year due to the thinning out of the ozone layer.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that skin cancer amounts to more than 30% of all types of cancers diagnosed every year.

An increasing number of people turns to alternative non-invasive natural therapies to treat cancer. One alternative to deal with skin cancer, but also to get rid of other types of cancers as well, is a black salve, also known as "cansema".

Black Salve is an escharotics, from the Greek word which means "to burn", made of a combination of four different herbs (bloodroot, galangal, chaparral and graviola) in a solution of zinc chloride. The resulting paste, which is a very dark brown colour, when put on a spot where cancer cells are present, will go through the layer of skin to reach the cancer cells, kill and enclose the malignant cells in what looks like a black scab. The tissue surrounding the scab may look slightly inflamed with a white circle of pus around the scab. After 7 to 10 days the scab will fall off leaving a clean healthy wound where the cancer was. The wound will then quickly heal and fill up with new healthy cells in a very short time.

The success of Black Salve in treating skin cancer has also been documented in a scholarly article published in November 2001 on the journal Dermatologic Surgery by Brown, Goldstein and Birkby. In the article the three doctors present two cases in which the patients self applied the black salve on a basal cell carcinoma and on a squamous cell carcinoma. After the cancerous scabs fell off an histopathologic analysis of the wounds were conducted and no cancer cells found.

My partner Craig and myself have been personally using Black Salve for several years now always with very positive results. Other members of our family and friends as well have been using it on skin cancers of different sizes and in different parts of the body.

Black Salve has also been successfully used to treat other types of cancers and several testimonials can be found on many webpages, as the following one:

http://www.blacksalve.info/testimonials.html

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only; it should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his/her health should contact a licensed medical professional.

Laura Ancilli (PhD) is a researcher and a journalist. Her life long interest in nutrition, energy medicine and alternative therapies took her on a 20 years learning journey during which Laura has studied, researched and often experienced on herself different healing techniques, from foods, to herbs, to massage techniques, to EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). http://earthlyenergies.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_Ancilli

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5589621

Recognizing The Truth About Health And Exercise

2011-11-07T14:28:00.000-08:00

Imagine the frustration if you were performing some exercise for years and discovered you were doing it wrong. Think of the person injured while performing an exercise incorrectly because of bad information. These are very real considerations and they happen to people all the time. That is why it's so important to make sure you get your information from experts and credible sources. Your health depends on you doing your research because bad information is everywhere. The world of health and fitness are no different so here's some solid information for you.

Have you ever heard that swimming is a great way to lose weight? This is a fallacy. Swimming has many benefits but losing pounds isn't one of them. The reason for this is because as you are swimming the water is doing the work to support your body weight (called buoyancy) which basically means you aren't getting the workout you think you are or that you might if you were running or jogging long distances.

If you want relieve your feeling of stress, do some exercises. You may be wondering how exercising or working out can be stressful. Performing exercises causes your body to produce a relaxation response. Granted, you may not necessarily feel it if you're running or sweating all over the place in the gym. If you are looking for a way to take your mind off your stressful life for a while do some exercises. There is also the point about endorphin release which helps to calm you and can create a natural feeling of euphoria.

You will also see improvement to your physical and mental performance when you get regular, quality exercise. Greater strength and stamina will help improve your physical performance. People who exercise regularly enjoy a greater degree of clarity, which obviously helps with mental performance. When people exercise regularly, they carry those positive habits to other areas such as their diet and nutrition. If you are totally new to working out, then health and fitness truths and falsehoods are more important than ever. Because you are still forming your fitness habits, this is extremely important. You will be setting yourself up for a painful re-education if you cultivate the wrong habits now. Forming good habits is crucial not only to your success but to actually sticking with your fitness routine.

Have fun and do your employment homework at costco jobs or Target jobs with background information that will help land that important job at either Costco or the Target as well as some entertaining videos.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neil_Rischall

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5651257

Natural Pain Relief

2011-11-07T07:02:00.000-08:00

Here I've found a natural way to take away the pain after a tough workout! Dont go for the medicine cupboard and take pills, try these 3 naturals instead!

For tired muscles go for ice and heat. According to studies at the Australian Institute of Sport, putting muscles in hot then cold conditions, enhances recovery. For a simple way of doing this just grab an ice pack(or a bag of frozen peas will do) and press against the sore muscle for 60 seconds, then place in hot water for a further 60 seconds. Alternate this for 5-10 minutes.

For Pain Relief, instead of taking pain killers, try Brazilian Tea! Like ibuprofen, Brazilian Tea has shown to reduce pain and swelling according to researchers at Newcastle University. So go switch the kettle on and put your feet up!

For Joint Ache get your intake of tumeric extract! Tumeric can stop cartilage from beaking down and, according to researchers at the University of Arizona it can also reduce pain and swelling! Buy tumeric tablets from revital.co.uk

And there you have it, 3 great ways to ease the pain and all done without the need of pills!

Top 5 Reasons to Eat Fruit & Veg!

2011-11-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

Here I have found some vital information on the importance of eating your fruit & veg; Top 5 Reasons!

1. Studies have shown the risk of a stroke will decrease by 42% if eating nine portions of fruit and veg a day.

2. Bananas lower blood pressure and their potassium helps to regulate your heartbeat.

3. An orange a day will reduce your risk of larynx and stomach cancer by 50%.

4. Eating foods high in vitamin C, like oranges and broccoli, increases your protection from heart disease. It is said that men can even achieve a six-year life extension as a result of this.

5. And finally, your chances of a long life increase by a quarter if you eat a fig a day.

So, there you have it. A few vital facts about the importance of eating your fruit and veg. Please keep checking back for more great information and this subject and much more, and please recommend my blogs on twitter and anywhere else you can, thank you.