Healthy Living Answers

3 Simple, Healthy Meal Plans You Can Start Right Now

2012-08-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Is it possible to put together a simple and healthy meal plan? One that is not going to be complicated and hard to follow? Yes. It is possible and I will show you how. The healthy meal plans below will help you achieve your health goals while simultaneously shedding fat off your body.

Here are 3 healthy meal plans you can get started on right now.

Breakfast

Protein should be included in every meal throughout the day and breakfast is no exception. Make sure to include organic eggs, cottage cheese, raw nut butter or smoked fish as one component of your healthy breakfast. Carbohydrates should also be included in the form of oatmeal, sprouted grain bread, fruit and/or vegetables.

3 great sample breakfasts are:

Oatmeal with almond butter, topped with fresh berries and a bit of Stevia to sweeten.

2 hard boiled eggs, 1 slice sprouted grain toast and ½ grapefruit

Smoked salmon over sliced tomato and 1 green apple

Lunch

The same rules apply as breakfast. An easy way to ensure that you always have a healthy protein available for lunch is to pack leftovers from dinner the night before. Leftover hamburger, chicken legs or wild fish are all great to include in a salad or over vegetables.

3 great sample lunches are:

Baked Tilapia (or other fish) over sautéed spinach, green salad with chick peas (oil and vinegar as dressing) followed by ½ cup of pineapple.

Leftover chicken legs with ½ sweet potato and broccoli.

Lean hamburger over portabella mushroom and brown rice. Cooked vegetables or a green salad. 1 orange.

Dinner

You can really be creative with dinner. Look for recipes that are quick and easy and modify them with your own healthy ingredients as needed. Again, always remember to include protein and carbohydrates.

3 great sample dinners are:

Mexican salad: Ground beef over shredded lettuce and tomato, guacamole and brown rice.

Grilled Salmon over asparagus, green salad (oil and vinegar as dressing) followed by a fresh fruit salad.

Buffalo meat balls over rice pasta with sautéed broccoli.

Snacks

You never want to let your body get too hungry. Hunger often leads to binge eating of unhealthy food and makes sticking to a healthy eating regimen much more difficult. It’s important to keep snacks handy so you never experience hunger or a blood sugar low without having a healthy option nearby.

3 great snacks are:

2 Tbsp almond butter on ½ apple

Trail mix made up of walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds and dried fruit (no sugar added)

Cottage cheese and pineapple

Incorporate just a few of these meals into your daily eating regimen and you will see an incredible difference in your weight loss results. Following simple and healthy meal plans like these is the first step in achieving your health and fitness goals.

To get started right away on your own fat loss goals , download these Simple and Healthy Meal Plans right now.

Summer heat... what foods should I eat?

2012-08-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly, summer heat causes more deaths from heat stroke in the U.S. than twisters, blizzards or floods.

Less surprisingly, what you eat and drink can help you cope more easily with the heat of summer.

It is essential to keep your fluid intake up during the summer heat. Water especially, is your friend, and it is easy to keep a supply of water in the fridge.

Foods with a high water content are ideal foods for summer. Reduce your consumption of protein (protein is hard to digest and the effort required for the process creates heat) and increase your consumption of fruit and vegetables.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are the perfect summer food so as much as possible, increase the quantity of these in your diet. As a bonus, fruits and vegetables also supply your body with the nutrients it needs to help protect your body from the effects of the sun. Antioxidants help prevent and repair cells in the body. Vitamins and minerals can help protect you from skin cancer and wrinkles.

So which fruits and vegetables are ideal for those long hot summer days, and why?

Cucumbers and melons are ideal water-rich options.

A low calorie sweet treat, a large chunk of cold, thirst-quenching watermelon has to be the most perfect summer food. It is high in Vitamin C and Vitamin A, potassium and magnesium, nutrients that are invaluable in summer. Vitamin C helps the body physiologically during the heat of summer by improving the body’s response to heat stress. You are less likely to feel exhausted by the heat because the Vitamin C lowers your body temperature and helps shorten the length of time it takes for your body to adjust or acclimatize to the heat. Vitamin C has antioxidant benefits which are thought to help the body protect itself from cell damage by increasing the production of collagen, the growth of new tissue and repair of damaged cells. Vitamin C helps reduce the incidence of summer allergies, possibly by preventing the body from producing histamine.

Fruits that are particularly high in Vitamin C and also have sufficient Vitamin E and A to meet your summer requirements include black currents, guava, kiwi, mango, mulberries and papaya. Vegetables include butternut squash and swiss chard.

But most fruits contain Vitamin A, as do eggs and dairy. Additional foods high in Vitamin C are: grapefruit, lychee, orange, passionfruit, pineapple and strawberries, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts and kale.

Vitamin A helps your body repair skin that has been damaged by exposure to the sun’s rays. Vitamin A is in most fruits, as well as eggs and dairy. Vitamin E also has antioxidant effects and can help reduce the severity of summer allergies and asthma by calming the immune system and the allergic response.

Green leafy vegetables provide the nutrients required for thermoregulation, the process of the body regulating its internal temperature. Calcium is the most important mineral for regulating body temperature.

Cranberries, pears, apples, pomegranates, grapes, quince, persimmons, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and root vegetables are excellent summer foods due to their astringent properties. Astringent foods increase water absorption in the body. Other astringent foods are legumes, tea and coffee, and some herbs and spices (thistle, chamomile, jasmine).

Are you setting your child up for an unhealthy life?

2012-08-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

How much TV does your child watch? How much time do you spend in front of the TV? Surprisingly, the levels of activity you had as a child has more impact on your level of fitness and incidence of obesity than what you do as an adult.

If, as a child you spent a lot of time in front of the television then the effects can still be there as an adult in your 30s. Those people in their 30s who have poor fitness levels or are obese are less likely to have been active as a child.

Humans evolved to be physically active. The muscles and ligaments develop and become strong in childhood from strenuous activity. They remain that way in adult life by being used. Those muscles and ligaments don’t even have a chance to fully develop in our children if they spend hours in front of screens of one type or another. In addition, we set habits early in life that can be hard to break.

Very young children naturally want to run and jump and play. If, as they grow, these children continue to see physical activity as fun and spend their childhood engaged in exploring, games, sport, running for the sheer pleasure of it and playing in the playground, they are more likely to grow up as healthy active adults. Engaging in these activities with others is also hugely important for children's social development. The lessons we know as adults were often leaned in the playground as children.

Coconut Oil Can Help You Lose Fat

2012-07-31T15:39:00.000-07:00

Coconut Oil is a wonderful healthy food that has been shown to increase metabolism and assist in burning unwanted fat off your body. It is a wonder food that has been around for centuries and a great addition to any fat burning meal plan.

Unfortunately, some people have a really hard time believing that coconut oil is not “fattening” or “dangerous”. We have all been falsely led to believe that fat, especially saturated fat, is the cause of our weight gain and health problems. This is only true half true. Some fats like hydrogenated oils and vegetable oils do contribute to heart disease and weight gain but good fats like coconut oil, butter and olive oil are actually great fats for our bodies. Think about how much healthier people were in the late 1800’s and very early 1900’s. Heart disease was almost unheard of back then.

Let’s put some of these MYTHS about coconut oil to rest right now.

Myth #1 – Coconut Oil contains a lot of fat so it must be fattening.

Truth – Not all fat makes you fat (I want to get this tattooed on my forehead). Certain fats do cause weight gain but other good fats will actually burn unwanted fat off your body and accelerate your metabolism.

Myth #2 – Coconut Oil contains almost all saturated fat so it must be bad for you.

Truth – Saturated Fat is not the cause of heart disease, weight gain and high cholesterol. Saturated Fat has been falsely accused and it is SUGAR that is Enemy Numero Uno (It is worse than the Joker in Bat Man).

(To read more details about how fats can be healthy and the history of dietary fats, read Butter: Good Fat or Bad Fat?)

Myth #3 – Coconut Oil should be avoided by those who are at risk for heart disease

Truth – The fat in coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils you can consume (yes, even for those with heart disease). It is rich in lauric acid, which is known for its antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties and contains no trans fat. The saturated fat in coconut oil is different than many other oils in that it is of the medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) variety. The body digests MCFAs more easily and sends these fats directly to the liver where they are immediately converted into energy. Now isn’t that great? A fat that is used to make energy instead of storing it on our bodies. We can all use some of that.

I highly recommend everyone use unrefined, organic coconut oil for all of their cooking needs. 1 – 2 tsps for most cooking is more than enough. You can even use it raw if you like as I think, it tastes OH SO DELICIOUS! I usually have about 2-3 total TBSPs per day which is a perfect amount for a fat burning eating plan. While it’s really good for you, there’s no need to go overboard.

If you have a hard time finding coconut oil in your local supermarket, I buy mine here:
http://nutiva.net

Now go right ahead and enjoy your coconut oil and reap the fat burning effects right away.

To learn more about Coconut Oil and get started on your own fat loss goals, download your healthy meal plans right away.

Article written by Isabel De Los Rios - Certified Nutritionist

High Fiber equals lower risks of Breast Cancer

2012-07-31T03:31:00.003-07:00

Just under 12% of women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer at some point in their lives. This translates as about 226,870 new cases diagnosed in women in the U.S. this year. An estimated 39,510 women will die this year from invasive cancer. There will be additional incidents of non-invasive cancer. There is also a smaller number of men who are diagnosed with invasive or non-invasive breast cancer.

Recent overseas research has discovered that women who have a diet that is high in fiber from plants such as vegetables are less likely to get breast cancer. However, when it comes to the incidence of breast cancer, the difference between being a high consumer of fiber and a low consumer of fiber is small, placed at 11%.

People who have diets high in fiber have lower levels of estrogen. Estrogen is a risk factor for breast tumours. This is thought to be the reason for the reduced rate of breast cancer in those who eat a high fiber diet.

In a study of 710,000 women over seven to eighteen years, researchers have found that 2.4% ended up with breast cancer. The difference between those with the highest fiber intake over this time period and those with the lowest fiber intake was 11%.

It is possible that those who consume a high-fiber diet could have lower risk factors overall as they have better overall health. While the researchers did allow for other risk factors such as a family history of breast cancer, use of hormone replacement therapies and other dietary factors, there may be other unknown factors at play that were not taken into consideration in the research.

The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender, i.e. being female, and age, i.e. growing older. One risk factor is being overweight or obese. This is because fat cells make estrogen and extra fat cells mean more estrogen in the body. Fat around the belly proves to be a greater risk factor than fat on the hips, buttocks or thighs.

The rate of breast cancer is decreasing in older women, this being the most at-risk group. It is possible this is as a result of a reduction in the use of hormone replacement therapy in recent years.

Discover 10 Ways To Lose Weight and Stay Motivated!

2012-07-25T03:08:00.001-07:00

It is essential that you understand the importance of a balanced diet. A diet filled with essential nutrient groups: proteins, fats, non-starchy vegetables and carbohydrates. By eating a balanced diet you will experience a higher metabolism, achieve weight loss, slow the aging process and prevent disease.

The following 10 ways to lose weight will start you on the right track for correct nutrition and weight loss.

It is important that you understand weight loss is not your main goal, the main goal is great health. Losing weight will be the benefit of great health.
Do not eat a low fat diet. It turns off your metabolism and your body will be forced to take nutrients from your bones and muscles. Healthy fats are essential in contributing to good nutrition.
Excess carbohydrates will accelerate the aging process by causing insulin levels to spike. It is always wise to eat a carbohydrate with a protein and a healthy fat, this will keep your insulin levels from spiking so you are less apt to gain weight, high insulin levels result in weight gain.
Proteins should be eaten with every meal and snack. We need a steady source of protein for our body to regenerate. Protein contributes to many metabolic processes in the body; this is why protein is so important for weight loss.
Low fat dieting, starvation diets, fasting, skipping meals, counting calories and diet pills have caused many nutritional problems including weight gain.
Processed sugar can raise your insulin ratio which leads to fat production and storage. Decrease
process sugars.
Consuming fiber is a healthy component for a balanced diet. Fruits, vegetables, beans, oats, whole-grains, nuts, rice, beans and seeds are all good sources for fiber.
Fluids are essential for a healthy body, two liters of water a day is sufficient.
Exercise is very important for weight loss and staying healthy. Find a physical activity that you enjoy, such as walking the dog, hiking, or gardening.
Get plenty of rest and relaxation. When we get grumpy from lack of sleep, we tend to eat more.

Your body needs nutrients to function properly. Getting the right balance of these nutrients will provide a fuel for your daily activities and can help you achieve weight loss and an active lifestyle.

Did you know that most people already know how to exercise and eat right? Unfortunately, many people will not exercise or eat right unless they have motivation. I want to share with you some strategies to help you stay motivated.

By applying these strategies into your everyday life you will soon reach your weight loss goals.

Write down your (realistic) weight goal(s) and the reason that achieving that weight is important to you. Review it often, especially when you are discouraged.
You need to find a comfortable weight. Be realistic, you are trying to achieve a healthy weight loss.
Remember when you have an excuse that keeps you from your dreams, goals or desires write it down on a piece of paper and then throw it away. Do not let excuses rob you of your happiness.
Take care of you and get plenty of rest, lack of sleep will create a stressed body and mind. When you are stressed you will be more likely to eat foods that are not healthy for you and are full of calories.
Surround yourself with positive and encouraging people. Negative people will bring you down and also will bring down your motivation.
Do not count calories; this is a sure way to fail. Follow the 10 ways to lose weight. If you want to lose more weight, decrease your carbohydrates.
A nutritional Guru once told me if you are fat you need to find joy in your life. Begin looking for your passion in your life, what makes you sing? We will often use food to fill certain voids in our life, what are your desires, dreams or goals?
Stop thinking that your body is the enemy; make peace with your body by becoming aware of it. Yoga is a great tool to gain awareness and to begin to rediscover your body.
You do not need to struggle; you can find peaceful ways to transform your body, no more struggling, one step at a time.
When you think of exercise, think of it as a tool to make you healthier.

Take all this energy that you use on excuses and turn them into something positive, your life will start changing and so will you.

Hollaye Vladimiroff is a Nutritional Coach and her mission is nutrition. For more information visit her website at http://www.divinelyherbal.com

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

Dieting is not the answer

2012-07-16T21:21:00.001-07:00

Diets don’t work. How many times have we heard that? And yet we somehow think that this time is different, this time I will lose the weight, this time I will stick to it. It’s about willpower, determination.

We think, when I am slim, then he will love me (or love me more), then I will be happy, then I will get that job, that promotion, that raise. We buy a new book about a new diet, or purchase a product from the drug store to help us in our efforts. We listen to the rhetoric, “It’s not a diet it’s a lifestyle, and we internally we hear, “It’s a diet that has to last for the rest of your life.” We feel depressed before we even start. We remind ourselves that this time is going to be different. This time we are going to do the right thing and eat what we know we should and, more importantly, not eat what we know we shouldn’t. And then, because it’s going to be so hard, and we are going to be so good, we have one last splurge, adding another pound or two before we even start.

Then, come Monday morning, we take charge. We breakfast on a meal-replacement smoothie and pack a lunch of lettuce leaves, celery and carrot sticks plus a tiny tin of tuna. That evening we dine on grilled, skinless chicken with broccoli and no potato. “I can do this,” we say. “This is not so bad. I like chicken.” We eat what we have been told to eat, in the quantities we have been told and at the times we have been told. We have gotten the message that it all makes a difference and one bite over the limit or at the wrong time of day will jeopardize everything.

At the weekend we decline an invitation out with our friends because it’s just too hard. We know alcohol has a truck-load of calories, and we are also smart enough to know that if we have a couple of drinks and are hungry then we will not be able to resist when everyone goes for a burger. No, we decide, better to stay home where the temptations are less. We stay home watching a DVD, feeling hungry, unfulfilled and dissatisfied with our body, our diet and our life. We have entered the world of deprivation.

We know what happens next. Within a week or two our broccoli has a drizzle of thin cheese sauce on it and the chicken hasn’t had the skin removed because, as we know, it’s so much tastier when the skin is left on. But we are still being pretty good. And we are still feeling deprived.

After a few weeks, or maybe only days, we ‘fall off the wagon’ entirely. We eat something we shouldn’t and we feel bad. We decide that we have wrecked the diet and that there is no point in continuing. Or we read an article that tells us that when we diet we lose muscle and slow our metabolism. It all seems so hopeless. We know we are going to fail. We know we can’t keep the diet going.

We celebrate our return to normal with a splurge on the foods we have been avoiding. We feel really bad and tell ourselves how fat and ugly we are. But for a brief moment, with our face in the tub of ice cream, or with our hands around a monster burger, we feel relief. We feel nourished. We feel fed.

Within a week we have regained the weight it took a month to get rid of. A month later we are a pound or two heavier than we were before we started.

We have been down this road before! We swear we won’t do that again, we know better, diets don’t work.

What is the answer?

Make incremental changes. Be prepared to make small changes and achieve small results in the short term. Take one thing out of your usual pattern of eating that is high in calories and low in nutitional value. What could you remove that you would barely miss? If you reduce your soda consumption by one can a day, or substitute for the diet option and you can expect to lose around 17 pounds over a year.

Increase your activity. When you can, stand instead of sitting, walk rather than stand. Take the stairs. Take up a hobby that requires incidental activity. Play a sport that you enjoy. Go bowling or some other physical activity that you will enjoy. Learn to associate physical activity with fun.

Be prepared to lose weight slowly... and permanently.

Does an apple a day keep the doctor away?

2011-08-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

Superfoods are foods that provide health benefits far greater than their generally recognized nutritional value. They tend to be nutrient dense, low calorie (not always) and promote good health.

One such Superfood is the not-so-humble apple. Perhaps our forebears knew this when they said “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and similar phrases.

Apples are full of antioxidants, and soluble fiber, and are high in vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin C.

Benefits of apples can be lowered cholesterol, healthy skin, and a healthy digestive system. Apples may also help with weight loss or control and improve diabetics’ control of blood sugars. Other benefits that have been attributed to apples include protection against Alzheimer’s disease, and prevention of cancer of the lung, colon, breast and liver.

Apples contain a particular flavonoid called phloridzin which is thought to increase bone density and help protect post-menopausal women from osteoporosis. Apples are the only place that phloridzin is found.

Apples have also been recommended for arthritis, headaches, anemia, insomnia, gallbladder stones, inflammation of the bladder, worms, halitosis, asthma and obesity.

Many people have found that sweeter varieties of apples help decrease the symptoms of acid reflux. This is because the tartaric and malic acid in apples neutralizes stomach acids. An alternative to an apple for acid reflux is apple cider vinegar (raw, organic) – take a tablespoon in a glass of water before eating but this does not work for everyone. Apple cider vinegar is also reputed to have other health benefits.

Preliminary research shows that apples have an impact on bacteria in the digestive tract which in turn changes metabolism in the large intestine. This potentially provides further health benefits so we wait for further research in this area.

“The apple cannot be stuck back on the Tree of Knowledge; once we begin to see, we are doomed and challenged to seek the strength to see more, not less.” ~Arthur Miller

And we wouldn't want the apple "stuck back on the tree of knowledge." Perhaps we will "see" more and more in the years to come about the value of apples and of Superfoods in general. An apple a day may not keep the doctor away completely but you could be well on track for needing him or her a lot less.

Does It Add Up?

2011-08-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

Like many things, it’s not what you do once, or even for half an hour once a week that makes the difference, it’s what you do overall in the 168 hours you have each week.

As far as nutrition goes, it’s what you eat at 21 meals and possibly 7, 14 or 21 snacks each week.

There are 8760 hours in a year. In those 8760 hours you are likely to have 1095 meals, and possibly between 365 and 1095 snacks, and consume somewhere around 700,000 and 1,000,000 calories. Any more than that and you are putting on weight.

Purely in energy terms, you can choose to consume those calories by having ample quantities of vegetables, especially leafy greens, with some fish, chicken or steak, or ….

… or you can have a much, much smaller quantity of pasta or fast food washed down with soda to consume the same number of calories. It’s your choice. But if you consume your calories as fast foods and soda your body is not getting the nutrients it needs and deserves.

∞

Eating in the U.S.A.

2011-08-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

I have spent only a matter of weeks in the U.S. on two separate visits (excluding passing through via L.A. airport), both times on the west coast, plus a week or so in Hawaii. I found the American people friendly and helpful.

However - I was stunned, absolutely “stunned” at the quantity of food dished up when I ate out. For example, in Santa Monica we had breakfast out and the quantity of food dished up was sickening. A small quantity of what we ordered balanced on a huge pile of wedge-sized fries. And this was for breakfast.

I love my food, and have enjoyed eating food around the world. America is the only country in the world I have been where the sight of the quantity of food on the plate made me feel ill. I guess one could adjust, but one’s stomach adjusts also by expanding rapidly.

Fresh vegetables were illusive, as was fresh fruit. I don’t think I found leafy greens anywhere. Even frozen vegetables were hard to find.

Also, I was so glad to escape the sweet food. The food manufacturers seem to put sugar into everything, including it in foods that should have a savory flavor, such as bread. My taste buds were just not used to it and I could pick up the taste of sugar very easily. I couldn’t wait to return to sugar-free food, or at the very least, food that didn’t taste sweet.

I realized why it was so difficult for people to lose weight in America.

If you live in the U.S. seriously consider nourishing your body in a way that helps you live a longer, healthier life. That means purchasing fresh foods and carefully preparing meals yourself.

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Nuts!

2011-07-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

Check out these comments from a friend of mine who is thinking of going on yet another diet. I will call her Carol.

"I just hate it. I have to lose weight. I have to go on yet another diet. Blah!!!
I have put off and put off going on yet another diet because I know what a struggle it’s going to be. I know I will lose some weight in the first week, maybe even some in the next few weeks, but I also know I will almost certainly put it all back on, plus some, once I go off the diet. And for some reason I develop cravings. Usually it’s for peanut butter. Peanut butter on toast. With butter! Yes. A nice piece of toast with butter and peanut butter. Yum!

The funny thing is, when I’m not on a diet I don’t have peanut butter very often at all. I can go two or three months without even thinking about it let alone eating any of it.

So what is in peanut butter that my body craves so much? Since peanut butter is made from peanuts, vegetable oil and a bit of salt I am guessing that peanut butter on toast supplies just what nutrients my body needs at the time. If I always ate the stuff it would be different, it might just be a lack of discipline or something, but I think that when I diet my body cries out for what it lacks, and what it lacks is found in nuts."

Nuts contain fat, protein and fiber. Research also shows that nuts, eaten in moderation as part of a controlled diet, help people lose weight. Nuts help reduce blood pressure, helps reduce risk of Type 2 diabetes and helps those on a weight loss diet to stick to their diets.

In addition to protein, fiber and fat, nuts contain magnesium, manganese, zinc and phosphorus. Some nuts also contain varying levels of Omega-3 fatty acids (walnuts), and vitamin E (almonds). Peanuts contain folate, vitamin B, and niacin. What nuts do not contain is cholesterol.

The FDA recommendation for nuts is for 1.5 ounces (42 grams) of nuts daily, or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter per day. Peanuts, technically, aren’t nuts at all. They are legumes, as are lentils, peas and dry beans.

I suggested to Carol that a few nuts as part of her diet would reduce or eliminate the craving, give her body what it needs, help her lose weight and have additional health benefits. Carol is going to start have a small number of almonds as a mid-morning snack. She is going to let me know how she goes with the diet.

Would your partner stick with you if you got fat?

2011-07-29T22:18:00.000-07:00

In a recent poll of 70,000 people, nearly half of the men (47%) said they would dump a partner who gained weight to the point he considered her fat. Twenty percent of women said they would ditch their partner if he gained weight.

Men in Britain were less likely than the average to ditch a partner who became fat (44%), while 50% of Canadian men would dump a partner that gained weight. Australian men (47%) and U.S. men (48%) were closer to the overall average of 47%.

The survey results from AskMen can be viewed at

http://au.askmen.com/specials/great-male-survey

The poll was a joint effort between Cosmopolitan Magazine and AskMen and asked a range of questions relating to relationships, lifestyle and general views.

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On holiday or heading back to work?

2011-07-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

Do you remember those few days leading up to your holiday? While you were on the job your mind was in the mountains or on the beach. Doing that in reverse may help. You don’t have to think about it for a few days though, just a day or two before you head back to work. Start listing the projects you will have over the coming weeks. Prioritize the things you want to get done. The brain will start to pull together the threads of tasks you left behind.

If you are fully engaged in your job then you will be keen to get back and tackle those projects. If you are not fully engaged in your work then a few days of asking yourself why not, would be a good idea. There may be small things within the workplace that would help you to be more emotionally involved and excited by your work. No? Perhaps take the time over the holidays and reassess your life. Is your current job taking you in the direction you want to go? What options do you have?

Go for a run or a good workout after your first day back at work to release the stresses of the day and make a commitment to regular workouts to keep some of the benefits of the holiday. And if you have had a fabulous holiday or been overseas, bring a little something back for fellow team members. It will give you the opportunity to reminisce about the holiday and they will get the opportunity to enjoy some of it as well.

How Do Free Radicals Cause Wrinkles?

2011-07-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

To understand how free radicals destroy the skin, it's necessary for us to understand what they are first. Free radicals are produced by metabolic stress. This means that our bodies produce free radicals whenever we eat, breathe, fight off pain, lose sleep, take in alcoholic substances, smoke, and so on.

In other words, the body naturally produces these oxidative substances because people live, age, and eventually deteriorate.

However, through the years, it's been found out that people age more because they produce more of these substances. This shows in the state of their organs, especially the skin.

Where do they come from?

While free radicals naturally occur in the human body, they can be controlled. They are, as you've guessed from the name, free-floating and imbalanced parts of broken cells. They lack one pair of electron and they steal electrons from other cells, causing more damage, and the vicious cycle goes on. When they chip off electrons from cell walls, they damage the cells walls and produce more free radicals.

Rightly said, these are "lost" molecular compositions of the body which feed off completely-formed cells. This happens when cells lack oxygen. This happens when the human body is under stress because of extreme or imbalanced lifestyles. Free radicals in the skin are also caused by sun exposure which destroys skin cells and degenerates its health.

How can this damage be fixed?

Certain moisturizers can prevent photo-damage to the skin and protect skin cells. Sleep, exercise, hydration, and the proper diet also help to eliminate them. When you're choosing what chemicals to put on your face to treat acne or to prevent wrinkles, you should check first if they induce oxidative damage. Benzoyl peroxide, which is used to treat acne for example, are actually free radicals which may help you get rid of acne but also promote skin aging. It's better for you to use organic solutions which won't induce so much stress on your skin.

Generally, healthier lifestyles help to keep the skin and the body as a whole more youthful. Today, it's easy to resort to fast food, forget to exercise, make wrong decisions with drinks, and turn to smoking and drinking to "relax". However, those hasty life decisions won't keep you young. To decrease the presence of these oxidative substances in your body, just try to live healthier. Avoid junk food and other things which can cause your cells to be destroyed and turn into free radicals. Stop yourself from aging prematurely by making the right choices.

Clean air or pollution for you?

2011-07-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

Air pollution is known to impair respiratory and cardiac health. Now it has also been linked to impairment in mental health, at least in mice. The results of pollution are slow thinking, bad memory and depressive behavior with a possible link to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Home wood stoves and open fires, factory and vehicle emissions all add to the pollution in the atmosphere. So if you live next to a freeway and close to an industrial area, perhaps it’s time to move ..... before the onset of winter.

Are you sitting yourself to death?

2011-07-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

If you are in a job that requires you to sit for most of the day then you are at risk of dying at a younger age. Sitters have an increased risk of premature death because of several health issues. The first and most obvious is weight gain. Call center workers, whose jobs require them to sit for long periods, gain an average of 6 kilograms (more than 13 pounds) in their first 8 months of work. They are not unique. Many workers today are sitting for all or large portions of the day.

While going to the gym and other forms of exercise help, they don’t help much. If you are spending 8 hours sleeping, 1 hour exercising or walking around as part of everyday life, and 15 hours sitting at a desk, in a car or on a couch then you are very much at risk.

Dangerous blood clots and some muscular skeletal conditions are also associated with sitting for long periods. Your risk of blood clots trebles if you are sitting for more than 10 hours a day. Your risk of a heart attack doubles from just two hours of sitting. This is because without muscle contraction, the body does not clear glucose and fat from the system. Additional effects from sitting include diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

A hundred years ago most people were employed in jobs that required them to move and often required reasonably strenuous exercise. Where once a man dug a ditch with a shovel, today a machine will do the work of many men, and all it takes is one person who is sitting in a cab.

We drive to work in our cars where once we would have walked. We spend our leisure time watching TV or chatting to friends online.

And then after a hard day of sitting, off we go to bed and lie down for a good night’s sleep.