Healthy Living Made Easy!

Why eat Whole grains?

2008-12-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

- Many studies support the connection between increased whole grain consumption and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. The #1 cause of death in the US is heart disease.
- The complex carbohydrates in whole grains give you a steady supply of natural fuel to provide sustained energy.
- Whole grains are a natural source of valuable antioxidants, as well as vitamins(B1, B2, B3, B6), vitamin E, magnesium, iron and phytochemicals which, working together, help reduce the risk of some cancers.
- Research has shown that persons with higher intakes of fiber, as found in whole grains, have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
-In addition, the high fiber content of whole grains can help persons feel full with fewer calories and therefore, be beneficial in weight management.

Unfiltered coffee Vs Filtered coffee

2008-11-19T08:21:00.001-08:00

Unfiltered coffee (definition):
Coffee that is made by espresso machines or by boiling.
eg: Espresso, latte, mocha, cappuccino, mochaccino or any other variation that includes espresso.
These espresso machines do have filters but they are metal filters. Unfiltered coffee is also known as boiled coffee which is consumed more in Europe and Asia than it is in the US.
The coffee is boiled and then filtered using a metal filter.

Filtered Coffee (definition):
Coffee that is made in pot that is filtered using a paper filter. Filtered coffee is also known as drip coffee. The most common method of brewing coffee in the US with which most people are familiar is the automatic drip coffee maker. Automatic drip coffee makers are almost always spotted on every office in the US.

Which one is better?
Filtered coffee is believed to have much less of an effect on cholesterol than unfiltered coffee.
Paper filters seem to remove most of the cholesterol-boosting substances found in coffee.
The increase in cholesterol is believed to be caused by oils called terpenes that are found in coffee, but are mostly removed by filters.

10 Tips for getting a good night's sleep

2008-10-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

No TV or computer before bed.
Listen to white noise or relaxation CDs before bed time.
Just like you have an alarm for waking up, have an alarm for going to bed so you hit the bed on time every day.
Empty your bladder before going to bed.
Make your bed before sleeping and clear away any dust or particles.
Wear comfortable clothing while sleeping.
Sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible.
Sleep for at least 8 hours a day.
Lie down in bed at least 15-20 minutes before you sleep; like having a little conversation with your spouse or reading a fiction.
Workout or play sports regularly, to get your body to need the rest.

The "Unhealthy food list".

2008-10-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Sausage, Bacon, Cured meats, T-bone and Rib eye steaks (these are high in saturated fats)
Salted foods
Cereals with lot of sugar
Whole milk
Frozen yogurt
Margarine, Fried foods (these contain trans fat)
Baked goods from stores
Hydrogenated vegetable oils
White bread, Bagels, Doughnuts
Pop and Alcohol of any kind

However it is okay to eat any of these one time in a week or even better one time in two weeks. The more you restrict the more you're body is going to crave for it, so give your body a break once in a while.

Fun size halloween candies. Not so fun for your health!

2008-10-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder the calorie amount on the fun sized candies that come in bags? These bags cost under five dollars and its easy to grab a few of them during the Halloween season as most stores have them on sale.

They're so small its easy to eat 10-15 of them in one day.

It would be hard to find an office building anywhere in the U.S that does not have a few bowls of Halloween candy lying around during the last week of October or the first week of November.

Watch out for the calories before you stuff them in to your mouth.

Calorie count for ONE(1) fun size snack or candy bar
Snickers - 80
Almond Joy - 80
Baby Ruth - 100
Hershey's Chocolate bar - 90
Butterfinger - 100
Miky Way - 75
Nestle's Crunch - 69
Kit Kat - 73
M&M's - 90
Twix - 80
Milky Way - 75
3 Musketeers - 63

Here are 5 smart tips to think about before you put your hand in to the Halloween candy bowl:
1. Eat a balanced meal before going trick-or-treat.
2. Workout before eating candy as your body will digest sugar a little better.
3. Eat a piece of fruit and drink a glass of water before you eat a piece of candy. The goal is to make you feel full before you indulge in candy to avoid eating more than one.
4. Give away excess candy (eg: share them with your co-workers).
5. Don't eat any candy at all this halloween. This is a tough one. It all starts with the thought that just one candy will do no harm; and then you keep saying the same and the numbers go up. Resist the temptation!

Happy Halloween!

The annoying fart. Shame on you!

2007-03-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

There is nothing to be ashamed of farts, everyone farts thats a natural process.On average the normal number of flatulatic occurrences a day is 10.This could increase, if you have more than 22 a day then it depends on what you eat, how fast you eat it and how much air you swallow when you eat or drink.

Reasons for more fart than usual:

Eating lot of carbohydrates.
Swallowing air while eating.
Bacteria in the intestines are more efficient in turning cabohydrates into gas.
Eating gas producing foods. one of the most gas producing food is baked beans, others include vegetables like broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, grains and fibers.
Drinking too many carbonated beverages
Drinking through a straw
Eating too fast and too much fast food
Having chewing gum
Lack of enough exercise

Fart is made of gases, majority nitrogen, oxygen, carbondioxide, hydrogen, methane.
Hydrogen present in them causes loud popping sound when ignited. Fart smells bad when sulfur gets stirred into the gaseous mixture. Hydrogen also causes the fart to waft quickly upward.

How to make them go away:

Taking antacids helps for some extend.
For odor: Opening the window, lighting a match may camouflage the smell but will not dispel it.
For masking the sound: Standing usually tends to minimize the sound over sitting, which can amplify the toot.

Healthy Links

2007-03-06T07:56:00.000-08:00

Belly fat in men: What you need to know - MayoClinic.com

Learn why belly fat is unhealthy — and what you can do to lose the extra pounds.
How to Improve Your Posture

Are you worried about looking like the hunchback of Notre Dame?
Potbelly? Shrink it!
Drink binges 'cause beer belly'

Binge drinkers are more likely to develop a beer belly
Caloric Values of Alcoholic Beverages

Calories in Beer, Wine, Champagne, Liquor & Mixed Drinks

Reducing the "beer belly"

2007-03-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

How does one get the beer belly?

Although the "beer belly" is not solely caused by the consumption of beer, it is a contributing factor. The primary energy-bearing constituents of beer are alcohol and carbohydrates; beer has no fat and very little protein content. The "beer belly" is actually a result of alcohol's more complex effects on the body's metabolic system. Simply put, alcohol reduces the amount of fat the body burns for energy.

This occurs for the following reason:
1. A small portion of the alcohol consumed is converted into fat.
2. The liver then converts the rest (ie: majority) of the alcohol into acetate.
3. The acetate is then released into the bloodstream, and replaces fat as a source of fuel.

Coupled with the high caloric value of alcohol, the resulting effect is that body is forced to store an excessive amount of unburned fat calories, often in the form of a "beer belly".

How to reduce the beer belly?

1. Drink Less Beer (duh!)
Don't indulge in binge drinking.

2. Avoid Late Night Meals
Don't eat heavy meals just before bed time. Stop eating at least 3-4 hours before you hit the bed.

3. Improve Your Posture
Walk tall, Stand tall and Sit up straight.

4. Exercise Your Stomach Muscles
Other then ab exercises, always try to hold in your stomach as you walk around or do household chores.

5. Perform Strength Training Exercises
The more muscle you have, the more fat you burn. Lift some weight and build some muscle.

6. Do Aerobics
Aerobic exercises such as running, tennis and swimming will help burn up unnecessary calories and fat.

Related:

BBC doctor's advice on getting rid of the beer belly.
Learn why belly fat is unhealthy — and what you can do to lose the extra pounds.

Fruits , Fruits and more fruits

2007-03-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

Eating fruits is one of the best ways for a healthy diet. A diet rich in fruits can help you ward off most of the nightmares like heart disease and stroke, helps to control blood pressure and cholesterol, prevents some type of cancer and guard against cataract and macular degeneration, which are the two common causes of vision loss.

Fruits with its highest water content and the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, amino acids and fatty acids it has makes them stand out from other fruits. Proper consumption of fruits will also help to loose some weight.

Just eating fruits wont help, but eating in the correct way is very important. Fruits should be eaten in an empty stomach. Don't go for canned fruit juices, drink fresh fruit juices. Never eat cooked fruits because you loose all the nutrients and vitamins in it. Eating a whole fruit is far better than drinking the juice.

It is very important that you eat variety of fruits than eating more of one fruit. No single fruit can provide you with all the nutrients you need, so make it a habit of eating varieties, hence consuming all possible nutrients and vitamins.

Fruits are ranked upon the nutrients it have such as fiber, vitamin C, carotenes and phytonutrients.

Top ten ranked fruits based on their content of the nutrients: vitamin C, carotenoids, calcium, and folic acid.

1. Avocado
2. Papaya
3. Guava
4. Cantaloupe
5. Orange
6. Apricots
7. Mango
8. Strawberries
9. Kiwi
10.Grapefruit

Top ten fiber rich fruits

1. Raspberries
2. Blackberries
3. Strawberries
4. Prunes
5. Papaya
6. Orange
7. Apple
8. Pears
9. Figs
10. Avocado

Go for a 3-day fruit fast, eating just fruits and drink fruit juices and this will help to cleanse your body.

Healthy Links

2007-02-27T06:36:00.001-08:00

Personal Trainer Reveals 19 Variations To Do Push Ups Without any equipment

Interesting pushups without any equipment.

Why is American Milk Banned in Europe?

Guide to New Food Pyramids and Tips for a Healthy Diet

New Food Pyramids and Tips for a Healthy Diet

Nutrition Information

Must know Nutrition Information

10 Tips to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity For You

Start your day with breakfast.

Skin, Hair, and Nails

What's skin, hair and nails answered.

The Health Benefits Of Ginger

Modern medical science has proven its efficacy in treating nausea and motion sickness.

The Happiness Project: Did giving up my beloved chocolate-chip cookies make me happier?

Stop eating fake food

Stretching 101

How will I benefit from stretching?

Morning workout

Top 10: Reasons To Train In The Morning

Chest workout

2007-02-26T07:59:00.000-08:00

Based on my experience and research, I've found that the best chest exercises are those that do not use machines. Free weights are the best to build those chest muscles.

The chest is so important because it is the center of upper body. Most upper body exercises depend heavily on chest power. And most of all, chest is usually the first area people's eyes focus on.

These are some chest workouts:

Cable Crossovers
Barbell Bench Presses
Dumbbell Bench Presses
Barbell Incline Presses
Dumbbell Incline Presses
Decline Flyes

About.com illustrates on some of these workouts with pictures.

Dummies.com discusses some interesting tips on chest workouts and warns on using the Pec Deck.

Here's a video on exercising your chest without using weights. Although not the best of the fitness videos, the routine is good for the quick morning workouts!

VideoJug: How To Exercise Your Chest Without Using Weights

An apple a day - Interesting facts

2007-02-23T07:09:00.000-08:00

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away! You must've heard of this saying many times. But many of us don't exactly know some interesting facts about apples. So here it is:

Benefits of Apples

1. Apple cleans teeth and strengthens gum.

2. Will make the cholesterol level lower.

3. Detoxify the body and has an antiviral property.

4. Apple will also prevent constipation because it helps digestion

5. One large apple supplies almost 30% of minimum amount of fiber that should be consumed daily.

Don't eat those apple seeds

Make sure you do not take too many apple seeds because it could be toxic if taken in large amount.

Peel away the apple skin

To get the most out of an apple, you should eat the skin as well. Sadly, you may want to peel your apple and throw away the skin. Why ? First, because apple is one of those fruits that contain the highest pesticides residues. Second, because most apples are waxed to give it a beautiful shine. Not only will you eat the wax, you would also eat the pesticides trapped by the wax.

Go with red

Research says that red apples(red delicious) contain more disease-fighting antioxidants in their skin and flesh than any other studied.

Did you know?

Fresh apples float on water since 25% of their volume is air.

Healthy Skin Forever

2007-02-22T07:07:00.000-08:00

Healthy skin forever is always our dream, but if we spare some time to take care of our skin this dream could be a reality.

People in the urge of making a living and their busy schedule leads to the denial of pampering their skin, which is the largest organ of the human body. And the result is your skin is no longer soft, glowing and healthy. As you grow old your skin becomes thinner, drier, fragile, and finely wrinkled. Isn't this a nightmare ?

You have still time to maintain your healthy skin. Here are some tips on how to keep your skin healthy forever.

Protect your skin from the UV rays of the sun :

The invisible Ultraviolet rays of the sun can cause your skin dry out, produce wrinkles, liver spots and eventually leads to the most dangerous disorders.

So avoid the sun during high intensity hours of 10 a.m to 4 p.m

Wear sunscreen and protective clothing

Avoid smoking :

Look around the skin of the people who smoke regularly, by this time they would have developed severe wrinkles on their skin as smoking accelerates the aging process of your skin.

Feed and nourish your skin with proper and healthy food:

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and maintain a healthy diet.

Drink water:

Water does miracles to the skin, make a habit of drinking 8 glasses of water everyday. This helps to maintain your skin's elasticity and suppleness.

Moisturize your skin regularly:

Moisturizing the skin prevents from dehydration and helps to maintain the glow and softness of the skin. Use a good moisturizer with sun protecting factor.

Daily shower:

Cleaning your skin everyday is very important and wash your skin gently with warm water and using moisturizing lotion.

Exercise:

Do exercise or aerobics and let your body sweat produce sebum, which is the skin's own natural moisturizer.

Avoid stress:

Being happy is very important to maintain healthy skin. So stop worrying about unnecessary things and enjoy the good life that you have.

These are some good basic tips which when followed lead to the skin of your dreams, which is in your own hands. And keep smiling always which makes you look fresh and healthy!!

Quick morning exercise - 5 minutes.

2007-02-21T07:01:00.000-08:00

First thing in the morning, drink a glass of water and get ready for the quick morning exercise. To be precise, the 5 minute exercise will actually take you 7 minutes. You'll see why once you start following this. After drinking your first glass of water, don't start to exercise right away, walk around for a minute for the water to go down and also to warm up a little.

Here's the 5 minute quick exercise routine:

5 deep breaths.
15 Sit ups.
15 Push ups.
Lie on your back and raise your legs 90 degrees and release - 15 reps.
Stand up with legs wide apart, bend forward and reach your left leg toe with your right hand and right leg toe with your left hand - 15 reps.

After these, you'll be gasping, so take a minute to cool down. Then drink another glass of water and hit the shower. While on shower, do some stretching routine. And don't skip that breakfast :-) I'll bring you more morning 5 minute routines in future posts.
Enjoy your day!

Healthy Links

2007-02-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

1. Five tips for performing easy good deeds
My favorite tip is: Help people think big.

2. Vitamins Chart (pdf file)
Possible Benefits, Best Sources and High-Dose Risks.

3. Natural Weight-Loss Food: Carrots
Health Benefits of carrots.

4. Drink More Water, Lose More Weight
Water is the only drink for a wise man.

How To Do Basic Deskercise

2007-02-19T19:02:00.000-08:00

This video is 5 minutes long and is for people with a desk job. After you see this video, start following these tips religiously. You might want to see this video over and over everyday before you start your daily deskercise routine until you become familiar with all the 14 tips.

VideoJug: How To Do Basic Deskercise

The 14 tips in text:

Stretch - Don't overdo.
Position - Move away from your chair and stretch/relax.
Breathing - Take deep breaths.
Eyes - Give rest and roll them in big circles.
Neck - Bend and roll gently half way around shoulder both sides.
Shoulders - Shrug up and down.
Elbows - Rotate Elbows in large circles with fingertip in back of neck. Do forwards and backwards.
Wrists - Hold both palms together and rotate to point fingers upwards and downwards
Arms - Lift arms, tighten fists and release.
Waist - Lift arms and bend to the right and left.
Chest - Grab either side of chair, push chest forward and tilt head back.
Hips, legs, ankles - Point toes out and stretch, point toes toward ceiling and stretch.
Hips & thighs - Pull knee up, until thigh stretches. Do for both legs.
Back & neck - Bend forward, drop hands to floor, relax head and neck.

Bonus Tip:
Take 5 minute breaks every 2 hours and walk around(the best is walk down/up the stairs).

5 easy weight loss tips to compliment your work out

2007-02-18T15:14:00.000-08:00

Imagine how much extra weight you can lose by following these 5 simple weight loss tips that compliment your work out.

1. Replace soft drinks with water

Each soft drink(pop is 150 empty calories. Replacing just one soft drink per day with water will result in losing 16 lbs per year.

2. Avoid cheese

Avoid cheese as much as you can. At restaurants, order sandwiches and burgers without cheese. Eat no more than one cheesecake a year! It takes over an hour of cardio to burn the calories from just one cheesecake. Cheese is the #1 source of artery-clogging fat in American diet.

3. Eat Slowly

It takes our brain about 20 minutes to realize that we are full. When you eat too fast, there is not enough time for the "full" feeling to register, so you'd end up literally stuffing yourself with food.

4. Don't Skip Meals

When you skip a meal, you get way too hungry. When you are too hungry, you won't be able to control yourself at the next meal. As a result, you'll end up eating more than 2 meals worth of calories.

5. Walk more

Always take the stairs instead of the elevator if you have to go less than 3 floors up or down. Park your car at the far end of the parking lot. All those activities add up. Walking briskly for just 15 minutes per day will help you lose an extra 10 lbs per year.

Keep in mind "Prevention is better than cure".

Drinking water in the morning

2007-02-18T12:49:00.000-08:00

As soon as you wake up in the morning drink water! Drinking water in the morning flushes out the kidneys, prepares the stomach for food and helps the bowels move regularly and naturally. Although it is good to follow the old 8 glasses per day rule, different people may need different amount of water intake depending on their body weight and the kind of work they do.

A better formula is:

Water per day (in oz) = Your weight (in pounds) / 2

and remember,

There's no substitute for water!
Beverages that simply contain water aren't good enough. juice, soda, tea, coffee etc. counter the positive effects of water; some, in fact, may also be unhealthy. Anything other than plain water must be digested, which slows down their passage.

Water provides these benefits:

Increases metabolism
When we increase our water intake it naturally speeds up our metabolism and allows our body to better assimilate nutrients from the foods and nutritional supplements we consume‚ the result being natural and healthy weight loss.
Better skin
Drinking more water will result in softer‚ healthier‚ younger looking skin.
Helps digestion
Digestion of solid foods has to happen in the presence of large amounts of water so that proper digestion occurs.
Good for the kidneys
Our kidneys remove wastes like uric acid, urea, and lactic acid, etc all of which are dissolved in water. When there aren't adequate amounts of water, these wastes aren't removed effectively resulting in kidney damage.

Welcome to the Healthy Living Made Easy blog!

2007-02-18T12:19:00.000-08:00

The greatest wealth is health. Deal with the truth and stay tuned while I bring you some great tips to help you remain healthy, happy and full of energy!

Welcome to the Healthy Living Made Easy blog! Make sure you bookmark and subscribe to this blog. I am sure you will want to come back later. As a first lesson, smile :-) and take a deep breath for discovering this blog, and breath out slowly. How does that feel?

Did you know that deep breathing reduces stress, deepens insight, expands consciousness and increases intuitive perception?

Healthy Living Made Easy!

Why eat Whole grains?

Unfiltered coffee Vs Filtered coffee

10 Tips for getting a good night's sleep

The "Unhealthy food list".

Fun size halloween candies. Not so fun for your health!

The annoying fart. Shame on you!

Healthy Links

Belly fat in men: What you need to know - MayoClinic.com

How to Improve Your Posture

Potbelly? Shrink it!

Drink binges 'cause beer belly'

Caloric Values of Alcoholic Beverages

Reducing the "beer belly"

Fruits , Fruits and more fruits

Healthy Links

10 Helpful Eye Care Tips

Milk: America’s Health Problem

Guide to New Food Pyramids and Tips for a Healthy Diet

Nutrition Information

10 Tips to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity For You

Skin, Hair, and Nails

The Health Benefits Of Ginger

The Happiness Project: Did giving up my beloved chocolate-chip cookies make me happier?

Stretching 101

Morning workout

Chest workout

An apple a day - Interesting facts

Healthy Skin Forever

Quick morning exercise - 5 minutes.

Healthy Links

How To Do Basic Deskercise

5 easy weight loss tips to compliment your work out

Drinking water in the morning

Welcome to the Healthy Living Made Easy blog!