Category Archives: antioxidants

5 Tips to Travel Fit

Being fit generally means the ability to perform well in a wide gamut of circumstances considered physically taxing. Being fit for some people could mean the ability to fit into a favorite pair of jeans or a certain outfit for an upcoming event. For others, being fit simply means being in good shape because it ultimately translates to being in good health.

With that being said, while it is not easy to shed off the extra pounds and look trim and maintain overall fitness, it becomes a lot more challenging when you have to remain fit even when travelling. Keeping fit is a life-long plan which should be part and parcel of your daily routine. This therefore becomes a challenge when you have to maintain your fitness plan when away or a business or leisure trip. How do you travel fit and ensure you do not blow up in a matter of days what you have worked hard to build for so many years?

  1. The first tip to travel fit is to ensure you carry with you sufficient amounts of water. Water is known to keep the body metabolism active and to flush out harmful toxins from the body. In addition to that, cold water in particular is believed to help accelerate the pace at which you lose weight. This is because with an active metabolism, the body will need to work extra hard in order to warm the cold water. This helps keep you fit as you burn the extra calories that your body wants.
  2. Traveling fit is also about avoiding bottled beverages. Closely related to the above-mentioned point, many people are tempted to ‘cheat’ on their fitness plan by taking calorie-laden beverages because they do not have water with them. It is normal to feel thirsty when you are traveling, and bottled beverages such as sodas are always handy. By carrying your own water, or buying distilled water instead of soda, you will be traveling fit and not blowing up your fitness plan.
  3. It is also important to plan your physical exercise program while away on a trip in advance. This could be as simple as booking a hotel that has a swimming pool facility, or as complex as finding a local gym near your hotel where you can sign up for the duration you will be in your new destination. This will largely depends on the period of time you plan to stay in your new destination. If it is just for a few days, a swimming pool facility could be all that you need.
  4. Save some money by talking walks to the beaches instead of renting a car. This is self explanatory in the sense that taking brisk walks to the beach will not only save you a substantial amount of money on car hire and taxi, you will also be staying fit in the process
  5. Traveling fit is also about planning your meals in advance. You need to ensure you eat nutritious and well balanced meals. Just because you are away from home does not mean you should eat whatever comes your way. Traveling fit in this case could mean carrying your packed food and preparing your meals for yourself in your new destination.

 

Denis is a writer for Mega.co.uk where you can get some interesting voucher code to allow you to make some great savings on your travel.

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Weight Loss Beats Crunches for a Flat Stomach

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Whether you have been pregnant, find small amounts of weight creeping up on you as you get older, or sometimes overindulge in food or alcoholic beverages, you may have some excess weight around your midsection that you would like to get rid of. For many, having a flat stomach or “six-pack abs” is a dream that is seemingly just out of reach. Is there a way to get rid of your belly fat? Do you need to eat more or less of a certain food, or should you perform specific exercises to tone this area of your body?

Why Should I Lose Body Fat?

The visceral fat that sits around your midsection is more dangerous than the fat in your hips and thighs. It is also worse than the subcutaneous fat that nestles under your skin. Large amounts of excess belly fat can lead to inflammation, hardening of the arteries and a higher risk of developing serious health conditions including metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

How to Do it

The good news is that belly fat is the first type of body fat that you lose when you shed weight. However, there is no magic potion, pill, drink, food or exercise that is going to specifically target that area of your body. Regardless of your body type, whether you are an “apple” shape with body fat only around your middle or a “pear” shape with larger thighs and hips, most people lose the fat around their midsections first and more proportionately than anywhere else.

The type of fat that makes up larger bellies, visceral fat, is more active in terms of metabolism than the subcutaneous fat that is located under the skin around other areas of the body. Experts say that the more fat you have to lose, the faster you will lose it.

Eat More Grains

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study that showed when whole-grains were added to a calorie-controlled diet, obese individuals tended to lose weight faster from the abdominal area than those who consumed refined grains.[1] Consuming a similar diet, while reducing the amount of refined carbohydrates, changes the body’s response to glucose and insulin, making it easier to move the fat storage areas of the body. Whole-grains are also higher in fiber, which can leave people full for longer periods of time and decrease hunger levels.

Refined grains, on the other hand, elevate the body’s blood sugar levels and insulin response, causing the body to deposit fat more quickly.

What about Exercise?

It is a known fact for exercise enthusiasts but a source of frustration for those looking to trim certain body areas: you cannot spot reduce weight. While butterfly crunches do in fact target your lower abdominal muscles, you cannot perform hundreds of crunches with the hopes that you will see a flatter midsection. These exercises will not help you lose weight, although they may strengthen them and give a tighter and thinner appearance.

Along with a healthy, calorie-controlled diet, you must also get roughly 60 minutes of moderate exercise every day. The more intense your workouts, the more abdominal fat you may shed.

Citations:
  • [1]

LowFatDietPlan.org offers tips that can help you lose weight if your on a 17 day diet,low fat diet I or even a vegetarian diet plan,

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Food Matters – The Essential Diet Information For A Health Life

Millions of people live with extreme anxiety for years before seeking medical treatment. Others are taken to doctors at very young ages because their parents believe they are depressed and potentially dangerous to their own health. They then spend most of their lives taking prescription medications that alter their personalities. Not only are adults now taking these strong medications, but they are being prescribed to young children as well.

This is a tragedy, considering you can actually fight anxiety and depression with dietary choices. If that sounds too good to be true, let me introduce you to just a few of the foods that have been proven to relieve symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. There are many other foods where these came from!

Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits have been shown to reduce the levels of cortisol inside the body. Since cortisol is released as a response to stress, those with anxiety tend to have more of it patrolling their bodies. Citrus fruits can reduce these levels, reducing the tension of anxiety.

Besides eating fresh citrus fruits, you can drink pure fruit juices that contain citrus fruits. You may also make smoothies with an orange or grapefruit juice base. Citrus fruit juicing machines (manual and electric) can be found rather cheap on the market today. They allow you to make fresh juice without the preservatives you get with store-bought juices.

Dark Green Vegetables

Next time you make a salad, skip the iceberg lettuce. Instead, go for a nice bed of baby spinach and other deep green colored leaves. Next time you select a side for your grilled chicken, reach for asparagus or broccoli. Vegetables that are dark green in color are packed with B vitamins that have shown to bring up energy levels while bringing down depression.

Remember, avocados are nice and green so you can throw in some guacamole as a green vegetable that is also a source of healthy fat.

All of the dark green vegetables are beneficial to your overall health, but they may be even more important to those suffering from depression. B1 has proven to increase energy and control mood swings. B3 has been shown to reduce levels of cortisol, much like citrus fruits. B6 is believed to have a calming effect on the nervous system.

Those with anxiety may benefit from a diet rich in dark green vegetables as well, since they can reduce cortisol levels.

Fatty Fish

Omega 3 fatty acids are a bit of a wonder. The human body (especially the brain) depends on them for proper functioning. Yet, the human body is not capable of producing these healthy fats on its own. One of the amazing benefits of consuming high concentrations of omega 3 fatty acids is better mental functioning. Some studies are showing a connection between depression relief and the amount of these healthy fats found inside the body.

You can get small amounts of omega 3 fatty acids through healthy plant foods, but the higher concentrations needed for maximum health benefits are found in fatty fishes like salmon. You just have to be very aware of high metal content in some bodies of water where these fatty fish are found. Stick with high quality supplements made with fish from safe waterways.

There is no guarantee that any of these foods will completely relieve your depression or chase away your anxiety. Yet, they happen to be among the healthiest foods for weight loss, muscle building, and fat burning. What do you have to lose?

Please visit The Personal Development Company To Learn More About Food Matters by Permacology Productions

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The Best Juice for Healthy Skin

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We all want beautiful and glowing skin. We all want to look beautiful. We all want to look our very best. One of the things which we can do is drink juice. It is possible to juice your way to great skin. Ask any medical expert and he will tell you that what you put in your body will manifest itself on your body. If you eat greasy food, you will get a lot of pimples. This is not a secret. You have to take good care of your body if you want to look great.

There are many treatments for healthy skin. One of them is to drink at least 8-10 glasses of water a day. Your skin will be deprived if you do not do this. And no, other liquids like soda do not substitute for water. You need to consumer beta carotene and Vitamin A. They will rebuild your tissues and reduce the production of excess oil. Vitamin C and Vitamin E are also necessary.

You will need to buy juicer so you can enjoy all the goodness of juice on your skin. A glass of juice daily can help you on your way to better skin. The key is drinking real juice and not a cocktail. Vegetable juices are some of the best options for the skin because they have less sugar and they have fewer calories too. Yellow, orange and dark green leafy vegetables give your skin a lot of goodness.

When it comes to fruits, you can also juice grapes, berries, pomegranate and prunes. They are packed with Vitamin C and antioxidants. Some reports also say that Acai Berry also has high concentrations of antioxidants. This has not been proven though. There are lots of other fruits today which are good for the skin. You can also find a lot of free juice recipes for the skin on the Internet.

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The Health Benefits of Cod Liver Oil

Conventional fish oils are some of the best-supported supplements in terms of research and empirical backing, yet it is still unclear whether they are most effective than alternatives such as cod liver oil. Both conventional fish oils and cod liver oils are effective because of their high doses of essential fatty acids occurring in their natural form, but other aspects of cod liver may make it an even better choice than conventional oils.

Vitamin A in Cod Liver Oil

Although rarely giving proper recognition, vitamin A is essential for the development and maintenance of proper vision, as highlighted in the article What Does Vitamin A Do? Furthermore, vitamin A is responsible for the regulation of a wide variety of other hormonal processes that keep the body functioning properly. Cod liver oil contains high doses of vitamin A in it’s naturally occurring form, as opposed to synthetic alternatives.

Vitamin D in Cod Liver Oil

Another important component of cod liver oil is vitamin D, which is regulates bone mineral density, various hormone-related processes, and more. Researchers have even established a link between vitamin D deficiency and hair loss due to vitamin D’s influence on hair growth cycles. As with vitamin A, the vitamin D in cod liver oil is in it’s naturally-occurring form and is therefore easily absorbed by the body.

Omega-3s in Cod Liver Oil

Omega-3 fatty acids are the main selling point of fish oils in general, and are also present in high quantities in cod liver oil. Omega-3 balance (in comparison to Omega-6) has been found to be an extremely important factor in overall health. Moreover, common American diets tend to be excessive in Omega-6 fatty acids and very low in Omega-3s, so it’s almost always the case that a form of fish oil can help with these imbalances.

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Seniors, How to Stay Balanced!?

Unless we have regularly practiced some form of exercise in our life or have inherited exceptionally good genes, we will feel weaker in the legs as we get older. That is part of growing older and as the Chinese say, ‘old age starts in the legs’.
Helping to prolong one’s life with exercise is the solution, as well as also looking after oneself in other ways,
such as maintain good nutrition, fresh air, good, nourishing relationships etc.

How come old age starts in the legs?
Considering that our main support is the ground, the earth, we learn that being connected to it is vital in fact.

We are constantly and without interruption being ‘fed’ energy from the earth – as well as from the heavens – thus we learn in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Again according to TCM, some of our organs, like the stomach and the spleen, have the quality of the earth in them and are classified as being of the earth element, just as some others, like the lungs, have the quality of the air and are classified as being of the air element, while the heart is of the fire element. Our body comes from the earth and the ancient Chinese were quick to see, through being close to nature, its relationship to the different elements of nature.

So, yes, it is very important to keep our connection to the earth, if only by developing the leg muscles, which, being intimately connected with every other area of muscle in the body, play an crucial part in keeping the whole body strong and well-balanced.

Many of us have taken for granted the fact that the earth supports us, but in older age are surprised or accept it as a ‘fait accompli’ if we lose our balance, as if it were a natural part of growing old.

So we end up spending time in wheelchairs or having to hold on to a walking frame to get about.

A few years ago I approached several retirement homes to offer an exercise program for seniors, and I was shocked to see this state of affairs.

Most of the people there were hardly able to lift their arms without any help! (Of course I am not including some of us who’ve been unfortunate, having had accidents and needing to resort to extra outside help).

I honestly think it’s time for everyone over 50 who hasn’t already started some form of exercise to begin and keep up with it as a regular practice.

Although maybe we might have to try several exercise programs for seniors until we find one that is:

·        easy
·        where we feel we make progress
·        that makes us feel good, stronger, energised and relaxed at the end of a session

And may I suggest easy Tai Chi?!

I’d also like to mention that exercise helps us to be inspired and creative, but that will be the topic of another article!

To provide a means to generate well-being from within, Francoise Bonhoure, a qualified Seniors Exercise teacher (for Over and Under 50’s!), has created a comprehensive beginner exercise program.
By joining the membership for our ezine you’ll have access to free exercise videos and audios

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