Hey wannabe fitness freaks..
Have you been focussing on work all the time? Do you crave to be healthy? Do you want to do something about your day to day life? I have an option for you which wouldn't make a big diference in your daily schedule however, would be a little tweek that could make a long lasting diference in your life. Yes, I am talking about "Walking".
Walking is a gentle, low-impact exercise that can ease you into a higher level of fitness and health. It's one of your body's most natural forms of exercise. It's safe, simple, doesn't require practice, and the health benefits are many. Here's more about why walking is good for you, and how to get started with a walking program.
Benefits of walking
Walking for fitness can help you achieve a number of important health benefits. For example, you can:
Reduce your risk of a heart attack. Walking keeps your heart healthy by lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) and raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol). A regular walking program also reduces your risk of developing high blood pressure, a factor that also contributes to heart disease.
Manage your blood pressure. If you already have high blood pressure, walking may reduce it.
Reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Regular exercise reduces your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. If you're a woman, overweight and at a high risk of diabetes, walking can improve your body's ability to process sugar (glucose tolerance).
Manage your diabetes. If you already have type 2 diabetes, taking part in a regular walking program can improve your body's ability to process sugar, lower your blood sugar, reduce your risk of heart disease and help you live longer.
Manage your weight. Walking burns calories, which can help you manage your weight. For example, middle-aged women who walk more than 10,000 steps a day have lower levels of body fat than do women who are less active.
Manage stress and boost your spirits. Going for a brisk walk is a great way to reduce stress. Regular walking also can reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.
Stay strong and active. As you get older, walking for physical fitness can prevent falls, help you stay mobile and maintain your independence.
Prepare yourself before you go walking
Take time to prepare yourself to prevent injuries, such as blisters on your feet or muscle pain.
Wear walking shoes and comfortable, protective clothing
Before you set out, be sure to select comfortable footwear. Also dress in loosefitting, comfortable clothing and in layers if you need to adjust to changing temperature. If you walk outside, choose clothes appropriate for the weather. Avoid rubberized materials, as they don't allow perspiration to evaporate. Wear bright colors or reflective tape after dark so that motorists can see you.
Warm up
Spend about five minutes walking slowly to warm up your muscles. You can walk in place if you want. Increase your pace until you feel warm. Warming up your muscles reduces your risk of injury.
Stretch
After warming up, stretch your muscles for about five minutes before walking. Include the calf stretch, quadriceps stretch, hamstring stretch, lower back flexion stretch and chest stretch.
Getting started: Design a program that works for you
To help ensure your success:
Start slow and easy.
If you're a seasoned walker, keep doing what you're doing. If you've been inactive and tire easily, it's best to start slow and easy. At first, walk only as far as or as fast as you find comfortable. If you can walk for only a few minutes, let that be your starting point. For example, you might try short daily sessions of three to five minutes and slowly build up to 15 minutes twice a week. Then, over several weeks' time, you can gradually work your way up to 30 minutes of walking five days each week.
Use proper technique to avoid injury and setbacks.
Walking is a great exercise because it's so simple to do. But if your posture is poor or your movements exaggerated, you increase your risk of injury.
Measure the intensity of your workout.
As you walk, measure the intensity. Knowing your level allows you to increase the intensity to maximize your workout or slow down to avoid overdoing it. You have these options:
Talk test. If you're so out of breath that you can't carry on a conversation with the person you're walking with, you're probably walking too fast and should slow down.
Borg scale. This method is a self-assessment of your perceived exertion. You rate how hard you think you're working on a scale that ranges from 6 (no exertion) to 20 (maximal effort). Aim for at least moderate intensity (12 to 14) as you walk.
Monitor your heart rate (pulse). To find out if you're exercising within the range of your target heart rate, stop exercising to check your pulse manually at your wrist (radial artery) or neck (carotid artery). Another option is to wear an electronic device that displays your heart rate.
Keep track of your progress.
Keeping a record of how many steps you take, the distance you walk and how long it takes can help you see where you started from and serve as a source of inspiration. Just think how good you'll feel when you see how many miles you've walked each week, month or year.
Record these numbers in a walking journal you create for yourself or log them in a spreadsheet on your computer. Another option is to use an electronic device to calculate time and distance for you.
Options include:
Pedometers. These devices, which you usually attach to your belt or waistband, detect body motion and count your footsteps, displaying the number of steps on a small screen.
Although many pedometers have extra features, such as displaying calories burned and the distance walked or run, you may want to begin by using its primary feature — counting steps.
High-tech devices. Devices that use GPS satellite technology cost more than pedometers do, but they can track the total and current distance you walk, and even calculate your speed or pace. You may have to program these devices. Some allow you to download stored data to your computer as a way of keeping track of your progress. You wear these high-tech devices on your wrist or attached to your waistband, shoe or arm.
Cool down after each walking session.
To reduce stress on your heart and muscles, end each walking session by walking slowly for about five minutes. Then, repeat your stretches.
Stay motivated: Set goals, have fun and stay in the game.
Starting a walking program takes initiative. Sticking with it takes commitment. But when you think of the potential health benefits, it's well worth your effort. Over time you'll likely feel more invigorated.
To stay motivated:
Set performance goals. People who stick with a new behavior for six months usually make it a habit.
Make it fun. If you don't like walking alone, invite your spouse, partner, friend or neighbor to join you. You might also join a health club and use a treadmill.
Vary your routine. Plan several different walking routes for variety. But if you're walking alone, be sure to tell someone which route you're taking.
Sometimes things happen to keep you from sticking to a regular walking program. Don't be too hard on yourself when this happens.
You don't have to let a few days off sabotage your plan to reach a higher level of fitness and improved health.
Follow these tips to get back in the game:
Think positively. Don't let negative self-talk, such as "I'm a failure," get in the way of starting again. Shrug it off as a temporary break in your walking program.
Re-evaluate your goals. If your goal is to walk two hours a day 365 days a year, you might be setting yourself up to fail. Set realistic goals for yourself, such as 30 minutes five days a week.
Get going. Build walking into your schedule today. Just do it. Walk for 10 minutes on your lunch break.
Continually plan. If you're taking a trip or working overtime, think of strategies for incorporating short walks into your day to keep your plan on track.
You'll be glad you started
Even though the first steps of any journey can be the most difficult, it helps to keep your goals foremost in your mind. So remember, once you take that first step, you're on the way to an important destination — better health.
To read more :
visit : http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/HQ/01612.html
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Healthy Eating Habits
While browsing the net, I found something interesting for people who are interested in changing the eating habits. I am striving to develop these habits, which I believe are pretty simple. Read on...
Healthy eating and living a healthy lifestyle has a lot to do with forming the right habits. Here are seven of the best habits you can develop when it comes to healthy eating. Start by picking one of them and making it a habit of your own before moving on to the next. Before you know it, you will have developed a much healthier eating lifestyle.
Drink Plenty of Water
Your body has to stay well hydrated to perform at its best and to properly process all the nutrients in the food you eat. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. You may need even more water if you are in a hot environment – like spending the day at the beach in 95-degree weather, or if you are exercising.
If you are trying to lose weight, add plenty of ice to each glass of water. Your body will burn energy to warm the water up to body temperature. Research has shown you can speed up your metabolism by 1/3 by drinking several glasses of ice water each day.
Eat Breakfast
You’ve probably heard this before; breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After not eating for the past ten hours, your body needs fuel to get you going. You will have more energy and will be more alert after eating breakfast.
A recent study has shown that women who eat breakfast will consume an average of 100 calories less during the day than their counterparts who skipped breakfast. If you are trying to lose weight, eating breakfast is a definite must.
Make sure your children eat breakfast as well. They will be more alert in school and able to concentrate better.
Don’t Skip Lunch
There are many days when we are tempted to skip lunch. We are trying to lose weight and want to save some calories; we don’t have the time and end up working through our lunch break, or have errands to run. Let’s take a look at what happens when we skip lunch. Blood sugar levels drop, metabolism slows down to compensate for the missing fuel and when you get home you are starving and eat everything you can get your hands on.
Eat a light lunch each day. If you don’t have time to go out, pack a brown bag lunch. Fix a turkey sandwich and some carrots or grapes in the morning and take them with you for a quick lunch at your desk.
Choose Your Snacks Carefully
We all need to snack from time to time. In fact, it’s a good idea to eat two healthy snacks in addition to your three main meals. This doesn’t mean that you can stop by the snack machine and grab a bag of chips or a candy bar.
Choose healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables, low fat yogurt, cottage cheese with applesauce, some whole-wheat crackers with cheese, or some trail mix.
Eat Your Fruit and Vegetables
There is a good reason the 5-a-day campaign was started. We should eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, yet many of us get hardly any servings in at all. Grab a piece of fruit for a snack, add some banana and raisins to your favorite breakfast cereal, have a salad with lunch, and make it a habit to fix at least one vegetable side with dinner each night. A simple fruit salad of cut up fruit dressed with a touch of lemon juice and honey makes for a quick and delicious desert any night of the week.
Avoid Late Dinners
With our busy lives we are always tempted to put of dinner until the last minute. Try to eat dinner at least 3 hours before you go to bed. This will give your body a chance to digest most of the food before you rest for the next 8 hours.
A strategy that has worked well for me is to plan dinner for the week ahead of time and making sure I have every thing I need in the house. It allows me to get dinner started as soon as I get home and cuts out the extra time it takes to dig through the cupboards trying to find something to make and then running to the store to get the remaining ingredients.
Take a few minutes one day a week and plan the entire menu. Make a grocery list and shop for everything you need for the next few days. You may even want to post your menu on the fridge so other family members can get a head start on dinner if you have a late meeting at the office.
Keep a Food Journal
Do you really know what you are eating each day? We often snack and eat more at regular meals than we realize. To get a better idea of what you are eating on a daily basis keep a food journal for a few days. All you need is a notebook and a pen. Write down everything you eat and drink in a given day. It is also a good idea to make notes about any emotions related to what you eat. For example, if you had a bad day at the office, and you have 2 slices of cheesecake after you get home as a result, write it down. You’ll be able to analyze what causes you to choose unhealthy foods and at what times of the day you are most likely to grab unhealthy foods. Recognizing what you bad eating habits are is the first step toward correcting the behavior.
You will be amazed how much better you will feel by incorporating these seven habits of healthy eating. Give them a try and see for yourself. Over the next few months we will be discussing many other health related topics. Don’t miss next month’s issue about easy ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
If you want to read more, please visit the following link :
http://www.healthymenumailer.com/articles/healthy-eating-habit.html
Healthy eating and living a healthy lifestyle has a lot to do with forming the right habits. Here are seven of the best habits you can develop when it comes to healthy eating. Start by picking one of them and making it a habit of your own before moving on to the next. Before you know it, you will have developed a much healthier eating lifestyle.
Drink Plenty of Water
Your body has to stay well hydrated to perform at its best and to properly process all the nutrients in the food you eat. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. You may need even more water if you are in a hot environment – like spending the day at the beach in 95-degree weather, or if you are exercising.
If you are trying to lose weight, add plenty of ice to each glass of water. Your body will burn energy to warm the water up to body temperature. Research has shown you can speed up your metabolism by 1/3 by drinking several glasses of ice water each day.
Eat Breakfast
You’ve probably heard this before; breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After not eating for the past ten hours, your body needs fuel to get you going. You will have more energy and will be more alert after eating breakfast.
A recent study has shown that women who eat breakfast will consume an average of 100 calories less during the day than their counterparts who skipped breakfast. If you are trying to lose weight, eating breakfast is a definite must.
Make sure your children eat breakfast as well. They will be more alert in school and able to concentrate better.
Don’t Skip Lunch
There are many days when we are tempted to skip lunch. We are trying to lose weight and want to save some calories; we don’t have the time and end up working through our lunch break, or have errands to run. Let’s take a look at what happens when we skip lunch. Blood sugar levels drop, metabolism slows down to compensate for the missing fuel and when you get home you are starving and eat everything you can get your hands on.
Eat a light lunch each day. If you don’t have time to go out, pack a brown bag lunch. Fix a turkey sandwich and some carrots or grapes in the morning and take them with you for a quick lunch at your desk.
Choose Your Snacks Carefully
We all need to snack from time to time. In fact, it’s a good idea to eat two healthy snacks in addition to your three main meals. This doesn’t mean that you can stop by the snack machine and grab a bag of chips or a candy bar.
Choose healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables, low fat yogurt, cottage cheese with applesauce, some whole-wheat crackers with cheese, or some trail mix.
Eat Your Fruit and Vegetables
There is a good reason the 5-a-day campaign was started. We should eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, yet many of us get hardly any servings in at all. Grab a piece of fruit for a snack, add some banana and raisins to your favorite breakfast cereal, have a salad with lunch, and make it a habit to fix at least one vegetable side with dinner each night. A simple fruit salad of cut up fruit dressed with a touch of lemon juice and honey makes for a quick and delicious desert any night of the week.
Avoid Late Dinners
With our busy lives we are always tempted to put of dinner until the last minute. Try to eat dinner at least 3 hours before you go to bed. This will give your body a chance to digest most of the food before you rest for the next 8 hours.
A strategy that has worked well for me is to plan dinner for the week ahead of time and making sure I have every thing I need in the house. It allows me to get dinner started as soon as I get home and cuts out the extra time it takes to dig through the cupboards trying to find something to make and then running to the store to get the remaining ingredients.
Take a few minutes one day a week and plan the entire menu. Make a grocery list and shop for everything you need for the next few days. You may even want to post your menu on the fridge so other family members can get a head start on dinner if you have a late meeting at the office.
Keep a Food Journal
Do you really know what you are eating each day? We often snack and eat more at regular meals than we realize. To get a better idea of what you are eating on a daily basis keep a food journal for a few days. All you need is a notebook and a pen. Write down everything you eat and drink in a given day. It is also a good idea to make notes about any emotions related to what you eat. For example, if you had a bad day at the office, and you have 2 slices of cheesecake after you get home as a result, write it down. You’ll be able to analyze what causes you to choose unhealthy foods and at what times of the day you are most likely to grab unhealthy foods. Recognizing what you bad eating habits are is the first step toward correcting the behavior.
You will be amazed how much better you will feel by incorporating these seven habits of healthy eating. Give them a try and see for yourself. Over the next few months we will be discussing many other health related topics. Don’t miss next month’s issue about easy ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
If you want to read more, please visit the following link :
http://www.healthymenumailer.com/articles/healthy-eating-habit.html
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Self motivation
I reckon self motivation is the mightiest of all the strengths one can possess as that could bring about changes in your life. That is the reason behind me pondering the three elements that contribute to motivating self. Who doesn't want to achieve what you covet? Before we even think what to achieve, contemplate the desires. Desire could be for anything but to desire for the right thing is a power within you. More than allowing others to guide you guide yourself with your conscience and you will make no mistakes.
Once you have identified and prioritized your desires, entice your mind to believe in them. Belief plays an important part in being motivated. Only if you believe in yourself would you believe in your motives. Once again, it's proved that the power is within you. Your belief could be the stimulus to the actions to achieve your target.
Easiest of the three elements is accepting what you have achieved. Accept the changes and enjoy your achievements. Did you even realize that you have already achieved what you desired for when you decided to read this post? Yes, that's the strength of self motivation. You are self motivated to believe in this post. This is just the beginning of a saga of influencing the self. Enjoy the experience of self motivation!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
How to be happy?
How to be happy?
Wonder why some people seem happy always and some others seem sad mostly? Do you believe that there will be someone who has had only good experiences in life? Everyone would have gone through some miserable moments in the journey of life. Human being is a package of flaws and near perfection and how can we expect a life with good experiences only? When good things happen, your reflex will make you feel happy. We need to groom ourselves to find happiness even in a miserable moment. You need to find happiness in everything you do and experience. Believe there is nothing such as perfection and keep your mind open to anything that may happen. Do not keep your mind focussed on the good things that may happen. You will experience or feel what you have trained your mind to believe. Believe that the basic motive of life is good and be happy with whatever may happen. Train your mind to laugh over tears. One of the most important factors for feeling happy is to live with integrity and honesty. One of the initial lessons for all of us was to be honest. Telling the truth is not an essential part of being happy but definitely, a big part. All of us would have been in trouble sometime or the other by telling the truth however, would feel relieved, as there’s nothing that we are holding back in our mind. Telling the truth would make you feel bad at times when that upsets the other person for no good reason. Being verbally incontinent is not acting with integrity and honesty. You can refrain from sharing things that are personal to you, as that doesn’t add any value to the listener other than just spicing up the conversation. You need to use your discretion wisely while striving to be honest and act with integrity to make you happy.
Wonder why some people seem happy always and some others seem sad mostly? Do you believe that there will be someone who has had only good experiences in life? Everyone would have gone through some miserable moments in the journey of life. Human being is a package of flaws and near perfection and how can we expect a life with good experiences only? When good things happen, your reflex will make you feel happy. We need to groom ourselves to find happiness even in a miserable moment. You need to find happiness in everything you do and experience. Believe there is nothing such as perfection and keep your mind open to anything that may happen. Do not keep your mind focussed on the good things that may happen. You will experience or feel what you have trained your mind to believe. Believe that the basic motive of life is good and be happy with whatever may happen. Train your mind to laugh over tears. One of the most important factors for feeling happy is to live with integrity and honesty. One of the initial lessons for all of us was to be honest. Telling the truth is not an essential part of being happy but definitely, a big part. All of us would have been in trouble sometime or the other by telling the truth however, would feel relieved, as there’s nothing that we are holding back in our mind. Telling the truth would make you feel bad at times when that upsets the other person for no good reason. Being verbally incontinent is not acting with integrity and honesty. You can refrain from sharing things that are personal to you, as that doesn’t add any value to the listener other than just spicing up the conversation. You need to use your discretion wisely while striving to be honest and act with integrity to make you happy.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
First blog of my life!
Hey Readers!
I wonder what thoughts each of you nurtured in your mind before you started blogging.
I was always curious as to how somebody would start blogging. I was apprehensive about the topics that I should blog on to begin with. I kept toggling between topics and believe it or not this is a spur of the moment beginning. I couldn't make up my mind on what should my baby blog be.
All apprehensions are down the drain. I just realised that there isn't anything that you need to plan and blue print. It's one's mind and this is our world of thoughts. Thoughts don't float in one's mind by planning or scheduling and blogs don't float in the same way either. You need to let your thoughts (Not always! Imagination may also work) pour out through your fingers onto this blogger world.
So, whoever thought that you need to take time or plan things out before you blog, just chuck that and walk right in to this world of blogs!
I wonder what thoughts each of you nurtured in your mind before you started blogging.
I was always curious as to how somebody would start blogging. I was apprehensive about the topics that I should blog on to begin with. I kept toggling between topics and believe it or not this is a spur of the moment beginning. I couldn't make up my mind on what should my baby blog be.
All apprehensions are down the drain. I just realised that there isn't anything that you need to plan and blue print. It's one's mind and this is our world of thoughts. Thoughts don't float in one's mind by planning or scheduling and blogs don't float in the same way either. You need to let your thoughts (Not always! Imagination may also work) pour out through your fingers onto this blogger world.
So, whoever thought that you need to take time or plan things out before you blog, just chuck that and walk right in to this world of blogs!
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