**Health & Fitness Articles Archive**

radha07 thumbnail
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Posted: 17 years ago
#1

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Edited by radha07 - 17 years ago

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radha07 thumbnail
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Posted: 17 years ago
#2

In order to find out how much exercise is enough, you need to be clear about what you want to achieve. Do you want to be fit or healthy? It's easy to confuse the terms as they're often used interchangeably to mean the same thing. But in fact they are different in both physiological and psychological terms.

Fitness has been defined in relation to a concept called physical work capacity, or how much work the body can do. A person's fitness can be determined in a laboratory by looking at how much energy they can produce on a cycle ergometer when cycling at a specific heart rate, or on an athletic track by looking at how far they can run in a set time. Fitness can also be understood in relation to a number of components including endurance, flexibility, strength and power. You need to be fit to play many sports, including football, hockey and tennis.

Health, on the other hand, is a broader concept that includes being free from and resilient to disease, mental and spiritual wellbeing, and the quality of our social relationships. Normally, being fit and being healthy go hand in hand, but this isn't always the case. For example, you can be very fit, through playing football for example, but suffer a major health problem such as alcoholism.

Understanding the difference between fitness and health is important because the level of exercise you need to be healthy is less than that needed to get and keep you fit.

Many people want or need to be fit because of the job they do (eg, police officers), the sport they play (eg, basketball) or the body shape they want to achieve (eg, through resistance training).

If you want to be fit, you normally need to follow a structured training programme. Such programmes often take place in specialised facilities such as leisure centres and may be supervised by an exercise leader. Examples of fitness training include circuits, running and weight training.

One of the key variables in achieving a high level of fitness is the intensity of the exercise programme. If you want to be very fit, you may need to exercise at a moderate or high intensity. In achieving fitness goals, most people also become healthier. However, if you don't want to be fit but just healthy, you don't have to exercise as hard.

It doesn't have to be hell to be healthy

If you want to reduce your risk of suffering from coronary heart disease, obesity or mental health problems, research indicates you should be physically active. To achieve these health benefits doesn't require the same intensity of training as becoming fit. You can simply build physical activity into your daily routine, either as a form of 'active commuting' (walking or cycling, perhaps) or in the comfort of a health club. The main message is that it doesn't have to be hell to be healthy.

Some people are put off becoming more active because they think they have to work out at a high intensity, compete with others or wear a designer tracksuit. None of these things are necessary.

Top active living tips:

    Use the stairs instead of the escalator or lift at work. Park your car in the parking bay furthest from the supermarket.
  • Don't use the remote control to change TV channels.

Source - http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthy_living/fitness/motivatio n_howmuch.shtml
-Khushiyana- thumbnail
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Posted: 17 years ago
#3
Bench Dips

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Triceps
Other Muscles Worked: Chest
Equipment: BodyOnly
Mechanics Type: Compound



Video Guide: Windows Media - Real Player

Tips: Place two flat benches parallel to each other, about three to four feet apart. Sit on one bench facing the other, with your hands grasping the side of the bench. Using your hands to support your weight, lift your feet to the top of the other bench so that the rest of your body is suspended between the two benches. Cross one foot over the other. Slowly lower your body toward the floor by bending your elbows until your upper arms and forearms form a right angle. Do not go below a 90-degree angle, as this can stress your shoulders. Slowly raise back up to the start position by straightening your arms. You can also place a weight plate on your upper legs for added resistance!
-Khushiyana- thumbnail
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Posted: 17 years ago
#4
Health and Fitness Make the Difference Between Living Well and Living




Quality of life is what we all want. Good health helps us achieve a high quality of life. Fitness makes us want to live it every day. If you agree with these three premises, keep reading.

The Purpose of Health and Fitness Tips
To inform you of new developments in the health and fitness fields is our aim. We'll do the research; we have the resources. You get the results. The name of the game is 'current' and 'relevant' for today. Forget all the excess baggage of the so-called fitness gurus.

Become Healthier and Fitter Faster
While we know you are interested in becoming healthier and fitter or maintaining the health and fitness you have, we also know you have limited time to devote to it. We therefore pledge to you a fast, simple method to hop aboard the fitness fast train. Get on track with the facts.

Health Professionals, Medical Doctors and Health and Fitness Writers and Editors Make Up Our Staff
Our staff experience in the booming Health and Fitness field adds up to more than 100 years. Not that anyone is age 100 or even close, but we all plan to live that long. We want to make sure we have company. So we invite you along for the ride. We'll spur you on and help you over the rough spots to your own fitness destination.

Diet and Exercise are Keys to Healthy Living
But you know all this. So our aim is to give you the shortcuts, the little-known tricks and proven methods to help prevent boredom and hopelessness in your quest for good health. Our high tech world has advanced in the fitness field also. In fact, so fast that we want to get the information out to you yesterday. That's what the Health and Fitness Tips Site is all about…the latest up-to-the-minute-in-the-zone information for your health and fitness.

The Health and Fitness Tips Newsletter
Is a free weekly newsletter that is delivered straight to your email box. It's short, to the point, and it's absolutely free. This newsletter contains one weekly health and fitness tip that will get you on the right track. Click here and become one step closer to your health and fitness goals for the year 2002!

Link: http://www.health-fitness-tips.com/
-Khushiyana- thumbnail
Anniversary 18 Thumbnail Group Promotion 5 Thumbnail + 2
Posted: 17 years ago
#5
Get your feet in shape to break out your sandals
It's time to take your winter feet out of their shells.Those pale, dry, callused creatures need some buffing and smoothing before they're ready for sandal season.Note to men: This goes for you, too."Men think they can put on sandals and no one is looking at their feet," said Eri... FULL STORY

Link: http://www.dailyherald.com/health/
-Khushiyana- thumbnail
Anniversary 18 Thumbnail Group Promotion 5 Thumbnail + 2
Posted: 17 years ago
#6
Pumping up PE



Bret Gerbe photos
FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Obesity is up and class time is down. A bill recently introduced in the Legislature would require more, but is it too much of a stretch? Top: Paredes middle school student Jovanni Rodriguez, 13, finds an exercise outlet in basketball. Bottom: Paredes sixth-grader Noelia Martinez warms up before working out. MORE


Link: http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/health/index.html
Naina_Manam thumbnail
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Posted: 17 years ago
#7

Simple Ways to Add Years to Your Life


By Betsy Noxon

If flipping the calendar to a new year (or counting off another birthday) makes you anxious, stop fighting Father Time and start working with him. Add 20-plus great years to your life—and help celebrate Health's 20-year anniversary—by making simple lifestyle changes, like joining an aerobics class. Ready to start?

Get moving
Adds 2 to 4 years
Dutch and Australian researchers found that women who do moderate- to high-intensity cardiovascular exercise—like running for 30 minutes, 5 days a week—can live 2 to 4 years longer and live 1 to 3 more years free of heart disease. Running seems to strengthen your heart, as well as other muscles, and lower cholesterol. (A great way to start: Join the Health Girls Gotta Move Running Club.) But if you don't think running is the right exercise for you, just walking 30 minutes a day will lower your heart attack risk by half, says Carol Rosenberg, MD, director of Preventative Health Initiatives for Evanston Northwestern Healthcare in Illinois and lead investigator of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). "Exercise is the closest thing to a magic bullet," she says.

Eat power foods
Adds 4 years or more
A daily handful of dark chocolate and almonds, plus fruits, vegetables, garlic, fish, and even a glass of wine can increase a woman's life by 4.8 years (6.6 for men), according to research in the British Medical Journal. The foods are rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and other nutrients that can lower your heart disease risk by 76 percent. The age gains also come from a 22 percent drop in breast-cancer risk linked to consuming less fat and fewer calories as you eat more fruit, veggies, and whole grains, the WHI found.

People in other cultures who live to 100 always eat this way, according to John Robbins, son of the Baskin Robbins founder and author of Healthy at 100. "These people," Robbins says, "wouldn't recognize a doughnut."

Quit smoking
Adds 2 to 8 years
The younger you are when you quit, the better. Period. A study in the American Journal of Public Health found that female smokers who quit by age 35 could extend their lifespan by 6.1 to 7.7 years.

Lose the flab
Adds 3 to 4 years
Shed those extra holiday pounds, and you'll celebrate more holidays. Recent National Cancer Institute research shows that being overweight can increase the risk of death by 20 to 40 percent. Other research links being obese to high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. The reasons are unclear, but obesity can shave 3 to 4 years off your life, says Robert Butler, MD, president of the nonprofit International Longevity Center-USA, an affiliate of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Check your body mass index; 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal, 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, and 30 or higher is considered obese.

Play head games
Adds 2 years or more
Many experts believe that mental exercises can keep your brain cells active and more efficient as you age. And they say lifelong learning combined with other healthy-lifestyle habits can prolong your life by at least 2 years. Even one mental boost a week can equal a 7 percent gain in mental sharpness. And the more you do, the greater the percentage, says Gary Small, MD, author of The Longevity Bible. Read regularly, toil over a Sudoku grid, or connect a 1,000-piece puzzle to lower your risk for Alzheimer's by nearly a third, adds Small, chief of the University of California, Los Angeles, Memory and Aging Research Center.

Source: http://www.health.com/health/article/0,23414,1565768,00.html
purefriendship thumbnail
Posted: 17 years ago
#8
My Dear Friends,
Feeling uncomfortable after a spicy meal?
Having a bout of indigestion?
Then here is the simple, sure, compleate safe methods to incorporate into our daily diet.
Instead of using plain water in beverages, use water in which cumin seeds have been soaked overnight.
Cumin seeds have a cooling effect on the body and are an effective digestive.
Add flavour to juices by making ice cubes out of fruit juices, lemon juice and rose water.
Lemon juice is an excellent source of Vitamin C while both lemon juice and rose water have a cleansing and cooling effect on the body.
They blend with any fruit juice without causing any side effects, even as they enhance the flavour of the drink.
When making juices, use castor/ powdered sugar (colloquially known as pitti/ khada shakkar) instead of cubes or grains.
Pitti/ khada shakkar is good for health as it is not processed as much as ordinary sugar.
If you do not have powdered sugar, grind 250 grams of sugar in a mixer and keep handy.
Use approximately one spoon of powdered sugar (seven to eight grams) per glass of any juice.
It takes less time to dissolve.
Excessive sugar consumption can contribute to dehydration, so switch to natural sweetners such as honey, raw sugar or jaggery.
Use glucose powder to add energy to your drink.
Substitute cow's milk with soya milk.
Soya milk is high in protein and adds nutritional value to your diet.
Here's how to make it.
Soak soya beans overnight in water.
Drain the water next day.
Blend the soaked beans with three cups of very hot water for three minutes.
Cool till warm to the touch and filter through a muslin cloth by squeezing.
Simmer soya milk on a stove for 20 minutes.
Stir and allow to cool.
Use it to whip up some yummy milk shakes.
Substitute table salt with saindhave mamak (rock salt).
Substitute chocolate-flavoured health drink powders like Bournvita, Complan and Horlicks with plain cocoa powder to add more nutrition value to the drink.
For garnishing juices, use chopped fresh fruit and dry fruits.
Want extra spice in your food?
Use generous amounts of ground dry ginger blended with powdered sugar, chaat masala and cinnamon powder.
Never mix more than three types of fruits while making a juice; the combination of different fruit enzymes could cause acidity and digestion problems.
Citrus fruits (orange, sweet lime, grapefruit) can be consumed in combinations (say orange and sweet lime, sweet lime and grapefruit).
However, citrus fruits should not be combined with any other type of fruits as their enzymes can chemically react with other types of fruit enzymes, causing allergies in extreme cases.
Never combine citrus fruits and milk as it leads to an undesirable curdling of milk and renders the combination futile
Vegetable juices (cabbage, carrot, beetroot) should preferably be diluted in the proportion of 7: 3 (vegetable juice: water).
Never have strong concentrated juices (unless recommended) early in the morning on an empty stomach.
Dilute the juice with water and then consume it.
Try to drink freshly prepared fruit juices only.
Juices that have been stored without preservatives for a long time undergo oxidation and lose a considerable amount of their nutritional value.

Health is Wealth.... subbu
CuteFairy91 thumbnail
Anniversary 19 Thumbnail Group Promotion 4 Thumbnail + 2
Posted: 17 years ago
#9
Secret to slim kids? Just a little running around

BEIJING, March 20(Xinhuanet) -- Just 15 minutes a day of kicking around a ball or swimming might be enough to keep children from becoming obese, British and U.S. researchers said on Monday.

A study of 5,500 children showed that those who exercised more were less likely to be obese -- and that short bursts of intense activity seemed to be the most helpful.

Children who did 15 minutes a day of moderate exercise -- equivalent to a brisk walk -- were 50 percent less likely than inactive children to be obese, the researchers reported in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine.

"Our data suggest that higher intensity physical activity may be more important than total activity," Andy Ness of the University of Bristol and colleagues wrote.

"This study provides some of the first robust evidence on the link between physical activity and obesity in children," Chris Riddoch of Britain's Bath University, who worked on the study, said in a statement.

Obesity is on the rise in many countries, including the United States, where 60 percent of the population is overweight or obese, Britain and elsewhere in Europe.

It is clearly a matter of people eating more calories than they burn off, but experts cannot agree whether diet or exercise is more important -- and which kind of exercise might be best.

Ness' team studied 5,500 children, with an average age of 12, who with their mothers have been taking part in a larger, long-term study of health.

The children agreed to wear a device called accelerometer, which measures total activity, and they had X-ray scans for body fat. The researchers rated the children with the top 10 percent levels of fat mass as obese.

The less the children exercised, the more likely they were to be obese, the study found.

"These associations suggest even a modest increase of 15 minutes moderate and vigorous physical activity might result in an important reduction in the prevalence of overweight and obesity," the researchers wrote.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-03/20/content_5870094 .htm
friend_125 thumbnail
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Posted: 17 years ago
#10

Fat Distribution and Spot Reduction

Body fat has a mind of its own. It appears where it wants to, and seems to disappear (under great duress) from all the wrong places. Is there any rhyme or reason to fat distribution?

Here is a complete guide to body fat distribution.

Types of Fat
We have adipose tissue all over the body. This tissue is made of adipocytes (fat cells) whose sole job is to store energy in the form of fat. Body fat distribution differs from person to person. There are generally two types of fat storage: visceral (surrounding organs), or subcutaneous (beneath the skin - about 80% of all body fat (src)).

When it comes to losing fat - it often does not go according to plan. Despite many claims of spot reduction (i.e. "lose belly fat first") - it rarely happens this way.

Gaining Fat

Basic Areas
    Women - generally around the buttocks and thighs (gluteofemoral): "pear-shaped".
  • Men - generally around the abdomen: "apple-shaped".
Note that these are the predominant patterns - but both 'apple' and 'pear' shaped distribution can be found in either gender.

Specific Areas

Knee Fat often builds up on the inside region of the knees in women.
Upper Arm Also common in women, fat build up can occur in the middle to upper area of the upper arm - typically covering the tricep area.
Abdomen Fat buildup around the navel area is common in both men and women. It is also one of the few fat deposits that are also found in slim women.
Inner Thigh Fat storage between the thighs is common in women - but also occurs with men. It is more noticeable in women due to the width of the pelvis that in turn influences the position of the thigh (femur).
Outer Thigh Sometimes called "Riding Breeches" - this area is the most likely place for the pitted or 'quilted' appearance of cellulite. This fat concentration also blends with fat tissue on the inner thigh and the buttocks.
Buttocks Without fat here - sitting would be quite uncomfortable. Fat is held in place by the gluteal fold. If significant fat is lost from the buttock, then only appropriate training can prevent the buttock from sagging down against the thigh.
Lower Back This fat concentration often merges with the buttock area.
Chest Breast tissue comprises the mammary gland (one's 'endowment') surrounded by fat. Men also have atrophied glands and fat in this area. Both sexes gain fat in this area. In men this can sometimes be mistaken for the condition of gynecomastia - a condition that includes not only fat build up, but growth in gland tissue.

Ethnic Variation
There is considerable research showing that fat distribution varies between ethnic groups. For example Asian adults are more prone to visceral and central obesity than Europeans. Mediterranean women are prone to fat gain in the outer thighs.

Losing Fat

Many people compare subcutaneous fat to the layers of an onion. Rather than disappearing from a particular place, it comes off layer by layer from the whole body.

Moreover, the way fat is shed is different from person to person. It tends to go from the most recent place it appeared. If your tummy started gaining first - this will be the very last place for the fat to disappear from.

This is why, for example, a man may complain of getting too thin in the face - and yet still have a small 'spare tire' around his waist. Or a woman may complain of a smaller bust, and yet the hips may have barely moved in inch.

This is further compounded by cellulite. With cellulite tissue, fatty acids are contained in a net of fibrous connective tissue. As fat loss occurs the net becomes compressed - making it difficult for the blood supply to readily remove the fat from these stubborn areas.

During weight loss, the following trends have been observed:
    Obese men tend to lose more visceral (internal) fat while obese women lose more subcutaneous fat (src).
  • Exercise seems to result in more subcutaneous fat loss. Diet alone results in more visceral fat loss (and less surface fat loss) (src). This explains how you can lose weight - but not necessarily have any radical change in appearance.

The Outcome

The upshot is - there is very little you can do to influence specific subcutaneous fat distribution. Exercise should always be a part of any fat loss program - but vigorously exercising a specific body part will not have any influence on local fat in that area. This myth has been debunked again and again. Neither will high-repetition (e.g. 20-30 reps) weight training lead to greater fat loss. In fact the loss of intensity may ultimately result in less fat loss than lower-reps with heavier weights. Higher reps are good for muscular endurance (more).

It can be very frustrating but everybody is different. Stay committed to your training and nutrition - and don't be dissuaded by the commercials and images that show perfectly proportioned clones. Understand how your body works, and set achievable goals accordingly.

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