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Be Healthy

Many people with serious illnesses would give anything for a single day of perfect health. To be healthy and make the most of what you’ve got, follow these recommendations.courtesy:wikihow.com

Stop engaging in risky behavior. Taking unnecessary risks is hard on the body and mind and can have devastating long-term consequences. Serious or established patterns of risk-taking can also be indicative of deeper psychological problems, in which case you should talk to a health care professional who specializes in a relevant field.

Eat well. A light organic breakfast is sufficient and, when combined with a snack mid-morning, will see you through until lunch time. A good time for the evening meal is between 5pm and 8pm depending on your work/study schedule; it is best to avoid late night snacks because they fill you with unnecessary calories and can disrupt your sleep. Once a steady eating pattern has been established, your body will feel more comfortable.

Bolster your immune system. Maintaining healthy habits and a high level of energy is difficult for anyone who constantly battles fatigue, colds, infections, or any other effects of a weakened immune system.

Improve your sleep quality. When you sleep, your body produces cells that fight infection, inflammation, and stress – which means that getting too little sleep or poor-quality sleep not only makes you more prone to getting sick, but also increases the time you need to recover from illness. On top of that, a study conducted by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated that men who slept for 4 hours consumed 500 more calories than they did after sleeping for 8 hours.

Get in shape. In addition to helping you lose weight and gain confidence, exercising has a host of other benefits for your body and mind. For example, having good cardiovascular health has been linked to a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s. Exercising also boosts your immune system; even a change as minor as walking briskly for twenty to thirty minutes a day five days a week can improve your immune system by increasing both your antibody and T-killer cell response. Exercising is also one of the absolute best ways to sleep better at night – which, as previously mentioned, can help you lose weight by keeping you from overeating.

Maintain your personal hygiene. Wash your hands often, especially after visiting the bathroom at home or using the restrooms in a public place. Floss and brush your teeth and tongue after eating; food particles are often the cause of bad breath and gum disease. Visit your dentist regularly for cleanings and to catch any problems before they become serious.

Find emotional balance. Even if you master every other aspect of health, it won’t feel complete if you’re suffering from inner turmoil. Everyone needs a pick-me-up sometimes, and there are many small things that you can do to feel better about yourself. If the problem extends deeper.

Exercise daily or if not possible twice or thrice a week. It will increase your metabolic rate and you'll feel fresh the whole week.

Exercise While Traveling

You are about to travel and your daily exercise routine will be thrown off. Taking too much time off may lead to lack of energy while the calories will continue to mount. The following will enable you to continue exercising while on the road. Although it may not be exactly the same as your routine at home, it will help in your efforts to lose weight or keep your energy level up.courtesy:ehow.com

Follow Before and During Travel Time

Stretch your entire body. Do this as often as possible.

Find open periods of time to stretch and walk about.

Run or walk quickly between airport terminals or into rest areas and restaurants.

Climb the stairs.

Squeeze your gluteus maximus muscles.

Raise your arms over your head.

Do punches.

Drink plenty water.

Quickly Calm Your Nerves

There's little argument that to stay healthy and happy, you must eliminate undue stress and calm your nerves. Those who are "on edge" rarely have positive relationships, as stress almost always has a negative effect on our interactions with each other. Instead of accepting stress and actually becoming accustomed to living life this way, begin the promise to calm your nerves as soon as you realize you need it. For some people, a warm bath in a candlelit room is enough to bring down their stress levels. But for many, a more intensive regimen is necessary. It's not in your head. It is a medically acknowledged problem.courtesy:ehow.com

Some of the most familiar techniques incorporate one or more of the following into your life:

> Yoga

> Tai Chi

> Music

> Exercise

> Meditation

> Hypnosis

> Massage

The prestigious Mayo Clinic has noted how essential it is to calm nerves, noting that relaxation isn't just about peace of mind or enjoying a hobby. Relaxation is a process that decreases the wear and tear of life's challenges on your mind and body.

Practicing relaxation techniques can improve how you physically respond to stress by:

* Slowing your heart rate

* Lowering blood pressure

* Slowing your breathing rate

* Reducing the need for oxygen

* Increasing blood flow to major muscles

* Reducing muscle tension

Here is what the Mayo Clinic recommends for calming nerves, based on their latest findings:

> Autogenic relaxation. Autogenic means something that comes from within you. In this technique, you use both visual imagery and body awareness to reduce stress. You repeat words or suggestions in your mind to help you relax and reduce muscle tension. You may imagine a peaceful place and then focus on controlled, relaxing breathing, slowing your heart rate, or different physical sensations, such as relaxing each arm or leg one by one.

> Progressive muscle relaxation. In this technique, you focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. This helps you focus on the difference between muscle tension and relaxation, and you become more aware of physical sensations. You may choose to start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes and progressively working your way up to your neck and head. Tense your muscles for at least five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds, and repeat.

> Visualization. In this technique, you form mental images to take a visual journey to a peaceful, calming place or situation. Try to use as many senses as you can, including smells, sights, sounds and textures. If you imagine relaxing at the ocean, for instance, think about the warmth of the sun, the sound of crashing waves, the feel of the grains of sand and the smell of salt water. You may want to close your eyes, sit in a quiet spot and loosen any tight clothing.

Protect Against Cell Phone Radiation

Ever since I noticed that a paper clip would stick to my cell phone right where I hold it to my ear, I've been worried about what that might be doing to me. Cell phones also emit microwave radiation, just as portable phones do. Here's what you can do to protect yourself, short of getting rid of your phone altogether. courtesy:catmccabe, ehow.com

Few Ways:

> First, check the SAR rating on your phone, by going to the FCC's website. SAR stands for Specific Absorption Rate. That's how much heat your body is absorbing from the device. Understand that the number available from the FCC only measures the SAR when the phone is at your ear, not when it's on your body or in a pocket.

> Check the fine print that comes with your phone. Some cell phones are not designed to be carried or held less than an inch from your body! Your body includes your chest, your ear, and your thigh. Know what that means? The company isn't responsible if you get sick as a result of using their product. They warned you.

> Use the paper clip test when upgrading your phone. Does it stick near where you hold it close to your ear? Buy the phone that has the best shielding.

> Don't wear the phone on your body. Not in any pocket of your clothing. Not the breast pocket, or your front or back pocket. Not anywhere near your reproductive organs, male or female. Wear it in a holster you can clip to your belt or purse.

> Buy a Bluetooth earpiece, so the phone is never next to your ear. This is especially important for children, who reportedly are more susceptible to brain tumors than adults.

> Use your cell phone sparingly. Do you really need to chat when you're in line at the bank or the grocery store checkout? You survived just fine, driving home without dialing up. Try it once in a while. Go without, and stay healthy.

Crying Is Good for Health

Tears are just one of many miracles we taken them for granted every day. Here are few ways tears heal us physiologically, psychologically, and spiritually.

> Tears Help Us See: The most basic function of tears is that they enable us to see. Literally. Tears not only lubricate our eyeballs and eyelids, they also prevent dehydration of our various mucous membranes. No lubrication, no eyesight. Writes Jerry Bergman: “Without tears, life would be drastically different for humans—in the short run enormously uncomfortable, and in the long run eyesight would be blocked out altogether.”

> Tears Kill Bacteria: No need for Clorox wipes. We’ve got tears! Our own antibacterial and antiviral agent working for us, fighting off all the germs we pick up on community computers, shopping carts, public sinks, and all those places the nasty little guys make their homes and procreate.

Tears contain lysozyme, a fluid that the germ-a-phobe dreams about in her sleep, because it can kill 90 to 95 percent of all bacteria in just five to ten minutes! This translates, I’m guessing, to three months’ worth of colds and stomach viruses.

> Tears Remove Toxins: Biochemist William Frey, who has been researching tears for as long as I’ve been searching for sanity, found in one study that emotional tears—those formed in distress or grief—contained more toxic byproducts than tears of irritation (think onion peeling). Are tears toxic then?

No! They actually remove toxins from our body that build up courtesy of stress. They are like a natural therapy or massage session, but they cost a lot less!

> Crying Can Elevate Mood: Do you know what your manganese level is? Neither do I. But chances are that you will feel better if it’s lower because overexposure to manganese can cause bad stuff: anxiety, nervousness, irritability, fatigue, aggression, emotional disturbance, and the rest of the feelings that live inside my head rent-free.

The act of crying can actually lower a person’s manganese level. And just like with the toxins I mentioned in my last point, emotional tears contain 24 percent higher albumin protein concentration—responsible for transporting small (toxic) molecules--than irritation tears.

> Crying Lowers Stress: Tears really are like perspiration, in that exercising and crying both relieve stress. In his article, Bergman explains that tears remove some of the chemicals built up in the body from stress, like the endorphins leucine-enkaphalin and prolactin. The opposite is true too. Bergman writes, “Suppressing tears increases stress levels, and contributes to diseases aggravated by stress, such as high blood pressure, heart problems, and peptic ulcers.

> Tears Build Community: In her Science Digest article, writer Ashley Montagu argued that crying not only contributes to good health, but it also builds community. I know what you’re thinking: “Well, yeah, but not the right kind of community. I mean, I might ask the woman bawling her eyes out behind me in church what’s wrong or if I can help her, but I’m certainly not going to invite her to dinner.”

I beg to differ. As a prolific crier, I always come away astounded by the resounding support of people I know, and the level of intimacy exchanged among them. Read for yourselves some of the comments on both my self-esteem file video my death and dying video and you’ll appreciate my point. Tears help communication and foster community.

> Tears Release Feelings: Even if you haven’t just been through something traumatic or are severely depressed, the average Joe goes through his day accumulating little conflicts and resentments. Sometimes they gather inside the limbic system of the brain and in certain corners of the heart. Crying is cathartic. It lets the devils out before they wreak all kind of havoc with the nervous and cardiovascular systems. As John Bradshaw writes in his bestseller Home Coming, “All these feelings need to be felt. We need to stomp and storm; to sob and cry; to perspire and tremble.”
courtesy:care2.com

Get Clear, Smooth Skin

Ever struggled with rough, dry skin? Luckily, you found this page. This page will help you find a cure.

* Be healthy! Exercising regularly gives you a beautiful healthy glow, and can actually improve the condition of your skin. Drink lots of water, 8 cups a day, to help your skin to be healthy, and try to eat healthy, too. For example, don't eat loads of fatty, greasy foods like fries and burgers.

* Go to a chemist, supermarket, or beauty shop, and buy make-up removing wipes, cleansing lotion, toner, moisturizer, and facial scrub or antibacterial soap. Make sure you get them for your skin type, eg. sensitive skin, dry skin. As long as it is a reputable store, their own brand should be cheaper, but the same quality as expensive brands.

* Wash your face twice a day In the morning, splash your face with cold water for about 10 seconds. Then pat dry with a washcloth or facial sponge. This helps stimulate blood flow and is really good for the skin. Then get hot steamy water in a cup or bowl and place your face above the water. This will open up your pores. Then wash your face with a oil-free cleanser. Apply toner or lemon juice then moisturize. It is also good to moisturize before you go to bed.

* Take off your make up with the wipes every night before you go to sleep. Wash your face with warm water again, use toner, and moisturizer.

* Make an emergency zit kit including a zit cream that has salicylic acid and/or benzoyl peroxide, a cream that reduces redness, a concealer stick, and translucent powder (the powder should absorb excess oils on your face). Of course, this is completely optional, but very useful.

* Wait a few weeks; you should notice that your skin becomes smoother and clearer.

* Remember if all else fails, go see a dermatologist.

* Three words. Virgin Coconut Oil. Make sure your face is clean before you apply it on. Massage your face for 2-3 minutes. A little goes a long way. You only want to use one or two drops. What you don't want to happen is to make your face shiny. If you put too much on, gently remove the excess with a soft, clean towel.

How Yoga Can Change Your Life Forever

“Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured. ”

While it's true that you'll get out of your practice only as much as you're willing or able to put into it, a committed approach to your practice can help you in ways that you've never expected. Indeed practicing yoga could be the platform and motivation you need to completely transform your life.

courtesy:ezinearticles.com

The basic benefits of yoga are widely documented and have been extensively researched. Research into the more controversial benefits of yoga continue - at the time of writing, pubmed.org (a Service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of health) listed more than 900 research papers investigating the benefits of yoga. A search on the internet typically reveals benefits which include:

> Increased fitness
> Increased strength
> Fat reduction and weight loss
> Relief of back pain
> Better relaxation

Individually these benefits sound like compelling reasons to practice yoga and may be exactly what you are looking for. But yoga is an all encompassing approach to health and well-being - the word itself literally means union, and when we look at the impact practicing yoga can have on our lives, we should also take an all encompassing approach. While yoga alone cannot work miracles, it may be the foundation, along with some self belief, to help you:-

Earn more money: Practicing yoga increases your ability to relax and cope with your daily stresses. It also helps to develop a meditative ability allowing you to slow or clear your mind of constantly racing thoughts. After a hard days work, these are exactly the techniques you need so you can unwind, and recharge through longer and deeper sleep. If you can achieve that then you'll feel more refreshed, energised and motivated each day, improving your focus and concentration. You can channel this in what ever direction you want including working towards a promotion, searching for your ideal job or starting your own business.

Write a book, learn to dance: As outlined above, regular yoga practice can help you increase your energy, motivation and focus as well as improving your concentration - all of which can be used to develop your personal hobbies and interests, whatever they may be, mental activities or physical ones.

Spend more time with your friends and family: Promotion and money aren't your motivators? How about using your increased energy levels to bring greater balance between your work and personal lives, allowing you to spend more time with the people that matter.

A shot of self confidence: performing regular exercise, combined with the positive effects yoga has on metabolism and appetite, can help with weight (fat) loss. Combine that slimming with the toning effect yoga has on your muscles and you can start to develop the body you want in no time - and be feeling better about yourself just as quick. What better boost is there to your self confidence?

Depression relief: Yoga postures are designed to stretch, compress and massage your internal organs and glands. This stimulation is thought to help balance hormone levels in the body, which can help to achieve a more balanced emotional state.

Quit smoking: As well as strengthening your resolve to quit through the increased motivation, energy and focus, yoga breathing techniques (pranayama) are ideal to help you pass the cravings that at the biggest hurdle to quitting smoking.

As you can see, the benefits of yoga go far beyond simply improving your wellbeing - the benefits can be channeled to help you to make fundamental improvements to your whole life. When the rewards are so great, it's not difficult to understand why people become so enthusiastic about yoga.

Best Way to Breathe, for Better Health

If you are reading this, you already know how to breathe. But have you stopped to think about the best way to breathe? Learned breathing techniques, such as deep breathing, have been part of yoga and other practices for centuries. Breathing correctly is very important - not only to help you perform strenuous tasks, but to allow the lungs to fill up with air, aid in controlling the heart rate, and living . The benefits of proper breathing can assure you will not get pneumonia when you have a bad cough, by clearing the air passages to the lungs. Proper deep breathing also can assist you in relaxing before doing things that cause you to feel stress and nervousness. Here are instructions for a breathing exercise to help you improve your breathing.
courtesy:wikihow.com

Complete Breath Process:

>Suck in your stomach, drawing your belly button towards your spine.
>Exhale.
>Now expand your belly button outward, drawing in breath.
>Then allow your ribs to open out.
>Finally, draw back your shoulders and clavicles.
>To exhale, first allow out the air at the top of your chest.
>Next, draw in the rib cage.
>Finally, draw the belly button back towards the spine.
>Repeat for a few minutes each day to retrain yourself to normal full breathing.

Few Advantages:

> Proper breathing benefits the respiratory system by reducing tight chest muscles thus relieving chest pains and anxiety. It also aids in relieving long term respiratory difficulties like bronchitis and asthma by opening up the chest to make breathing easier.

> The circulatory system benefits from improved blood circulation and congestion relief. There is also an increase in oxygen and nutrients to the body's cells enabling the organs to function better.

> Proper breathing can enable the nervous system to calm down or become stimulated.

> When utilizing the diaphragm when breathing, the action acts as a massage to the internal organs of the digestive system.

> Diaphragmatic breathing aids the endocrine system by helping it move lymph throughout the body, which eliminates waste and strengthens the immune system.

> Proper breathing benefits the urinary system by allowing fluids to be eliminated through the breath, and therefore reducing edema. It also relieves stress put on the elimination organs due to improper breathing.

> Proper breathing also aids in relaxation, relieves muscular tension, increases flexibility and joint strength, and helps to recover faster from stress and exertion.

Get Clear, Smooth Skin

Ever struggled with rough, dry skin? Luckily, you found this page. This page will help you find a cure.

Foods That Gives You Instant Energy

"I need more energy and I'm tired."

Does this sound like you?

If so, I bet when you feel like this, you normally grab a soda or a candy bar to give yourself a quick boost of energy. Hey, you're busy, I know. We all do it. That's why there's a vending machine in many office buildings and workplace break rooms. They know we are going to run out of energy and need a quick pick me up.

We know that we probably shouldn't be selecting that small bag of potato chips and a chocolate almond bar, but we tell ourselves we need something to tide us over until dinner. In fact, food does provide energy, it's just that junk food doesn't give us the best source of food energy.

What should I eat to have more energy?

Here's a list of natural foods that will provide your body with energy and stamina:

* Grapes: Grapes have lots of magnesium, which converts into energy. Grapes are easy to carry around and make great snacks.

* Oats: Oats are loaded with nutrients that aid in alertness and concentration. A bowl of oatmeal in the morning is a good start to the day.

* Mung Beans: These crunchy sprouts are good on salads, in soups or eaten right out of the bag.

* Yams/Squash: Yams are packed with vitamin C. They also help balance hormones and blood sugar levels. Squash promotes healthy circulation and good digestion.

* Grains: Grains like millet, buckwheat, rye, barley and wheat contain healthy B vitamins and contribute to a steady flow of energy.

* Sprouts: Any type of sprout that has been germinated is good for revitalizing the body. They also contain antioxidants, protein, trace minerals and fiber.

* Peaches: Peaches are great for a quick boost of energy, as well as, helping the body eliminate toxins and regulate bowel movements.

* Vegetables: Fresh vegetables (especially green ones) contain a range of energizing B vitamins, iron and magnesium. The best of these are: broccoli, spinach, and asparagus.

* Wheat Grass: Wheatgrass is chock full of nutrients, in fact, it contains 25 times the nutrients of vegetables. Many people drink shots of wheatgrass juice as a general health booster. You can also find it in powder form.

* Sunflower Seeds: Crunchy, nutty and plentiful, sunflower seeds are rich in protein, iron, vitamin B, zinc and magnesium.