Healthy Life Blog

Archive for August, 2009

My immediate answer is YES, you are eating yourself to death!

I can just hear you all shout “Hold on a second there Richelo! I eat very healthy foods, and I only drink healthy fruit juices. I don’t eat sweets, I only buy low fat and low carb products. I eat healthy, and don’t need to read the rest of this article!” HOLD ON there a moment! You are not eating as healthy as you think! Let me tell you why.

Never in the history of man have we seen more obesity, diseases, syndromes and what not, than we do right now. Is this all thanks to food? No, BUT, a HUGE part is, and if you will indulge me for a short while, I will try my best to explain to you in an easy to understand manner, why this is so.

We live in an instant gratification and microwave society. If it is not quick, easy and now, it is so yesterday. BUT, at what cost?

I can write a whole book about all the “stuff” they put in processed, or so called fast foods, but, I don’t want to bore you to death with all the scientific names and what it does to your body. Let me rather simplify this for you, and say that if it is processed in any way, it is not good for you, and very possibly bad for you!

So, what exactly is processed foods, and why is it so bad for you?

Does it come in a can, sealed box, sealed bag, or is it ready made? If so, it is processed. This is the vast majority of the foods that you get at the grocery store! Have a look the next time you are at the store, and you will see this to be true.

Now on to why it is so bad for you. For this food to last long, have the right color, and not pick up all the bad bacteria associated with keeping food for long, a LONG list of chemicals are added to this food. A lot of these chemicals are known to have very serious negative effects of the human body. To name but a few of these “side” effects: Cancer, High blood pressure, high cholesterol, Numbness, Burning sensation, Tingling, Facial pressure or tightness , Chest pain, Headache, Nausea, Rapid heartbeat , Drowsiness , Weakness and Difficulty breathing for asthmatics .

Now, forget all the “stuff” being added. What about nutritional value? Because of all the processing, there is little, if any, real nutrients left in any any of these foods! Not only that, BUT, the salt levels are WAY above what a human being should be consuming!

What about all these healthy bran cereals? Are they processed? YES. They contain more sugar than anything else! You poor blood sugar levels does not know what to do with all the extra insulin that it gets with just about any fast or processed food!

So, what then is safe and healthy?

Anything that is fresh, not processed, and preferably organic. Plain and simple! YES, that means that nice cup of coffee you are enjoying while reading this is not very good for you!

Have a look at your grocery store. The vast majority of the fresh, non processed foods are around the perimeter of the store, and not in the isles! This makes shopping so much easier!

“BUT, it takes so long to prepare!” The most common complaint I hear! Well, if you plan it properly, you can make all your fresh food in less time than it takes to get all your fast food during the day! Read that again! My wife and I prepare all our meals, for the 2 of us, and our 2 children, in 30 minutes in the morning! All fresh, all healthy, and all ready to eat for the rest of the day!

How much, and how often should you eat? This is also very simple. You should be eating every 2.5 to 3 hours. Before you start screaming at me for telling you to eat so much, remember also that these meals should be much smaller portions of your regular 3 meals a day. This will equate to around 6 meals a day.

What will you be eating? Also quite simple. Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat. YES, fat! You need to eat lean meat, skinless chicken or fish for protein. If you are vegan, there are loads of alternatives. For carbohydrates, you will have fruit and vegetables. For fat, you will have fish, fish oil capsules or flaxseed oil.

That’s IT! Sounds boring? Believe me when I tell you that it is not!

To read many more articles like this one, and to learn more about healthy eating and exercising, please visit my web site at http://www.allaboutfitnessonline.com/. While at the site, also take the time to subscribe to our newsletter, which is published bi-weekly, and includes many more articles just like this one.

Getting fit is on the minds of most people. However, many people are not consistent and fail in the first three months of an exercise program. But if it becomes a habit and they stick to it, something magical happens after four months. You are finally getting the results you expect and chances are you will continue with the exercise program.

Here a 10 simple tips to help you with your fitness success.

1. Get Moving. Resolve to be active in a variety of physical activities on a regular basis that will develop strength, cardiovascular capacity and flexibility.

2. Prime the Pump. Resolve to participate in physical activities that involve the large muscle groups of the body.

3. Let Your Muscles do the Work. Resolve to lift weight or use resistant exercises to place demands and challenge your muscles.

4. Loosen Up. Resolve to stretch regularly – before and after or during exercise. Remember to move your muscles through their full range of motion on a regular basis.

5. Win the Losing Game. Resolve to maintain your weight at an appropriate level. If you need to lose weight, a general rule to follow is to eat less and exercise more (both in moderation).

6. Watch What You Eat. Resolve to eat a healthy diet. Good nutrition equates to good health. Good nutrition involves providing your body with the required nutrients in appropriate amounts.

7. Chill Out. Resolve to keep matters of your life in proper perspective. Know what factors you can and cannot control in your life. Don’t “stress out” over those things beyond your control. See change as an opportunity, not a threat.

8. Get Plenty of Rest. Resolve to get enough sleep. The basic guideline concerning how much sleep you need is whatever enables you to feel refreshed, alert and in relative good spirits the next day. Sleep helps to rest and restore your body – both physically and mentally.

9. Keep Your Focus on the Task at Hand. Resolve to make time to exercise on a regular basis. Consistency gets results. Focus on the muscle you are exercising. Don’t just go through the motions.

10. Keep in Mind that “There is no Free Lunch.” Resolve to commit to sound lifestyle choices. For example, don’t smoke. Maintain an appropriate level of body fat. Avoid the latest fitness and diet fads, magic potions and exercise gadgets that seem too good to be true (they always are).

For more information and tips on exercise, go to http://www.easyexercisetips.com

Planning ahead when you travel reduces stress. This is particularly important for a diabetic. These 5 diabetes travel tips are simple to implement and crucial to your diabetic management. They are particularly important if you are traveling abroad.

1) Have a pre-travel check-up. Make sure your A1C blood sugar levels; your blood pressure and your cholesterol levels are OK. Get the appropriate shots for any country you plan to visit.

2) Wear a diabetes medical ID. Ideally it should be in the language spoken in the country you’re visiting. Maybe, wearing ID lanyards around your neck always is better. Not everyone speaks your language and you don’t want medical problems through misunderstandings.

3) Keep your medication and glucose snacks in your hand-luggage. Check-in baggage does, unfortunately, go astray. Don’t risk your diabetes medication by packing it in your main luggage.

4) Keep your medication in its original box, complete with pharmacy labels. It will prevent misunderstandings about why you are carrying drugs and, if you are on insulin, syringes.

5) Be aware of time zone changes, especially when altering your watch. Remember when you travel east your day becomes shorter; if you travel west your day becomes longer. You may need to alter the timings of your medication.

Traveling need not be traumatic. A sensible attitude and a bit of pre-travel planning can make things go far more smoothly.

We all know that eating food products that contain synthetic additives is not good for our health, especially to our skin. It has been said that if you want to take good care of your well-being, then what you put on your skin can be just as important as what you eat or drink. According to reports, the chemicals we apply to our skin are absorbed directly into our bodies. It is estimated that an average woman absorbs as much as two kilograms a year per person from cosmetics and toiletries alone. Cosmetics are also becomingly madly high-tech, with NASA scientists developing creams and beauty labs dedicated to researching complex ingredients. These are all lovely for youth-seekers, but sometimes one longs for the simple life, and it’s high time to look for alternatives. And that’s probably the reason why there are a lot of people that are shifting to organic skin care products.

Organic skin care is an area of the organic movement which has made real progress in recent times, and where previously, there were few options. But now, there is a fairly wide range of grooming products available out there. Organic skin care products are becoming increasingly popular due to concerns about chemicals used in many products. Studies have found that up to 60 percent of creams or make-up applied can penetrate the skin and get into the blood stream. Whether or not this causes health issues, it has alarmed some people and unsurprisingly, the organic health and beauty market is growing rapidly, with sales increasing around 20 percent every year.

In the last few, years organic beauty products have seen a tremendous growth in popularity and demand, since organic skin care products are the ideal option for people who cannot apply chemically enhanced products.
One can find several standards of the word ‘organic’ as related to skin care and health products. There are accredited certifying organizations trying to set regulations for what constitutes a 100% organic product. How does the consumer know what organic really means? Because we buy organic-labeled skin care and health products, we automatically expects these goods to be 100% free of synthetic and artificial ingredients. But the tremendous growth witnessed by the organic sector in the recent years has also given enough chances to some traders to promote and sell non-organic products as organic. So, products marketed as “organic” can still consist of potentially hazardous artificial ingredients.

Products labeled as 100% organic should not include synthetic ingredients at all nor entail the use of artificial products during the manufacturing process. product. Thus, the amount of natural ingredients in cosmetics, and other organic skin care products should still be scrutinized.

So, before shopping for organic skin care products, do a bit of research work about the brand. Always go for brands that are committed to provide guaranteed and efficient skincare products so that your skin gets only the best. If we were shocked to discover the dangers of many substances used in our every day make-up, shampoos and bath and shower products, why shouldn’t we give ourselves and our Mother Earth a favor, let’s go organic!

One of the utmost concerns America has today is cancer. The statistics are disturbing according to the National Cancer Institute study a total of 1,372,910 new cases of cancer and 570, 280 deaths were predicted for the year 2005. roughly one in every four deaths is due to cancer.

study indicates that the life span probability of developing cancer is higher for men at 46% while for women it is 36%. The National Cancer Institute has put in place a challenge to eradicate suffering and death due to cancer by 2015. To meet this, the country is tackling the crisis on a war footing. And, to this end the creation of consciousness has become a main concern. To overcome cancer you must know what the risks are, how way of life changes can help, about involvement and precautionary care, and where aid is accessible.

The most regular cancers are:

Men:
1. Prostrate. This accounts for approximately 33%.
2. Lung and bronchus. Accounts for 13%
3. Colon and Rectal. Accounts for 10%
4. Urinary and Bladder –7%.
5. Melanoma of skin—5%.
6. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma—4%.
7. Kidney and Renal Pelvis—3%.
8. Leukemia—3%.
9. Oral Cavity and Pharynx-3%.
10. Pancreas—3%.

Women:
1. Breast –32%.
2. Lung and Bronchus—12%.
3. Colon and rectum—11%.
4. Uterine Corpus—6%.
5. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma—4%.
6. Melanoma of the skin—4%
7. Ovary—3%.
8. Thyroid—3%.
9. Urinary Bladder—2%.
10. Pancreas –2%.

An group called the CDC is taking giant strides in the field of cancer avoidance and control. They sponsor adoption of a healthy life style, eating nutritious and well balanced food, regular health checks, and screening for cancer. Screenings are quite often lifesaving as troubles can be nipped in the bud. Many cancers are curable if detected in the early on stages.

It is vital to know that a cancer is a disease where healthy cells in the body divide uninhibited to form tumors. This could happen wherever in the body and some tumors are compassionate while others are malignant. Most cancers have diverse symptoms but to give you an idea, symptoms can include an unexplained inflammation in any part of the body may feel like a small marble; perceptible growth of a wart or mole; wounds and sores that do not heal; a persistent cough; changes in bowel or bladder habits; indigestion; weight loss or gain; unusual blood loss or expulsion. These are symptoms that are caused by not just cancer but many other diseases. And, early cancer does not clear itself in any external signs so the only way is to go through health checks. So, you need the help of a doctor to make an correct judgment.

Screening will include routine physical examinations, lab tests, x-rays, and specialized tests like mammograms, CT scans, MRIs, sonography or laparoscopy. The medical doctor will, after giving you a general check and noting down the history suggest any special tests if he finds anything that requires further investigation.

In depth information on cancer, prevention, cures, treatment, counseling and more can be found at: http://www.thecancer.net ; http://www.cancer.org ; and http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics .

Asthma is a chronic disease in the airways that can make breathing very difficult. It is a medical condition that results in irritation in your breathing tubes and lungs. During an asthma attack, the airways in the lungs become constricted, inflamed and there is an excess of mucus. You are now left to try and breath through plugged up much smaller airways.

The symptoms of asthma include difficulty in breathing, wheezing and coughing. People with asthma have airways that are very sensitive and the airways can overreact and become narrow from small triggers like animal dander, dust, fumes or pollen.

At this time, there is no cure for asthma, but it can be treated and brought under control. Research is underway to come up with a cure for the condition. The pharmaceutical industry make billions each year off of it’s asthma medications. There are alternative asthma treatments such as some natural cures for asthma that work much better than prescription asthma medications.  After receiving the proper allergy tests you’ll know for sure the best possible treatment options to fit your situation. Doctor will determine whether to put you on medication or not.