February 3rd, 2012 — 9:08am
Once the excitement of finding out that you have a baby on the way subsides, you may begin to think about your physical health and how you can improve it to ensure a healthy, happy delivery.
Well, first know that relaxation is essential to stay healthy during pregnancy. Keeping stress levels low promotes blood pressure regulation. When pregnant women experience high blood pressure, it can lead to serious complications.
Nutrition is also an important part of ensuring fetal health. Be sure to follow your healthcare providers recommendations, which may include vitamin supplements or avoidance of high-fat foods. It's well-known that smoking tobacco or drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause serious damage to the baby.
Exercise is key to avoiding excessive weight gain, though do check with your doctor to obtain an estimate of how many pounds you should be putting on during pregnancy, as this varies for different women.
These tips for staying healthy apply not only to pregnant women, but all people. As such, this is a good time to get the whole family thinking about their physical well-being and making steps to improve it.
Comment » | Staying Healthy
January 6th, 2012 — 10:52am
Today's workplace tends to be full of stress and is not conducive to physical activity or healthy eating. However, just being cognizant of some of the traps in the office that may hinder your well-being can help you stay healthy at work.
For example, vending machines are often stocked full of little more than empty calories: candy bars, potato chips and preservative-laden pastries. Your best bet is to steer clear of these seemingly convenient machines. Instead, be sure to pack an extra piece of fruit, nuts or another healthy snack in your lunch in case you get the munchies during the day.
Sitting in front of a computer for long stretches of time is not only bad for your eyes, but can cause your waistline to expand. Make it a priority to take a short, brisk walk during your lunch break or take the stairs instead of the elevator in order to keep your blood flowing.
You can also reduce stress and enhance your mind-body-spirit connection without even leaving your desk by practicing meditation. Just close your eyes and forget about your worries for a few minutes while you focus on your breath.
Comment » | Staying Healthy
November 10th, 2011 — 11:12am
Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the U.S. and many other developed nations. As a result, efforts to curb this issue have been emerging in droves.
For instance, the Cooking with Kids program was developed as a way to get kids into cooking, educate them on fresh foods and teach them about different culinary traditions around the world in an effort to stave off junk or fast food consumption.
In a study on elementary school students, researchers from Colorado State University said the program shows promise so far. When speaking to students and teachers who participated in Cooking with Kids the researchers found that children gained knowledge about food and were more likely to enjoy cooking than their counterparts who did not engage in the initiative.
Staying healthy with nutrition is easy for people who enjoy cooking for themselves. This can help people avoid additives and excess sodium and fat that restaurant food often contains. Parents should instill these inspirational tips for living in their kids to steer them toward a healthy life.
People who looked at this item also looked at…
Comment » | Staying Healthy
November 2nd, 2011 — 10:30am
Many people who read up on inspirational tips to lose weight know that cutting back on calorie consumption is a mainstay in dropping excess body fat. Now, researchers believe that it may also help stave off a number of age-related conditions.
Study authors from the University of Gothenburg conducted both a laboratory and a cell trial in order to reach their conclusions. Both investigations supported the notion that restricting calories while maintaining a steady intake of vitamins and minerals appears to slow the aging process.
"We are able to show that caloric restriction slows down aging by preventing an enzyme, peroxiredoxin, from being inactivated. This enzyme is also extremely important in counteracting damage to our genetic material," says Mikael Molin of the university's department of cell and molecular biology.
Author and philosopher Ilchi Lee believes that overeating is one problem that has led modern society to its obesity epidemic, which harms the bodies and minds of millions. Staying healthy tips include eating only when one is hungry and getting plenty of exercise in order to keep the body free of harmful fat and toxins.
Comment » | Staying Healthy
October 26th, 2011 — 8:25am
In today's culture of fast food and readily available entertainment, inspirational tips to lose weight may be much needed. New research from Simmons College in Boston suggests that these recommendations may do more than just help a person shed excess body fat, as they may also reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.
In a large study of women's dietary patterns and health data, authors observed that those with a particular diet had a 35 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer than counterparts with different eating patterns.
"High red meat intake, fish intake, sugar-sweetened beverage intake, but low coffee, whole grains and high-fat dairy intake, when taken as a whole, seemed to be associated with higher levels of C-peptide in the blood," said lead researcher Teresa Fung, S.D., R.D.
Authors of the study noted that C-peptide is a marker that indicates insulin levels, and that high amounts of the hormone may signal a higher risk of colorectal cancer.
Philosopher and trailblazer Ilchi Lee believes that staying healthy tips should include recommendations that nurture the whole self, including the mind, spirit and body.
Comment » | Staying Healthy
October 12th, 2011 — 10:36am
Everyone knows that consuming a healthy diet is key to preventing a host of conditions and keeping weight at a normal level. But researchers at McMaster and McGill Universities in Canada believe that good nutrition may be powerful enough to curb the risk of diseases thought to be genetic.
In a study of 27,000 people from Europe, South Asia, China, Latin America and the Middle East, researchers discovered that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables resulted in a significantly lower risk of heart disease.
In fact, individuals with a certain gene associated with the cardiovascular condition who ate a lot of fresh produce had similar chances of developing heart disease as those with fewer genetic risk factors.
"Our results support the public health recommendation to consume more than five servings of fruits or vegetables as a way to promote good health," said Sonia Anand, joint principal investigator of the study.
These results go to show that staying healthy with nutrition is an important part of attaining longevity. After all, these are more than inspirational tips for weight loss. They can also help keep the heart healthy.
Comment » | Staying Healthy
October 4th, 2011 — 10:30am
For some children, the thought of a kid's meal from a fast food restaurant seems like a reward. For parents, it's an easy and inexpensive way to make sure the youngsters are fed.
Unfortunately, consuming this unhealthy, low-quality food is not helping the child's health or well-being in the long run. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, recently compiled the nutritional data of these "mini" meals.
Apparently, fast food targeted toward kids can account for between 36 and 51 percent of a child's daily caloric intake. Moreover, those seemingly small portions of french fries and hamburgers can make up nearly 40 percent of their allotted calories from fat and half of their daily recommended value of sodium.
"Considering the high prevalence of fast food consumption by adults as well as kids, it's important to recognize the impact of fast food on the current obesity epidemic in the U.S.," said researcher Kerri N. Boutelle, Ph.D.
Staying healthy with good nutrition entails eating plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains. Parents should communicate these inspirational tips to their children as often as possible.
People who looked at this item also looked at…
Comment » | Staying Healthy
September 29th, 2011 — 7:38am
Excessive consumption of alcohol is known to damage the liver and brain, as well as cause a host of relationship and professional problems for people. As a result, researchers are continually looking into the ways in which alcohol dependence is formed in the mind and how the vicious cycle can be stopped.
A team of scientists at Australia’s University of Adelaide discovered that alcohol may act on an immune system in the brain, triggering rapid changes that lead to risky or harmful behavior when a person is intoxicated.
"It's amazing to think that despite 10,000 years of using alcohol, and several decades of investigation into the way that alcohol affects the nerve cells in our brain, we are still trying to figure out exactly how it works," said lead researcher Mark Hutchinson.
In a mouse study, the team of scientists observed that after blocking a certain receptor in the brain – a known element of the mind’s immune system – alcohol’s effect on behavior was dampened. Authors of the trial said their findings may lead to treatments for individuals who struggle with alcohol addiction and also help identify which people may be at a greater risk of brain injury when they drink.
Results of this study suggest that mind-body-spirit fitness may be helped along by avoiding alcohol. Author and trailblazer Ilchi Lee believes that the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of a person's well-being are all interconnected, and that doing harm to one’s body may lead to decreased brain function.
Staying healthy with the seasons is simply a matter of eating well, exercising and keeping a clean, pure mind using techniques like meditation, yoga and tai chi.
Comment » | Staying Healthy
September 20th, 2011 — 9:47am
As is true with most illnesses, cognitive decline and dementia are more easily treated when diagnosed early on. While many individuals experience memory problems as normal signs of aging, specific issues have been linked to the development of more serious brain conditions.
In a study, researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital examined data taken from more than 16,900 women, whose average age was 74.
They found that while short-term memory issues may be typical symptoms of aging, having trouble remembering things that were previously commonplace – like familiar roads – could be a red flag for the onset of dementia.
"These findings suggest that clinicians may need to differentiate between the types of memory complaints their patients have, as some are likely due to normal aging whereas others are worrisome for possible cognitive decline," said study author Rebecca Amariglio, MD.
Authors of the study noted that their discovery may have major implications for the aging baby boomer generation, which will eventually double the population of people older than 65.
Author and trailblazer Ilchi Lee has some tips for staying healthy. They include many non-medicinal brain-strengthening practices like yoga, meditation and tai chi. Additionally, the philosopher says that consuming a balanced diet and getting plenty of physical activity are key to healthy aging.
These inspirational tips for living may seem like common sense, but in today's world of quick fixes, such basic lifestyle tenets may be lost on some. As a result, it's important to continually remind oneself of the activities and habits that are tried-and-true methods to promote overall wellness.
Comment » | Staying Healthy
September 7th, 2011 — 5:10am
It's well known that daily exercise can keep body weight down, prevent illness and promote high levels of energy throughout the day. Now, researchers have uncovered a mechanism by which exercise promotes strong bones.
A team of scientists at McMaster University's Department of Kinesiology conducted a study revealing that exercise encourages naturally occurring mesenchymal stem cells in bone marrow to become bone, rather than fat.
The cells are influenced by factors like physical activity, turning into either bone mass or fat, depending on their environment.
Authors of the study said that the more marrow, the more blood stem cells are produced by the body, which promotes the production of healthy blood to boost the immune system. When an individual lacks exercise, bone marrow fills with fat and can potentially cause anemia due to a lack of fresh blood.
"The interesting thing was that a modest exercise program was able to significantly increase blood cells in the marrow and in circulation," said lead researcher Gianni Parise. "What we're suggesting is that exercise is a potent stimulus – enough of a stimulus to actually trigger a switch in these mesenchymal stem cells."
Staying healthy with the seasons can be a difficult endeavor. However, these findings suggest that simple exercise can promote wellness in multiple parts of the body and mind. Choose a form of physical activity that is enjoyable to you, like bike-riding, swimming, yoga, running or even nature walks.
Mind-body-spirit fitness is also important to keep in mind. Addressing all three aspects of your being will lead you to become a well-rounded individual who can reach goals, achieve success and live a fulfilled, happy life.
Comment » | Staying Healthy
