Category Archives: Health and Fitness

Benefits Of A Healthy Diet For Martial Arts

When it comes to athletic nutrition, how many times do you really bother to check whether or not you’re eating healthy food. Today’s lifestyle has become so busy and hectic that more than likely you find yourself grabbing foods that simply taste good without really thinking about what effect they may have on your overall health and fitness. There are several huge and important benefits to eating healthy and you should try to take the time to put together a diet plan that will keep your body on the cutting edge of fitness for your Martial Arts training.

Here’s some of the benefits of a healthy diet plan:

· Besides feeling and looking good, your body will be charged up with energy and you’ll be mentally fresh. When you are properly “fueled”, you enjoy doing stuff and as a result live a happier and full life. Proper eating leads to a healthier you which keeps you out of the doctors office so you can spend more time with activities you like along with experiencing improved workouts.

· Because a healthy diet keeps your immune system stronger, health problems virtually disappear. A healthy immune system will keep you fit and enable you to recover quickly if you do become sick.

· Healthy diets help you keep you fit. A well-planned and healthy diet plan helps you maintain your weight which in turn helps you establish consistency for your Martial Arts workouts.

· Your brain stays alert and sharp which is a huge benefit when it comes to focusing on your training. In fact research has proven that a healthy diet helps keep your mind sharp well into old age. I’m sure you’ve seen people fit and sharp even into their late 80’s which in many instances can be traced back to proper food intake.

· A healthy diet plan gives you all the essential minerals and nutrients that your body needs so that your Martial Arts Training and skills continues to improve along with huge gains in strength and stamina.

· Proper nutrition has been proven to keep humans in a happy mood. Hence, you enjoy every moment of your life and remain calm and stable in every weird scenario life happens to throw at you .

Many people who have ignored proper nutrition and continued bad eating habits throughout their lives have come to regret it as they’ve grown older. A healthy diet plan can help defend you against many diseases along with providing you a life that is stress-free. And when you are enjoying life, you’ll start to develop a strong positive attitude because proper nutrition keeps both the mind and body fit for the long haul.

It’s never too late to implement a proper nutrition plan and chances are you’ll never experience bad things happening physically because of a proper diet plan. It is always a better choice to eat correctly so you can maximize the benefits of your Martial Arts Training and stay in good shape.

5 Tips On Proper Nutrition For Healthy Aging

When it comes to healthy aging, nothing is more important than proper nutrition. To be sure, exercises and an active lifestyle are important but they will do you no good if your nutrition pattern prioritizes coffee and donuts over fruits and vegetables.

Luckily, there are many healthy foods that you can include into your diet to help you face old age with dignity rather than misery. Proper food is critical for healthy aging and in this article, you are going to learn what foods you can make a regular part of your diet if healthy aging is on the agenda.

First of all, it is important to understand that, in your 40s, your body needs fewer calories than it did in your 20s. Not only has your muscle mass started shrinking, but you probably also lead a much more passive lifestyle, spending more time in the office and at home than playing football or exercising. For this reason, it is very important that you choose low-calorie foods to reflect this new balance.

Now that we have decided we are going to cut down on our caloric intake as part of a healthy aging nutrition regimen, it is time to see what we can actually eat. Just like any other low-calorie diet, look for traditionally healthy foods, such as fish, salads, fruits and vegetables. Fast-foods and junk foods are taboo though they may taste nice, but they also contain an alarming amount of fat. You may have indulged yourself with those kinds of foods at 20 but now is the time to get serious about your health.

Complex carbohydrates are key to healthy aging, so it is important to focus on foods that contain those in abundance. Whole grains such as brown rice, oats and barley are terrific for this purpose, so try to include them into your diet as much as possible.

Nuts are great for their protein content, but do not each too much. They have a very high caloric content. Cutting down on alcohol, sugar and caffeine is also important as one ages, but these things in moderation are tolerable. After all, we do not want to take all the fun out of life. Quitting smoking, however, is essential to good health.

Water is the most essential element of proper nutrition when it comes to healthy aging sadly, it is often also the most overlooked. As you grow older, your kidneys will struggle to keep your body hydrated, which is why the FDA recommends that everyone drink at least six to nine glasses of water a day. Not only will it contribute to healthy aging in general, it will also make your skin look younger. Be sure to increase the amount of water you drink every day if you exercise which is another important element of healthy aging.

Your level of physical activity will determine the nutritional choices you make for healthy aging. Regular exercise, whether resistance or aerobic training, is essential for healthy aging, and your diet especially the amount of proteins and carbohydrates you consume should be suited to those needs.

For optimum health, the American Medical Association recommends at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. The more active you are physically, the more calories you are going to need, but they should still come from healthy, low-fat foods.

As you can see, maintaining a proper pattern of nutrition for healthy aging is not all that difficult. As with any successful diet, the key is consistency and commitment. Remember that this is no longer about winning the Battle of the Bulge, but rather about winning the battle for a dignified and comfortable retirement that you can enjoy without the illnesses and diseases that afflict so many members of our aging population

Health Is A Thing To Keep Forever

Taking proper care of health is very important. This is because today people have to really work hard to be successful in life. They have spend long hours in the factory or in front of the computer screen or delivering products or making relentless calls, whatever be the case. In every instance, there is a lot of stress on the employee. The owners of different companies, under pressure due to the worsening condition of economy, are only making it harder for the working people, as they are pushed to work more hours and at lesser rates. This is driving many people to take up multiple jobs just so that they can earn their bread and butter.

But one must not ignore health and a proper diet. Falling ill is only going to make matters worse. So timely food intake is very important. But this is often very tough, as working hours are getting longer and there are few jobs that offer a break long enough during office hours to have a proper lunch. That is why taking supplements has become so important. But these supplements have to be consumed only after consulting with health experts. Asking doctors is often best bet, as they will be able to tell you exactly what kind of nutritional supplements your body requires for you to stay healthy.
Nutrition education is often provided online as well. Searching for interesting blogs may also help in this regard. Many fitness experts maintain detailed blogs and websites. So you must keep yourself abreast of these Nutritional supplements news. You just cannot go dashing after earning more money at the cost of ignoring your health issues. It is mighty important to take sports nutrition into consideration. This is useful for those who are into sports and need to have proper healthy diets so that they can keep doing the hard work on the field.

If one is suffering from some illness, diet becomes even more important. One must not forget that during fatal illnesses like cancer, often a proper diet can help bring a person back on track. So you must search online for diet for cancer in such cases. One must not lose hope, as they say.
It is also possible to seek help of health experts living in different countries but of great repute via the intenet. You must make use of these facilities available because of advanced technology. One more thing � you must never ignore the fact that you are not doing well. There is no point delaying the inevitable. If you need to get a health checkup done, you should not postpone it. You must make time despite all your business, or else you may have to repent later, and that has no use of course. You will only be left to blame yourself if you don’t keep up with the latest Nutritional supplements news. Read the health blogs regularly and this should give a clear idea as to what should be the approach to having a healthy overall lifestyle and how to beat the evil germs

Torrance School District Out Front In Nutrition Battle

Who’s leading the fight against malnutrition and obesity in America? While it would seem the answer would be many different groups and individuals, it is clear that the Torrance Unified School District in Southern California has to be included in the mix. There is a piece of legislation called California Senate Bill 19 (often seen expressed as CA SB 19). This piece of legislation has wide reaching implications for nutrition content in California Schools. A good portion of it deals with stating that snacks in schools, even for fundraising, will be required to meet a new criteria. These snack items will be required to be less than 35% fat, less than 35% sugar, and less than 10% saturated fat.
Additionally, they’ll be less than 250 calories and grant exclusions for fat content to nuts and nut butters.

While CA SB 19 will mandate compliance by September 2008, the Torrance Unified School District has taken the admirable step of agreeing that district wide compliance will be in effect in September of 2007. This is highly unusual and the Torrance Unified School District Board members should be commended for placing the healthy of their students above the quick buck to be made by pushing junk food to children. This move is clearly the right thing to do, but it comes at a cost. The burden of finding healthy fundraising solutions is clearly upon the district. So it’s with difficulty and possible financial hardship that the school district decided to stand up for what’s right.

In the true avante garde of the Nutrition in Schools Movement, individual educators in the Torrance Unified School District have been out front in searching for Healthy Fundraising Solutions. With candy and junk food no longer an option for fundraising, groups and teams will now need Healthy Fundraising Solutions if they are to continue fundraising for Band Trips, Wrestling tournaments and Track meets. Specifically, representatives of North High School in Torrance, CA have been out front in finding healthy fundraising solutions, wherein they sell snack items which meet CA SB 19 criteria. That is, the items are less than 35% fat, less than 35% sugar, less than 10% saturated fat,
with exclusions for nuts and nut butters.

There are clearly many groups and individuals who care about healthy, nutrition and fighting obesity in America’s Schools, Deciding to do what’s right in this area often comes at great difficulty, and sometimes financial hardship. That’s why it’s especially important to recognize those who take the lead in doing what we all agree is right. Kudos to the Torrance Unified School District and it’s School Board Members

Lifetime Fitness On Your Way To A Healthier

Many people end up abandoning perfectly good fitness programs and weight-loss regimens before they even lace up their sneakers.

Why? Because in a world filled with fast food, instant messaging, and a five-second disease-tracking device, anything without a quick payoff goes against the grain of the typical American instant gratification ethic. While it would be nice to actually drop inches in just a few days like what most miracle ads proclaim, managing weight and losing weight through physical fitness is a slow and steady process that takes time and commitment.

Setting weight management goals for yourself can be a good motivator. Gradual weight loss, for those people who wish to shed off some extra pounds, is usually the safest.

That is why health and fitness experts had come up with the idea of lifetime fitness in order to teach people set realistic goals. These lifetime fitness programs generates dietary regimens that cut your normal calorie consumption for your weight by 500 to 1,000 per day, so will burning the same amount with exercise. In turn, this will definitely encourage healthier weight loss.

Lifetime fitness teaches you how to maintain a physically fit body at the same time enjoy and live a happy, contented life. It gives you the chance to strike a balance between the two (exercise and diet), and make exercise, be it team sports, cycling, or walking, something you will truly enjoy.

That is why lifetime fitness embodies the concept that making a long-term healthy lifestyle change is essential to keeping the pounds off once they are gone.

To know more of the advantages and benefits that lifetime fitness can bring, here are some facts that you need to know:

1. Lifetime fitness programs offers you the most comprehensive and wide-ranging fitness and health encounter with quality services, in which the customers will feel gratified.

These fitness programs provide you the right method in maintaining health, build up and encourage your competence, and take care of your family’s physical fitness as well.

2. Because the goal of lifetime fitness is to provide you with long-term achievements as far as physical fitness is concerned, these programs utilizes numerous fitness equipments that will tone and manage your health and the different parts of your body.

There are fitness equipments that will give your cardiovascular system a lift. You can also opt for some sports facilities that will provide you with an alternative way of being physically fit.

3. Lifetime fitness programs and centers also provides nutritional products such as food supplements that will aid in the formation of good blood cells and tissues thereby making your body at its pink of health.

Lifetime fitness centers and programs also provide you with up-to-date fitness magazines that do not only give substantial information about fitness and health but inspirational stories as well. These articles will give you an insight on how to make you life balance and how to live a life that is healthy and fit.

Indeed, staying fit and healthy can be a long and winding road and there are instances wherein you may find your enthusiasm fading occasionally. Nevertheless, with the comprehensive programs provided by lifetime fitness plans, you can start heading back to the right track of a healthier you.

Live A Healthier Lifestyle With These Fitness Tips

If you have been feeling run down and out of shape, then you have found a great article to read to help you improve your fitness level. If you want to be fit, you need motivation and education about new strategies, and learn how to apply them as well as you are able.

Join a gym and pay your dues in advance. You will be more motivated because the money is already spent. This plan is designed for those who need the extra motivation.

You should not be concerned if you really do not want to run or walk. Biking is a great way to get in shape. Your daily commute to your job can be cheap, fun and offer a great workout through biking. If your ride to work is only about 5 miles it should take less than thirty minutes to get to work, and in the process, you get a two for one deal on workouts, because you still have to bike home.

Always wear comfortable clothing while you are exercising. Do not care about what others think of you, just put on clothes that you feel comfortable in. You should only wear clothes you can comfortably move in and do exercises without embarrassment. When you wear comfortable clothing, you can concentrate on your fitness rather than on your attire.

The results of your workout can be boosted through controlled breathing. Try forcefully exhaling when your effort is at the heaviest level, whether you are doing crunches, pushups or bench presses. The powerful exhale causes your stomach muscles to contract forcefully, giving you added workout benefits for the same amount of work.

You should not be concerned if you really do not want to run or walk. Bicycling is another great full-body workout. Riding a bike to work is not only fun but also saves money and improves your fitness level. If you bicycle 5 miles each way to work you will be adding about an hour a day of workout time.

When working with weights, start with smaller machines first. The smaller muscles in your body get tired out before the larger muscles, so begin with lower-weight dumbbells and then move up to tougher-weight machines. When you move up to the bigger muscles, your smaller and more delicate muscles will have a breather.

Do you want to be able to do chin-ups easier? Try a different way of thinking about how you do them. One trick that actually works is when doing the chin-up, imagine that you’re pulling down on your elbows rather than simply pulling yourself up. You’ll be able to do more if you employ this simple mental exercise, which has the effect of making chin-ups appear easier.

You can have a great workout outdoors, so be sure to do this as often as possible. You could go for walks or runs outside or exercise in your backyard. This will give you great exercise, fresh air and also rejuvenate you. Lowered stress levels and improved thinking are benefits of being outdoors.

To gain strength and stamina, do the same number of repetitions in 10 percent less time. Your stamina will increase and your muscles will get a better work out. If your ordinary work out takes a half hour, for instance, try cutting it down to 27 minutes when you exercise in the future.

Instead of feeling content with the positive achievements you have accomplished with your fitness routine, you should always strive to improve even more. Applying the tips laid out here can help you start or advance your fitness and take it to the next level.

Staying Healthy Is Vital But Simple

This may surprise you. But it is not difficult to take care of your health. No! It’s not. The answer is to be found in simple things. But… staying healthy is a daily exercise.

There is no reason why you should not try to eat healthy. You have to learn to eat properly so that you can get your body in the shape that you want it to be. You will find that when you eat well, you will have more energy and feel more able to take on new things.

You can grow your own healthy food in your own garden. There are many people who have a garden in their back yard. If you want to have your own healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, you can plant them in the summer so that you have them for all year round. This is a good way to save money on these sometimes-expensive foods as well.

Having a good breakfast in the morning is important. This is a good way to eat healthy. You should try to stick to the healthy foods in the morning. This would include things like toast, eggs, fruit, cereal and oatmeal. These items will give you the kick that you need to have a great day ahead.

Drinking water is a part of eating healthy. You have to have the right amount of water in your body so that you can be hydrated and keep your organs healthy inside. The normal person should have at least three glasses of water a day so that they are keeping a good healthy diet and getting the nourishment that they need to live better.

Many times tap water in your home is not suitable for drinking. Water is a necessity and a very important part of healthy eating. If you want to drink water you can always buy bottled. This is going to taste better and make you feel good at the same time. This is a good way to maintain your healthy eating habits and keep your body weight down at the same time.

Eating at sporting events is also another way to get out of your healthy eating habits. You will find that there are many things that are not good for you. The hot dogs, the hamburgers and the candy are such a temptation. You will really have to use your willpower and try to stay away from the things that are bad for you. You can always take some food with you that are better for you and healthier at the same time.

Being informed about what you are eating is important. You need to watch your labels and make sure that you know what you are putting in your mouth. The one thing that you can do for yourself is to check out what is in your food. This will help you better understand the things that are good for you and the things that are bad for you.

Change Your Body With Healhy Nutrition

It takes more than just eating fruits and vegetables for proper nutrition. A healthy lifestyle and diet is really a necessity. Every smart choice you make will pay off with a healthier body. It’s time to take stock of what you know about nutrition. Here are some suggestions to help you.

Getting your kids to eat vegetables can be as easy as being sneaky. Many vegetables when processed properly can be used in many of the foods your kids love. Purees made from vegetables such as carrots not only add flavor and sweetness to a dish, but also makes sure your kids are getting the full benefit.

To help maintain a healthy lifestyle, try to increase your consumption of vegetables. Baby carrots are a quick snack and a great source of both vitamin A and C. Fresh vegetables are best, but frozen veggies hold their nutritional values better than canned. Salads are a quick and tasty way to get healthy greens, but don’t go overboard on the dressing.

If you are having trouble about what you should and shouldn’t eat, consult with a doctor or friends. Sometimes it can be hectic to eat nutritious when there is so much information out there for you to read. Asking around can help you understand what it is you should be putting into your body to keep it running healthy.

Eating the right diet that supports exercise levels and gives the body the required materials to rebuild itself, is a key component to physical fitness. Having the right amount of protein will allow for muscle growth. Providing enough carbohydrates will give the body fuel for the day. The right diet makes a big difference.

A delicious, quick snack can be had by making a puree of berries, pears or other fruits. This sweet spread is great for dipping pretzels or pitas. Try different fruits as well as different preparation methods to ensure that you don’t get tired of this snack.

Senior citizens looking to be as heart-healthy as possible can enjoy a Mediterranean diet. This way of eating includes healthy fats such as those found in olive oil; it also includes plenty of vegetables, seafood, beans, high-fiber grains, and fruits. Studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet, because of the healthier fats it contains, lowers the risk of heart disease.

To ensure that you always have some high-quality protein readily available, pick up some frozen boneless and skinless chicken breasts to keep in the freezer. They’re easy to defrost in a covered skillet over low heat, and you can finish cooking them in the same pan. Add some instant rice and fresh vegetables for an easy nutritious dinner.

To improve your health, try skipping the sweet tea and drink green tea instead. Green tea has been shown to boost your metabolism and protect against many forms of cancer. It can also lower your cholesterol levels. Don’t drink green tea from a box, though. Brew it yourself with a tea bag or use loose leaves.

Nutrition can be easy. The strategies in this article were designed to offer simple advice that will help you maintain good health by eating the right foods. Eating right is the best way to protect your body from sickness. Your body will thank you for following these tips that will help you to keep looking and feeling healthy.

How Dangerous Is Sugar And Hcfs

Sugar is consumed by most Americans to the tune of 130lbs a year. That actually breaks down to more than a third of a pound per person per day, a staggering number to say the least. This is one of the reasons that I believe our health continues to decline despite advancements in the medical science.

I am not alone in my presumption. There are scientific facts and studies that actually back up this hypothesis. Dr. Lustig M.D., a pediatric endocrinologist at The University of California, San Francisco, is one of the health professionals leading the charge to educate the American public on the dangers of sugar consumption.

When Dr. Sanjay Gupta interviewed Dr. Lustig last year in a “60 Minutes Interview” concerning this matter, Dr. Gupta asked of him “What are all these various diseases that you say are linked to sugar?” Dr. Lustig replied “Obesity, Type2 Diabetes, Hypertension and Heart Disease itself, … and 75% of it is preventable”.

We often consume more sugar than we are aware of, because it is often hidden in many processed foods we eat every day like bread, sauces, cereals, salad dressings, yogurts and many others. (Just read the ingredients label of the foods you buy to confirm.)

Dr. Gupta then asked Dr. Lustig about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). “Is it worse than table sugar?” to which Dr. Lustig replied “No, because it’s the exact same … the problem is, they are both bad.”

I totally agree with Dr. Lustig in the presumption that they are both bad, but I disagree that they are equal. In a 2010 Study by Princeton University, two groups of Lab Rats were given sweetened water. One group was given water sweetened with sugar and the other group was given water sweetened with HFCS. Researchers noted that the rats given the HFCS sweetened water gained a lot more weight than the rats that were given water sweetened with sugar despite the fact that the calories were kept equal for both groups.

The Princeton researchers further noted “In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of HFCS also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating triglycerides”.

Nutritional biologist, Kimber Stanhope, is now finding evidence that backs up these theories. She is doing a five year study which is linking excess HFCS consumption to an increase in risk factors for Heart Disease which implies that calories from HFCS are different than calories obtained from other foods. The study found that consumption of HFCS led to increased levels of LDL Cholesterol (aka bad cholesterol) and other factors for cardiovascular disease.

Most Nutritionists will have us believe that a calorie is a calorie despite the form in which it is consumed, but the outcome of these studies proves that this is clearly not the case.

What about cancer? Does excess sugar increase your chances for getting cancer? Louis Cantley, a Harvard Professor and the head of The Beth-Israel Cancer Center is researching the association between the two, and he has found that you absolutely limit your chances of getting cancer if you limit your sugar and HFCS intake.

In Conclusion, what are the best ways to limit sugar and HCFS, given added sugar is so prevalent in so many of the foods we eat every day.

1) Limit sugar as much as possible. (Dr. Lustig’s recommended amount of sugar for an entire day is less than what is in one soda.)

2) Avoid processed foods. Many foods have a lot of added sugar and HFCS. Choose instead whole foods in their natural state.

3) Avoid Soda’s. (Diet Sodas with artificial sweeteners may actually be worse for you) Choose unsweetened teas instead and if you have to sweeten it, sweeten it with Stevia or Honey.

4) Avoid Fruit Juices. (Yes this includes Orange Juice) Fruit juices have natural sugars which your body needs, but the fiber which helps to slow absorption has been stripped in juices. Fruit is a great source of something sweet if the whole fruit is consumed. When you drink straight Orange Juice, you may drink the juice of 5 Oranges with none to very little of the fiber. You wouldn’t usually consume that many Oranges if you were eating the whole fruit.

5) Always Read the Ingredients of any foods you purchase and not just the Nutrition Label. If it has added HFCS it will state it in the ingredients. (Also sometimes listed as Corn Syrup) The ingredients are also listed in descending order. In other words if Sugar or HFCS is among the first few ingredients, it means that product is loaded with it.

Healthy Energy Drinks And Body Fitness

The Verve Energy Drink can make a big difference if you want to get fit. If you are already a fitness buff , then nutrition supplements are no news to you. But to the guy who wants to get fit today, they often have to learn that they need supplements to help themselves heal earlier and their bodies rebuild quickly. Depending on the kind of exercise occupied in, the body could take between just one day and numerous weeks to heal and rebuild itself for better performance later on. During this course, it needs as much nutrients as it can get because of the nutrients missing during the process of exercising.

During this process, it needs as much nutrients as it can get because of the nutrients lost during the process of exercising. Often, many people do not realize that it is necessary to take these supplements until their fitness instructor tells them.

And even then, it seems like there is a scheme going on about just taking protein supplements and nothing else. Indeed protein supplements are necessary as they help the body develop and heal up quicker during the period of recovery. But protein supplements are not the only nutrition supplements required. If you previously have a lot of protein in your standard diet, you are more than likely to not need too many protein supplements.

This way, you are bound that you will not only be getting fit, but your body will be getting all the essential nutrients needed. So, go out nowadays and get yourself some great nutrition supplements or even a healthy energy drink which is really a nutrition supplement with an energy blend.

Verve Healthy Energy Drink Supplements and Exercise

To keep in top shape of both body and mind, it is very important that the body gets some form of exercise frequently. This could be just rudimentary or intensive depending on your needs at that point. However, in the process of keeping fit, many people often do not inquire as to the place of nutritional supplements.

As long as you exercise frequently, your body needs the maximum amount of nutrition that it can get. The mere fact that you are sweating means that you are losing many nutrients in the form of body salt.

So, a Healthy Energy Drink is an essential aspect of the physical training and exercise. Regardless of how many times you exercise a week, a Healthy Energy Drink is a must. The healthy energy drink nutrition required are not just proteins. Granted , they are an important aspect of your nutrition as they guarantee that your body gets the necessary amount of protein needed to reconstruct itself.

But also, other nutrition supplements like the vitamins B, C, and E, micro and macro nutrients such as boron and calcium are also very needed . Also, phytonutrients such as carotenoids and proanthocyanidins are also needed

For instance constantly exercising will certainly get you in top shape. But with lack of calcium, you are not probable to have strong bones regardless of how much strain the bone passes through. This is because the process of re-adaptation or cellular rejuvenation, the body does not have enough calcium to make more bone cells; thus leaving you with more fragile bones that can simply break as a result of a little pressure. So, don’t just take protein rich nutrients.

Reach for those which have all the necessary nutrients vitamins and minerals – and you are likely to be in improved health and take pleasure in the fruits of your exercising. Try a Healthy Energy Drink so you get an extra energy boost as well.