Pump it Up!

Worried about your health?? Do you despise the growing flab in your body?? Do you want to age slower?? Do you want to keep diseases out of your life and build body immunity and stamina?? Exercise, Exercise and Exercise thats the only answer to all these questions.

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And with growing awareness about health, we have gyms and fitness centers in every nook and corner of the city. In fact each company, especially IT companies boast of gyms these days. With hectic work schedules why go anywhere but office for even a workout. I work in an IT company myself and I try to hit the gym at least 3-4 days a week out of the 5 working days. Its also a welcome break from the work stress and also a great form of relaxation. A state of blankness is what I experience during workout, well I would say thats closer to meditation. You are focusing on your exercise and your mind is not wandering anywhere. After all meditation is focusing on a single task, may it be your breath or the flame of a candle or the second hand of a watch.

And if you are a person who enjoys any kind of music, take that MP3 player you love so much, load it up with high energy, nice feet tapping music and see how you enjoy your workout. Music is such a God-send entity I must say, it can engross you, relax you, make you workout harder.Yes!!! Good beat music and really make you pump it up!! And you end up burning more calories on that cycle, treadmill or elliptical trainer :) Ain't that a blessing? :D Listening to your favorite play list can help you to go up to 20% longer and burn more calories, according to research from West London's Brunel University as indicated here

A more fascinating fact is that solving a Sudoku game for an hour can help you not only boost your brainpower but also burn 90 calories :P Yes its true, true, true!! Look here for the news article. Yeah yeah you still need to do physical exercise :D I just wanted to mention it since it does involve brain exercize which is equally important.

Now you would say "We don't have the time" or "I don't find the motivation to exercise" Its not necessary to hit the gym for physical exercise, there is Yoga, there is the alternative of walking and simple habits like taking the stairs instead of a lift can help you lead an active life. And then in spite of having so many options to be a healthier you, if you still find it difficult, just think, its your health, its your life, either you make it or you break it! Its only and only in your own hands

"The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what? After you start doing the thing, that's when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it." — John C. Maxwell

 Some good links for getting into shape :)

http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice/halfspinaltwist.asp This is a very good site for understanding any yoga posture as it has animations illustrating each step of the posture

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/

This for the ladies especially I believe there is a menshealth site as well. You won't believe the plethora of free resources you get here beginning from a workout to flatten your belly ending at toning your body or a gear free workout

www.livestrong.com

Again a very good one when you want to monitor your portions on your plate. Register here. Goto the My Plate option in the Daily plate and record your calorie intake for each meal each day. Will help you to cut down those calories :)

Please do add any other good links you would like to share!

The Benefits of Walking

"Walk and Talk" is quite a popular ad of Idea these days. And why not? It makes a lot of sense, its a wonderful way of advertising and at the same time conveying a message related to health. The advertiser has strategically used health as a means to advertise owing to the fact that health/weight loss is one of the buzzwords these days. 

You see Gyms popping up in each and every area, some even 24 X 7. You see Sugar free ads, you see so many health magazines on the news stalls and now-a-days there is much increased awareness about food stuffs, which fat is healthy, which is not. In a world, where technology is progressing at a rapid rate, the advent of obesity is also on the rise. With our sedentary lifestyles, we ought to be concerned. Also, with our busy schedules, sometimes its hard to be a regular gymmer. And hence, I am talking about the benefits of walking.

All you need for a good brisk walk is a pair of good walking shoes, an mp3 player(if you get bored like me while walking),good company and the most important a good levelled walking area. Good shoes are a must as they will help you give a good walking grip and help you to maintain a steady pace. Also one should try to wear comfortable track pants and a tshirt. Now for a person, who has just begun walking should take it easy and maintain a comfortable pace. It is important to keep the body relaxed. The sole aim of walking is to exercize the body while remaining calm, don't let your shoulders get strained or legs feel the pain.  Walk straight, do not droop and maintain natural motion. The right way to walk is such that the heel should strike the ground first in a walking step, not the front of the foot.

I know its hard to get the motivation to start but once you look at the benefits of walking mentioned below, am sure you would be urged to start walking your way to health :

1) Walking helps to burn fat. Walking is a cardio exercize and just like walking on the treadmill helps you to burn fat, so does walking and what can be better that its a no-brainer, you need no machine and you have a natural eco-environment unlike the fabricated environment of the gym.

2) Boosts energy levels. Sit in your house whole day, and just observe the difference after a 30 minute walk. You will feel more energetic.

3) Boosts mental fitness, cures depression

4) Helps cure sleeplesness, walking keeps stress at bay.Stress usually interferes with sleep, walking thus helps.

5) Since its a cardio exercize, walking is good for reducing blood pressure and keeping a healthy heart.

6) Brisk walking 30 minutes a day is good for boosting your metabolism.

7) It helps in increasing your flexibility, by strengthening your muscles, bones and joints, thereby toning your body.

So..Walk away and make way for a healthier you!!!

Indulge in Green Tea, Indulge in good health

Its high time we stopped consuming normal tea and coffee and switch to the very healthy green tea. So myriad are the benefits of green tea that one should start its consumption necessarily. Its a boon for people seeking weight loss especially.

The weight loss benefit is owing to the fact that Green Tea increases your metabolism rate by 4%. Ain't that great!!! Now after having read various sources, it has been said that consuming 3-5 cups of green tea per day can help you in reducing 70 calories a day. On other sites, they metioned drinking 5 cups a day such as here

Also green tea helps to increase the good cholestrol which is HDL and lowers the bad cholestrol LDL.Green tea has polyphenols which has anti-cancer properties, helps blood clotting and lowers cholestrol levels

It is very beneficial for people suffering from diabetes as atechins in green tea help to inhibit the movement of glucose into fat cells thus controlling obesity. Green tea may also act as a glucose regulator. It helps to slow the rise in blood sugar after a meal.I have read that it can even treat diabetes.

Green tea protects the destruction of brain cells thereby making the probability of contracting Parkinson’s to minimal levels within our body. Also it strengthens the immune system thereby protecting the body against various disorders

Green tea also helps in maintaining dental health. It aids in digestion and reduces bloating.

A very detailed article on green tea benefits can be read here

I myself have tried Twinings Green Tea and Mint, it has a particularly good aroma and is easy to drink. Pack of 10 tea bags costs 35 bucks. Yet to try Lipton green tea, cheaper at 18 bucks for a pack of 10 tea bags.Can be tried with a dash of fresh lemon juice and honey to add to the taste.

I am surely gonna drink my way to good health, so should you :)

A Prune A Day..

Prunes do contain a large percentage of sugar but since its natural sugar, I think its not harmful. plus one of my points below talks about the low GI of Prunes.Lets look at the benefits of prunes...

• Prunes are rich in fiber and acts as a natural laxative. Hence, good for the digestive system and in naturally curing constipation
• contain important nutrients like Iron,calcium, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins like A, B, C, and E.
• Since they are rich in Vitamin A and betacarotene, they are helpful for your eyesight
• Help to lower blood cholestrol
• Prunes can also slow down your mind and body’s aging process and thus they help in preventing aging related problems like memory loss, lack of focus, and others. 
• Having a low glycemic index(GI - The glycemic index gives us an idea of which foods raise our blood glucose fastest and highest. ) prunes help to moderate the glycemic response in those who have diabetes despite their high carbohydrate content and natural sugars. I wanted to stress on this point. 
• High in antioxidants, means that eating just 4 of these super fruits a day is as good for your skin as any expensive anti-wrinkle creams. 
• Helpful in weight loss and in preventing overeating as they give this feeling of fullness 

 All in all I have never seen a dried fruit having so many benefits as Prunes..Guess its time to implement "A Prune a Day" :) 

After Peanut Butter...Prunes :D

Well..I am the kind of person who endeavors to keep trying healthy stuff..Recently, I bought this peanut butter from my favourite supermarket store..And it was the crunchy type..Ummm..Peanut butter is yummy..but BEWARE too much of it isn't good folks. But a quick Google search gave me some very astonishing as well as confusing facts :|

The search revealed that peanut butter is actually high in saturated fats which is good for health, its good for a healthy heart and its good cholestrol. Plus some of its other benefits

-- peanuts = protein
-- more filling, once u eat two spoons wont feel hungry for 3-4 hours at a stretch

I felt its best as weekend breakfast with toasted whole wheat bread and a nice cup of steaming tea :D

Now let me come to Prunes, the Sunsweet California Prunes are really good as a snack. 3 prunes = 61, as per reference from caloriecount
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-sunsweet-snack-pack-pitted-prunes-i113633?size=2

I felt they really satisfy your craving for sweet. Plus can you imagine they have NO FAT..Yessssss, they have no fat :) What can be a better snack than a ZERO FAT SNACK :D A reference for some reading as I can't stop searching about how healthy prunes are :D



http://health.indiatimes.com/articleshow/25460751.cms