Weight Loss : Why Exercise Is Necessary ?

Are you curious about reducing weight? If you’re, chances are you’ll be in the technique of creating a weight reduction plan for yourself. For a lot of people, a weight reduction plan is a guide that they’ll observe and one that may assist to give them motivation. If that is your first time creating a weight reduction plan for your self, it is vital that you just place a concentrate on exercise, as exercise is essential component of weight loss.

Though it is nice to listen to that exercise is an important part of a weight reduction plan, chances are you’ll be questioning precisely why that is. In your body to drop a few pounds, you should see a reduction in your calorie intake. The amount of energy that you might want to cut back, so as to drop a few pounds, will all depend on your present weight and your hopeful weight reduction goal. Sadly, that is where many people routinely assume that they’ll’t eat three meals a day and lots of actually simply cease eating. This isn’t only dangerous to your well being, however it may be deadly.

As a substitute of lowering your calorie consumption by solely limiting the quantity of foods that you just eat, you can use exercise to your advantage. By exercising, you burn off calories. These are energy during which your body can use that will help you lose weight. If in case you have a specific weight reduction purpose, like one which entails losing at least twenty kilos, chances are you’ll wish to concentrate on enjoyable exercises or exercises, but in addition ones that burn the most calories. Adding exercise to your weight reduction plan is a natural and a healthy way to lose weight.

Since it is very important incorporate to exercise into your weight reduction plan, chances are you’ll be questioning how you can go about doing so. In all actually, there are a limiteless number of methods which you can go about utilizing exercise that will help you lose weight. For starters, you should purchase a collection, even only a small assortment, of exercise equipment. Exercise equipment can include gadgets equivalent to exercise balls, weights, a treadmill, a stair climber, and so forth. Even when you have restricted financial sources, you should have the ability to discover a lot of exercise equipment items which are inside your budget.

Though you should have the ability to discover a lot of exercise equipment items, including educational exercise DVDs, for reasonably priced costs, chances are you’ll be trying to restrict your weight reduction plan investments. If that is the case, chances are you’ll wish to take the time to examine your local gyms or health clubs. While some health golf equipment and gyms have comparatively high membership charges, you can also discover a lot of them with reasonably priced membership rates. It is usually essential to say that many health golf equipment and gyms are open accommodating hours, typically making it straightforward to exercise before work, after work, or even during a lunch break of yours.

Although exercise is commonly associated with exercise equipment, like a treadmill, that’s not all that exercise is about. Exercise may also involve one thing simple like going for a stroll or taking the steps instead of the elevator at work. Should you would prefer to exercise, at no cost, in your spare time, chances are you’ll wish to consider finding an exercise buddy. It is a person who can exercise with you, even if it simply entails walking around your local purchasing mall. Not only are you able to make a brand new pal or strengthen your relationship with one among your present friends, having an exercise buddy or an exercise companions typically means that you’re more more likely to stick with your weight reduction plan and achieve your weight reduction goals.

As outlined above, it is extremely essential that you just incorporate exercise into your weight reduction plan, especially if you are severe about reducing weight and want to do so in a healthy matter. With multiple methods to go about incorporating exercise into your weight reduction plan, there really isn’t any excuse for not doing so.
By  Mr SMISSA 

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Heart Health on a Budget

The cost of heart medication may be rising, but there are ways to save on costs associated with maintaining good heart health.

 

Taking care of your heart health doesn’t have to be an expensive proposition — your heart will benefit whether you exercise at home or at a gym and whether you eat inexpensive canned fish or costly wild salmon. Here are some ways to save on essentials, from heart medications to your next heart test.

Go for Generic Heart Medication
 
While not every brand-name heart medication has a generic equivalent, there are alternatives your doctor can prescribe. “A generic may not be ideal, but you can go to a discount pharmacy and get a three month supply for $12,” says board-certified cardiologist Robert M. Jarrett, MD, associate clinical professor of medicine at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven and in private practice in Brookfield, Conn.

Walmart, Target, Costco, and many chain pharmacies may offer generic pricing on heart medications and other drugs. Also, check the Web site of any brand name prescription you are considering taking; recent special offers from Lipitor and Crestor have included free one-month trials.

Get a Health Fair Heart Test
 
Many towns and municipalities offer health fairs that might be sponsored by hospitals or insurance companies. Health fairs are frequently held in malls, community centers, hospitals, and YMCAs. Take advantage of the inexpensive or free test screenings and information made available at these local events. Call your community center, department of health, and local hospitals to find out whether there are health fairs near you.

Services may include health screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, hearing, vision, and skin cancer, as well as vaccinations. You may also have the chance to meet with and ask questions of experts in various fields, including practitioners like nutritionists, exercise specialists, and representatives from hospitals and community health organizations in your area.

Local Pharmacies
 
Vaccinations and some screenings, including those related to heart health, may be available at your local pharmacy or supermarket. Some types of medical attention and screenings are also available at pharmacy-based health clinics, like the Minute Clinics at CVS stores and the Take Care Clinics at Walgreens. Services may be less expensive than if you were to go to a traditional doctor’s office appointment without insurance; locations and prices are listed on their Web sites. An important caveat is that you must follow up with a medical practitioner if the results from any of these screenings point to a problem, says Dr. Jarrett.

Exercise Your Initiative
 
“You don’t have to join a gym or have a piece of equipment in your house to exercise,” says nutritionist Barbara Schmidt, MS, RD, lifestyle specialist at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut whose practice includes patients in cardiac rehab. “Walk as far as you can for 15 minutes, then turn around and come back. See how far you get in 30 minutes. In inclement weather, go to the mall or a store like Home Depot and walk the aisles.”

Though not free, low-cost exercise classes are offered at many hospitals and may include choices like yoga and tai chi. And don’t forget the YMCA or YWCA and programs at your town’s community centers. Local park and recreation departments often have classes for adults and kids at far lower costs than health clubs.

Rediscover Home Cooking
 
A heart healthy diet doesn’t have to break your budget. “Buy foods on sale — read your supermarket’s sale flyer, make a shopping list, and plan your menu around what’s on special,” advises Schmidt, who says the real problem is that people aren’t cooking enough. “Cooking at home is the cheap way — fast food is not cheap. You can end up spending $15 to $20 at McDonald’s when you could buy a roasting chicken for $3.” Homemade food is not only more economical and heart healthy, it usually tastes better.

There’s also a big difference between the low-nutrition value of a greasy fast food meal and the heart health benefits of a hearty, homemade chicken soup or one made with fiber-rich lentils, onions, garlic, and carrots — two of Schmidt’s favorite one-pot dishes. She likes to finish each off with a can of crushed tomatoes for flavor, color, and the antioxidant lycopene.

If fresh produce is too expensive, buy large bags of frozen veggies and berries. And as for fish, Schmidt says you don’t always have to go for the expensive types. When she’s counseling patients, she reminds them that the cheapest option, sardines, is the best choice when it comes to getting heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Schmidt suggests serving them on whole-wheat toast.

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The Lifelong Benefits of Exercise

Stop procrastinating and start exercising! The benefits of physical fitness are too great to ignore.

 

Feel younger, live longer. It's no slogan — these are actual benefits of regular exercise. People with high levels of physical fitness are at lower risk of dying from a variety of causes, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Physical Fitness: What the Benefits of Exercise Mean for You
 
There's more good news. Research also shows that exercise enhances sleep, prevents weight gain, and reduces the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and even depression.

"One study found that when breast cancer survivors engaged in exercise, there were marked improvements in physical activity, strength, maintaining weight, and social well-being," explains Rachel Permuth-Levine, PhD, deputy director for the Office of Strategic and Innovative Programs at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

"Another study looked at patients with stable heart failure and determined that exercise relieves symptoms, improves quality of life, reduces hospitalization, and in some cases, reduces the risk of death," adds Dr. Permuth-Levine. She points out that exercise isn't just important for people who are already living with health conditions: "If we can see benefits of moderate exercise in people who are recovering from disease, we might see even greater benefits in those of us who are generally well."

Physical Fitness: Exercise Basics
 
Physical activity doesn't have to be strenuous to produce results. Even moderate exercise five to six times a week can lead to lasting health benefits.

When incorporating more physical activity into your life, remember three simple guidelines:

1. Exercise at moderate intensity for at least 2 hours and 30 minutes spread over the course of each week.
2. Avoid periods of inactivity; some exercise at any level of intensity is better than none.
3. At least twice a week, supplement aerobic exercise (cardio) with weight-bearing activities that strengthen all major muscle groups. 
4.  

Physical Fitness: Making Exercise a Habit
 
The number one reason most people say they don't exercise is lack of time. If you find it difficult to fit extended periods of exercise into your schedule, keep in mind that short bouts of physical activity in 10-minute segments will nonetheless help you achieve health benefits. Advises Permuth-Levine, "Even in the absence of weight loss, relatively brief periods of exercise every day reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease."

Set realistic goals and take small steps to fit more movement into your daily life, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator and walking to the grocery store instead of driving. "The key is to start gradually and be prepared," says Permuth-Levine. "Have your shoes, pedometer, and music ready so you don't have any excuses."

To help you stick with your new exercise habit, vary your routine, like swimming one day and walking the next. Get out and start a baseball or soccer game with your kids. Even if the weather doesn't cooperate, have a plan B — use an exercise bike in your home, scope out exercise equipment at a nearby community center, or consider joining a health club. The trick is to get to the point where you look at exercise like brushing your teeth and getting enough sleep — as essential to your well-being.

Remember that physical fitness is attainable. Even with small changes, you can reap big rewards that will pay off for years to come.

" I Always Do My Best To Give You The Best "

So, Don's FORGET To LIKE, TWEET or SHARE This.                                                                               Mr SMISSA

 

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Vitamin D and Calcium: Are We Getting Enough?

A new report revises daily intake guidelines for these nutrients, based on a thorough review of existing research.

A rash of claims about the health benefits of vitamin D — and the health risks of vitamin D deficiency — has fueled a dramatic increase in sales of supplements and prompted many people to up their intake of this nutrient, but a new report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) says that most people are getting plenty of vitamin D.

Nearly all Americans get enough vitamin D through diet and exposure to sunshine, the report says, and there isn’t yet enough evidence that vitamin D offers protection against cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, or plays a role in a host of other ailments such as multiple sclerosis, as some studies have suggested. The IOM report, which sets new dietary recommendations for calcium as well as vitamin D, warns that some people may face health risks from getting too much of these nutrients.

The IOM is the expert group within the National Academy of Sciences that provides independent, evidence-based advice on major health issues to policymakers, professionals, and the public. This IOM study was sponsored by the U.S. departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, and Defense, and by Health Canada, a department of the Canadian federal government.

As the vitamin D trend took hold, many doctors began routinely testing their patients for vitamin D deficiency and recommend vitamin D supplements. Many people take 1,000 or 2,000 international units (IUs) of vitamin D a day, and some take as much as 5,000 or 10,000 IUs.

“It’s all over the Internet. There are now 5,000 IU capsules you can find in WalMart. You can get anything you want,” says IOM vitamin D committee member Clifford E. Rose, MD, senior scientist with the Maine Medical Research Institute in Scarborough.

The trend has been fueled by research suggesting that vitamin D deficiency may play a role in a range of diseases and conditions, including autism, mental illness, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, fibromyalgia, and autoimmune diseases. But, the committee warns, high levels of vitamin D could cause long-term harm to your health.

“Increasing your blood level of vitamin D not only doesn’t offer you protection against cancer or heart disease, it may increase your risk of those diseases,” Dr. Rose says. “The idea that more is better is wrong, and the idea that it’s not harmful to take all these supplements may also be wrong.

Rose notes that he and other committee members were “totally surprised” by their findings because many of them had bought into the idea that extra vitamin D could improve health.

“I went into this with very preconceived ideas that we are all vitamin-D deficient,” he says. "We all believed it. We were very aggressive about supplementing. We were very surprised to see that the higher levels may cause some problems.”

How Much Vitamin D and Calcium Do You Need?
 
Most people up to age 70 need only 600 international units (IUs) of vitamin D per day; those older than 70 may need up to 800 IUs, the committee determined. Taking more than 4,000 IUs of vitamin D per day may be associated with a higher risk of death and chronic disease.

Guidelines for calcium intake vary by age.

Children and adolescents should get:

• 700 milligrams (mg) per day – ages 1 through 3
• 1,000 mg per day – ages 4 through 8
• 1,300 mg per day – ages 9 through 18

Adults should get:

• 1,000 mg per day – ages 19 through 50 for women and 19 through 71 for men
• 1,200 mg per day – age 51 and older for women and 71 and older for men

In the United States and Canada, only adolescent girls may not be getting enough calcium, while older women may be getting too much, the committee says.

“There is abundant science to confidently state how much vitamin D and calcium people need,” says Catharine Ross, chair of the committee that issued the report, and chair of the department of nutritional sciences at Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

Faulty Laboratory Testing Procedures?
 
The IOM group also took issue with vitamin-D deficiency testing in labs. Test procedures are not standardized, and results vary widely among laboratories. As a result, many people are wrongly told they are vitamin-D deficient. Many laboratories find people deficient in vitamin D if blood levels are below 30 nanograms (ng) of vitamin D per milliliter of blood. The cutoff should be closer to 20 ng per milliliter, says committee member Glenville Jones, MD, head of the biochemistry department at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. “In the past three or four years, there’s been a slow ramping up of the threshold or cutpoint.”

In addition, says committee member Steven K. Clinton, MD, professor of internal medicine at Ohio State University in Columbus, routine vitamin D testing is largely unnecessary because most people are getting enough of these nutrients.

As vitamin D and calcium are added to more prepared foods and rates of supplement use continue to rise, chances are increasing that some people will take too much of these nutrients. Too much calcium has been associated with kidney stones, while excessive vitamin D can damage the kidneys and the heart.

Vitamin D and Calcium: More Clarity From Further Research
 
The IOM committee examined nearly 1,000 studies on the possible protective effects of vitamin D and heard testimony from scientists and others with an interest in the topic. The committee found that study results to date have been conflicting and mixed, and that more research is needed.

“We are still very enthusiastic about this molecule [vitamin D] that regulates hundreds if not thousands of genes in the body," Dr. Clinton says. “What’s missing is the translation of basic science into a public health recommendation. We can’t make that leap at this time.”

Plenty of evidence supports the role of vitamin D and calcium in promoting skeletal growth and maintaining bone health, the committee found. The body produces vitamin D from exposure to sunlight; vitamin D and calcium are found in some fish, dairy foods, and fortified foods such as cereal, juices, and milk.

The IOM committee hopes the new report will reduce confusion about vitamin D and calcium needs, and discourage doctors from relying too heavily on laboratory tests to recommend vitamin D supplements until new testing standards have been developed.

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Can Your Doctor Help You Lose Weight ?

Starting a diet plan to lose weight? First determine if you should see your doctor and learn how medical guidance may help your long-term success.

 

You’ve studied the health hazards associated with obesity and being overweight and now you’ve decided to lose weight. You’ve even come up with a plan. But before you get started, should you see a doctor?

That depends. “For some people, a registered dietitian can be very helpful,” says longtime obesity expert Cathy Nonas, who is director of the New York City Health Department’s Physical Activity and Nutrition Program. “For others, joining a well-established, scientifically sound program, such as Weight Watchers, will work. And some people are able to do it on their own.”

Plenty of people lose weight effectively without their doctor’s help and advice. If you have chosen a balanced diet plan, especially if you plan to lose no more than 25 pounds at a rate of 1 percent of body weight per week, you are generally safe to go it on your own.

How to Lose Weight: Plans That Should Be Monitored
 
In some cases, however, seeing your physician as you initiate your plan, and sometimes throughout your weight loss, may be to your health advantage. Your physician can help make sure your diet plan is the right one for you. More importantly, a physician can ensure your weight-loss plan is not putting you at further health risk. This is particularly true if you are:

• Diagnosed with any underlying medical condition, such as heart or lung disease
• At risk for any medical conditions; for example, if you have a family history of sudden death or heart disease
• Considering a diet that is lower than 1,000 calories a day, or is lacking in certain nutrients
• Considering weight-loss medication or surgical intervention
• Taking medications that may need adjusting as you lose weight
• Prone to yo-yo dieting; a doctor may help you develop strategies to guard against continued failure
• Obese or “severely obese,” which means having a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more, or being 100 pounds overweight for women or 80 pounds overweight for men

“Being overweight puts a person at risk of many diseases and therefore, if there hasn’t been a physician visit in a long while, there should be one to ensure there is nothing undiscovered that needs to be monitored,” says Nonas.

How to Lose Weight: What a Doctor Can Provide
 
Whether you “need” a general practitioner or not, it’s not a bad idea to enlist the support of one while you are trying to lose weight. A physician can help you understand and monitor:

• How much weight you want or need to lose
• The optimal diet and exercise program for you
• Whether medication or surgery should be part of your plan
• Health issues that may come up as you are dieting

“We live in an environment that makes it too easy to be sedentary, that makes it too easy to get food 90 million times a day,” says Nonas, whose New York office has developed a program to help doctors understand the complexities of obesity, dieting, and losing weight. “A good doctor is cognizant of and sensitive to these issues.”

Your physician should not only be willing to work with you on the physical health issues related to obesity and being overweight, but also be willing to support you emotionally. Obesity and being overweight constitute a complicated condition affecting two-thirds of American adults.

Losing weight safely and effectively, and keeping it off, requires patience and understanding.

" I Always Do My Best To Give You The Best "

So, Don's FORGET To LIKE, TWEET or SHARE This.                                                                               Mr SMISSA

 

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