Teaching Children About Living a Healthy Lifestyle

Teaching children about living a healthy lifestyle is not as hard as you may think. As parents, you should model the lifestyles you want your child to follow. Living an active way of life and eating healthy foods will help your child stay fit.People joke about being a couch potato, but the truth is that a sedentary lifestyle leads to unhealthy habits. Jump off the couch and jumpstart your child's way to a healthy life. If you and your child spend a lot of time in front of the TV or computer screen, shut it off.

One hour of activity each day is a good starting point. Introducing a variety of activities is important. It cuts down on the number of times you hear "I'm bored" and it develops a broader scope of skills. Take a walk, play a game, ride a bicycle. Participation in a team sport not only enhances physical development, it also builds self-esteem and teamwork. Being active as a family will also increase your child's activity level. If you find it difficult to keep your child engaged, consider motivation techniques. Reward charts and recognition of achievements provide evidence of your child's growth and development. Plus, your child can take ownership and track his improvements.

Mastering an energetic life becomes an easy task if you also pay attention to the foods used to fuel your body. A balanced diet includes fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy foods, and breads and cereals. Introducing tasty fruits and vegetables increases the daily fiber and vitamins intake. With the wide array of choices, fruits and veggies are eye candy for the health-conscious individual. How much should you offer? Young children should consume two servings of fruit and four helpings of vegetables each day. By the teen years, your adolescent should eat four types of fruit and seven portions of vegetables.

Fast food or convenient boxed products should be limited. Snacks like these tend to be filled with saturated fats, sugar and empty calories. Offer your child an assortment of nourishing snacks, including yogurt, fruits or vegetables. Again, parents should model healthy eating habits. Keeping fresh fruit or vegetables stocked in the refrigerator helps show children the importance of good eating habits.

Stay away from soft drinks and other sugar-filled drinks that provide a quick rush of energy but little nutritional value. Instead, turn on the faucet for a refreshing drink. Water quenches thirst and satiates the appetite. Milk is also a healthy option. Milk provides protein, calcium and vitamin B12. In a blender, combine milk with fresh fruit and a few ice cubes to whip up a delicious and healthy smoothie.A healthy lifestyle requires minimal planning. It does require dedication and perseverance. By being a positive role model, parents have every opportunity to get children to live a healthy lifestyle.

Living Healthy Lifestyle

Russian and American understanding of healthy lifestyle is a bit different. American families try to give lots of attention to dieting, exercise and living in clean and healthy environment. Russians (I also mean Ukrainians and other Slavonic nations when I call them "Russians") focus mostly on creating a healthy emotional atmosphere within the family, and all other components of healthy lifestyle are balanced to adjust to the "emotional stability" within the family. However funny it sounds, it is true:a Russian family may consider eating before sleep a healthy thing, because this way they can spend some time together and be emotionally inspired to overcome difficulties of life. Any activity that helps all the family to keep up with positive look on life, is regarded as healthy.

So if you are an American man with a healthy approach to life, do not be surprised to see your young Russian wife opening refrigerator in midnight to pick out a piece of ham, saying that everything that is eaten with positive emotion is a healthy food, and the time of the day/night does not matter.

I know some Russian families where doing sports is well compatible with taking some alcohol or having big Russian dinners (those of you who have visited traditional Russian families know what it means!) late in evening. In Russian understanding, it is healthy once you enjoy it.

Other Russian families take opposite extreme ways - they would go hiking in mountains for weeks where they would lose connection with civilization, cook foods on the open fire, drink water from natural streams, expose themselves to all weather conditions, deprive themselves of everything for a long time, but be happy in togetherness. Then, back in the city again, they will come back to the traditional rhythm of life which can hardly be called healthy in the Western world.

For Russians, the main source of healthy energy is interpersonal communication. They closely associate healthy lifestyle with developing a positive look on life, which can only be developed by means of continuous communication and socialization. So do not be surprised if your young Russian wife announces you that she is going for a cup of coffee with her women-friends, and that coffee talk may last till way after midnight. The best way is to allow her to go - this is a Russian way to "let the steam go'. During that only-girls party Russian wives will certainly discuss their men - an inventive Russian way to save on relationship counseling. After this meeting, your wife will come home inspired and you will have a couple of weeks of absolute harmony in relationship.

As effective communication plays such a big role in Russian family life, it must penetrate into every little activity which you are taking together. So try to establish a tradition of doing all things jointly, and discussing everything you do with each other. For example, during breakfast, do not forget to mention that it's time to go shopping or pay electricity bill for this month. Then, while sharing your day plans with each other, discuss when you can meet to do this and that, etc. This way, before you can realize, your healthy lifestyle will be established by itself.

If you both go in for sports but do this in different times and places, no problem. Just discuss how you feel after a training session, or what loading you are planning to take next month, etc. For the beginning, just sharing about it is good and emotionally healthy.

If your wife does not support your sport, let her decide by herself which sport, how often and when she will take up. Sooner or later, she will choose some healthy activity for herself, too. I know a couple where the man has always been a very active sportsman, but his wife used to smoke for years and loved spending Sundays on the sofa in front of the TV set, but now, after 4 years of living together, they are both very active, healthy and fit.

Your lifestyle will be healthy if your relationship is stable and strong. Emotional stability, finding compromise, doing things together and achieving compatibility in every sphere of life is a process which may take years. Be patient and take little steps to achieve it every day, and you will soon reach your goal.

Healthy Body

The fear of resistant infectious bacteria is rising. These can spread rapidly across countertops, stethoscopes, and catheters. These “superbugs” infect up to many patients a year in the United States, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, and they’re quick to evolve defenses against even the most powerful antibiotics. Janice Spencer and a team of researchers at the University of Strathclyde are developing nylon sutures coated with bacteriophages–viruses, found naturally in water, that eat bacteria while leaving human cells intact. New research by the Scottish team found that phage-coated sutures effectively stemmed infection in live rats. Bacteriophages are not a recent discovery. During World War II, Russian doctors used cocktails of these viruses to treat soldiers infected with bacteria such as dysentery and gangrene. In water, these natural-born killers are extremely effective at eating up bacteria. The virus binds to bacteria and injects its DNA, replicating within its host until it reaches capacity,
Eating Food.

The price of fruits and vegetables is climbing faster than inflation, while junk food is actually becoming cheaper, the findings of a new study suggests. Using retail prices at major supermarket chains in Seattle, researchers at the University of Washington found that low-calorie, nutrient-rich foods — mainly fruits and vegetables — were far more expensive, calorie for calorie, than sweets and snack foods. Moreover, the average price of the lowest-calorie foods — including green vegetables, tomatoes and berries — increased by almost 20 percent over 2 years. In contrast, in the same time period there was a 2-percent dip in the cost of the most calorie-laden fare, such as butter, potato chips, cookies and candy bars. This is really no surprise; you just have to go to McDonald for a value meal to see the low price of unhealthy food.

The Secret to Making Healthy Living Easy

Like many people, you probably believe that getting healthy is hard. This article is intended to challenge those beliefs, and will describe why your current beliefs about health may be the very thing holding you back from getting healthy. AND this article will explain why it is absolutely integral to your success that you MAKE being healthy easy.To make this secret work for you, you have to know a little about learned (or habitual) behaviour and evolution. In the game of life, the goal is always survival. As living organisms, we instinctually (that is, without total awareness or thinking) seek out means of life support (offense maneuver) so that we can keep all our senses alert for danger (defense measure).

So, you see, nature has made it easy for us to behave without conscious thought . We are naturally attracted to substances and activities which promote survival and we react negatively to whatever threatens our survival.

How did nature provide us a way to sense the difference between the two? Our feelings! Our emotional barometers tell us through pleasure that we’ve encountered something which supports life and the alarm for danger comes in the form of negative feelings, thoughts or physical reactions. Instinct is what has preserved the human species.

But in a developed society, life becomes more complicated than simply surviving. While our modern lifestyles and man-made conveniences give us extreme pleasure, many of them are completely unnatural with various consequences to the natural order of life. They interfere with our total health, impeding our biological functioning in almost imperceptible ways. Over time, and along with natural aging, the damage accumulates. A nudge into a telephone pole with your car won’t leave much of a dent, but keep nudging a thousand times over in that general area and boy, what a hole!

So while our instincts were meant to help us develop habits that promote health, many us we have instead learned unconscious behaviour that affects the smooth operations of our biological machine and expedites the aging process . We have to break the habits that are harming us and replace them with habits that promote health. The following secret will allow you to use your natural instincts to help you not only survive longer, but enjoy every minute of it.

The Secret

Bottom line: The secret to making healthy living easy is to find the pleasure in healthy alternatives.

Health is easy when you make it easy. When I was having trouble maintaining healthy habits and choices, I thought the harder I tried and the more sacrifice I made, the better and faster my results would be. But when I tried too hard, I pushed past my limits and ended up making it into an unpleasant experience, which we now know activates our instincts and we react negatively to it. And what did I do? Forget health, even though I knew (logically) it was better for me, and continue my highly pleasurable but harmful habits.

But I didn’t give up my quest for health because I believed in the benefits of health . I’ve experienced it before – when I was younger! What I I did give up on was my approach to health. I abandoned trying so hard to be perfect at healthy living and just tried to live the most healthful way I could at the time. When I started enjoying my healthy choices, they naturally became habits. After awhile I started noticing, along with others, that my healthy choices turned into a healthy lifestyle!

Parents as role models for a healthy lifestyle

Several organisations have decided to do something about one of the major problems in Australia: physical inactivity. With the help of a number of former elite athletes including Ron Barassi and Shane Gould they aim to spread the message of the importance of exercise to kids all around the country.

Physical inactivity has been widely identified as among the most important health issues in Australia.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that the combination of an unhealthy diet and physical inactivity is associated with no less than 30 of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases known to man (along with major risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and high blood cholesterol).

Leading scientists have recently coined the term ‘Sedentary Death Syndrome’ to cover a range of diseases that reflect health conditions caused or exacerbated by a lack of adequate physical activity – diseases that are directly responsible for increasing rates of premature morbidity and mortality.

In Australia, outside the health specific non-profit groups (such as The Heart Research Institute, Diabetes Australia, etc.) several organisations have decided to do something about the problem. One is Bluearth Foundation which has enlisted the help of a number of former elite athletes including Ron Barassi and Shane Gould to spread the message of the importance of physical activity to kids all around the country.

A healthy life starts from home

The Foundation has implemented physical activity programs in more than 700 primary schools across Australia. Over 45,000 students have so far participated in sessions and some 1,300 teachers have been professionally trained to continue the work of Bluearth Coaches. But where does the ethos of a healthy, active lifestyle begin? Undoubtedly at home.

Research has shown that children’s behaviour is learned mostly thorough the observation of others… so parents are in a prime position to influence their children’s habits and play a vital role in shaping their future healthy habits. We need to be healthy role models for our kids.

Many of us grew up with mums and dads who played tennis or netball or some other organised sport… or swam or surfed or ran regularly… and we assumed this was the norm and so got into the same healthy activities ourselves. But times changed… we lead a more hectic life these days. As a nation we’re working longer hours and spending less time at home. We struggle to get that all-important work-life balance anywhere near right. And our kids are suffering as a result.

We need to change this pattern and influence our children’s activity levels by providing opportunities, support and encouragment for them to play sport... and we need to once more become role models ourselves.

Physical activity should be part of our own daily routine – it’s good for us and good for our families. If your kids spend too much time in front of the TV or computer screen and aren’t in the habit of being active, it’s up to you to show them how to make the changes they need to, before they head down an inexorable path that leads to ill health and worse.

Your computer becomes a connection to nature

Another organisation tackling this side of the problem is DoubleDrummer.com - a new online resource that helps parents to become good role models in this important area. Currently a sophisticated search engine connecting people through sport and healthy activities, its aim is to become a true social networking community… (sort of like Facebook in a tracksuit!).

But unlike all those sites (Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, etc.) that prosper by keeping people inactive in front of their P.C screens for as long as possible, Double Drummer is all about using the technology to connect people, who then get together to have fun being active and healthy ‘out of site’. There are over 587 sports and activities listed on Double Drummer and though new, the site has already attracted members from every state in Australia looking to hook up and get active.

By doing so, they not only get healthier themselves and lessen their chances of falling victim to heart disease, diabetes and more, they also become healthy role models for their children who in turn will provide the right example for the next generation. And at the same time we help the environment not overeating, choosing better quality food and dedicating more time to spend outside in harmony with nature.

Living Healthy, Clean Can Help Rid Of Common Cancers

...." align="left">Washington (dbTechno) - Researchers have come out and stated that by living a clean and healthy lifestyle, you can greatly reduce your risk in terms of developing the most common types of cancer.

The study was led by Michael Marmot from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research. He worked with many experts to look over data on cancer from across the world.

The cases of cancer were then compared to things such as diet, exercise, weight, etc.

Researchers found that overall, those living in rich countries who carry out healthy and clean lives can actually prevent over 30% of cancer cases. The same could be said for even poor countries, as they could reduce them by 25%.

The experts found that living healtht prevented 45% of bowel cancer cases, and 38% of breast cancer cases in the U.S.

Healthy living was also said to prevent 43% of colon cancer cases in Britain.

Overall, a healthy lifestyle with proper diet, exercise, and weight could prevent over 30% of the most common cancers.

Medical experts are urging people to follow a healthy diet filled with fruits, vegetables, and other foods.

It is also key to get the recommended level of exercise on a weekly basis.

Healthy lifestyle, healthier you

You notice your child sneezing or on the throes of catching a severe cold. Ah! change of season is the culprit. If it worsens, the doctor suggests a course of antibiotics as s/he sagely comments, “You must build up his immunity.” This natural progression leads to the question that what the hell is this immunity which needs to be boosted all the time.

The immune system is a combined functioning of many organs, structures and substances within the body that detect and kill invading foreign elements. Well, visualise your body as a fort. It is armed with soldiers to protect it from germs and microbes. These vigilant soldiers are your body’s immune system. If they become weak, the body becomes susceptible to a variety of infections like cold and upset stomach to major illnesses like HIV and Cancer.

A strong immune system means a healthier body free from infections. Imagine going through winter without the perpetual sniffles and cold.

It is also important to notice the symptoms of a weak immune system. Do you catch cold at the first blast of chilly air? Are such colds and coughs frequent? Do you require more than the normal dose of antibiotics to cure it? Do you take longer than normal to recover from everyday infections? Are there recurring instances of yeast infections, bronchitis, pneumonia or stomach problems? If the answers are yes, your immune system needs boosting.

So what do you do to boost your immune system? You will be surprised how small changes in your lifestyle can make a huge difference.

Be positive

The fighter cells in the body take the cue from your moods and feelings. A research by Mayo Clinic has proved that optimistic people tend to live about a decade longer than pessimists. People who have a negative attitude and are easily stressed have a weaker immune response. So keep your mood upbeat. You can employ whatever it takes to achieve that. Surround yourself with your favourite music — it is said to boost immunity too.

Socialise

As Munnabhai's mom puts it, a "jadoo ki jhappi” is a cure for many ailments. Research has shown that people who go out and mingle, have a stronger immune system. Friends are a natural safety valve for the daily stress and help in alleviating the mood when you are "down in the dumps". An easy camaraderie, hugs, nurturing, friendly touches and social contacts go a long way in fighting invading germs. When you are pleased with yourself and your life, you are less likely to fall ill.

Avoid stress

A body under severe stress releases the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. They work towards lowering the immunity of the body. It is often seen that people go down with a cold or upset stomach just before important events. Stress also causes anxiety that inhibits the disease fighting cells of your body. So keep stress at bay. Employ whatever technique you deem fit to fight stress – yoga, aerobics, chants, meditation, breathing exercises or prayer – they all help to relax a stressed mind and increase immunity. It is important that you practice them regularly, especially before situations that may increase stress — exams, presentations or competitions.

Move your butt

Doing moderate exercises regularly boosts your body’s defence system. It improves your mood and helps relieve stress. Regular exercise also elevates the activity of the disease-fighting cells in the body. An exercise routine releases endorphins that go a long way in improving your health and happiness.

Eat right

Get the required nutrition from all food groups. It has been noticed that losing weight speedily with crash dieting, lowers immunity. Crash diets impair the immune system as calorie restriction suppresses the activity of natural killer cells — a type of white blood cells that guard against viral infections and abnormal growths. Ensure that you eat five servings of fruit and vegetables. Flush your body with fluids as dehydration lowers immunity. Blueberries, broccoli and whole grains naturally boost immunity. Reduce the level of white sugar and increase the proteins in your diet. Avoid excessive caffeine and chocolates.

There are some foods that naturally help in boosting the body’s immunity. Vitamin C is the most easily available and effective immunity booster. It increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and prevents the entry of viruses by increasing the pH. It is found in citrus fruits, guava, papaya, kiwi and strawberries. Vitamin E is another anti-oxidant that encourages production of fighter cells. It is found in vegetable oils, nuts, green leafy vegetables and fortified cereals. Zinc increases the production of white blood cells and increases their activity. Oysters and beans are rich in zinc. Opt for the darker coloured vegetables [berries, kale, and broccoli] as they are high in flavonoids, polyphenols and other anti-oxidants.

Abstain

The devil is there luring the poor folks with a million things. It is time you start standing up to the horned horror. Too much alcohol or nicotine pulls down the immune system, making it easy meat for the invading germs. So keep them in moderation. It also goes for other vices like late nights, spicy food and sprawling in front of the TV. Eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly. Any machinery needs tuning up for proper functioning and your body is no different.

A little care goes a long way in maintaining a healthy body. So it is time you took a little trouble and nurtured yourself. After all you expect it to last you, a lifetime!

Living a Healthy Lifestyle on a Budget

(ARA) – Health and wellness is a privilege that everyone should be able to afford even in difficult economic times. With the right experience and know-how, anyone can make smart choices about healthy living while also being wallet wise.

Dr. Jennifer Trachtenberg has mastered the art of staying fit, while also being financially responsible. She is a busy mom of three, runs a private practice in New York City and serves as chief pediatric officer for RealAge.com – an informative Web site that helps people live healthier, longer lives. Through her extensive experience of balancing work, life and wellness, she has learned how to keep living a healthy lifestyle, while keeping out of the red.

Dr. Trachtenberg shares her top five tips for staying healthy on a budget:

Tip 1 – Buy Frozen for Good Nutrition
The fresh produce section at the grocery store can be a budgeter’s nightmare as pricey fresh foods can really add up. The budget-conscious can find much needed relief in the frozen food section. Frozen fruits and vegetables typically have the same levels of nutrients as their fresh counterparts, because the produce is frozen at the peak of its ripeness, locking in the maximum amount of nutrients .

Tip 2 – Get Fit in the Great Outdoors
No matter what the season, the outdoors is a great place to move your body and bond with family and friends without the confinement and encumbering expense of a gym membership. Calorie-shedding activities can be enjoyed year round:

* Spring – Get some friends together and form a softball league, or ride a bike on weekends

* Summer – Try to walk instead of driving short distances or take up swimming

* Fall – Get some cardio by raking leaves or challenge yourself to participate in a local road race

* Winter – Ice skate at a local rink or work the biceps with some snow shoveling

On rainy or chilly days, visit the local library and check out a workout video. It can be a lot of fun and doesn’t cost a thing.

Tip 3 – Let the games begin!
Lately, board games are making a major comeback with the reinvention of the traditional Family Night. Flexing your mental muscle by opting to play cards, trivia games or parlor games of yesteryear can help cut costs on expensive movie rentals and excessive cable charges. Plus, leisure time spent with friends, family and neighbors is always a healthy and fun way to de-stress.

Tip 4 – Drink to your health!
Water is a necessity and getting the recommended eight glasses a day is important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Switching from bottled water to tap can save hundreds of dollars (not to mention it also eliminates the amount of plastic bottles that get discarded!). To ensure tap water is healthy and clean, consider a PUR Water Filtration System, which could save up to $600 each year in comparison to bottled water. PUR is certified to reduce many unwanted contaminants to help ensure drinking water is clean and healthy. Visit www.purwater.com for more details.

Tip 5 – Sweet Dreams
Getting much needed sleep no matter what your age is crucial to mental, emotional and physical health. You will feel better, be more productive at work, have increased levels of physical and mental alertness, and your body will get the rest it needs to fight off diseases. For these reasons, make a commitment to schedule your day so you get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep. Children, depending on age, might require more.

Health Care law coverage confuses families for young adults

A new rule for middle-class and middle-age voters has suggested that young adults without health insurance will soon be able to remain on health care plan of their parents until they cross the age of 26 years.

It was, however, noted by the Obama administration that this provision is expected to help millions. The benefits, though, is proving less immediate than many families expected.

From Washingtonpost.com:

According to the law, health plans don’t have to comply until their first renewal date after Sept. 23. For some plans, that’s as soon as October. For many, it’s January. For others, the compliance date won’t be until May.

That means many college seniors whose parents’ health plans allowed them to stay on until they graduated this spring may face a gap in coverage until the new requirement kicks in.

Soon after the law was passed, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called on insurers to close the gap by complying with the law early in such cases. More than 60 major insurance companies and several large employers agreed to do so.

But just because an insurer offers to keep new graduates on the plan doesn’t mean the employer subscribing to the plan will take the insurer up on the option.

Experts are of the view that parents as employers and insurance companies will continue getting more rude awakenings in times to come once the need to offset the added costs of covering these workers’ children longer into adulthood will arise.

Daily stroll – Key to Longer Life

Taking a gentle stroll for just 30 minutes daily is the key to longer life. Everybody can walk, and walking is actually a fun thing to do especially that you get to explore your surroundings, meet people, and of course reduce the risks of certain diseases. It helps in losing weight, lowers blood pressure, reduces depression, stress, and back pain. Even Researchers have carried out the study and found that a daily walk to the shops can cut the risk of early death by 20 per cent.

London, July 18 (IANS) There is no need to spend hours on a treadmill to become fit, as the key to a longer life could be as simple as taking a gentle stroll for just half an hour a day.

According to experts, a daily walk to the shops can cut the risk of early death by 20 percent, reports express.co.uk.

‘Our research confirms that it is not just exercising hard that is good for you. Even moderate, everyday activities like walking and cycling can have major health benefits,’ James Woodcock of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said.

‘Just walking to the shops or walking the children to school can lengthen your life – as well as bringing other benefits for well-being and the environment,’ he added.

‘It is a very important message to get across, that small amounts of light to moderate activity on a regular basis will have quite large benefits.’

The study, carried out by researchers at Cambridge University and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, said the maximum health benefits were found in people who hardly did any physical activity.

‘Large benefits were found in people going from being a couch potato to doing some activity,’ said Woodcock.

Diet and movement specialist Joanna Hall agreed with Woodcock and said: ‘This research is so encouraging because many people are under the impression that in order to incur health, fitness and weight loss benefits they need to exercise vigorously and this is simply not the case.’

‘The main barriers for people being more physically active are lack of time and the perception that the amount of effort required will be large. This research shows these needn’t be a concern,’ she added.

Fitness expert Kathryn Freeland said: ‘Anything is better than nothing – going for a walk or playing football with the kids. There is no need to join a gym.’

Just imagine all the benefits that this simple exercise can do to your health. The key, however, lies on how determined you are to spare a few minutes of your time to do it. Once you start doing it, you would definitely see the results.

Health Quotations for Healthy Mind and Body

If you have been looking for quotations on health, this blog with quotes for healthy mind and body will surely give you endless reasons to smile and stay inspired.

I believe that the Good Lord gave us a finite number of heartbeats and I’m damned if I’m going to use up mine running up and down a street. – Neil Armstrong

Yoga is possible for anybody who really wants it. Yoga is universal…. But don’t approach yoga with a business mind looking for worldly gain. – Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois

Vogue and Self are putting out the message of yoginis as buff and perfect. If you start doing yoga for those reasons, fine. Most people get beyond that and see that it’s much, much more. – Patricia Walden

The autonomic nervous system is divided into the sympathetic system, which is often identified with the fight-or-flight response, and the parasympathetic, which is identified with what’s been called the relaxation response. When you do yoga – the deep breathing, the stretching, the movements that release muscle tension, the relaxed focus on being present in your body – you initiate a process that turns the fight-or-flight system off and the relaxation response on. That has a dramatic effect on the body. The heartbeat slows, respiration decreases, blood pressure decreases. The body seizes this chance to turn on the healing mechanisms. – Richard Faulds

Health is a large word. It embraces not the body only, but the mind and spirit as well;… and not today’s pain or pleasure alone, but the whole being and outlook of a man. – James H. West

Sickness is poor-spirited, and cannot serve anyone; it must husband its resources to live. But health or fullness answers its own ends, and has to spare, runs over, and inundates the neighborhoods and creeks of other men’s necessities. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Fruits and vegetables reduce cancer risk for smokers

According to a recent study, the risk of some kinds of lung cancer can be reduced to a considerable extent among smokers if they eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.

H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita of the Netherlands-based National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, said a mix of different fruits and vegetables may reduce risk of cancers, especially among smokers, if it is not possible for them to get rid of smoking.

“Fruits and vegetables contain many different bioactive compounds, and it makes sense to assume that it is important that you not only eat the recommended amounts, but also consume a rich mix of these bioactive compounds by consuming a large variety,” Bueno-de-Mesquita said.

The risk of squamous cell carcinoma decreased substantially when a variety of fruits and vegetables were eaten, the study concluded.

While previous research has shown the influence of the quantity of fruits and vegetables on cancer development, Stephen Hecht, editorial board member for Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, said this is one of the first to evaluate diversity of fruit and vegetable consumption, rather than quantity.

“The results are very interesting and demonstrate a protective effect in smokers,” he said.

Make a life, not a living

Most of us tend to forget that we need to work for making a life and not to merely live. The fact that most of us ignore a healthy lifestyle and are more than just preoccupied with work and sedentary habits is more than just a big concern.

What we forget is that we, human beings, are not just in the world to make a living, but to make a life. And the true essence of life will elude us till the time we understand the importance of being humans and the precious life, which needs to be enjoyed every day.

If we work primarily to eke out a living, or because being idle is not a practical option, or because we want to get married, buy that car, get that EMI under control, or to live out an ego trip via our visiting cards, well, there is really no connect. We may as well stick to ‘managing’ our careers, gloat at the high points, tremble at the setbacks. Be ‘practical’, as they say. If we think that what we are as persons – our emotions, our reflexes, our strengths and weaknesses – is divorced from what we are as ‘workers’, then in any case it doesn’t matter how we live out the ‘work’ part of life.

However, since we do not acquire a new personality when we swipe the card when entering office, nor leave it behind on the way out, the basics and the traits that define us are not likely to be hugely different. The things that make for an individual of some credibility, and for a colleague of some standing, are not likely to be very different – and vice versa. Ergo, I am very honest ‘as a person’ but ‘work compulsions’ make me behave very differently where office issues are concerned, isn’t really an easy-to-sell proposition – even to oneself.

In short, we as humans should be infinitely more sensible to accept that we are not split personalities and we have a right to enjoy life, and this right cannot be compromised due to any one, including ourselves.

Health Care Tips for Healthy Lifestyle in Just 10 Steps

Health is Wealth. With the advent of busy schedule and life style many people do not take care of their health. Their unhealthy lifestyle increases the incidence of occurrence of many diseases. Adding some daily work can give a healthy life in the result.

Following are the 10 ways to be healthy

Exercise Regularly - Exercise burns an extra fat which is metabolized. Doctors prescribe a walk for 40 minutes everyday. Maintain Weight- The focus should be on managing the weight, not looking slim. Increase physical activities and reduce caloric intake in a systematic manner will make a body healthy day by day. A body should have an ideal weight; ideal weight can be calculated by body mass index and height. Avoid Saturated Fat- Avoiding oily food is must for a healthy body. Do not consume more than 1tbsp oil every day. Vegetable oils do not have cholesterol; cholesterol comes from food like animal fats, meat, eggs and shell fish. Foods high in saturated fat include whole milk, milk products, bakery products, ghee, butter etc. Eat Vegetables and Fruits- Eating fresh vegetables and fruits are very important to be healthy. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables cleanse the body from toxic substance.

Quit Smoking and Drinking- Smoking leads to fat deposit in the inner walls of the blood vessels, which gradually narrow and reduce the blood supply to the organ. Excessive drinking can damage the liver, where fat metabolism takes place. Adapt Low-Cholesterol Diet- The body makes the cholesterol it needs. So choose foods like grain products that have less cholesterol. Prefer complex carbohydrates like brown rice to simple carbs. Eating nuts, almonds and walnuts are the best for health. Prefer Less Salt- avoid extra salt in the diet.

This means avoid pickles, papd, baked beans, canned soups and processed foods. Eat frequently, smaller meals- Eating large meals tends to cause fat to deposit. The body is able to digest small meals faster. Consume Isabgol – Isabgol provides a combination for soluble and insoluble fibers. Insoluble fibers increase the bulk of food within the intestine, aiding the contraction of the intestine. Blood tests- People more the 30 and having blood pressure should get a blood test do determine cholesterol levels every three months. If healthy, go for a test every two years.

Simple Ways to Live a Healthy Lifestyle

You hear a lot about living a healthy lifestyle, but what does that mean? In general, a healthy person doesn’t smoke, is at a healthy weight, eats healthy and exercises. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? The trick to healthy living is making small changes…taking more steps, adding fruit to your cereal, having an extra glass of water…these are just a few ways you can start living healthy without drastic changes.

Exercise
One of the biggest problems in America today is lack of activity. We know it’s good for us but avoid it like the plague either because we’re used to being sedentary or afraid that exercise has to be vigorous to be worth our time. The truth is, movement is movement and the more you do, the healthier you’ll be. Even moderate activities like chores, gardening and walking can make a difference. Just adding a little movement to your life can:

• Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes
• Improve joint stability
• Increase and improve range of movement
• Help maintain flexibility as you age
• Maintain bone mass
• Prevent osteoporosis and fractures
• Improve mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression
• Enhance self esteem
• Improve memory in elderly people
• Reduce stress

So, even if you opt for small changes and a more modest weight loss, you can see the benefits are still pretty good. One study has found that just a 10% weight reduction helped obese patients reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and increase longevity.

Simple Ways to Move Your Body
You can start the process of weight loss now by adding a little more activity to your life. If you’re not ready for a structured program, start small. Every little bit counts and it all adds up to burning more calories.

• Turn off the TV. Once a week, turn off the TV and do something a little more physical with your family. Play games, take a walk…almost anything will be more active than sitting on the couch.
• Walk more. Look for small ways to walk more. When you get the mail, take a walk around the block, take the dog for an extra outing each day or walk on your treadmill for 5 minutes before getting ready for work.
• Do some chores. Shoveling snow, working in the garden, raking leaves, sweeping the floor…these kinds of activities may not be ‘vigorous’ exercise, but they can keep you moving while getting your house in order.
• Pace while you talk. When you’re on the phone, pace around or even do some cleaning while gabbing. This is a great way to stay moving while doing something you enjoy.
• Be aware. Make a list of all the physical activities you do on a typical day. If you find that the bulk of your time is spent sitting, make another list of all the ways you could move more–getting up each hour to stretch or walk, walk the stairs at work, etc.

Eating Well
Eating a healthy diet is another part of the healthy lifestyle. Not only can a clean diet help with weight management, it can also improve your health and quality of life as you get older. You can use the new Food Guide Pyramid to determine how many calories you need and what food groups you should focus on or, if you’re looking for smaller changes, you can use these tips for simple ways to change how you eat:

• Eat more fruit. Add it to your cereal, your salads or even your dinners
• Sneak in more veggies. Add them wherever you can–a tomato on your sandwich, peppers on your pizza, or extra veggies in your pasta sauce. Keep pre-cut or canned/frozen veggies ready for quick snacks.
• Switch your salad dressing. If you eat full-fat dressing, switch to something lighter and you’ll automatically eat less calories.
• Eat low-fat or fat-free dairy. Switching to skim milk or fat free yogurt is another simple way to eat less calories without having to change too much in your diet.
• Make some substitutes. Look through your cabinets or fridge and pick 3 foods you eat every day. Write down the nutritional content and, the next time you’re at the store, find lower-calorie substitutes for just those 3 items.

Creating a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to mean drastic changes. In fact, drastic changes almost always lead to failure. Making small changes in how you live each day can lead to big rewards, so figure out what you can to be healthy today.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE RATHER THAN GOOD GENES KEPT 114-YEAR-OLD GOING

Research on the bone health of one of the oldest persons in the world raises the question of which has the most effect on the human lifespan: genetics or a healthy lifestyle, or some combination of the two?

Research reveals that there were no genetic modifications which could have contributed to the longevity of a 114-year old Spaniard.

The research team, directed by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona professor Adolfo Díez Pérez, pointed out a healthy lifestyle, a Mediterranean diet, a temperate climate and daily cycling until the age of 102 as the reasons for his excellent health.

The research team studied the bone mass and analysed the genetics of a man with enviable health who at the time of the study was 113 years old. The research was carried out with four other members of his family: a 101-year-old brother, two daughters aged 81 and 77, and a nephew aged 85, all of them born and still living in a small town of the island of Menorca. The research findings reported that the man’s bones were in excellent conditions: his bone mass was normal, there were no anomalous curvatures and he had never sustained a fracture.

With regard to the genetical analysis, researchers were unsuccessful in finding any mutations in the KLOTHO gene, which is generally related to a good level of mineral density and therefore healthy bones. Neither did they find any mutations in the LRP5 gene, which is associated with longevity. None of the members of the family who participated in the study presented any mutations in this gene.

The results of the research do not rule out the possibility that other genetic mutations could positively influence longevity. However, researchers do point out the fact that the excellent health of this family, and of the 113-year-old man in particular, is probably due to a Mediterranean diet, the temperate climate of the island, a lack of stress and regular physical activity. The article underlines the fact that until the age of 102, the man cycled every day and looked after the family orchard.

The human life-span and the nature vs nurture question raises the question of why do animals age so differently? Why is it that a tortoise, for example, can live well over a hundred years, while another similarly sized animal would be lucky to live just 10? What’s the big difference?

Scientists say that the secret lies in genetic expression. A new genetic database could help reveal how and why animals age so differently. The process of mapping out this molecular maze will likely unlock some of the hidden secrets of increased longevity in humans along the way.

In some instances, even very closely related animals have drastically different life spans, a fact that has puzzled scientists for years. Mice for example live for about two years while their rodent cousins, the Southern flying squirrel, can live for two decades or so. Chimps and humans are 99 percent genetically identical, so why do humans live twice as long? New databases are helping to identify the genetic expressions that accounts for these vastly varying life spans.

In a study of mice, researchers at Stanford University and the National Institute on Aging (NIA), have now generated a database that catalogues how gene expression, the measure for how active a gene is, changes in various parts of the body as the animal ages. Their findings indicate that different tissues age quite differently over time.

Previous studies have examined how gene expression changes with age in specific parts of the body, such as the brain or the hearts of both mice and humans. But the new study, commissioned by the NIA, simultaneously analyzed the activity of thousands of genes in 16 different tissues at different points during the animals’ lives. This has allowed researchers to compare age-related patterns of gene expression between different organs.

The results, published earlier this week in the journal PLoS Genetics, established that the two main culprits previously believed to be primary contributors to the aging process—increased inflammation and slowed metabolism—are indeed guilty parties. But the researchers did find large disparities depending on the different tissues of the body. For example, expression profiles in the liver, brain, and muscle changed little with age, whereas the lungs, eyes, and thymus (an immune organ) experienced more radical transformations.

The researchers compared their results with other previous studies analyzing gene-expression. They analyzed the aging brain, muscle, and kidney tissue in humans, flies, and worms. The researchers found one central theme to gene expression and aging in all four species. They all developed a slowing of the cells’ energy factories. In each species, expression of genes related to energy production dropped twofold by the time the species reached the end of its life span—2 years for mice and around 80 for humans.

“This is the only common property of growing old between the four different animals,” says Stanford biologist, Stuart Kim. “Maybe that should alert us to say there is something unavoidable to getting old.”

However, the researchers said there were not a lot of universal similarities, which raises the question of how well lab animals can really serve as models for humans as we attempt to unravel the longevity mystery. For example, studies have found that in humans, and some other animals, that the length of repetitive strips of DNA at the end of each chromosome, also known as telomeres, is linked to aging. However, the researchers didn’t find changes in the expression of telomere-related genes in aging mice.

“I wouldn’t say that this means that model organisms can’t be used to study aging in humans,” says Promislow. “It does suggest there is a lot more going on.”

This analysis will likely be the first of many to come that will take advantage of this new database, know as AGEMAP. Scientists are still working on figuring out the precise functions of the intertwining genetic networks implicated in aging. AGEMAP serves as a way to decipher differences in genetic expression and better map out the ageing process, especially as it relates to humans.

“The scale of this study is phenomenal,” says Promislow. “In some ways, this shows us where things are likely to be headed in coming years in terms of the kinds of experiments people will do to understand the genetic basis of complex traits.”