Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

Remember when your parents used to load your plate up with veggies and not let you have any dessert until you finished every last bit? They just might have been onto something with all those dark green vegetables.

Take a look at Popeye and his spinach. He would down a can and practically lift a car. Impressive wasn’t it? Maybe the general idea isn’t so far fetched.

Five of the healthiest dark green vegetables include broccoli, kale, spinach, romaine lettuce and Swiss chard. These vegetables, identified by their dark green color, are rich in antioxidants and usually have large amounts of phytochemicals like Vitamin C.

If you’ve turned on the television in the past three years, antioxidants have been all over the news. They’ve been proven to help reduce the risk of cancer and strengthen the immune system.

Many foods tend to lose nutrients when cooked. The great thing about these dark green vegetables is that you can find them easily in your grocery store and they taste great with little or no cooking, leaving much of their nutrients intact.

Here is some important information about these healthy veggies:

Broccoli is a fun vegetable for kids because it feels like you’re eating a small tree. In fact, the little buds are actually tiny flourettes that contain more than twice the amount of Vitamin C of an orange.

Some facts about broccoli you may not already know include:

* Broccoli is a great source of fiber, both soluble and insoluble. It not only meets both types of fiber needs, but it’s also a rich source to add to your diet.

* Research has shown indole-3-carbinol – found in the phytonutrients of broccoli – actually deactivates a metabolite which can become cancerous.

* Broccoli also helps restore sun-damaged skin, reduces the risk of heart disease, and boosts the immune system. At the same time, it also promotes healthy bone growth due to its massive amounts of calcium.

Kale is a slightly bitter, leafy green with a huge amount of folic acid and potassium. Try some kale in your stir-fry. You may just find yourself thoroughly impressed.

* The folic acid found in kale is a great addition to your diet if you suffer from poor hair, skin and nails.?

* In addition, the potassium helps to promote the breakdown of lactic acid in muscles after a workout, and is a great food to help prevent muscle soreness in the recovery process.

Swiss chard is similar to spinach, with a little more of an earthy undertone. Rich in Vitamins C and K, as well as calcium, Swiss chard is a great addition to salads.

* Vitamin K helps promote healthy eye and brain function. The next time you have to spend hours staring at a computer screen or studying for that big exam, try some Swiss chard and let your mind be at ease knowing your brain is getting the nutrients it needs.

Spinach is a lean mean green antioxidant-packing machine, rich in flavor and in Vitamins A and C, and iron.?
* Spinach is loaded with important vitamins and minerals to promote healthy brain function as well as strong bones and muscles.?
* Next time you have a salad, try it with spinach instead of lettuce for a little variety and a big explosion of taste.

Lettuce may be the last thing that comes to mind when you picture dark green vegetables. While many of the lighter shades of lettuce, such as iceberg, have very little nutritional value, the darker the color, the more they have to hide.

Romaine lettuce, while still made up mostly of water, is packed with antioxidants and fiber.

The darker green the leaf, the more folic acid is present, which prevents heart disease.

Even though lettuce seems so simple, look at some of its complex attributes:

* Lettuce is great for diets since it’s very low in calories.?

* Magnesium, found in romaine lettuce, does wonders in revitalizing muscular tissues, the brain and the nerves.?

* The chlorophyll-packed juice in lettuce is very helpful in maintaining normal hair color.?

* Lettuce is high in iron, which helps the formation of red blood cells.?

* Lettuce may help in treating insomnia, acid indigestion, colitis, constipation, gout, stress and many other diseases as well.

While you might have been forced to eat your dark green veggies as a kid, now you know why it was so important. Even today, your dark greens are vital to your health and well-being. Try these dark greens in some new recipes; you just might surprise yourself and actually enjoy it!

Are you constantly feeling stressed? Stress is something we all encounter on a regular basis, but when it starts to have a negative effect on your body and mind, it means you are distressed.

What many people don’t know is that stress is a state of being that negatively impacts the body. In fact, stress has a bigger impact on our bodies than most of us realize or care to acknowledge.

Facts About Stress and Your Body

There are some downright scary facts about the toll that stress takes on the body. When you look at these facts it is hard to deny that we all need to learn how to manage our stress more effectively. Some of these facts include:

* 43% of all adults have health problems related to stress
* 75-90% of all doctor visits are stress-related
* 82% of workers are at least a little stressed in the workplace
* Stress is known to cost American businesses more than $300 billion each year

Seven Ways In Which Your Body is Affected By Stress

There are two kinds of stress. The “good” stress is called eustress but we generally only hear about the “bad” stress known as chronic stress or distress.

Chronic stress gradually affects your health at first; in fact, you may not even notice the symptoms at all! And if the stress is not managed, the symptoms will get worse and its effects may even be irreversible.

Seven ways in which stress may manifest itself in your body are:

1. Depression. When you are stressed out, it is very common for people to become depressed. There are only so many chemicals in the brain to help a person deal with stress, and when they are used up, they’re used up. This can lead to a person becoming profoundly depressed in what seems like a relatively short period of time.

2. Anxiety. Those who are stressed are likely to deal with uncontrollable levels of anxiety. Anxiety and depression often go hand in hand, and this can cause many different changes in the physiological functioning of the body.

3. Heart disease. Stress is very closely linked to heart attacks and death associated with cardiovascular disease. When stress is not managed, the body breaks down quickly and the heart is often profoundly impacted.

4. Diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing epidemics in the world and both mental and physical stress can cause rapid fluctuations in blood sugar levels. The long-term effects associated with this include heart disease, blindness, liver problems, kidney disease, and more.

5. Hair loss. We often tease our friends and family when they begin to lose hair, but this can be a symptom of unmanaged stress. If your hair is falling out prematurely don’t blame genetics, look closely at how you are dealing with the stress in your life and see if there are things you can do to control it more effectively.

6. Obesity. We often cope with stress by consuming unhealthy, fattening foods. Plus, stress prohibits the control of necessary chemicals that are needed to break down fat, which can lead to obesity.

7. Sexual dysfunction. Stress is one of the most common reasons associated with impotence in men.

As you can see, stress can affect your health in many ways. This is by no means an all-inclusive list of how stress affects your body and health. You may also suffer from hyperthyroidism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, tooth and gum disease, ulcers, and even cancer. Stress is serious stuff! This is all the more reason to start actively managing your stress today.

Remember when your parents used to load your plate up with veggies and not let you have any dessert until you finished every last bit? They just might have been onto something with all those dark green vegetables.

Take a look at Popeye and his spinach. He would down a can and practically lift a car. Impressive wasn’t it? Maybe the general idea isn’t so far fetched.

Five of the healthiest dark green vegetables include broccoli, kale, spinach, romaine lettuce and Swiss chard. These vegetables, identified by their dark green color, are rich in antioxidants and usually have large amounts of phytochemicals like Vitamin C.

If you’ve turned on the television in the past three years, antioxidants have been all over the news. They’ve been proven to help reduce the risk of cancer and strengthen the immune system.

Many foods tend to lose nutrients when cooked. The great thing about these dark green vegetables is that you can find them easily in your grocery store and they taste great with little or no cooking, leaving much of their nutrients intact.

Here is some important information about these healthy veggies:

Broccoli is a fun vegetable for kids because it feels like you’re eating a small tree. In fact, the little buds are actually tiny flourettes that contain more than twice the amount of Vitamin C of an orange.

Some facts about broccoli you may not already know include:

• Broccoli is a great source of fiber, both soluble and insoluble. It not only meets both types of fiber needs, but it’s also a rich source to add to your diet.

• Research has shown indole-3-carbinol – found in the phytonutrients of broccoli – actually deactivates a metabolite which can become cancerous.

• Broccoli also helps restore sun-damaged skin, reduces the risk of heart disease, and boosts the immune system. At the same time, it also promotes healthy bone growth due to its massive amounts of calcium.

Kale is a slightly bitter, leafy green with a huge amount of folic acid and potassium. Try some kale in your stir-fry. You may just find yourself thoroughly impressed.

• The folic acid found in kale is a great addition to your diet if you suffer from poor hair, skin and nails.

• In addition, the potassium helps to promote the breakdown of lactic acid in muscles after a workout, and is a great food to help prevent muscle soreness in the recovery process.

Swiss chard is similar to spinach, with a little more of an earthy undertone. Rich in Vitamins C and K, as well as calcium, Swiss chard is a great addition to salads.

• Vitamin K helps promote healthy eye and brain function. The next time you have to spend hours staring at a computer screen or studying for that big exam, try some Swiss chard and let your mind be at ease knowing your brain is getting the nutrients it needs.

Spinach is a lean mean green antioxidant-packing machine, rich in flavor and in Vitamins A and C, and iron.

• Spinach is loaded with important vitamins and minerals to promote healthy brain function as well as strong bones and muscles.?

• Next time you have a salad, try it with spinach instead of lettuce for a little variety and a big explosion of taste.

Lettuce may be the last thing that comes to mind when you picture dark green vegetables. While many of the lighter shades of lettuce, such as iceberg, have very little nutritional value, the darker the color, the more they have to hide.

Romaine lettuce, while still made up mostly of water, is packed with antioxidants and fiber.

The darker green the leaf, the more folic acid is present, which prevents heart disease.

Even though lettuce seems so simple, look at some of its complex attributes:

• Lettuce is great for diets since it’s very low in calories.

• Magnesium, found in romaine lettuce, does wonders in revitalizing muscular tissues, the brain and the nerves.

• The chlorophyll-packed juice in lettuce is very helpful in maintaining normal hair color.

• Lettuce is high in iron, which helps the formation of red blood cells.

• Lettuce may help in treating insomnia, acid indigestion, colitis, constipation, gout, stress and many other diseases as well.

While you might have been forced to eat your dark green veggies as a kid, now you know why it was so important. Even today, your dark greens are vital to your health and well-being. Try these dark greens in some new recipes; you just might surprise yourself and actually enjoy it!

It may be easy to forget the importance of living a healthy life when we’re going through the daily grind. It may be even easier to get caught up in what’s convenient instead of what’s good for us. However, the benefits you can enjoy with a healthy lifestyle are worth making healthy living a priority!

Here are three healthy living tips you can use to better your health, increase your happiness, and enjoy life to its fullest:

1. Rest and rejuvenate. The biggest healthy living tip that many people overlook is the need for sleep.?Life can get hectic. When we don’t have enough time to get things done, most of us opt to stay up late to make up for the lack of time. Or perhaps our busy minds prevent us from getting a restful sleep in the first place. However, getting less sleep is actually counterproductive to doing anything efficiently, effectively, or well!

• Getting enough sleep enables you to work and pursue your passions vigorously. It rejuvenates your body, mind, and attitude. You should have an ergonomically correct mattress and pillow to ensure you get the best sleep possible.

2. Eat nutritious food. Another healthy living tip is to eat a healthy, balanced diet. Many people believe that they don’t need to eat healthy or watch their diet because they don’t need to lose weight. This couldn’t be further from the truth! You should put only the best foods in your mouth no matter how much you weigh, what size you wear, or how fit you look.?

• What you eat affects your entire body, including your brain. You can think clearer, feel happier, enjoy more energy and avoid illness by eating nutritious foods. Strive to eat more raw vegetables and fruits instead of processed or packaged foods.

3. Affirm the positive. Having a positive mindset is the key to living a fulfilling life. Many people don’t realize the importance of living and thinking positively. As a result, they inevitably find themselves allowing negative things to rule their mind and body.?

• Your attitude is one of the most important contributors to both your happiness and health.

Like every other healthy living strategy mentioned, being positive all the time (or even most of the time) may take some effort. However, an easy way to incorporate positive thoughts into your everyday life is to use affirmations.

Many people use affirmations to help them think more positively as they go about their daily life. Positive affirmations are simply statements you can use to replace the negative thoughts running through your head.

• A good affirmation encourages you to live the healthiest lifestyle possible and be the best that you can be.

Positive affirmations often remind you about how important it is to take care of yourself. An example could be, "I can neutralize bad habits with good food, exercise, and healthy living."

This is a simple way to be reminded of how important you are, how important your body is, and how important your mental health is.

You have a whole toolbox and support system at your disposal to help make your life happier and healthier. All you have to do is take action!

I'm a pretty stressed out fellow and I heard that meditation can help. I would like to know what can be the result of meditation during and after the session. I tryed it once for 5 minutes with the breathe in for 3 counts and out for 6 and my head started feeling light, is this an expected outcome? Also if you could please explain the diffrent types of meditation and what you get out of each?

Thank you all for you help!

My friend says Transcendental Meditation is the best meditation. What is the mantra and how is it special?

There's lots of different kinds of meditation, and I'm not sure which one would benefit me the most, and that I'd most likely be able to do.

I want to send my parents to a vacation where they can relax and do some yoga and meditation. I want the whole trip be comfortable and can be booked online. Any suggestions?

I have a meditation room and I have a lovely cat that goes in there and pees and poops on the floor and on the furniture. I suspect who ever was here before had the litter box in that room. As it is my meditation room I don’t want to put a litter box in that room. She has a place to go potty. How can I discourage her from using that room? She can get the door open.

I am doing a project and I would like to know what happens in basic a buddhist meditation?

Any ideas? I can feel energy going through my bod but I can only keep it up for moments at a time. Do you have to concentrate on something or do I have a misconception of meditation? I simply use it to relieve stress.

-Thank you for your time. -15 year old boy.