Jan 19

7 benefits of meditation, and how it can affect your brain

by admin in Mind & Body 0 comments
Numerous studies have proven the benefits of regular meditation . These can include decreased stress, improved concentration, lower blood pressure, and reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression , just to name a few. And while there are different types of meditation, they can all offer a similar set of proven benefits for mental and physical health. Here’s what research has found.   1. Better focus and concentration Mindfulness meditation helps you focus on the present, which can improve your concentration on other tasks in daily life. A 2011 study from the Harvard Medical School examined the effects of mindfulness meditation on the brain and found a connection between mindfulness and processing new information. The researchers examined the brains of 17 people before and after participating in an eight-week meditation program. Brain scans showed an increase in gray matter in the parts of the brain responsible for learning, memory, and emotional regulation. Additionally, a 2016 study from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University demonstrated how mindfulness meditation can improve concentration and decision making. The study consisted of 35 unemployed adults looking for work. One group participated in a three-day relaxation program without mindfulness meditation components, while the other group participated in three […]
Jan 19

Exercises and tips for better posture

by admin in Workouts 0 comments
The term posture describes the position of a person’s body when standing, sitting, or lying down. Good posture can boost more than a person’s self-confidence. It also offers long term health benefits, such as: reduced back pain decreased risk of injury reduced stress on the muscles and joints improved circulation, digestion, respiration, and flexibility As people start improving their posture, they may gain a greater awareness of their body. A person may begin noticing when their muscles feel tense and become more attuned to misalignments in various areas. Over time, the body will learn to correct bad posture naturally.   Proper posture guides The following guidelines describe good posture when standing, sitting, and lying down: Standing Stand with your feet flat on the floor, shoulder width apart. Stand tall, as if a string is pulling upward from your head, and let your arms relax by your sides. Pull your belly button gently toward your spine. Keep your chin parallel with the floor.   Sitting at a desk or table Sit with your back straight and shoulders back. Keep your feet flat on the floor. Do not cross your legs or ankles. Rest your forearms on the table while keeping your shoulders back. Your […]
Jan 19

7 Exercise Myths That Can Derail Your Weight-Loss Goals

by admin in Healthy Living, Workouts 0 comments
You could keel over from exhaustion (without ever leaving the couch!) trying to make sense of all the advice, often conflicting, in the media on exercise. To help you cut through the confusion and find the right path to losing weight and healthy living, the experts at the Pritikin Longevity Center® & Spa set the record straight on 7 common exercise myths and outline guidelines that are both effective and scientifically-based.   Exercise Myths – #1: The more you sweat, the more pounds you will drop. Fact: Weight loss is not about sweating. It’s about burning calories.   What matters most about losing weight is that at the end of each day you’ve burned more calories than you’ve eaten. You want more calories (energy) “going out” than “going in.” Sure, if you sweat up a storm, you’ll lose a pound or two in water, but it’s temporary. Those pounds go right back on. That’s because sweat has little to do with calories burned. Sweat happens simply because your body’s storing heat, whether while exercising or sunbathing on the shore, and you need to cool off. So if running – and profuse sweating – isn’t your thing, that’s fine.  Walk if you […]
Jan 19

5 Quick tips: Choosing healthy protein foods

by admin in Healthy Living 0 comments
1. Upgrade the protein on your plate. The Healthy Eating Plate encourages you to eat protein-rich foods like beans, nuts, tofu, fish, chicken, or eggs in place of less-healthy options like red and processed meats. For example, try a turkey or black bean burger instead of a traditional beef burger. Or slice up a fresh-roasted chicken breast or salmon for your sandwich instead of using processed high-sodium lunch meat.   2. Don’t stress too much about protein quantity. Most reasonable diets provide plenty of protein for healthy people. Eating a variety of healthy protein-rich foods—for example an egg with breakfast, some turkey or beans on your salad for lunch, and a piece of salmon or tofu with a whole grain side dish for dinner—will ensure that you get all the protein and protein building-blocks (amino acids) you need. Choose higher-protein foods instead of bulking up with pricey protein shakes or powders, since some of these are loaded with sugar or other additives.   3. Try a meatless Monday—or more. Diets high in plant-based proteins and fats can provide health benefits, so try mixing some vegetarian proteins into your meals. Going meatless can be good for your wallet as well as […]
Jan 19

12 tips to help you lose weight

by admin in Healthy Living 0 comments
1. Do not skip breakfast Skipping breakfast will not help you lose weight. You could miss out on essential nutrients and you may end up snacking more throughout the day because you feel hungry.   2. Eat regular meals Eating at regular times during the day helps burn calories at a faster rate. It also reduces the temptation to snack on foods high in fat and sugar.   3. Eat plenty of fruit and veg Fruit and veg are low in calories and fat, and high in fibre – 3 essential ingredients for successful weight loss. They also contain plenty of vitamins and minerals.   4. Get more active Being active is key to losing weight and keeping it off. As well as providing lots of health benefits, exercise can help burn off the excess calories you cannot lose through diet alone.   5. Drink plenty of water People sometimes confuse thirst with hunger. You can end up consuming extra calories when a glass of water is really what you need.   6. Eat high fibre foods Foods containing lots of fibre can help keep you feeling full, which is perfect for losing weight. Fibre is only found in food […]
Jan 19

20 Effective Health and Fitness Tips

by admin in Healthy Living 0 comments
There is no shortcut to a healthy state, no magic fruit that lets you hit your five-a-day target and no single exercise that gives you a shredded physique in minutes. It takes time and effort to get in shape and stay in shape. But if you follow these tips you’ll be able to reap the benefits (for they are legion) with a little less struggle.   1. Prep For Success The fast track to a better diet is found by using your weekends wisely. Use the extra time you have on Saturday and Sunday to meal prep, making large batches of healthy meals that you can portion up to cover at least a couple of midweek lunches and dinners, avoiding the dietary perils of takeaways and meal deals.   2. Mix Up Your Exercise Variety is – cliché alert! – the spice of life, and many sports and activities support each other in ways you won’t realise until you try it. For example, strength training for your legs and core will make you a better runner, while those addicted to dumbbells will find Pilates works muscles they’d never even considered.   3. Adjust Targets On Trackers If you invest in […]
Jan 19

Things To Do If You Miss Workouts!

by admin in Workouts 0 comments tags: adverse effect, fitness of person, miss couple of workouts, miss workout, missing regular workout, nothing to panic, shedding fat, significant decline, skip your workout
No one ever intentionally misses a workout but it might so happen that you got tied up in other activities so heading to the gym for that regular workout becomes impossible. Well, the good news is that there is nothing to panic even if you miss a workout or two. But if you are wondering whether it will have an adverse effect on your health then you are in the right place. Let’s take a look at the problems that one faces when he or she misses a workout as well as what to do in that case. If you miss a couple of workouts If you have missed one or two workouts then you don’t need to sweat it out. Your main focus should be on getting back to the schedule at the soonest time possible. However, if you have a particular goal in mind, such as shedding fat then you will need to east lesser calories on the days which you skip your workout. Just make sure you eat a balanced and healthy diet and everything will fall back into place once you go back to the gym. If you miss it for a week or more If […]
Jan 19

Eat the Right Kinds of Foods for Good Health

by kevin in Healthy Living 0 comments
There are plenty of people around the world, including America, who suffer with poor health caused largely due to poor eating habits. Bad food choices, bad habits and wrong lifestyle decisions can combine together and result in serious chronic conditions that usually have no cure. To lead a fruitful and more productive lifestyle, you need to change your food choices so you consume healthy foods most of the time and processed foods only occasionally. By making some dietary and lifestyle changes, you will soon thereafter notice great changes in your life. Buy fresh at the grocery store Whenever you go shopping at the grocery store, you should always go for fresh options. This is especially so when it comes to fruits, vegetables, juices, milk and all other products. Fresh produce is usually at its healthiest and best with contents still intact. Stale foods usually lose most of their goodness, including nutrients while processed foods have very little goodness in them. Only buy essential processed foods Many people say that some bit of processed food is necessary such as cooking oils, flour, pasta and so on, is necessary. Therefore, when you go grocery shopping, only put essential processed foods in your […]
Jan 19

Part II: Understanding Fats

by kevin in Healthy Living 0 comments
Fats play an important role in living a healthy lifestyle. We need some fat in our diets, yet where we get them from can effect whether or not they are any good for us! People often eat too much of the wrong types of fats and not enough of the good ones! Read on to find out more information regarding how you should treat fat in your diet: Bad Fats We mentioned that unsaturated fats are considered the good types of fat you want in your diet. Eating enough in moderation can have benefits towards gaining a healthy heart, and we know how important a healthy heart is for healthy living! That means we need to cut out those bad fats, known as saturated fats and trans fatty acids, and they are quite hard to avoid. First of all, let’s mention how the wrong kinds of fats negatively affect your health. These fats can lead to increases in cholesterol, clogging of the arteries and put you more at risk to heart disease. They also have high numbers of calories, which can lead to weight gain, which brings plenty of other risks to the table. These fats are present in produce […]
Jan 19

Part I: Understanding Fats

by kevin in Healthy Living 0 comments
Most people think that the key to a healthy diet and lifestyle is to cut out all the bad stuff you eat and drink. High-fat diets have become more and more common in modern societies, with the ready availability of fast-food, junk food and snacks all contributing to much higher fat intakes than is recommended. Fat contains a lot of calories, so if we eat too much of it, we can end up gaining weight. It can also cause adverse effects on our healthy, most notably reducing the healthiness of a heart and making it more susceptible to diseases. However, that’s not the entire story of fat; in fact, it’s far from it. For example, did you know we are actually supposed to eat a certain amount of fats to have a healthy diet and lifestyle? That’s right, some of the healthiest diets out there involve eating enough fat and more importantly eating the right fats. Why Do We Need Fat in Our Diet? First of all, our bodies need fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins to work at their best and keep all of our organs ticking along nicely. It can also improve our skin by keeping it softer, and […]
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