Archive for the 'Health and Fitness' Category



Using Calcium and Magnesium for Constipation

Tuesday 12 February 2008 @ 6:35 pm

Calcium helps reduce constipation

Using calcium and magnesium in the right quantities can prevent or relieve constipation. They can support the health of your colon and keep you regular.

In your colon, calcium combines with excess bile and decaying fat to form a harmless insoluble soap, which is excreted with your stool. This helps to keep your colon clean.

Most Nutritionists recommend you take 1000 - 1500mg daily of Calcium. Because Calcium can cause constipation, it is necessary to take 500 - 1000 mg of magnesium at the same time you take Calcium.

You should space out your intake of calcium over Take only 400 to 600 mg each time. Also take some time-out when taking calcium and other vitamin supplements. In a month, take 2-3 Sundays or Saturdays of from taking vitamins.

Avoid taking calcium carbonate, which will reduce the times you will have a bowel movement. Avoid, also, taking calcium when eating foods that contain oxalates phosphates, or phytates. They tie up calcium and are excreted with the fecal matter

If you are taking a thyroid hormone, beta-blockers, calcium-channel blockers, or antibiotics, calcium supplements can interfere with adsorption of these drugs.

It is best to take calcium around 2 hours before or after taking these and other drugs.

Avoid taking calcium citrate with aluminum-containing antacids. This combination has been seen to increase your body’s absorption of aluminum. Aluminum has been associated with senility and Alzheimer’s

Calcium is safe for pregnant women and they should take an adequate amount of calcium.

The best calcium to take is calcium gluconate, orotate or aspartate. The gluconate type is similar to the calcium you get from milk and some vegetables. It is a gentle calcium and is easily absorbed by children and adults with weak digestion.

The foods to eat for good calcium are:

Goat milk, egg yolk, fish, lemons, rhubarb, cheese, skimmed milk, bone broth, seeds, dulse, kelp, greens, nuts, cauliflower, celery, cottage cheese, gelatin preparations, barns,

Magnesium helps reduce constipation

Magnesium, a gentle laxative, helps to prevent constipation by relaxing your colon walls when you are under stress, have anxiety, or have too many worries. It normalizes tension on colon walls allowing for a normal peristaltic action.

Because magnesium attracts water, you can bring in more water into your colon by taking magnesium supplements or by eating foods, which are high in magnesium. Water in your colon makes your stools softer and allows your colon to absorb water from your fecal matter if you body needs it.

How do you know if you are short on magnesium? You will get cramps in your calves at night or so called “Charlie horses.” Or, you will feel sore after some mild exercise or activity.

Take 400 mg in the morning and 400 mg in the evening of Magnesium gluconate, or citrate.

Jesse Lynn Hanley, M.D., in his book call, Tired of Being Tired, 2002, gives another way to take Magnesium to relieve your constipation,

“Take at bedtime. Begin with 200 milligrams magnesium oxide or magnesium citrateyou may increase the dosage in 200-milligram increments until your bowels move regularly. The dose for magnesium is individual, so begin low and increase the dosage as needed. Reduce the dosage if you experience loose bowels. Unlike irritating laxatives, magnesium does not create laxative dependency.”

If taking hypoglycemic drugs, magnesium may increase absorption of these drugs. It is recommended you consult with your doctor on the effects of magnesium with the type of hypoglycemic drug you are taking.

If taking magnesium, do not take it within 2 hours of taking any kind of drug.

If you have severe kidney or heart disease, you need to avoid magnesium and consult with your doctor on its use.

Magnesium is considered safe for pregnant women.

Foods High in Magnesium

Chlorophyll is high in magnesium and chlorophyll comes in capsules. These are some of the foods that are high in magnesium.

Greens, berries, wheat germ, grains, nuts, cornmeal, apples, apricots, oats, pears, pecans, spinach, tofu, lentils, honey, fish, cabbage, avocados, cashews, peas, prunes, soy milk, chard

You can see that calcium and magnesium is not just for bone building and acid neutralization, but it is also good for constipation prevention and relief.

Rudy Silva has a degree in Physics and is a Natural Nutritionist. He is the author of Constipation, Acne, Hemorrhoid, and Fatty Acid e-books. He writes a newsletter called natural-remedies-thatwork.com and his information on other topics can be seen at http://www.stop-constipation.com or at http://www.constipation-remedies.for–you.info




The Benefit of Pilates

Tuesday 12 February 2008 @ 6:34 pm

Pilates can benefit your overall health and sense of well-being in many ways. I have been doing Pilates for three years and I have seen for myself how challenging, yet effective it is.

Recently, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic muscle and soft tissue pain syndrome. One of my osteopathic doctors told me that if I hadn’t been doing Pilates (and yoga), I would not be able to get on and off the examining table. As a matter of fact, when patients come to see him because of pain, he often recommends Pilates as a method of treatment.

While it certainly helps with physical problems, you will find many other positive rewards when you start integrating Pilates into your exercise program.

#1 Benefit of Pilates - Strong Core

Pilates focuses on strengthening your deep abdominal muscles, your back and your butt. This results in greater pelvic stability and less likelihood that you will sustain an injury in your back. You will also enjoy having a flat, toned and sleek tummy.

#2 Benefit of Pilates - Improved Posture

Pilates works to lengthen the spinal compression that you might be developing, especially as you grow older or spend long hours hunched over in front of a computer. Many of us spend a great part of the day with our shoulders slumped forward. Pilates encourages you to lengthen the back of your neck and to slide your shoulder blades back and down. This encourages better postural alignment and allows you to stand and sit straighter and taller.

#3 Benefit of Pilates - Increased Strength and Flexibility

When you are doing Pilates, you are simultaneously strengthening and stretching your muscles. This gives your joints greater range of motion and also helps prevent the likelihood that you will get injured.

#4 Benefit of Pilates - Longer and Leaner Muscles

Many strength-training exercises focus on working only one body part at a time, which leads to a compressed, bulky muscle. When you do Pilates exercises, you are working your entire body and you elongate the muscle as you move it with precision and control. The result - your body has a longer, leaner look.

#5 Benefit of Pilates - Improved Mind Body Connection

Pilates is not a mindless activity. There is a very strong focus on deep breathing. You do certain moves as you inhale, while others as you exhale. This fosters a greater awareness about how you can integrate deep breathing and movement into positive body control.

#6 Benefit of Pilates - It is Safe for Everyone

Pilates is a gentle, low impact workout. In every class, you are given a modification to address your own unique level of strength, flexibility, and fitness. With the proper instruction, it is safe for seniors, for those who are physically challenged, and also those who are recovering from injuries.

If you’ve ever wondered about Pilates, why not give it a try? You can see for yourself how Pilates can make a positive difference in your mind, health - and, of course - your body.

Della Menechella is a yoga and fitness enthusiast who has been involved in fitness for over thirty years. Her website http://www.beauty-fitness-yoga-source.com/ is filled with practical information about how you can make yoga and fitness a positive part of your life. Visit the site and get your free meditation e-book.




Acid Reflux and Heartburn Natural Remedies Part I

Tuesday 12 February 2008 @ 6:32 pm

Here is a list of natural remedies that you can use when you have acid reflux or heartburn. No need to use antacids, which have unwanted side effects and contain aluminum, which has been associated with senility and Alzheimer’s disease.

Anise, peppermint, and lavender

Here’s a tea that you can make to help you with acid reflux or heartburn. It will help you reduce the amount of acid you have in your stomach. Mix together equal amounts of aniseed, peppermint and lavender. Make an infusion of this tea:

* boiling 2




How to be a Bodybuilding Champion - The Art of Focusing!

Tuesday 12 February 2008 @ 6:31 pm

Tiger Woods is the only one I know who has the ability to stop his down swing on a dime when it just does not feel right to go through with it. How does he do it? Over the years I have been able to teach myself one of the most important elements in making the most out of my workouts. What is it? It’s the ability to tune everyone, everything and every sound out in a blink of an eye.

We see it played out in movies where a baseball pitcher blocks out all the roaring fans and only concentrates on the catcher’s mitt in silence. This is the keen ability to focus with lazar like power.

One of the main reasons I became a champion bodybuilder at very young age is because I have mastered this technique. Today, I walk into a gym, step on a treadmill, or go out for a walk and the only thing I am aware of is the task at hand. I block every one and every thing out. No it is not always easy, but it is very effective.

This is not a technique you can read about in an anatomy book, it will take practice on your part. It is a discipline within itself.

Here are some general workout rules that have helped me master the art of focus during my workouts;

1. Go through your workout in your mind first before you even get to the gym.

2. Take a water bottle - eliminate all excess wasted time.

3. NO cell phones during a workout - This goes without saying.

4. Visual the muscle that is moving the weight.

5. Work the room just like a social gathering.

6. Keep a flow into your workouts.

7. Practice every single workout - over and over and over again.

If you want to get the most from your workouts you need to work smarter rather than harder. Focusing on the task at hand in a lazar like fashion may be the key to you being a champion in your own right.

START LOSING WEIGHT THE RIGHT WAY FOR GOOD TODAY!
click here http://www.resolutions.bz Discover the common sense way to lose
weight with out dieting that the doctor’s DON’T want you to know.
Greg Ryan is a best selling author, former employee of Kathy Smith,
and high profile fitness expert.




Elliptical Trainers and Burning Calories

Tuesday 12 February 2008 @ 6:30 pm

One of the most frequently asked questions is do the use of elliptical trainers help me burn calories compared to other cardio machines?

With our busy schedules it is completely understandable that you want to get the most results for the time you spend working out.

As you may know how many calories burned during a workout will vary depending upon your weight. A 150 pound woman may only burn 387 calories while a 180 pound man may burn 500 calories on the same machine for the same length of time.

Many elliptical trainer companies say you can burn around 800 calories per hour of elliptical training workout. The following factors dictate how many calories you will actually burn during your workout:

- Workout Duration - This is simply how much time you spend on the specific workout. It is usually recommended that you do it for a half hour to an hour.

- Interval Training - Taking small breaks, followed by a cool down period is recommended for extended workouts.

- Elliptical Tension Settings - These tension settings help you control the intensity of the workout. Using a higher intensity can improve the effects of the workout.

- Current weight - as stated earlier a heavier person will burn more calories than a smaller person.

Are you interested in a few more tips to burn more calories with your elliptical trainer? Below are a few suggestions you can follow to burn more calories.

- Built in interval settings:

Nearly all elliptical trainers offer an incline and or even tension that you are able to increase or even lessen while workout out.

Midway through your workout try increasing the tension or incline to give you an extra push at burning more calories. This can also help raise your calorie burn for a few hours after your workout.

- Utilize Upper Body Arms

Many ellipticals offer you upper body arm blocks that you are able to utilize to build your arms muscles into your workout. Even more muscles worked = even more calories burned. If there are no upper body arms, grab a few of two - five pounds handweights and swing your arms while striding.

-Split your work outs:

Experts are today telling us that two smaller “mini-workouts” can even be better than one long workout as far as how many calories are burned.

Exercise with speed up your metabolism, doing one workout in the morning and one in the evening will give you two metabolism “boosts.”

All in all an elliptical trainer is a great way to burn a ton of calories.

For more information about elliptical trainers view our website below:

http://www.onlyellipticalreviews.com/compact-elliptical.html

Compact Elliptical




Increase Your Training Intensity - Pre-Exhaustion

Tuesday 12 February 2008 @ 6:30 pm


You can only build muscle tissue if you can generate progressively stronger muscular contractions, so this calls for an emphasis on finding ways to increase exercise intensity. This should not be confused with exercise duration as maximum training intensity will actually shorten the time needed to achieve maximal muscular growth.


In an earlier article I outlined the ways in which you can intensify your training. Here we’ll focus on the role that pre-exhaustion has to play in intensifying the training effect.


When an exercise employs two or more muscles it will be impossible to achieve failure for the primary muscle as the weakest muscle will give out first. This is perhaps best explained by giving an example. When targeting the chest, most exercises involve use of the triceps which is a relatively small and weak muscle. When performing the incline bench press for example, the triceps will fail before the pectorals have the opportunity to work to failure thus limiting the value of the exercise.


How do you get around this? By first performing an exercise that isolates and tires the pectorals before immediately moving on to the main exercise. For maximum benefits there should be no rest between the pre-exhaust exercise and the main compound exercise.


Beginners don’t need to worry about pre-exhaust routines but when they advance to intermediate level they can be introduced once a week for each body part.


Examples of pre-exhaust routines commonly performed by bodybuilders are listed below:


Biceps - barbell curls and close-grip, palms-up pulldowns.


Triceps - pressdowns and dips.


Pectorals - flyes and bench presses.


Lats - dumbbell pullovers and barbell rows.


Deltoids - dumbbell laterals and presses behind neck.


Traps - shrugs and upright rows.


Thighs - leg extensions and squats.

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Advice to learn more about the issues covered in this article.




Are You Confused By All The Different Diets Here’s A Quick Diet Comparison

Tuesday 12 February 2008 @ 6:30 pm

It would not be surprising to hear your answer is “yes, I’m confused by all these so called diets.” You may read from one expert that low carbohydrate (low carb) and high protein is the way to lose weight. Another will try to convince you that low fat, lots of carbs, fresh fruits and vegetables, is the right way to go. Yet another will try to convince you that you need to count the amount of sugar; or another that main culprit for your being overweight is white flour. So, if you are serious about losing weight, who should you listen to?

The brief summaries below give a quick overview of the pros and cons of each of the popular types of diet plans.

1. Weight Loss Programmes

There are quite a few well known weight loss programmes, for example SlimFast, Jenny Craig, and NutriSystem. These and a number of other weight loss programmes rely heavily on pre-packaged ‘diet’ foods. However, they incorporate professional coaching into the programme; plus, they also offer some sort of social structure and support to reinforce the diet programme.

Advantages of Weight Loss Programmes

The professional coaching and nutritional benefits of such diet programmes are a big positive factor, as are the reinforcement and support aspect of the diets. Meals and supplements are prepackaged in the right proportions, and if you stick to the diets and exercise as directed you should lose weight.

Disadvantages of Weight Loss Programmes

You will normally have to pay weekly charges for this type of programme, plus the cost of the meals can be expensive. Furthermore, if you rely totally on the packaged foods, you will miss out on your re-education as far as your eating habits go. That could be important to maintaining any weight loss in the long term.

2. Low Carb & Hi Protein Diets

Diets like the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet, and the Zone Diet all recommend restricted intake of carbohydrates, but allow liberal amounts of protein, including protein derived from animal sources. Generally, these diets limit the overall amount of carbohydrates, and/or teach you to tell the difference between “good” and “bad” carbohydrates. Bad carbohydrates, which are forbidden, include white flour, white bread, and white sugar.
The diets all encourage learning healthy eating as part of losing weight. Deriving most of your daily calories from high fiber sources of carbs like leafy green vegetables and grains is generally considered the best diet for nutrition by the established medical community. The popularity of the diets makes it easy to find low-carb foods.

Advantages Of Low Carb Diets

These low carbohydrate diets do encourage you to learn healthy eating as part of losing weight. That will have long term benefits for you. A diet in which you derive most of your daily calories from high fibre sources of carbohydrates, such as leafy green vegetables and grains, is often recommended by the established medical community for good nutrition. Because these diets are popular, it is easy to find low-carb foods.

Disadvantages Of Low Carb Diets

The allowance for eating all the protein and fats you like does go against conventional medical wisdom. it is thought that a diet high in saturated fats could lead to heart disease, diabetes, gout and other chronic health conditions. These diets are accompanied by cautions and advice, which suggest you keep portions reasonable. Follow that advice and that concern may be allayed somewhat; but if in doubt, consult your doctor.

3. The Real Mayo Clinic Diet

This diet is not the one which has circulated for the past thirty or more years and purported to have originated at the Mayo Clinic! The true Mayo Clinic’s nutrition and diet centre recommends a healthy eating weight loss plan that is based on limiting fats, proteins and carbohydrates, counting calories and deriving most of the daily nutrition from vegetables, grains and fruit.

Advantages Of The Real Mayo Clinic Diet

Really, there is no ‘diet’ as such, in the sense we often use the word when we are talking about losing weight. Instead, you are encouraged to take control of your own eating. By doing so, you aim to achieve portion control, and a sensible balance of nutrients. These are the pillars of a weight loss plan that takes weight off gradually, but then helps you keep your weight down permanently.

Disadvantages Of The Real Mayo Clinic Diet

This may be a difficult diet to maintain. Counting calories and portions can be difficult if you are eating out or on the run living an active and busy life, and often away from home.

There are many diets claiming to take weight off quickly and painlessly, without exercise or changing your eating habits. Most doctors believe the optimum way to lose weight, for long lasting results, is to lose 1-2 pounds of loss per week. The variations of the three major diets above are all capable of helping you do just that.

This diet comparison article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner of the Routes To Self Improvement website.




Exercise - More is NOT Better!

Tuesday 12 February 2008 @ 6:28 pm

Years ago when I was a professional bodybuilder, I fell into the mindset that the more I exercised, the less fat I ate, the better I would look and feel. At the time this seemed like the logical thing to do. And maybe in my mind that was correct. However, from my body’s standpoint, this was NOT the thing to do, nor was it healthy.

If you have exercised for any length of time, chances are you too have fallen into
this mind trap. If I walk thirty minutes and burn three hundred calories, then I will
walk an hour and burn twice as many. If I eat thirty grams of fat a day and lose two
pounds, then I will eat ten grams a day and lose four pounds. Unfortunately, it’s not
that simple.

While your mind might be able to take that, your body can not. You see this with a
lot with people. Out of the blue they just hit a wall. Their bodies all of a sudden just
say, “That’s it, I done- no more!” I believe exercising efficiently in less time will do
more for you in the long run than trying to do more in the short run.

If you over exercise, your body gets to the point where it just goes through the
motions. The only thing you are really doing is satisfying your brain. The muscles
shut down, hit plateaus and ache. These are all signs of over doing it. They reality
is, which will seem illogical is that the muscles grow and recuperate while they are
resting, not during the workouts. This was very hard for me to understand until I
worked out for a summer with Brian Silk Mr. Universe. Brian was lifting half the
weight in half the time, performing half the exercising I was doing. Obviously I was
doing something wrong.

He went on to explain to me just this. The hardest thing for me to do at that time
was walk out of the gym when it seemed as though I was only through half my
workout. One year later I won the Mr. Michigan Bodybuilding championships.

Here is my point:

Making progress in your exercise program comes down to; working smarter not
harder, listening to your body, and understanding more exercise is bad for you in
the long run. The magic is in this formula: Consistency + variety + efficiency =
results!

LOSE WEIGHT IMMEDIATELY! FREE MINI COURSE click here http://www.resolutions.bz. Discover the common sense way to lose weight with
out dieting that the doctor’s DON’T want you to know. Greg Ryan is a best selling author, former employee of Kathy Smith, and high profile fitness expert.




How to Use Herbal Salves & Ointments to Shrink Your Hemorrhoids

Tuesday 12 February 2008 @ 6:28 pm

Comfrey Herbal Salve

Here is an herbal combination that contains herbs that
promote the healing of skin wounds and blood vessel, is
antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, soothing, and antiitching.

Here is what is in it:

* Comfrey root

* St. John’s Wort flower and bud

* Calendula flower

* Plantain leaf

* Chickweed herb

* Mullein leaf

Here’s how to use it:

Clean the area where you want to apply the salve. Apply
the salve to the anus or slightly into the rectum by rubbing
to soften the salve. This application can be done at night so
you get a good dose of this salve as it passes through the skin.
Use for 6 days, then rest one day. Use for 6 week, then rest one-week.

When using any kind of salve and herbal extracts, keep
them in the refrigerator. This keeps them fresh and gives
your hemorrhoids a “cool relief ” feeling.

Veri-Gone salve

Veri-Gone is a salve that was made for varicose veins and has
been used for general cases of hemorrhoids.

* Witch Hazel

* Echinacea Extract

* Calendula Extract

* Chamomile essential oil

* Alcohol

* Distilled water

Here’s a link where you can find this salve. This site has variety of salve formulations.

http://oldetimersherbals.com/salves.htm

Ghee - Turmeric Salve

Here’s a Ghee mixture that is listed in, New Choices in
Natural Healing, 1995, by prevention magazine
health books.

Combine 1 teaspoon of ghee with 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
powder. Apply some of this mixture onto your hemorrhoids
just before you go to bed.

Here’s how to use it:

* Apply it for 3 nights in a row

* Stop for two nights

* Resume for three nights

* Continue this cycle until your hemorrhoids are gone

Wear old clothes when you use this combination since the
turmeric will stain your clothes. The discoloration on your
skin will clear after two-three weeks or sooner.

Zinc Oxide Ointment

Zinc Oxide is readily available in a drugstore or throughout
the Internet. It is useful in reducing hemorrhoids symptoms,
since it is astringent, antiseptic, and antibacterial.

Zinc oxide will keep the area dry from moisture and will help
to reduce itching and chafing. Use it as often as you like
and, of course, when you go to bed.

Pilewort Ointment

Pilewort is an herb that has a history of being used for
hemorrhoids. It is a fast acting hemorrhoid remedy. It is
an astringent, tones the blood vessels, and stops bleeding.
You can use it as frequent as you like. Just apply to the
anal area.

Do not take pilewort internally.

Calendula Ointment

Calendula flower has been extensive used in China to heal
hemorrhoids. It has a soothing effect and reduces
inflammation. Its other characteristics are,

* Antibacterial

* Analgesic

* Antiseptic

* Astringent

* hemostatic (stops bleeding)

* styptic (contracts blood vessels)

Calendula ointment helps to form new tissue and for that reason is used for cuts, burns and other skin disorders.
Apply the ointment directly on your hemorrhoids. Use it
daily and as often as you like.

Rudy Silva has a Physics degree from the University of San Jose California and is a Natural Nutritionist. He writes a newsletter called “natural-remedies-thatwork.com” and he has written an ebook called “How to Relieve Your Constipation with 77 Natural Remedies.” You can get more information on this ebook and more hemorrhoid remedies at this site. http://www.hemorrhoid-remedies.for–you.info




The Main Causes Of Hair Loss In Women

Tuesday 12 February 2008 @ 6:25 pm


When you think of hair loss it’s natural to assume that it’s a condition that predominantly affects men. Some experts however suggest that as many as one in four women will experience hair loss at some time in their lives. So why don’t we see and hear more about it? Perhaps the answer has something to do with one or more of the following:


- Women are better at disguising hair loss.


- Women’s hair loss is generally less extensive in terms of severity.


- Women’s hair loss tends to be spread evenly over the head rather than concentrated in one or two spots.


So why do women lose hair - are the causes very different to those that result in male baldness? There are probably three common reasons for hair loss in women:


1. Female pattern baldness - believe it or not, most women affected by hair loss lose it for the same reasons as men. They suffer from androgenetic alopecia which is a reaction to male hormones in the body, specifically the conversion of testosterone into the hair-unfriendly DHT. In the case of women, pattern baldness may start later and the effects may be less extreme due to the influence of female hormones, but the condition is nonetheless the same as that found in male pattern baldness.


2. Telogen effluvium - this is regarded as the second most common cause of women’s hair loss and this is unsurprising given the nature of the condition. Telogen effluvium is characterized by a general thinning of the hair and is usually brought about as a result of some traumatic event causing sufficient stress to interfere with the normal hair growth cycle. Given that pregnancy is a prime example of the type of event that can shock the hair growth cycle then perhaps the high incidence of telogen effluvium amongst women is only to be expected.


3. Alopecia areata - this is the third most common hair loss condition to affect women. It is characterized by patchy areas of hair loss on the head or it can be more widespread over the body. It is thought to be caused by deficiencies in the immune system but much is still not known about the condition. In many cases the hair regrows spontaneously after a variable period of time, but in a minority of cases the problem may be more severe and longstanding.


If you experience any form of hair loss arrange to visit your physician to discuss the treatments that may be suitable for your particular condition.

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the http://www.myhairlossadvisor.com website that provides information and guidance to those suffering from premature hair loss. Go to Hair Loss Treatments for Women to find out more about the issues covered in this article.




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