Health & Fitness

Online weight loss plans

2010-04-11T03:42:00.000-07:00

Online weight loss plans are web based fitness programs designed to help participants lose weight. They usually include assistance in the areas necessary for weight loss. For example, weight loss information, goal setting, progress tracking, meal and workout planning, and personal support from personal trainers or fitness coaches. This way of losing weight is fast becoming a distinct weight loss method.

Online weight loss plans are usually interactive programs that provide the user with diet information, workout routines, meal planning, goal tracking, and feedback. Web-based programs usually attempt to incorporate all of these areas and customize them for a particular user. The user will usually fill out a questionnaire before proceeding. The questionnaire will contain information such as current eating patterns, fitness levels and goals.

A personalized meal plan and workout program are usually created for the user. A unique feature of these programs is the use of online tools to track improvements, and to log workout and diet information. The idea behind these tracking tools is that by tracking fitness, a person can make more progress by aiming for and meeting regular fitness goals. Programs range in price from the very basic, which may cost $20 a month, to highly customized programs created by celebrity fitness experts; these programs can cost in excess of $400 a month. There are also free Web-based programs. While they usually provide access to online tools, they may not provide any customized plans.

Online weight loss plans usually contain some of these elements:

Weekly Shopping Lists
Workout routines and meal plans
Regular support from a fitness coach or personal trainer (some with round-the-clock support)
Regular tracking of progress
Workout videos
Some type of online workout calendar/journal

Herbal Teas

2010-04-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

An herbal tea, tisane, or ptisan is an herbal infusion made from anything other than the leaves of the tea bus.

Herbal teas can be made with fresh or dried flowers, leaves, seeds or roots, generally by pouring boiling water over the plant parts and letting them steep for a few minutes. Seeds and roots can also be boiled on a stove. The tisane is then strained, sweetened if so desired, and served. Many companies produce herbal tea bags for such infusions.

On the other hand, flavoured teas are prepared by adding other plants to an actual tea (black, oolong, green, yellow, or white tea); for example, the popular Earl Grey tea is black tea with bergamot, jasmine tea is Chinese tea with jasminegenmaicha is a Japanese green tea with toasted rice.

Herbal teas are often consumed for their physical or medicinal effects, especially for their stimulant, relaxant or sedative properties. The medicinal effects of certain herbs are discussed under herbalism. The medicinal benefits of specific herbs are often anecdotal or controversial, and in some countries (including the United States) makers of herbal teas are not allowed to make unsubstantiated claims about the medicinal effects of their products.

Role of herbal medicine in society

2010-04-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

The use of herbs to treat disease is almost universal among non-industrialized societies. A number of traditions came to dominate the practice of herbal medicine at the end of the twentieth century:

The "classical" herbal medicine system, based on Greek and Roman sources
The Siddha and Ayurvedic medicine systems from various South Asian Countries
Chinese herbal medicine (Chinese herbology) (zhōngyào)
Unani-Tibb medicine
Shamanic herbalism: a catch-all phrase for information mostly supplied from South America and the Himalayas

Many of the pharmaceuticals currently available to physicians have a long history of use as herbal remedies, including opium, aspirin, digitalis, and quinine. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80 percent of the world's population presently uses herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care. In comparison, herbal medicines can be grown from seed or gathered from nature for little or no cost. Herbal medicine is a major component in all traditional medicine systems, and a common element in Siddha, Ayurvedic, homeopathic, naturopathic, traditional Chinese medicine, and Native American medicine. Pharmaceuticals are prohibitively expensive for most of the world's population, half of which lives on less than $2 U.S. per day.

Top 10 foods which Control Cholesterol

2010-03-27T03:10:00.000-07:00

1) Olive Oil and Products

Take one or two tablespoons of olive oil a day over salads or use for cooking, and add some olives to your salads. Keep an eye open for margarine made from olive oil as this also has the benefit of a high monounsaturated fatty acid content.

2) Polyunsaturated, 'lite' and Flora 'pro-activ' margarine

Flora 'pro-activ' margarine has been specifically developed to lower LDL cholesterol by up to 25% if you use it every day. This type of margarine contains added plant sterols that prevent the uptake of fats from the diet and lower blood fat levels. You can use this margarine to replace butter or other types of margarine on bread and cooked vegetables.

3) Legumes

Legumes have a high dietary fibre content and are rich in protective nutrients, including minerals, B vitamins and phytonutrients. These nutrients protect the heart and the dietary fibre content lowers cholesterol and energy intake.

Legumes are also naturally low in fat and don't contain any cholesterol. On top of this, they have a low glycaemic index (GI). The South African Food-based Dietary Guidelines recommend that we should eat dry beans, peas, lentils and soya regularly.

Make an effort to eat legumes at least three to four times a week, ideally every day.

4) Fat-free yoghurt and other fat-free dairy products

You can, however, use fat-free milk, yoghurt and cottage cheese in a low-cholesterol diet. Once the fat has been removed from a dairy product, it also removes practically all the cholesterol.

Fat-free yoghurt is a particularly good choice as it is rich in protein, calcium and Lactobacillus microorganisms which may help to lower blood cholesterol levels.

5) Antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables

All fruits and vegetables can help to lower cholesterol and protect the heart. Two groups are particularly useful, namely those fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamin C, or rich in beta-carotene.

6) Garlic and other members of the onion family

Garlic has been used for centuries to promote good health. Research shows that members of the allium family, such as garlic, spring onions and other onions, can be used to lower cholesterol and protect the heart. Use garlic liberally in cooking and on fresh salads.

7) Whole, unsifted or unprocessed grains

rains and cereals made of unprocessed wheat (wholewheat and seed bread, crackers, high-bran cereals) help to ensure regularity because they have a high insoluble fibre content. On the other hand, oats and oat bran have a high soluble fibre content which can actively lower blood cholesterol levels.

8) Fish

The best fish sources of omega-3 fatty acids are fatty fish like salmon, tuna, trout and sardines, but eating any type of fish will benefit your heart.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce atherosclerosis, ventricular arrhythmias, blood fats, atherosclerotic plaques and blood pressure – all good reasons for eating fish regularly.

9) Venison and ostrich

You can, however, eat moderate portions of venison and ostrich on a low-cholesterol diet, because these meats are low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Just make sure that you don't add large quantities of fat to the meat during preparation and cooking.

The present boom in our ostrich industry is due to the fact that this meat is so low in cholesterol that it has become a popular item on the menus of health-conscious people all over the world.

10) Omega-3-enriched foods

As mentioned before, the omega-3 fatty acids can play a significant role in helping to reduce the risk of high cholesterol levels. Unfortunately, modern Western diets don't contain sufficient omega-3 to meet our needs.

Some food manufacturers have taken this to heart and now produce standard foods that are enriched with omega-3 fatty acids. In South Africa, you can purchase milk, eggs and bread that are enriched with omega-3. You may have to hunt around, but you should be able to find these products in most large supermarkets.

Tips For Increasing Your Height

2010-03-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

Tip 1: Mind Power

Our body responds to our thoughts. As per our thought patterns, appropriate hormones are secreted and physiological changes happen accordingly. Positive thoughts reverse aging process and improve health. Negative thoughts accelerate aging process and stunt growth. Points are below

Refuse to accept that you are born unhealthy and short. Visualize yourself as having the most perfect health and live every moment in that vision.
Stop compromising on matters of quality. Keep demanding as much as you can think of, from yourself.
Imagine that your height is increasing every moment with every movement of yours.
Stop traits of anger, helplessness and dejection.

Tip 2: Food

Simply stop junk, fried, spicy and oily food. I cannot stress further the importance of simple, nutritious, healthy food. Our body is made out of food we eat. We grow from a baby of few inches to a full-grown adult only through food we eat. Food is the raw material used to build our building that we call body. How can you expect a strong building to be built if you use inferior raw material from junkyard?

Following are certain recommendations that have helped me:

Eating at least two hours before sleep
Having a light dinner
Regular consumption of sprouts
Having regular eating schedule and avoiding habit of munching every now and then
Avoiding consumption of tea, coffee, cold-drinks, ice-cream, chocolates etc
Regular use of trifala powder in night or early morning
Eating lots of fresh fruits
Drinking lots of water
Walking for 10-15 minutes after meals
Eating soaked almonds in morning. The gulbandi variety is best.
Eating in sukhasan. This posture is a wonderful gift of our ancient seers.

Tip 3: Exercise

Human body is built to work hard and live actively. More we avoid physical labor, more we become prone to underdevelopment, faster aging and ailments. Make a habit of doing rigorous workouts at least thrice a week and normal exercises in rest of the days.

Good routine is given:

Waking up by 5 am and having a variety of workouts till 8 am. These included mix and match of following:

Running and jogging
Flexibility and stretching
Martial Arts practice
Asans and Pranayams
Meditation

Tip 4: Miscellaneous

Sleep well. More you work out, more the rest required by your body. Especially for growth, you should ensure that you do not deprive your body from much needed rest.
Sleep early. Work so hard in the day that you tend to fall asleep by 10 pm. Wake up by 5 or 6 depending upon your comfort. I prefer varying the waking time as per my body needs. Avoid late night sittings.
Keep spine straight
While standing, try to stretch your entire body up. At times come on your toes for a full stretch. You can even raise your hands for a fuller stretch. In more formal occasions, you can stand normally and yet try stretching your entire body without raising your toes. Keep doing it every now and then. If you are in a bus, try if you can stretch up without coming on toes and touch the ceiling with head.
Do not settle in one static position for long. Keep moving and changing postures. Remain active and give body a small workout every moment.

Tip 5: Brahmachraya (Control of mind)

Once mind is mastered, the world will be at your feet, height is a petty thing.

To develop this mastery and realize what the real fun of life is, following is advised. More you practice, more you gain:

Stop putting your mind in all form of sensory inputs that tend to promote lustful thought patterns - romantic/vulgar songs, movies, literature, company. These generate hormones which speed up the ageing process and stunt complete natural growth.
Stop watching the idiot box. Apart from dumbing the mind, it makes your breath shallow and hence causes stunted growth.
Similarly avoid video games, iPods and other mind-dumbing tools.
Stop digging too much into stale newspaper. Use it only for keeping you updated. Filling your mind with depressing stories of past, the first thing in morning, is the worst treatment you can give to yourself who is naturally programmed to be always forward looking.
Prepare actionable plans. Avoid discussions and analyses which have no relevance to practical application and are merely time-wasters.
Needless to say, avoid all acts which lead to loss of vital energy and semen

Glogal Health and Fitness

2010-03-21T02:39:00.000-07:00

Health

Health is the general condition of a person in all aspects. It is also a level of functional and/or metabolic efficiency of an organism, often implicitly human.

Determinants of Health

The LaLonde report suggests that there are four general determinants of health including human biology, environment, lifestyle, and healthcare services. Thus, health is maintained and improved not only through the advancement and application of health science, but also through the efforts and intelligent lifestyle choices of the individual and society.

A major environmental factor is water quality, especially for the health of infants and children in developing countries.

Studies show that in developed countries, the lack of neighborhood recreational space that includes the natural environment leads to lower levels of neighborhood satisfaction and higher levels of obesity; therefore, lower overall well being. Therefore, the positive psychological benefits of natural space in urban neighborhoods should be taken into account in public policy and land use. Health is also a state of complete physical,mental,social,and spiritual wellbeing not merely absence of disease.

Public Health

Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals." (Winslow, 1920) It is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis. The population in question can be as small as a handful of people or as large as all the inhabitants of several continents. Public health has many sub-fields, but is typically divided into the categories of epidemiology, biostatistics and health services. Environmental, social and behavioral health, and occupational health, are also important fields in public health.

The focus of public health intervention is to prevent rather than treat a disease through surveillance of cases and the promotion of healthy behaviors. In addition to these activities, in many cases treating a disease can be vital to preventing it in others, such as during an outbreak of an infectious disease. Vaccination schedules and distributions are examples of public health measures.

Physical Fitness

Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness (a state of health and well-being) and specific fitness (a task-oriented definition based on the ability to perform specific aspects of sports or occupations).

In previous years, fitness was commonly defined as the capacity to carry out the day’s activities without undue fatigue. However, as automation increased leisure time, changes in lifestyles following the industrial revolution rendered this definition insufficient. These days, physical fitness is considered a measure of the body’s ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseases, and to meet emergency situations.

Health club

A health club (commonly referred to as a gym) is a place which houses exercise equipment for the purpose of physical exercise.

Facilities & Services

Main Workout Area

Most health clubs have a main workout area, which primarily consists of free weights including dumbbells, barbells and exercise machines. This area often include mirrors so that exercisers can monitor and maintain correct posture during their workout.

Cardio Area/Theatre

A cardio theater or cardio area includes many types of cardiovascular training-related equipment such as rowing machines, stationary exercise bikes, elliptical trainers and treadmills. These areas often include a number of audio-visual displays (either integrated into the equipment, or placed on walls around the area itself) in order to keep exercisers entertained during long cardio workout sessions.

Group Exercise Classes

Most newer health clubs offer group exercise classes that are conducted by qualified fitness instructors. Many types of group exercise classes exist, but generally these include classes based on aerobics, cycling (spin cycle), boxing, high intensity training, regular and hot(Bikram) yoga, pilates and muscle training. Health clubs with swimming pools often offer aqua aerobics classes.