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Thursday, January 20, 2011

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor away...

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”?
but why? Do you really know what makes an apple so special? Why is it that we never hear an orange or a banana a day keeps the doctor away?

Apples have properties that no other fruits have and its benefits have been proven overtime. You will be able to get the benefits of these properties individually with other fruits, but an apple combines everything and makes it simpler. It has been shown over and over that if it’s not simple, easy and fast, people won’t take care of their health.

9 Reasons why An Apple a Day Really Keeps the Doctor away



1- Apple contains Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps greatly your immune system. A lot of people who lack Vitamin C in their diet have poor healing, bruise easily and have bleeding gums.

2- Prevent Heart Diseases. The reason it can prevent both coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease is because apples are rich in flavonoid. Flavonoids are also known for their antioxidant effects.

3- Low in calories. A regular size apple has between 70-100 calories. Eating an apple when craving for candy or chocolate can make the desire disappear since apple in itself contains sugar.

4- Prevent Cancers. Notice the plural. We all know that cancer comes in several forms and in different places. Apples target multiple cancers such as colon cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer in women.

5- Apples contain phenols, which have a double effect on cholesterol. It reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol. They prevent LDL cholesterol from turning into oxidized LDL, a very dangerous form of bad cholesterol which can be deadly.

6- Prevent tooth decay. Tooth decay is an infection that seriously damages the structure of your teeth, which is caused primarily because of bacteria. The juice of the apples has properties that can kill up to 80% of bacteria. So there you have it, an apple a day also keeps the dentist away!

7- Protects your brain from brain disease. This is something many people don’t know, and when you consider that your brain makes the person you are, it gives a whole new perspective. Apple has substances called phytonutrients, and these phytonutrients prevents neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinsonism.

8- Healthier Lungs. A research at the University of Nottingham Research shows that people who eat 5 apples or more per week has lower respiratory problems, including asthma.

9- They taste great! And not only that, they also come in many flavors and colors. Not in a mood for a green apple? Why not get a red one, or a macintosh! Their taste can vary greatly, but still give you all the apple benefits. Variety is an important element to maintaining your health.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Face Your Fear

“Worry gives a small thing a big shadow.”Swedish proverb


How many times have us let fear breed in our mind and hence leading to inaction?
Fear can be helpful for survival when it warn us of the dangers that we are facing and cause us to be more mentally prepared to deal with the problem. It definitely serve us well until it got to a point that it is inhibiting our ability to take actions.

How do we overcome fear?
First of all, we need to determine what is the cause of fear.

Fear is basically what you are thinking and portraying it to your brain. Basically it is all about thoughts. How you think about something will make it either scary or not.

Breaking your personal comfort zone is one of the trigger to fear. When you want to quit your current job, you will feel fear. When you are going to give a first speech in your 30 years of life, you will feel fear. When we break out of our comfort zone, where we are entering is an area of unknown and most people hate unknown areas.

The funny thing about fear is sometime things that we worry and fear about doesn’t come true. It is just the accumulating of negative thoughts in our mind that cause it to snowball into a huge issue.

Can fear be overcome? Yes! Definitely..
By:

  • Tackling Fear
Let us decipher the word, FEAR

F – False


E – Evidence


A – Appearing


R – Real

Whenever there are time when you feel fearful, remember this and self talk to yourself and decipher the word FEAR.

  • Be Positive
When negative images start to fill your head. Stop! Control your thoughts and think of positive images.

  • Learning from Fear
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”   Eleanor Roosevelt



  • Being Curious
Being curious is the opposite of living in fear. Curiosity empowers you with excitement of venturing into the unknown areas for greater rewards. It spur actions and actions are the seeds to success.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Motivate Yourself to Walk Everyday

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”
 Sometimes it is easier to set goals than to actually do something to work towards them. Large projects can seem overwhelming, and if you feel like you are always busy with the day to day things, it can feel like you will never have the time to take care of your health...

•Promise yourself you will add walking to your everyday routine. You will establish a habit this way. On rest days, just go for a stroll or do a little light stretching.


•Find some fitness friends and make play dates with them. Go for walks or to the gym or a fitness class.

•Get obsessed with numbers,not on the scale of course. Get a pedometer and challenge yourself to walk 10,000 steps a day. Or do 1000 steps on your stepper as fast as you can and try to beat your score the next time.

•Grab a calender and make an X on everyday you exercise. You will begin to see a streak forming and you won't want to break that streak.

•Reward yourself. I like to treat myself to a glass of chocolate milk or a hot bath at the end of a tough workout. I feel like I have to earn it, though. Thinking about my treats make me workout longer and harder.

•Think about how you will feel if you don't walk: tired, sloth-like, guilty. Know that you will always feel better if you do something.


Get up and go

Studies show that people who wake up early to walk before they start their day are more likely to stick with their program. Here are a few tips on how to get moving when you would rather just sleep in :

•Ignore the little voice in your head that says you are too tired or that the bed is too warm and cozy. Just nudge it aside and get up.

•Tell your family you will be getting up early to exercise. Once you say the words out loud and others know your plan, it makes it much harder to back out. That guilt thing again.

•Plan ahead. Know where you want to walk and have all of your equipment and workout clothes ready ahead to go the night before.


Instead of thinking about how tough it will be to commit waking up an hour earlier and starting a regular routine, why not just take five minutes and go out for a walk?

It's True..Coffee Does Have some Benefits !!

Coffee has a long history of being blamed for many ills .. from the humorous "It will stunt your growth" to the not-so-humorous claim that it causes heart disease and cancer. But recent research indicates that coffee may not be so bad after all. So which is it ,good or bad?
The best answer may be that for most people the health benefits outweigh the risks.

Recent studies have generally found no connection between coffee and an increased risk of cancer or heart disease. Why the apparent reversal in the thinking about coffee? Earlier studies didn't always take into account that known high-risk behaviors, such as smoking and physical inactivity, tended to be more common among heavy coffee drinkers at that time.
However, the research appears to bear out some risks. High consumption of unfiltered coffee is associated with mild elevations in cholesterol levels. And another study found that two or more cups of coffee a day can increase the risk of heart disease in people with a specific — and fairly common — genetic mutation that slows the breakdown of caffeine in the body. So, how quickly you metabolize coffee may affect your health risk.

Newer studies have also shown that coffee may have benefits, such as protecting against Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes and liver cancer. And it has a high content of antioxidants. But this doesn't mean you should disregard the old maxim "Everything in moderation." Although coffee may not be very harmful, other beverages such as milk and juice contain nutrients that coffee does not. Also, keep in mind that coffee accompaniments such as cream and sugar add fat and calories to your diet. Finally, heavy caffeine use on the order of four to seven cups of coffee a day can cause problems such as restlessness, anxiety, irritability and sleeplessness, particularly in susceptible individuals

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

How to Think Positive and Eliminate Negative Thoughts :)

Negative thoughts are like viruses - they attack and spread quickly affecting your quality of life. Consider how one negative thought can affect your entire day, your relationships, confidence level, and ability to think rationally or give birth to new ideas. Through positive reinforcements and a strong commitment to yourself you can stop negative thoughts in their tracks, here is how:



  • Thought awareness - As soon as a negative thought enters your brain counter it with a positive one.
  • Surround yourself with positive people and positive things.
  • Create a personal mantra and repeat it every day until it becomes apart of your daily regimen.
  • Count your blessings
  • Volunteer - Removing your self from the equation by focusing on the needs of others in time will change your outlook on life. You are more fortunate than you think.
  • Let it go - Avoid dwelling on the past or things you have no control over.
  • Get an accountability buddy - this could be your best friend, mentor, spouse, or spiritual advisor who encourages you to do good, helps you stay focused, and will walk the extra mile with you.
  • Start a Money Jar. For every negative you must deposit 25 cents or more into your money jar.
  • Post positive affirmations around your workspace and home
  • Practice saying positive things about yourself and other people



Monday, January 10, 2011

Green Tea & Ginger Health Benefits

Both green tea and ginger are called "superfoods" because they are bursting with antioxidants.They originate from China and have been used by Chinese medical practitioners for years. Western science also maintains that green tea and ginger may protect the body from many types of chronic disease.

.Antioxidant Benefits

Both green tea and ginger contain polyphenols, plant-based chemicals that neutralize free radicals in the body. Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage bodily organs.

Cancer Prevention

Since both green tea and ginger neutralize high amounts of free radicals, they may significantly reduce one's risk of developing cancer.

Heart Disease Prevention

Due to their antioxidants, both green tea and ginger protect against blood clots. They can remove the free radicals in fattening foods that lead to blood clot formation.

Other Health Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea may help reduce gum disease because one of its polyphenols, catechin, prevents oral bacteria from forming plaque.

Other Health Benefits of Ginger

Several studies show that ginger can alleviate motion sickness. One study recorded that ginger was more effective than medication in reducing motion sickness. See Resources for a link to the study.

How to Add Green Tea and Ginger to Your Diet

It is easy to enjoy the health benefits of green tea and ginger. Drink one cup of green tea and chop up at least one tablespoon of ginger for your salad, stir-fry or pasta each day.


Read more about green tea

Sunday, January 9, 2011

You Need To Know!

CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure which is attempted in an effort to return life to a person in cardiac arrest

1. CALL


Check the victim for unresponsiveness. If the person is not responsive and not breathing or not breathing normally. Call 911 and return to the victim. In most locations the emergency dispatcher can assist you with CPR instructions.



2. PUMP
If the victim is still not breathing normally, coughing or moving, begin chest compressions. Push down in the center of the chest 2 inches 30 times. Pump hard and fast at the rate of at least 100/minute, faster than once per second.


3. BLOW

Tilt the head back and lift the chin. Pinch nose and cover the mouth with yours and blow until you see the chest rise. Give 2 breaths. Each breath should take 1 second.

CONTINUE WITH 30 PUMPS AND 2 BREATHS UNTIL HELP ARRIVES

NOTE: This ratio is the same for one-person ; two-person CPR. In two-person CPR the person pumping the chest stops while the other gives mouth-to-mouth breathing.