Holy Station

Archive for February, 2012

If you’ve been around for half a lifetime and haven’t thought much about your muscle fitness, chances are your middle portion is a bit on the large and spongy side and those soft flabby bits are sagging like cheese slices melting in the sun.

You might even count your blessings that you are not considered one of the 60% of the population that is overweight. But that little bit of excess fat that’s steadily increasing around your waist is a growing concern as you become increasingly aware that your muscle fitness is on the decline.

It’s easy not to worry about it because the change is ever so gradual. You can safely think ‘it’s not too bad yet, there’s plenty of time – I’ll fix it later’.

Often though, later never comes and if it does, you’re confronted with a bigger task than ever – so big that you might even give up before you start. On top of that, while you’re waiting for later to come, your body is weakening and deteriorating and muscle is withering away, further adding to the difficulty of shaping up and improving your fitness.

So the first thing you need to do is:

Decide why it is important to shape up and improve your muscle fitness.

The why is most important because these reasons provide the emotional power that will draw you toward your goal and simultaneously attract your goal to you.

Here are two good reasons for you:

1. Aged health

As you grow older what quality of life would you like to enjoy? Does the prospect of shuffling along or having a stooped and bent posture appeal to you? How about the possibility of brittle weak bones fracturing easily and launching you in hospital for a spell?

Building bone density and strength is especially crucial for women. Bone density is lost at about a percent a year from about 40 onwards. A moderate regular weight bearing program will build muscle and fitness and arrest this loss and probably start to recover some of the density already lost. Don’t wait till later to build bone density.

2. Self-image

While you don’t see increasing bone density you do see the change to body shape after a while. You do see the firmness in the muscles and you do feel the better fitness. There is no denying that generally people look and feel more physically attractive when they are slim and happy with their shape. Also, other people generally regard slim people as being more attractive than overweight people.

The second thing to do is decide what you will do to remove that spare tyre on the waist, those love handles on the hip or that roll over the front of your pants.

Remember, liposuction or other such surgeries will not strengthen bone, build muscle, fitness or develop good habits but exercise will so there’s really only one choice here (apart from the obvious choice of eating correctly).

So in choosing the type of exercise for you keep in mind these few points:

* It must be something you can enjoy doing.

* Start light and slowly and gradually increase the intensity or length of your workout.

* Include stretching, aerobics and weight bearing exercises

* Support and enhance your physical exercises with a good diet.

* Select a convenient regular time to workout so it becomes part of your habit and routine.

* Vary what you do occasionally to keep your workouts fresh and interesting

* Buddy up with someone and help keep each other going.

So there you go if you’ve got a little bit of tummy sag or even a pretty hefty spare tyre it’s not really that hard to remove it. Expend more energy than you consume. Knowing what to do is not rocket science. It’s pretty simple really as outlined above. Don’t wait till later to build muscle and improve fitness or until you’ve got everything right before starting. At the very least get outside and start walking (at a good pace).

You don’t have to get it right, just get it going.

Alternative medicine practitioners often prescribe herbs which will help in balancing hormones,

Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), manufacturers of nutritional supplements are responsible for ensuring that their products are safe before they are marketed. Manufacturers of nutritional supplements do not need to provide information to the Food and Drug Administration Board, before they can get a product out on the market. They also do not need the board’s review and approval of the supplement’s ingredients before selling these products.

FDA regulation of nutritional supplements is different from those covering “conventional” foods and drug products; it takes on a post-marketing responsibility by way of monitoring safety and product information.

1. Monitoring safety

FDA regulation of nutritional supplements involves monitoring the safety of a supplement product that is out on the market. Before the FDA can take action to restrict the use of a nutritional supplement, it has to show the hazards associated with the use of the said nutritional supplement.

FDA regulation of nutritional supplements can be initiated in the form of studies, reviews, reports, scientific literature, and public comments. This was what happened in 1997, when the FDA proposed to limit the amount of ephedrine alkaloids (also known as ephedra, Chinese ephedra, Ma huang, and epitonin) in dietary supplements, as it was found to cause a range of side effects such as dizziness, nervousness, changes in heart rate and blood pressure, chest pain, stroke, hepatitis, seizure, psychosis, and even death. For more information on other potentially dangerous dietary supplements, you can visit the FDA website.

2. Product information

FDA regulation of nutritional supplements also includes, to an extent, the monitoring of the truthfulness of label claims. FDA regulation of nutritional supplements requires that the labels of dietary supplements include the statement of identity, the net quantity of contents, the structure-function claim: “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease,” the directions for use, the Supplement Facts panel (includes serving size, amount, and active ingredient), the other ingredients in descending order of predominance and by common name or proprietary blend, the name and place of business of manufacturer, packer or distributor, and the address to write to for more product information.

3. Best practices

FDA regulation of nutritional supplements also includes establishing good manufacturing practices, or GMPs, for manufacturers of nutritional supplements. To be sure that the ingredients packed inside the marketed nutritional supplement product are the right ingredients and amount, choose a manufacturer that is GMP-compliant.

Everyone, regardless of who they are, what they do, or where they stay, wishes to have beautiful skin. Good skin earns accolades from everyone around and makes one feel confident and good about oneself. It is no co-incidence that how you look and feel about yourself has direct correlation to how people perceive you to be. This article will eliminate ignorance and throw guide you to choose an ideal skin care product.

In the days of yore, all one needed for maintaining healthy skin was to eat well. Even in the present times, you need to eat well to ensure healthy skin. However, we don’t get the same pollution free air that our ancestors breathed. Nor do we get the organic food they consumed, at least not at all times. The result is skin problems like acne, freckles, wrinkles, or parched skin. Therefore, we need to take extra care for our skin today. No wonder then, that the need for an ideal skin care product is heartfelt.

Your skin type is the determining factor when deciding on an acceptable skin care product. Skin is normally oily, normal or dry. However, skin can also be a mixture of these types. You should choose a product that gives adequate moisture and allows your skin to breathe. Your skin type will dictate the final choice of a particular skin care product.

Your skin needs vitamins just like the rest of you. An overnight application of Vitamin C skin care cream can both recharge your skin and flush your pours clear of sebum. That way, you can counteract the effects of air pollution, and also prevent unattractive lesions and boils.

Sunscreen skin care product is equally essential, because it protects your skin from tan and harmful ultraviolet rays. Make sure that you use a lotion with a high ‘sun protection factor.’ And if you can, try to go with an oil-based product, because it accumulates a good deal less grime than the water-based variety.

Drink lots of water and use minimal makeup to maintain good skin. If you suffer from skin problems despite the use of good products, it is necessary that you seek a dermatologist’s advice at the earliest.

Allergies in children can be pretty scary because children cannot always articulate what is happening with their bodies. So it is left to parents and caretakers to be watchful for behaviors and symptoms that might indicate the child is in discomfort or serious trouble. Here are 3 of the most common types of allergies that affect children, their symptoms, and some suggestions that will help.

Food-25% of children age 5 and under suffer from food allergies in the U. S. and that number has risen more than 15% since the late 1990s. Food allergies affect both boys and girls with African American boys being most at risk. Unfortunately, children with food allergies are more likely to develop other related health issues as your child grows older. Common products that affect children are peanuts and nuts to the point that many schools are now peanut-free, and peanut products are prohibited in many schools to avoid any chance that an allergic child might be affected. Wheat, dairy products, seafood, and soybeans are also frequent allergens.

The best way to prevent a reaction is to avoid the foods. But this is often easier said than done. Read food labels carefully. Avoid products that are manufactured in the same plant, or with shared equipment of a food to which your child is allergic. Inform others of their allergies– at school, day care, on play dates, at church. As your child grows and is able to communicate effectively, explain how important it is for them to let others know what they can safely consume. Allergy shots or allergen immunology can help decrease sensitivity to various allergens over time. Consult with your child’s allergist to see if this is an option. And most importantly, always have a plan in place for emergencies. It could very well save your child’s life.

Contact Dermatitis-This is skin reaction that is generally precipitated by contact with natural or man made substances in insecticides, household chemicals, laundry detergents, fragrances, and synthetic fabrics in clothing and bedding to name only a few. Symptoms include red, swollen and/or itchy skin, wheels, and whelps. It is generally located specifically at the point of contact, and usually resolves when the irritant is removed. To reduce flare ups use organic fabrics for clothing and bedding, wash clothing and bedding before your child uses them, and use a detergent such as Dreft that is gentle on young skin.

Airborne-Allergens that are airborne can be found both inside and outside. Outdoor allergens can be seasonal and include a variety of pollens, mold, and mildew spores. The good news is that once the season for the allergen passes, the symptoms often leave as well. If your child’s allergies are serious enough, your pediatrician may recommend an allergist who will help formulate a plan for effectively dealing with the allergies. It may include medication, and an Epipen (a pre-packaged, ready to inject dose of epinephrine) for emergencies. Be sure to follow the plan, and make others aware of the plan include teachers, substitute teachers, bus drivers, and all other who interact with your child.

Indoor allergens are tougher to avoid, will not go away without help, and include irritants such as household dust, dust mites, and pet dander. These need to be dealt with constantly to provide relief. Some non-invasive solutions include washing bed linen weekly in water 140 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter to reduce the dust mite population, removing carpets that make it easy for allergens to hide and difficult for you to eliminate them, and use a high efficiency particle arresting (or HEPA) air purifier to remove airborne dust, mold and mildew spores, and other common indoor allergens.

The best weight loss program is a raw food diet, but it’s actually a lifestyle change rather than a diet. You want to lose weight. You want to be healthy. You want your family to be healthy. But you still find yourself eating foods that are pasteurized, processed, fatted and sugared, and otherwise tampered with making them unhealthy. That means that you are at greater risk for heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and many other diseases that could have been prevented by making better dietary choices.

You keep telling yourself that you want to be healthier and lose weight. You keep trying everything that you can to achieve success, but it’s just not happening. Well, there is a solution out there and it is in the form of raw foods, it is the best weight loss program ever. Yeah, right! You say to yourself, another diet that costs an arm and a leg and doesn’t work. Well, this isn’t about a fad diet that has come and gone with the times, or a “miracle” pill, this is man’s original diet. It’s a lifestyle change, but it’s returning to what’s natural for us, and what naturally keeps the weight off.

The best weight loss program will cause you to think about the food you are eating. Have you ever wondered what is in the food that you eat? Do you go to fast food restaurants a lot? Maybe it’s time to rethink what you eat and the way you eat it. What do you see on sale in the grocery store flyers? You see chips, soda pop (loaded with caffeine), snack foods, red meats, breaded items, and other things that are high in calories and low in nutrition. Plus, many of these foods contain carcinogens which are known to cause cancer. This is no way to keep healthy or to lose weight.

Let’s take a look at what a raw foods diet offers in the way the best weight loss program. First off, what are raw foods? Fruits and vegetables that are uncooked (in the raw) are the prime ingredients to the raw food diet / lifestyle change. These foods should be eaten raw, or not heated above 108 degrees. These wonderful miracle foods have enzymes that naturally occur in them to aid digestion, and when you heat the food to over 108 degrees, these beneficial enzymes and many other nutrients are destroyed or degraded. When that happens, your body has to produce more stomach acid and energy to process your meal than if you were just to eat things raw.

Once you start your raw foods diet, you will see a marked improvement in the amount of energy you have. That is because you are using the energy that you would have needed to simply digest your food to work your body in other ways so you won’t feel tired all the time. That is when it is time to exercise. You will also start to see the pounds come off and the great thing is that once you lose the weight, your lifestyle has changed enough that you won’t be gaining it back.

It’s important to note that your diet doesn’t have to consist of 100% raw foods to be effective and see considerable results. Of course that would mean making smart dietary choices when you do choose to eat cooked food.