Exercise Mistakes

You might be just a beginner or may be experienced in your exercise regimen, but there are many mistakes most of us make while workout. These mistakes become a part of our exercise routine like bad habits, and can lead to injury, joint pain and delayed or no results. In order to get maximum benefit out of the hard work you put in during exercise to remain fit, it is very important that you identify problem areas.

Avoiding the Warm Up

Warming up before beginning the strength training or other work out may sound so boring and like a waste of time, but the warm up is a very important part of the exercise regimen, with many benefits. It should be the base of any fitness plan. Warm ups prepare muscles and connective tissue to loosen up and bear with the stress during the exercise. Your muscles work better because of blood flow toward the muscles, giving better results. Joints are lubricated, which decreases the chances of joint pain. If you skip warming up consistently, you are at high risk of injury and delayed result gains.

Always warm up for 8-10 minutes and then jump into your workout. If your body is lightly sweated, you are good to go.

Skipping Cool Down and Stretches

Doing stretching exercises and cooling down is equally important. Stretching and cooling down helps the body change from one exercise to the other.

Cooling down specifically helps transition the body and mind to rest after you have worked. It gradually lowers your heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. The sudden transition of the body from exercising to rest may cause blood pressure to drop, which could cause dizziness or fainting. By properly cooling down you also prevent muscle stiffness or soreness. Cooling down should always be gradual and be done after any exercise or strength training for 10-15 minutes. Keep in mind that stretching is not same as cooling down.

Stretching helps decrease the tension in your body, improves posture and aids coordination. Stretching helps joints and body parts to move further, avoiding the risk of injury or any kind of discomfort. Furthermore, it establishes breathing patterns, delays the onset of muscle fatigue and increases energy levels. Stretching from head to toe when the body is warmed up and more flexible is desirable for maximum benefits. Stretches should be slow, controlled and gradual, avoiding any jerks or bouncy movements. You should have a feeling of a little discomfort while you stretch. If you feel pain, you have stretched too much. You can do stretching exercise 15-18 minutes everyday with each stretching 15-30 seconds

Source: http://www.greendivamom.com/author/savneet/

How Sunlight Affects Skin and Body

The role of sun and its ultra-violet rays is a little more complex than what we think, and it may also give us an insight how do we age. The sun acts sort of like one of the machines that shoots out tennis balls. But the sun’s tennis balls comes in form of ultra-violet rays that are torpedoed down to Earth. Now, one type of ultra-violet rays, UVC, is blocked by the atmosphere before it reaches us, so this type of UV has very little effect. The rays that constantly affect you are the UVB rays and the UVA rays. Blocking all kinds of rays is not possible. UVB rays are stopped at the topmost levels of the skin, but they still penetrate inside and cause burning and skin cancer. They cause tanning as well.


On the other hand, UVA rays penetrate deeply in the skin to cause burns, wrinkles and skin cancer. To top it off, sunlight also destroys the reserves of folic acid, also known as folate or vitamin B9. Folate is required by the body to replicate DNA properly. The rays can also damage the eyes.

The question here is how does sunlight cause damage? One way is through connective tissue breakdown. UV radiation cause the structural protein of our skin, collagen, to break down and disables our ability to repair damage. Another way sun age our skin is through the formation of free radicals, those aggressive charged compounds that damage cells and breakdown collagen as well. Free radicals can cause cancer by changing our DNA and preventing our body from repairing it. UV destroys the rungs of the DNA ladder so that the DNA ladder posts bind with one another. Still another way UV rays cause damage is by thinning the walls of surface blood vessels, leading to bruising, bleeding and appearance of blood vessels through the skin.

But, the flip side is that we also really need UV rays. Natural sunlight creates active vitamin D, which we need for bone health, since it helps to regulate calcium. It helps to ensure the proper function of the heart, nervous system, clotting process and immune system. That is significant because thousand of cancer deaths a year are linked to insufficient UVB exposure and subsequent deficiency of active vitamin D. UVB activates vitamin D from cholesterol. That is the reason why cholesterol levels go high in the winter. In winter there is not much sunlight, so you don’t have enough active vitamin D, therefore your body pumps up your cholesterol in the hope of converting as much as possible to active vitamin D. This serves as another example of an evolutionary trade off between procreation and higher levels of cholesterol. So how strong we look, can be felt by high LDL, cholesterol and consequent heart disease and stroke.

Also, have a look at this fact: if you have low level of UVB penetration, then you need more cholesterol, which can be more readily converted to vitamin D. In this setting of low sun exposure, a substance called Apo E4 rises to help create more cholesterol and subsequent vitamin D. Apo E4 elevations of cholesterol lead atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s later in life. Those of us, whose ancestors lived in the areas with high UVB rays were not so plentiful evolved to have less melanin in our skin to allow all those UVB rays to get through, but if skin color is too light or too much sunlight enters the cells, then folate level plummet. Without protection from those nutrients, other neurological symptoms increase in people and their offspring are prone to neural tube defects.

Basic Foot Care

If your feet could speak, they would probably complain that they do not get proper care and attention. So what do we do to keep them in tip-top shape? If you treat your feet with tender loving care and they will reward you with years of diligent, pain-free service. Just follow simple steps for happy, healthy feet forever.

Wash your feet daily. Make sure to clean between the toes and under the nails. Completely dry your feet after bathing. Dry the places between toes too. Damp feet are breeding ground for bacteria and odor.
To help prevent dry, cracked foot skin, massage a good thick lotion into your feet before you dress and again when you go to bed.
Add a little foot powder to your shoes each day to help absorb perspiration.
Wear fresh socks or hosiery daily.
Cut your toenail straight across to help avoid ingrown toenails. Afterward, smooth nail edge with an emery board or nail file.
Inspect your feet daily for blisters, corns, swelling. calluses or other any other problems. Get appropriate treatment. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
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Give your shoes a rest. Alternating pairs allows shoes to completely dry out and give the padding time to return to its normal shape. This makes shoes last loonger and keeps your feet healthier.
Drink lots of water.
Give yourself a weekly feet treatment. Massage your feet with warmed oil mixed with a few drops of essential oil of lavender, eucalyptus, or peppermint to de-stress and relax your sore feet.

If you are overweight, lose some pounds. Excess weight adds enormous pressure to your feet.

Walk, walk, walk.

Nine Homemade Beauty Masks for Healthy Skin

Glowing and clear skin does naturally what makeup tries to simulate artificially. Natural homemade masks can help bring a permanent glow and clarity to your skin. For acquiring beautiful and healthy skin you can apply any of the following easy, homemade masks.

Note: Make sure that before you apply any of the following masks, your hands are clean and the dish in which you are going to prepare the mixture is washed and dried properly. Wash your face before and after you apply any of the homemade skin products. Wash your face gently with a little bit more water and pat dry.

Egg Whites

Egg white has shown miraculous effects on many people’s skin. Apply an egg white over your face. Then let it dry for 15-18 minutes and wash your face with warm water for an instant glow to your skin.

Powdered Orange Peels

Do not throw orange peels. Dry them in shade and then grind them in a mixer to make powder. Take two spoonfuls of this powder and make a smooth paste with rose water, honey and milk. Apply this and wash off with cold after 20 minutes.

Almond Paste

Almonds are high in vitamin E content, which is very good for your skin and can eliminate facial blemishes. Soak 4-6 almonds overnight so that peel comes off. Grind their white flesh and add few drops of lemon juice and honey to make a smooth paste. Apply this on your face and wash after 30 minutes.

Chickpea Mask

Make a smooth paste with a tablespoon of Chickpea flour, a pinch of turmeric, 2 tablespoons of milk and a few drops of rose water. Apply this paste to your face and massage in a circular motion. Wash your face with water after 2-3 minutes. This brings shine to your face and eliminates dead skin tissue.

Rose Lime Tonic

Make a mixture of equal amount of lime juice and rose water, apply on your neck and face, keep it for 10 minutes and wash off with fresh water.

Autumn Fruits Mask

Take a small piece of pumpkin and puree it. To this, add a grated apple and a little olive oil. Apply this paste for 15-20 minutes followed by rinsing the face. This mask is particularly good for dry skin.

Quick and Easy Milk and Sugar Mask

Mix 1/4 cup of milk and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Apply this mixture on your face using a cotton swab. Leave it for 5 minutes; then wash the face. This provides a glow to the face.

Turmeric Oat Mask

Prepare a paste by mixing a tablespoon of oatmeal with turmeric and sugar. Then slowly massage the paste on your face. Leave it for 2 to 3 minutes and rinse it off. The skin acquires a soft and refreshing appearance.

Cucumber Sour Cream Mask

Apply a mask made from I tablespoon of grated cucumber with some sour cream for 12-15 minutes followed by washing with cold water. Use this mask twice a week for best results.

The Finishing Touch

Use ice cubes. Yes! Ice cubes. Massage your cheeks with an ice cube for an instant glow without rouge

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Recycling Myths

Recycling has become an important part of our lives, with the faithful assumption that disposing is bad and recycling is always good by definition. Pause to consider the science and the economics of every proposition, including segregating plastic containers, bottles, newspapers and metal cans and then placing them in colorful boxes at curbside. Without even questioning either the cost or the outcomes of the process that starts at the curb, or if recycling is economically or environmentally sound.


Saving Trees with Paper Recycling
People recycle paper to save trees. However, most paper comes from trees that are planted with the intention of eventually harvesting them to make things like paper. This means that if we all use less paper, there would be fewer trees planted. Maybe some people ought to use less paper anyway, but no one assume that the people who are in the business of growing and harvesting trees are going to continue to do so even if we don’t buy their products. For every 13 trees “saved” by recycling, 87 will never get planted. It is because of the demand of the paper that number of trees have been increasing in the world. Moreover, recycling newsprint creates more water pollution than making new paper. De-inking old news papers produces a lot of toxic sludge that requires special disposal.

Polystyrene Food Containers

Similarly, several cities, including New Jersey, and Portland, Oregon, have essentially banned polystyrene food packages, like the ones McDonald’s used to put burgers in until it was pressured into switching to paperboard container, because the paper used by McDonald’s is recyclable and polystyrene is not. But the truth is complicated.

Polystyrene is completely recyclable, which is not always true for the paper used in, for example drinking cups, especially if the paper has been wax coated or soiled with food residue. These paper cups cost the consumer about two and half times as much as polystyrene. Studies carried out by NCPA show that production of polystyrene hamburger shells used by McDonald’s actually used 30% less energy than paperboard and resulted in 46% less air pollution and 42% less water pollution. The average 10-gram paper cup consumes 33-grams of wood and uses 28% more petroleum in its manufacture than the entire input of the polystyrene cup.

Recycling is very useful when it is approached from perspective of sound economics, good science and voluntary cooperation, but unfortunately it is promoted as an end in itself without regard to whether it is worth the time and expense. Quite often, recycling expends more energy and resources than it saves or reclaims. Recycling however, doesn’t really happen unless all that plastic, glass, paper and metal from the sorted bins is turned into new, useful products that are generally in demand in the marketplace. Some of what we put out at curbside actually ends in a landfill or piled to the ceiling in warehouses with no place to go.

Source:http://www.greendivamom.com/author/savneet/

The Essentials of Vitamin D

Studies have shown that vitamin D intake reduces the chances of colon, breast and prostate cancer. In addition vitamin D helps maintain strong bones. Older adults can reduce their risks of falls by more than 20% by ensuring that they get enough vitamin D. A study recently reported in Journal of the American Medical Association noted that vitamin D may also improve muscle strength, thereby reducing fracture risk from falls.


Scientist are finding that when we avoid sunlight all the time by slathering ourselves with sunscreen to avoid the increased skin cancer risk from sun overexposure, or avoiding the outdoors altogether through an indoor sedentary lifestyle, we lose our most effective source of vitamin D. Our bodies make vitamin D when skin is exposed to sunlight. This does not mean that you have to be out in sun all the time, or lying out in the beach tanning. All you have to do is to expose your skin to sun for 10 minutes in summer and 15 minutes in winter.

Blood levels of vitamin D are low in one in five women living in America and North Europe. Post-menopausal women also get too little dietary calcium. But the former deficiency may be more important that the latter. In fact the recent studies suggest that higher than RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances) of vitamin D may be more important than RDA intake of calcium to bone health.
There is actually a tightly intertwined connection between vitamin D, calcium and lesser known substance called parathyroid (PTH). PTH regulates the amount of calcium in the bloodstream. When the level of calcium is low in blood , the thyroid gland secrets more PTH, which raises the level of calcium by taking it from the bone. If the pattern continues, bones will eventually become brittle and prone to more breakage.
High level of Vitamin D in blood inhibits the secretion of PTH, thereby preventing the loss of calcium from the bones. Conversely, low vitamin D level prompts loss of calcium from the bones and raises the risks of osteoporosis and fractures. This is one reason why most experts say the RDA for Vitamin D, which is 400 international units per day, is too low and should be increased to 600 to 800 international units per day.
The Food and Nutrition Board of Institute of Medicine of US National Academy of Science has recommended the following adequate daily intakes (AI) for vitamin D.


Infants, children and adults up to 50 years of age (includes pregnant and nursing women): 5.0 micrograms (200IU)
Men and women 51-70 years: 10.0 micrograms (400 IU)
Men and women older than 70 years: 15.0 micrograms (600 IU)
Studies have also shown that consumption of more than 800 milligrams of calcium per day may be unnecessary for bone health if there is enough vitamin D. Sufficient vitamin D levels an can ensure an ideal level of PTH, even when calcium intake is lower.

A few sources Vitamin D are cod liver oil, cheese, egg yolks, cream, fortified milk, margarine, oysters, fish, and butter. Get it from sunlight. A good solution is to spend fifteen minutes in the sun and then apply your sunscreen.

The Right Kind of Exercise for You

All of us understand the importance of staying fit and the role played by the exercise in keeping us fit. We have many energy saver system like drive through fast food points, banks, cleaners, pharmacies, elevators, escalators, moving walkways, television and music systems with remote controls, automatic washers and dryers etc. Our inactivity has increased actually because of spending long hours in working on internet, watching television, playing video games etc.This kind of sedentary lifestyle puts our longevity and health at risk. If you have not included exercise in your daily routine then you are at a high risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart diseases, obesity etc. Obesity is further associated with other diseases like heart failure,diabetes, pulmonary hypertension, stroke, degenerative joints, many types of cancer, gall bladder diseases and many more. Many of these disease are life threatening and may lead to premature death

We all have excuses and explanation for not doing exercise like lack of time, odd working hours, home, kids etc. But we must convince ourselves that the worldly possessions like money, power, status, image all are of no use if we do not have good health. Thus, it is very important to keep yourself healthy. Good eating and drinking habits and exercise keeps you fit for whole life. Exercise and workout will not only keep you healthy, increase longevity but will also give you mental peace because “A healthy body has healthy mind”.

But, before you think of making exercise an essential part of your life you should keep in mind following points :

1.Exercise should be enjoyable: Exercise must not be mind numbing and unnatural. If it is boring , nobody is going to do it for a long time. It has to be interesting so that you get motivate to do it regularly. So, choose the kind of exercise that you really find interesting and motivating. You should feel good physically as well as mentally after doing exercise.
2.Exercise should be easily accessible: It is easy to find reasons for not going or not doing exercise if it takes an inordinate amount of time and effort to get to that. If you have chosen exercise which is not readily available then the fever of exercise goes off after some days. Sustaining exercise under optimal conditions is difficult so better choose the exercise which is easily accessible.
3.Exercise should be injury free: Sometimes people get injured during exercise and hence give up exercise. Thus ,choose exercise which is natural and injury free.
4.Exercise should involve the muscle group from whole body: Exercise should be such that it involves the exercise of major muscle groups from our all body parts.
5.Exercise should give you an option to do it at high, moderate and low intensity: The exercise you take should give you an option to go at the level you need or can do. For example, for beginners, over-weight and old age it should not be very heavy or tough.

Read more: http://healthmad.com/fitness/the-right-kind-of-exercise-for-you/#ixzz0oUYH7j2n