Workout and exercise tips.

Advice and tips on working out and exercising in general.

This Content is not intended as a substitute for professional fitness advice, Always seek the advice of your qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a fitness condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of Content found on the Website.

In this section you will find various tips on working out and exercising. This section is primarily for those new to regular exercising or working out, but of course read on as every day is a school day!

Workout and exercise tips

1 Crucial Tip for Maintaining a Healthy Heart as You Age

According to a recent study over half of the cases of heart disease could be prevented. Even small lifestyle changes have a big effect on your overall heart health, however it all starts with knowing the results of four critical tests.

Know Your Numbers

Certain lab test results show the condition of your heart health and your risk of having a “heart-related event”– not something you want to experience. In particular you should know your numbers from these tests:

  • Cholesterol (HDL, LDL and Total)
  • Triglycerides
  • Blood pressure
  • Body Mass Index (BMI)

Once you have the baseline numbers, you and your doctor can create a plan to get the ones out of whack back in line.

Cholesterol

The body makes and needs cholesterol in order to survive, but when the good HDL gets too low or the bad LDL too high, it increases your risk for a heart attack. As far as the numbers, your LDL should be less than 130mg/dL, HDL less than 40mg/dL and your total less than 200mg/dL. Staying at a healthy weight, not smoking, exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet of lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grain, will help bring your numbers back in line. If it doesn’t, your doctor may put you on a statin-based medication.

Triglycerides

 This measurement shows the fats in your blood. A good number is around 150mg/dL. Just by lowering the amount of saturated fat you eat and losing weight, you can lower your number by 30% to 50%.

Blood Pressure

 Blood pressure is the force exerted on the blood vessels by your heart pumping blood throughout your body. Blood pressure is expressed as a maximum pressure (systolic) over a minimum pressure (diastolic) and displayed in millimeters of mercury. Ideally, it should be 120/80mm Hg. If your blood pressure is too high, try lowering it by losing weight if you are overweight, and by exercising and eating a healthy diet low in sodium. If it is still not within tolerance, your doctor may have to put you on a blood pressure medication to get it down.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

 If your BMI is over 24.9, you are overweight for your height and have an increased risk of getting heart disease or diabetes. You can lower your number by eating a healthy diet, losing weight and exercising. Did you notice that most of the measurements are affected by eating a healthy diet, exercising and losing weight? Doing those three things, along with stopping smoking and limiting your intake of alcohol to one drink a day, will go a long way to getting your numbers back in check without having to go on any type of medication.

 

3 Exercises to Ramp Up Your Metabolism

While exercise alone rarely leads to significant weight loss, there are some exercises that can help boost your metabolism and make your weight loss diet more effective. By adding even one metabolism-boosting exercise into your daily routine, you can burn more calories even after the exercise so you can lose weight faster.

Here are the 3 exercises to ramp up your metabolism:

  1. Strength Training

Any type of strength training will help to permanently boost your metabolism. This is because muscles burn more calories while at rest than fat or anything else in your body, so by building up your muscles so that you have more of them, your body will begin burning more calories throughout the day without you having to do any extra work.

Try to do just 20 minutes of strength training every day, focusing on a different muscle group every day. You can use dumbbells, kettlebells, or other workout equipment if you want, but there are also a number of strength training exercises that use your body weight. That means that you can get in strength training anywhere and without needing to set up a home gym.

  1. Interval Training

You can do interval training with nearly any type of aerobics or cardio exercise. Interval training helps you burn more calories than cardio exercise alone because most cardio exercises require doing them for a long period of time before you’re able to burn a decent number of calories. However, through interval training, you can burn more calories in less time and get a metabolism boost afterwards.

Interval training essentially involves pushing yourself as hard as you can for short bursts of time, then taking a period of rest in between where you’re still moving, but not pushing yourself. For example, if you are running for exercise, you might sprint as hard and fast as you can for 10 seconds, walk for 1 minute, and repeat that five times.

  1. Burpees

This is an exercise that combines strength training and cardio, and is one of the best exercises to boost metabolism. It not only gets your heart rate going because it is a high intensity exercise, but it also works out all of your major muscle groups. That means you’ll get a temporary boost in metabolism from the cardio and a permanent boost from working your muscles.

To do a burpee, start from a standing position. Then, do a squat and end with your hands on the ground in front of you. Jump backwards with your feet into a push-up position and do a push-up. Jump your feet forward again and then leap upwards, reaching your hands as high into the air as you can. You can do these in sets or simply try to do as many as possible in a short amount of time.

Keep in mind that whatever exercises you do, they need to be in addition to having a healthy diet so they will boost your metabolism and help you lose weight. Most of the time, it takes hours of intense exercise to make up for poor eating habits, so start with good eating habits and then add these exercises to boost your metabolism.

Anabolic Running

Whenever people think of exercising to lose weight, one of the first things they think about is running. That’s why you’ll see that most of the people at the gym are usually on the treadmills.

Here’s what most people do not know – running is NOT the most efficient way to lose weight if you go about it the wrong way. This is what usually happens: you run for 45 minutes or an hour until you’re a sweaty heap of exhaustion.

After your workout is over and you’ve showered, you suddenly feel extremely hungry because of all the exercise you just did. So, you double your food servings and end up consuming more calories than you expended.

This is a MAJOR mistake that most people make. Joe LoGalbo understands this problem all too well. That’s why he wrote the book “Anabolic Running” and his guide has taken the fitness world by storm.

You’ll discover how you can burn more fat by running less. You’ll also be burning fat for fuel instead of carbs. Once you get to this stage, your fat has no choice but to melt off your body.

Joe’s training methods are based on anabolic science. Forget the traditional cardio or the high intensity interval training that most people do wrongly anyway. Anabolic Running only requires you to spend about 15 to 20 minutes a week to put your body in fat burning mode.

We were so impressed by the bold claims that we decided to take a closer look at this product. This is what we found…

The Good Points:

1) Joe’s methods will boost your testosterone levels and make you reach your lactic threshold much sooner. This is important for accelerated fat burning. Exercising without achieving this state will mean that you’re not optimizing your workouts. Anabolic Running will give you the best results for your efforts.

2) These techniques only require a few minutes of training per week to yield results. You’ll not end up spending more time on the track than Usain Bolt.

3) The methods shown in Anabolic Running are proven to work. This product has sold thousands of copies and is an online bestseller. Reviews from satisfied customers is social proof that it delivers results. One reason for this is because the methods are based on solid science and not untested theory.

4) There are 3 useful bonuses that accompany the main product. Many men will find these bonuses very useful because the methods shown will raise their libido and improve their health.

* Bonus #1: Shock and Awe Strength

* Bonus #2: Testosterone Hacker Handbook

* Bonus #3: 17 Foods to Boost Libido

5) Joe’s methods will boost your metabolism and make you burn calories at an accelerate rate round the clock. That’s what makes this guide so powerful. Your fat burning does not stop.

With most training methods, the fat burning effects taper off and end within a couple of hours. With Anabolic Running, your fat has no choice but to melt off because the body’s metabolic rate is high.

6) The techniques will help to increase your HGH levels naturally. This is fantastic. Many people make the mistake of using drugs and other methods such as injection to increase the growth hormone in their bodies. This is dangerous. With Anabolic Running, you’ll be able to enjoy the benefits of HGH naturally without risking your health.

7) This product has a 60-day money back guarantee. So, you can always get your money back if you’re not satisfied.

8) Considering the amount of value and information it provides, the pricing is ridiculously low. This is definitely value for money.

The Bad Points:

1) If you have knee problems and you can’t run, this guide is not for you. Anabolic Running was created for men between the ages of 30 to 60. So, your age and gender may restrict you too.

2) The techniques will only work if you work. It goes without saying that implementation is crucial, and you’ll only see results if you’re consistent.

3) Anabolic Running is only available online. You’ll need a computer with a working internet connection to purchase and download it.

Should You Get It?

Definitely yes. This is one of the most unique fitness guides we’ve come across. The techniques mentioned in Anabolic Running truly work. It doesn’t require much time and it’s very affordable.

If you’re looking to accelerate your fat loss, this product will work wonders for you. Get it and implement the techniques in your runs. Within 2 to 3 weeks, you’ll notice the difference. It’s that good.

 

 

 

 

Are you having a hard time losing weight? And your life just hit rock bottom because of it! Read on for Lean Body Hacks Review and it might change your life around just like the lives of thousands of men and women who tried the program.

What is Lean Body Hacks?

Lean Body Hacks is an online 21-Day Program that uses the scientifically proven secret herbal combinations that can repair your gut health and boost your metabolism to build a lean and trim body. You will get to know about the Secret Golden Ratio of spices that will help you melt away your stubborn fat and eliminate health risks.

Say goodbye to dangerous surgery, unhealthy diet pills, unnecessary starvation and exhausting gym workouts. With Lean Body Hacks you can lose pounds quickly using the powerful tool, The Golden Ratio, that can increase metabolism, melt away body fat and reduce risk of developing heart related diseases and can make you feel happier and more energized.

Who is the Creator of Lean Body Hacks?

This program is co-authored by Mike Zhang, a world champion light-welterweight boxer who has a Master’s in Applied Science from the University of Toronto where he took up cell regeneration and Randy Smith, a retired United States Marine Sniper.

Randy Smith came across Mike Zhang when he saw his mother fighting for her life because of obesity and excessive body fats. He has seen what his mother had experienced and the extreme conditions she has to endure because of being unhealthy. So, Mike Zhang shared his knowledge about the Golden Ratio, that he developed in his own laboratory, a combination of herbs and spices including Turmeric, Fenugreek, Ginseng and Capsaicin.

How to Use Lean Body Hacks?

Once you purchase the product, you have to sign up and you can already start using the program. You can start learning the Golden Ratio and download the program to your device so that you can just use it wherever you go.

The program consists of the Lean Body Hacks Manual, Lean Body Hacks Detox Guide, Lean Body Hacks 21 Day Guide and 21-Day Accountability Check in.

You will also know about the various vegetables to consume if you want to stay fuller for a longer time and what vegetables to avoid. Also, the 10-second tricks to accelerate your metabolism and fat building hormones as well as breathing exercises to help your cell accept more oxygen.

Advantages:

1. The program shares with you an extensive and comprehensive data about health and weight loss.

2. It can boost your metabolism.

3. It can turn food into energy and not fat.

4. It is a digital product which you can carry with you everywhere as it is downloadable.

5. End health issues like heart related diseases.

6. It has transformed the lives of more than 21,000 people both men and women.

7. The Secret Golden Ratio can be cook with everyday meals or enjoy a delicious cup of herbal tea

8. The spices and herbs can all be found in your local grocery store.

9. Lean Body Hacks comes with bonuses like 60 Second Flat Belly Hacks and Over 40 Libido Hacks.

10. The product comes with a 60 Days 100% Money Back Guarantee.

Disadvantages:

1. Can only be purchased online.

2. Results may vary. The best thing you can do is strictly follow the guide.

3. Suggests losing weight without exercise. Exercise is still relevant to live a healthy life.

Recommendation:

Many people struggled with their weight not being able to find the right program or finding it too difficult to follow through. With Lean Body Hacks, you are given a simple guide to get rid of your extra weight just by consuming a secret blend of herbs and spices without even working out or stopping yourself from eating what you want.

If you want something that works, this program is worth to try because it has already changed the lives of thousands of people. Maybe it can transform your life too, there is no risk involved since it is backed with a 60 Days Money Back Guarantee. It won’t just help you with shedding excess pounds off your body, it can also keep diseases away and can surely bring back the confidence and the energy you once have.

How Many Calories Do You Burn Lifting Weights?

How Many Calories Do You Burn Lifting Weights? How Many Calories Do You Burn Lifting Weights? Dumbbells are about to become your new best friends. By Lauren Del Turco Image zoom Corey Jenkins/Getty Images
When you want to torch calories and burn fat, do you make a beeline for the cardio machines ? Surprise: You might want to head over to the barbell instead. Here’s the deal on how many calories you burn lifting weights—and afterward. The Benefits of Lifting Weights
Before we even talk about calories, you should know that strength training offers a number of short- and long-term benefits for your overall health, body, and mind.
A few noteworthy perks: stronger and denser bones, increased muscle mass and strength, boosted metabolism, decreased body fat, increased joint stability, improved endurance and cardiovascular health, better functional strength (think: carrying groceries), and more confidence. Yeah, that’s a lot . (Read more: The Major Benefits of Lifting Weights )
But when many people take up weightlifting, they have a few specific goals in mind: to burn calories, build muscle, and boost their metabolism. (Ahem… 15 Transformations That’ll Inspire You to Start Lifting Weights ) Does Lifting Weights Burn Fat?
You probably already know it builds muscle. But there’s more good news: If your goal is to shed body fat and your current cardio-heavy workout just isn’t cutting it, strength training can be a total game-changer.
“Weightlifting stimulates muscle growth and increases muscle size,” explains Kasey Kotarak, CPT, PES, FNS, coach at Highland Fit Body Boot Camp . “As you build more muscle, your metabolism (or energy expenditure) increases because muscle burns more calories at rest than fat.” The result: You burn more calories on a daily basis—making it easier to lose body fat.
Plus, because weightlifting is higher in intensity and demands so much energy, your body requires extra oxygen to recover in the hours after your workout, says Kotarak. And guess what using all of this extra oxygen does? Burns calories. In fact, this after-burn effect can last 24-plus hours.
When combined with a healthy diet, the metabolic boost from weightlifting can help you get (and stay!) lean. In fact, research has long shown that weight training can help both men and women improve their body composition (a.k.a. how much muscle versus fat they have). So, How Many Calories Do You Burn Lifting Weights?
How many calories you burn lifting weights depends on how hard your body is working, which scientists measure in METs, or metabolic equivalents. At rest (like when you’re watching Netflix), your body is working at 1 MET, the equivalent of burning 1 calorie per kilogram of body weight per hour. (For a 150-pound person, that’s about 68 calories burned lifting weights per hour.)
When lifting weights, your body works at anywhere from 3 METs (if you’re putting in light effort) to 6 METs (if you’re really working your butt off). For a 150-pound person, that’s anywhere between 200 and 400 calories per hour. (Good news: You can gauge your number of calories burned by plugging in your weight, estimated effort level in METs, and exercise time into this online calculator .)
Of course, though, “everyone is different,” says Aleksandra Sulik, CPT, trainer at Life Time SKY in New York City.
A number of factors—including how much you weigh and how much muscle you have—all influence how many calories you burn lifting weights. In fact, one person may burn more than 100 calories more or less than someone else during a 30-minute weights sesh.
“One way to gauge your calorie burn during a strength-training workout is to wear a fitness tracker that monitors your heart rate,” says Kotarak. Most trackers use your heart rate, height, weight, and age to estimate your burn. (See: How to Use Heart Rate Zones to Train for Max Exercise Benefits ) Workout Factors That Affect How Many Calories You Burn Lifting Weights
Your weight and body composition aside, a number of variables in your actual workout can affect how many calories you burn lifting weights.
1. Rest Intervals
No surprise here, but how long you spend sitting on a bench scrolling through Instagram between sets impacts your total calories burned lifting weights. “The body burns more calories with short rest periods or no rest at all,” explains Kotarak. (Here’s how long you should rest between sets .)
Why? The minimal downtime means your body needs to work harder for you to continue working out. It also needs to work harder to recover and replenish after your workout, burning calories all the while. In fact, according to Sulik, not tracking rest intervals—or simply resting for too long between sets—is one of the biggest mistakes gym-goers make when looking to increase their calorie burn.
2. How Heavy You Lift
Like how much you rest (or don’t rest), how heavy you lift also determines the overall intensity of your workout, which affects how many calories you burn lifting weights. After all, the harder you work, the more energy your body churns through.
“Moderate weights are most often used to ramp up calorie burn,” says Kotarak. “But lifting heavy weights for few reps requires a lot of power and energy, and also yields a high calorie burn.” Focus on sets of about 10 reps or less, using the heaviest weight you can while maintaining proper form. (Read more here: The Beginner’s Guide to Lifting Heavy Weights )
3. Which Muscles You Use
Think doing biceps curls burns as many calories as doing squats? Not so much. “The more muscle recruited and more muscle groups used in a lifting session, the more calories you burn lifting weights,” says Kotarak.
Exercises that use your larger muscles (think: your back and legs) and compound exercises that engage multiple muscle groups (like deadlifts or squat-to-presses) require more energy to perform and thus burn more calories. (P.S. You should also do compound exercises before doing more targeted exercises .)
4. The Type of Workout You’re Doing
Though many boot camp or HIIT-style workout classes incorporate weights, your body reacts to them differently than a straight-up weightlifting workout.
“A boot camp workout that incorporates cardio keeps your heart rate elevated, which increases your overall calorie burn,” explains Kotarak. Working at this faster pace and higher-intensity—even if you’re using lighter weights than you would in a cardio-free session—ensures your body continues burning calories post-workout in order to recover. (That’s just one of the many benefits of HIIT workouts .)
Just note that since these types of classes typically use lighter weights, they don’t help you build strength or muscle mass as quickly, says Sulik. So while these workouts definitely help you burn all the calories in the short-term, they don’t do as much to increase your body’s daily calorie-burning baseline (via increased muscle mass) as much as true strength-training workouts. How to Burn More Calories Lifting Weights
With all of these factors in mind, you can easily tweak your next weightlifting sesh to burn more calories, if that’s your workout goal.
A few of Kotarak’s suggestions: Use weight heavy enough that you can only perform 10 or fewer quality reps of an exercise at a time Focus your workouts on compound or total-body exercises, like deadlifts or pull-ups Incorporate supersets , in which you perform two different moves back-to-back before resting Swap machine moves for standing exercises (balanced moves require you to activate your core and lots of other muscles throughout your body!) 

Man’s astonishing 19st weight loss in one year.

THIS weekend, Darren “Dibsy” McClintock will be taking his place on the starting line of the Great North Run.
Alongside 57,000 others, he will be competing in the world’s biggest half-marathon — but just 12 months ago he was so fat he had to be banned from local takeaways and couldn’t even walk up the stairs to bed.  Dibsy was told he was risking his life at his heaviest weight of 40st 3lbs.  Now Dibsy has lost nearly half his body weight, weighing in at 21st 3lbs Credit: North News and Pictures


Tipping the scales at 40st 3lb, he faced the stark choice of changing his ways or risking death while he spent his nights sleeping on the sofa.
His life was turned around when gym boss Mike Hind spotted him at his healthy diner and offered to take him under his wing with a free fitness regime.
Dibsy, 28, was consuming 11,000 calories a day — an average man needs around 2,500 — feasting on sausage sandwiches, pizzas and takeaway kebabs.
Mike printed leaflets saying, “Save Dibsy, obesity is killing him. Do not serve this man”, and together the pair handed them out to all his local takeaways and asked the owners not to let him in.
At the time, single Dibsy was miserable. He couldn’t get a job and had to wear specially made clothes.


Now, ten months on, he has lost nearly half his body weight, passed his driving test and got a girlfriend. 
He has given up fizzy drinks and booze and swapped takeaways for a calorie-controlled diet and exercise.
He is down to 3,500 calories a day and is burning 2,000 of those with his fitness regime. 
His gruelling training schedule comprises three gym sessions a day.
And it has paid off. At 21st 3lb, he is close to his target weight of 20st.
Exhausted Dibsy, recovering in Mike’s gym after a training session, said: “If someone told me last year I would be entering the Great North Run I would have thought they were crackers.
“I was at death’s door because of my lifestyle. I was a million miles away from doing a half-marathon.
“But I have got to the starting line thanks to hard work, determination and the support of an incredible group of people.
“Obesity is a major problem in the UK but I am living proof that it can be beaten. If I can do it, then anyone can.”
The UK is the third fattest nation in Europe, according to the World Health Organisation, with more than a quarter of the population officially obese .
And the North East, where Dibsy lives, is one of the fattest regions in the country. 12 Gym boss Mike Hind printed leaflets telling takeaways not to serve Dibsy Credit: Mark Hind
He has struggled with his weight all his life, and the death of his father from cancer when he was 18 only worsened his comfort-eating.
His huge bulk had a devastating effect on his life.
He couldn’t get a job, visits to the cinema were out because the seats were too small for him and he had to book two seats whenever he travelled by train or plane.
He couldn’t even wear a watch because no strap was big enough for his wrist.
Dibsy knew he had to act after a heart scare landed him in hospital last year. A doctor told him he would die unless he changed his lifestyle.
It was just after that when he visited Mike’s diner with his mum.
Married dad-of-three Mike began putting him through his paces at his Mas Body Gym in their home town of Middlesbrough and provided all his meals from his healthy eating diner. ‘BEST I’VE EVER BEEN’
Dibsy said: “I am much more confident now. Physically I am in a better state than I have been for years.
“Mentally I am the best I’ve ever been in my life.
“There are so many things I can do for the first time that other people take for granted.
“I have never been able to drive because I couldn’t fit behind a steering wheel.
“But I have now passed my test, which has given me an incredible amount of freedom.
“I love heading to the beach for a walk with my labrador Rosie. And I can take my mum for trips out now. For the first time ever I have been able to buy clothes off the peg.
“I went to a sports shop to buy some tracksuits and I was like a kid in a toy shop.”
Among all the developments in his life, the one that has put the biggest smile on his face is a new romance.
He is coy about naming this love interest, as they have only been dating for a couple of weeks, but he said: “It’s lovely just to have someone to share this journey that I’m on.


“She messaged me when I started losing weight and has kept in touch and it has grown from there.
“We talk every day and she really supports me. It’s great on an evening when I have finished my gym for the day just to have someone to spend time with and share a bit of banter with.”
Dibsy has been disciplined with his fitness and diet routine but he did nearly fall off the wagon once.
He said: “On a Saturday night a few months ago I was at home and bored.
“I was looking through Facebook and everyone seemed to be having a takeaway and a few beers.
“I put a message up saying I was struggling and was thinking of having a takeaway myself.
“Someone alerted Mike, who was at a family party, and within 15 minutes he had phoned me and said he was coming round. ‘LIVING PROOF THAT IT CAN BE DONE’
“We went out for a walk and he talked to me about what we were trying to achieve.
“Then he took me to the hospital, where you can get weighed, and he showed me how much weight I had lost.
“He said, ‘That’s why we are doing this’. I was so pleased the next day that I hadn’t given in to temptation.
“I can’t put in to words how grateful I am to Mike for everything he’s done.”
Ahead of the Great North Run Dibsy has completed the challenge of climbing the 4,411ft Ben Nevis , in Scotland.
Mike, 36, said: “One of the big issues in his past is his dad dying. So to inspire him I thought about what is the closest he can get to his dad.
“Well, you can’t get closer to heaven in the UK than the highest mountain, so we climbed that.

“It took us three and a half hours to get up there.
“Dibsy scattered some of his dad’s ashes and it was a lovely moment.
“On the way home someone said, ‘What’s next?’. Dibsy’s journey began in the North East so I thought it would be a good idea to finish here, and there is no bigger local event than the Great North Run.”
Dibsy and Mike managed to get last-minute entries thanks to local charity Boro Walkers. Dibsy said: “I don’t know how much I will be able to run and how much I will have to walk, but I will do it.
“Being cheered on by that wonderful crowd will be a fantastic experience.”
Many along the route will recognise Dibsy, whose profile has soared since he began dieting.
He has appeared on TV’s This Morning and won the backing of hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby . ‘AN INSPIRATION’
The celeb pair pledged to contribute to the £15,000 he needs for an operation to remove 4st of excess skin once he hits 20st.
He is not eligible for the surgery on the NHS as he embarked on his weight loss programme privately.
After the op, Dibsy will be getting a job for the first time in his life. Mike said: “He will work in my diner serving other people who need to lose weight.
“He will be a living, breathing example of what can be achieved with a good fitness routine and sensible diet. He will be an inspiration.”
Dibsy has already become a mentor for others. He said: “I get messages every day from people all over the world. It is often a case of, ‘I can’t do it, I have tried and tried and I just can’t lose weight’.
“I answer every one of them and tell them I am living proof that it can be done.
“The most important thing is to not leave it too late. I used up nearly every one of my nine lives and put my family through hell.
“My mum used to lie awake at night to check I was breathing.
“I tell people, ‘don’t do that to your family. Go to the doctor or to the gym, there are people out here who can help you’.
“The most important thing is to start as soon as possible.” To contribute to Dibsy’s fund for his skin operation, go to crowdfunder.co.uk/dibsys-skin-surgery 12 Dibsy has struggled with his weight all his life 12 Gym owner Mike Hind took Dibsy under his wing 12 Dibsy burns 2,000 calories a day thanks to his training schedule.

A new leaf: the complete guide to getting your life back on track this autumn

From heat to holidays, the summer can bring all sorts of disruption to your regular schedule. Here experts explain how to improve everything from food to finances. N otebooks that smell of fresh paper, purchased in the stationery shop. Uniform laid out neatly on a chair; a rucksack packed, checked and rechecked. No matter how old you get, the memory of the start of the school year never leaves you. The butterfly nerves of a new teacher and classroom; an exhilarating jump that quickly becomes routine.
But what if we adults used September as the opportunity for a reset? Because, after the excesses of the summer – sugary cocktails knocked back by a pool and gut-busting barbecue plates loaded up night after night – September can be a time for a much-needed refresh. We asked experts for their advice on how to get your year back on track, whatever your age.


Exercise
Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘Be sensible. Start with two exercise sessions a week.’ Composite: Getty
New year fitness resolutions are as predictable as the tides: they come and go, but rarely stick. Instead of waiting until January to purchase a gym membership that will go unused come March, set good behaviour patterns now, while the weather is better and daylight are hours longer.
“Book the time out in your diary, and treat it like a work meeting that can’t be missed,” says Sarah Overall, a personal trainer . Although it is tempting to go full throttle, a measured approach is better. “Don’t try to binge on exercise and do five sessions in your first week,” Overall says. “Be sensible. Put in two sessions for your first week back, with a few days break in between.” Aim to build up to four workouts a week.
A good way to stay on track is to create accountability for yourself. “Rope in family or friends or go to a new class: 90% of forming a habit is about making the effort to actually get there,” Overall says. Find a workout that you enjoy: if you hate going to the gym, take up hiking instead. Give yourself goals. “Think about what you want to achieve, whether it is feeling energised or losing fat,” she recommends.
Food Even if you haven’t spent the summer months gorging yourself, September is a good time to refocus your eating habits, away from the diet culture messaging that is so pervasive in the new year. “Get stuck into normality – whatever that is for you,” advises Priya Tew, a dietitian . “Find a good routine for yourself – so three meals a day that are a balanced mixture of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, proteins and healthy fats.”
If you feel you have overindulged on holiday, don’t go on a fad diet. “They don’t work,” says Tew. “They just lead to people falling off the wagon and feeling rubbish about themselves. Rather than falling into that trap of yo-yo dieting, make smaller, sustainable changes.” This might mean increasing your fruit and vegetables by one portion a day, or reaching for healthy snacks such as carrots and hummus instead of the biscuit tin.
It is a good idea to set aside some time each week to meal plan, and bulk cooking can help a new routine to stick. “That way, you’re not standing in the kitchen figuring out what to eat,” says Tew. If you are trying to save money from your weekly shop, frozen and tinned food are your friends. “They can be a lot cheaper and provide you with really good nutrition for your body,” she says. Add in a tin of lentils where you would usually use meat for a healthy and cost-saving measure.

Sleep
Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘All light can disrupt sleep.’ Composite: Getty/GNM design/Getty
Whereas the summer often means staying up late or tossing and turning in the sweltering heat, autumn is the ideal time to get sleep back on track. If you are concerned you’re not hitting that magic eight-hour target, remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. “Sleep needs are individual,” says Dr Ari Manuel, a sleep and ventilation consultant at Aintree University NHS trust. Most people will need seven to nine hours a night, but each person’s needs vary. If you wake up feeling exhausted or are often tired during the day, you may be sleep deprived.
This can be remedied through good sleep hygiene. “It is about understanding the rhythms of your own sleep and your circadian rhythms,” Manuel says. “When you have signals from your body that it is tired, you should respect them and not push through. Recognise that the night is for relaxation, restoration and sleep.”
Go to bed at the same time on weekends and weekdays. “Wind down from technology before sleep, don’t eat too much heavy food or exercise late at night, and have a cool, dark and quiet bedroom,” Manuel says. Your bedroom should be a place for rest and sex and nothing else. Make sure to disconnect from the outside world in the hour before bed. “It is about accepting that this is a time for you to relax and go to sleep – this is your time and no one else’s.” Which means no aimless social media scrolling in bed.
There is growing concern about the impact of blue light from screens before bedtime, but Manuel says this misses the point: all light, even from the streetlight outside your window, can disrupt sleep. It might help to invest in a blackout blind or an eye mask.


Money.                                                                                                                     Can you switch your utility bills to a cheaper provider.
If you’re feeling the pinch after the summer break, now is a good time to think about your financial health, says Jason Butler, a personal finance expert and author of Money Moments: Simple Steps to Financial Well-being .
Consider your spending. “One of the reasons people don’t get ahead financially is because they’ve never really addressed their relationship with money,” says Butler. Do you equate spending with feeling good about yourself? Or are you a “passive spender” who never bothers to check the prices of things?
Set aside half a day to take stock: could you switch your utility bills to a cheaper provider? Do you really need that pricey phone contract? It may seem tedious, but when you think about the potential savings, it is well worth it. “You might save yourself £500 a year – how many people earn that much in half a day?”
Say no to expensive social events that aren’t important to you. Turn off one-step purchasing online to curb impulse buys. “It’s not about becoming a monk and locking yourself away,” Butler says, “but you need to be clear about what you can afford.”
If you are in a position to save, make sure you are getting the best return on your investments. If you are on universal credit or working tax credit, a Help to Save account will match every £1 you save (up to £50 a month) with 50p over four years. If you are a first-time buyer who is trying to save money for a deposit, look at opening a Lifetime I sa . Or, if you don’t meet those criteria, but are able to save on a monthly basis, regular saving accounts offering up to 5% interest are a good bet.
And if you are not able to save any money, consider how you can increase your earnings. “If you don’t warrant a pay rise,” says Butler, “think about what you can do: do you need more training? Are there other steps you can take to become more valuable to your employer? Or do you need to retrain and get a new, better-paid job?”
Work It is common to not want to rush back to the office after a summer break. But if the thought of returning to work fills you with panic, it may be time for a professional shakeup. The first step is to look at how you can improve your role, because it is easier to stay in a job than to look for new opportunities.
“The ‘stop, start, continue’ method is really helpful,” says Zena Everett , an executive coach and career expert. “Think: what is it that I do that isn’t helping my career? What do I need to stop doing?” This might be as simple as eating lunch at your desk or not speaking up in meetings. Then identify what you need to start doing: develop new skills? Move departments? Get a promotion? Finally, think about how you can continue moving your career forward – which often means networking. “That doesn’t mean going to complicated networking events,” Everett says. “It just means keeping in touch with previous colleagues, grabbing cups of coffee with people and talking to people in different departments.”
If you are certain you want to move jobs, work out where you add value. “There is no point in going into the jobs market and telling people what you don’t want to do,” says Everett. “That is not compelling. Think about what you’ve delivered and what your skillset is.” A good way to know your strengths is to think about what doesn’t get done when you’re out of the office – what do your colleagues wait for you to come back to do?
If you are feeling very down about work, Everett suggests considering whether there may be other factors afoot. It is easy to attach all of life’s ills to a testy boss or punishing workload – but your job may not be the only thing making you miserable. “Is it a work thing, or something else? If you felt happy and motivated when you were on holiday, it’s probably work related. But if you were on holiday and still felt unhappy and unmotivated, it’s possibly a bigger issue – and changing jobs may not be the answer to everything.”

Relationships
Be honest about what you’re unhappy about.
“Periods of relaxation tend to bring up all sorts of thoughts about your relationships,” says Gurpreet Singh , a Relate counsellor. “People go on holiday and relax. When they come back, it’s a good idea to re-energise and think about what they want from their relationships.”
Relationships should be viewed as something you need to work at – a piano that needs tuning – rather than something you can expect to take care of itself. “We’re often guilty of taking our romantic relationships for granted,” Singh says. “It’s easy to fall into a pattern – once the honeymoon period is over – of forgetting to spend time together. It’s a good idea to pause and say: ‘Where are we?’”
Singh advises having such a conversation at a time when you’re both relaxed and not during an argument. If you are unhappy, explain what you would like to see change in the relationship, but don’t expect miracles overnight – they take time. “Be honest about what you’re unhappy about, and have the courage to engage in the idea of change,” says Singh. “A lot of people may be unhappy but they go on living the way they are, and think that things will get better on their own – but they don’t.” It needn’t take a dramatic change to get a relationship back on track – simple things such as improving how you communicate with each other or making time for a regular date night can be just as effective.
It is not just romantic relationships that may need a reset. If you’re feeling lonely, resist the urge to try to make new friends and “invest in building the relationships you already have”, Singh suggests. “Family relationships can be improved with the right help and investment of time and effort,” he says. “But both people have to want to improve the relationship – you can’t do it alone.”
Topics Health & wellbeing Fitness Food Sleep Work & careers Relationships features

Feel Good Knees

Do you experience trouble walking, low energy levels, moving in pain and regularly feeling older and immobile? You can be experiencing the harmful effects of knee pain on your body. Knee pain is something that is affecting millions of people around the world and may restrict movement, affect muscle control, reduce strength and affect mobility. And although it is pretty common, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) reported that joint pain and arthritis is now “One of the Top Chronic Conditions Leading to Death and Disability.”

You can free yourself from knee pains and experience true relief with Feel Good Knees that offers you FAST knee pain relief!

Feel Good Knees is an easy-to-follow method that lasts only for 5 minutes. This healing method is based on a 1000-year old “5-minute ritual” to the secret of minimizing knee pain by 58%. This thousand-year-old mystery reveals how the human body can heal itself quickly without resorting to harmful drugs. The method was founded on the idea that the body can heal itself, prompting it to eliminate the pain from the body and regain optimal health and rejuvenation.

You will get to know about the Joint Pain Triad which cause joint pain as revealed by a new research. The 3 harmful causes of chronic joint pain are: Cellular inflammation, Cartilage Deterioration and Postural Misalignment. These Pain Triad should be addressed and fixed because these are the root causes of the pain. Unfortunately, some doctors have been influenced by the big pharmaceutical companies, driven by profits and that means they make money because of your pain hindering them to do what is right and that is to treat the core issues rather than prescribing pain relief drugs.

How Does Feel Good Knees Work?

Feel Good Knees for fast pain relief is divided into three levels that are to be completed for 6 weeks.

Each level serves as the foundation for the next level so implementing the instructions is a must. The 3 levels are:

1. Level 1: Pain Eliminator Stage (2 weeks long)

Level 1 is composed of basic exercises that deals with alleviating pain and help build strength, muscle and ligaments around your knee.

2. Level 2: Knee Rejuvenator Stage (2 weeks long)

Level 2 increases your movements a little to keep the strength going.

3. Level 3: Knee Renewal Stage (3 weeks long)

The 3rd level only accelerates the movements even more.

It is important that you start with level 1 before proceeding to the next levels as this method is like a rehabilitation program to treat and strengthen your knees. This holistic remedy consists of a 5-minute set of movements that you should do each day.

About the Author:

Feel Good Knees is authored by Todd Kuslikis who is an injury prevention expert. He specializes in using Eastern and Western holistic practices to hasten the bodies’ natural healing ability. His patients and clients include nursing home residents, professional athletes and even the US military.

He made it his mission to study and learn how the human body recovered and gained optimal health and vitality. He studied Nursing at Western Michigan University. He studied about personal training and human physiology and got his master’s degree focusing on health.

Advantages:

1. Experiencing true relief using safe and natural methods without resorting to harmful drugs that often causes side effects.

2. Treats your knees and make it stronger so you can move with ease and not worry about falling down because of weak knees.

3. You don’t need any fancy equipment to do this program for your knee healing.

4. Saves you money from expensive drugs that will only harm your body in the long run.

5. Feel Good Knees has a lot of positive feedbacks from those who have tried and tested it.

6. The Feel Good Knees regime will improve your overall strength, improve your mobility and will promote natural healing.

7. It has helpful companions like Feel Good Knees Companion Guide, Feel Good Knees Pain Reduction Tracker and Feel Good Knees Video Library.

8. Aside from the main product, you will get feel good gifts namely 1-Minute Rejuvenation Finishers and Postural Alignment Guide.

9. Your investment is backed with an iron-clad guarantee of a 60-Day Money Back Guarantee, no hassles and no questions asked.

Disadvantages:

1. Some of the exercises may get dull especially that you are doing them for days, but you have to follow the instructions to get the desired results.

2. Results vary from person to person. Even with its simplicity, your full commitment is still needed for fast and true relief.

3. May not be applicable for those who have had previous knee surgery but you can consult your doctor first to be sure.

Recommendation:

Feel Good Knees is a holistic and comprehensive program promoting natural and safe ways to alleviate and eventually eliminate knee pain. Aside from its easy to follow instructions, all the movements are carefully explained to avoid further injury.

Help yourself battle the pain you are feeling with Feel Good Knees, it only takes 5 minutes to have a pain-free life. Your health and body are important in living a quality life, you should take care of it by doing effective ways to achieve optimal health.

 

10 Top Reasons You Must Exercise Besides The Great Body

We get it- you exercise to look great- period. However, many people that start out that way quickly discover that a well-developed body is only one of the tiny bonuses derived from exercise; there are in fact lots more important reasons to get in a good dose of exercise. 

Ready to learn what they are?

1. Works As A GREAT Stress And Anxiety Buster- stress can start a vicious cycle; one where you feel unable to dedicate time for exercise, which over time just adds greater burden to your stress plate. It’s more than psychological; research has proven that exercise can blunt the effect that cortisol has on our bodies, by boosting endorphins and natural hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone, known as anti-catabolic (anti-cortisol) hormones.

2. You’ll Be Less Likely To Become Sick- exercise boosts the pathogen fighting potential of the immune system, which in turn means that less foreign organisms have the opportunity to enter your body and wreak havoc. So next time it’s flu season, hit the gym to beef up your body’s defenses.

3. You Can Remain Pain Free- joint and bone pain associated with again are no laughing matter. In fact, adults who do not exercise (in particular resistance based weight training) are at higher risk of developing osteoporotic bones, arthritis and other inflammatory joint disorders. Regular exercise helps keep the production of synovial fluid high, as well as strengthens the density of the bones, especially important in post-menopausal women.

4. Keeps Your Ticker Tickin’- There’s nothing better than exercise to keep your heart strong and efficient. Over time, blood vessels become blocked with atherosclerotic plaques, impairing blow flow to the heart itself, or occluding blood flow to other parts of the body. The result of these blockages can be a heart attack or stroke. Regular exercise (especially cardiovascular) can keep blood flow to these organs efficient and keeps vessels clear to an extent.

5. Exercise Promotes Healthy Metabolic Function- metabolism to most people conjures up images of sweating and ‘burning calories”. However, metabolism is on a much more complex level than many people believe, and exercise is able to affect metabolism on those levels. For example, it can help prevent or decrease the chance of developing metabolic syndrome, a condition associated with obesity and reduced sugar metabolism. This paves the way for diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and many more negative health effects. Exercise can improve insulin’s sensitivity in the body, lack of which is a key factor in development of metabolic syndrome.

6. Promotes Restful Sleep- stress can leave you reeling from lack of sleep, another consequence of out hectic lifestyles. Exercise produces feel good endorphins, which relax you and improve mood, along with growth hormone, having a key role in modulating sleep and assisting recovery. Heck, it wouldn’t be surprising if you’re just dead tired after an exercise session and just want to sleep!

7. Exercise Can Improve Your Sex Life- if you’re a guy, this effect is more than enough to exercise. There are numerous mechanisms by which this improved sex can occur, but the two primary ones are likely because blood flow improves to the penis, and the increase in circulating testosterone. Then again, looking great naked never does any harm!

8. Reduces Risk Of Certain Cancers- though your diet plays a primary role in the development of cancer, a regular exercise session can definitely have benefits on diminishing the risk of cancers, especially colon and breast cancer.

9. Exercise Can Boost Fertility- if you’ve been trying to conceive, weight loss can do wonders. In addition, it seems exercise bulks up sperms, improving their longevity in the vaginal tract/ cervix. In women, the result was improved implantation rates and reduced risk of miscarriage.

10. Keeps Your Brain Healthy- the best body in the world is useless without a healthy brain. Age resulted decline is normal, but can be delayed via inclusion of regular exercise. Cognition, neuronal integrity, and working memory are all retained for longer periods of time.

Conclusion

Now that you see the massive benefits that can be derived from exercise, and that a sculpted body is just a small consolation, why wouldn’t you want to prioritize it?

Accepting   the Importance of Exercise  

Do you think of your body the way you think of your car?  When a few lucky individuals acquire a top of the range car that boasts of the best automotive engineering available today, watch them read the maintenance manuals religiously. They take their car for inspection even if it purrs like a kitten and take it for repairs as soon as something does not feel right.  And they’re very concerned. That car is their most prized possession, a symbol of all the long and hard hours they put on the job so they could finally acquire it.  It cost an arm and a leg, so taking care of it is logically, their utmost priority, but how important is the person that drives that car?  Shouldn’t that person – shouldn’t you – be the real priority?

The average life span of men and women is 80 years, give or take a few years.The painful truth is, a significant number of men and women look and feel 80 before they even make it to the first half of their life!  You spot the tell-tale signs from their physical appearance: Sagging dry skin  Unsightly posture Uneven and unsteady walk (they need to drag around those heavy pounds) Aching joints and Sporting the “I’m not happy because I look terrible” look Now, if their appearance is this bad, imagine what the inside machinery is like! Most likely, it’s even worse: Clogged arteries, Mounds of sugar and fat parked in or around vital organs Conditions such as diabetes, nervous tension, high blood  pressure and cardiovascular disease that are silently brewing. If fitness authorities had it their way, they’d create legislation to make exercise mandatory as soon as a baby leaves the cradle, not during the teenage years when obesity is likely to strike. But fitness shouldn’t be associated with any age limit.  You can start at 10 or at 30 – even at 50 and 60 – the idea being that fitness should not be seen as the cure for a condition that’s already come about.  As the saying goes, don’t wait for illness to strike.

How Fit are you?   Doctors have devised a questionnaire for assessing physical damage to a body as a result of no exercise. We will borrow some of their guidelines, which we will summarize here:  

Start with the question, “How do I look?”

Do any of these answers apply to you? 1. Am I overweight, looking like an apple or pear? 2. Do I have a spare tire around my waist? 3.  Has my skin become excessively dry, almost paper-thin?  

Last question, “How am I doing?” 1. Are simple walking and climbing stairs difficult? 2. Do I have problems concentrating? 3. Is running impossible for me now? 4. Am I unable to sit straight, preferring to slouch or stoop my shoulders? You’ve completed your basic assessment.  Note, however, that other exercise or fitness gurus will have their own parameters or indices for assessing your body’s overall state and one isn’t better than the other.  
As long as they include all dimensions of the self – physical, psychological and mental – they are as valid as the next person’s assessment charts.

Turning You into a Fitness Buff!   After going through the assessment phase, you’re probably experiencing what some people fondly call a “rude awakening”. If you’re not mentally prepared to accept exercise, please don’t force yourself. Just be familiar with its benefits and when you’re wholeheartedly disposed towards giving it a genuine go, proceed slowly. “Slowly but surely” is the exercise cult’s favorite slogan.

Next, ask: “How do I feel?”     1. Do my joints hurt before or after any physical exertion? 2. Am I constantly worried and anxious? 3. Do I feel tired and sluggish most of the time? 4. Do I suffer from mood swings?  

Slowly but Surely…   In fact “slowly but surely” was probably what motivated a fitness guru to come up with her popular one-minute exercises (more on this in a later section). She had two types of people in mind when she designed the movements: 1.Uninitiated 2. People on the go.  It’s a quickie society we live in; we want everything quick – especially exercise!   – and many converts would be willing to include it in their routine for the sake of good health, if there were a quick way to get in, and certainly a quicker way to get out!

Ideal Exercises to Get a Ripped Abs

The number one mistake thousands of people make when trying to get ripped abs is assuming that doing countless reps of crunches or other ab exercises is going to get them ripped. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most of the ab exercises such as sit-ups, crunches and even leg raises tend to be isolation exercises. That means these exercises will tone and work the abs and only the abs. But that is a good thing right?

I’m afraid not. I’m assuming your body fat percentage is above 10 percent. If it was 10 percent or lower, you wouldn’t need to read this article. You would already have ripped abs.In order to see your abs, you need a low body fat percentage. The best exercises to burn off the fat are compound exercises and NOT isolation exercises. Knowing the difference is key.

A bicep curl is an isolation exercise because it only works the bicep. A barbell deadlift is a compound exercise; you will work your legs, thighs, hamstrings, lower back and even your forearms. Your core muscles are not spared either. So, when 1 single exercise recruits so many muscle groups, you can bet that is a lot of work done.Your body will burn more calories and that means more fat is burned. You may research online the different compound exercises that you can do. I’ll list a few that you can start on immediately.

•Deadlifts
•Renegade Rows
•Snatches
•Pull-ups
•Squats
•Bench Presses
•Any kind of kettlebell training
•Mountain climbers
•Dips

These are some of the top exercises I’d strongly recommend. When doing them, you need to aim for a weight that will allow you to do about 10 to 12 reps. Combine the different exercises and do 3 sets in total. Keep you rest time between exercises and sets minimal. I’d suggest a 15 to 20 seconds rest between exercises and a 2 minute rest between sets. Your goal is to complete the workout as fast as possible while maintaining good form for each exercise.

This will ensure intensity in your workout which is so crucial in burning fats. Keep your workout to about 45 minutes maximum. Record down your workout and the duration in a journal. Try and improve your timing each time you work out. Once you can’t improve it further, add more weight and start all over again.
You will want to change up your routine every moth or six weeks. This will keep your body guessing and you will not hit a plateau. Mix up your resistance training with cardio.

You want to get the maximum benefit from your workouts. This will speed up the duration it takes to get ripped. You will be more motivated when you start seeing results. So, follow the tips above closely and you will have won half the battle On days where you are not working with weights, go for a run or swim. Cycling, skipping and rowing are other excellent forms of cardio. The 2 most effective ones are running and skipping. They will give your body a heart pounding workout that will elevate your metabolic rate and cause an oxygen deficit. This translates to optimum fat burning. Even 30 minutes of hard cardio can make your body burn fat for hours.

Why Chronic High Blood Pressure Is So Dangerous

Do you know why every visit to your doctor’s office starts with a blood pressure check? It’s because your blood pressure reveals a great deal about your current health and your risk of developing one of many serious medical problems in the future.
Chronically high blood pressure ( hypertension ) is directly linked to cardiovascular disease. The good news is that lowering blood pressure reduces this risk.
“The reason we treat high blood pressure is to prevent stroke, heart attack, kidney damage and heart failure,” says preventive cardiologist Luke Laffin, MD . “Bringing blood pressure down below 120/80 mmHg decreases the risk of all these serious, potentially deadly problems. That being said, stroke prevention is the most sensitive to blood pressure reduction.” Understanding how blood pressure works
Blood pressure is the force that blood exerts on the artery walls. It is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) by a gauge attached to a blood pressure cuff.
An optimal blood pressure reading is below 120/80 mmHg. That means that each time the heart contracts, blood is ejected with a force of 120 mmHg. (Think of the force of water shooting through a hose when you turn on the spigot.) When the heart relaxes in order to refill, this force drops to 80 mmHg.
If your blood pressure is chronically higher than 120/80 mmHg, it means the resistance is greater, and your heart has to work harder to push blood through your body. At this point, your doctor may recommend you try certain lifestyle changes to bring it down. These can include losing weight, exercising and cutting down on salt consumption .
If your blood pressure reaches 130/80 mmHg, you are said to have hypertension. Your risk of a cardiovascular event begins to increase exponentially. It may be necessary for you to take one or more medications to bring your pressure down.
Even if you have no symptoms, you should take these medications faithfully.
Not only will they help prevent stroke and heart disease, but recent research has shown that lowering blood pressure decreases the incidence of mild cognitive impairment associated with aging. Advertising Policy Are high blood pressure and hypertension the same thing?
The terms “high blood pressure” and “hypertension” are used interchangeably, but they are not necessarily the same thing.
“Hypertension is a diagnosis given when someone has multiple blood pressure readings above 130/80 mmHg. It indicates something has caused your blood pressure to rise above normal — stress or exercise, for example.
You can have one episode or an occasional episode of high blood pressure. It doesn’t mean you have hypertension,” says Dr. Laffin. What causes hypertension?
The most common form of hypertension is called primary hypertension. It is a disease in itself largely caused by advancing age and genetics. By age 80, some 90% of adults have primary hypertension due to arteries narrowed by atherosclerosis . Despite its prevalence, primary hypertension is neither desirable nor inevitable.
“We used to think high blood pressure was essential as we age,” says Dr. Laffin. “Now we know this is not true. High blood pressure in our later years needs to be addressed.”
Hypertension also can be caused by another disease, called secondary hypertension , such as narrowing of the aorta or the arteries leading to the kidneys, or by excess hormone production. How hypertension harms
At rest, a normal heart beats 60 to 100 times a minute, depending on your age and level of fitness. This means your heart beats at least 86,400 times a day or 31,536,000 times a year. That’s a lot of work for a muscle the size of your fist. And just like any other muscle that is exercised, the heart will grow bigger when it is forced to strain.
A bigger heart is not better. When the main pumping chamber (left ventricle) reaches a certain size, it can no longer contract with enough force to expel blood efficiently. This is called heart failure with reduced ejection fraction . Advertising Policy
High blood pressure can also cause the heart muscle to become stiff, preventing it from refilling properly between beats. This causes heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
Increased stress on the arteries also causes them to age faster, making them more likely to rupture and cause a hemorrhagic stroke or to develop atherosclerotic plaques, which increase the risk of ischemic stroke as well as heart attack.
Most hypertension-related brain hemorrhages are spontaneous and occur in the small arteries deep in the brain. Hypertension appears to increase the risk of silent stokes in these arteries by as much as 60%. How to lower your risk of hypertension
Unless your blood pressure is sky-high, guidelines suggest first trying non-medical ways to lower it. These include: Drinking less alcohol. Eating less salt, perhaps by adopting the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet . Increasing exercise. Losing weight .
If these measures do not lower blood pressure far enough, or if you’ve had a heart attack or stroke or are at high risk for one, anti-hypertension medications will be needed. There are many types, so your doctor may try several different kinds and doses until the right combination for you is found.
“Hypertension doesn’t often cause symptoms, which is why it is known as the ‘silent killer.’ This gives some people a false sense of security. They don’t understand why they need to make an effort to lower their blood pressure,” says Dr. Laffin. “Fortunately, patients who adopt these measures usually find their blood pressure drops, and with it, their risk of heart attack and stroke.”

Advice For Losing Weight, Diet And Exercise

Weight Loss Tips for Eating: Go for carbs. Notions about carbohydrates are widespread in the web. Your body needs carbohydrates to maintain the energy supply of the body keep that at 50%. Proteins must go in the second. Proteins are responsible in the rebuilding and maintaining basic processes of the body. You must maintain a 25 30% intake of proteins to support repair of cells and other parts of the body. Fewer fats. You need some fats for energy but don’t raise it more than 10-15%. Keep that percentage and maintain body weight. Have a vegan week. Vegetables can do wonder for your body. They contain lesser calories but lots of nutrients. It is a big thing that you keep up with the needs of the body by having a simple day for animal-based foods. But for the rest, go for vegetables as long as you can. Meat comes in white. Prefer to eat white meat from fish, tuna, and fowl. Avoid the red meat, like pork and beef, as they contain more than what your body needs. Go for fibrous grains. Instead of going for rice, you can find substitutes, like wheat. They contain higher protein and a great amount of fiber for body processes and digestion (respectively). Cut the pork. Pork is one of the culprits of fatness. If you can stay away from it, it will be very great. However, if you cannot stay away from pork, it is very important to cut the intake. If you will substitute another food for pork, it will be very great. Cut the sugar. Stop your intake for sugar-coated products. If you can get a sugar-free substitute, it would be very great to avoid fatness. Graze them piece by piece. Eating in a big amount at once will cause storage of unused foods. However, if you take in little meals, the body will be able to cope with with the digestion and all food energies will be used up. Cheat a little. Being in a diet is really hard. There are lot of food temptations that you need to avoid. However, if you cant stand seeing somebody eating sumptuously, you can cheat. Take a bite, but nothing more. Fat calculator. Before you eat, you try to find out the fat present. To calculate, each gram of fat is equal to 9 calories. You need to stick to the above plan, do not exceed fat intake. Salt no more. Salt is another silent culprit of fatness and overweight. You need to cut short of your salt intake to ensure weight loss. Turn from table butter to cholesterol-free butter. Table butter contains fats, oil, and a great deal of cholesterol. All these three will make your life a misery by adding pounds per pounds to your body. Substitute table butter with cholesterol-free butter, but still enjoy your meal. Bake them. Can the food be baked? If yes, then don’t fry them. Bake the food as much as you can to avoid the oil associated with frying. Fry without oil. Non stick pans will help you to avoid using another quart of oil. You need to avoid oil as much as you can while you are cooking. Boil vegetables. Instead of cooking vegetables, you boil them. Cooking will take away the nutrients of the vegetables. Steaming vegetables will keep the nutrients of the leafy vegan. Most of the leafy vegans, like cabbage, are cooked this way to preserve vitamins. Chew parsley. Ever feeling the need to chew something? Try a parsley. It will do good to keep your teeth from cranking on another chunk of pork. Go low or no fats. Fats and cholesterol are good friends they eat up the health of your cardiovascular muscles. If you just buy wisely, you can get low fat substitutes or even cholesterol-free substitutes. Do not just pick the food and eat them at home because you saw the ad last night. It is important to read the labels. Don’t worry with thousands of food manufacturers, you will have a wide range of choices for the low or zero fat substitutes you need. Don’t have to crush over crash diets. Crash diet is a regimen that you want to take for a couple of days to lose weight. However, crash diets may really get you crushed. After the crash diet, the biggest tendency, you will surely go double your size. Most crash dieters experience many cravings for the food they miss for the couple of days. Just last week, diet is on the go; but for the current week, another dish party is happening. Teeth are for chewing, not for biting. You have teeth because foods must be chewed; and not to be swallowed directly. It is very important to chew foods properly up to 8 or 12 times. Chewed foods will be digested faster than swallowed ones. It will help the digestive system to burn them, and it will help in reducing the risk of constipation, which will also add problem to weight loss management, Go dry for wines. Sweet wines, are tasty but with the taste, you also need to cope with with the problem of weight gains. Dry wines are fermented longer taking away the sweetness of grapes. It will be good to go for dry wines than sweet glasses. Lets do the exercise day by day, not one single day.

Hey, you’re not a couch potato, stop acting like one. If you really love to sit down in a chair and watch television for hours without anything to work on, it is time to kill the television and throw the chair. Find a chair that will not give you the comfort that you need. You don’t deserve that now. Don’t think this is too cruel it is for your best. Stretch your flex. Your job requires you to sit down for half a day? Well, break the blood lake. It is good to stand up and stretch muscles from time to time. Tele-walk will do good. While taking calls, you can walk in the area. Do not lazily sit down. Be patient forget the elevator, there is none invented yet. Elevators are made to speed up your way. It is good to take the lift while going up the floor. However, if you are going down, and you have nothing to rush for it will be better to trudge the stairs. It is a fine exercise that will keep your lower muscles in great shape. Plus, it will surely burn those stored fats in your body. It is just all about patience. Don’t worry, it will surely pay.

Quit smoking. Smoking is not the main culprit but the effects of smoking. Smoking may hamper weight loss by altering your food intake. Those who smoke tend to eat a bigger amount of foods than non-smokers. Run a bit; its not race. Run a day but do not strain your body. Don’t worry you wont qualify for the marathon. Walk is better if you cant run. If your doctor advises you not to run, don’t. Brisk walking can do the magic. Walk if situation permits. If you need something by the next block, don’t ride. You can walk around and enjoy the exercise. Drink black coffee before any workout. Caffeine may increase food intake; but you drink it before work out, the body will be forced to use fats that are stored in your body. However, there is no known evidence to this, but you may try. A caution: Excess of coffee leads to obesity. If you want to drink black coffee, be sure to take it lightly. Take an effort; forget the remote. With everything in your house run by remotes, you will go lazy, and you don’t have to take an effort. It is about time to do it manually. If you need to stop the air conditioning system, you stand up and do it. There are things in the house that can be done manually. Reliance on remotes will just keep you in one place; and it will cut short your metabolism. Do it, instead of letting others do it. Most adults tend to tell their kids to do things for them. Well, oldies must be given special care. However, it will also stop your body from moving and exercising. If you can do the job, it is better to do it like turning the television on and off or taking a glass of water. Some others train their dogs to do things for them. You must not let the dog be healthy, and you are obese. Think it. Are you thinking about taking the elevator? Well, think again. Elevators will let you gain weight, go lazy and stand there without anything to work on. Now, before you ride the lift, it is great to think. Alternatively, else take the stairs and enjoy the perspiration. Be wise while watching. Often while you are watching television and faced with commercial breaks, you would look at another channel. A bad idea. It is time to walk a bit outside while commercial breaks are going on. Do not worry breaks are not important. Do not glue yourself to the television set or to the chair. It takes a lot of discipline. Work the joints. While sitting in your office, try to wriggle your toes and fingers. It will greatly help to keep stress away and to let blood flow to the joints of the body. It is a big thing that you do it as often as you can. Dance often. You haven’t danced for a while? Well, you don’t need to have a party to grab a dance.

How To Support A Loved One Who’s Trying To Be Healthier Life

Sometimes our best efforts to encourage a friend, partner or relative’s healthy habits backfire. Here’s what to do instead.

You want the people you love — be it your partner, your friends or your family — to live long , healthy and fulfilling lives. When a person you care about tells you they’re ready to make some positive health-related changes, you may be so eager to help that you bombard them with your well intentioned advice: Eat this, read that, start this new workout routine ASAP.
Telling them what they “should” do isn’t the most effective route. However, you can be a loving and encouraging force as they navigate these changes for themselves. And don’t underestimate the importance of your support in helping them achieve their wellness goals. In fact, research has shown that people with strong support systems are often more successful at sticking to their healthy habits .

Below, we asked a few experts to share their do’s and dont’s for supporting a loved one’s commitment to a healthier, happier way of living.
Just as there’s no single path to “getting healthy,” there’s no one right way to help a person you love achieve their goals. But these expert-backed tips are a good place start. Ask your loved one why they want to get healthy in the first place don’t assume their reasons for making these changes will align with your own.
“This will help you to understand their goals and make sure you aren’t projecting your idea of health onto your loved one,” Torri Efron , a marriage and family therapist who specializes in eating disorders, told HuffPost. “You might want to ask what getting healthier means to them, what their definition of good health is and how will they know when they get there.” Help them set and track goals that aren’t solely tied to a number on the scale
Diet culture can be toxic and pervasive , sending the message that our weight, as well as the size and shape of our bodies, dictates our self-worth. It tells us that thin is “good” and fat is “bad,” and that thin people must be healthy and fat people must be unhealthy — when that’s just not so .
“Remember that weight is not the only indicator of health,” Efron said. “Health can be at any size.”
Together, come up with some goals that go beyond weight loss, calories eaten and calories burned. Perhaps: “I want to run a 5K this fall,” “I want to have enough energy to play with the kids after work,” or, “I want to cook dinner at home three nights a week.”
Consider also incorporating goals that don’t involve food or exercise at all, Efron suggested, such as starting a gratitude journal or reciting positive affirmations — both of which have mental health benefits. Ask what they need from you to make this happen

You might think your friend wants you to flood their email inbox with vegetarian recipe suggestions, when in reality, they’re just looking for a buddy to go hiking with on weekends.
Instead of jumping to conclusions, exercise physiologist and Running Strong coach Janet Hamilton offered this simple piece of advice: “Ask your family member or friend, ‘What can I do to support you in your goals?’ Then be silent and listen.”
It’s easier to make healthy choices when you open the fridge and you have nutritious options within reach. But planning out your meals for the week, grocery shopping and preparing the food require time and effort.
“One of the biggest hurdles with meal prep and healthy eating is with the convenience and time factor when you’re trying to fit everything into busy schedules,” said McKel Kooienga , a registered dietician and founder of the site Nutrition Stripped . “Meal prep is a true lifesaver because it helps you keep healthy foods available for meals, snacking and whenever the cravings hit.”
Text your loved one to see if they could use any help in this department — another set of hands in the kitchen can streamline the process. Plus, it’s more fun than doing it all solo. Compliment your partner’s progress without focusing on their appearance
“Saying things that call attention to their appearance or weight, even if you’re trying to compliment them, may be misconstrued,” Hamilton said.
Instead, Efron suggested praising them in other ways like , “I’m so impressed by your dedication to your health,” or, “I’m loving how much energy you have lately.” See if they want a workout buddy
It’s not hard to ditch a morning workout when you’d much rather sleep in, or skip an evening session when you’re feeling blah after work. But you’re more likely to stick to the routine when you know a loved one is counting on you. Plus, exercising together can be a bonding activity, an opportunity for the two of you to spend time together and catch up.
“If they’re not familiar with exercise and you are ― offer to help them learn,” Hamilton said. “If you’re working out in a fitness facility, they may not know how to use the machines.”
Be sure to go at their pace. Don’t push them to keep up with you, as it could lead to an injury.
“Keep in mind that if they’re new to exercise, you should let them lead the way, not only in terms of intensity or duration but also in the choice of exercise they feel inclined to do,” Hamilton said. Expect hiccups along the way — they’re part of the process
Committing to eating better and working out more regularly does not come without its hurdles — so try to be understanding of that. Remember: This is about progress, not perfection.
“Give yourself and your loved ones some flexibility and patience with the change too,” Kooienga said. “It may take many, many small steps, but the key is to remain supportive through small wins and small setbacks to create a sustainable shift.” What To Avoid Doing Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury via Getty Images Shame-inducing comments like, “Are you really looking for a snack right now? We just had dinner!” can do more harm than good.
Sometimes, our best attempts to assist a loved one in their health efforts can backfire. The things we do and say to help may actually have the opposite of their intended effect. Here’s what to steer clear of: Don’t act as the food or exercise police.

In your mind, you’re just holding your partner accountable when you say: “Hey, are you really going to eat another cookie?” or “Have you worked out today? Get off the couch and get to a yoga class.”
“These statements may seem ‘helpfull’ to you ― you’re pointing out the error of their ways ― but your friend or family member is not likely to see it that way,” Hamilton said.
Rather than tearing them down for a perceived misstep, “stick to highlighting accomplishments,” Efron said. Don’t label certain foods as “good” or others as “bad”
Sure, a cauliflower rice stir fry is probably going to be more nutritious than, say, a calzone. But labels like “good” and “bad” are moral judgments that don’t apply to food, and can lead to feelings of guilt and shame . Same goes for calling yourself “good” or “bad” based on what you did (or did not) consume. In other words, you’re weren’t “bad” yesterday because you ate a brownie after lunch.
“Going to the gym doesn’t make you more deserving of food, and sticking to a diet doesn’t make you a better person,” Efron said. “Support your partner in their goals, but remember this is just one small part of what makes up our lives.” Don’t preach about what they “should” be doing
Remember this is your loved one’s health journey — not yours. Instead of trying to school them on what they “should” do, lead by example instead.
“For example, being a role model and modeling the behavior your loved one is trying to work on can be a great way to show support without verbally communicating, ‘You should do XYZ,’ or telling them what to do, even if you feel confident you know the ‘right’ way to do something,” Kooienga said.
If your loved one asks for your opinion — e.g., “Should I order this dish or that one?” at a restaurant — give it, but do so without judgment.
“Healthy habits are a personal thing and everyone has their own way of doing stuff,” Hamilton said. “Your way may not work for them.” When Changes Are Cause For Concern Peter Dazeley via Getty Images Look out for red flags that could indicate that your loved one has become overly preoccupied with their diet, exercise routine or weight.
Sometimes a person on a health kick may take their good habits too far, venturing into unhealthy and potentially dangerous territory. Keep an eye on your loved one. Notice if they’re becoming overly restrictive with their food intake, exercising compulsively or engaging in other disordered behaviors . Efron shared some of the other red flags you may want to look out for:
“Take note if your loved one is feeling guilty for eating certain foods or for skipping the gym, or if they are avoiding social functions due to the food being served or worries about their physical appearance,” she said.
If you are concerned and want to broach the subject with this person, stick to “I” statements that convey your worry, but do not place blame on your loved one. For more information, head to the National Eating Disorder Association website.