Keeping Fit on a Budget

Whoever said physical fitness can only be achieved by enrolling at an upscale gym or boxing classes? Think out of the "fitness fad" box and you'll be amazed to discover how many of our daily, routine tasks can help us keep fit in a fun and inexpensive way. Here are some useful tips:



HAVE A TV WORK OUT!
That's right - just tune in an exercise channel on TV and have a blast doing the latest "dancercise" work out. Enjoy this convenient and hassle-free way of keeping fit in your own home.

EQUIP YOURSELF, THE CHEAP WAY
Once you've decided to work out at home, you'll need some exercise equipment. This doesn't mean you'll have to invest and shell out a big sum of money for equipment. Canvas for second-hand weights, dumbells, tread mill, etc. Chances are, a couple of friends have the very things you are looking for. Who knows maybe they'll give those untouched unused practically new equipment for free?

WALK THAT STRETCH
If you drive to work, try parking at a place some distance away from your building or if you take a bus, get off at the bus stop a few meters away. Walking this distance will invigorate you and jumpstart your hectic day at work.

CLIMB THE STAIRWAY TO HEALTH
In this day and age of high rise buildings and skyscrapers, this may be an insanely impractical idea -- use the stairs! Your office may be located just in the second or third floor so you have no excuse to -- use the stairs! So what if your office is all the way up the 50th floor? Try getting off at the 48th or 47th or even the 45th floor. Then you know what to do -- use the stairs!

Start Your Meal Right With Soup

Having a dilemma on how to control your appetite? Start your meals right with soup.

According to a study made by Pennsylvania State University those who fill their stomachs with soup at the start of a meal eat less overall.

Researchers gave low-calorie soup made of chicken broth, broccoli, potato, cauliflower, carrots and butter to 60 normal-weight men and women once a week for five weeks. Diners were found to eat 20 percent less when they had both soup and lunch.

According to Dr. Barbara Rolls, who is the Guthrie Chair of Nutrition at the University, said, "Consuming a first-course low-calorie soup, in a variety of forms, can help with managing weight. This strategy allows people to get an extra course meal, while eating fewer total calories."

Charu Dua, chief dietician of Max Superspecialty Hospital, however added, "Attention must be given that corn flour and milk not added to the soup which immediately takes the calories to 100-150. Cream of chicken or spinach soup have nearly 200 calories.

Cure For An Abusive Future Possible

A recent study has found a reason why victims of childhood may themselves become abusive. Luckily, the study also points to a possible remedy. Researchers studied monkey infants from birth into adulthood. They found out that baby monkeys who experienced high amounts of abuse and rejection from their mother in the month after birth, produced less serotonin in their brains. This is a chemical that transmits impulses in the brain. Low levels of serotonin are linked to anxiety, depression, and aggression in monkeys and people.

In the journal Behavioral Neuroscience, Dario Maestripieri, the lead author of the study, said, "The system is affected by early trauma, early experience, and that these long-term changes in the brain might contribute to the occurrence of abusive parenting in adulthood.

He added that if the same changes in brain development also occur in humans, then there could be a potential intervention using drugs. By raising brain serotonin levels, this might lower the chances that an abused child will also become an abusive parent.

Living Healthy Made Easy

So you're NOT the athletic kind, not even the type who would be found anywhere near an exercise video, much less a gym. Fret not, because a healthy lifestyle is still within reach. According to the "Stealth Health" movement, sneaking healthy habits into our daily living is easier than we think.
Dr. David Katz, director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center and of the Yale Preventive Medicine Center said there are at least 2,400 ways to sneak healthy activities into daily living.
Just do any three of the 12 changes below and incorporate them into your life for four days. When you feel comfortable with those changes, pick three others. Once you've incorporated all 12 changes, you should start to feel a difference within a couple of weeks:

To improve Nutrition:

1. Buy whole foods (whether canned, frozen or fresh from the farm) instead of processed foods.
2. Reject foods and drinks made with corn syrup.
3. Start each dinner with a mixed green salad.

To improve Physical Fitness:

1. Do a squat every time you pick something up instead of bending over.
2. Every time you stop at a traffic light (whether you're driving or riding a car or bus), tighten your thighs and butt muscles and release as many times as you can.
3. Whenever you're standing on a line, lift one foot a half-inch off the ground. Switch every few minutes.

To improve Stress Control:

1. Give your husband/wife/parent(s) a hug every day before work.
2. Have a good cry.
3. Twice a day, breathe deeply for three to five minutes.

To improve Sleep:

1. Sprinkle just-washed sheets and pillowcases with lavender water.
2. Buy a new pillow.
3. Eat a handful of walnuts before going to bed.
   

Cell Phone Use Could Lead To Infertility

Sorry to all Silence Breakers if I haven't posted anything new this past week. I've been experiencing some technical difficulties with my broadband connection. Luckily, today the connection returns back to normal and I'm back to the blogosphere. So here's my newest post for the week.


A survey showed that cell phone use has been associated with low sperm count in men. Ashok Agrawal and his colleagues surveyed 364 men who were evaluated at an infertility clinic in Mumbai, India. They found that those men who used their cell phones the most -- four hours or more a day -- had the lowest average sperm counts.
Agrawal, a reproductive biologist at the Cleveland Clinic however said, "I'm not giving up my cellphone." He added, "Our study is not the final word. But we were able to demonstrate some interesting findings."
Heavy cell phone use may actually be a marker for something else that is known to affect sperm count -- like siting for long stretches or being overweight. The results have been intriguing enough, however, that in the next few months, Agrawal hopes to sign up a couple hundred men at the Cleveland Clinic for further study.
In the meantime, Dr. Peter Schlegel, a urologist and board member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine said there's no need to throw cell phones away. He noted that if there's a man who's really, really worried and wants to play it absolutely safe, he could stop carrying his cell phone on his belt or pocket.

What happens when you stop smoking?

I found this article from a Stop-Smoking Program Handbook. Thought I'd share it with you.

What happens to your body when you stop smoking:

Within 20 minutes

• Blood pressure normalizes.
• Pulse rate normalizes.
• Body temperature of hands and feet returns to normal.

Within 8 hours

• Carbon dioxide level in your body goes back to normal.

Within 24 hours

• Heart attack chances decrease.

Within 48 hours

• Nerve endings regrow.
• Blood circulation improves on hands and feet.
• Ability to taste and smell changes dramatically.

Within 72 hours

• Breathing is easier.
• Lung capacity starts to increase.

Within 2 1/2 weeks

• Lung function improves by 30%
• Risk of heart attack significantly reduces.
• Circulation will continue improving.

Within 1 to 9 months

• Incidence of coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decreases.
• Oxygen level in the body normalizes.
• Cilia (hair-like structures) in lungs regrows, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean start the lungs reduce infections.
• Body's overall energy level increases.

After 5 years

• Cancer chances greatly decreases.
• Risk of heart disease is significantly reduced.

After 10 years

• Lung cancer chances are kept to a minimum.
• Pre-cancerous cells are replaced.
• Chances of other cigarette-related cancers decreases.

Hope I have encouraged you to quit using the "death stick".

Kill That Light

Remember what the surgeon general said about smoking? Consider these stats and facts before you think of lighting your next cigarette.

1. Smoking increases your risk of getting heart disease three to six times more than if you didn't.
2. Those who smoke more than two packs a day have almost four times greater the risk of getting a heart attack compared to nonsmokers.
3. Smoking hastens the accumulation of cholesterol and fats in coronary arteries, accelerates the heart rate, raises blood pressure and decreases the oxygen your heart muscles get.

The good new for smokers is that quitting can reduce the risk of getting heart disease to almost the same as the nonsmoker. Also, you have greater chances of surviving an attack once you quit. Aside from smoking, other facts that contribute to coronary diseases are the following: high cholesterol level in the blood, high blood pressure, diabetes, lack of exercise, obesity, stress and family history of coronary artery disease.

You may not be able to change your heredity, BUT you can control the other factors for a healthier heart.


pic from deviantart.com

Support The Hunger Site

The Hunger Site (http://www.thehungersite.com) first started last June 1, 1999 with one goal in mind: eradicate world hunger. Since it's establishment, over 220,000 people visit the site each day/200 million visitors and has clicked the yellow "CLICK HERE TO GIVE FREE FOOD" button and over 300 million cups of staple food has been given to children suffering from hunger and malnutrition.
According to the site, in every 3.6 seconds, a child dies of hunger and malnutrition. It is estimated that one billion people suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Over 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. This is down from 35,000 ten years ago, and 41,000 twenty years ago. Three-fourths of the deaths are children under the age of five.
Supporting the Hunger Site is just a simple click on their page daily and you could save millions from famine and hunger. Every click counts in the life of a hungry person.

To get more information go to www.thehungersite.com. or click on the ad I've placed on the right column.

Please remember to click every day to give help and hope to those most in need.

Packing on the Holidays?

Did you just lose the battle of the bulge over the holidays? Have you packed on a few pounds? If it's a struggle to zip up your pants or you're running out of holes left on your belt, take these three quick and simple steps to get back to a healthier you.

Step # 1: Exercise daily 30-45 minutes a day.
It doesn't have to be a strenuous workout: walk, ride a bike, jump rope, or thoroughly clean one room in your house or apartment. Just get active!

Step # 2: Modify your eating habits.
Fast on fast food! You know its not good for you so limit your consumption of processed as well as microwave types of food. Instead of cutting back on the amount of food you eat, try changing your diet to something healthier, like try snacking on fresh fruits instead of junk food.

Step # 3: Begin taking vitamins.
In a recent article, the USDA finally admitted that you can no longer get all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs simply by eating right. So don't forget to take your supplements daily.

A Great New Year

A Happy and Prosperous New Year to all Silence Breakers! It's 2000 and 8 or 2008 in simpler terms (haha)! Sure we had lots of things happening for us in the previous year, many difficulties like taking my Nursing Licensure Exam (whew! now it's the agony of waiting for the results), having lost our loved ones (My Grandma passed away last June =( but I know she's with God right now and I really miss her...), and having so many obstacles that we faced and hopefully have taught us some pretty valuable lessons. But that's all in the past! So let's try to start over or start out this new year, 2008, and let's take on new challenges, make new friends and acquaintances and redefine ourselves! A Great New Year awaits us, let's take it on one step at a time and maybe take a "leap" at sometimes! Now for my first post for this New Year, I'd like to share some facts on New Years Day. So let's start rolling!

Did you know...

• New Year's Day is the oldest and most universal holiday. The Romans were the first to observe January 1 as New Year's Day in 153 B.C. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII instituted the Gregorian Calendar that we use today and set January 1 as the first day of the year. Before this, many countries marked the new year on April 1, celebrating the new spring season. It was celebrated much the same way as it is today with parties and dancing into the late hours of the night.
• The tradition of making a New Year's resolution began with the Babylonians.
• The month of January is named after Janus, a two-headed Roman god. He had two heads so no one could look back on the past year and one could look forward toward the new. (And so that no one could dare back bite him, haha!)
• Auld Lang Syne, which is traditionally sung on New Year's Eve was written by a Scottish poet named Robbie Burns. The words "Auld Lang Syne" is from an old Scottish dialect that means "Old Long Ago." It refers to love and friendship in times past.
• In Scotland, there is an old New Year's tradition of rolling a barrel full of burning tar down the street to symbolize burning of the old year to welcome the new. (So if ever you're in Scotland during the new year, you'd be alert or you'd get run over by a flaming can of tar!)
• In Mexico, Spain and Cuba, eating 12 grapes is a tradition on New Year's eve. Each grape represents a month of the coming year. A sweet one means a good month; a sour one predicts a bad one. (Just pretend you all ate sweet grapes. ^_^)
  
• In Southern U.S., black-eyed peas is not just a famous pop band. Eat them on New Year's Eve for good luck in the coming year. (My humps, my humps!)
  
• In the Philippines, a table filled will all kinds of food on midnight means bountiful food all year round. (Pinoys sure love to eat extravagantly!)
  
• In Holland, the Dutch will be eating doughnuts filled with apples, raisins and currants. It's a traditional New Year's treat called "oil balls." (Yum! =p)
  
• In Japan, Buddhist monks will be munching on crunchy noodles at midnight.
• In Germany, locals will be feasting on the traditional New Year's Eve carp and will put the fish scales in their wallets for prosperity. (Germans sure love that fishy smell of money!)