Morni Health

There is an Arabian proverb which says, he who has health has hope and he who has hope has it all. Contrary to the belief, living a healthy lifestyle is not complicated or time consuming.

Here are a few daily health tips to burn calories and stay fit while you work, play or even drive.

As you wake up sit up slowly. Do not use your hands. Straighten your legs and lean forward. You then feel a gentle stretch in your back and hamstrings. Hold; then using your abs, lower yourself flat. Rest and repeat a couple of times. This exercise strengthens the core.

This is a daily health tip which you can practice as you make your morning cup of coffee or tea. Stand sideways. Put one hand on your kitchen counter. Lift the outside leg straight out in front of you, keeping it extended. With your upper body straight, hold for a few seconds and move it to the side. Hold and extend it behind you. Repeat 5 to 10 times with each legs. This exercise tones up your outer thighs, hips and quadriceps.

Use slim milk for your coffee and tea preparation. Opt for whole grain preparations and cereals rather than instant food. Have a protein heavy meal earlier in the day as you may eat less as the day progresses. Hard boiled egg is a good choice as it makes you feel full and you will not feel tempted to snack before lunch.

Every time you apply brake while driving, squeeze your derriere, holding it for 10 seconds. You will develop buns of steel.

Snack smart by grabbing an apple. It is packed with fiber and water. So the stomach will feel full and save you a few calories which you would otherwise gain by snacking on cookies.

Whenever you converse over the phone, stand up and pace around. Walk up to a colleague who is seated farthest from you and deliver the daily messages. Take the stairs whenever possible. Carry some weight when you go on grocery shopping or running errands.

Sit in your chair with your back straight and your feet on the floor, squeeze knees together and gently bring them toward your chest. Do it a couple of times. It will strengthen your abdomen.

Start with a clear soup for lunch or dinner. You fill feel fuller and subsequently eat less. After dinner, while still sitting at the table, extend your leg out; slowly bend it up and down. Squeeze and hold in the up position for at least 5 seconds. Repeat with the other leg. It sculpts the quadriceps.

Finally, before you tuck in, lie on your back on the floor with your legs up on the edge of the bed or chair. Slowly bend your knees, lifting your hips off the floor. Hold for five seconds, relax and repeat for a few times. It firms up hamstrings and core.

Beauty and health are the two sides of the same coin. You cannot possess either in isolation. Indeed a healthy person is naturally beautiful and the reverse is also true. It is a fact that health and beauty go hand in hand. Health is the metabolic efficiency in all people and beauty brings joy to the beholder. The following are some health and beauty tips that are simple and easy to follow.

Firstly, find ways to move your body. Always make it a point to use the stairs rather than elevators or escalators unless you are pressed for time. If you are overweight, eat less or exercise more to have a youthful body. The daily regime of either calorie restriction or exercise increase has positive effects on the body function. It is important to keep diabetes under control if one is diabetic or even take preventive measures to reduce the onset of diabetes and the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, hyper tension, and cancer or lung disease. Sedentary lifestyle is the greatest bane of health and beauty. It is imperative to exercise 30 minutes a day, 5 or 6 days a week. Indulge in anything that moves your limbs. It is not only a beauty and fitness tool, but a stress reliever as well. You can move around in small time intervals. It will be definitely far more rewarding if you could devote 45 minutes to 1 hour for any physical activity.

The next of the tips is – learn to say no to fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats. Reduce the intake of cheese, butter, nuts, sauces etc. Drinking water is one of the best beauty and health tips we can all follow. Water is essential for virtually every function of the body. The average person needs 1 to 3 liters of water a day. Drink with meals, as well as before, during and after exercise. Remember during your workouts, cold water is more readily absorbed.

The most important of the beauty and health tips is to quit smoking. It is mandatory to be a non smoker in order to improve the overall beauty and health of the individual.

Try to reduce stress filled situations. It is always easier said than done. Devote 30 minutes a day doing something you enjoy. Keep your temper under check and count to ten before losing your temper or getting aggravated. Stay away from people whom you find difficult to cope with. It is also important to practice oral hygiene and stay in a pollution free environment to remain healthy.

Recent studies suggest that a glass of wine or one drink a day is good for the heart, but take it easy!Gulping down glasses of wine can cause health problems such as liver and kidney disease as well as cancer.

There are many health and beauty products available in the market right now. They bring in different promises, guarantees and offers. Think for a while before making the purchase. Collect the details of the products you intend to buy. You should ensure that the product will do well for your beauty and health which you are looking for in it. Health and beauty products do help to improve your skin, health and fitness.

Before we provide useful health tips to determine whether you have abdominal obesity, let us first define what obesity is.

Obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) exceeding 30. BMI is calculated by dividing the weight of a person by the square of his or her height. Weight is measured in kilograms and height in meters.

The BMI thresholds are:

o Underweight BMI: less than 18.5

o Normal BMI: 18.5 to 24.9

o Overweight BMI: 25.0 to 30.0

o Obese BMI: greater than 30.0

In the past, doctors were quite contented to use BMI figures solely to determine a person’s weight and its effects on health.

Doctors are increasing referring to abdominal obesity as a complimentary, and perhaps a more reliable indicator of health.

Generally, there are 3 kinds of people defined by the way they accumulate fat:

o Those who accumulate fat around their bellies but not on their arms

o Those who accumulate fat around their bellies plus arms and legs

o Those who accumulate fat around their hips and thighs

What are the 2 indicators of abdominal obesity?

1. First Indicator: by body shape

A person’s body shape is a good indicator of where fat is accumulated. Here Useful Health Tips introduce 2 body shapes:

o An apple-shaped body: as the name suggests, this type of person accumulates fat around his belly and abdomen. Imagine an apple – it is widest in the middle

o A pear-shaped body: a person with this body shape accumulates fat around his buttocks and thigh. Imagine a pear – it is widest towards the bottom

Generally speaking, men are more likely to be apple-shaped; women are more likely to be pear-shaped.

An apple-shaped person has a greater chance of getting heart disease, stroke, diabetes etc compared to a pear-shaped person.

2. Second Indicator: by girth measurement

Another indicator which is more quantitative is the girth measurement. Take a tape measurement around the circumference of your waist just above the belly button. Useful Health Tips advise the following criteria for indication of abdominal obesity:

o For men, a measurement of 40 inches or more

o For women, a measurement of 35 inches or more

Men and women having a girth more than the above have greater chances of getting diseases associated with abdominal obesity.

What are the diseases associated with abdominal obesity? Useful Health Tips list the following:

o Cardiovascular disease

o Hormonal cancers like breast cancer

o Ovulatory dysfunction

o Insulin resistance leading to Type 2 diabetes

What are the remedial measures to reduce abdominal obesity?

1. Diet: read a good book on to get useful health tips on balanced diets

2. Exercise: do regular exercises and avoid a sedentary lifestyle

3. Weight loss program: Join a good weight loss program.

In choosing a weight loss program, remember to watch out for the following:

o Should not cost you an arm and a leg

o Should not claim that you can only lose a limited amount of weight

o Should not require some secret potion and pill for you to take

o Should not require some crazy equipment that you need to exercise with

o Must come with a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

In conclusion, Useful Health Tips suggest besides regularly monitoring other important indicators like blood pressure, blood glucose level, cholesterol level, BMI, you must not ignore tell tale signs of abdominal obesity.

The useful health tips on whether High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is bad for your health begin by examining what HFCS is. It is produced by:

o milling corn to produce corn starch

o from corn starch, corn syrup is produced; corn syrup is almost entirely glucose

o Enzymes are then added in to turn the glucose into fructose

o HFCS is produced when the fructose is blended with glucose to achieve the desired ratio

HFCS is widely used in:

o Baked foods

o Yogurt

o Sauces

o Beverages

o Breakfast and energy bars

o Canned and frozen fruits

o Frozen beverage concentrates etc.

Useful Health Tips like you to note:

o HFCS and sucrose have almost similar amounts of fructose; HFCS is either 42% or 55% fructose; sucrose is 50% fructose.

o Both HFCS and sucrose have the same calorie content.

o In sucrose, the fructose and glucose are chemically bound; in HFCS, they are not chemically bound. Once digested, HFCS and sucrose metabolize similarly.

Useful Health Tips provide both arguments expounded by opponents and proponents of HFCS:

The argument against HFCS:

o It links to diabetes

o Increases LDL (the bad lipoprotein) leading to increased risks of cardiovascular heart diseases

o Alters magnesium balance leading to osteoporosis

o has no enzymes or vitamins

o Interacts with birth control pills and raises insulin levels in women on pills

o Increases risk of adult onset diabetes mellitus

o Accelerates aging

o Inhibits copper metabolism, causing bone fragility, anemia, and ischemic heart disease.

o Adds to overeating

The argument for HFCS:

o Studies on HFCS and sucrose show no differences in the effects of the sweeteners on insulin, leptin or ghrelin even when they are taken at doses much higher than average.

o HFCS has similar composition to sucrose hence similar metabolic effects. Sucrose has not been shown to raise triglyceride levels when taken in the amounts found in a typical diet.

o There has been no direct link found between HFCS and obesity. The opponents of HFCS are probably basing their opposition to HCFS because of the rising incidence of obesity the last 25 years in the US coincided with the introduction of HFCs around that time. However, many other factors have changed in the US over the last 25 years – people are leading a more sedentary lifestyle, eating out more often and have increased serving sizes. HFCS is not commonly used in other parts of the world and yet the incidences of rising obesity in these countries are the same as in the US.

o The imbalance between energy intake and expenditure is the underlying cause to the rising incidence of obesity and should not be blamed on HFCS.

The useful health tips here offer you some insight into this controversial issue for you to make an informed decision. While more studies are needed, there is no scientific basis to suggest HFCS is bad for your health.

P.S. Useful Health Tips maintain that it does not mean you should consume unlimited amounts of HFCS or any types of sugars. As with everything else, the key is in moderation.