Wednesday, March 5, 2014

An early-morning walk is a Blessing for the whole day

Our culture is rapidly changing, which keep as awake late in the night. There could be numerous reasons to sleep late at night. This results in getting up late in the morning, because our body needs to complete minimum quota of sleep. By getting up late in the morning we don’t have time for ourselves. As soon as we get up in the morning, we are busy preparing ourselves to go to office, college etc. Hence, we couldn’t take benefit of fresh morning.

We are unaware of the fact that how getting up early in the morning can benefit us. Following are the benefits of getting early which can change your life:

  • Better Day
  • Cardiovascular Health
  • Muscular Strength
  • Reduces Risk of Cancer
  • Diabetes and Hypertension
  • Weight Loss
  • Brainpower
  • Less Stress
  • Better Sleep
  • Overall Health
Better Day:

“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day” said Henry David Thoreau, and how right was he! ! Starting your day with a brisk walk, or even a leisurely stroll around the neighbourhood has many benefits. It gives you a natural energy boost and you feel revitalized. Physical activity early in the morning is helpful because it ensures greater mental sharpness for the rest of the day. You also feel more active and fresh throughout the day, as opposed to when you feel lethargic because you wake up late. The temperature during the morning is conducive to exercising, with no sun to bother you. Moreover, you can use the time to plan out the rest of your day, allot a specific time to each task you plan to accomplish and sketch a sched
ule to follow.

Cardiovascular Health:

The most important benefit of morning walk that it is good for your heart. A little change in your lifestyle can keep diseases like ‘Heart Diseases’ far away, where approximately 40% population in the world is suffering from ‘Heart Diseases’.  Studies have shown that walking briskly, at 3 to 4 miles per hour, can decrease your risk of heart disease by 40%. As physical inactivity leads to heart diseases, walking early in the morning can keep your Heart fit. The heart is an organ which is strengthened by regular activity which helps it circulates blood better. Everyday walk has also lowered the risk of second heart attack to those who had already suffered from one Heart attack. The physical activity of walking is instrumental in improving blood circulation in the body, strengthening the heart, increases the heart rate and generally promotes better cardiovascular health.


Muscular Strength:

Daily morning walks increases strength of your muscles due to regular use at the same time every day. Calves, glutens, hamstrings, legs and arms are the main body part which has the maximum benefit. Moreover, walking doesn’t just build muscles but also helps in muscle endurance. This means that people who walk every morning can engage in physical exertion for a longer period of time without feeling tired.
Your might have noticed few people that are very low in stamina, and struggles a lot when lift is out of order. This is because they have low muscle strength and endurance. If you hate vigorous exercise to stay, then you can achieve the same strength by Morning Walk.

Reduces Risk of Cancer:

The right kind of lifestyle can go a long way in making sure that your risk of developing cancer is lowered. Morning walk is a form of exercise, which, if followed regularly can lower cancer risks. A study by the National Cancer Institute found that walking briskly for one hour every day for most of the week significantly reduces breast cancer risk in middle aged women. Another study found that walking improves breast cancer survival rates. Fast paced walks also help to reduce the risk of colon cancer by ensuring that carcinogens do not stay in prolonged contact with the intestinal lining of the body, according to a study published in 1999.  Moderate exercise in the form of regular morning walks have been shown to reduce the risks of endometrial cancer. It is clear then that morning walks can help prevent the onset of cancer in the body, so wake up before it is too late.

Diabetes and Hypertension:

Exercise burns glucose, which results in more utilization of insulin. This in turn improved blood sugar levels and helps diabetics. Walking regularly for 20 – 30 minutes a day can control your blood pressure level, which in turn has a suppressing affect on hypertension.  Morning walks don’t just help patients manage their diabetes, they also prevent the onset of diabetes in healthy people. Walking 10,000 steps a day increases insulin sensitivity and reduces the Body Mass Index by one percent. 51 million people suffers from diabetes, and Morning Walk can certainly help you lower the risk, so that you are not increasing patient list by 1.

Weight Loss:

If you want a slim & fit body, but you don’t want to sweat in gym for hours, then you could go for morning walk. Morning walk even help in reducing weight, if practiced every day. A morning walk increases metabolism and burns calorie, which is the integral part of weight lose process. Morning walk result in better metabolism because our body has lower glucose level in the morning which we burn calories and lose weight. While compared to the evening walk, our body has higher glucose level which results in glucose burn and higher sugar level.


Brainpower:

Early morning we have less traffic and we get fresh air to breathe which has maximum percentage of oxygen in air comparatively any other time in the day. As we all know, oxygen so important for body, but at the same time it revitalizes our body and brain.

Less Stress:

As mentioned earlier as well, morning walks are beneficial not only to the body but to the mind as well. Walking helps a person deal with stress and combat anxiety. The psychological health of a person thus benefits greatly from walking, and even helps provide a positive outlook to the whole day. Various studies have proven that walking helps reduce the anxiety and depression. The regular
rhythm of breathing while walking, the sensory distractions it provides, the release of pent up energy etc all contribute to enhance psychological well being. The release of endorphins provides a natural ‘high’ and improves mood. While walking is of course no substitute for medicines and treatment, it does help a person cop with psychological stress better.

Better Sleep:

Physical activity during the day helps one sleep better at night. Walking tires the body out and therefore, you catch your dreams early as soon you hit your bed. In fact, daily morning walks also help to regulate your sleep cycle as you get up at the same time every day. Brain scans have even proved that exercise early in morning helps a person spend almost 75% more time in deep sleep, in contrast to exercise done later in the day.


Overall Health:

Besides the major ways in which diabetes helps improve health, here are some more advantages of talking a morning walk every day:
  • Raises good cholesterol HDL levels in blood
  • Lowers LDL or bad cholesterol levels
  • Prevents and protects against miscarriages
  • Muscular development combats back pain
  • It is a standard treatment for osteoporosis patients

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Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Smoking helps you lose weight - One Lung at a Time


Everyone one wants a healthy and risk free life. However, everyone is suffering from one or the other diseases. Is it so difficult to be healthy ? The anwer is no. Anyone of us can be healthy lest we know, how ?
One of the major contributors in diseases in our society is : Cigarette !! Yes, this has become and avoidable part of youth’s modern culture, even though it is among the most dangerous addictions. Now, the question arises that how cigarette smoking is so much dangerous. Following are some reasons, which makes cigartte very dangerous for human body:
Cigarette contains approximately 7000 chemicals, which have been identified, 250 of which are poisonous, 70 carcinogenic, and the chemical count is still increasing.
Toxic Ingredients in Cigarette Smoke
The chemicals in cigarette smoke are inhaled into the lungs and from there travel throughout the body, causing damage in numerous ways.
  • Nicotine reaches the brain in 7 to 10 seconds after smoke is inhaled. Nicotine has been found in every part of a smoker's body, including breast milk.
  • Carbon monoxide, which is present in smoke when mixed with RBCs and Hemoglobic prevent oxygen to be properly circulated all over the body.
  • Tar, this is the collective term for the various particles suspended in tobacco smoke. The particles contain chemicals. Tar is sticky and brown, and stains teeth, fingernails and lung tissue. Tar contains the carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene
  • Cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) in tobacco smoke damage important genes that control the growth of cells, causing them to grow abnormally or to reproduce too rapidly. Seventy such cancer-causing chemicals have been identified in cigarette smoke to date.
  • Hydrogen cyanide, stops lungs cleaning procedure which is a normal to keep your body healthy. Lung contain tiny hair (cilia), that helps in cleaning lungs by moving out foreign material. Hydrogen cyanide is build around cilia and slows the cleaning process day by day.
  • Smoking affects how the immune system functions by causing oxidative stress. This in turn causes DNA mutation, setting the stage for cancer and heart disease. Oxidative stress is also thought to be a contributor to the aging process. Antioxidants are nature's way of combating the damage oxidative stress causes to the body's cells. Smokers have less antioxidants in their blood than nonsmokers.
  • Cigarette smoke contains radioactive heavy metals that "stick" to the tar that collects in the lungs of smokers. Over time, this builds up and is believed to be one of the risk factors for lung cancer in smokers.
  • Free radicals, these highly reactive chemicals can damage the heart muscles and blood vessels. They react with cholesterol, leading to the build-up of fatty material on artery walls. Their actions lead to heart disease, stroke and blood vessel disease.
These were one of the most dangerous elements present in Cigarette. Now, lets find out some of the direct and visible health issues caused by Cigarette.
Effects on Respiratory System
  • Irritation of the trachea (windpipe) and larynx (voice box)
  • Reduced lung function and breathlessness due to swelling and narrowing of the lung airways and excess mucus in the lung passages
  • Impairment of the lungs’ clearance system, leading to the build-up of poisonous substances, which results in lung irritation and damage
  • Increased risk of lung infection and symptoms such as coughing and wheezing
  • Permanent damage to the air sacs of the lungs.
Effects on Circulatory System
  • Raised blood pressure and heart rate
  • Constriction (tightening) of blood vessels in the skin, resulting in a drop in skin temperature
  • Less oxygen carried by the blood
  • Stickier’ blood, which is more prone to clotting
  • Damage to the lining of the arteries, which is thought to be a contributing factor to atherosclerosis (the build-up of fatty deposits on the artery walls)
  • Reduced blood flow to extremities (fingers and toes)
Effects on immune system
  • Greater susceptibility to infections such as pneumonia and influenza
  • More severe and longer-lasting illnesses
  • Lower levels of protective antioxidants (such as vitamin C), in the blood.
Effects on Musculoskeletal System
  • Tightening of certain muscles
  • Reduced bone density.
Effects of smoking on the sexual organs
  • Lower sperm count
  • Higher percentage of deformed sperm

Effects on Female body:
  • Reduced fertility
  • Menstrual cycle irregularities or absence of menstruation
  • Increased risk of cancer of the cervix

Smokers face a substantial increase in risk for a number of diseases over non-smokers:
  • Coronary Heart Disease: 2 to 4 times
  • Stroke: 2 to 4 times
  • Lung cancer risk for men: 23 times
  • Lung cancer risk for women: 13 times
  • COPD-related death: 12 to 13 times
I am sure even you want to be healthier and don’t want to spend on medicines/doctors after spending a lot on expensive cigarettes. If you haven’t decided to quit, then might be you are inviting one the above diseases.

Hence, I belive being fit and healthy is not so difficult task, we just need awareness. We are responsible for our diet and suppliments. To be healthy and fit, we need to provide things which are friendly to our body.

If I were you, I would atleast give a genuine try to quit smoking. Once you are dedicated, and determined nothing is impossible. Hence, please quit SMOKING..
ALL THE BEST !!
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Friday, February 28, 2014

Exercise Keeps You Healthy.

A famous doctor and scientist very rightly quoted “If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost effective drugs ever invented”. Regular exercise has a lot of significant benefits for your health, fitness and well-being. An inactive lifestyle is one of the top risk factors for heart disease. Sedentary lifestyle has led to obesity, stress, hypertension, not just amongst the older crowd but also the younger group. Exercise is an overall capsule for a human being. It provides energy to the body, increases strength, decreases stress and fatigue and also revitalises soul and body. It is good for heart, lungs, and the specially for the younger crowd whose looking for that butter soft glowing skin or boys who are looking for those perfect six pack abs.

Some of the benefits of exercises are listed as below:
  •     Strengthen heart and cardiovascular system
  •     Improves circulation and helps body use oxygen better
  •     Improves heart failure symptoms
  •     Increases energy levels
  •     Increases endurance
  •     Lowers blood pressure
  •     Improves muscle strength
  •     Improves balance and joint flexibility
  •     Strengthens bones
  •     Helps reduce body fat
  •     Helps reduce stress, tension, anxiety, and depression
  •     Boosts self-esteem
  •     Improves sleep
Exercise, also affects mentally. It improves mood. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave one feeling happier and more relaxed. One may also feel better about his appearance and hence, further boots self esteem and self image.

Exercise can be of various types. Depending upon choice, natural exercise is a physical activity that can be done by a two year old to a eighty year old person. Be it running in the park by a 2 year old kid or walking a grandson or granddaughter in a park, both are investing in what is called “exercise”. Exercise can be running, jogging, skating, playing basketball, badminton, walking a dog, doing aerobics, dancing, using the stairs to climb than the lift.

The present generation feels that to exercise one has to take out time. And for the Youth, time is money. Not realizing that exercise is something that can be done without investing extra time or money. Simple easy rules like taking staircase instead of the lift, is also a form of exercise. Someone who is passionate about dancing can take up dancing, which also acts as a form of exercise. The older lot can walk their grandson or granddaughter to an evening walk, indulge in yoga, or indulge in preparing meals in the kitchen. Cooking is therapeutic and hence keeps one happy and energetic, which also is a form of exercise that keeps the soul and body happy. Simple activities that are usually normal day chores are also part of exercises.

One can indulge in normal day to day chores to stay fit than higher servants or help for the same.

Activities that can be practiced are listed as below.
  •     Gardening
  •     Walking the pet
  •     Taking the stairs instead of lift
  •     Washing clothes or utensils
  •     Cleaning the house
  •     Washing the car
  •     Cycling
  •     Skipping
  •     Walking to the nearest market to buy groceries.
  •     Swimming
  •     Dancing
Exercise is the miraculous cure we’ve always had, but for too long we’ve neglected to take our recommended dose. Our health is now suffering as a consequence. This is no snake oil. Whatever your age, there's strong scientific evidence that being physically active can help you lead a healthier and even happier life.

Exercise has long been touted as the panacea for everything that ails a human being. Active people are much less likely to smoke; they are thinner and they eat differently than their sedentary peers. They also tend to be more educated, and education is one of the strongest predictors of good health in general and a longer life.

Therefore, “Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live.
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