3 Easy Ways to Get started on the Road to Good Health

Simple changes, go a long way. It is not only applicable to the world at a larger level, but also for a healthy living. Lifestyle medicine, as experts call it, are simple changes made in our diet, exercise and managing stress, that is the key to a lifelong good health.  There are many manageable ways to take care of ones’ health and we are here to list them out for you.

You can either hire a nutritionist later in your life to shed those extra pounds and get back to shape, or simply follow these 3 easy ways that will help you stay in good health.

1) Eat Right- Pick food over supplements, but make sure you are picking the right food. You should aim for at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruits a day. Raw, steamed or stir fried, have it your way. As far as vegetables and fruits go, you can eat it in small portions. You not only have a reduced risk of cancers, but also other health diseases related to heart, stomach, esophagus, colon, lung and pancreas. The most powerful phytonutrients can only be found in food such as broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, grapes and leafy vegetables. What, when and how much you eat can not only help you stay healthy, but also increases your metabolism and energy levels. A 5-meal (with small portions) a day plan helps you achieve the same.

2) Get some exercise- Walking and running are the most basic exercises one can get. If your busy schedule doesn’t permit you to frequent a gym, just get your exercise the easy way. Don’t keep sitting in front of a laptop for long hours, walk after every meal, climb stairs instead of taking the elevators, go for a morning/evening jog/walk. Studies show that even 10 minutes of exercise make a difference. Sign up for a swing dance lesson or a zoomba class, and make exercise more fun!

3) Get a good night’s sleep- a good 8-10 hours of sleep is required to rejuvenate the brain. If you have trouble sleeping, try relaxation techniques like meditation, therapy tapes or a nice spa. Sometimes a glass of warm milk with a nice hot water bath also helps you relax. A bedtime snack is also shown to push your body towards sleep mode. Snacks like oatmeal, chamomile tea or cherries, help your body to relax and switch on the sleep mode.

10 Ways Health Supplements Can Help You Live to 100

Health supplements have become the necessity of the day. While there is nothing like a balanced nutritional diet, our lifestyle and daily stress make it hard for us to keep our diets in check. Supplements help us to get the much needed nutrients in our body that not only help us in the longevity of life but also help us in leading a healthy life.
Here are 10 ways in which supplements can help one live a long and healthy life:

1) Increases immunity - There are researches that support the decrease of immunity with age. The elderly are more likely to contract infections and diseases than the younger lot. There are a number of vitamins and minerals that have an immune boosting potential. To name a few Vitamins like A, B2, B6, C, D and E and minerals such as Zinc and Selenium acts as immunity booster. Herbs (like aloe Vera) and natural supplements like garlic, ginseng, Echinacea and probiotics also serve the same purpose.

2) Reduce the risk of diseases - Vitamins such as vitamin C are known to keep the cold and flu away. Some vitamins also help in prevention of cardiovascular diseases and prostate cancer.

3) Increases bone density and reduces the risk of fractures - Vitamin D and Calcium supplements help in improving the bone density and strength, which reduces the risk of fractures.

4) Boost energy and beat stress – Coupled with a healthy diet, supplements accentuate the capacity for energy intake and also helps in beating stress.

5) Muscle power - Muscle building supplements help in building muscle mass and hence makes you fitter.

6) Multivitamins, the inexpensive insurance policy - Apart from reducing the risk of many diseases, supplements also help reduce the ill effects of diseases that are a part of your system. Example, Omega 3 fatty acids that are found in fish can be taken by vegetarians who have diabetes or high level of cholesterol.

7) Necessary for pregnant woman - Supplements are necessary for women between the age of 30-55 or while they are pregnant. While specific doses of iron and folic acid helps prevent many diseases in the child, it also helps in developing brain functions.

8) Reduce wrinkles - Tired of spending money on lotions and creams that don’t work? Here is how you can get that wrinkle-free glowing skin. Scientists have found topical collagen supplements to be a good supplement that reduce wrinkles.

9) Helps to get in shape - Obesity leads to many diseases which can be avoided by simply being in shape. Certain supplements help to reduce fat and the bad cholesterol that leads to weight gain.

10) Hair raising truth - Certain vitamins help in prevention of hair loss and stimulate hair growth. Foliate and multivitamins such as biotin helps in hair growth.

One with a Sweet Tooth? Here is how you can still be One…

Sugar cause acne, sweets cause obesity, sweets leads to tooth decay and more! We have heard so many things that tell us to quit this habit. Curb the sweet tooth, but what if we told you that there are sweets (or sweet things) that also contribute to our good health?

Too much of anything is bad. If we have excess of nutrients in our body, they work against us as well. For instance, extra protein (from what our body needs) accumulates in our kidneys and may cause substantial damage to it. Sweets are no different to this rule. Sweets can be a part of a healthy diet only if you keep the portion in check. A wholesome diet with a nutritionist also includes a low calorific value sweet to complete a meal.

What is it that we can have in moderate amounts that can actually help our health and also satiate our craving for sweets?

Chocolate

The women will be happy to read this. An important antioxidant called flavonoids are present in chocolates. Antioxidants protect the body from aging by minimizing free radicals. The free radicals can also cause heart problems. While chocolate is a great source, it also contains added ingredients like fat, sugar etc. It is always better to develop a taste for dark chocolates than white chocolates. But then again, you can have chocolates in moderation to give your health the benefit.

Fruits

Mother Nature has given things to us in plentiful. One from her are fruits that not only keep us healthy, but satisfy our cravings. It is a natural sweet that is highly nutritious, so make it a natural choice of sweet. Grilled fruits like peaches, pineapple and bananas, can be topped with honey to give a sumptuous choice for a dessert. It is healthy and delicious.

Frozen treats

Ever had a fruit juice on a stick? Try freezing it and then having it! Use paper cups to freeze yogurt, fruits and juices and you will get a refreshing and healthy treat. The frozen yogurts available at reputed stores are also a great desert to have. Try making your own and load it with some nutritious nuts.

Popcorn treats

Caramelized popcorn or some with hot chocolate sauce are a great option. It's light in calories and easy to make as well. One can also have popcorn and dip it in honey for a more healthy option.

Do You Recognize These 5 Early Warning Signs of Accumulating Fat?

It happens to just everyone at some point in time. Our clothes don’t fit, we take a size higher in the trial room in stores and we feel the weighing scale is lying. All this is happening because there is a considerable increase in your weight. While most of us concentrate a lot more on how to lose the gained weight, the many diet plans, the diet pills and the excruciating exercise regimes, there is a simple way to avoid all of that. Recognizing the early warning signs of accumulating fat can help us to keep ourselves in check. 

Let us take you through them

1) Bloating- There is an increase in the number of cases of bloating. While some might just be bothersome, others can be because of serious reasons. Bloating should not be ignored and the early signs should be paid heed to, as they are a warning sign of fat accumulation as well. 

2) Lethargy- When your body begins to feel sore even though you haven’t involved yourself in a lot of physical activity that is one sign that your body is accumulating fat. Another tell-tale sign is if you also feel like taking a nap after every meal. Fat deposits decrease the metabolism of the body which in-turn burn the deposited fat at a slower rate. The slow rate of enzymatic reactions produces energy in small bouts, usually lesser than what is needed by the body.

3) Increasing waist and bust lines- When you get up in the morning, feel your stomach. Fat deposits target the waist and the bust first, since those are the areas in the body that have the least movement or exercise. One can find out whether the layer of fat on the waistline is thicker than the previous day by simply flexing the abdominal muscles. 

4) Constant back ache- As we gain weight (primarily on the waist line and bust) our body starts to lean forward naturally and messes up our posture. The back, thereby, automatically leans forward and experiences strain which leads to back ache.

5) Mirror Mirror on the wall- Vanity is a part of human existence and mirrors reflect that very nature of us. We can simply look into the mirror just more carefully, every time we look at it. The emergence of a double chin, the significant weight gain in the waist, bust and thigh muscles can be easily spotted by taking care of what you see every day in the mirror. 

Can an Anti-Aging Vitamin Really Work

As the saying goes, you are only as old as you feel, so does the face you see in the mirror reflect the youthful you? If not, the next question is do the anti-aging solutions or vitamins you are popping promise to deliver what you want. The vitamin based products available in the market enjoy a lion’s share in the market of cosmetics.

The answer to the above questions is mostly Yes and a skeptical, maybe, but never NO. The basic question that arises now is why vitamins? The reasons are two-fold. Many vitamins are powerful anti-oxidants and they boost healthy collagen production, which leads to firmer skin. One of the wonder vitamins belonging to this category is vitamin C. The second reason is vitamins have repairing properties and can reverse the damage to the skin structures.

So what are the various vitamins and their effects on the skin?

Vitamin C

As mentioned earlier Vitamin C boost the production of collagen. It is a potent antioxidant as well and reduces the sun damage and brown spots. It also reduces skin irritation and inflammation and fade the post breakout red marks. For your sunscreen to work on your skin in a better way, the intake of Vitamin C will boost their performance.

Vitamin E

Also called the great defender, Vitamin E regulates collagen breakdown and protects cell walls. It works better with antioxidants or its sources such as Vitamin C. Swallowing the supplements that have Vitamin E (and Vitamin C), one can counter the ill effects of the sun’s UV rays.  Sun, the prime skin ager, can be harsh on the skin and vitamin E protects us from the same.

Vitamin A

A derivative of Vitamin A, Retinoid, have a great track record of reversing the signs of sun damage and aging. The application of a cream that contains retinoid, in the night, makes our skin thicker and build more supporting collagen. It also softens rough patches and reduces dark spots. The effect of Vitamin A is, however, slow. It may take about 3-4 months to actually show any change. Caution must be taken in its application as it can irritate some skin type.

A non-prescription, vitamin A (retinol) is less expensive than retinoid, but also have less research to back them up.

Vitamin B3

Niacin amide or Vitamin B3 is available in many products. It significantly improves the skin elasticity and reduces wrinkles and blotches. It also doesn’t cause any skin irritation and is good for all skin types.

Are you always tired? Know why

Do you embrace the morning sun with open arms or lay low and find it hard to get up? If the answer is the latter, you are not the only one with that complaint. We may account for the fatigue because of the lives we lead. We work hard, we have families to take care of, a social life, the diet and so on and so forth.

According to The Royal College of Psychiatrists, “About one in ten people suffer from fatigue.” While it may be a common problem with common reasons that can be taken care of, but this problem exists in most of our lives with no solution at hand.

Let us start by helping you to find the reason behind those droopy eyes.

Medical Reasons

There are many common diseases that cause fatigue in a person. We might not even know that the disease is also causing the tiredness. For example, UTI is identified with a burning sensation and discomfort, but fatigue is also one of the symptoms of it. When the body doesn’t have enough red blood cells to carry sufficient oxygen to the cells, it is the reason for anemia and also fatigue. It is not the cause of much worry as most of the medical reasons are treatable and can be taken care of with antibiotics.

Lack of sleep

One of the most common reasons for fatigue, lack of sleep sounds simple but really isn’t. Our body needs at least 10 hours of sleep to function well. While 7-8 hours of sleep are also good enough, some adults can function with as less as 5 hours of sleep. Babies, on the other hand, need 16 hours! It is important to acknowledge the minimum sleep requirement of your body.

Not eating enough

While eating sweets may result in peaking your blood sugar and give you the necessary rush to work, it falls as easily as well. Hence it is important to eat right, in the right quantity, and also eat the right things at the right time. Have a well-rounded diet with enough carbohydrates, fats and proteins in your diet. Fibers also help to maintain the digestive system, which is why it is important to include that as well in your diet.

Intolerance to food

Not all food is agreeable to our body. We may be allergic to some and also be intolerant to some. One example is the intolerance to gluten (in the case of celiac disease). In this case one must have a supervised elimination diet which helps you to have the right food.

Peep Into the Constituents of Health Supplements for Kids

The nutritional requirements of children are fulfilled by minerals and vitamins. They are sufficiently provided by a balanced diet and are needed in small quantities by youngsters and adults. However, kids are prone to eating selective and have erratic eating habits. Supplements are available as chewable tablets, syrups or addable agents to milk. Excessive intake of certain supplements can also prove toxic, especially fat soluble vitamins.

Pediatricians recommend certain supplements that are easily available. It is always advisable to take the supplements in recommended dosages, which are best suggested by a doctor.

Following are the supplements that are needed and why, for the better health of your child:

1) Vitamin A - A nutrient that is needed for a healthy skin, tissue repair and also growth. Vitamin A helps in color identification and also night vision. While there are natural sources of vitamin A, supplement assists in easy consumption.

2) The B group of vitamins - The formation of red blood cells and development of metabolism depends on vitamin B and its various subgroups. It is important for the overall development of the child.

3) Vitamin C - Hastens the healing of bones and wounds, vitamin C is essential for a child not just for that. It also prevents cold and flu, strengthens muscles, tissues and skin.

4) Vitamin D - While vitamin D is available naturally by simply soaking the sun, the sun has its own ill effects on the skin. Vitamin D helps in bone and teeth formation and it also helps in the absorption of minerals such as calcium.

5) Mineral intake - Along with the above, supplements are also needed for the intake of minerals such as iron (required for building of muscles, production of blood and increasing susceptibility to infection). Calcium, which is an important mineral for bone development, is also quite often present in supplements recommended for children.

6) Certain dietary supplements like efalex omega 3+6 fish oil helps in the development of the brain and the nervous system in children. It contributes to the development of a healthy heart and skin, and hence is an important supplement for the growth of a child.