Yoga and its benefits

Believe it or not, Yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years, and currently, 11 million Americans enjoy its health benefits. A technique for prevention, cure, healing and focus, Yoga involve “asanas” which enables you to develop flexibility, strength and balance and therefore a healthy body and mind. 
Here are some benefits of Yoga and the areas that you can benefit from it. 

Yoga and Flexibility: Why the first 2 days are the most difficult

Yoga do not preach or inculcate in you a gymnastic spirit. The popular notion about Yoga is that one needs to stretch and swing their body a lot which makes a lot of us worry about whether we are too old or unfit or “rigid” for it. Truth is, no age is too old to improve ones flexibility.
Yoga works through asanas which in turn work by stretching your muscles. When your muscles work more than usual, it produces lactic acid in them which accounts for the stiffness and fatigue- a reason why most of us do not carry on with Yoga. What one should understand is this is also the phase when lubrication in the joints are increased- the outcome is a sense of ease and fluidity throughout the body!
Yoga also stretches the soft tissues of your body that surrounds your muscle- participants had up to 35% improvement in flexibility after only eight weeks of yoga. Live through the first 2 days and the benefits would be quick! 

Yoga and Strength: Yes it makes you stronger

If you are looking at strengthening your body, ashtanga and power yoga are your best bet as they are more vigorous than others and involves a lot of muscle movements. If you are looking at something more toned down with regards to the intensity of exercises, Iyengar is a good style to opt for. A Yoga style that focuses on less movement and more precise alignment in poses, Iyengar or Hatha Yoga provide strength and endurance benefits and when practiced correctly, build core strength in the deep abdominal muscles. 

Yoga means concentration, relaxation and calm

We all suffer from “mind chatter” that can terribly affect our concentration. Certain styles of Yoga use specific meditation techniques that quiet the constant “mind chatter”. A condition arising out of dissatisfaction and stress, Yoga for concentration helps you calm your mind by reducing stress. Acting on biochemical responses, Yoga lowers the levels of hormone neurotransmitters — dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine, thereby creating a feeling of calm. Some research also points to a boost in the hormone oxytocin- the so-called “trust” and “bonding” hormone that’s associated with feeling relaxed and connected to others

Yoga and the Heart

Perhaps one of the most talked about areas of the health benefits of yoga is its effect on heart and heart disease. A technique long been known to lower blood pressure; you’ll be surprised to know that Yoga was a key component to the heart disease program designed by Dean Ornish, MD. The first of its kind to partly reverse heart disease through lifestyle and diet rather than surgery; on a biochemical level, several studies suggests a possible anti-oxidant effect of yoga that decreases cholesteroland triglyceride levels. Other than the aforementioned, Yoga is also said to have a positive effect on learning and memory, slow the aging process, increase a person’s sense of self-acceptance, and improve energy levels. While gymming will involve a lifetime of gymming equipments, one can practice Yoga anywhere- but make sure you are well trained by your trainer to do so or the effects could be pretty adverse.

© Text: Healthy Times Blog.

Four golden tips to lose weight forever

 

1. Begin at onceThe ideal time to start a diet is when you plan to do so; you do not need to assign the next Monday or a specific day. The idea of start a diet at the beginning of the week has no an extra benefit, on the contrary, it hold back the way to achieve the habit of eat to lose weight. The days indicated on a diet plan, only should be use as a useful guide to know when and what to eat.

2. Replace foodRemove from your refrigerator the more fatty foods (rich in saturated fat, sugar and condiment) and replace them with healthier but equally delicious foods.

3. Cover the needsDiets that make you starve eventually generate anxiety, and you end gobble up everything that is within your reach. Therefore, you should not get obsessed and keep in mind that is better to take a longer time to lose weight than to gain weight fast. The important thing is to follow a balanced diet that covers all nutritional needs and allows you to maintain the weight that you already accomplished.

4. Move your bodyTo lose weight you need to exercise regularly. Strength exercises tone the muscles while aerobic exercises (walking, jogging, swimming, and bicycling) help to keep your heart healthy; both are necessary. Remember that if you train your body, muscles will allow you to burn calories still at rest.

5 Surprising Ways to Beat Stress

 

We all know stress is bad. Research is continually uncovering new ways that stress can negatively impact our physical health, emotional health, and even physical appearance. Excessive and prolonged stress is strongly associated with increased vulnerability to ailments ranging from the common cold and flu to insomnia, depression and anxiety, inflammatory illnesses, and heart disease to name a few. In addition, those experiencing stresses that do develop serious illness such as cancer, kidney disease or lung disease typically do not respond as well to treatments and often have longer or more complicated recoveries and an overall more negative prognosis.
With all of these potential negative consequences, it’s important to always try to find new ways to battle stress. Here are some easy and surprising things to add to your arsenal in the battle against stress. 

Wash Your Troubles Away: Researchers have discovered that you can actually wash away negative feelings and negative thoughts, like post-decision doubt, remorse, and guilt, by taking a shower or bathing after an event or experience that causes these kinds of thoughts and feelings. Researchers caution, though, that washing and bathing can also reduce the pleasant effects of a positive experience, not just negatives.

Eat Chocolate: New research has shown that eating around an ounce and half of dark chocolate daily for at least two weeks can decrease levels of damaging stress hormones.

Beautify and Find a Mate for Better Health: Think about treating yourself to a new hairstyle, perfume, or outfit that will help you feel more attractive and focused on finding a mate. A growing body of research indicates that being in a committed relationship has numerous health benefits. Going from a single to a couple can decrease your vulnerability to the detrimental effects of stress. When faced with a stressor, singles are likely to produce higher levels of damaging stress hormones like cortisol.

Don’t Stress Over Stress: New research has suggested that the effect of stress is not always negative. Chronic, prolonged stress has been shown to have a clear detrimental effect on memory. However, researchers have now uncovered that more acute stress or short-lived stressful incidents can actually enhance memory.

Be Creative: Creative activities can be very beneficial in the management of stress, particularly stressors associated with chronic and enduring issues such as coping with physical illness, a demanding job, or troublesome relationships. Specifics benefits can include a decrease in uncomfortable physical symptoms, decreased stress and anxiety, and improvement in depressive symptoms.

© Text: blog.doctoroz.com

The Yawn Explained!

© Healthy Times Blog.

Health benefits of Cereal

© HealthTimesBlog.

Cereals used for human consumption belong to the grass family and are seeds of matured plants, in which nature has stored the elements for germination and growth of germs like starch, fat, protein, organic mineral salts and vitamins. They are rich in complex carbohydrates that provide lots of energy, lower blood cholesterol levels, maintain blood sugar levels, help prevent cancer, constipation, colon disorders, heart diseases, and are also enriched with proteins, fats, lipids, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, niacin, iron, riboflavin and thiamine. Most of the cereals, especially barley, oats, and wheat have abundant fibre. Breakfast cereal is packaged breakfast food, that is consumed cold or mixed with milk or water; often fruits are added for extra nutrition and taste. Cornflakes, porridges, and oatmeals are the best examples of breakfast cereal. The most familiar grains used for making breakfast cereals include rice, maize, corn, ragi, bajra, wheat, barley, sorghum, Italian millets and oats.

Nutritionists recommend including grains in diet, but it’s the whole grain that comes with the health benefits. Wholegrain should be a part of all meals, filling about a third of the plate. They come in two forms – refined or unrefined. Whole grains are unrefined and whole, while the refined grains are stripped of their outer bran coating and inner germ during the milling process. These would be white rice, white bread and white pasta. Bran cereals feature the benefit of maximizing the grams of fiber per each serving. Eating all bran cereal will make one feel more full, not only in the short term, but also extending to a couple of hours thereafter. This longer state of feeling sated may just have something to do with all bran cereal’s lower glycemic index. All bran cereal has also been found to reduce the likelihood of weight gain for both men over 40 as well as women in the age range of 38 to 63. These cereals help in managing your weight and reduce risk of obesity or other chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Dietary fiber, as contained in a high-fiber cereal, help lose weight because it is slow to digest and one feels less hungry. Cereal can also support weight control if consumed as part of a healthy meal or snack with fruits, fat-free yogurt or milk. The extra fiber from fruit and protein from dairy products can decrease hunger.

Water: The best ally

The value of water for our bodies is priceless. A very important and simple way to achieve a healthy life and a strong body is to "drink clean-pure water frequently". The organism must get used to intake water daily as part of a routine. The water, it is universally recognized as an important solvent because one of the functions is to sweep out contaminants from the body, eliminating the poisonous physical matter from the stomach and clearing completely the kidneys. In addition to dragging the waste from the digestive system, it is an element to gives life because contains oxygen and valuable minerals.
Without a doubt whatsoever, the water has a wide range of beneficial effects on our bodies. The current nutrition considers the vital importance of water in the daily diet and suggest as a general guideline to drink at least eight glasses of natural- potable water per day (about 2 liters) to enjoy and get most out of all its benefits.

Drink water moisturize the skin, helps remove impurities, oxygenates and tones the body from inside out. This is because its light mineral composition produces a deep action. The results are visible, the skin look fresh and flexible.
If you want to reduce the feeling of hunger, the most simple and natural way to fool the stomach is to drink a large glass of water. It is useful to keep the wolf from the door. It has a relatively brief effect, but it works. At the same time is physiologically useful.

Drink water is the golden rule of any diet. By cutting out certain food, you usually lose a significant amount of fluid. If these fluids are not replaces, the body will become dehydrated and that will leads to fatigue, headaches and irritability. In addition, if you do not drink enough water, your body tends to retain fluid. Contrarily, if you drink more than the amount indicated (minimum recommended, from eight to ten glasses a day), the water that the body does not need will be rapidly eliminate clearing out accumulated toxins. In addition, to take two glasses of water half an hour before meals will help you to eat less and save calories.
Water is the most important ally for the appropriate bowel function. Drink water accelerates intestinal transit, preventing constipation and dry stool.

The best tips to drink water

Like always in everything, there is a correct method to drink water. Is important to keep up with the following hot tips:

* Drink at least from eight to ten glasses of pure-potable water per day. (natural, tasteless).
* Do not drink water with meals to avoid sweep along the food.
* Drink water half an hour before or after meals, but should be done in moderation.
* If you are very thirsty during meals, quench one’s thirst with a moderate amount of water.
* Do not gulp down water.
* Drink water slowly, mixing it with saliva, like it were a solid food.
* Do not drink frozen water, it cools the stomach, slows down the gastric juices natural action and then the digestive system will be affected. Moreover, neither too hot drinks because it makes no sense to burn the stomach.
* If you are very thirsty, first you must refresh your mouth retaining the water and then swallow it.
* The water should always be fresh- natural, neither extremely cold nor too hot. If the water has been exposes after some time is necessary to change the liquid to other glass to aerate it.
* It is good to replace (at breakfast) tea or coffee for a glass of sweetened warm water with a tablespoon of pure honey or lemon juice.
* It is important to satisfy the thirst demand. Remember, if you drink water late at night, you may need to get up at bedtime to relieve bladder. When have the feelings to urinate you should not wait for it, holding it longer can produce damage to the body.
* Have always on hand a glass of potable-pure water, drinking between meals eliminates toxins and allow the body to grow new tissue.