Thursday, July 31, 2014

The Workout Manual

It's time to fine tune your workouts. Here are 3 tips to get better results from your workouts. Changing your routine every two weeks will definitely give you the best results.


Get the most from your cardio workout. I would recommend one form of cardio daily, even if it is a brief run.


Still having trouble getting motivated to go to the gym or exercise? Perhaps you should develop these habits.


You need to get at least 120 minutes of exercise a week to reap a lifetime of benefits. The key to exercise is movement. Strive for 10000 steps a day at the very least.


We all have been in an exercise rut from time to time. The important thing is to climb out of that rut and get back into an exercise routine.


Pressed for time? Workout in 15 minutes.


There comes a time to categorize your workouts. Let me explain what I am talking about. Are you targeting weight loss, muscle building, endurance, strength, etc.? At my age it is all about maintenance. I've arrived as far as I'll go. I'm at maintaining what I got. My routine is mostly strength and core strength.


If you want to lose weight quickly, try these exercises, that can also work the strength, endurance and core.


To be continued...













Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Cancer Prevention Through Nutrition

By now I am sure we have heard so much about which foods fight or reduce cancer risks, that we can probably recite the foods in alphabetical order. But research tends to fine tune the findings that sometimes might change or be elaborated upon.


The Journal of the American College of Nutrition has offered six recommendations for eating and cancer prevention. What comes different from this study is that it recommends little or no dairy, red or processed meat, and avoiding meat that is grilled, fried or broiled. Broil was a surprise to me, but I have been baking most of my meats.


Most of the other recommendations, avoiding alcohol, eating more fruits and vegetables, are a given. The soy during adolescence to prevent breast cancer in adulthood, is totally new to me.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Live Long and Prosper

Is there a secret to living long and aging well? The keys to accomplish this are exercise, baby aspirin, intimacy, calm and self-esteem. Weight is not a factor when it comes to longevity. This is not to say to let yourself go, but rather to use common sense and eat sensibly.


The real exercise that will prolong your life is running just 5 minutes a day.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Salads and Yogurts

The poster child of health foods is the salad. My salads include bright colored peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, etc., but the master of ceremony is always the greens. A variety of greens offer a variety of benefits. The best salad greens for your health are a must. I always believed that iceberg is the least healthy of the leafy greens, but one of the best greens are dandelions and beet greens.


What makes a healthy salad unhealthy are the dressings used. Commercially prepared salad dressings are loaded with sugars, fats, sodium, and other unhealthy preservatives that destroy the purpose. Salad dressings should contain olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic and other vinegars. Add spices like sea salt, black pepper, turmeric, basil and oregano, to name a few.


With the yogurt health movement in full steam, it pays to know how to navigate the yogurt aisle. My yogurt choice is Chobani plain Greek  yogurt first thing in the morning. Since I have been consuming yogurt I've become more lactose tolerant, if you can believe that!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Health Journal 13

Health, wellness, long life, etc., are a few topics that will show up in this month's journal.  Like with anything else in life, knowledge is power. The more you know, the more you apply, the better your health. I figure that if I write thousands of entries, and one sentence changes a life, then my mission is accomplished!




Your health and wellness questions and concerns can be answered at WebMD's Healthy Living A-Z. Find out what ails you or how to improve your health with the variety of topics. As with anything else that has to do with health, always consult your health care provider.


WebMD has the secrets to a long life. All I have to say is that although most of them are a way of life for me, I do fall short in some areas. I'll take a healthy life for as long as I live!




Some of the best health topics can be found on PBS. I particularly liked the summer treats for my generation.


`Should you avoid the Dirty Dozen that aren't organic? Should you substitute them for the Clean 15, thus missing out on potential benefits? Not so fast, because it's safe to eat the conventional Dirty Dozen!


Healthy, unhealthy, healthy, unhealthy...it seems that a food that has been on both sides of the debate is now deemed healthy. New research sheds new life on coconut oil.


I'm starting to spend less time at the gym, because I am doing a routine of exercises that give me the maximum benefits. I'm what has now been defined as a minimalist.


Even if you don't buy organic, eating healthy can be expensive due to waste. Most foods spoil within days and the cost can be overwhelming. Now there are ways to keep the food from going bad too soon.













Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Healthy Eating Mistakes

In the healthy foods category of our well being, most of us feel we know what foods are healthy. But we don't always eat healthy foods in a healthy way. Ordering a pizza with peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and other healthy ingredients, doesn't make it a healthy pizza.,


Dr. Oz pointed out that we should eat the unripe bananas because they have less sugar, but they also have resistant starch. If you think you have your nutrition health perfected, you might want to look at this article that even had me scratching my head.



Sunday, July 13, 2014

Blood Sugar and Your Brain

A new study has found that if you want a healthy brain, you need to control your blood sugar. This goes for whether you have diabetes or not. Most of us know the usual ways to control blood sugar, our weight, eat more fruits and vegetables, etc., but we also must get 150 minutes of physical activity a week.


To this article I would add to consume smaller meals every two or three hours. I do have a couple of things to change such as stop using jarred sauce. I think I should go back to this recipe!





Saturday, July 12, 2014

Strive For More Than Five

We all know that we must try to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Turns out that 5 might not be enough for optimal health. The new call is for at least 7 servings a day. I think I eat at least 12 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. I eat even more on my meatless days, which are at least 2 days a week.


Researchers have found an association with mortality and vegetable consumption. Consuming 7 servings was linked to a 42% lower risk of death.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Fifty Is The Cut-Off

Although I exercised and eight right in my early years, it wasn't until I was in my upper 40s or until I turned 50 that I actually began to live a healthy lifestyle. Many 50+ individuals will claim that they are in better health than their 20s, 30s, 40s and even beyond. There may be a reason why this is and it goes beyond the wisdom that comes with aging.


In a new study, we can reverse the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle if we change our bad habits by 50. We can reverse the effects of smoking if we quit by 50. We can reverse the effects of an unhealthy diet if we change our nutrition by 50. Keep in mind that this is just a current study, but may hold truths to those who have gone into despair about their overall health.


My bottom line is don't abuse your body until you are 50 then go healthy. As with anything else leading a healthy lifestyle will go farther in a lifetime. If you don't start to smoke a lead a healthy lifestyle from infancy, you may live a long carefree and healthy life.