Benefits Of Walking

The human body is made to walk.

Walking 30 minutes a day cuts the rate of people becoming diabetic by more than half and it cuts the risk of people over 60 becoming diabetic by almost 70 percent.

Walking cuts the risk of stroke by more than 25 percent.

Walking reduces hypertension.  The body has over 100,000 miles of blood vessels.  Those blood vessels are more supple and healthier when we walk.

Walking cuts the risk of cancer as well as diabetes and stroke.

Women who walk have a 20 percent lower likelihood of getting breast cancer and a 31 percent lower risk of getting colon cancer.

Women with breast cancer who walk regularly can reduce their recurrence rate and their mortality rate by over 50 percent.

The human body works better when we walk.  The body resists diseases better when we walk, and the body heals faster when we walk.

We don’t have to walk a lot.  Thirty minutes a day has a huge impact on our health.

Men who walk thirty minutes a day have a significantly lower level of prostate cancer.  Men who walk regularly have a 60 percent lower risk of colon cancer.

For men with prostate cancer, studies have shown that walkers have a 46 percent lower mortality rate.

Walking also helps prevent depression, and people who walk regularly are more likely to see improvements in their depression.

In one study, people who walked and took medication scored twice as well in 30 days as the women who only took the medication. Another study showed that depressed people who walked regularly had a significantly higher level of not being depressed in a year compared to depressed people who did not walk.  The body generates endorphins when we walk. Endorphins help us feel good.

Walking strengthens the heart.  Walking strengthens bones.

Walking improves the circulatory system.

Walking generates positive neurochemicals.  Healthy eating is important but dieting can trigger negative neurochemicals and can be hard to do.

Walking generates positive neurochemicals.  People look forward to walking and enjoy walking.

And research shows that fit beats fat for many people.  Walking half an hour a day has health benefits that exceed the benefits of losing 20 pounds.

When we walk every day, our bodies are healthier and stronger.  A single 30 minute walk can reduce blood pressure by five points for over 20 hours.

Walking reduces the risk of blood clots in your legs.

People who walk regularly have much lower risk of deep vein thrombosis.

People who walk are less likely to catch colds, and when people get colds, walkers have a 46 percent shorter symptom time from their colds.

Walking improves the health of our blood, as well.  Walking is a good boost of high density cholesterol and people with high levels of HDL are less likely to have heart attacks and stroke.

Walking significantly diminishes the risk of hip fracture and the need for gallstone surgery is 20 to 31 percent lower for walkers.

Walking is the right thing to do. The best news is that the 30 minutes doesn’t have to be done in one lump of time. Two 15 minute walks achieve the same goals. Three 10 minute walks achieve most of those goals.

We can walk 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night and achieve our walking goals.

Walking feels good.  It helps the body heal.  It keeps the body healthy.  It improves our biological health, our physical health, our psychosocial health, and helps with our emotional health. Walking can literally add years entire years to your life.


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Foods For A Leaner Body

Summer’s approaching and we all want that lean body!
Guess what?!  Vegetables can help – along with a good amount of water intake, balanced lifestyle, exercise, meditation and a nutritious diet.
Here’s a list of foods you can eat to gain a lean body -

Kale – kale is high in vitamins A, C, and K; manganese, antioxidants and fiber

Lemons – increases bone strength

Almonds – great for the heart and blood sugar levels

Spinach – improves vision, bones, blood pressure, immunity, skin, brain and nervous system

Blueberries – high in antioxidants and helps reduce belly fat

Olive oil – improves skin, complexion and slows the aging process

Parsley – rich in vitamin C, folic acid, iron and beta-carotene

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20 Healthy Reasons To Love Strawberries

Here’s a great find about strawberries!

1 – Prevents Hypertension: Strawberry contains potassium and magnesium, which are both highly effective in lowering high blood pressure or Hypertension caused by sodium.

2 – Prevents Leukemia: Strawberries also have a very good therapeutic effect for preventing leukemia, anemia (lack of blood) and blood diseases.

3 – Digestive Support: Strawberry contains soluble fiber and Vitamin C that can help stimulate the secretion of salivary and gastric juices, thereby improving the digestion of starchy and protein foods, and prevents constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.

4 – Hearty Health: Strawberry contains fiber, potassium, folate, anti-oxidants vitamin C, anthocyanidins, and flavonoids (quercetin), that helps reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, lowers homocysteine levels, platelet built up, blood clotting, and reduces LDL cholesterol. Strawberry also contains Vitamin B which strengthens the heart muscle.

5 – Anti Cancer: Strawberry is high in antioxidant with flavonoids, Vitamin C, and also phytochemicals called ellagik acid that fight oxidation, inhibiting tumor growth and decreasing inflammation in the body, and preventing damages caused by free radicals in our body.

6 – Boots Immune System: Strawberries are very rich in vitamin C, which plays a key role in enhancing immune system function, as well as in preventing and fighting infectious diseases such as flu and cold.

7 – Strengthens Bones: Along withpotassium, vitamin K and magnesium, strawberry contains manganese, a mineral that helps maintain bone formation and bone structure.

8 – Anti Inflammation: Antioxidants and the flavonoid- Anthocyanidin, in strawberries help inhibit cyclooxygenase (COX), reduce inflammation in the joints that can lead to asthma, intestinal bleeding, gout, artherosclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

9 – Healthy Brain: Strawberry contains iodine and folate, support the brain and nervous system, and help improve memory, concentration and the brain’s ability to process information. A variety of antioxidants also play a role in preventing brain cell damage that can lead to dementia.

10 – Anti-Anemic: Strawberries can help prevent and fight certain types of anemia, due to their high content in folate, which is essential for the synthesis of hemoglobin, the protein in red cells responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body.

11 – Anti-Coagulant: Strawberries contains moderate amount of acetylsalicylic acid, that helps thin blood and prevent blood clots formation, thereby reducing pressure on the heart and improving its function.

12 – Diuretic: The high content in potassium found in strawberries enhances diuresis, which contributes to detoxifying the body, as well as regulating blood pressure.

13 – Calms the Nerves: Consuming strawberries, as fruit or juice, stimulates the release of serotonin, which improves mood and is responsible for a feeling of relaxation and a general sense of well-being.

14 – Skin Tonic: Strawberry contain vitamin C, Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs), salicylic acid, ellagic acid, antioxidants, flavonoids and exfoliants , that help remove dead cells, tighten pores, remove impurities, soothe allergies, removing age spots, freckles, wrinkles and blemishes, protects the skin against the sun’s harmful UV rays, and clear acne. Being astringent in nature strawberries can reduce puffiness and circles beneath the eyes.

15 – Prevents Alopecia: Strawberry is abundant in folic acid, vitamins B5 and B6, and ellagic acid, protects your hair from thinning or falling and delays onset of androgenetic alopecia. Manganese and copper in combination with dicarboxylic acids produce complexes that can inhibit fungal growth on the scalp.

16 – Fights Allergies: Anti-inflammatory effects of Vitamin C and quercetin, help alleviate symptoms of asthma and allergies including runny nose, watery eyes and hives.

17 – Diabetes: Strawberries have low glycemic index, are rich in fiber, and contain fisetin, a flavonoid, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels and reduce diabetic complications such as kidney disease and neuropathy.

18 – Pregnancy: Adequate folic acid intake is essential for pregnant women to protect against neural tube defects in infants.

19 – Depression: Folate in strawberries combats depression by preventing an excess of homocysteine formation, that interferes with the production of the feel-good hormones-serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which regulate not only mood, but sleep and appetite as well.

20 – Eyes: Strawberries provide abundant Vitamin C that your eyes need to protect from free radical damage from the sun’s UV rays and to strengthen the cornea and retina of our eyes, and preventing eye related diseases like cataracts.

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5 Golden Health Tips

I was reading an article the other day talking about the 5 golden health tips -

1 - If you have 1 apple a day - you won't be visiting the doctor.

2 - If you have 1 tulsi leaf a day - you'll have no cancer.

3 - If you have 1 lemon a day - you won't have much fat content.

4 - If you have 1 cup of milk a day - you'll have no bone problem.

5 - If you have 3 liters of water a day - you'll have no diseases.

Lets do it!

Best Foods for Stronger Bones

We have 206 bones.  That's a lot of bones!
And nature made it easy for us to make our bones stronger - just by eating food!

Broccoli
Almonds
Spinach
Bok choy
Kale
Mustard seeds
Flax seeds
Sesame seeds

The foods above are excellent in strengthening the bones.

Eat up!

How Yoga Changes Your Body, Starting The Day You Begin

A great read.
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The Eastern practice of yoga has become a modern-day symbol of peace, serenity and well-being in the West. More than 20 million Americans practice yoga, according to the 2012 Yoga in America study, with practitioners spending more than $10 billion a year on yoga-related products and classes.

The mind-body practice is frequently touted for its ability to reduce stress and boost well-being, but it also offers wide-ranging physical health benefits that rival other forms of exercise. While the scientific research on yoga's health benefits is still young, here's what we know so far about its potential effects on the body. View the infographic below and scroll down for more detailed information.

After Class.

Improved Brain Function. 
Just 20 minutes of Hatha yoga -- an ancient form of the practice that emphasizes physical postures rather than flow or sequences -- can improve cognitive function, boosting focus and working memory. In a University of Illinois study, participants performed significantly better on tests of brain functioning after yoga, as compared to their performance after 20 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise.

Lower Stress Levels. 
Yoga's stress-busting powers may come from its ability to lessen the activity of proteins that are known to play a role in inflammation, according to a study published last year from University of California, Los Angeles researchers.

Alter Gene Expression. 
A small Norwegian study suggested that yoga's many healthy benefits might come from its ability to alter gene expression in immune cells.

Increased Flexibility. 
A recent Colorado State University study found that Bikram yoga -- a form of yoga in which a series of 26 postures are performed for 90 minutes in a heated room -- is linked with increased shoulder, lower back and hamstring flexibility, as well as greater deadlift strength and decreased body fat, compared with a control group.

After A Few Months.

Lower Blood Pressure. 
People with mild to moderate hypertension might benefit from a yoga practice, as a study from University of Pennsylvania researchers found that it could help to lower their blood pressure levels. Researchers found that people who practiced yoga had greater drops in blood pressure compared with those who participated in a walking/nutrition/weight counseling program.

Improved Lung Capacity. 
A small 2000 Ball State University study found that practicing Hatha yoga for 15 weeks could significantly increase vital lung capacity, which is the maximum amount of air exhaled after taking a deep breath. Vital lung capacity is one of the components of lung capacity.

Improved Sexual Function. 
A 2009 Harvard study published in the The Journal of Sexual Medicine showed that yoga could boost arousal, desire, orgasm and general sexual satisfaction for women. Yoga can also improve women's sex lives by helping them to become more familiar with their own bodies, according to a review of studies published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, as reported by CNN. 

Reduced Chronic Neck Pain.

A German study published in The Journal of Pain showed that four weeks of practicing Iyengar yoga (a type of Hatha yoga that stresses proper alignment and the use of props) is effective in reducing pain intensity in adults suffering from chronic neck pain.

Anxiety Relief. 
A 2010 Boston University study showed that 12 weeks of yoga could help to reduce anxiety and increase gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels in the brain (low levels of GABA have been linked with depression and anxiety disorders).

Relief from Chronic Back Pain. 
Researchers at West Virginia University found Iyengar Yoga to be more effective in reducing pain and improving mood than standard medical treatment among those with chronic lower back problems.

Steady Blood Sugar Levels in People with Diabetes.
Adding yoga to a typical diabetes care regimen could result in steady blood sugar levels, according to a 2011 Diabetes Care study. Reuters reported that just three months of yoga in addition to diabetes care resulted in a decrease in body mass index, as well as no increases in blood sugar levels.

Improved Sense of Balance. 
Practicing an Iyengar yoga program designed for older adults was found to improve balance and help prevent falls in women over 65, according to a 2008 Temple University study. 

After Years.

Stronger Bones.
A 2009 pilot  study by Dr. Loren Fishman showed that practicing yoga could improve bone density among older adults.

"We did a bone mineral density (DEXA) scan, then we taught half of them the yoga, waited two years, and did another scan,"Fishman previously told The Huffington Post." And not only did these people not lose bone, they gained bone. The ones who didn't do the yoga lost a little bone, as you would expect."

Healthy Weight.
Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found an association between a regular yoga practice and decreased weight -- or at least a maintained weight -- among more than 15,000 healthy, middle-aged adults.

"Those practicing yoga who were overweight to start with lost about five pounds during the same time period those not practicing yoga gained 14 pounds," stud researcher Alan Kristal, DPH, MPH told WebMD. 

Lower Risk Of Heart Disease. 

As part of a healthy lifestyle, yoga may lower cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, according to Harvard Health Publications. 

Juicing Greens

My father is obsessed with juicing - fruits and vegetables.
He juices every morning for his family and gets our metabolism on check for the day.

Here are some benefits when juicing greens -

• bone and joints are improved
• improves focus and mental clarity 
• aids in weight loss
• boosts energy
• gives healthier hair, skin and nails
• digestion is improved
• builds a strong immune system
• loaded with nutrition 
• anti-aging 

Kale

As you all already know, my mother makes us all eat healthy by giving us a variety of fresh vegetables everyday!
We've been eating a lot of kale.
And it's delicious!
Especially the many different ways my mom cooks it.
Here's why we have kale once a week.

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Seven Side Effects of Soda

We need to STOP!

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Benefits of Cycling