Muscle & bone building or strength-training programs as they are often referred to, have some misconceptions attached to them. Some people connect muscle building with bodybuilding while a big chunk of women feel its not for them, it’s for the men folks. None of which holds any ground. So through this article I will try and unfold some myths related to muscle and bone building programs with some scientifically proved logics and reasoning.The most popular myth, which exists, is that older people should steer cleat of bone and muscle building programs as it might injure them. These programs are good for the young active lot. It’s a complete myth and actually just the opposite is true. People over 50 need it more than the young. These muscle and bone building exercises help to deal with the decline in muscle strength that generally comes with aging, because our activity levels go reasonable down. Read the rest of this entry »

Walking by far is the easiest, safest, and cheapest form of exercises. It’s also one of the most popular ways of staying fit! There is nothing that can stop you from your regular walk. If it is raining outside you can walk on the treadmill indoors. If you are a brisk walker and walk a mile you burn approx equal number of calories as you do running a mile at a moderate pace, other benefits remaining the same. A study at Harvard of around 40,000 female health professionals found that walking at any pace for as little as an hour a week, brings down coronary artery disease risk.Let’s see how we can optimize the health benefits of walking. As we walk day after day week after week, let us make sure how to get the most of out it. Read the rest of this entry »

Scientists are increasingly looking at stress as an important factor in the origin of illness. Stress mechanism is something that starts and ends in the body. When under stress, our bodies give a chemical response, and this response affects our emotions and the way we look at things. The researchers have proved the fact that prolonged, acute physical or emotional stress is likely to have adverse physical effects.The fact that we always associate stress with a certain negative connotation also does not hold true. It must be remembered that stress has a dual role to play. With stress, the anxiety & hormone levels fluctuate which is essential and these acts as a sort of protection too. Read the rest of this entry »

Lasik Eye Surgery helps people with glasses reduce their dependency on glasses or contact lenses. Lasik eye surgery in majority of cases enjoys a high level of success and failure rates are about 1% per eye. Though the success rate is high but chances of other complications may affect your vision, which are not ‘considered’ as failures. Like, the patient’s vision may be reset after the surgery as 20/20, but she could experience visual disturbances like ‘ghost images’ or ‘haloing’.

Sometimes it has also been seen that the patient and surgeon have different ideas of what ‘success’ means. Unreasonable expectations from Lasik eye surgery also cause disappointment. Lasik is relatively a new surgical procedure, and is undergoing research constantly to ensure better results. Read the rest of this entry »

We know that obese women on a low-fat diet lose weight. But do you know they will lose more weight if they ate more low-calorie-density diets like, fruits, veggies, and soups?

Consuming low calorie density diet helps people to eat satisfying portions of food. It is believed that low calorie density diet reduced the feeling of hunger pangs and deprivation while reducing calories. Research organizations have been doing various experiments and this study appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

If a person joins a weight loss program he/she are also taught new cooking techniques, including how to modify their favorite recipes to reduce their fat content. Apart from this they also learn the new rules of grocery shopping, strategies to dine-out, and preparing low calorie density meal/snack ideas. Read the rest of this entry »

Honey is full of beneficial properties. In spite of so much being written on about honey there seems to exist a lot of confusion when it comes to this natural sweetener. Lets get a few facts in order first. That honey provides natural support for a range of body structures and functions. One thing is absolutely certain, that honey contains a number of good health-promoting antioxidants.

Vitamins, which are found in honey, include thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-12, and biotin. Honey also contains minerals and amino acids, plus a number of live enzymes that help promote good health. Honey also helps when someone is suffering with insomnia and also with occasional. Read the rest of this entry »

There are no definite symptoms of HIV as such. Especially in the early stages when something can really be done about it with the help of an early treatment. It takes a few years for HIV infection to show and by then its lat already in majority of cases. The flue like symptoms that do appear early are so general that before we can think of HIV as one reasons for this it has disappeared. Symptoms like, fever, rash, enlarged glands, headache, pain in the joints and muscles, and loss of appetite.

We often discuss if there are any sure-fire symptoms of HIV infection. Things like experiencing digestive problems, feeling of un-well-ness, sores on tongue, scarring after being cut etc. People come up with all options and possibilities to get the answer about how to keep an eye on HIV symptoms. Read the rest of this entry »

We know of so many people for whom going to sleep is not easy even though they have worked hard through the day- both physically and mentally and are also feeling tired. This is called insomnia and there are many reasons for insomnia. When the mind is too awake and active, it’s not easy to go into a slumber. Or even if we do manage to sleep, we are restless and are not able to enjoy a deep, peaceful sleep. Therefore when people with insomnia wake up they are not feeling afresh and rejuvenated, as they should after a good night’s sleep.

There are number of theories and opinions about how much sleep a person needs. This varies from person to person, lifestyle to lifestyle and health. Most of us would not disagree with the fact that the deeper and more peaceful the sleep we experience, the more rested and rejuvenated we feel the next morning. Read the rest of this entry »

It cannot be repeated often enough—that you should take care of your eyes so that they will serve you well for the rest of your life. Did you know that your nutritional intake will care for your eyes as well? We hear about and follow through on diet advice for obesity, cholesterol, and diabetes. But what about the correct diet for good eyesight?

Lipids or fatty tissues make up most of the very complex organ that is the eye. Sometimes the light that enters the eye can turn into free radicals. These are extremely reactive chemicals that contain oxygen and can damage the eye’s fatty tissues. Aging and deterioration of vision, cataracts, and macular degeneration are caused by these free radicals. The last two also cause adults to become blind. It is well known, though, that the effect of free radicals can be reduced by antioxidants. Read the rest of this entry »

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a disorder that does not improve with rest and deteriorates with physical activities. It can occur after an infection or illness. And has been observed that more women have complained about it than men. Sometimes there are no causes for it and develops gradually in people. The condition is most common amongst people in their 40s and 50s, but it can affect people of all ages.

Symptoms or chronic fatigue syndrome are a flu-like condition that can drain patient’s energy and this can sometimes go on for years. People previously healthy and full of energy may also undergo CFS. People with chronic fatigue syndrome show symptoms similar to common viral infections. And unlike viral infection this does not get any better or show improvement with time. Symptoms of CFS can last much longer. It has been reported that these symptoms may disappear and re-surface frequently with no fixed & identifiable pattern. Read the rest of this entry »