Posts Tagged ‘exercise’

Exercise and oxidative damage

Tuesday January 19, 2010

Endurance exercise can increase oxygen utilization from 10 to 20 times over the resting state. This greatly increases the generation of free radicals, prompting concern about enhanced damage to muscles and other tissues. The question that arises is, how effectively can athletes defend against the increased free radicals resulting from exercise? Do athletes need to take extra antioxidants?

Excerise

Because it is not possible to directly measure free radicals in the body, scientists have approached this question by measuring the by-products that result from free radical reactions. If the generation of free radicals exceeds the antioxidant defenses then one would expect to see more of these by-products. These measurements have been performed in athletes under a variety of conditions.

Several interesting concepts have emerged from these types of experimental studies. Regular physical exercise enhances the antioxidant defense system and protects against exercise induced free radical damage. This is an important finding because it shows how smart the body is about adapting to the demands of exercise. These changes occur slowly over time and appear to parallel other adaptations to exercise.

On the other hand, intense exercise in untrained individuals overwhelms defenses resulting in increased free radical damage. Thus, the “weekend warrior” who is predominantly sedentary during the week but engages in vigorous bouts of exercise during the weekend may be doing more harm than good. To this end there are many factors which may determine whether exercise induced free radical damage occurs, including degree of conditioning of the athlete, intensity of exercise, and diet.

Aloe Vera Juice

Thursday December 17, 2009
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera

You have perhaps already heard about the benefits of aloe vera when applied topically. You could also benefit from its innumerable medicinal properties if you consume aloe vera in the form of juice, pills or capsules. One of the very popular uses of aloe vera is in the form of aloe vera juice, benefits of which seems endless and has spread far and wide in terms of popularity. But how is it made? Essentially aloe vera juice is made from its gel. A regular use of 2 to 4 ounces of aloe vera juice taken twice in a day can boost your immune system and keep you in good health.

In case you are wondering why you should take aloe vera juice, here are some of the key aloe vera juice benefits:

  • While on one hand it can be used as a detoxifying agent, you could also use it as a regular colon cleanser. The juice of this wonderful herb can help in purification of blood.
  • Aloe vera juice can be used to heal burns and wounds. Because of its anti inflammatory properties, aloe vera juice is an effective calmative that soothes the affected area as well as reduces swelling, redness and offers sustainable pain relief.
  • With regard to wound healing, aloe vera juice exerts its strong anti bacterial properties and does not allow any infection to affect the wound.
  • Drinking aloe vera juice can alleviate several gastro-intestinal problems including healing of ulcers, irregular bowel clearance, irritable bowel syndrome and more.
  • Aloe vera juice can be applied on an itchy scalp or to treat chronic skin disorders. (more…)

10 Fun Ways to Live a Longer Life!

Sunday December 13, 2009
I came across an article describing 10 ways to live longer and thought “How appropriate!”. Now I am sharing this with you!
A healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to mean treadmills and salads everyday. Many activities that are fun and pleasurable are also good for you. By understanding how these activities can help you live longer and what to do to get the most benefits, you’ll be putting some fun into healthy living.

1. Drink Red Wine

Red wine is packed with resveratrol, an antioxidant. These work to protect your body against the effects of aging. One or 2 glasses of red wine a day can help keep your body young.

2. Eat Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is a wonderful food that contains a large amount of antioxidants that protect your body from aging. Find good quality dark chocolate, learn to appreciate it, and have a bit of it each day. Eating chocolate may lower your blood pressure and cholesterol while providing an energy boost.

3. Smile

Smiling is a great way to change your attitude, connect with people and give benefit to your body. Like relaxation, smiling can work to counteract the effects of stress. By forcing ourselves to smile, we “trick” our body into believing that everything is good, thereby reducing stress. Like a switch, smiling can actually change your mood. So put a smile on, even if you don’t feel like it, and pretty soon you’ll be smiling for real. (more…)

5 Habits to Break Before It’s Too Late

Sunday November 01, 2009

You want to live a long, full life — to be young and lean forever. But you could be doing yourself more harm than good.

“Someday,” you say, “I’m going to get my health back on track, after this next project,” or “when I get back from my cruise,” or “when the kids get a little older” … C’mon, you know your list of reasons — or what I call EXCUSES — better than I.

Look, if you’re waiting for some magical day to appear, you just may be waiting forever. These days do not “show up”; you show up for THEM. I have identified five critical areas, bad habits that many people mindlessly follow. Do you realize that each and every day of your life that you do not reverse these dangerous trends, you get farther and farther from your ultimate goal of living a fulfilling life?

Take a look at each area, determine how you stack up, and then make the fix today:

1) Stealing from sleep: Studies show that a minimum of seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep (at night) are essential for health. Sleep is the time when your body repairs and recovers from all of the metabolic processes that your body performs every second. Sleep supports healthy weight management, raises growth hormone, and heals the adrenals. If you are watching TV, working on your PC, or otherwise stimulating yourself so that you are unable to go to sleep by 11 PM, then establish the Power Down Hour and turn to more relaxing activities like baths, light novels, or cuddling with a loved one (or pet!) at least an hour or two before bedtime. Then … retrain yourself to sleep through the night.

2) Skipping breakfast: How many times do you find yourself dashing out the door to start your day, only to discover that you forgot to eat? Listen, your body has just “fasted” overnight, and in order to fuel yourself for the day (and lower stress hormones), you must eat a balanced meal that includes proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Otherwise, your body will turn on itself for fuel, and it isn’t fat but muscle that it’s going to target … which will cascade into a very nasty sequence of health consequences that will make you fat, old, and tired before your time.

3) Blowing off exercise:
If you think you can manage your health and weight through dietary means alone, it won’t work. Period. Exercise is crucial for stimulating proper physical and hormonal response necessary for building muscle and bone, burning fat, letting you sleep, keeping you young, giving you energy — the list is endless. More important is the CORRECT type of exercise, which involves high-intensity interval training, along with resistance workouts. If you can’t find 20-30 minutes a day to incorporate these exercises into your life (oh yeah, that is ALL you need, by the way), then you can kiss your health goodbye.

4) Noshing at night: Strapping on the feedbag in the evenings basically signals your body to hold off on burning existing fat stores, raises stress hormones before bedtime, and screws up your body’s natural digestive processes at a time when it should be ready to shut down and repair. If you are eating in a hormonally-balanced way during your evening meal, there is absolutely no need to munch afterward.

5) Not counting your beverages: One of the craziest things I encounter in my work is the lack of consideration of high-calorie, high-sugar drinks in the diet. Yes, those healthy “Jumbo Juices,” designer coffee slurpees (hey, they may as well be, given all the sugar in them), and those harmless little cocktails every night, especially those fruit-flavored martini and tequila drinks, can really pack on the pounds in a hurry. Make the switch to healthier options like iced green tea — or, my favorite, Emergen-C — for some sparkling mineral replacements that not only satisfy, but also fuel and nourish!
JJ Virgin, PhD, CNS is a celebrity health and nutrition expert, author, public speaker and media personality. She is internationally recognized as the creator of the Weight Loss Resistance Revolution™ and trains other health care professionals in her program. JJ is the President of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals, nanp.org.
Read more: http://www.momlogic.com/2009/10/5_diet_habits_to_break_before_its_too_late.php#ixzz0UOGfO7NP

Source: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/5-habits-to-break-before-its-too-late-527017/