Taking Charge Of Your Health

You're a young, healthy individual who lives in Dallas, Houston or elsewhere in Texas, now's the time to take charge of your health. Everything you do to, and take into, your body may come back to haunt you when you get older. So, it's time to take some responsibility, become disciplined and take care of yourself, starting today!

You may have noticed that modern science cranks out an abundance of research attesting to the fact that staying healthy has never been easier. However, for many, it has never been more confusing. Medical studies frequently seem to contradict each other, adding frustration to an already perplexed consumer.

For example: Hormone replacement therapy is good for women. Then: HRT is bad for women. Now: Sometimes, it can be good in limited doses.

Another: Vitamin E may prolong your life. More recently: High doses of vitamin E may kill you.

So what's a health-conscious person like you to believe?

For starters, be a proactive patient and talk to a doctor, preferably one who's familiar with you and your health history. Instead of jumping on a trendy bandwagon, get your health care practitioner's opinion and interpretation of the latest medical research, and ask if any of the new information can benefit to you.

Most doctors will tell you not to wait for someone else to tell you that something's wrong. Pay attention to your health. Be aware of what foods you eat. Get the weight off. And exercise.

It's also important to "know your numbers". Know your blood pressure; total cholesterol; good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol levels. Get screened for diabetes and get a colonoscopy when you reach the age of 50.

Anther suggestion for becoming a more responsible individual is participating in a clinical trial. The medical profession can only get better treatments to market if there are more studies to test them. It's certainly a win-win situation for you as a patient. You'll receive good dietary advice, good follow-up care and will have an opportunity of getting the medication being tested.

It's interesting to note that a growing number of studies today are "crossover" studies, in which the patient may get the placebo for the first half of the study, but will be assured of getting the real medication for at least the second half of the trial. To find a trial that you may be eligible for, ask your physician or contact the National Institutes of Health.

Enough can't be said about this next suggestion: Get frequent cardiovascular exercise!

Hey! It's called physical activity, it's free and it's been tested repeatedly and always comes out showing health benefits. Even if you're a smoker, diabetic or are overweight, doing something as simple as twenty minutes of brisk walking several times a week can help keep you healthier. It will encourage a smoker to quit, help bring diabetes under control, and move a person in the direction of losing weight.

Cardio exercise reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and bad cholesterol, raises good cholesterol, fights osteoporosis, induces weight loss, improves bowel regularity and is a natural and non-addictive sleep aid. It also lowers blood sugar, reduces joint stiffness, improves mental alertness and is a mild antidepressant. Plus, when performed regularly, three to five times a week, cardio exercise reduces your long-term risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Another suggestion: Eat more fiber. There. It's out in the open. If everyone had a half-cup of a high-fiber cereal, every day, it would take care of most individuals’ gastrointestinal problems. The average adult needs about 25 grams of fiber a day, but most of us get a measly 12 grams. You can't get as much fiber as you need based on just fruits and vegetables. In Texas and the rest of the United States, there isn't enough fiber available to us, since all the fiber is milled out of breads and other foods. Gastrointestinal problems that can result from not consuming enough fiber include constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis.

Now that we've taken care of your inside, time to take care of your outside. You can start by hydrating and protecting your skin.

The skin is the largest organ of the body and protects everything else inside, so it's important to hydrate it both inside and out and to protect it. It's recommended that you drink six to eight glasses of water a day and use a topical moisturizer on the skin, focusing on those areas that are most exposed, including the face, neck, hands, arms and legs.

For the face, try exfoliating with a topical, retinoid-like product to help peel off the outer layer of skin. And don't forget a broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB protection) sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. If you love the outdoors, you need to use common sense. That means staying out of the hot Texas sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and wearing protective clothing, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.

Okay. Here's the tough one -- Maintain your optimal weight.

Staying at a healthy weight is good advice for anyone, but it's particularly important for women at certain ages. It's well established that, if a woman varies too much in her weight, a slew of abnormalities can occur, because of fluctuating hormone levels. It's recommended that women stay within 10 percent to 15 percent of their ideal weight.

For older women, weight gain during the postmenopausal years can lead to an increased risk of breast cancer. Recent research in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that, if a woman gains 22 pounds or more after menopause, her risk of breast cancer goes up by more than 20 percent. It's believed that the fat stores act as amplifiers for any estrogen in a woman's system.

And here's a suggestion no one wants to hear, but you really need to do it -- Get screened for diabetes.

Approximately 21 million Americans are believed to have Type 2 diabetes. And about one-third of those with the chronic disease don't even know it, because it's most often asymptomatic. One of

most troubling things is that, once you're diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, about 50 percent of your pancreas is not working anymore. So it's nice to get ahead of the game and prevent or delay diabetes.

While everyone should consult with his/her physician about their risk for diabetes, certain people need to be checked out early and frequently. Risk factors include: a family history of diabetes; being overweight or obese; being sedentary; women who have had a baby weighing more than 9 pounds; and certain ethnic groups, including African-American, Asian, American Indian and Hispanic.

Here's one you might have fun with -- Strengthen your core by embracing yoga.

Exercise used to mean working only the show muscles. But when it comes to function, that's only part of the equation. To keep the body strong and help prevent all kinds of injury, it's important to work the core muscles, those of the upper and lower trunk and the pelvic area. And, one of the best ways to do that is to practice yoga.

Yoga is great for the core because it does a good job at balancing strengthening and stretching. A weak core is a huge source of back pain that many people get. Practicing yoga regularly is a different way of stretching those muscles, which may ease or prevent many back problems.

Get the proper training for a physical job.

"Worker or industrial athletes" are too frequently neglected and often injured on the job.

This description encompasses anyone who performs physical labor as part of his or her job. It can include a warehouse employee who lifts heavy boxes, a hospital nurse who must reposition patients, or a construction worker who hoists heavy equipment.

Just as professional or college athletes must train regularly to perform their best on the field or court, worker athletes must also train for their work and ease into their work activity. The worker needs to prepare for a physical job beforehand by practicing aerobic, flexibility and strength training. It's important to prepare and condition your body for the physical work you do.

You’ll discover that what affects your health also will eventually affect your bank account, so you should take charge of your health while you're young, or when you get older, someone else will do it for you. If you’re a young individual who tries to keep informed and maintain a healthy condition and lifestyle, you should take a look at the revolutionary, comprehensive and highly-affordable individual health insurance solutions created by Precedent specifically for you. We can help you find out what to watch for, as well as provide information to help you reduce your cancer risk. For more information, visit us at our website, [precedent.com]. We offer a unique and innovative suite of individual health insurance solutions, including highly competitive HSA-qualified plans and an unparalleled “real time” application and acceptance experience.

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Yoga For Self-Discovery - The Discipline of Yoga

When we consider the word "discipline," we might think of the military or harsh training. Yoga may not come to mind, when considering the many faces of discipline. Yet, Yoga is a genuine discipline, which has evolved for thousands of years, and it qualifies this description for two reasons.

1. Yoga is an immense branch of knowledge.

2. Yoga will develop positive behavior through instruction and practice - especially in the art of training one's mind.

When you listen to people talk, one of the most common complaints is a lack of respect for each other. This complaint is timeless, but it stems from the fact that people resist self-discipline. Who wants to be the keeper of him or herself?

Most of us would rather let someone else be the disciplinarian. To regulate manners, responsibility, and respect is a daunting task for anyone who supervises others. At the same time, rules and regulations tend to have a logical order. Who wants to be the example of a trained mind?

Humankind tends to overindulge in many different vices. Although we are proud to be considered intelligent, we have the ability to make poor and self-destructive choices. It seems the ingredient missing, in many of us, is self-discipline. There are many ways to train the mind, but Yoga may be the most compatible to humans.

A Yoga practitioner does not have to go through a harsh process in order to see changes from within. Moderation, in all things, is the key to unlocking our true potential as a species. However, a moderate lifestyle is quite a challenge because we tend to gravitate toward extremes.

As we know, extreme diets, environments, and challenges can be exciting experiences in the short term. If we can help it, we should avoid extremes. Extreme Yoga styles tend to be a short-term hobby for those who participate.

Extreme heat in a class, or an extreme athletic Yoga challenge, may be considered measurements of progress in the short-term, but over the years, experienced students may seek moderate styles. Yoga styles, which focus on healing, or balanced holistic development, will often attract students for life.

If we seek longevity, we are more likely to pursue a Yogic discipline, in which the objectives are balance, focus, and purpose. The results of long-term practice, in such a style are: improved physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. It takes much more than a quick insincere commitment to practice Yoga for life, but a lifetime of practice has many rewards.

© Copyright 2009 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. aurawellnesscenter.com aurawellnesscenter.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html

See How Easily You Can Take Care of Common Injuries

Normal pain is achy, dull, and very general. Usually, you feel it throughout an entire muscle or over a large area of your body. Bad pain tends to be sharp, specific and signals injury. It usually hurts when you do certain movements such as turning your head, trying to carry you kid or squatting down. It is very important to recognize this type of pain and take appropriate action.

Not long ago, Henry ignored the shoulder pain that flared up after he performed certain chest exercises at the fitness center. Eventually, the pain got so bad and his tendon so inflamed that he could not carry his baby without wincing. Henry was forced to take off three entire months from upper-body weight training kept him from improving his fitness level.

You can prevent this situation from happening.

Strains and sprains

When you strain a muscle, sometimes commonly called a pulled muscle, you had over-stretch or had torn the tendon. The tendon is the tough, cord-like end of the muscle that attaches to the bone. Strains often happen when you push yourself harder than you can do, such as when you challenge your younger brother to a 100 meters sprint. A sprain refers to a torn or overstretched ligament (the connective tissue that joins two bones together). You can also sprain your joint when you turn your ankle while stepping off a curb but you cannot sprain a muscle.

Sprains occur most commonly at the ankle. When you sprain your ankle badly, you may hear a loud pop or tearing sound when the injury happens. Usually your ankle would bruise and swell. This is when you can not place any of your weight on the injured foot without pain.

Knee pain

Ordinarily, the knee seems to be a wonderfully simple mechanism with a pretty simple job description:

to bend and straighten your leg.

The knee function is controlled by more muscles, tendons, ligaments and cartilage than any other joints in your body. The other is that the knees are involved in virtually every sport or activity, making it the most common joint to suffer injury.

The common advice to avoid knee pain is to do cross training. This is done by varying your exercise activities such as cycling, walking, swimming and jogging. This is done so that you use different muscles in different ways.

You can still injure your knees with a cross-training program, so be careful not to overdo it. When you do feel knee pain coming on, take care to cut back on your exercise routine or switch to an activity that does not aggravate the situation. It would be advisable engage a qualified personal trainer to ensure that your form and techniques are correct. Using improper techniques is often the cause of joint problems. You can apply ice to the affected knee as a temporary measure. When pain persists, recurs frequently or is caused by a single incident, get to a doctor quickly.

Lower-back pain

At some point in time when you might feel you have an aching back. This could happen when you stoop down to tie your shoes laces. You might feel some debilitating pain that would keep you curled up in bed for a couple of weeks at a time.

What are some of the causes?

failing to bend your legs when you lift a weight from your car boot,
do a lot of pounding or use improper form when you run or cycle, or
wrong technique or form when using the fitness equipment at the gym.


So what helps back pain heal?

It takes time to heal. Many cases of back pain might disappear within four weeks without any treatment at all. If that does not work, you must see a doctor.

Most experts believe that the majority of back pain is muscular in nature and can be treated successfully with nonsurgical procedures, such as exercise, massage, physical therapy, and chiropractic. The medical doctor could recommend a good chiropractor to you.

Swimming, walking, and yoga seem to be the best activities for limbering up tight back muscles. You can also engage a physical therapist or trainer to guide you in back and abdominal strengthening exercises.

Neck pain

You may not realize how useful your neck is until you can not move it such as when the guy standing next to you asks a question and answering him requires a three-quarter turn of your body.

What can cause neck pain?

you may sleep on your neck in a funny way,
spend too much time cradling the phone on your shoulder or
about poor weight-lifting technique

You could feel neck pain in two ways:

Traumatic incident type when you get involved in a motor car accident.

Non-traumatic kind when you had slept in a wrong posture the night before.

You can use ice as an injury friendly treatment. This is not the best choice to treat neck pain.

If your trouble is a stiff neck, moist heat in the form of a warm wash-cloth, shower massage or whirlpool might help.

Kylie Hong is a fitness enthusiast.

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Integrative Wellness - A New Model For Well Being

"Health and wellness". We are bombarded with news, statistics, and recommendations to improve our health. Health, as a state of being, is something we rarely think about until we have signs that we are not healthy... a cough... a lab test with high triglycerides... a persistent pain. I realized that I did not know what healthy felt like other than the absence of symptoms. So what's a proactive person to do?

Recently I have shifted my focus to the second half of that phrase: "wellness". I've heard the term often, but never really thought about what it meant and had to Google it. This is one definition that I found: Wellness is the interactive process of becoming aware of healthy choices and practicing them to create a more balanced lifestyle. Our state of being changes frequently... sometimes I wake up happy and then hear bad news that saddens me; or I will go on a long hike, only to feel a sore and tight the following day. These fluctuations in our state of being are a normal part of life, so why wouldn't wellness be an interactive process?

Traditionally, medical doctors have been the primary line of defense for our health concerns. But why do we expect our medical doctors to know the specific benefits of meditation or yoga, when we wouldn't expect our meditation or yoga teacher to treat our health issues?

As we shift focus towards becoming aware of healthy choices and learning how to practice them, we find ourselves supported by a team, each skilled in their own area of expertise. This is the concept of integrative wellness... a team of professionals, each of whom is trained in either conventional medicine or complementary modalities -- those tools and techniques (for example, meditation, massage, and yoga) which can be safely used in conjunction with conventional treatments.

A simple concept, but a powerful one as the result is an individualized network of support tailored to your specific health concerns. A person with high blood pressure may seek support from a cardiologist and a meditation teacher, while someone overweight may seek support from a nutritionist, a personal trainer and a hypnotherapist. Shifting focus to wellness acknowledges that one symptom may have multiple aspects to it, so the quality of support we receive becomes more holistic... that we each are so much more than today's symptom.

By now, you may be asking "So how do I begin?" First, tell your doctor "I want to be active in my wellness. Can you suggest something that I could be doing regularly?" With that suggestion in hand, check out what classes may be offered through your local hospital. Many cities and towns have healthcare districts, which are umbrella organizations that provide homes for support groups, health screenings, immunization clinics, as well as classes. Many health and wellness professionals who are new to the area offer evening workshops, so that local residents can come and get to know them. Check your local newspaper under the Events and Classes section. Be prepared that you may need to check out a few different teachers or a few different professionals before you find the one that you like. And that is okay! Remember, your goal is to create your own network of support tailored to your unique health concerns.

After 15 years in corporate finance and now as an entrepreneur growing a mind-body wellness service, Meenal K Kelkar, MBA, CYT, CPRYT, CTYT has personal experience with how difficult it can be to quiet an active mind. To incorporate meditation into a busy lifestyle, she has developed Mpowerment Meditations, a set of tools that are pragmatic, practical and accessible. Meenal is certified with over 1,000 hours of training in yoga therapy, a rapidly growing field where therapeutic yogic techniques and concepts are applied to the modern lifestyle to support clients in their movement towards wellness.

Meenal serves on the advisory board of the Camarillo Health Care District's Healthy Attitudes, and teaches throughout Ventura County, California. She has helped corporate clients introduce Mpowerment Meditation tools into employee wellness programs and the corporate strategic planning process. Meenal is a regular contributor to Healthy Attitudes magazine and most recently, Green Home and Family magazine.

You can connect with Meenal through integrative-insight.com integrative-insight.com or facebook.com/meenal.kelkar facebook.com/meenal.kelkar

Hatha Yoga Practice - The Guide to the Quick Fat Loss Secret of Yoga

For a quick fat loss, try Hatha Yoga, a relaxing mind and body exercise guaranteed to keep you fit and sound. It's affordable and practical. All you need is just your own yoga mat and you can do it at home anytime you want.

Yoga is one of the ancient exercises that can give an impressive and quick fat loss through the use of meditation. Meditation is the process of controlling the mind and body functions to develop a peace of mind.

Rooted in the teachings of Buddhism and Hinduism, it originated in India for almost 20,000 years ago. Since then, it's believed to reduce stress and improve muscular flexibility. Apart from its health benefits, it also increases mental concentration and revive our breathing process.

Hatha Yoga requires meditation to improve the body's wellness, followers are instructed on the exercises of proper breathing and yoga positions. The positions range from easy ones to difficult ones that include bending the lower and upper body extremities.

Enthusiasts are first introduced to the concepts and beliefs of those who have been practicing yoga for a long time. Vegetarianism, Hinduistic beliefs, and spiritual power are among yoga's introduction topics.

This type of excercise gives better weight loss results than other workouts. When done regularly, it keeps the body toned and flexible. One could also improve their body posture after a few months' regular exercise. Not only that, they will also develop discipline from its training.

Hatha Yoga encourages its followers to be vegetarians. In line with this, enthusiasts frown upon meat and poultry products. Together with their masters, they develop a notion that animals live in the same world like humans and therefore they shouldn't be killed for human consumption. Yoga followers love to unite not only with animals but also with nature. They believe that all should live in harmony and balance.

Before doing Hatha Yoga, stretching should be done first to avoid muscle strains. The exercises will require a person to not only stretch his body parts but also bend them. Women are not allowed to do yoga when they're menstruating. Sick people aren't also allowed to practice yoga.

Prenatal Yoga, one of its many variations, helps in the smooth delivery of one's baby. Mothers who have done prenatal yoga will not only have easy delivery but also lesser weight gain after giving birth.

This excercise had proven good results from different age groups and body stages. Although doing it sounds inviting, one must ask a doctor before trying it out. People with asthma, scoliosis, and other hereditary or long-term diseases should first see a medical expert before engaging in the rigorous yoga exercises.

Yoga is known not only as a quick fat loss solution but also as a substitute for medical treatment. It's believed to treat diseases such as asthma, arthritis, hypertension, and even diabetes. It can also cure depression and other psychological illnesses.

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The Purpose of Yoga - Santosha for Your Health

What is Santosha and how can it help your health? Santosha is a moral observance (Niyama). Santosha literally means contentment or happiness. Yet, this is much more than a "Don't worry, be happy" guideline.

How often do people consider exercise, or diet, to be major factors, when they consider the state of their physical health? If you listen to any commercial on the radio or television, you will notice they address exercise and diet, almost exclusively. Physicians always mention exercise and diet as part of a preventative health program.

However, stress and happiness, are also major factors in good health. Too much stress can lower your resistance to allergies, pain, disease, and chronic illnesses. Stress, anxiety, and anger can shorten your life, just as well as a poor diet and lack of exercise.

A person with a negative frame of mind tends to eat poorly and usually does not bother to exercise. When we are in a "sad mental state," acid levels in the body and blood can rise, which may cause joint pain and lower our energy levels. Between poor eating habits, and the rise of acid levels in the body, the body becomes a breeding ground for all sorts of potential medical problems.

In comparison, people who are content, eat healthier and have a higher resistance to disease, as a result. Happiness will help people recover from illnesses much quicker, because they are in a positive frame of mind. With that said, happy people will live longer, simply because they are content.

© Copyright 2007 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA.
riyoga.com riyoga.com

He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit:
yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Create a Balanced Running Training Program

What makes a good running training program is by having a proper healthy diet plan for nutrition and weight loss. This is basic as proper nutrition is required for recovery and performance. You might even want to include some cross training with a few triathlon training running tips which will help you with building up your endurance. Running with dogs in races and places that has great scenery is a good idea to spice up your running sessions and slowly ending your running training program with yoga for runners.

The Importance of Nutrition & Weight Loss in a Running Training Program

Even if you plan out an excellent running training program, without proper nutrition and a healthy eating diet plan for weight loss, be prepared to throw your efforts down the drain. You can't expect to lose weight with just running alone or without a well balanced diet as you will not have enough fluid and nutrient intake for your recovery and performance.

For a typical running training program, it needs a lot of endurance activity as your body needs to be trained for events such as the sprint marathons. When you are doing endurance training, your body uses muscle glycogen, blood glucose, muscle triglycerides and free fatty acids from adipose tissue to provide the ATP to fuel performance. Therefore, it is vital that you have a healthy eating diet plan to recover all those nutrients you have used up in order to gear up for the next running training program sessions.

Get a Partner for Your Running Training Program by Running With Dogs

If you are bored when you are doing your running sessions, it is a good idea if you were to have a running partner as recommended by some of the veteran runners from Runner's World. And getting or adopting a dog is the best way and you will have a great experience running with dogs. Advantages are they're always punctual for your running training program and are willingly to hear to the latest crisis of your love life.

But not all dogs are born to run and finding a dog as your running partner depends on 3 basic aspects, which is genetic temperament, socialization and training. Every breed has different characteristics and may not be a good running partner. Some good breeds that are worth looking at are labs, retrievers, Doberman pinschers and German Shepherds.

Triathlon Training Running Tips for Beginners

If you are a runner and wish to participate in your first triathlon, here are a few triathlon training-running tips that you can add to your running training program. When you are doing your running sessions, to increase your running speed, you should do your runs at fast interval-based running or you can either perform hill climbs or going to the track. This will help to increase your running speed rather than having 80% intensity and running at a constant pace during your running sessions.

You can also add plyometrics to your running training program if you want to improve on your running. Plyometrics exercise consists of drills such as jumps, bounds, leaps, hops and skips. You can add plyometrics to your running training program twice a week, as this kind of training is essential if you want to increase your performance.

The Best Races & Places for Your Running Training Program

If you are looking for a great place for running, San Francisco has been voted the best place for your running training program sessions. This poll is conducted in a survey back in August 2004 issue of Runner's World. There are plenty of great sceneries in San Francisco that will give you views of the city's skyline but most of the routes are predictable.

However if you are in San Francisco, I suggest you try the five-mile route from Crissy Field to Ocean beach. When you are running these route during your running training program, you will notice landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Baker Beach which is a route not to be missed by runners.

End Your Running Training Program With Yoga for Runners

On average, your foot will strike the ground approximately 1000 times and the impact of the force of each foot is about three to four times your own weight. No wonder a lot of runners is complaining that they are getting injuries such as the infamous runner's knees.

Most of the injuries that occur to runners came from the imbalances that running causes and developed. By performing yoga for runners, you can create balance in your body and run long for the years to come as yoga is a good combination for runners for strength and stability.

I hope the article above will help you in building a good running training program that satisfy your needs. Not all programs will turn out to be efficient. Mix and match your workouts in variation for a start to get a feel of a running training program and make changes if you think the workout is not working well for you.

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