10 juillet 2007
Yoga: A Beneficial Exercising Regimen
Yoga is an ancient proven tradition that exists
for thousands of years and also one of the most ancient cultural
heritages in India. The word yoga means, "to unite". But it does not
only mean contemplation but also communion and yoking all powers of the
body, mind and soul to God. It is a very ancient and efficient system
of disciplines and controls designed to produce the integration of the
body, mind and spirit. It also achieves higher states of awareness and
self-realization by methodical efforts to attain perfection. Even at
the workplace, yoga has become extremely popular in many companies,
worldwide. Working eight hours a day, five to seven days a week is
really stressing. And yoga can just be the answer to this. Yoga reduces
stress. It improves flexibility and muscle tone, increases circulation,
relieves chronic pain and alleviates anxiety-related disorders. Best of
all, it cultivates physical awareness, refreshes your energy, and
offers a little vacation from the everyday grind.
There are seven divisions of yoga. Hatha yoga is concerned
primarily with the body and the asanas. Bhakti yoga focuses on the path
of love and devotion. Mantra yoga has something to do with recitation
and repetition of words and verses. Karma yoga is a service through
action and work. Janan yoga is on the intellectual path. Raja yoga is a
synthesis of Bhakti, Karma, and Janan. And Laya yoga is the secret path
or known as the “Yoga of Dissolution”.
Yoga has many advantages over other methods of maintaining health,
such as aerobics, athletics, gymnastics, games, and various other forms
of exercise and is often described as the best form of health insurance
for all from the age of seven to seventy seven or more because it has a
lot to offer to everyone. The two main advantages of yoga are
prevention of disorders and ailments and maintenance of health and
fitness in daily life. Other advantages include supple joints, flexible
muscles, relaxed and tension-free mind and efficiently working vital
organs such as the heart, lungs, endocrine glands, liver, pancreas and
good balance between various functions. When doing yoga, you will not
need any costly equipment and materials, or playgrounds, gyms, etc. And
you don’t have to worry when is the right time to do it because you can
do yoga all throughout the year. It can also be practiced inside the
house or in the open, just alone or if you want, in groups. The only
thing you need is a thick carpet spread on the floor and covered with a
clean sheet of cloth. Remember that yoga should only be practiced on
empty stomach although you can do it at any time during the day.
Everyone can benefit from yoga. It will benefit you irrespective of
whether you are young or old, lean or heavily built, highly educated or
unlettered, rich or poor, from higher or lower middle class, busy, over
busy, or retired or worker in the factory or in the field. However,
this benefit may not be possible if one does not practice the correct
technique of yoga or practice it irregularly. Yoga has a wide range of
technique and this can fulfill needs in almost people especially those
who really have the determination and the motivation to do the
techniques in a regular basis. Yoga can fulfill this need irrespective
of your work, or your lifestyle. This can help everyone play his or her
roles more efficiently, more smoothly and more comfortably.
Lose Weight - Do You Really Need To?
If you are overweight, you may be more at risk of
developing disease. That should be reason enough to lose weight. Weight
related conditions include:
Premature death
Cardiovascular disease
High blood pressure
High Cholesterol
Stroke
Gallbladder Disease
Osteoarthritis
Sleep apnea and breathing problems
Some cancers
Diabetes
Obesity can also cause irregular periods, complication with
pregnancy, hirsutism (excessive body and facial hair), incontinence,
depression, surgery complications and more.
If your health doesn't concern you, maybe your pocketbook does. By
staying overweight, you may increase the amount of time spent visiting
various healthcare professionals. Most of them don't work for free.
Medications to treat these diseases can run into hundreds of dollars a
month. Not to mention, you may have to take more time off work to care
for your ailments. This means less income for you. And, you may notice
that your health insurance premiums keep going up. It's because the
amount being spent on healthcare keeps going up. A majority of which is
related to treating problems that could be prevented by exercise and
staying at a healthy weight. What a vicious cycle it is.
The annual cost associated with obesity and being overweight is
staggering. The national cost of healthcare related to this is well
over $100 Billion dollars. Diabetes and heart disease are among the
fastest growing diseases that could easily be prevented in most people
by staying at a healthy weight and exercising. Visit the NIDDK to get a
breakdown of the costs associated with each disease that is related to
being overweight.
By losing weight and starting a healthier way of life you can
really save a lot of money. Eating healthier usually also means eating
less. You may be able to save on the amount you spend on groceries and
eating out each week too. Think of all the other things you could do
with that money you'll be saving. It may require an initial investment
to get the weight off but the rewards are well worth it.
No Excuses Exercises
It's old news that exercising is the single best
way to spark up your weight loss efforts. The activity perks up your
metabolism, and eats up more calories. In addition, the more you
exercise, the better the effect. Exercising builds muscle mass, which
is denser and more compact than fat. That means your body has to expend
more effort to pump blood through it, and it requires more nutrients to
keep it healthy. The end result? Even at rest, your body naturally
burns more calories.
Unfortunately, the prospect of exercising tends to elicit groans
from most people. There's all the logistics to work out - the time,
equipment, expense and the sheer, utter boringness of it all. Negative
thinking about exercise can sabotage all your good intentions. Here's a
list of answers for some of the most commonly used excuses not to
exercise.
I don't have time to exercise!
Exercise could be one of the most important things you'll do for
your health today. MAKE time to exercise. If you're doing traditional
workouts - move those weights and mats right out into the family room
and make use of your television time. Instead of flopping down in a
chair while you watch the news or your favorite show, be active. Run in
place, do leg lifts or heft weights. Use time in your car to tighten
and tone muscles with isometric tummy tighteners. Walk up the stairs
instead of using the elevator. Exercise doesn't have to be a solid hour
at the gym. Anything that revs up your motors is great for your body.
I don't have the right equipment at home.
You don't need equipment to exercise. A brisk walk around the block
is good for you - and burns over 200 calories. Vacuuming your carpets
can burn nearly as much. Flip on your radio or pop in your favorite
high-energy CD and dance. Don't fool yourself into thinking that your
'exercise' has to be a carefully planned workout to work all the right
muscles in the right order with the right tension. Exercise means being
active. Just do it.
I can't afford a membership to the gym.
If you'd rather exercise at the gym (and have access to their
fitness machines, whirlpools, swimming pool and trainers), there are a
lot of ways to make it more affordable. Check with your health
insurance company to see if they offer incentives. Most of the major
health insurance companies, including Blue Cross, cover part or all of
fitness club memberships as part of your benefits. If yours doesn't, or
if you don't have health insurance, call your local YMCA or YWCA. Most
offer 'scholarships' or sliding fee scales for memberships to their
facilities.
But exercise is such a chore!
Says who? Make getting your daily exercise fun. Play a game. Go
dancing. Grab a few friends for a weekend hike in the state park.
Exercise doesn't have to be routine. Stop thinking of it as a chore and
start thinking of it as recreation. You'll be amazed what a difference
it makes.
07 juillet 2007
weight loss supplements
People are constantly looking for ways to improve the results when they have made the decision to lose a few pounds. We all know the traditional advice to watch what you eat and to get more exercise.
However, in the last few years there has been a greater interest in the use of weight loss supplements as a method to help shed those extra pounds.
We all know about the benefits of adding extra vitamins and minerals to our diets. However, people have been using other supplements to their diets for literally thousands of years. Most of these are natural, meaning that they come from plants and herbs found in nature. The tradition is very strong in Asia, particularly in China and there has been a surge in the use of what is called traditional Chinese medicine, from which many weight loss supplements take their start.
Weight loss supplements take many forms in that some are purported to increase your body's metabolism to increase the burning of calories. Others are supposed to 'burn fat' to reduce extra pounds that might come from eating too much. Still others are designed to simply make the body use the food we eat more efficiently thereby reducing the amount of calories that are added as fat.
Modern science and technology has been able to identify, in many of the ingredients used in weight loss supplements, exactly how these work on the body. Claims of success vary, and as a traditional Chinese herbalist might tell you, everyone is different and every body gets different results.
One thing that you need to be concerned about is that the weight loss supplements that you buy come from a very reliable source. Some times, dishonest manufacturers either have poor quality control with their weight loss supplements or simply to do not use the proper ingredients.
Check the company that you do business with very carefully to insure that you are getting the proper weight loss supplements that you intend to buy. One way of knowing that you are dealing with a good company is to read their literature. If the company that is selling good and useful weight loss supplements is reliable, you will see that they go out of their way to provide you with full and complete information. Ask questions and learn what it is that you can expect from the weight loss supplements that you are buying.
Be careful though with some of the extravagant claims that you might hear about weight loss supplements. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Also, be aware that some of the supposed weight loss supplements that are being used are nothing more than certain chemical drugs that can be very harmful. You should look for weight loss supplements that are natural and safe.
Weight loss products
The topic of weight loss is becoming more of an issue as the future draws near. Americans are the epitome of an overweight society. We eat and snack and eat and snack. I don't even think it's how much we eat, but more, what we eat. Our fast food mentality is driving us to an early grave. If you check out and super market or drugstore, you will be overwhelmed with weight loss products. It's bizarre how much we advertise and consume these magic pills when we continue to make the problem worse with our processed foods. Weight loss is a major concern that isn't getting anything but worse.
I recall as a child that we went to a fast food restaurant like McDonalds about once every couple of weeks. Wow, has this changed. I read in a recent poll that Americans typically hit up the old drive-through, once or twice a day on average. That's terrible! Didn't anyone watch "Supersize Me" or read about the leading cause of death in Americans? While society refuses to change its eating habits, companies are making a killing on weight loss products. This is simply a battle between the media and our stomachs. Everyone craves that Big Mac, but also wants that tone tummy. Our media has made it clear that thin is beautiful and healthy.
With a deluge of weight loss products on the market today, how do you know what to choose when dieting. The Internet has made it much easier in attaining much needed information on specific weight loss programs and diet plans. Whether you're looking for chocolate shakes to replace your daily meals, or desiring a magic pill that pulls all of the water out of your body, hence giving you a false thin appearance, there are plenty to choose from. From the list of weight loss products, Slim Fast seems to be a popular choice for many dieters. This company offers countless munchies and meals that keep your calories down. Another popular business is Weight Watchers. This company not only offers a spectrum of weight loss products, but also provides a website where you can log on and punch in the amount of calories you've acquired for the day. This way you can be sure of what you actually ate.
No matter what your diet plan, the key is to eat right and exercise. If you forget these two basics, then you might as well pack it in. Just because we live in a world of junk food, doesn't mean you have to give in to temptation.