Relax and Reap the benefits

Relaxing has a number of health benefits. It can reduce the heart rate, lower blood pressure, increase blood flow to major muscles, reduce muscle tension, reduce headache and back pain, improve concentration and reduce emotional responses such as anger and frustration, reports Science daily quoting from Mayo clinic.

There are many ways of relaxing, but you can choose whatever best fits you , It is important, however, to regularly relax. You need to include this in your daily schedule. The goal is to refocus the mind and avoid distractions. Here are some tips :
Maintain positive emotions
Choose to focus on positive rather than negative emotions. This can help you stay on a more even keel emotionally, and when time is available to relax, recovery is swifter.
Practice self-control
Indulgence after a stressful day may bring temporary pleasure but undercut long-term well-being. For example, overeating while trying to lose weight. Relaxation time offers a good opportunity to create a list of constructive and relaxing activities to do when stress levels climb.
Avoid ruminating
Mulling over issues that occurred earlier only increases stress. Moreover, it can lead to taking out anger on others. Instead, moving thoughts in another direction can allow irritation to fade away.

How to prevent cancer ?

Here are few simple ways of reducing your chances of getting cancer:

Lose excess weight

Get more exercise / increase the level of physical activity

Eat a healthy diet

Stop smoking

Though these look simple, and known for ages, it is difficult to practice, because it requires a change in the behavior. But it is worth the effort, as these basic behavior changes would have a tremendous impact on the incidence of the most prevalent type of cancer- lung, breast, prostate and colon cancer, reports science daily based on the news release issued by Washington university school of medicine in St Louis.

The statistics are alarming. Every year, more than 500,000 Americans die from cancer. The National Cancer Institute estimates that on average each person who dies from cancer loses 15 years of life, and altogether cancer deaths were responsible for nearly 8.7 million person-years of life lost in 2003, the most recent year for which the data were available.

The recommendations for preventing cancer also include avoiding excess alcohol consumption, taking a multivitamin with folate and protecting yourself from too much sun and from sexually transmitted diseases.

Prevent Hypertension by physical activity

Physical activity should be considered for preventing hypertension in young adults. Based on the research done at the University of Minnesota, science daily reports that young adults who spend more time in physical activity have reduced risk of developing high blood pressure.

The present generation can be referred as a generation of “sitters” – we sit in the private or public transport to go to place of work, sit through the day for studies or work, sit again to come back to home only to sit in front of TV! Blessed are those who do not fall in to this pattern. Things were different, a few decades back when some kind of physical activity was in built in the day to day activities.

The study found that young adults who exercised an average of five times a week and expended 300 calories per exercise session experienced a 17 percent reduction in the risk of developing hypertension.

So have exercise or physical activity a part of daily routine .Life can be more beautiful!

Plan your meals for a long life

Low calorie diet can increase health and longevity. The total number of calories which are consumed, rather than the type of food which is the key to the effects of low calorie diets on the ageing process. Low calorie and a highly nutritious diet can help achieve good health.

A long life is worth having, only when you have the health and energy to live. Without sound health, life can be a torture. It is worth putting some effort to plan what you eat. But how to find the calorie values of so many different food? How to really reduce the calorie intake?

National Heart Blood and Lung Institute ( NHBLI ), under the Obesity education initiative has made available a Menu planner. This is an interactive planner, you can use to plan your meals or assess the calorie intake for every meal you have. It helps you to choose various food options for breakfast, lunch and dinner along with the calorie values for the standard servings. http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/menuplanner/menu.cgi

Enjoy the good health !

You can interrupt ageing

Low calorie diet can increase health and longevity. Based on the study conducted at the University of California, science daily reports that reducing the calorie intake later in life can still induce many of the health and longevity benefits of life long calorie reduction. This also includes anticancer effects.

Previous Research has shown that mice can live up to 40% longer, if they simply consume fewer calories but highly nutritious diet. Low calorie diet drive the body to replace and repair damaged cells. This process usually slows down as we age, but low calorie diets make the body re-synthesise and turn over more cells -- a situation associated with youth and good health

It seems it is the total number of calories which are consumed, rather than the type of food which is the key to the effects of low calorie diets on the ageing process. However, it is known that vegetarians and fish eaters live longer than red meat eaters, and that, generally, the more fruit and vegetables in the diet, the better your health and longer your lifespan.

So it is never too late. By reducing the calorie intake and having a nutritious diet, you can increase your lifespan.

Overweight girls at risk

A recent study on overweight girls in the age group of 9 to 12 years suggest an increased risk for short term and long term problems that increase the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases, reports science daily. The study by National heart, Lung and Blood Institute growth and health study, was conducted on 2300 girls for more than ten years.

The girls who were overweight were more likely to have elevated blood pressure , cholesterol levels compared to those who were not overweight. So it is important for the parents to help their children to adopt behaviors that help maintain a healthy weight and prevent overweight as early as ages 9 through 12.

More information is also available at http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov

Lose weight AND Maintain it !

Most successful dieters regain weight they lost . But new research shows that stepping on a scale every day, then cutting calories and boosting exercise if the numbers run too high, can significantly help dieters maintain weight loss, reports Science Daily, based on the study, conducted by researchers at The Miriam Hospital and Brown Medical School,

It is important to be watchful of your weight on a regular basis, and take corrective action to maintain the weight. Daily weighing and adjust the calorie intake or boost your activity, exercise , walking etc will help you to maintain your weight. There is no quick fix solution for maintaining the weight loss.

So take control of your weight and health.