Fitness is...

     Regular activity has a number of proven, positive health effects, especially on heart health. Vigorous exercise strengthens the heart as a pump, making it a larger, more efficient muscle. Even moderate activity can boost HDL ('good') cholesterol, aid the circulatory system, and lower blood pressure and blood fats. All these effects translate into reduced risk for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

     Exercise can also offer other benefits, including strengthened muscles, increased flexibility, and stronger bones, which can help ward off the bone-thinning condition called osteoporosis.

     Regular activity also promises mental-health benefits, like relieving stress and anxiety. It can help you sleep better and renew your energy. If exercise could be bottled, it would be a best-selling potion at the local pharmacy.

          Activity is for Everyone
     Virtually everyone can get health benefits from activity. But every few years, surveys confirm the well-known fact that most people aren't active enough. Unfortunately, we pay for it.

     The reasons for inactivity aren't hard to figure out. Most of us have jobs where we sit most of the time, so chances are limited to be physically active at work. We also rely heavily on modern, labor-saving devices - cars, appliances, and power tools - to spare us manual effort. 

But there's another reason why many people, especially the overweight, avoid activity. Check out the firm, supple bodies shown exercising on television or on magazine covers. They give the impression that exercise is sweaty, strenuous work best reserved for the young, super-fit, and athletic. But the latest research is proving that picture false: benefits can be gained even from low-intensity activity, like gardening. 

          Activity and Weight Management
If you burn more calories than you consume, then you'll shed pounds. For every extra 3,500 calories you spend, you'll drop one pound. Do strenuous exercise, and you'll burn calories in a hurry. And you can burn the same number of calories with gentler activity: You just have to do it longer and/or more often.
If you're not familiar with the number of calories burned during exercise, you may be discouraged when you first learn about it. For instance, if you weigh 150 pounds and go on a brisk, 1-mile walk for 20 minutes, you'll expend about 100 calories, considerably short of the 3,500 calories needed to drop a pound.

     But such efforts add up. If you expend an extra 300 calories a day through activity and reduce your dietary intake another 200 calories, then by the end of a week, you'll have a calorie deficit of 3,500, comparable to a one-pound weight loss. This is precisely the kind of gradual success that experts recommend for long-term weight management.

     Exercise also has other body-slimming effects. It builds muscle and displaces fat. A given volume of muscle weighs more than the same bulk of fat. So your bathroom scale may not record dramatic changes, but your clothes will be looser, and you'll have a trimmer body shape.

     Because exercise builds muscle, it may also help counter a problem caused by dieting. When you reduce calories, your body metabolism may slack off and burn calories more slowly. This makes further weight loss more difficult. But some research suggests regular activity helps correct this slowdown and makes it easier to keep shedding pounds.

          How Activity Affects Calorie Needs
     The more active you are, the more calories you'll burn, which can help with weight loss. And exercise also promotes fat loss and builds muscle. This, in turn, increases your body's metabolic rate, the rate at which you burn calories, even after you've finished exercising.

Weight loss by reducing your calorie intake without activity can have just the opposite effect: it can cause your body to break down muscle, which ultimately lowers your metabolic rate and makes losing weight even harder.

The problem of reducing your calorie intake without exercise is compounded when people go off their diets. Because they've lost muscle, they tend to regain their weight quickly and then some.

     A better approach is to increase activity, which builds muscle, at the same time that you're cutting back on excess calories from food. Physical activity can also reduce stress and regulate your appetite, making it easier to curb the urge to overeat. 

     The amount of energy needed for any activity, whether it's raking leaves or playing a computer game, depends on three factors: your muscle mass, your body weight, and the activity itself. The larger the muscle mass and heavier the body part being moved, the more calories you use. The duration, frequency, and intensity of exercise also count.

   

     

10 Health Benefits of Eggs

Some of you may have eaten eggs over the Easter weekend so I thought I'd post ten health benefits of eggs (and it doesn't count if they were chocolate eggs!)
1. Eggs are great for the eyes. According to one study, an egg a day may prevent macular degeneraton due to the carotenoid content, specifically lutein and zeaxanthin. Both nutrients are more readily available to our bodies from eggs than from other sources.
2. In another study, researchers found that people who eat eggs every day lower their risk of developing cataracts, also because of the lutein and zeaxanthin in eggs.
3. One egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids.
4. According to a study by the Harvard School of Public Health, there is no significant link between egg consumption and heart disease. In fact, according to one study, regular consumption of eggs may help prevent blood clots, stroke, and heart attacks. 5. They are a good source of choline. One egg yolk has about 300 micrograms of choline. Choline is an important nutrient that helps regulate the brain, nervous system, and cardiovascular system.

6. They contain the right kind of fat. One egg contains just 5 grams of fat and only 1.5 grams of that is saturated fat.
7. New research shows that, contrary to previous belief, moderate consumption of eggs does not have a negative impact on cholesterol. In fact, recent studies have shown that regular consumption of two eggs per day does not affect a person's lipid profile and may, in fact, improve it. Research suggests that it is saturated fat that raises cholesterol rather than dietary cholesterol.
8. Eggs are one of the only foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D.
9. Eggs may prevent breast cancer. In one study, women who consumed at least 6 eggs per week lowered their risk of breast cancer by 44%.
10. Eggs promote healthy hair and nails because of their high sulphur content and wide array of vitamins and minerals. Many people find their hair growing faster after adding eggs to their diet, especially if they were previously deficient in foods containing sulphur or B12.

Easy the tips on how to lose weight fast

• Cut down on proportion. It makes common sense that the smaller the amount of food you eat, the thinner your waist line will be. This is a fairly gentle way to start for some people, as you do not need to change what you eating style straight away, you need only to cut down on how much. It is a fairly simple thing to acheive just by changing the size of plate you use.

• Drink less alcohol, smoke less. You must have heard by know that alcohol and smoking are both bad for your health. If you haven't done so already, join a support group and quit smoking, people will notice a drastic change in attitude and health. Although excessive alcohol is bad for you, it can be said that a glass of red wine every evening can give your body a good dose of anti-oxidants. Steer clear of sugary cocktails and beer if you want to clear your skin up.

• Cut out white flour and refined sugar. These are a big cause of headaches and migraines, and do the body no good. By substituting your regular white flour to wholemeal options you will enrich your body with essential nutrients and keep it much healthier. Also you will enjoy a richer, fuller taste from brown and whole foods.

• Up your fruit and vegetable intake. Fresh is better. It is very important to remember that fruit and vegetables are key to health, they are especially important to the immune system and skin condition. By eating more fruit and vegetables you can notice clearer skin and a much 'fresher' feeling. Fruits and vegetables also have almost no fat, which will help you to lose weight much faster.

• Drink more water, less coffee. Caffeine is one of the biggest problems with society today, people drink much to much of it. Instead it is much better for your body and nutrition in general to include 8 glasses of pure water everyday in order to flush through your systems.

• Exercise. Taking a half hour walk everyday can dramatically change your metabolism (the rate at which your body burns food) and make you feel much more energetic. It is also recommended to get your heart rate up at least once every day, so engaging in some cardiovascular work is important. But find something you enjoy like swimming or tennis that you will want to keep doing.

• Sleep more. Getting at least 6-8 hours sleep a night is essential to keep the body in good health. It is also important to find your body a routine, as it will respond well to going to sleep at the same time every night and waking up in the morning at the same time. You may find yourself getting more and more tired if you keep changing your sleeping patterns.

• Cut out preservatives and artifical additives. The word 'artificial' should say it all, putting these into your body is not natural and cannot do it any good. Working with what nature provides you will help to keep your body in good balance. It is said by many people that if you cannot read or comprehend what is on the ingredients label then don't buy it. A simpler way to make sure you get nothing artificial is to buy organic produce.

• Make sure you have breakfast. Those who eat breakfast are more likely to have a higher metabolism which burns fat faster than those who skip this important meal. The healthier breakfast options are muesli, porridge and bran flakes, all of which can be served with a very healthy topping of yoghurt and fresh fruit.

• Plan ahead. By planning your meals you can be sure not to pop out for a takeaway or do a fry-up. For those with little time on their hands this can be a great way of ensuring you get a balanced diet also. Try writing a list of things to buy which you enjoy cooking and eating, and then work out what meals you can make from them.

• Chew more. This may sound like something from a teen movie, but if you take smaller bites and chew on your food a lot more, then your body will not suffer so much from having to digest it all, and you will keep burping to a minimum, which is definitely a much more formal way of eating.

Benefits of Healthy Eating