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With the onset of winter, senior citizens should take special care of their health, given the cold winter conditions. For instance, research reveals that every year several senior citizens die from conditions of hypothermia and from exposure to cold. This happens because as we start aging our bodies become less resistant to cold weather and thus the slightest dip in temperature causes our elders to get coughs and colds.

1. Checking winter appliances – It is very important to check if all furnaces and heaters in the home of a senior citizen are working effectively. This should be checked before winter approaches. Try to ensure that the thermostat is working well and that it is set at the right temperature so that you are comfortable at home.

2. Medical monitoring service – Winter is the time when the chances of slipping and falling on ice are the highest. The situation is even worse if no one is home to help you out. The outcome of such a fall and any resultant injury can be extremely serious and can also cause death. Senior citizens who are living alone should always have a medical monitoring device, also known as a personal emergency system, which can help them out in times of crisis.

3. Outdoor activities – It might be tempting to venture out in the snow, but senior citizens should try to restrict themselves when it is extremely chilly outside. Their chances of catching colds and other viral infections are high; thus, it is better to keep away from the cold weather as much as possible. If elders are keen enough to venture out, let them have a stroll outdoors towards noon or before the sun sets. This is the time that is considered to be the least chilly and could be moderately safe for elders.

4. Control of diet – Winter is a time when we tend to suffer from digestion and stomach related problems. The only reason for such problems is that we tend to eat more and move less because the chilly weather encourages us to stay cuddled together in one place. This means that the metabolic activities of our body are reduced, which can slow down our digestive system. The same happens with the elderly, who already suffer from age-related digestive problems. Hence, in order to stay healthy and fit during the winter, it is best to eat little and avoid foods that can form gas and lead to indigestion.

5. Light exercises – Senior citizens need to exercise moderately in the winter. Just a slow, thirty-minute walk every day can be good for the body. However, you need to ensure that while out on such walks or outdoor activities, seniors are well protected from the outside chill. Just as children need layers of clothing, senior citizens need one additional layer over what youngsters need, because immunity levels start falling with age.

Senior citizens just need a little bit of extra care in the winter so that they can spend quality time with their grandchildren. If you have elders at home, help them to stay fit during the winter months and make them feel happy and wanted – nothing can be better than a healthy body and a happy mind

Many women’s lifestyle magazines frustrate us by providing exercise regimens for work and then adding: “You can do this exercise in your office!” What about those of us who work in a cube or other small space (with no floor space for Pilates-style stretches) that’s not very private (do you really want your boss to wander by right when you’re doing jumping jacks?). Even if you are cube-confined, you can maintain your health in a cube.

Make A “Health” Drawer

Your filing spaces are your friends. Most cubes have lots of little drawers. Make one of them a “health” drawer. Add a ziplock bag or two with healthy non-perishable snacks in it (maybe dried veggies), a few bags of herbal, non-caffeinated tea (switch over from coffee midday to help you sleep better at night), and a travel-size hand-sanitizing gel for use regularly when there’s a cold going around the office (did you know most colds are transmitted through shared objects like doorknobs?). A decorative canvas bag can store an extra pair of athletic shoes in case you can take a 10 minute walk or stretch break over lunch.

Get Blood Back To Your Brain:

Pop goes the weasel. When you sit in a cube in front of a computer or on the phone for hours at a time, gravity pulls your blood towards your feet. It pools in your feet, ankles, and fanny; if you’re ever noticed your feet looking puffy towards the end of the day, the puffiness may be a side-effect of having blood spending so much time down there! Our arm and leg muscles function as “pumps” to get blood back to the heart.

While you could just do jumping jacks to get the blood flowing back upwards, there are less noticeable ways to get blood moving: If you’ve got a shelf in your high in your cube, keep daily useables (paperclips, stapler) there; getting up regularly will remind you to stretch. While standing lift your legs up at the knee, one at a time, to help get blood flowing. One enterprising woman kept a postcard pinned up towards the very top of her cube wall – and kept an ever-growing collection of postcards that she exchanged every day in the afternoon. The new postcard each day perked her up, and it gave her a reminder to get up and stretch several times a day.

Muscular injury is common in the desk-job world. The Center for Disease Control reports that 92,576 injuries resulted from repetitive motion, including typing or key entry. Make sure to take breaks from the keyboard at least once an hour. Use a wrist support at your computer when you are typing or browsing, Your forearm, wrist, and hand should be on a level, not making a V. The Harvard RSI action group suggests some exercises to help prevent repetitive stress injuries (http://www.rsi.deas.harvard.edu/). If you spend a lot of time on the phone and can’t use a speaker phone, don’t hold the phone by crunching your shoulder against your ear. Instead, invest in or ask for a headset or shoulder support for your receiver.

Drink Plenty Of Water:

Drinking water is very important. It can help you recover from a cold more quickly (though it doesn’t “cure” it), replenish lost fluids after exercise, and assist in weight loss (many people think they are hungry when they are actually thirsty, so make sure to take a drink before diving for the candy machine). Keep a four-cup bottle or thermos near the computer and replenish daily. Don’t overdo though – excess water can dilute important minerals and vitamins in your blood stream.

Make Sure To Take Your Vitamins & Other Pills:

Pill reminders. Do you need regularly forget to take vitamins because you’re busy? Find an attractive, desk-top container to put the bottle in – a decorative flower pot is one option. Something attractive and eye catching will remind you it’s there. This can also work for daily medications, but keep in mind that some medications can be toxic to others or have street-value (many prescribed pain killers), so these are medications that should stay with you, rather than your desk.

American Council on Exercise, “How much water is too much?,” 2005

Center for Disease Control, “Repetitive Stress/Strain Injuries,” http://www.cdc.gov/od/ohs/Ergonomics/Ergohome.htm

Tyrrell, D., Fielder, M. , Cold Wars: The Fight against the Common Cold,
Oxford University Press, 2003

Here are some health tips you might find useful. I myself have survived a serious health problem and not just survived it but emerged from it at the age of 58 in the best health I have ever enjoyed.

DAILY EXERCISE:
Lots of walking/running/cycling. Bodies like to be worked so work yours. Just bear in mind a gradient approach and don’t over-tax it.

STRESS:
Human beings are tough creatures so I’m not over-keen to play the “stress” card. A busy, active, responsible life with a few thrills and spills is recommended. But get sufficient rest and sleep and give yourself some down time. Take a walk and get yourself some space. As well as ensuring you get sufficient rest, get sufficient WHOLESOME food food and liquids. Read the rest of this entry »

Christmas and good health may not seem to go together particularly well, so you need to pay extra attention, if you want to stay illness-free this December. Here are 5 tips for staying healthy this Christmas.

1. Reduce stress

Stress is one of the biggest health worries at this time of the year as you try to juggle your finances and plan a feast for your family.

Try to plan your budget and work out what you can afford.

If it’s a bit tight, don’t feel pressured to overspend on anything and tell your friends and family that you’re cutting back this year. They’ll understand, they may even feel relieved!

2. Get some exercise

We know winter is dark and gloomy, but getting even the smallest amount of exercise will make you feel so much better. It’s a brilliant way of relieving stress and boosting your energy, which means you will be mentally and physically prepared for when the relatives arrive!

A brisk walk is the easiest way, but if you prefer indoor exercise, why not spend 30 minutes swimming up and down your local pool – it works your whole body and is very low-impact, meaning it’s less likely to put strain on your joints.

Of course, you may well be going to a Christmas party which is actually a great place to get some exercise. When the DJ sticks on Abba’s Dancing Queen, make an effort to dance – it’s a surprisingly easy way to get some exercise (and all the time you’re dancing, you’re not drinking!)

Oh, and as it’s Christmas, remember, even shopping is exercise (as long as you’re not sitting in front of a computer doing it!).

3. Down a smoothie

This is the time of the year, when many of us feel stretched pretty thin. When you’re too busy or frazzled from the night before to eat properly, or even need a quick pick-me-up, then a smoothie is the quickest and healthiest way to get goodness inside you.

Try an Innocent Superfoods Detox smoothie (1l, ?4 approx) – it’s packed with potassium, which helps lower blood pressure and reduce strokes, and Vitamin E, which fights heart disease and bad cholesterol. A 250ml glass will give you the same amount of immune-boosting antioxidants as are in five portions of fruit and veg.

4. Help your hangover

No-one enjoys a hangover. They’re nature’s way of telling you what a great time you’ve had, but they also tell you how many essential vitamins your body has lost.

Surprisingly, even though it’s the last thing many of us want to eat with a fuzzy head, a Christmas dinner is good to eat, because it’s full of the vitamins needed to cure a hangover.

Turkey is a great source of vitamin B, which is vital for your nervous system and stopping you feeling queasy. Potatoes have more Vitamin C than a glass of orange juice, which is important, because it helps the liver to break down the alcohol. And green veg like broccoli and Brussels sprouts contain Vitamin E which detoxes the body.

If that sounds like too much hard work, gobble down a ripe banana. It contains a natural antacid to help your stomach, magnesium to ease your headache and sugar to top up your liver’s natural sugar stores and lose that light-headed feeling.

5. Get some sleep

We know Christmas is all about having fun, eating and drinking, but research has shown that missing out on sleep could lead to a cold or other seasonal snuffle.

Your body and brain recharge when you’re under the covers and also fight off infections. Try drinking a warm, milky drink before bed, and, if you’ve been up or out partying, make sure you give yourself time to wind down and switch off before jumping into bed.

Herbs and spices are very good remedies which have very good capabilities to respond human body. By including spices and herbs in our daily food we can keep away illness at par and ensure healthy life through out. Herbs and spices are capable to impart fragrance and taste to our food items. Since, they have got medicinal properties these goodness also will be absorbed by our body tissues and help to develop healthy body. Their enchanting fragrance and spicy taste are well enough to develop very good environments both physically and mentally. The dishes and foods preparing by these herbs and spices have got very good nutritive value in addition to excellent taste and fragrance.

Cumin is one of the spices we usually use in our dishes. This is an ancient spice and some references regarding it have been made in the bible also. The botanical name of cumin is Cumin Cyminium. With out cumin we cannot prepare any food in our daily life. It is well known for its curative properties. Cumin has peppery flavor and can be used both medicinally and cosmetically. Cumin is a good source of iron and is suitable to increase the hemoglobin content in blood.

Ginger is the other herb which we cannot avoid in any way. With out ginger we cannot prepare any dishes in our kitchen. It is well known for its curative properties and bitter fragrance. The juice of ginger can be crystallized and use afterwards. The juice of ginger will not interact with other medicines or foods we usually consume. Hence, as a medicine the application of ginger is considered as too safe.

Clove is the other spice which we commonly use as medicine. Its medicinal property has remarkable ability to cure aches and pain in our body. Hence clove oil is commonly used to control teeth aches.

In this way herbs and spices have remarkable roles in developing healthy life.

Are you finding that you are overwhelmed with the flood of health information about intensive workouts or diets? Improving your health does not have to involve going on a diet and an intense workout at the gym. You can make just small changes with certain lifestyle decisions throughout the day that can have a huge impact on your overall health status.

5 steps increase your overall health:

1. Drink more water. Your body is mostly water so what do you think your cells are mostly composed of? Water! If you give your body what it needs, imagine how your body will feel! This change alone can play a huge role in your health and well-being. Drinking water instead of soda or fruit drinks may increase your energy level, increase your feelings of being full which can decrease your calorie intake, decrease headaches, increase ability to sleep, and decrease sugar cravings.

2. Experiment with new fruits and vegetables. There are so many different fruits and vegetables to choose from that there is no way possible that you could get bored with all the different tastes and combinations you can make with what is available. Check out your local farmers market for produce that is locally grown meaning they have traveled less food miles. Recent studies have shown that as produce travels longer distances, it loses its nutrient value. So get the best nutrition for your buck and buy from farmers markets. Eating more fruits and vegetables can help with weight loss, increase energy, and feeling full faster and longer than with processed foods.

3. Increase your physical activity. This does not mean you have to join a gym and start an intense workout! Little changes throughout the day can benefit your health in dramatic ways. Activities such as going for a walk, playing outside with your kids, dancing, taking the stairs instead of the elevator can all count for physical activity. Even housework counts! Getting physical activity can increase your energy level, increase your desire for healthier eating, and increase your ability to sleep at night. So get moving!

4. Find enjoyment in your work. Is your career lined up with your passions, goals, and values? If not, it might be a great time to find something you enjoy doing. There are so many ways to work in this day that you can find a way to earn money doing what you love! Wouldn’t it be great to love what you are doing and get up in the morning excited about your work? By finding enjoyment in your work you can decrease your stress, decrease you blood pressure, increase your overall energy level, and love life! What is your passion!

5. Take time to unwind and relax! We all have stressors in our lives that can affect the body with many physical problems. So stress management is vital! By dealing with stress appropriately you can decrease blood pressure, re-energize, increase ability to sleep, and help you deal with what life brings to you! So, take a bath, a walk, do yoga or meditation, laugh!

Do something great for your health! These 5 things will all add to an overall sense of well-being that can translate to all areas of your life! Here’s to your health!

Health

Your health should be the number one priority in your life. Health is the general condition of a person in all aspects. It is also a level of functional and/or metabolic efficiency of an organism, often implicitly human. The physical environment is perhaps the most important factor that should be considered when classifying the health status of an individual. This includes factors such as clean water and air, safe houses, communities and roads all contribute to good health.

Jogging:

For heart health, the benefits of jogging is no need to be doubted. However, to reduce fat and weight, it is not effective. Why is hard to loose weight by jogging?

Here is an explanation of why a body remain fat despite jogging every day.

Constant movement during jogging including aerobic activity can strengthen the heart and respiratory muscles. The impact on health is that breathing becomes more healthy and cardiac pressure will go down so that the risk of hypertension decreases.

However, to burn fat, jogging is less effective. The body will only process the fat into energy if the calories needs obtained from sugar and carbohydrates are not sufficient.

One way to reduce fat is through exercise. Jogging is an exercise which requires lots of energy, so many people do it with the expectation of energy reserves in the form of fat will burned more efficiently. In fact, some people fail to lose weight despite jogging every day.

“The body is like the best machine that constantly adapts to anything. The more often you jog, the body will be more prepared for the next jog.”

Jogging which is done frequently will only cause energy metabolism becomes more efficient. Adaptation which is performed by the body reduce the energy needed so not a lot of calories are burned.

Besides not being effective in loosing weight, jogging is also not good for your joints. When you jog, the joints will have to take 2.5 times the weight so vulnerable to injury.

The joints which are most prone to acute pain attack due to jogging, are the ankles and the knees. If often experience repeated pressure, these joints wear out faster.

Jogging is always considered as an exercise that can increase your metabolism and effective for weight loss.

5 Signs of a Healthy Heart:

If your heart stops beating for just a few minutes, followed by the stop of blood circulation, than your valuable life will end. That is why the prevention of heart disease and blood vessels are very important and highly stressed. Generally there are five vital signs of a healthy heart, which are:

1. Cholesterol

Pretend that the LDL or bad cholesterol is a fire and HDL or good cholesterol as a fireman. “A good firefighter is usually able to prevent long term damage.”

The higher the HDL cholesterol level, the lower the risk of ateroklerosis occurrence. For healthy heart, the bad cholesterol’s target is no more than 130 mg / dl and HDL should be higher than 40 mg / dl. HDL cholesterol levels tend to increase with exercise, lose weight, and eating lots of fiber

2. Blood pressure

If left unchecked in recent years, high blood pressure can damage arteries throughout the body so that the blood vessel wall will be thickened and rigid and clogged so blood flow to vital organs are blocked. Optimal blood pressure are lower than 120/80 mmHg.

Variation of various foods with different combination’s of the right nutrients will be beneficial to blood pressure. Various studies have also shown an effective stress reduction also lowers blood pressure. Spanish researchers say, the consumption of aspirin every day also decreased the systolic pressure of 6.8 mmHg and 4.6 mmHg diastolic pressure.

3. Heartbeat

Life is not in your hands, but in your heart. Knowing the number of heartbeats per minute (resting heart rate) is one way to predict the age. In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine stated, a man who has a resting heart rate above 75 beats per minute (bpm) have three times greater risk of heart attack. Normal pulse is 65 bpm.

“When you do a cardio workout with low intensity and add a high intensity every two weeks, the heart rate per minute will be reduced.” Do exercise at least 30 minutes with 60-80 percent of the maximum amount of heart rate.

4. Fasting blood sugar

Fasting blood sugar levels is a sign of whether there is any risk of diabetes. The higher your blood sugar levels, the greater the risk of developing diabetes. “People with diabetes have a greater risk of heart disease, kidney, and eye disorders.”

To reduce levels of fasting blood sugar, we need to increase the body’s ability to use blood sugar, or in other words to increase insulin sensitivity. The best way to achieve this is to reduce weight.

5. C-reactive protein

C-reactive proteins or CRP is a plasma protein produced by the liver in response to infection, injury, and inflammatory processes. High levels of CRP indicate inflammation in the body. Because heart disease is due to inflammation in the arterial wall, CRP can be used as a common marker of heart disease risk.

Elevated levels of CRP are usually accompanied by increased cholesterol. A high CRP level, more than 1 milligram per liter, also associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. CRP measurement is done by taking blood from the elbow or the back of your palms.

To Improve Sleep:

1. Sprinkle just-washed sheets and pillowcases with lavender water. The scent has been shown in studies to promote relaxation, which can lead to better sleep.

2. Buy a new pillow. Katz says that studies show that pillows with an indent in the center can enhance sleep quality and reduce neck pain. Also, try a “cool” pillow — one containing either all-natural fibers or a combination of sodium sulfate and ceramic fibers that help keep your head cool.

3. Eat a handful of walnuts before bed. You’ll be giving yourself a boost of fiber and essential fatty acids along with the amino acid tryptophan — a natural sleep-inducer.

To Improve Stress Control:

1. Give your partner a hug every day before work. Studies show this simple act can help you remain calm when chaos ensues during your day, Katz says.

2. Have a good cry. It can boost your immune system, reduce levels of stress hormones, eliminate depression, and help you think more clearly.

3. Twice a day, breathe deeply for three to five minutes

To Improve Nutrition:

1. Buy whole foods — whether canned, frozen, or fresh from the farm — and use them in place of processed foods whenever possible.

2. Reject foods and drinks made with corn syrup, a calorie-dense, nutritionally empty sweetener that many believe is worse for the body than sugar, says Katz.

3. Start each dinner with a mixed green salad. Not only will it help reduce your appetite for more caloric foods, but it also will automatically add veggies to your meal.

To Improve Physical Fitness:

1. Do a squat every time you pick something up. Instead of bending over in the usual way, which stresses the lower back, bend your knees and squat. This forces you to use your leg muscles and will build strength.

2. Every time you stop at a traffic light (or the bus does), tighten your thighs and butt muscles and release as many times as you can. (Don’t worry, no one will see it!) This will firm leg and buttock muscles, improve blood flow — and keep you mildly amused!

3. Whenever you’re standing on a line, lift one foot a half-inch off the ground. The extra stress on your opposite foot, ankle, calf and thigh, plus your buttocks, will help firm and tone muscles. Switch feet every few minutes.

It is important to take full advantage of the services from your service provider. Most insured individuals are not even aware of the additional services that go along with their current insurance policy. The majority of insured individuals believe that they only get what they pay for. But this isn’t the whole truth for most medical insurance plans. For most individuals that are insured, there are classes, information and a number of other great benefits that come with no additional costs within their insurance plan.

One of the most unknown benefits that come with most insurance plans are free classes. Wellness classes such as CPR or First Aid classes are covered through most insurance plans. This is beneficial to someone who may need to take this course for personal reasons or for professional reasons. These type of classes can turn out to be really expensive. Furthermore, with the state of today’s economy, many people can not afford to come out of pocket for classes. Knowing that your medical insurance plan covers certain classes can end up saving what’s in an individuals pocket.

Most individuals who are insured medically are also not aware or do not care to pay attention to the written information that may receive regularly from their insurance provider. It is important to stay informed! Reading member newsletters and other types of related written information can be viewed as the foundation for maintaining a healthy life. For example, a monthly newsletter from an individuals insurance provider can provide information regarding a certain medical problem that an individual experiences. That information may also provide research as to what can prevent the medical problem. If an individual openly refers to this message for relief, her medical problem may be cured. Other good resources can be found on the internet as well. There are countless resources for individuals that are medically insured.

It’s important to take health and wellness seriously. An individual should take their health and wellness as a priority. An example of an individual making their health and wellness a priority is by following preventative recommendations from a doctor or a medical insurance provider. A person should also look at other tools such as the internet and programs to help them get to their health goal.

Finally, most individuals are not aware of their flexible spending account. A flexible spending account is also known as a health savings account or a health reimbursement arrangement. Most individuals acquire this plan through their employer. A Flexible Spending Account works by depositing a similar or identical cost to what an individual spends for their healthcare costs. The individual has to remember to use the remaining money before January.

To get the most out of the money that you spend on your health insurance, an individual should pay attention to the free assistance that their medical insurance providers cover. Some of the most popular no cost features that most insurers provide are free classes, informational packets and newsletters. Moreover there are other available resources outside of medical insurers that benefit an insured individual. Flexible spending accounts plays an example of no cost resources.

Have you been working lately? Do you love your work? Do you find it hard to balance your work and family? Do you need a break?

Research has proved that working women have extra nutritional needs. Women who have full-time jobs and have a family are always under pressure of staying ahead of the game in a competitive work environment and trying to balance home and office and do well at both.

Does your husband lend you a hand in doing household activities or looking after children? It helps.

Some diseases like anxiety, depression, osteoporosis are more common in women.
Health Tips:

#1 You need a balanced diet containing enough vitamins and minerals as well. It improves your mental performance and your immunity which helps fight diseases.

#2 Drink a lot of water. Fresh fruit juices (without added sugar) are good too. Avoid fizzy drinks.

#3 Exercise regularly. You can go for jogging, cycling or even a walk. It helps ward off heart diseases and decrease stress and anxiety.

#4 Use the stairs instead of the elevator at the office or park your car few meters away from your workplace.

#5 Always take a break. Do not burden yourself with extra work. Take time to relax. Make a schedule.

#6 Planning is essential. Plan your week with priorities.

#7 Go for regular health checkups. Make sure your blood pressure and cholesterol are within normal limits.

#8 Sleep well at night. At least 8 hours of sleep is essential. It will keep you fresh the next day.

The strength that working women have is a wonder. However, you should know when to draw the line and take a break. You can take a vacation, travel or simply relax by chatting with friends.