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3 Vegetables That Lower High Blood Pressure

26 Jan

When your doctor tells you that you have a high blood pressure or hypertension, it signals that your health is at risk. Hypertension exposes you to heart diseases and stroke. These two belong to the top three conditions that kill many Americans annually.

How Do You Know That You Have High Blood Pressure?

A simple blood pressure test done by a doctor or nurse will determine if you have high blood pressure or not. Or if you have a device to check it at home, you can do that too. A reading below 120/80 is considered the normal blood pressure.

Once your blood pressure hovers over the 120/80-139/89 level, then you have what is called prehypertension. You don’t have high blood pressure yet, but unless you take steps to lower it, then your chances of having it will increase in the future.

Finally, if you reach the 140/90 level and above, then you already have high blood pressure. You should now take serious steps to normalize it. Otherwise, you run the risk of suffering from heart diseases and stroke, as we mentioned earlier.

How Can You Lower Your Blood Pressure?

Changing your diet is one of the first steps you should take to lower your blood pressure. This is especially the case if you are accustomed to eating foods that are high in fat and cholesterol since these two things contribute a lot to having hypertension.

There’s a diet plan called DASH which stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension”. This diet plan involves eating foods that are low in saturated and total fat, and cholesterol. Also, people under this plan are required to eat whole grains, fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables, among other healthy foods.

Eating Fruits and Vegetables to Combat Hypertension

Eating fruits and vegetables is one of the most effective ways of dealing with high blood pressure. Why? Because these foods are effective in flushing cholesterol out of your system. Aside from that, they do not contain cholesterol. Thus, you don’t add more cholesterol to your body when you eat fruits and vegetables.

Vegetables that are Effective Vs. Hypertension

If you’re looking for vegetables that should be a part of your diet, then refer to the list below.

  1. Spinach – this green leafy vegetable is a rich source of fiber which helps flush out cholesterol from your blood stream. High cholesterol levels contribute to hypertension because it clogs your arteries, making your heart work harder to pump more blood through these narrow arteries.
  2. Sweet potatoes – are also a good source of fiber so always have them on your menu to counter hypertension.
  3. Tomatoes – are rich in potassium. Although the relation between potassium and lower blood pressure is only suggested and not completely established, potassium-rich foods such as tomatoes are still widely considered to prevent hypertension and stroke.

How You can Fight Hypertension Effectively

Of course, it isn’t enough that you just eat healthy in the hopes that it will lower your blood pressure. You should also combine it with regular exercise and healthy living to maximize your chances of putting up a better fight against hypertension.

Eat plenty and different variety of vegetables. Find out how to ensure their freshness and wholesomeness, and how to use them to enhance the quality of food at your table at http://www.thevege.com

 
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Ayurveda – Discover Your Path to Balance and Inner Peace

19 Aug

by Martha Gesegnet

Let’s face it, every where we turn we hear about the negative effects that stress has on our health. But with a few easy steps you can counter the effects of day to day stress and improve your state of mind and well being.

Ayurveda is the oldest healing system of medicine on record, in the world. One healing technique used in Ayurveda is Abhyanga massage.

Abhyanga is the anointing of the body with oil. Often medicated and usually warm, the oil is massaged into the entire body before bathing. For thousands of years people have used abhyanga to maintain health, improve sleep patterns, and increase longevity.

It’s believed that the effects of abhyanga are similar to those received when one is saturated with love. Like the experience of being loved, abhyanga can give a deep feeling of stability and warmth. The technique is slow and subtle, this allows the oil/love to pass through minute channels in the body and penetrate deep layers of tissue. In Ayurveda, it is believed that there are seven layers of tissue in the body. Each successive layer is more concentrated and life giving. For oil/love to reach the deepest layer it is massaged into the body for five minutes.

As day spas have gained in popularity Abhyanga has become more available, without having to visit an Ayurvedic practitioner. But those spas also carry a pretty hefty price tag. Giving yourself this health promoting attention at home takes about 15 minutes.. Considering all the benefits gained from over 5000 years, that seems like a small investment of time.

10 BENEFITS OF ABHYANGA:

  • Produces softness, strength, and color to the body. Decreases the effects of aging
  • Bestows good vision
  • Nourishes the body
  • Increases longevity
  • Improves sleep patterns
  • Benefits skin
  • Strengthens the body’s tolerance, builds immune system
  • Imparts a firmness to the limbs
  • Imparts tone and vigor to the tissues
  • Stimulates the internal organs of the body, including circulation

My clients have reported relief from migraines, back pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and digestive disorders, and insomnia.

For some, it may seem like a challenge to squeeze 15 minutes of self care into their morning routine. Once you begin to experience the benefits, you won’t want to miss it. But, there are also mini versions that you can do when you’re pressed for time The shorter version focuses on the head or feet. This can be done at night before going to bed. (Just put some socks on and a towel on your pillow to keep the oil off your linens).

So grab the sesame oil and starting massing and anointing your way to natural health and vitality.

And now I would like to offer you free access to my report ” 7 Natural Health Tips for Having More Energy”. You can download it by going to http://thenaturalhealthmaven.blogspot.com  For more natural health tips Visit: http://www.theNaturalHealthMaven.com

From Martha Gesegnet RN~~ The Natural Health Maven

 
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Color Contacts Enhance your Vision

08 Jul

By: William Duus

Even though the headline is entirely accurate, color contacts can do more than this. They can strengthen your personality and make you feel more comfortable in various situations. And they can be a good fun!

How to choose the right color contacts?

Firstly, why even choose color contacts over regular contacts in the first place? Well, they can be used by everyone – regardless if you have poor vision or not. If you’re not suffering from any form of vision loss, the lenses have a small opening ensuring they won’t disturb your vision in any way. If you, on the other hand, have poor vision, then simply order colored or novelty contacts with a prescription that will help correct your eye disorder as well as add some extra color and flair into your life.

So, when it comes to colored lenses, it’s a not just matter of correcting your vision, it’s also about taste and appearance. If you’re fashion-conscious, slightly curious, or just playfully stylish, color contacts add that little dose of individualism or flamboyance to your everyday appearance.

Anything else you should know?

The two most commonly available types of color contacts are opaque and tinted. Opaque lenses are perfect for those wanting to change their eye color completely, while tinted contacts keep a portion of your natural color in place, thus allowing those with lighter eyes to enhance their eye color.
Remember, just as with regular contact lenses, colored contacts require strict maintenance and cleaning. This is extremely important to remember each and every day as the risk of infection can be serious of cleaning is overlooked. Have a look at this recent article on CNN Money about the FDA panel wanting stricter labeling and testing standards for contact lens solutions – apparently 80% of all the problems with contact lenses result from users not following the instructions properly. Keep that in mind when purchasing any contact lenses in the future!

 
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10 Least Effective Exercises to Avoid

11 Jun

By Ed Ferrell

They are inefficient, have a high risk of injury and provide practically no benefit for the time and effort expended on them.So why do we do them? Because we are looking for the quick and easy solution to our problems and “trouble spots”. Unfortunately, that leads to a lot of wasted time at the gym that could have been put to better use to actually reach your fitness goals.

A basic rule of exercise that tends to get ignored is: “if you work a muscle, it will get bigger, not smaller”. Ask any bodybuilder how he gets his muscles so big and he will tell you he works them a lot and he works them hard. So how could some exercises magically do the opposite, and reduce the areas they work? Well, they can’t. But, ask the guy on the ab bench doing 100+ sit-ups, or the ladies on the inner/outer thigh machines what they are doing, and they’ll say they are reducing those areas.

Sorry, but there is no machine or exercise that can “spot reduce” a specific area. You reduce by burning calories, not by working a certain muscle. So stop wasting your time on ineffective exercises, and start a good solid exercise program with proper cardio exercise, resistance training and nutrition.

So, here it is. A list of 10 exercises that I consider to be the most ineffective time wasters of all.

1. Hip Adductor Machine: (inner thighs) In this machine, you sit with your legs spread apart and place the inner part of your thigh against a pad. You then push your legs together. The goal here is to reduce your inner thighs. This exercise will not do that. And, it trains the inner thigh muscles while your hips are in a flexed position (seated). You would never do this movement in daily life.

2. Hip Abductor Machine: (outer thighs) The abductor machine is the opposite of the adductor. Here, you sit in the machine with your legs together and place the outer part of your legs against a pad. You then push your legs apart, in the hopes of reducing your outer thigh. The muscles pushing the legs outward accomplishes very little for the outer thigh. Again, the seated position is very unnatural for this motion.

3. Seated Rotation Machine, Standing or Bent-Over Twist: Ever see someone in the gym with a broomstick on their shoulders twisting endlessly from left to right, thinking that twisting for hundreds of reps will shrink their waist and get rid of those love handles? While this may be an effective warm up exercise, it provides no slimming effect. Done incorrectly, it stresses the spinal erectors and ligaments. And the seated rotation machines are downright dangerous. You’ll see people twisting left and right on these machines for hundreds of repetitions. It does nothing to shrink the waist, but it can place a great deal of torque on the lower spine.

4. Upright Rows: For this exercise, a barbell is grasped with the hands a few inches apart, palms facing the body. Standing in an upright position, the bar is pulled straight up to the chin. The objective is to strengthen the deltoid and upper trapezius muscles (shoulders and back at the base of the neck). But, this motion places far too much stress in the wrists and the very sensitive rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder and can easily cause injury.

5. Side Bends: Grasping dumbbells and bending side to side hoping those love handles will shrink away is another time waster, and this exercise can put undue stress on the lower back. The only thing that’s going to reduce those love handles, or any other trouble spot, is reducing overall body fat through cardio exercise, resistance training and good nutrition.

6. Behind The Neck Lat Pulldowns: This cable pulldown movement, or any behind the neck movement, puts unnecessary stress on the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulders. The impingement caused by this movement can easily cause damage to the shoulder joint over time.

7. Shoulder Press Behind Neck: Lifting an object overhead from behind the neck isn’t an everyday (functional) movement. It is a very unstable position, and can easily lead to pain in the shoulder and major rotator cuff injuries. The shoulder joint is extremely complex and easily prone to injuries from this kind of movement.

8. Straight Legged Sit Ups and Laying Leg Raises: These exercises put a lot of stress on the lower spine, and the jerky movement that is usually required to lift the torso or legs from the floor can result in injury. It is very difficult to stabilize the lower back during these movements.

9. Any Abdominal Machine: Most ab machines allow you to cheat with your legs, arms and shoulders. They make it very hard to get a good ab workout. If your arms, shoulders or hips flex during the exercise, you will not be working your abs properly. Crunches on a Swiss ball or “bicycle” crunches on the floor are probably the best ab exercises, but it is important to use the proper form or they are not very effective either.

10. Cardio Exercise for More than 45 Minutes: Your cardio should generally have you working between 65 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. As your conditioning improves, work towards the 85% mark. If you are performing cardio for more than 45 minutes at this level of intensity, you are probably going to begin losing muscle mass. And that is the last thing you want to do. You want that muscle around to burn calories.

So, spend your time getting the maximum results from your exercises. And remember, don’t waste your time trying to spot reduce a trouble spot. Do the most efficient exercises that will strengthen and tone all areas of your body. Then, let the combination of proper nutrition, cardio exercise and resistance training burn away that unwanted fat.

Ed Ferrell is a certified personal trainer and owner of Fitness Together in Temecula, CA. Fitness Together provides one-on-one personal training in private workout suites, and complete nutritional programs based on each client’s unique goals. If you are in the Temecula area, visit http://www.fttemecula.com to schedule a FREE personal training session and fitness assessment.

 
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Know Your Yoga

29 Oct

By Jennifer Wasilewski

Yoga is quickly becoming one of the most popular fitness activities in the world and it’s not a surprise. Yoga is a great way to maintain your physical, mental, and spiritual health. While there are several types of yoga in existence today, western society generally focuses on three types. These types of yoga are generally the ones that you will find in wellness centers, gyms, and other places that focus on physical, mental, and spiritual well being. Below you will find these three types of yoga listed by degree of complexity, starting with the easiest and ending with the more complicated. Decide which type of best for you and start there. Eventually you will be able to work your way to more complicated yoga traditions.

  • Hatha Yoga:The best place to start is obviously the beginning which makes Hatha yoga the most popular place to begin your yoga experience. Hatha yoga is the most basic form of yoga and acts as a foundation for the more complex types that you may encounter if you delve deeper into the world of yoga wellness. Hatha yoga incorporates postures or poses (Asanas), breathing regulation (Pranayama), and meditation (Dhyana and Dharana). The combination of these focus points results in an excellent way to maintain your physical health while working to eliminate or cope with everyday stress. As you progress through Hatha yoga your goal should be to execute positions in a slow, serious, graceful, and meaningful manner. The overall effect of this type of yoga should be to relax, therefore, it’s not necessary to overexert or physically exhaust yourself during your session.
  • Ashtanga Yoga:Ashtanga Yoga is a more challenging type of yoga and is meant for those who are experienced in yoga practices. While Hatha yoga focuses on relaxing the body through a combination of poses, breathing, and reflection, Ashtanga yoga focuses on raising the heart rate and is ultimately more physically challenging. Ashtanga yoga is achieved by combining synchronized breathing with a succession of physically taxing poses or postures. These things combined raise the internal temperature of your body causing you to sweat. If is believe that this sweat cleanses your organs and muscles while improving your flexibility, circulation, and stamina.
  • Power Yoga:Power yoga is basically the westernized version of Ashtanga Yoga. While the general concept is the same, the session is accompanied by physically demanding activities not generally associated with yoga practices. For example, it is very common to find push-ups, toe touches, and various other forms of aerobic movement during Power Yoga sessions. Because of the heavy influence of aerobics, power yoga is a lot similar to a well choreographed exercise routine with one movement leading into the next and so on. It the most simplistic terms, power yoga is a combination of yoga and aerobic exercises resulting in a form of yoga that is physically demanding workout more so than a relaxing slow paced experience.

What You Should Know

  • Yoga is a personal journey. Regardless of what type of yoga you choose, it’s important to work at your own pace. The goal of the experience is to improve your physical, mental, and spiritual health. This cannot be achieved if you are in pain, feel inadequate, or are pushing yourself too far too fast.
  • It is a general rule to attend yoga in a empty of almost empty stomach. You will feel better partaking in the yoga experience with only juice, tea, or coffee in your stomach. Anything extra may result in the inability to fully execute postures.
  • Yoga requires a lot of movement and therefore you should always wear loose fitting clothing that allows you complete flexibility. There are several clothing lines that make apparel for yoga, but a jogging suit or leggings and a t-shirt will work just fine.
  • While you may choose to wear socks to your to your class, it’s generally advised that you don’t wear them during your session. Some postures require a great deal of balance and socks can cause you to slip and lose traction while executing your poses.
  • As with any exercise regime it’s recommended you don’t’ wear jewelry and that you tie long hair back.
  • If you experience any medical problems that may prevent you from benefiting from the yoga experience you may want to speak to your physician before attending classes.

    • For more quality exercise equipment visit AWMA. AWMA is the leading distributor of martial arts supplies, boxing equipment and exercising equipment. They have offer quality martial arts sparing gear, and wholesale karate uniforms.

     
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