Cold-Weather Exercise Tips

Just because the temperature on the thermometer dips doesn’t mean you have to avoid all outdoor exercise. Running, walking, skating, skiing and snowboarding are outdoor sports that you can enjoy in the winter – with a few precautions.

First, choose your workout time carefully. Exercising during daylight hours will help you see icy patches more easily, and drivers and other exercisers will be able to see you more easily, too. If you exercise after dark, wear reflective strips and light-colored clothing for better visibility.

Before heading outdoors, suit up properly. Layers are best for trapping body heat, and a hat should be a part of your exercise attire because much of the body’s heat is lost through the head. But be careful not to overdo it – you can actually become overheated from wearing too much clothing. Don’t forget warm socks and gloves.

Whether you’re snowshoeing or running, shoes with adequate traction are important so you don’t lose your balance and risk injury. And don’t forget a scarf or face mask to warm the air before you breathe it, especially if you suffer from respiratory problems such as asthma.

Did you think dehydration was only a problem in the warm, summer months? Adequate fluids are also important in cold weather because they help your body regulate heat, so make sure to drink plenty of water (not caffeine or alcohol) before exercising outdoors.

If you’ve overstayed your welcome in the elements, you may be at risk for hypothermia or frostbite. Symptoms such as pain, burning, numbness, tingling, skin turning hard and white or shiny and grayish-yellow or skin that’s peeling or blistering are signs of frostbite. Symptoms such as shivering, confusion, numbness or muscle stiffness are signs of hypothermia. In either case, find a dry, warm place to recover and seek medical treatment right away.

How to be as fit as possible - only for KIDS !!

There’s a lot of discussion these days about fit kids. People who care (parents, doctors, teachers, and others) want to know how to help kids be more fit.

Being fit is a way of saying a person eats well, gets a lot of physical activity (exercise), and has a healthy weight. If you’re fit, your body works well, feels good, and can do all the things you want to do, like run around with your friends.

Some steps only parents can take — such as serving healthy meals or deciding to take the family on a nature hike. But kids can take charge, too, when it comes to health.

Here are five rules to live by, if you’re a kid who wants to be fit. The trick is to follow these rules most of the time, knowing that some days (like your birthday) might call for cake and ice cream.

Eat a Variety of Foods, Especially Fruits and Vegetables

You may have a favorite food, but the best choice is to eat a variety. If you eat different foods, you’re more likely to get the nutrients your body needs. Taste new foods and old ones you haven’t tried for a while. Some foods, such as green veggies, are more pleasing the older you get. Shoot for at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day — two fruits and three vegetables.

Here’s one combination that might work for you:

at breakfast: ½ cup (about 4 large) strawberries on your cereal

with lunch: 6 baby carrots

for a snack: an apple

with dinner: ½ cup broccoli (about 2 big spears) and 1 cup of salad

Drink Water and Milk Most Often

When you’re really thirsty, cold water is the No. 1 thirst-quencher. And there’s a reason your school cafeteria offers cartons of milk. Kids need calcium to build strong bones, and milk is a great source of this mineral. How much do kids need? If you are younger than 9 years old, drink 2 cups of milk a day, or its equivalent. Aim for 3 cups of milk per day, or its equivalent. You can mix it up by having milk and some other calcium-rich dairy foods. Here’s one combination:

2 cups (about half a liter) of low-fat or nonfat milk

1 slice cheddar cheese

½ cup (small container) of yogurt

You probably will want something other than milk or water once in a while, so it’s OK to have 100% juice, too. But try to limit sugary drinks, like sodas, juice cocktails, and fruit punches. They contain a lot of added sugar. Sugar just adds calories, not important nutrients.

Listen to Your Body

What does it feel like to be full? When you’re eating, notice how your body feels and when your stomach feels comfortably full. Sometimes, people eat too much because they don’t notice when they need to stop eating. Eating too much can make you feel uncomfortable and, over a period of time, can lead to unhealthy weight gain.

Limit Screen Time

What’s screen time? It’s the amount of time you spend watching TV or DVDs, playing video games (console systems or handheld games), and using the computer. The more time you spend on these sitting-down activities, the less time available for active stuff, like basketball, bike riding, and swimming. Try to spend no more than 2 hours a day on screen time, not counting computer use related to school.

Be Active

One job you have as a kid — and it’s a fun one — is that you get to figure out which activities you like best. Not everyone loves baseball or soccer. Maybe your passion is karate, or kickball, or dancing. Ask your parents to help you do your favorite activities regularly. Find ways to be active every day. You might even write down a list of fun stuff to do, so you can refer to it when your mom or dad says it’s time to stop watching TV or playing computer games!

Speaking of parents, they can be a big help if you want to be a fit kid. For instance, they can stock the house with healthy foods and plan physical activities for the family. Tell your parents about these five steps you want to take and maybe you can teach them a thing or two. If you’re a fit kid, why shouldn’t you have a fit mom and a fit dad?

Lifestyle changes for fit health

Hi Readers,

Did you know that, alongside visiting the gym, there are other changes you can make to improve your health, fitness, weight-loss and general well being?

Below are the things, we recommend :

CHANGING YOUR DIET

To Lose Weight you need to have a calorific deficit, by burning more calories than you consume, or reducing calories. If you are unsure of the calories in your diet, please visit: www.myfitnesspal.com.

Determine your optimal calorific intake by downloading the FitBit app or scan the QR code (left) for MyFitnessPal app; these apps track your diet and exercise

Make sure you drink plenty of water, reduce the amount of fizzy drinks, wine, beer, and (unless told otherwise by your doctor or dietician) your intake of refined carbohydrate foods: white bread, white rice, white flour, pasta etc.

MAKING EVERYDAY LIFESTYLE CHANGES

Simple changes to your routine can increase your daily amount of steps. 

Try walking instead of driving; taking the stairs instead of the lift; if you drive, park further away than you normally would; if you  catch the bus, get off one-stop earlier; collect your own printing from the printer or photocopier at work etc.

General tasks involve exercise; cleaning, DIY work, walking the dog, doing gardening - it all helps

ALLOWING YOUR BODY TIME TO RECOVER

Did you know muscle growth takes place during sleep?

Quality rest and relaxation is essential for many other key bodily functions.

Recovery is also important for your mental health and wellbeing, as you put your mind and body under higher stress when you exercise.

Alternatively, if you want to try an active recovery session, why not join in Yoga or Pilates class?

Swimming also provides a low-impact active recovery.

How to get the most from your time in the GYM?

Set yourself a realistic, structured, target-orientated plan - you will feel a sense of achievement when you hit your targets and see progress.

When bodybuilding, to gain muscle, it is always better for you to increase the amounts of reps, sets or/ and weights you undertake on a weekly basis

What causes "dry eye"? in Senior Health

Question: 

"I am having trouble with my corneas again. I have scratches on them. I have really blurry vision like I have to get within about 5 or less inches of the computer screen to read it. 

I am wearing my glasses and it seems to be worse then with contacts but the optomitrist says no contacts. I am using FML steriod drops to heal the corneas. 

They appear to be dry but don't feel that way. Something was said about a relationship between arthritis and dry corneas. I can not find anything. Can you see if you can find some information for me"

Answer:

Guide Responds:

Dry eye can be caused by many different factors.

• Menopause can cause dry eyes. The decrease in hormones can cause a drying of the mucous membranes including the eyes.
• Living in a dry climate can cause dry eyes.
• Decongestants that are used for allergies and drying of nasal congestion can also cause dry eye.
• Infection in the eyes can cause dry eyes. The inflammation caused by the infection can cause the tear ducts to be blocked.
• Wearing contact lenses can cause dry eye. The material in contact lenses is designed to absorb fluid and can soak up the natural fluids on the eyes. Should the contact lenses become scratched, they can cause irritation and dryness.
• Dry eye can be related to Rheumatoid Athritis, not Osteoarthritis.

Your physician will normally order eye drops to moisten the eye, and eye drops to reduce inflamation (steroid eye drops). If contact lenses are the culprit, it may mean that the wearer must go back to eyeglasses permanently.

This QnA is sourced from: http://seniorhealth.about.com

Prostate Symptoms - you should know about it

Prostate Symptoms

Prostate cancer is life threatening when nothing is done either to prevent it or treat it. It takes time for it to develop and mature in your body. It might have started developing when you were thirty but because you didn’t know the symptoms you only discover it when you are 50 plus in it’s advanced stage. Treatment is more effective when the cancer is detected in its early stages. After all, the early bird always catches the worm. Here are some of the symptoms associated with prostate cancer.

You may experience difficulty when urinating. That is to say you might suffer some pain and discomfort. And you also have the urgent need to urinate from time to time despite the amount of liquid you would have drunk. The slow flow of urine and difficulty in stopping when you are in the bathroom is also a sign

When you find yourself waking up a lot in the middle of the night to urinate it is certainly not normal with the exception of the season winter, as the body loses a lot of water as a means to keeping you warm. But to be on the safe side check with your doctor to make sure that it’s normal. Also if you experience trouble when starting to urinate is a cause for concern and you must not ignore it.

Notice any blood in the urine? That is another symptom of prostate cancer. Your urine will darken from the normal yellow color to a more reddish color because of the blood.

Your sex urge begins to decline considerably. So if you are experiencing this problem stop looking for the answers in the wrong places and go in for check up.

Pain when ejaculating is another sign that you may be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Visit your doctor as soon as possible and stop stalling.

You will also experience pain in the hips, pelvis and back. It also means that the cancer is now in its advanced stages and has spread to the specified areas of your body.

In addition to the symptoms I have mentioned above, you may also have reduced ability to get an erection. This also happens when you have too much on your mind but if you know you are happy and stress free then something is seriously wrong.

If you experience any of the above then you should go and visit your doctor immediately. It may be a false alarm but it’s alright to know that you are safe. Remember that prostate cancer can happen to anyone so don’t do the mistake of ignoring these signs. 

It may just save your life from prostate cancer. 

Visit your doctor as often as you can for examination. Symptoms may start to show much later as compared to when the cancer had started to grow. 

A word of advice is that you shouldn’t wait for these symptoms to start showing so that you can do something about it. 

You know prostate cancer is real so take preventive measures against the cancer.

Thanks for reading, see you in next health post, until then .....Stay fit and healthy !!