Heart Disease

 

Heart Disease kills more than 610,000 Americans each year. That is way too high of number and people need to begin to worry about their health earlier rather than later. There are some factors of heart disease that you can't lower, those include family history and old age. If heart disease runs in your family then their is a risk that you can get it too. Also old age has a big affect, as you get older you are more likely to get heart disease.

 

The are several ways you can reduce your risk of getting heart disease, but these changes need to be changed now rather than later on in life.

 

1. Eating Healthy/ Dieting

     

      - Eating healthy isn't the easiest thing to do, but it is necessary when worrying about your health. Some good foods include fruits, vegetables, grains, beans and fish. You should always limit Saturated fat and Trans fat. Some of those include fast food, package snacks, fried food and red meat. Eating healthy does not necessarily mean to cut back, it means to eat healthy foods and follow the proper guidelines of how much to eat. You can do this by looking at the MyPlate diagram. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ 

 

2. Lowing Cholesterol

 

     -  Cholesterol is one of the major reasons people get heart disease. People often consume foods with lots of cholesterol causing a thick plaque to build up in the arteries making them not flexible. When they continue to build up the arteries often get clogged and eventually can cause a heart attack or stroke.

 

3. No Smoking

 

    - Smoking is one of the major causes for heart disease. One in five people that get heart disease can relate it right by to smoking. Each cigarette smoked makes you at a higher risk for getting heart disease. Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen your heart receives, raises your blood pressure and can cause blood clots.

 

4. Exercise

 

    - Exercise is super important when talking about heart health. Since your heart is a muscle it needs to be exercised just like all the other muscles in your body. When it is exercised it is able to function more efficiently by pumping more blood at a faster rate. 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day is what is healthy for humans, and that can be anything that gets your heart rate up.

Herbalife

 

Herbalife a nutrition company that has been changing people’s lives with their outstanding products. Herbalife sells all sorts of products including products that target weight management, nutrition and skin care products. The company was founded in 1980 by Mike Hughes. It employs 7,400 people around the world and sells products in 91 different countries.

Meal replacement shakes are one of the core products Herbalife provides. When people think of dieting often counting calories and portion control comes to mind. But that is not always the easiest route to take.  The best part about meal replacement shakes is that they are made to provide your body with the necessary nutrition and correct amount of calories. Also, they are extremely convenient for on the go lifestyles. Not only are these shakes have great nutritional value, but they also come in so many different flavors. They can be customized to any way you like it by adding your favorite type of milk and maybe some of your favorite fruit. On average, a person that drinks two shakes a day and eats one meal will lose about half a pound to a pound of weight each week. That’s up to eight pounds in only two months!

 

Another Herbalife product that has become very popular in the nutrition world is the Herbalife Tea Concentrate. This power contains caffeine which jump starts your metabolism and instantly helps you feel revitalized. It provides people with energy while still being a low calories drink. It is very fast and easy to make, making it very convenient for the busy dieters. To make the tea all you do is mix half a teaspoon of the tea concentrate into eight ounces of water and there you have it, delicious healthy tea. The tea even comes in a variety of flavors including original, chai, cinnamon, lemon, peach and raspberry. There’s a flavor for everyone!

That was just two of the amazing products that Herbalife sells. Go check out their website for more outstanding products that you’ll want to get your hands on. à  http://www.herbalife.com/

 

P90x or Insanity?

Most people have heard of the two intense workout training videos P90x and Insanity. Both videos are excellent workout videos and will give you fast results, but you might not know the difference between the two. If you’re looking for a great workout video check out these.

P90x is a workout video that is coached by Tony Horton. Each workout runs about 60 minutes, 6 days a week. It takes 90 days to get all the way through the complete workout program. P90x focuses on muscle toning and flexibility by having a large variety of workouts. It basic training principle is known as “muscle confusion” because you never allow your body adapt to one workout, it keeps you working on multiple muscles. Usually the 6 workouts a week features three days of weight training, one day of plyometric workout, and one day of kickboxing and yoga. The P90x diet is a three phase nutrition plan which helps with weight loss. There is a lot of equipment that is recommended for P90x if you are wanting to get the most out of the workout program. Some of the equipment includes resistance bands, yoga mat, chin up bar, chair, dumbbells, push up bars, a yoga mat and a heart rate monitor. Overall, P90x is a great workout program and will show results.

 

Insanity is a workout program coached by Shaun T. Each workout runs 45 minutes, 6 days a week. It consists of a 60 day workout plan. Insanity focuses on weight loss, abdominal muscles, cardiovascular health, and muscle endurance. The program is also known as “max interval training” which means you give it your all for the whole workout which gets your heart rate up and leaves you drenched in sweat. These workouts are very high intensity which focus on body weight movements. Insanity included a diet plan that consists of 40% carbs, 40% protein, and 40% fats. This workout program requires no extra workout equipment, all you need is yourself. Overall, Insanity is a very good workout and will show weight loss results fast.

Both workouts show progress and give great results. It’s up to you to decide which is best for you. You can purchase both videos online on Amazon.com. They both are very similar in pricing ranging from $130 to $140. Now its time to go out and try one of the workout videos for yourself!

Crossfit: Give It a Try

 

“Constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement.” That is one way to describe one of the most popular workouts, Crossfit Training. It was founded by Greg Glassman in 2000, and only had 13 gyms in 2005 and now there are over 10,000 Crossfit gyms across the nation. Crossfit is a program that pushes people to be the best that they can be. Crossfit is never the same workout. It does not allow your body to adapt to the same thing, which brings the best results. Crossfit focuses on the right technique and form but still pushes towards the high intensity aspect. The goal of Crossfit is to train people to become stronger and faster, but without the same old boring workouts every day. Functional movements are very important to Crossfit, these movement used in Crossfit are safe and normal everyday life moves. It is safe for any age, gender and level of fitness to complete these workouts.

 

If you think you might want to give Crossfit a try, I have posted five Crossfit workouts below:

1.       Half Cindy ( 10 minutes, as many reps as possible)

·         5 pull-ups

·         10 pushups

·         15 air squats

2.       Helen (Three rounds, For time)

·         400 meter run

·         21 American kettlebell swings

·         12 pull ups

3.       Wall Balls, Burpees ( 21, 15, 9 reps, For time)

·         Wall Balls

·         Burpees

4.       Sit Ups, Lunges ( Three rounds, Three minutes; two minutes rest, as many reps as possible)

·         15 sit ups

·         15 lunges

5.       100 Workout (One round, For time)

·         100 Pull ups

·         100 Push ups

·         100 Sit ups

·         100 Squats

“Crossfit is a way of life. You eat well, you train hard, you push yourself. It teaches you so much about yourself.” – Ben Smith, Crossfit Athlete

For more information on Crossfit, check out http://www.crossfit.com/

 

 SLEEP IS IMPORTANT!

Sleep is often overlooked when it comes to health. People don’t realize how important it really is. Daytime sleepiness, irregular sleep schedules, and lack of sleep are very common throughout most college students. Sleep affects many things that we are not always aware of. Sleep affects academic performance. Yes, sleep helps our body get rested but little do people know it also has a huge effect on the brain. Your brain needs rest in order to function properly. Staying up late to cram for exams is not going to help you, it will just cause unnecessary stress on the brain. When you go to sleep at night that gives you the time for your brain to process its thoughts. Students who get less sleep a night receive lower grades and have not as good of study habits as students that get 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

Here are some tips to maintain good sleeping habits:

1.       Wake up and go to bed around the same time every day. Try to create a sleep schedule and then work hard to stick to it.

2.       Shoot for seven to nine hours of sleep every night. These are needed in order for your body and brain to function properly.

 

3.       Don’t eat within 3 hours of bedtime. A simple rule to stick to is, do not eat after 8 pm. Eating make it difficult for the body to go to sleep.

4.       Use your bed as a place to sleep, not as a study area. Make sure you study in a completely different area so when it is time for bed your body knows that it is time to sleep.

5.       Avoid caffeine before bed. Caffeine is a stimulant which keeps your body more alert. Drinking caffeine before bed could make it very difficult to fall asleep at night.

 

6.       Naps are OK, but not longer than an hour. When you sleep for longer than an hour throughout the day your body starts to think that it is actually time to sleep and it will be extremely difficult for you to fall asleep that night.

7.       Avoid electronics before bed. The light from the screens on electronic devices act as sunlight to your brain, which will keep you awake when trying to sleep.

HAPPY SLEEPING!

Stay Healthy with your Smart Phone!  

As of today most people either use some type of smartphone, whether that be an IPhone or an Android. There are thousands of Apps that help people with their daily lives every day.  Little did you know, there are several Apps that apply to directly health and fitness. They can do things like track your distance when on a run to look up calories for the food you put in your body. These Apps could really come in handy when switching over to a healthy lifestyle. Today I will tell you about a few of my favorites!

1.       SworkIt

-          SworkIt is an app that makes it easy to get a workout anywhere. It focuses on strength, cardio, yoga and stretching. You choose which kind of workout you want and then you pick the amount of time. It takes you through different exercises with guided videos and makes it easy to follow along. It is all bodyweight exercises so no outside equipment is needed.

http://www.sworkit.com/

 

2.       Endomondo

-          Known as a free personal trainer in your pocket. This app makes it fun to exercise. Not only can it track your workouts, but it provides feedback and gives advice on how to reach your goals. It has real GPS tracking, shows workout history, and can even connect with your heart rate monitor.

https://www.endomondo.com/ 

3.       Lose it!

-          This app allows tracking what you eat and setting goals for yourself. A weight loss plan is made that fits your life and your goals. Foods can be tracked by simply scanning their barcode and receiving all the nutrition information instantly. All you have to do is be accountable and you’ll be losing it in no time!

https://www.loseit.com/

4.       My Fitness Pal

-          Makes it easy to track your food wherever you are. It is the world’s largest nutrition and calorie database with over 5 million foods. Not only can it track grocery store items, but can also track food from restaurants as well. This app also tracks workouts and shows you how much you should intake for each nutritional value.

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/

5.       Nike Training Club

-          This app allows you to “train like a pro.” You can pick from the categories get lean, get toned, get strong, get focused and then you choose beginner, intermediate or advanced. A workout is then constructed that is just right for you. Nike Trainers provide motivation to help you get through each workout.

http://www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/womens-training/apps/nike-training-club 

6.       Healthy Out

-          A great app for you on the go people. This allows you to quickly look up and find healthy meals at restaurants. There are different categories ranging from low calorie all the way to high protein or gluten sensitive. Once a meal is chosen it provides a full nutrition overview for your convenience.

https://mobile.healthyout.com/

 

 Learn to Love it: Running 

Running isn’t easy. Especially is you’re starting out as a beginner.  Many people begin to run because they’re trying to lose weight, feel better about themselves, relieve stress, or to compete. Running makes you sweat. You can run anywhere. No equipment is needed for running. You can run all year long. Running keeps your heart healthy. Yes, running is great, but always remember nobody starts running one day and becomes a marathon runner the next day. Many people try to start running and often push their body too hard and end up quitting one week later. Don’t be one of those people. Follow these tips and you’ll be able to run like a professional in no time!

 

Start as a Beginner-

Remember you aren’t a professional yet. Do not push yourself too hard, or else you will end up quitting within the first week. Start out slow and steady. Don't be embarrassed about not being able to finish a mile, you're a beginner... you will get better! Be proud that you are one of the people that are actually trying.

Speed too soon-

Do not shoot for a 6 minute mile the first time you step on the track. Go slow. Maybe mix in walking and jogging so you don't overdo it. No matter how fast you run, you're still burning calories. Try to enjoy the run as much as possible, running too fast too soon will make you sore and not want to ever run again.

 

Keep it Consistent-

     Keep a steady schedule. Whether that is on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays you run one mile and on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays you run 1.5 miles, and each week you increase a half mile. Whatever it is, it is so important to keep a schedule. Also, when going to the gym you should have planned out your workout before beginning so you know what you have to get done before you stop.

Set Goals-

Be realistic. Since you're starting out slow make the goals lower. As you get better at running you can increase the goals and make them more difficult. Make sure that the goal is specific so you know exactly what you need to do in order to accomplish that goal. Also, have the goal be measurable so you can see your improvement over time.

Track your Successes-

 It is so important to realize when you are doing well. Success is something to be proud of. When running, track your routes and times and then go back and look at how far you've come since you first started out.

 

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To find out more information about running check out Runner's World.

---->  http://www.runnersworld.com/