Healthy Heart tips

If you are above 50, You really need to care about your heart. The leading cause of death of seniors is heart disease so aware them for heart problems.
Heart disease is a wide range of diseases that affect heart, and in some cases, blood vessels. Generally, the conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or stroke is known as Heart disease. For seniors, Heart disease is the leading cause of death. In U.S. heart disease is a killer and cause of disabilities. Heart disease is found in different forms such as Coronary heart disease, Cardiomyopathy, Cardiovascular disease and Ischaemic heart disease like Heart failure, Hypertensive heart disease, inflammatory heart disease, and Valvular heart disease.

Main symptoms and warning signs of heart attack:

Chest pain

• Tightness, discomfort or crushing
• Fullness or burning
• Heaviness, pressure or squeezing

Pain from the centre of the chest spreading

• Up to neck, jaw, shoulder or back
• Down one or both arms

Other signs

• Anxiety or fear
• Shortness of breath
• Denial, refusing to admit that anything is wrong
• Paleness, sweating or weakness
• Nausea, vomiting and/or indigestion

Warning signs in women
Women have less obvious symptoms such as indigestion like discomfort, vague chest pressure or discomfort, nausea or back pain. It is crucial for women and their doctors not to ignore those easy-to-miss symptoms.
Tips for a Healthy Heart

There are many ways to prevent heart problems, which can concentrate on key lifestyle areas. Some tips for a healthy heart are as follows:

• Do not smoke, and avoid used smoke: The risk of heart attacks and heart failure are markedly increased by smoking. Your cardiovascular risk is rapidly reduced by giving up smoking.
• Exercise: To do exercise for 30 to 60 minutes everyday is new recommendation. With the help of Exercise, you can maintain a healthy weight and keep your heart strong and disease free.
• Maintain a healthy weight: The risk of heart attacks, heart failure and diabetes have been increased due to Obesity. The best way to maintain a normal weight is a healthy diet and exercise program.
• Get your cholesterol levels checked: High cholesterol does not originate any symptoms until it is too late. Therefore, you have to know about your healthy cholesterol level so go for check up as soon as possible.
• Take your medications as recommended by your physician: Without discussing with physicians, many patients stop taking their prescribed medications. Studies show that risk for heart attacks, strokes, heart failure become much higher for those who stop their cardiovascular medications and their survival will be reduced compared to those who adhere to their medical regimen.
• Maintain a healthy cholesterol level: If your LDL (“bad” cholesterol) is less than 100 then it is the ideal level. Convinced persons need to attain even lower LDL cholesterol levels. It is important to keep your HDL (“good” cholesterol) levels up. Know your lipid levels and converse to your doctor about the best plan of action to keep your cholesterol levels perfect.
• Get your blood pressure checked: Many patients with hypertension are not conscious that they have this circumstance. There are very well abided and effectual treatments for high blood pressure.
• Maintain a normal blood pressure: High blood pressure is a main risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and heart failure. Your systolic blood pressure should be below 140 and your diastolic blood pressure below 90. Convinced persons need to attain even tighter manage of their blood pressure.
• See your doctor: The best ways to keep your heart healthy and avoid problems down the road are, follow the medicines and do exercises suggested by your doctor.
• Take omega-3 fatty acids: Studies show that risk of heart disease become lower by getting one gram a day of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet or taking supplements such as fish oil capsules.

Healthy Heart Exercises for seniors:

To stay healthy and independent, National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend four types of exercises for seniors, which are as follows:

• Strength exercises: strength exercises will help to build older adult muscles and increase metabolism in your body that helps to maintain the level of your weight and blood sugar.
• Balance exercises prevent falls by building leg muscles. Every year, U.S. hospitals have 300,000 admissions for broken hips, many of them seniors and falling is often the cause of those fractures, according to the NIH. Balance exercises will help an older adult by avoiding problems as they get older and stay independent by avoiding the disabilities that could result from falling.
• Stretching exercises can give more freedom of movement to be more active during your senior years. Your endurance or strength will not be improved by alone Stretching exercises.
• Endurance exercises are any movement such as walking, swimming, jogging, biking, even raking leaves, which increase your heart rate and breathing for a lengthened period. Start with as little as 5 minutes of endurance activities at a time and build up your endurance steadily.

Healthy Heart diet for seniors:

Diet plays main role to keep healthy you and your heart so always take healthy diet and avoid problem down the road. So for your dieting, consult your Doctor and follow-eating plan, which fulfill your dietary needs.

• Beware of chemicals in your food like caffeine, MSG, and other food additives.
• Total fat intake should be less than 30 percent of total calories daily.
• Saturated fatty acid intake should be less than 10 percent of total calories daily.
• Sodium intake should be no more than 3000 milligrams per day.
• Polyunsaturated fatty acid intake should be no more that 10 percent of total calories daily.
• Monounsaturated fatty acids make up the rest of total fat intake, about 10 to 15 percent of total calories daily.
• Cholesterol intake should be no more than 300 milligrams per day.

Healthy Heart Diet chart:

Eat More	Eat Less
Healthy Fats (raw nuts, olive oil, fish oils, flax seeds, avocados)	Damaged fats (trans fats from partially hydrogenated foods, deep fried foods); saturated fats (whole-fat dairy; red meat).
Colorful, nutrient-loaded fruits and vegetables	Processed food (foods that come in a package); foods high in sodium
Fiber rich foods (whole grains and legumes)	Refined carbohydrates (white starches).
Fish (especially wild salmon, whitefish, tilapia, catfish, flounder, and mahi mahi)	Red meat
Water	Fruit juices, soda

is very interesting and informative - Banana

This is very interesting and informative. Learn it, Read it and Pass it on!

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas.

He said the ex-pression 'going bananas' is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
This is interesting.
After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be re balanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, 'A banana a day keeps the doctor away!'

PASS IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS
PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit.

Effects of Soap on your Skin

How many people know what soap really is? Several of the cleansing bars that you buy at the store, for example, are detergents-and not soaps at all. They are called syndet bars, or synthetic detergent bars. They are made from synthesized chemicals and are usually much harsher than soap.

Detergents contain petroleum distillates rather than oil. On the other hand, true soap is made from natural oils (such as olive, coconut and palm) and is a gentle cleansing product more appropriate for use on skin than is detergent.

Soaps , unlike detergents, are made by combining sodium hydroxide or lye, oils and water in a process known as "Saponification". Some people may question the use of lye in handcrafted soap. The fact is that all soap is made with lye. What needs to be made clear is that once the process of saponification is complete, the lye and oil molecules have combined and chemically changed into soap and glycerin. There is no lye present in the finished bars of soap.

The oils in our soaps are put there for a specific purpose. The coconut oil creates a wonderful lather. The olive oil is used for a high quality, long lasting bar. Canola and Palm oil carry nutrients to the skin, and the safflower oil make a creamy bar.

Glycerin is a skin soothing emollient that adds to the goodness of handmade soap. In commercial soaps the glycerin is removed for sale to the cosmetic industry to sell separately, sometimes at a higher price than the soap itself! Glycerin is important to skin care because it is a humectant. Humectants draw moisture from the air, which in turn moisturize your skin. A whole 1/5 of a bar of our soap is glycerin.

Most soaps have artificial ingredients to scent or color. Some handcrafted soap is scented with fragrance oils. These are synthetic chemicals that are mixed together to imitate a particular scent. They have contributed in many cases to chemical sensitivity in some people. They also have no aromatherapy benefits. The scents in our soaps should come only from essential oils, which are steamed or pressed from plants. Essential oils are the fragrance emitting components of plants and are at the heart of aromatherapy. Not only do they smell good; they have many beneficial effects on the body, mind and spirit.

The coloring in our soap should come from nature as well. The petals of Lavender and Rose can be used. Earth Pigments can also be used, which are simply finely ground rocks. This makes the colors rich and earthy, rather than artificial looking

Face Exercise

If you have those circles under your eyes, frowning and squinting left tracks on your face then here are a few face exercises that will help you look great and beautiful. By following these few exercises religiously you will have a young and dazzling look without going for surgery or face-lift. Let us begin with forehead. This exercise should be done 10 times daily to the count of six at a time.

Forehead :

1. Join your fingers together with your thumbs folded in and place your fingers near your temples i.e., where your scalp meets your head. Push straight up and hold and then, raise your eyebrows, hold for six counts and release.

Benefits : This face exercise removes the lines above the brow. It targets the muscles of the forehead and the muscles at the back of your head.

2. First, place the middle fingertip of each hand in the centre of each eyebrow. Pull the eyebrows apart or outwards, and at the same time try to frown. Hold for six counts. The next step is totally the reverse exercise. Place the middle fingertip of each hand in the centre of each eyebrow; push brows together or inward and at the same time raise eyebrows and hold.

Benefits : This face exercise helps remove the mark on your forehead and the area between the eyebrows. This face exercise targets the muscles right above the brow area.

Eyes :

1. Place the three centre fingers of each hand underneath the eye, pull down, and try to close your eyes. Hold for six counts and release.

Benefits : This face exercise eliminates puffiness as it targets the muscles under the eyes.

2. Place the ring and middle fingers of each hand at the outer corners of eyes. Pull the corner of the eyes toward the hairline and hold. At the same time, squeeze eyes shut; hold for six counts and then release.

Benefits : This face exercise helps remove the wrinkles around the eyes.

Cheeks :

1. Put your head back. Take your three centre fingers, place them on the apples of the cheeks and push down. At the same time, raise your cheeks as hard as you can by smiling.

Benefits : This exercise targets the muscles of the cheeks.

2. Put your thumb in your mouth right in the centre of the cheek and push. At the same time, bring the cheek back towards the teeth against your thumb. Hold for six counts and then repeat on the other side.

Benefits : This face exercise will fill out the cheek hollows, firm the face and lift.

Mouth :

1. Take your middle fingers and pull down on either side of your lower lip thus exposing your teeth. At the same time try to mope.

Benefits : This exercise tones the muscles around the lip area.

Chin :

1. Take your three centre fingers, pull the chin down and at the same time curl the lower lip over the bottom teeth.

Benefits : This face exercise tones the muscles of the chin

Tips for Glowing Skin

For glowing skin we need to give a little effort towards its care.
Drink a lot of water because it helps to nourish your skin.
Cleansing is very important and should be done on daily bases.you can do it at home by using any rich oily cream,lotion or any kind of cold cream.apply it on your face, massage it well on your skin,face and when it is absorbed well into your skin then wash your face gentle with medium heated water.
Massage will improve blood circulation and promote the growth of new cells.
Never leave your skin or face dry,hydrate your skin from time to time with any kind of mild moisturizer.
Drink lots of water and also wash your face time to time.

Foods That Burn Belly Fat

As the intentions of our New Year’s resolutions slowly slip away from us as January turns into February and the rest of the year passes us by; we lose our aspirations for the goals we have intended year after year to keep. Losing weight is a well known and well intended aspiration that slowly falls behind as other more future pressing events take shape in our day to day lives.

However, through the successful and efficient plan in choosing the correct fat burning foods there is little if no work involved in burning off unwanted fat that’s been clogging up arteries and more importantly, burning off that undesired body fat!

Through foods intoxicated with nutrients, vitamins and flavor; that body fat will simply be an unmissed memory of 2011! This is the year where change happens and fat loses it’s grip on you:

There are eight foods that will burn belly fat and make that New Year Resolution not just obtainable, but easy. Here is a list of foods that burn belly fat.

Salmon: is fully loaded with protein and Omega-3 amino fatty acids improving your metabolism and burning more fat. The fatty acids inherent in this food also increase cardiovascular health which helps your body in the fight against heart disease.

Turkey: is packed with protein for higher calorie burning and is also naturally lower in fat compared to chicken and other meats not mentioned specifically in this diet.

Beef: (particularly lean beef) is loaded with protein and it also contains iron which is essential for the creation of hemoglobin in your red blood cells.

Green Tea: is an essential fat burning drink due mainly to the EGCG contained within it which stimulates your brain and nervous system causing your body to burn a much higher rate of calories. Green tea also has effective antioxidants and extensive research has shown it to even reduce the risk of various types of cancers. Furthermore, green tea has been proven to help lower overall cholesterol levels and improve the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.

Skim Milk: contains significant amounts of calcium which helps increase your metabolism and burn those unwanted calories! There has been extensive research which shows that those who drink milk or low-fat dairy products daily, have less body fat ratios than those who don’t. Skim milk is best, but 1% milk is a good alternative.

Edamame: are soy beans which have been lightly boiled and salted. These beans are an excellent source of protein, Vitamin C, iron, and calcium! They also contain 0g of saturated fats, so enjoy them as often as you’d like.

Broccoli: is a well known super food that you can never eat enough of. It is packed with nutrients including calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid, and fiber. The calcium, vitamin C and fiber all aid in burning fat and increasing your metabolism. Also it is full of antioxidants that provide a multitude of health benefits! Including, decreasing the risk of heart disease and various types of cancers.

Oats: are a great source of selenium which boosts your energy and enhances your immune system by producing antibodies. They are also a great food to fill up on as they are loaded with fiber!

Make 2011 count and don’t waste this opportunity to lose fat and lose it quickly and easily! The best time to start is now! And with a method as easy as this, there’s no point in waiting for tomorrow to start losing fat and eating healthy. This is no mere New Year’s Resolution, but a lifestyle which starts now!

Sleep patterns affect weight loss

Managing sleep and stress levels can help in the battle against obesity, according to scientists in the US.

People getting too little or too much sleep were less likely to lose weight in a six month study of 472 obese people. 

Their report in the International Journal of Obesity showed that lower stress levels also predicted greater weight loss.

A UK sleep expert said people need to "eat less, move more and sleep well".

Approximately a quarter of adults in the UK are thought to be clinically obese, which means they have a Body Mass Index greater than 30.

Nearly 500 obese patients were recruited for the first part of a clinical trial by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in the US.

For six months they had to eat 500 fewer calories per day, exercise most days and attend group sessions. 

Weight loss :
                The authors report that "sleep time predicted success in the weight loss programme". 

People with lower stress levels at the start also lost more weight.

The researchers added: "These results suggest that early evaluation of sleep and stress levels in long-term weight management studies could potentially identify which participants might benefit from additional counselling."

Dr Neil Stanley, from the British Sleep Society, said the sleep community had been aware of this for a while, but was glad that obesity experts were taking notice.

"We've always had the eat less move more mantra. But there is a growing body of evidence that we also need to sleep well", he said.

"It's also true that if you're stressed, then you're less likely to behave, you'll sit at home feeling sorry for yourself, probably eating a chocolate bar." 

Dr David Haslam, chair of the National Obesity Forum, said: "It's a great idea to find predictors of who will respond to therapy, if this is a genuine one."