Archive for May, 2011

Fitness And Health Ideas believes a healthy recipe plan is not staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about you feeling great, having more energy, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible. Healthy eating is not about strict nutritional philosophies, it’s more about healthy eating and a sensible balanced diet. Learning some strict nutritional philosophies will help you achieve this and by using the information gained, it will help you to lose weight.

Foods low in saturated fat, with plenty of fruit, vegetables and grains will create a strong foundation for healthy eating and a good active lifestyle, as well as reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.     

Here are a few tips to help you get started: 

“Eat to live, not live to eat!”  PUT THIS PHRASE ON YOUR REFRIGERATOR.

You probably desire a healthier lifestyle, you want to feel good and look fantastic. Now that’s the kind of motivation that will surely get you results. Your journal will serve as a diary towards your goal – as a written record in which you make good progress (weight loss) and those times when you over indulge (too many calories and not enough calorie-burning). 

Your own health and exercise journal should include?

* Type of aerobic exercise

* Type of weight-bearing exercise

* Number of minutes or reps

* Distance walked or ridden on bike

* Comments about the weather or feelings

 Your own food and weight journal should include?

* Write down each meal, and each snack, being as specific as possible

* Keep track of daily calories, using a calorie counter

* Keep track of fat grams, for each food eaten

* Keep track of your weight 

This daily diary is your most valued friend because it tells a daily story regarding your progressive steps towards your goals. 

Definition of a calorie?

A calorie is a unit of heat, equal to 4.1868 joules (International Table Calorie) formerly defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree centigrade. 

Obesity is one of the major obstacles to good health. So by cutting down on your calories you will reduce your weight and that will help you reduce the risk of high blood pressure, cardio disease and cancer.

 List of low calorie foods. 

Vegetables low in calories (in alphabetical order).

- Boiled potatoes.

- Broccoli

- Brussels sprouts.

- Celery

- Mushroom

- Tomatoes.

- Watercress.

- Swede.

- Red peppers.

Fruits low in calories (in alphabetical order). 

These fruits are low in calories only if you eat them fresh.

- Apricot

- Melon

- Chayote

- Currants

- Grapefruit (white, red, pink) 

Meat and animal products low in calories (in alphabetical order).

- Beef

- *Canadian bacon

- Lean ham

- Low fat cheese

- Lower fat hot-dogs

- Ground turkey

- White eggs

When it comes to drinks, water is the only fluid your body requires. You should drink water equivalent to your body weight in ounces, ie if you weigh 120 lb you should drink 120 ounces per day which equates to 7.8

16-oz glasses per day. Therefore the rule of thumb is 8 glasses of water per day (medical recommendation).  Water is completely calorie free. There are many functions and importance of water.

Water forms the main base of our saliva

* Fluid that surrounds joints are made of water

* It serves as a lubricant

* It helps the movement of joints, and also protects organs and tissues of the body.

* It regulates the metabolism of the body.

* Water keeps the body well hydrated

* Water helps to regulate the temperature of the body, as the heating and     cooling are processed through precipitation.

* It helps to move the food through the intestine to eliminate waste and thus alleviates constipation. It is the best detox diet available.

* Drinking water helps to maintain muscle tone and metabolizes stored fats.

* It has an enormous effect on weight loss as well.

One or two cups of coffee a day is ok providing you don’t add any sugar.

The scientific definition of unsaturated fats is a fat that has only saturated fatty acid radicals in its triglycerides. 

Foods that have high amounts of unsaturated fats include:

• Dairy products (cream, cheese, and butter especially)

• Coconut oil

• Chocolate (dark)

• Lard

• Fatty meat 

Limit saturated fats. Your healthy eating plan should consist mainly of unsaturated fats. Foods high in saturated fats run the risk of increasing cholesterol levels, a strong risk factor for heart disease. So try and restrict the use of vanaspati ghee* and animal products.  In fact, there is no lower “safe” limit yet identified for saturated fats. This means that any amount of saturated fats greatly increases your health risk. 

Increase the intake of foods rich in complex carbohydrates and limit sugar. According to the latest research, about 60 per cent of all calories should come from carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate

A compound of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, the latter two usually in the proportions of water C_m(H₂O)_n.  Carbohydrates in food are an important and immediate source of energy for the body; 1 gram of carbohydrate yields 3.75 calories (16 kilojoules). They are present, at least in small quantities, in most foods, but the chief sources are the sugars and starches of plants. 

Carbohydrates may be stored in the body as glycogen for future use. If they are eaten in excessive amounts they are converted to and stored as fat, therefore follow a low carbohydrate diet. 

Moderate the use of proteins. In general, proteins are considered to be healthy, but it is a myth that protein rich food is non-fattening. Large quantities of animal protein are unhealthy as they tend to have both a high fat and cholesterol content and anything consumed in excess is converted to fat and stored in the body.

 FIRST METHOD: DO AND REVIEW

- 100g of meat (red meat or poultry) will supply 20-25g of protein

- 100g of seafood will supply 15-20g of protein

- one cup of milk or yogurt will supply 8g of protein

- one egg will supply 6g of protein

- 120g of tofu will supply 9g of protein

- 30g of nuts will supply 5g of protein

 SECOND METHOD: COUNT YOUR SERVINGS

Healthy recipes to ensure you eat enough protein, without counting the numbers, is to eat five serves of protein every day, (assuming you focus on animal proteins). ‘One serve’ equals

- 28g (one ounce) of meat/fish or

- 1 egg or

- 1/2 cup cooked legumes or

- two tablespoons of peanut butter 

REMEMBER this important fact regarding eating enough protein is that your digestive system has to be producing enough digestive enzymes to break down that valuable protein into amino acids. You need to have a healthy stomach, pancreas and intestines, but as you age your ability to produce these digestive enzymes in sufficient amounts diminishes. 

Use less salt and sodium. Excessive intake of salt leads to hypertension. While cooking raw food, salt should be added in the last stages because by then the salt in the food has been released, requiring a small quantity for seasoning. 

Try to avoid processed foods as far as possible. 

Increase your intake of fresh food and Fresh fruit. For your nutritional cooking, raw vegetables and whole grains are ideal ingredients for healthy recipes. It’s also important to remember that proper handling and storage will help to retain the nutritional value of food. Refined and processed foods should only be used sparingly or as a stand by alternative. 

Fitness And Health Ideas believe if you eat healthily you have a head start in staying fit and maintaining a long, active and healthy lifestyle. We can only guide you, in the end the decision is entirely yours.

*Also Known as Hydrogenated fat. Ghee is an essential and nutritional element in much of Indian cuisine. It has a rich, buttery taste and aroma. Vanaspati Ghee is made from hydrogenated vegetable oils. Is white and grainy (danedaar) in texture and is favored for deep-frying and making sweets and snacks. Vanaspati ghee is manufactured from partially hydrogenated permitted vegetable oils. It is a mixture of vegetable oils that have been converted to solid form by the addition of hydrogen. Hydrogenated fat is used as a ghee substitute in cooking as well in the production of bakery products, sweets and snack items. When vanaspati is made, trans fatty acids are also produced; these increase the risk of heart disease when consumed in excess and are best avoided.

*In flavour, appearance, and texture, Canadian bacon is closer to ham than it is to bacon. The meat is lean, slightly sweet, and juicy. Unlike regular bacon, Canadian bacon does not crisp up in its own fat while it is being cooked. The meat is meant to be served in a soft, juicy stage of cooking, and it will be dry and tasteless if it is allowed to crisp up. It is also usually served in thicker wedges than those used for conventional bacon.

 
Strength, flexibility and stamina for the proper functioning of the human body are what seniors require to face the physical challenges of life. As you age you find more and more activities become increasingly difficult to perform. Many seniors become less active in society, not because of poor health or laziness but it’s more to do with the fear of falling or injuring themselves. Water aerobics is an ideal fitness activity for seniors because the buoyancy of water supports 90 percent of your body, yet due to its density provides enough resistance to promote muscle strength.

All fitness exercise sessions begin with a warm-up, which incorporates slow cardio and stretching exercises to get your blood pumping and your muscles working, preparing for the increased activity of your fitness exercise and finishes with a cooling down routine, where your limbs and other parts of your body are stretched and relaxed. According to estimations, you will burn between 500 and 700 calories in a 40-45 minute fitness water aerobics exercise session. 

Strenuous fitness exercises like running, jogging and bike riding have been credited with reducing cholesterol, high blood pressure and the prevention of heart disease. Walking on land burns 135 calories in half an hour while walking in deep water (for the same period of time) burns 264 calories.

Did you know that water aerobics has also achieved the same desired results? The natural buoyancy of water supports the body and relieves the stress on joints, tendons and ligaments. Water’s gentle support enables easy and effortless movements and can help seniors exercise their full body with low impact fitness exercise routines. With a water aerobics fitness exercise routine you can work within your own comfort zone, without any strain. This is the most common complaint by people performing land based fitness exercises.

Both your fine motor movements and your larger muscles and joints get a thoroughly good workout, because of the supportive nature of the water and its temperature of 82º F to 86º F, which also reduces the chance of any injury or falling. Try to use a salt water pool in preference to a chemical laden pool.

Over time as your confidence levels increase so will your desire to improve your strength, endurance, balance and flexibility with your fitness and health exercise routines. It will also help your brain and may help prevent dementia while the increased blood flow to your brain will help you think better.

Include activities you enjoy so you won’t view your fitness and health routines as a chore. You are more likely to make a commitment to good fitness and health exercise routines if you enjoy what you’re are doing and achieving.

If you suffer from arthritis or osteoarthritis you need water aerobics or swimming fitness exercises to eliminate the impact on your joints.  As the blood circulation increases it will help lubricate your joints as well as reduce or relieve your pain.

Fitness And Health Ideas believes seniors’ fitness exercises need to be kept simple, flowing and above all safe for all seniors irrespective of their fitness levels. You may prefer to start doing these senior fitness exercises listed below by yourself.

Two important points you need to consider:

A.    Fitness And Health Ideas impress upon you as a senior to make it your responsibility to discuss your exercise program with a fully qualified health professional (doctor) prior to beginning your fitness exercise routine.

B.    Fitness And Health Ideas impress upon you as a senior to make it your responsibility to make sure you don’t attempt any fitness exercises without people present in case of an health emergency.

Here are some amazing fitness and exercise benefits for seniors:-

* Provides a feeling of youthfulness

* Increases self confidence

* Can help to slow down or diminish the effects of chronic illness

* Increase flexibility

* Lower cholesterol

* Lower blood pressure

* Reduce inflammation

* Overcome depression

* Increase energy

In a senior’s fitness and exercise class you would not be expected to do movements like jumping, over stretching or anything complicated or jolting. You need smooth and easy flowing movements that are gentle on your joints but still raise and maintain your heart rate. The major reason for doing aerobic fitness exercises is to enhance your metabolic rate and burn calories, decrease body fat, increase your flexibility and build muscle strength, improve your immune system and promote bone density.

Even those in varying stages of recovery from ailments can experience improved health and faster healing with a water aerobics fitness and exercise routine.

The health benefits of water aerobics for seniors can be incalculable.

The amazing exercise benefits for seniors is well worth your effort and it is crucial you choose the correct type of exercise to suit your particular body and health limitations.

 Fitness And Health Ideas impress upon you as a senior to make it your responsibility to discuss your exercise programme with a fully qualified health professional prior to beginning your fitness exercise routine.

This article was written to help seniors over 55 years interested in a high quality Fitness exercise programme that focuses on the amazing exercise benefits for seniors and how to perform your exercise without injury.

Here are some amazing fitness and exercise benefits for seniors:-

* Provides a feeling of youthfulness

* Increases self confidence

* Can help to slow down or diminish the effects of chronic illness

* Increase flexibility

* Lower cholesterol

* Lower blood pressure

* Reduce inflammation

* Overcome depression

* Increase energy

You as a senior will need to start every Fitness exercise session with about 5 minutes of moving your arms backwards and forwards followed by jogging on the spot (this is called cardio exercise) because it gets your heart, lungs and blood pumping. Follow this with a number of slow easy stretching exercises for your arms, legs and back. Gradually increase the pace of your exercises. Be careful not to do too much too soon or you will injure yourself.

Once you feel sufficiently warmed up it will be safe to start your fitness exercise routine.  Every fitness exercise program will enhance your physical and mental well being. Physical activity will also help control your weight, it contributes towards healthy bones, stronger muscles and joints, relieves the pain of arthritis, reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, and can decrease the need for hospitalizations.

Fitness exercises will help in rejuvenating your body, not make it worse. You may feel a little soreness, discomfort or fatigue this is normal. It is important that if you feel light headed, or you have shortness of breath, a quick severe headache, are sweating profusely, suffering with chest or stomach pains, or pains anywhere else, you must stop your fitness exercising immediately. If symptoms persist, contact your doctor immediately. If you have a condition that alters your heart rate, or are on medication that alters your heart rate don’t use your pulse to judge how fast your heart is or should be beating.

5 EASY STRETCHING AND FITNESS EXERCISES FOR SENIORS

Fitness And Health Ideas believes that fitness exercises for seniors, will help to extend your live and in addition, exercise can maintain your mobility, keep muscles strong, promote good balance, and combat frailty. Enhancing your fitness will also increase your metabolic rate and burn calories, decrease body fat, improve immune function and promote bone density.

This will only help if you do fitness exercises on a regular basis even if your work-out program only lasts for a minimum of 30 minutes per day,

Fitness And Health Ideas recommends, especially for older men and women over 55, these 5 easy stretching and fitness exercise.

1. Shoulder Rotation.

In this stretching and fitness exercise, you will need to lay down on something that is easily accessible and comfortable for you in a totally relaxed manner. The first part of the fitness exercise is to stretch your arms downwards. Gently stretch your hands open and maintain for a few seconds. For the next, stretch and fitness exercise lift both arms upwards and maintain this position for several seconds. This is a useful exercise to strengthen your shoulders.

2. Walking.

Fitness and Health Ideas consider this is a great form of exercise for seniors. Walking is easy for most people and is the most natural form of exercise. This can be performed just about anywhere indoors (walking on the spot) outdoors or even your local shopping mall. When you walk you burn calories, increase cardio fitness and retain strength in the legs.

Your physical and mental well being will improve with the right exercise. 

3. Balancing using a Table

In stretching exercises for seniors this is your easiest stretching exercise in the program. To perform this exercise safely what you need is a table or something heavy or solid to hang on to. You will need to stand close to the object you choose for support while trying to slowly balance on your toes. You need to perform this exercise slowly and cautiously when raising and lowering your body by bending your toes.

4. The arm Raised Exercise

You can relax as you do this exercise by sitting in a chair or on the edge of a bed. This is a great stretching and fitness exercise to strengthen your shoulders. Simply raise your left or right arm stretching as high as possible holding this pose for a few seconds then change arms, this exercise can be performed several times throughout your day.

5. The V shaped stretches

Maybe the hardest stretch and fitness exercise of all, depending on your physical, fitness and health levels. You will simply need to bend your body in the middle (waist line) and allow your head, shoulders, arms and hands to hang straight down assisted by gravitation so you can form as close as possible a v-type shape.

There was a point, a long time ago, when looking aged was a sign of your life experiences. However, this is no longer the case. Instead, it shows how little you have taken care of yourself throughout your lifetime.

It is a wildly held belief that 60 is now the new 40 and 70 is the new 50. If you maintain a fitness routine and eat healthily throughout your life then turning 55 and beyond need not seem like it is all down-hill from “here”.

 fitnessandhealthideas.com is your guide to a better healthy lifestyle.

The Wonders And Beauty Of Aerobic Exercises

By Fitness And Health Ideas

You are becoming more and more conscious about your physical appearance and you understand that obesity will affect not only your lifestyle and social life but also your total wellbeing.

 Because you are just getting started with your aerobics programme, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed. Before you engage in any weight loss diet, product or program, make sure that you have a full comprehension of its effects and side effects. There are many ways to work out, and if you can manage a good fun filled workout program you are going to be a much happier and healthy person. It is also true that you need to have a workout routine in which your body is moving fast and your heart and lungs are forced to work harder than when you are at rest. This is called aerobic exercise, and it is something that is very important for you to understand

 Please don’t think you need to start at the top right away. Advanced aerobics is a goal you will need to work towards. This includes running in place and doing a series of movements that you might find very strenuous to start with. Also, it is unsafe to start anywhere other than as a beginner, because you might injure yourself and you may also run into problems. Therefore, you need to start from the beginning so you will obtain the maximum benefit from your fun filled aerobics workout routine.

 Beginning a simple aerobics fun filled program is extremely easy and something that you can start with in your own home. The main point of the exercise is to get your heart, lungs and blood pumping.

 Another great thing to do before beginning an aerobics program is to start walking or jogging on the spot. You can then start moving your arms up and down. The point of aerobics is to get your heart pumping, and the best way to do this is with movements, like jumping jacks, for as many repetitions as you can manage. This is the best way for you to begin your aerobic training, because you are able to work your way up from nothing and you can really get a healthy body as well.

 Music is a good motivator because it adds fun and enjoyment to your aerobic exercise programme. If you are a beginner the following Aerobic exercises could be suitable for you:

 REGULAR RAPID WALKING – is an excellent type of aerobic exercise for you. Fitness And Health Ideas believes you should try and work your way towards doing this simple exercise for up to 45 minutes 5 to 6 times per week.

 REGULAR JOGGING – You can do this simple and easy heart rate accelerator type aerobic exercise almost anywhere without attending a gym or your local workout centre. Walking or jogging on a treadmill in the privacy of your own home can be a huge help and it’s convenient too.

 STAIR CLIMBING – As a beginner you may find stair climbing difficult. The benefits for you are that 15 minutes of stair climbing will burn up the same amount of calories as jogging for 30 minutes, therefore you are not required to do it for long periods of time.

 BICYCLE RIDING – Unlike other physical activities that require strenuous movements you can have so much fun and enjoyment riding your bicycle with your girlfriend, friend or mate.

 DANCING – Another thing that sets aerobic exercise apart is the fact you can have a wonderful time with your partner and friends enjoying the local dance and providing you are prepared to let yourself sweat a bit you are also doing a great cardio and a calorie burning exercise.

 JUMPING ROPE – Aside from conditioning your heart and the lungs once you get into the rhythm you will be zeroing in on your best cardio exercise.

 SWIMMING – When one stands in water at chest level your body is near weightless. The natural buoyancy of water supports the body and relieves the stress on joints, tendons and ligaments. Water’s gentle support enables easy and effortless movements. When you swim you almost complete a full work-out routine because your legs and arms are both moving.

 HULA-HOOPS – As a beginner you can do simple aerobic exercises like hula-hoops almost anywhere and anytime to work your oblique’s which is a big problem for women.

 If you are an absolute beginner, Fitness And Health Ideas recommend that you check with your personal doctor prior to commencing any weight loss, diet or exercise program to make sure it is appropriate for you.

 Fitness And Health Ideas also strongly recommend you take the time to perform warming up and cooling down exercises before and after every exercise session.

 If you are motivated to begin aerobic exercises after reading this article, please contact us and keep us up to date with your progress. We wish you the best of health.