22 Oct 09 Eating A Heart Healthy Diet

When changing your diet to be more healthy, one of your key focuses should be on heart health. They health of your heart dictates the health of the rest of your body, for the most part. So why wouldn’t you try to focus on your most important muscle? Remember it’s important to get cardiovascular exercise as well, to strengthen your heart. But these foods will also help to keep you fit and feeling great:

-Apples. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is an incredibly true statement. Not only do apples have a ton of healthy fiber and nutrients, but red apples actually help to lower your cholesterol. The antioxidants found in the apple’s red skin helps your body stay younger and more fit on a whole.

-Cucumbers are almost a wonder food for the heart and body. Not only do they contain no fat, sodium, and also very low calories, the enzymes contained within may help to lower cholesterol. Research has shown that enzymes in cucumbers, specifically the skin, could help to pass cholesterol through your system faster. This way you absorb less, leaving less to sit around in your heart and veins.

-Almonds are another wonder food. The skin on an almond contains a wealth of antioxidants that actually fight the plaque build up in your veins. Therefore lower your risk of a heart attack, and that makes almonds a must eat in my book. Stick to the unsalted ones though, otherwise the extra sodium is doing enough damage to your heart to make up the healthy difference otherwise offered.

-Artichokes are something you should eat because an average sized artichoke can contain the same amount of fiber as a bowl of high fiber cereal. Plus the artichoke fiber is all natural, and from a healthier source. Fiber works to clean out your whole system, so getting your fair share is always a good idea.

-Onions are very good for you, when eaten raw. Onions can help fight cholesterol, and also inhibit the build up of blood clots due to cholesterol or bad blood flow in general. But when you cook the onion the rich nutrients tend to be lost, so putting raw onions on a salad is a better option than cooking some onions with your dinner.

Tags: Almonds, Apple A Day, Artichoke, Bloo, Cardiovascular Exercise, Cholesterol Research, Cucumbers, Fight Cholesterol, Food For The Heart, Heart Attack, Heart Health, Heart Healthy Diet, High Fiber Cereal, Lower Cholesterol, Lower Your Risk, Raw Onions, Red Apples, Red Skin, True Statement, Wonder Food

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05 Oct 09 Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally

Keeping a good hold on your cholesterol throughout your life, is something that everyone should be doing. The importance of good cardiovascular health can’t be understated, and a large part of that beyond exercise, is doing what’s necessary diet wise. Keeping your cholesterol low organically, and as naturally as possible is incredibly healthy for your body, and avoids any of the negative side effects you could suffer from pills or bad health later in life.

One of the best ways to start that is by drinking a glass of water when you wake up in the morning. Not only does this kick start your metabolism, but it also works to remove toxins in your body. By getting your system circulating you get your blood flowing, and your body moving as quick as possible. All of which is great for your health in general.

-For breakfast oatmeal is your friend. Oatmeal is high in beta-glucan, which is a form of fiber that flows through your blood stream, soaking up the cholesterol that would otherwise be waiting around to clog your arteries.

-If you need a snack throughout the day try almonds. They contain very powerful antioxidants, including flavonoids which work to prevent the oxidation of harmful LDL cholesterol. To keep the healthy effects of almonds make sure to eat them with the skin intact, and unsalted. The skin contains most of the helpful flavonoids, and salt is bad for your heart, so putting salt on them negates the positive heart health effects.

-An apple a day keeps the doctor away, an incredibly true statement. Apples also contain a wealth of antioxidants that work to decrease the amount of plaque buildup in your body. Make sure you eat the outer skin as a part of the apple though, as most of the helpful antioxidants are located there. Red apples tend to be the source of the most antioxidants.

Finally, just make sure to exercise. Cardiovascular exercise is your friend, as it improves heart and body health. By improving how well your cardiovascular system works, you’ll improve how you feel now, and more importantly how you’ll feel ten years from now.

Tags: Almonds, Apple A Day, Arteries, Beta Glucan, Blood Stream, Body Health, Cardiovascular Exercise, Cardiovascular Health, Cholesterol, Flavonoids, Glass Of Water, Harmful Ldl Cholesterol, Health Effects, Heart Health, Oatmeal, Outer Skin, Oxidation, Plaque Buildup, Red Apples, True Statement

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23 Sep 09 Warm Up Before Your Workout

The importance of warming up before performing regular exercise can’t be understated. By not warming up you run the risk of damaging your muscles and hurting yourself in the long run. You have to get your body’s engine warmed up before you really work it hard. You’ll find that this has many positive effects as well, such as longer lasting energy during a routine, and a faster recovery time after the work out.

For example, if you find yourself feeling a little achy after resistance weight training, you may not be warming up enough before the workout. Of course your muscles tend to ache after a workout, but the pain should be manageable, and shouldn’t effect your day to day activities.

The best warm up for weight training is light cardiovascular exercise. This allows your muscles to breath in a sense, warming them up for activity, and getting the energy you need flowing freely. Try jogging lightly in place for a few minutes, or riding an exercise bike. You don’t need to push yourself in the warm up, just go until you start to sweat a little. That’s a classic sign that your body is getting ready for more strenuous exercise.

Now you should start out with some lighter weights for the body region you’re targeting that day. If you’re working your arms, start out with some light free weights. These aren’t to help you build muscle, but just get your muscles ready for the real workout that’s on the way. Stick to only 10-15lb weights, and run through a lighter version of each exercise you’ll be doing. Do each exercise for about 30-60 seconds, or until you’ve been warming up for about five minutes.

After following those steps, you should find your muscles feeling alert and ready to start. Now you can move in to your standard workout. Just be sure to stretch afterward, to work the knots you’ve developed from weight lifting. You should find that your muscles feel better and recover faster the day after your workout.

Tags: Cardiovascular Exercise, Classic Sign, Exercise Bike, Few Minutes, Five Minutes, Free Weights, Knots, Lasting Energy, Muscles, Recovery Time, Resistance, Risk, Strenuous Exercise, T Effect, Weight Training, Workout

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22 Oct 09 Eating A Heart Healthy Diet

05 Oct 09 Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally

23 Sep 09 Warm Up Before Your Workout

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