Health and Beauty: December 2017

Sunday, 31 December 2017

Is 30 Minutes of Swimming Better Than Running on the Treadmill for One Hour?

Swimming for 30 minutes and running 1 hour on a treadmill can both help you maintain a healthy weight and reduce your chronic disease risks. You’ll burn a significant amount of calories swimming for 30 minutes, yet your calorie expenditure is greater running on a treadmill for one hour. The workout that's the best fit for you is one you enjoy and can stick with long term.

Swimming vs. Running

Swimming is much easier on your joints than running on a treadmill, which is beneficial for injury prevention. However, weight-bearing exercises -- such as running -- are more beneficial for healthy bones. A study published in a 2009 issue of the “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research” found that running increases bone-mineral density more than non-weight-bearing exercises, such as cycling and swimming. However, high-impact running does increase your risk for bone fractures.

Calories Burned

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You’ll likely burn more calories running on a treadmill for 1 hour than you will swimming for 30 minutes, which is beneficial for weight loss. Harvard Health Publications reports a 155-pound adult burns 744 calories running for 1 hour at a pace of 6 miles per hour, but only burns 372 calories swimming the breaststroke for 30 minutes. If you boost your swimming duration to 1 hour, you’ll burn the same amount of calories – 744 -- as you would running 6 miles per hour for the same duration. If you burn 500 more calories than you eat each day, you’ll lose about 1 pound per week.

Exercise Intensity

You can reap the same health benefits, such as reduced chronic-disease risks, swimming for 30 minutes at a vigorous intensity as you can running for 1 hour at a moderate intensity, according to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines moderate intensity as working out at 50 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, and vigorous intensity as exercising at 70 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. You should be able to comfortably hold a conversation during moderate-intensity exercise, but struggle a bit more talking while exercising at a vigorous intensity.

Effective Weight Loss

A study published in a 2006 issue of the “Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness” found that subjects lost the same amount of weight and body fat doing weight-bearing exercises on land -- such as walking or running -- as they did exercising in water. However, running for an hour on a treadmill may help you lose more weight than swimming for 30 minutes a day, if your calorie intake remains constant. A review published in a 2009 issue of “Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise” reports that exercising more than 4 hours weekly is associated with significant weight loss in overweight individuals. If you choose swimming for 30 minutes over running for an hour, you'll need to eat less to get the same weight-loss results.

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Expert reveals weight loss secret which can 'transform your health in 21 days'

Losing weight is not an easy feat to accomplish, even when you have set a specific target. It requires hard work, discipline, dedication, immense will-power, and self-control.

It is a slow and steady process and many people go to all sorts of lengths to achieve their desired goals like trying out all sorts of diets that suit their requirements or have been proven effective, in order to quicken the process.

A lot of people even tend to give up halfway through their journey, simply because they run out of patience.

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But now, a doctor has revealed that people don't need to sign up to a gym as a balanced diet of plenty of vegetables, fish, dairy, and healthy fats can do wonders for their waistline, reports Daily Express.

Dr Aseem Malhotra also revealed that people can maintain fitness with lots of brisk walking, says the top doctor.

Cutting sugar and refined carbohydrates, like cakes, pasta, and pizzas, is also key to good health.

Dr Malhotra noted, "It is clear that diet and lifestyle are far more powerful than drugs or taking to the gym. Lifestyle changes such as consuming less sugar are more powerful than any medication that doctors can prescribe. You cannot outrun a bad diet – this should be what doctors are advising their patients. Eating junk food and then trying to beat the bulge with heavy workouts is a waste of time."

Enjoying dark chocolate and a glass of wine in moderation, however, would be beneficial to health, said Dr Malhotra. He also explained that following a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle can transform a person's health in just 21 days, reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes and increasing longevity.

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Saturday, 23 December 2017

10 Incredible Benefits Of Exercising Before Breakfast

It's a cold chilly wintry morning and no one would like to get out of the bed early in the morning. But when it comes to your health, a little bit of compromise is a must.

Getting up half an hour early than your regular timings and exercising before you hit your breakfast table can do wonders.

Several studies have found out that exercising before breakfast can help prevent a lot of health problems and also for those wishing to lose weight, exercising before breakfast has been beneficial.

So, what are the kind of exercises that one could take up before breakfast then? One should always make it a point to do some light exercises and not strain themselves too much.

Walking, jogging, cycling, a bit of cardio exercise and running on the treadmill are a few of the best exercises that one can do before breakfast.

Also, many of you might have a doubt as to whether exercising on an empty stomach is good or bad?

Drinking a glass of warm water and eating a handful of soaked almonds before you start your exercise can be one of the best options. However, exercising on an empty stomach does not cause any harm.

So, today in this article we have listed out 10 of the major health benefits of exercising before breakfast. Take a look.

1. Boosts Energy:

As you sleep at night, the energy is used during the body metabolism. Light exercises in the morning before your breakfast, even if it is for about 30 minutes, helps charge your body and boosts the energy level. Also, having a healthy breakfast following your exercise should be a must.

2. Helps Lose Weight:

Exercising on an empty stomach helps to burn more fat. Hence, exercising before your breakfast is one of the best options to lose weight. One needs to see to it that the calories burnt should be more than the calorie consumed.

3. Helps Build Muscles:

When you take up exercise before your breakfast, the empty stomach can trigger hormonal changes that help to burn more fat and aid in building up of the muscles. After the exercise, having a healthy breakfast, with a good protein content proves to be helpful.

4. Helps Control Diabetes:

Diabetes is one of the serious health issues which is on the rise. When you take up exercise early in the morning before your breakfast, it helps to protect against glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. This can be helpful, especially in preventing type 2 diabetes.

5. Helps Control Blood Pressure:

Brisk walking, jogging, running, swimming, treadmill or even aerobics are a few of the best exercises that one can do before the breakfast. Doing this helps in regulating the blood flow, controls the blood pressure level and prevents high blood pressure.

6. Enhances Better Sleep:

This might come as a surprise but yes exercising early in the morning before breakfast helps enhance better sleep. It helps in adjusting your circadian rhythms, giving you the needed energy throughout the day and helps you to sleep better at night.

7. Good For The Heart:

Workout and exercise before breakfast not just energizes you but it also ensures a good blood flow. Meanwhile, it also reduces a person's addiction on sugar or caffeine, which are considered to be bad for heart health. Regular exercise before breakfast is thus good for the heart.

8. Good For Mental Health:

Starting your day with some good exercise helps in enhancing your brain and memory power. It also helps ensure a good blood flow to the brain, thus reducing the risk of dementia.

9. Reduces Stress:

When you start your day with exercise, it provides a calming effect on your nervous system and thus helps in reducing your stress level. The effect will last all through the day.

10. Boosts Immunity:

Jogging, walking or going in for lighter exercise at the gym early in the morning helps in giving a boost to your immune system. These exercises can improve the efficacy of your antibodies and help to build up your immunity level and prevent any kind of infections.

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Eating apples, tomatoes may heal lungs of ex-smokers, claims study

Feeling worried over the lung damage caused by smoking? Take heart, eating more than two tomatoes or more than three portions of fresh fruits, especially apples, daily may help restore the damage.The findings showed that people who quit smoking and ate a diet high in tomatoes and fruits had slower lung decline over a 10-year period. This suggests that certain components in these foods might help repair as well as restore the damage caused to lungs as a result of smoking. Poor lung function has been linked with mortality risks from all diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, and lung cancer.

“This study shows that diet might help repair lung damage in people who have stopped smoking. It also suggests that a diet rich in fruits can slow down the lung’s natural ageing process even if you have never smoked,” said lead author Vanessa Garcia-Larsen, Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Moreover, the regular intake of tomatoes may also help slow the natural decline in lung function among all adults, including those who had never or had stopped smoking. “Lung function starts to decline at around age 30 at a variable speed depending on the general and specific health of individuals,” Garcia-Larsen explained, in the paper appearing in the European Respiratory Journal.

“Our study suggests that eating more fruits on a regular basis can help attenuate the decline as people age, and might even help repair damage caused by smoking. Diet could become one way of combating rising diagnosis of COPD around the world,” Garcia-Larsen said. For the study, the team assessed diet and lung function of more than 650 adults from Germany, Norway and the UK, and then repeated lung function tests on the same group of participants 10 years later.

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Thursday, 21 December 2017

5 health benefits of garam masala powder

Ayurveda also believes that garam masala contains all 6 tastes for a perfectly balanced dish Other health benefits garam masala is believed to give us include boosting immunity, promoting weight loss helping with digestive processes alleviating pain and lowering blood sugar levels

mportant reasons to use Garam Masala in your food Let’s see what they are

Anti-Ageing Ingredient

Garam Masala is a great anti-ageing ingredient since it includes powerful ingredients such as cinnamon pepper fennel etc which are known as miracle ingredients with many benefits Add more years to your life with Garam Masala.

Improves Cholesterol Levels

Natural ingredients like pepper cloves cinnamon and cardamom work great to lower your cholesterol levels Cinnamon a main ingredient of Garam Masala is beneficial for people with type-2 Diabetes It lowers sugar levels and is an amazing source of fiber and calcium It also helps improve your memory fights cancer and keeps heart problems at bay

Offer Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Cumin another important ingredient of Garam Masala is known for its strong flavor and bitter smell But it offers a wide variety of benefits Cumin is known to have powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties From acidic problem to heart diseases this powerful ingredient controls your heart rate improves digestion and enhances your metabolism

Keeps Your Dentist Away

No Garam Masala is ever complete without cloves which has been used to fight many health diseases Cloves are a great source of antioxidants, calcium vitamins, and omega 6 fatty acids They are great at reducing toothache and tooth cavity and thus have been used worldwide Also they help you build a healthy immune system by removing toxins from your body

Power Punch To Your Taste Buds

Last but not the least Garam Masala helps you improve the flavor of your food In Garam Masala each spice brings a unique flavor to the dish The sugary taste of fennel and spiciness of pepper maintain the balance of flavors in your dish As a matter of fact taste preferences differ among people but you can always solve the problem with a pinch of Garam Masala

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Rice Vs Chapati: Which is healthier for weight loss?

Rice and chapati have often jeopardized our weight loss plans. Since we have grown up eating both, it is difficult to let either go. Starting a weight loss regime is easy but sticking through is where the issue lies. While not every diet plan would require us to give up foods we love, others may urge us to

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Image result for rice

CARBS, OUR ENEMY: This is because leaving carbohydrates majorly leads to massive weight loss for many. And in our Indian diet, the major carb components are rice and chapati. As numerous Indian preparations are wheat-based or rice-based, completely ditching rice and chapati is not right as well.

Image result for chapati

CHAPATI - THE WINNER: However, when it comes to weight loss, the clear winner is chapati. While the difference between rice and chapati is not drastic, nutrient-value wise, the only major distinction lies in the sodium value. Rice, on one hand, has negligible sodium content. Chapati, on the other, has a drastic 190 mg sodium in 120 grams of wheat.

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MAIN DIFFERENCE: Therefore, for those wanting to ditch out sodium from their diet due to medical issues, chapati is what you need to be knocking off. But why is it that chapati continues to be better for weight loss? Turns out, rice contains lesser dietary fiber, protein and fat when compared to chapati. Rice also contains higher calories and does not provide the same satiety two chapatis would give.

FOUR CHAPATIS A DAY: But at the same, it is important to remember the portion size for either. Just because chapatis are better for weight loss does not mean that you overload your plate with them. Stick to maximum of four chapatis in a day.

DINNER AT 8: If you wish to consume chapati for dinner, then having dinner before 7:30 pm is advisable. It is necessary to listen to your body and know what suits your body best.

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Wednesday, 20 December 2017

4 simple tips for Men's healthier and charming skin......

Everybody wants glowing skin – be it a man or a woman. Now, everyone is not blessed with healthy skin, and some of us are constantly on the look-out for measures to make our skin not only look better, but also feel better. To help you tackle this, and ensure your skin looks healthier than ever, here are 4 points that will surely be of some help. Don’t shy away from self-care, gentlemen…

Cleanse your skin – According to dermatologists, cleansing your skin atleast twice in a day, is absolutely necessary. It’s an effective way to keep you fresh and unclog your pores. Also, avoid using soap on the face, as it’s harsh and can cause dryness. Use a good facewash, instead.

Moisturise to energise – A good moisturiser rejuvenates tired skin, deeply hydrates and returns that lost glow instantly after you apply it. Assess your skin type and use a cream or a gel based moisturiser which helps you lock in moisture throughout the day and helps boost your skin’s energy.

Hydrate – Water helps clear the toxins that cause blemishes.

A good night’s sleep – Getting at least eight hours of sleep every night will benefit you in many ways. Your body will be well-rested, ready to take on more, and your skin will get the rest and rejuvenation it needs.

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7 Effective Tips To Control Sleepiness After Lunch

What is the reason behind this post lunch lethargy
Our pancreas produces insulin to regulate blood sugar levels
Our body produces sleep hormone that gets converted in serotonin

Picture this: You just had lunch and have an important report to share to your boss, but your productivity levels are swooped down significantly and feeling extremely drowsy. Don't we all hate it? Well, that's what a heavy lunch does to you; make you sleepy and of course slower. What is the reason behind this post lunch lethargy? Well, it is because our pancreas produces insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. So the heavier the meal, higher will be the production of insulin, ending up spiking your blood sugar levels. With this increase in insulin, our body produces sleep hormone that gets converted in serotonin and melatonin in our brain, further inducing sleepiness. This causes our body to slow down, eventually spoiling our day's plan.

It is obvious you cannot skip eating your lunch, but you can definitely control the sluggishness that's causing your work to suffer. Here are some diet tips to follow in order to remain active.

1. Do not sit back on your desk, take a walk

Do not sit back to work right after you have eaten your meal; all you need to do is take a brisk walk in your premises or climb stairs. This short spanned exercise will help to increase the oxygen levels in the blood and boost your energy levels.

Do not sit back to work right after you have eaten your meal

2. Chew gum

According to a study published in the journal Physiology and Behaviour, chewing gum may reduce tiredness and ensure increased alertness; of course overdoing it may reverse the effects. Chewing gum may help because you are constantly in a state of action giving you a major mood boost. Chew mint gum for at least five minutes to feel energized again.

chewing gum may reduce tiredness and ensure increased alertness

3. Drink water, lots of it

Dehydration can cause fatigue, low mood and difficulty in concentrating. Make sure you are drinking enough water through the day. So hydrate your body with some fluid that will help retain the post lunch slump.

Dehydration can cause fatigue, low mood and difficulty in concentrating

4. Eat healthy, say no to junk

The refined grains in processed foods get digested quickly that results in blood sugar spike and dip contributing to low energy levels. Choose to eat more energizing meals that includes more iron (leafy green veggies), lean proteins (lean meat, fish and eggs) and complexed carbohydrates (whole grains and legumes).

The refined grains in processed foods get digested quickly that results in blood sugar spike

5. Know portion control

Over-eating can easily lead to sluggishness by slowing down digestion, further giving you an uncomfortable, bloated feeling. Rather, choose to eat small meals in between to avoid feeling sleepy and lethargic and further regulate blood sugar levels.

Over-eating can easily lead to sluggishness by slowing down digestion

6. Avoid sugar and fat

Try not to consume more and more sugar and fats present in processed foods in order to avoid energy crash. Sugars may give an initial energy boost but will wear off quickly making you feel extremely tired and fatigued. So even if you have a sweet tooth, make sure you have a fruit or two after the afternoon meal.

Try not to consume more and more sugar and fats present in processed foods

7. Keep a track

It is important to keep a track of the foods you eat during lunchtime. If a certain food is causing sleepiness and lethargy, it is better to identify and reduce their consumption immediately and choose other foods that may help keep your energy levels high.

These simple and effective tips will definitely help you avoid those short naps in office.

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Energy Drinks and their effect on Health

Energy drinks are fast gaining popularity with a new brand being introduced in the market every other week. Energy drinks are called so because they provide an instantaneous improvement in stamina, energy levels, alertness and ability to focus due to caffeine, which is one of the primary ingredients of these energy drinks. As these drinks are FDA approved one may assume that these energy drinks are rather safe for health. Caffeine intake of up to 400 mg per day which is around four cups of coffee is considered as safe for an adult but the same may not be true for children and people who are suffering from some or other medical condition. Also many a time these energy drinks are abused with them being used to stay awake during nights for partying purposes or are mixed with alcohol for consumption. Such irresponsible usage of energy drinks may lead to real adverse effect on health.

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Constituents of Energy Drinks
Other than caffeine there are many other ingredients in energy drinks whose effect on health may also be not very positive. Although consumption in moderate levels is considered harmless but jury is still out on the long term effects of consumption of energy drinks. The primary ingredients in energy drinks are caffeine, taurine, glucuronolactone and sugar. Caffeine at moderate levels can provide positive stimulant effects but overconsumption of the same can lead to issues such as irritability, headaches, dizziness, digestive disorders and difficulty falling asleep. Taurine is an amino acid that is found naturally in the body and also in many food articles. Glucuronolactone as per manufacturers of energy drinks help eliminate the toxins related to the physical efforts.

Energy Drinks and their Effect on Health
It is advisable only to consume around 200 mg of caffeine per day thus excessive consumption of energy drinks can have harmful impact on health. Energy drinks are not recommended for children under 16 years of age with even statutory warning available on the packaging of many of these drinks. But unfortunately these drinks are fairly popular amongst adolescents and teenagers and even children. It has been scientifically proved that consumption of energy drinks can alter heart rate and blood pressure thus they are not recommended for people suffering from cardiovascular disorders or hypertension. In addition, energy drinks are also not recommended for pregnant women and people with increased sensitivity to caffeine. Energy drinks are highly concentrated and acidic in nature thus they promote dehydration; also high concentration of sugar in these drinks can lead to digestive disorders. Avoid consumption of energy drinks before going to bed as these drinks contain caffeine, also drink ample amount of water which will help avoid dehydration.

Myths and Facts related to Energy Drinks
The primary myth associated with energy drinks is that it enhances performance, be it in sports or otherwise. But till date no study or research has been able to authenticate this claim. Energy drinks are no longer classified as doping products which they initially were. Since 2004, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has removed energy drinks from the list of banned substances. Energy drinks don’t have any nutritional value and also consumption of energy drinks during exercise routine can be harmful for health thus many health professionals advice against the same. Same amount of energy drinks may have varied effect on different individuals; some may be able to stay awake all night long while some other may feel the effects only for a few hours.

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