Category: Women’s Health

Tips For Body Building Programs

The best body building programs are those that are designed for a specific individual. Although us women usually all want to target the same areas i.e. bums, tums and thighs, we all have different needs and goals. The instructor at your gym should sit down with you to discuss your goals and aspirations and then together the two of you would come up with a plan that will work for you.

Before you start any bodybuilding program you would always warm up and cool down when you are finished. This helps to reduce the risk of injury to your muscles and is the most important part of any training process. Weight training usually involves squats, leg presses, stomach crunches, pushdowns and pulldowns. All of these terms can sound like a foreign language but once you have practiced the routine a few times you will be surprised at how quickly you pick it up and see results.

The pulldown will exercise your back, shoulders and arms. Those female models on TV in their skimpy t-shirts will have all been practicing their lat pulldowns. A stomach crunch is the modern version of the sit-up. You have to lift your shoulders and upper chest off the ground for seconds at a time forcing the abdominal muscles to contract. You need to do multiple sets of these in order to get that washboard stomach we all crave.

Do not try to do too much too soon. Overtraining is bad for your body and can affect your hormones as well as your immune system never mind the risk of injury to your bones or joints. If you have hit the weights too hard, take some time out to recover.

You need to include aerobic exercise in your routine to get the most out of your weight training sessions. Getting aerobically fit means that your muscles will be healthier and you will get the results you crave much quicker. You need to eat properly as well. Just because you are now following a body building program does not give you license to eat whatever you want whenever you want. Bodybuilders are generally very careful about what they consume. We will forget about the obvious examples of those that aren’t i.e. the ones that abuse steroids.

A committed bodybuilder will review their diet to make sure that they are eating quality protein in the right quantities and that they are getting sufficient healthy fats. They will also make sure to keep their body properly hydrated but not overdo it as this can cause a new set of problems. They will also eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Alcohol and smoking don’t form part of this diet!

When you are following your bodybuilding program you need to think of safety as well. Only lift those weights you can manage. It is pointless pulling muscles or causing yourself another injury due to carelessness. Always make sure that weights are secure and don’t leave them lying around for others to fall over. A body building program can produce excellent results but only when you pay attention to these basics.

Sample Diabetes Diet

If you are looking for a diet to follow because you have diabetes and do not really know where to begin, maybe a look at a sample diabetes diet would help you get started. Eating regularly, at the same times everyday is essential to controlling your diabetes effectively.

You should never skip meals and always have healthy snacks ready to go so all you have to do is go to the kitchen to get them without having to prepare something first. Choose a day or two during the week when you will do enough preparation to get you through to the next prep day.

some things will not last a week so if you split up the days then you can be sure that everything you eat is fresh and no more than three days old. Fresh food just tastes better.

The following is a few suggestions of a sample diabetes diet plan:

Breakfast: 1c healthy cold cereal or cooked oatmeal
1c fat-free milk
1/2 orange or grapefruit
tea or coffee

or

1c low-fat cottage cheese or low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 c fresh or canned fruit, chunked and mixed into cottage cheese or yogurt
tea or coffee

Lunch: 3 oz. lean turkey breast sandwich with lettuce on whole grain bread or pita
1 tsp mayo or salad dressing
1 small apple
water with lemon or iced green tea

or

small tossed salad with tomato, onion, radish, cucumber and 1 oz. feta cheese
3 oz. canned tuna
2 tablespoons Greek vinaigrette
water with lemon or iced green tea

Dinner: 3 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 medium potato
1c fresh green beans
tea or fat-free milk

or

3 oz. fish (salmon, tilapia, cod, perch, etc)
1 c rice pilaf
cooked sliced carrots
tea or fat-free milk

Snacks: 3 cups no butter popcorn
or
1/2 c low-fat cottage cheese or yogurt with cut up fruit
or
low-fat cheese and about 6 crackers

Get used to drinking water because you need to keep yourself hydrated. Staying hydrated will help you control your blood sugars easier by keeping the sugar from becoming too concentrated in your blood stream.

Keeping your carb intake evenly disbursed throughout your day will also help keep your blood sugar from spiking and help you stay at the same insulin dosage your doctor recommends for you.

By following this type of diet you may also lose some of the excess weight you have, especially belly fat. Not to mention the other risk factors you will be decreasing like those for heart disease and stroke that can put you at an increased risk when you have diabetes.

Eating right is just a smart thing to do whether you have diabetes or not and add in some regular exercise and you have the ideal plan for losing weight and controlling your diabetes.

Use this sample diabetes diet to jump start your efforts and be the best you can be and be as healthy as you can be while stabilizing your diabetes and losing the extra poundage around your middle.

Onset Diabetes Diet

If you have been diagnosed with onset diabetes diet changes are one of the things you will need to consider to help you control your blood sugars. Do not panic, this is not going to be that hard. Talk to your doctor first and see if she wants you to consult with a dietitian, especially if you are unsure of where to begin.

Learning what foods to eat, how much of them to eat and at what times to eat them should all be taken into consideration when talking about an onset diabetes diet. Your biggest challenge now is to learn to keep your blood sugar levels consistent throughout your day.

Making good food choices and eating at the same times everyday will help you start to feel better, maybe lose some excess weight, and decrease your risk of developing complications of diabetes like heart disease, stroke, blindness and other problems caused by diabetes that you should discuss at length with your doctor when she gives you your diagnosis.

Choosing to eat a more healthy diet does not mean you have to give up your favorites. You can still enjoy some of the things you like the best without having to worry about your blood sugar spiking on you. It may just be a matter of eating smaller portions of the things you like the best.

Here are ten ideas to make your choices seem a little easier:

1. Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. They add color to your meals and can make them more appealing to the eye.
2. Eat more whole grain foods like brown rice and whole wheat pastas and breads. Whole grain will keep you fuller longer and will not make your blood sugars spike.
3. Once or twice a week, throw in some dried beans or lentils into the mix. Chili or soup is a great way to fill up without consuming a lot of calories.
4. Fish is a great source of protein and essential fatty acids. Work some into your meal plan two or three times a week.
5. If you have to have red meat, choose a lean cut and if there is any visible fat present, trim it off before you cook it.
6. Chicken and turkey are loaded with protein, just make sure the skin is removed first.
7. Make your dairy foods non-fat or low-fat.
8. Drink lots of water. Stay away from sweetened drinks like soda.
9. Use olive oil or canola oil to cook with instead of margarine or butter, you do n ot need the calories or saturated fats.
10. You can still have dessert, just watch your portion sizes. Try cutting back to a half portion or maybe even smaller if you can.

See, not so hard, you can do this onset diabetes diet. It may take a little practice at first but you will soon be able to incorporate these guidelines into your day and make it seem like you have been doing it all your life. So much better to control your blood sugars every day. So, talk to your doctor about everything and ask for help if you need it.

Medication For Cholesterol-When Diet Change And Exercise Dont Help

In some cases diet and exercise just aren’t doing enough to get your cholesterol levels down to a safe point. When that is the case, you can ask your doctor for a medication for cholesterol.

If you need to get a medication for cholesterol there are some important facts you must know. For one thing, you may need more than one.

Many medications can also have some potentially serious side effects so it is very important you keep in contact with your doctor and follow all dosing instructions very carefully.

One of the most common type of drugs for controlling cholesterol are statins. These medications decrease the bad cholesterol, LDL, levels in the bloodstream.

The problem is that these drugs can have some serious side effects. You need to make sure you talk with your doctor about all these possible side effects.

You must fully understand all the side effects and what you need to keep track of.

One of the most common side effects is numbness in the hands and feet. This numbness can come and go but it can make many day to day activities very difficult.

Other common side effects associated with statins are dizziness and weakness. This is caused due to the lower blood pressure as a result of taking the medication.

Another possible side effect is heart trouble. Since statins can cause problems with muscles it stands to reason that that would include the heart since the heart is a muscle.

Statins can actually work to decrease the amount of Coenzyme Q 10 in the heart thus making it more vulnerable.

Sometimes memory loss is reported as a side effect of taking these cholesterol drugs.

And last, but not least, depression. Taking these drugs can sometimes cause individuals to suffer from depression.

I’m not a doctor and ultimately only you and your doctor can decide whether or not the possible dangers associated with taking these medications is worth it based on the possible improvement of your cholesterol levels.

In some cases, if your cholesterol levels are dangerously high, the benefits of getting a more healthy cholesterol level may far outweigh any possible side effects.

It is important that you are an active participant in your care and that you discuss the risks and possible rewards with your doctor prior to starting any type of medication.

Also, don’t be shy about asking your doctor what other things you can do to try and get your cholesterol under control naturally.

There are herbal remedies that may be able to help you control your cholesterol without all the dangerous side effects.

Some doctors aren’t familiar with these so you may need to find another type of doctor who can help you out.

Ideally, you have, or find, a doctor who is on board with you in terms of trying to use natural methods as much as possible for dealing with all your health issues.

You really don’t want to have to constantly “fight” with your doctor but many of the medications today can cause a lot of unpleasant and possibly dangerous side effects so it only makes sense to keep your consumption of these things to a minimum.

Work with your doctor to find out which medication for cholesterol is best for you.