Walking Offers Great Benefits for your Brain Activities

Walking is a way to get the daily exercise you need and it is also great for your brain activities. Research shows that people who walk are doing a huge service for their brains. As a person walks the blood circulates faster. At the same time more glucose and oxygen are sent to the brain. This is possible because walking is a very low impact type of exercise. When you exercise with fast paced movements your body is going to absorb that extra glucose and oxygen so it isnt available for the brain to receive.

The additional oxygen that goes to your brain is a great way to help you reduce levels of stress. This is why a brisk walk a couple of times each day can help a person to see pressing situations in new ways. Individuals that walk on a regular basis have better concentration and they seem to be more receptive to learning new things. It is estimated that they risk of a stroke is reduced by more than 50% when you walk each day. Since a stroke can have severe consequences for the brain activities this is good news.

There have been many studies with women and their walking habits. Those that walk at least 20 minutes each day seem to be able to remember things that have occurred more than others. The fact that they arent suffering from memory loss as they get older could be due to the amount of walking they have done in the past.

Start out by walking at least 20 minutes a day. Try to work up to at least 30 minutes. As you are able to get this time frame in without any problem offer yourself a new challenge. Try to walk further in those 30 minutes than you did before. This can be accomplished by picking up the pace and by focusing your attention on the size of your stride. Try to make them longer and with a purpose rather than just going for a leisurely stroll.

Dont use the excuse that you dont have enough energy to walk. If you have aches and pains you may be afraid to engage in such activities. However, walking releases more endorphins that are produced by the body naturally. This means you will have more energy than before when you walk. You will also have a sense of happiness that you didnt before thanks to those endorphins being released in the brain. Those endorphins can also help to relieve various types of pain your body may have.

It is understandable that people are very different when it comes to their fitness levels. Walking is low impact so just about anyone can take part in it. This is the perfect activity to engage in so that your body gets the physical exercise it needs. At the same time our brain gets a workout that keeps it youthful and vital as well. You can walk alone or with a friend to keep yourself motivated. If you are alone the use of an MP3 player can help make it more interesting.

If you have children, take them along for the walk as well. Children are never too young to work on their physical and mental well being. In fact, children that have been doing so from a young age will accept it as a part of what they need to do. They will be more likely to continue such efforts as they become adults themselves. This means that their brain activities will be very strong and healthy. They will stay that way too instead of slipping as they get older.

You can get them a stroller or a wagon to help keep the pace rapid until they are old enough to keep up with you. Many parents walk at tracks around playgrounds too. This is perfect because the children get to play while you walk. Yet you can still keep a close eye on them while you do so.

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Protect the Children from Alcohol Abuse

If you have children in the home, you must protect them from alcohol abuse. These means that they have to be protected form the alcohol and the alcoholic that may be abusive. Kids are very impressionable and learn from what they see or what is done to them. You have to be the one to break the cycle. If you do not protect the children from the abuse no matter if it is physical or because they see a parent drinking, they could grow up with the same tendencies. As a parent or even a friend, you must step in and prevent any problems before they start.

Kids will follow in the footsteps of a parent if they do not understand the consequences. This is not always true, but in most cases, it is what happens. Even if a child does not take after the parent, they may grow up to accept this type of behavior and put their own lives in danger or have nothing but heartache. You have to protect the children so that they know that this is not the way to live. However, sometimes this can be hard to do if you want to remain in the home.

If there is abuse in the home because of alcohol, you need to shield the kids from this abuse. If the abuse is physical, mental or verbal, kids should not have to live with it. it the abuse is watching their parent drink themselves into a drunken state, they need to know that this is not how people should live. As a parent, you have to make a decision whether to stay or take you children somewhere else where they will not be subjected to the abusive behavior or have to watch mom or dad drink themselves to death.

Never tell the kids that drinking is just something you do. It is not something that you just do. They need to understand that alcoholism is a disease that can have devastating affects on the person the family. This is important for children to understand. This does not mean that telling them that their parent is a loser or a bad person. You have to be truthful without being demeaning to the parent with the problem. Children are smart and will know that other families do live as you do.

You may need to leave the home for a while if the drinking leads to abusive behavior. This is the only way to protect the children and make sure that they do not grow up thinking that this is acceptable behavior. You also do not want to keep them in an abusive home. Not all alcoholics drink all the time, but even so, the kids should not be subjected to any abusive behavior from a parent. They also should be told that drinking is all right. As they grow up, they would stand a good chance of following in the footsteps of the alcoholic parent.

Take the kids to Al-Anon so that they have someone other than you to talk with. This is very important so that the kids have someone to talk to and listen to other kids in the same situation. If they have somewhere to go with others their age, it could help them understand what is happening and how to cope with their home life. It can also help them understand if you have to leave the home.

Talk with the kids if they have questions. You have to be honest without being judgmental. The kids will understand more if you talk to them instead of trying to hide the problem. Kids today, know more than what parents knew when they were kids and they see and hear things that they probably should not. This is the reason that you must be honest. Never badmouth the alcoholic parent because the kids could resent you.

When you are talking to the kids, ask them if they have questions and try to answer them the best you can. You can also expect to be asked why mom or dad yells at them or why the person has to do the things that he or she does. Answer honestly and try to help them understand.

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The Brave Attempt to Stop Smoking

Perhaps, you have heard a lot of people say that smoking is an old habit that dies hard. Smoking can become very addictive, and once a smoker becomes dependent on its substance, he will definitely lose most of his strength to steer clear from such addiction. Despite all the reminders of advertisements and all the warnings given by medical professionals regarding the harmful effects of smoking to ones health, a lot of people are still lured by the aroma of a burning cigarette; and before they know it, they are already too hooked on smoking to quit it. And then, for any reason, they will begin to stop smoking, but then they will feel too weak to fight the urge to smoke again.

Smokers may say that they will stop smoking in due time. But when really is the right time to stop smoking? Dont they know that the longer they prolong their addiction, the harder it shall be for them to quit it? Why wait for tomorrow, when you are already a victim now? In waiting, you are just waiting for the consequences of your actions to become more serious than it already is. Listen to what health practitioners are saying; take the brave attempt to quit smoking now.

In quitting, your tool winning tool is your willpower and determination. People may tell you how to go about the quitting process, but it is really your focus that will help you get through the rehabilitation. Just remember that it is never going to be a quick change, it would definitely require you to work hard for your goal. Do not look for the easy way out, keep in mind that you should do it slowly but surely.

Set your goals, and take note of the reasons why you are finally stopping. Emphasize on the benefits that you will get when you are finally a non-smoker instead of using all its harmful effects to scare you into quitting. The reward is a better motivation than the punishment. And as you set your goals, remember that there are trials as you quit smoking, such as the withdrawal stage, and this may be toughest part. You should be prepared when these symptoms occur.

You should plan activities that would keep your mind of smoking. Enjoy sports, or pamper yourself by going to the spa, or watching movies. Try to see how much productive you can be by doing all these things than just smoking. The money you are spending is well spent as well, and it is not just wasted on a bad vice. For the time being, hang out with your friends who are not smoking and surround yourself with an environment that would really make your forget about smoking.

Bear in mind that you are the key to the success of your battle against smoking. It is your determination that will push you to reach your goal. No matter how much people remind you to stop smoking, it is always you who has the last say. So, you should stay focused and determined.

And, you should know that if you are planning to stop smoking, now is the best time. Today is better than tomorrow, and this will certainly make your future a lot brighter and healthier. Do it now, be brave enough to stop smoking.