Reduce Hypertension With the DASH Diet
Reduce Hypertension With the DASH Diet 
If you are currently suffering from high blood pressure or hypertension, then you should consider going on the DASH diet. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The goal of this diet is, of course, to help lower your blood pressure by eating foods that are high in calcium, magnesium and potassium. Studies have shown that these nutrients help to reduce a person’s blood pressure. Before you decide if you want to start a DASH diet, you will need to talk your doctor to make sure that it is right for you. Also, your doctor can also assist you in making the right choices so that your DASH diet will be a success. As stated earlier, for the diet to be effective, you have to eat foods that are high in calcium, magnesium and potassium. Examples of foods that are high in these three nutrients are fruits, vegetables, nuts, and low fat dairy products. However, taking supplements instead of eating these foods will not be effective in helping you reduce your hypertension. You need to consume these nutrients from natural foods. Besides eating lots of fruits and vegetables, you will probably want to increase your intake of whole grain foods and reduce the amount of sodium in your diet. You could also include fish and poultry in your diet as well. It’s best to consult with your doctor to determine what would be the right amount for you. Like starting any diet, it can be a bit of a challenge. But you can be successful if you take baby steps instead of making one big dramatic change. A lot of times, if you do it all at once, you start to miss the foods that you loved before but can no longer have. As a result you find yourself giving up. By doing it slowly, you will be able to make your diet become part of your daily routine. The way to do baby steps is to introduce parts of your diet in your regular meal and set goals for yourself. For example, if you enjoy pizza, you can buy ready made crust and add low fat cheese and add lots of vegetables that are high in nutrients like broccoli, tomatoes or spinach. Or you could have raw vegetables with low-fat yogurt dip instead of having oily potato chips. As for setting goals, you could tell yourself that you plan to snack on at least one fruit each day instead of having cookies or candy. If you are suffering from hypertension, then the DASH diet is probably something worth doing. Be sure to visit your doctor to see if this is something that you can do and follow the guidelines that your doctor provides. Eating healthy and following a solid exercise plan will help you to lower your hypertension.…
Spring is well on the way and summer just around the corner. This is the time of the year where all sports’ enthusiasts put their energy back to work. Cycling shop venues all over the nation are packed with all sorts of cycle accessories that will take care of your hydration needs. There are so many water bottle manufacturers and different types of bottles to choose from, so selecting the proper cycle accessories can be challenging at times. You may be someone that has had bottles for a few years or you may be in the market for new ones. Browse through the different types below and make the proper selection on these indispensable cycle accessories as they meet your cycling needs. A� Single wall polypropylene with bite valve bottle – One of the oldest, most popular and most affordable bottles. Squeezable and very durable, but does not offer much if any, insulation. Great for occasional rides. A� Double wall polypropylene with bite valve bottle – Very durable and very popular cycle accessories. Some manufacturers offer bottles with an insulated thermal layer in between the walls, which can maintain the integrity of your drinks, being hot or cold for longer periods of time. Ideal for mid to long range rides. A� Single wall polyethylene “Clean bottle” – One of the newest bottles in the market. It can be unscrewed from both ends for better cleaning, making this bottle one of the best cycle accessories for the clean conscious. Down side – very little insulation. Great for occasional rides. The company, who manufactures these bottles, donates 10% of their profits to eco, cycling – friendly charities allowing the consumer to vote for their favorite. A� Double wall polyethylene with bite valve and protective cap – great durability, squeezable and one feature I love the most, which is a protective cap to keep the bite valve clean from road spray and dust. Great addition to the germ conscious mind. It is important to know that many bottles vary in size. It would be wise to take into consideration the size range of 16 to 26 ounces before purchasing your cycle accessories. I also want to remind you there are basically three types of valves, which may or may not be included with the bottle you purchase at any good cycling shop. The Self Sealing Jet Valve TM, The Bite Valve and straw combination and the regular pull bite valve. Although many bottles and valves are dishwasher safe, I would make sure they are placed only on the upper rack of the dishwasher and that you use a lower hot water setting to prevent any unnecessary damage to your investment.…
Body Weight Exercises Body weight exercises are one of the best ways to build muscle and develop strength quickly and effectively. This type of exercise will increase strength in the body’s core while not putting on excess mass in the upper body. It’s also great to build quality lean muscle mass. Body weight exercises are a useful addition to many strength-gaining programs because they build and condition the body’s muscles. These exercises can be done by men, women and children alike, and generally are appropriate for any age. These are some of the best exercises to include in your workout routine and are completely safe since it’s just your body, requiring a minimum of additional equipment. Fitness is essential for your day-to-day effectiveness, even the Marine Corps utilizes body weight exercises to increase the recruits military effectiveness. Body weight exercises include push-ups, pull-ups, dips, crunches, the one-legged squat, and the knee jump. Push-ups work several muscle groups including the chest, triceps and shoulders. Pull-ups work the upper back, your biceps and abdominal muscles. Dips focus its’ work on the triceps, and limited exercise of the chest and back. Crunches and sit-ups work your upper and lower abdominal muscles, while the one-legged squat and knee jump work your legs. Using a body weight program helps people who are overweight and who have health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and fatigue. Physical fitness can treat and prevent many chronic health conditions that brought on by aging and an unhealthy lifestyle. Physical Fitness General physical fitness is achieved by focusing on correct nutrition, exercise, and getting enough rest. Physical fitness and body weight exercises are a necessary requisite for leading a healthy and active life. Thus, your diet should be based on your individual metabolism and what your fitness goals are. Muscle Building Muscle building is actually a long-term method which cannot be accomplished overnight. Muscle tissue is tight and dense, which gives it a streamlined look. Muscle is metabolically active, which means it needs a lot of calories just to maintain itself. Nutritionally speaking, protein is essential in building and maintaining muscle mass. Protein is required to build muscle and heal damage done to muscle that may have occurred during your workouts. Muscles are very receptive to the muscle-building effect of protein immediately following a workout. Protein is found in meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, eggs, nuts, and dried beans, among other foods. Adding a protein supplement to your diet may help your body add muscle mass and cut excess fat.…
The Mediterranean diet has been around for hundreds of years and is aptly named for the Mediterranean region from where it originates. The people of the region represent many countries and enjoy varied food choices, and yet their basic diet philosophies are the same. The region consistently ranks high as being home to many of the healthiest people in the world. So how best can you adapt the strategies of the Mediterranean diet and incorporate the many medical benefits the Mediterranean diet menu offers. Some basic tips and food choices to get you started. The first place to start would be how we stock our pantry and refrigerator. It’s time to change the way we shop. This change may be drastic for some and just a slight modification for others. Salads are a way of life here, as the salad is most often used as an appetizer utilizing many of the popular food choices found in the Mediterranean diet, as well as a side dish to the main meal. Olive oil is most often used as dressing of choice and it plays a major roll in the overall good health benefits found in the diet. Unlike many diets today the Mediterranean diet encourages fat consumption. Not those fats of the deep fried variety, but rather monounsaturated and omega fats that can be found in foods like avocados, nuts, olives, olive oil and oily fish. These foods have been medically linked to lower blood cholesterol levels and better cardiac health and are readily found in many of the Mediterranean diet recipes. Carbohydrates are also consumed on a regular basis in the forms of whole grains, found in breads, cereals and pastas. Herbs and spices are used to replace salt, and seasonal fruits and vegetables can be eaten in unlimited quantities. Excellent snack choices would be a variety of nuts such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts and especially almonds. Also consider fruits, and vegetables as great on the go snack choices. Red wine has been linked to many excellent health benefits and has been a staple in the Mediterranean diet menu for centuries. You would be hard pressed to find a dinner table in the region without a bottle of wine to accompany the meal. Moderation should be the rule here as those benefits diminish after 1 or 2 glasses. Consult your Physician first before consuming alcohol or consider replacing with grape juice, as it offers similar health benefits. Saturated or trans fats are found in foods like butter and margarines as well as whole milks and ice creams and should be avoided as they have been medically linked to heart disease, stroke and obesity. Red meats are eaten rarely; eggs and poultry are eaten in moderate amounts and dairy products like yogurts and goat cheeses can be eaten infrequently. The way of life in Mediterranean countries also adds to the phenomenon of the Mediterranean diet as meals are celebrations often lingered over with the company of friends and family. No meals on the go here or time spent in the drive through.…
This article is to give you “The Power” that can be found within a cycling power meter. Whether we use a power meter or not in our cycling we can learn a lot about what the data tells us. To focus on the data itself is the error; the data is simply a reflection of you and the sum of your performance / fitness variables for that effort or training session. The key is to understand why your power outputs are up or down, what factors affect it and how the relationship of power to heart rate is crucial to understanding. Read on to get your golden keys to understanding where the true power is…. First of all it is important to note that any power data is irrelevant without duration and longer duration aerobic energy system efforts are better understood when considered with heart rate. After all: power = energy / time or watts = joules / second What this means is it is not just how much power or energy we can produce but it is over what duration. A great example is the track running 100m dash. The runner who wins is able to expend the most relative energy (to size / drag and mass) over that duration. This lends the ultimate hint to where the power is. Our performance can boil down to one concept, vitality and training stimulus. We see that when we are fit if we wake up race day sick or fatigued we flounder. That said when we are vital and healthy and rested but haven’t done adequate training work, we also flounder. The key to excellence in performance and improving is in staying vital, healthy and consistent in the required training efforts over long enough duration (years) to stack up the gains. Where our heart rate comes into play is that while we gauge our anaerobic or sub 1 minute power outputs in terms of peak and average wattage. We can measure our relative aerobic power at lower endurance heart rates and extrapolate our sustained maximum efforts at threshold for a given duration. Let us say that we do a 30 minute time trial test at 185hr (heart rate) and the result is 320w average. During the warm up of this test we did an endurance power to heart rate test at 145hr and we produced 240w average. There is a relationship in the aerobic engine at power to heart rate intersects. Thus as we increase power at 145hr our power and performance also increases at 185hr. Now there are more details involved with what this relationship is and how best to train the aerobic system but the fact is you can test your fitness without doing an all-out time trial effort each week. It is important to note that power meter calibration, athlete hydration, fatigue, health, altitude, temperature all affect our power outputs. This is where we learn from the power data on how we gain, lose and manage our performance. So the challenge here is not to get trapped by the ticking by of power numbers as we train, it is best to cover or flip that display as the treasure found from power data is not in the numbers but how you get them and what they tells us as athletes.…
Looking for a to the point, get results diet plan? The Medifast Weight Loss Diet plan is your choice. Not, only will you have a day to day guide of what to eat, and a health coach to guide you through your journey, you will receive foods that fill you up. Medifast has been around for almost 30 years and prescribed by thousands of doctors. You will receive a nutritionally balanced diet with all the vitamins and nutrients you need with out depleting your body of essential nutrition. Knowing what to eat and sometimes when you should eat tends to bog down the traditional dieter. Medifast offers the 5 + 1 eating program. The basis of this plan is to eat one meal that contains between 5-7 oz of lean healthy protein and 3 servings, around 3 cups of non starch vegetables. Utilizing this low fat and high fiber diet will help you feel fuller longer. The goal to a starting the Medifast weight loss diet is to eat 6 meals each day, making sure to get your lean and green meal in, eat every 2 to 3 hours, and drink lots of fluids. Starting the Medifast Weight Loss Diet doesn’t need to be stressful or challenging. You will be able to talk with a health coach who can guide and support you along the journey. Your health coach will work with you on developing new eating habits, but will also work on habit changing and mind changing techniques. Many people find when they first start the Medifast diet that they may have headaches, and are a bit irritable. Talking with your health coach and keeping a journal is a great way to work through the initial stages and keep you on track with your weight loss goals. From soups to shakes there is something tasty for everyone. For Breakfast choose eggs, oatmeal or a shake. Mid-morning you might choose a shake and for lunch choose soup or your f5 + 1 meal. Finish your afternoon off with another shake and dinner soup. In the evening you may have a snack which does not replace any of your Medifast meals. With so much to choose from, and health coaches to walk with you step-by-step the Medifast Weight Loss Diet is a perfect option for anyone looking steady and safe weight loss.…
South Koreans have one of the lowest obesity rates amongst people in the developed world. Koreans pay a lot of attention to their appearance. This alone is good reason to try and incorporate the Korean diet to lose weight. It is based upon fresh vegetables, a lot of seafood, lean meats and plenty of spices. You first have to see if there is a restaurant in the vicinity of your home that can help you with the Korean food. Once you can set up a running order with them you are good to go. Korean food is packed with colors, textures and flavors. Two of their favorite meals are rice bowl with vegetables and noodle soup with vegetables (onmyeon). They have a very healthy practice of providing lots of vegetables as accompaniments to meat dishes. The diet contains lots of seafood and lean meats. They do not deep fry their food, preferring to stir fry it or have it in soups and broths. The other characteristic of Korean food is its extreme spiciness. This boosts up your metabolism and makes you more active. Kimchi, a Korean staple made of fermented cabbage and sometimes radish, is excellent for digestion. Eat a bit of Kimchi with every meal, just like the Koreans do. The custom in Korea is to eat large helpings of food. Since a large part of it is vegetables, you automatically get a high fiber, high nutrition diet. This works well if you do not want to cut back on your eating. Another thing to emulate from the Koreans is to take the time out to enjoy the meal. Meals are family events and are not rushed affairs. If you slow down to enjoy your food, you will consume less. Try out the Korean diet to lose weight and you will be amazed at the results…