Autor: Hasen Chat

The vegetarian way of eating can be a very healthy style
of eating. The rules still apply with healthy eating,
although you should add variety, balance, and moderation.

A vegetarian is someone who avoids all types of meat,
whether it be hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, or even fish.
Vegetarians are also sometimes classified by the type of
food they are or aren’t willing to eat. For example,
Lacto-ovo vegetarians will avoid animal flesh yet they
will eat eggs and most dairy products. A Vegan on the
other hand, will avoid all food that has any trace of
animal origin.

Because they don’t eat meet, vegetarians will often
wonder how they’ll get enough protein. Although you may
not realize it, the average American actually consumes
more protein than he actually needs. For the lacto-ovo
vegetarian, dairy products are an excellent source of
protein. Vegans on the other hand, get their protein
from nuts, seeds, and soy products.

Along the lines of beans, there are several to choose
from, including green or red lentils, peanuts, split
peas, pinto, soy, kidney, and many more. Some of them
you are already familiar, such as kidney beans in
chili, refried beans in Mexican dishes, red beans and
rice, and pinto beans. Although some beans taste good
as they are, others are available with different flavors
to help enhance their taste. Nuts are hihg in protein,
although they deliver a lot more fat than beans, which
means you should enjoy them in moderation. By having
one cup of cooked beans, you’ll get the same amount of
protein as eating two ounces of meat!

The nutrients of concern for vegans, who avoid all types
of animal food, are vitamin B12, calcium, and vitamin D.
In the average North American diet, the primary source
for B12 is animals. To have an adequate intake of B12,
vegans should reguarly consume vitamin B12 supplements or
foods, which contain vitamin B12, such as soy products
or milk.

For calcium, vegans can rely on orange juice or soy
milk, as they are fortified with calcium. Beans and
leafy green vegetables will also contain some calcium as
well.

Although all types of vegetarians rely on simple food
groups, controlling your vitamins and calcium intake is
something you should always do. This is very important
for eating healthy, as well as staying healthy. If you
control what you eat, you’ll have many years of healthy
eating ahead of you.

For students, eating at college is an entire new
ball game, with late night pizza delivery and food
from buggies. Even though some of these quick and
simple options taste great, they are probably
not healthy for a student’s body.

The food choices students make can affect whether
or not they are able to remain awake during class
and whether or not they will come down with
mononucleosis when it hits campus. The problem
is not only about eating junk food, it’s more
about not getting the proper proteins, carbs,
vitamins, and minerals that people need.

When it comes to defending against illnesses,
vitamins and minerals are very important. Just
because they are important, isn’t a reason for
students to run out and stock up on vitamins and
supplements. It’s best for students to get their
nutrition from food.

You can find vitamin C in citric fruits, Vitamin
A in milk and diary products, and vitamin E in
nuts, whole wheat products, and even green leafy
vegetables. This is the ideal way to get
nutrition, as your body relies on these vitamins
for many reasons.

When you eat on campus, skip on the soda’s and
go right to the juice machines. Explore the
different entrees available and go to the salad
bar where there are fresh vegetables. You can
also try putting some broccoli and cauliflower
in the microwave for steamed vegetables. There
are always healthy cereals and plenty of fresh
fruit available in dining halls as well.

Always remember that eating healthy isn’t just
about avoiding greasy foods. Eating healthy
involves getting a balanced diet and getting the
right nutrients and vitamins to keep your body
in peak performance – or at least awake during
your classes.

Starting off your with a healthy well
balanced diet is the best thing you do for yourself
and your baby. This way, you’ll only need to make
a few adjustments during your pregnancy.

Your first trimester
If you find it tough to maintain a balanced diet
during your first trimester, you can rest assured
that your not alone. Due to queasiness, some
women will eat all of the time and gain a lot of
weight in the process. Other women have trouble
getting food down and subsequently lose weight.

Preventing malnutrition and dehydration are your
most important factors during first trimester.

Calories
When you are pregnant, you need to consume around
300 calories more than usual every day. The best
way to go about doing this is listening to your
body when you are hungry. You should try to eat
as many foods as possible from the bottom of the
food pyramid.

If you gain weight too slow, try eating small
meals and slightly increase the fat in your diet.
You should always eat when you are hungry, as you
are now eating for 2 instead of one.

Calcium
By the second trimester, you’ll need around 1,500
milligrams of calcium each day for your bones and
your baby‘, which is more than a quart of milk.
Calcium is something that’s missing from many
diets. Along with milk, other great sources for
calcium include dairy products, calcium fortified
juices, and even calcium tablets.

Fiber
Fiber can help to prevent constipation, which is
a common pregnancy problem. You can find fiber in
whole grains, fruits, and even vegetables. Fiber
supplements such as Metamucil and Citrucel are
safe to take during pregnancy.

Protein
Unless you happen to be a strict vegetarian, your
protein intake is not normally a problem for women
who eat a healthy diet.

Iron
A lot of women will start their pregnancy off with
a bit of iron deficiency. Good sources of iron
include dark leafy green vegetables and meats. Iron
supplements should be avoided, as they can cause
internal symptoms such as cramping, constipation,
or diarrhea.

Vitamins
Seeing as how you get a majority of the vitamins you
need in your diet, you may want to discuss prenatal
vitamins with your doctor. Folate is one of the most
important, and if you are getting enough of it, you
may be able to avoid vitamins all together – just ask
your doctor to make sure.

Bad cholesterol or a bad diet is something we all
experience at some point in time. It’s impossible
to eat healthy our whole lives, even though we may
try hard to do it. Eating healthy for your heart
is something everyone should try to do, especially
when it comes to restoring health and reducing
heart attacks.

Your heart and food
We know these things for sure – a diet high in
saturated fats will help raise your cholesterol,
which is a risk factor for heart disease. People
that are obese are more prone to heart disease. A
diet high in sodium may elevate your blood pressure,
leading to inflammation and even heart disease.

To help prevent heart disease and improve your health,
put the tips below to good use.

Eat plenty of fish
Herring, sardines, and salmon are all excellent sources
of Omega 3 essential fatty acids. Other fish are great
to, although Omega 3 may help to get your cholesterol
down to a healthier level.

Choosing healthy fats and oils
Saturated fat will increase the risk of heart disease.
It’s found in meat, butter, and even coconut oil. You
should avoid them until your cholesterol levels are
down and you are at a healthy weight. Even those
that love red meats can enjoy seafood and nuts for
their main sources of protein.

Monounsaturated fats such as olive oils will help
you to protect your heart. Olive oil is an ideal
choice for cooking, dressing, or even as a dipping
sauce.

Plenty of fiber
Fiber can help you control your cholesterol. You
can find fiber in whole grain products to help
control sugar absorption as well, which will help
you keep your digestive system healthy.

Choosing carbohydrates
Eating for your heart involves staying away from
sugary foods such as candy, cookies, cakes, and
pastries. Eating a lot of sugar isn’t good for
your heart disease at all. Healthy carbohydrates
involve whole grain breads, whole grain pasta, brown
rice, and a lot of vegetables. You should make
fruits and vegetables the main aspect of your diet.

Healthy cooking methods
Stir frying and sauteing with olive oil or canola
oil are both great methods, as you shouldn’t dip
your food in batter and fry it anymore. If you
cook chicken, remove the skin and bake it in the
oven in foil.

Instead of frying your fish you should always bake
it. Steaming your vegetables can help maintain the
most nutrients. You should use cream sauces or lots
of butter anymore either. When you eat vegetables,
try squeezing lemon juice on them or using your
favorite seasonings.

As you make the proper changes to your diet, keep in
mind that it takes time for them to become habits.
Eating healthy is always great for your body and your
lifestyle, especially when it comes to your heart and
the prevention of heart disease.

Everyone knows the foods to eat that improve health,
although how we cook the food can be just as important.
With there being so many oils and butter products
claiming to be the best, it can be quite difficult
to know which ones to use and which ones to avoid.

1. Canola oil
Canola oil is a popular oil, with many physicians
claiming that it has the ability to lower the risk
of heart disease. The oil is low in saturated fat,
high in monounsaturated fat, and offers the best
fatty acid composition when compared to other oils.

You can use canola oil in sauting, as a marinade
and even in low temperature stir frying. It has
a bland flavor, which makes it a great oil for foods
that contain many spices. Unlike other oils, this
one won’t interfere with the taste of your meal.

2. Olive oil
olive oil offers a very distinct flavor with plenty
of heart healthy ingedients. The oil is rich in
monounsaturated fat, helps to lower cholesterol
levels and reduce risk of cancer. It’s also rich
in antioxidants and has a very long storage life.

Even though it can be used in cooking, it’s the
healthiest when uncooked, such as with a salad or
dipping sauce. When you use it with cooking, you
should heat it on low to medium temperatures, making
sure to avoid high heat.

3. Butter
Butter is one food that has been around for many,
many years. Butter tastes good, and offers sources
of Vitamin A and other fat soluble vitamins such as
E, K, and even D. Butter is also made from natural
ingredients and not chemically or artificially
processed.

You can use butter with cooking, baking, or even as
a spread. You can also pair it with creamy sauces,
marinades, baked dishes, or even bread.

4. Margarine
Margarine was first introduced as an alternative to
high fat butter. When it was first created however,
it was loaded with trans fat, a substance that we
now know raises bad cholesterol.

As a cooking oil, margarine tastes good, it’s lower
in fat than most oils and butter, and it’s quite
easy to spread. It’s available in a variety of
different products and a good source of vitamin E.

When it comes to cooking with oils, there are
several at your disposal. There are many more than
what is mentioned here, although the ones above are
the most popular. Eating healthy involves cooking
healthy food – which is where your cooking oil really
takes center stage.

As you may know, not fueling up with the right
nutrients can affect how well your body performs
and your overall fitness benefits. Even though
healthy eating is important, there are myths that
hinder your performance if you listen to them.

Below, you’ll find some myth busters on healthy
eating.

1. Working out on an empty stomach.
If you hear a rumbling noise in your stomach, the
rumbling is trying to tell you something. Without
listening to them, you are forcing your body to
run without any fuel. Before you exercise or do
any physical activity, always eat a light snack
such as an apple.

2. Relying on energy bars and drinks.
Although they are fine every once in a while, they
don’t deliver the antioxidants you need to prevent
cancer. Fruits and vegetables are your best bets,
as they are loaded in vitamins, minerals, fluid,
and fiber.

3. Skipping breakfast.
Skipping breakfast is never a good idea, as
breakfast starts the day. Your body needs fuel
as soon as possible, and without it, you’ll be
hungry throughout the day.

4. Low carb diets.
Your body needs carbohydrates for your muscles and
the storing of energy.

5. Eating what you want.
Eating healthy and exercising doesn’t give you an
all access pass to eat anything you want. Everyone
needs the same nutrients whether they exercise or
not, as well as fruits and vegetables.

6. Not enough calories
Although losing weight involves calories, losing
it too quickly is never safe. What you should do,
is aim for 1 – 2 pounds a week. Always make sure
that you are getting enough calories to keep your
body operating smoothly. If you start dropping
weight too fast, eat a bit more food.

7. Skip soda and alcohol.
Water, milk, and juice is the best to drink for
active people. You should drink often, and not
require on thirst to be an indicator. By the time
you get thirsty, your body is already running a
bit too low.

Changing how you eat is always a great step
towards healthy eating and it will affect how your
body performs. The healthier you eat, you better
you’ll feel. No matter how old you may be, healthy
eating is something you should strive for. Once
you give it a chance, you’ll see in no time at
all just how much it can change your life – for the
better.

Being a healthy eater requires you to become both
educated and smart about what healthy eating
actually is. Being food smart isn’t about
learning to calculate grams or fat, or is it
about studying labels and counting calories.

Healthy eating is all about balanced and moderate
eating, consisting of healthy meals at least
three times per day. Healthy eaters eat many
different types of foods, not limiting themselves
to one specific food type or food group.

Eating healthy requires quite a bit of leeway. You
might eat too much or not enough, consume
foods that are sometimes more or less nutritious.
However, you should always fuel your body and
your brain regularly with enough food to keep
both your mind and body strong and alert.

A healthy eater is a good problem solver. Healthy
eaters have learned to take care of themselves
and their eating with sound judgement and making
wise decisions. Healthy eaters are always aware
of what they eat, and know the effect that it
will have on their bodies.

When someone is unable to take control of their
eating, they are also likely to get out of control
with other aspects of life as well. They could
end up spending too much, talking too much, even
going to bed later and later.

You should always remember that restricting food
in any way is always a bad thing. Healthy eating
is a way of life, something that you can do to
enhance your body or your lifestyle. If you’ve
thought about making your life better, healthy
eating is just the place to start. You’ll make
life easier for yourself, those around you, and
even your family.

For years, many people have popped a multi-vitamin and thought that they had their nutritional lives “under control.” They believed that by pulling a bottle of multi-vitamins off a store shelf, and by being fairly regular in taking the product, they were satisfying appropriately the vitamin and nutritional needs and requirements of their bodies.

In point of fact, merely taking any old multi-vitamin or similar type of combination nutritional supplement may not be in your best interest. Rather, it is important for a person who is serious about his or her health to understand precisely how different types of vitamins, minerals and related nutritional supplement products can interact with one another.

For example, there are certain types of vitamins and minerals that enhance one another when they are taken together. On the other hand, there are other vitamins and minerals that can degrade the effectiveness of other products when taken at the time same time.

The fact that different vitamins and minerals do work together differently underscores the necessity of consulting with a doctor or qualified, certified nutritionist before you embark on a program of taking vitamins and minerals and before utilizing certain nutritional supplements. By meeting with an appropriate professional, you will be able to identify your own dietary needs. In addition, these professionals can work closely with you to determine what combination of products can best be utilized to meet your nutritional goals and objectives. These professionals can now be found in nearly any community in many places around the world. The Internet can be a useful resource in assisting you to track down a bona fide professional who can assist you with your dietary decisions and planning.

There are also some helpful resource books on the market that can assist you in determining what combination of vitamin, mineral and nutritional supplement products can best be utilized to further your own healthy living and dietary goals. These books now are readily available at most major booksellers in the brick and mortar world as well as at a wide array of different types of venues on the Internet and World Wide Web.

Regardless of the prevalence of these resource materials in both the brick and mortar world and on the Net, it remains very important for you to connect with a doctor or nutritionist in order to develop what truly is a healthy, meaningful and lasting dietary program that will enhance your life today and tomorrow.

Many people think about building muscles as abandoning life outside the gym and devoting hours in the gym like a monk in a monastery. Perhaps the only way to chisel the body into a hot muscular physique is by toiling hour by hour over the rusty iron day in, day out and year in, year out.

This need not be so. Although hard work is truly required, extreme fitness demands one to be a slave of the iron weights. Full-body work outs can make one progress and it easily fits in one’s schedule. This is very convenient if one is looking forward to achieving extreme fitness but finds it hard to hold on to a single work out routine.

Genuine full-body work outs done by athletes with an aim in mind makes for maximum muscle contraction using heavy weights, makes room for full recovery so one can actually grow and continue to train hard plus it also prevents burnout which is inevitable due to excess training.

So if one is ready for extreme fitness, here is all there is to know about full body work out:

Full-body work out is a time saver. The biggest plus about having the whole body trained all at once is probably having to go to the gym less frequently; perhaps around two to three times for every seven days would be enough.

Another advantage of working out the entire body all at once is that one need not spend two or more hours of strenuous exercise in the gym for every session; one only spends one hour in the gym for every session. So that’s just three to four hours per week in the gym right? With full-body work outs, it is all about the quality of exercise one does for session and not the quantity, nor even the amount of time you allot per session.

Full-body work out boosts the cardiovascular system for extreme fitness. One must allot two to four sets for every body part into the one hour session. Jam packed with exercising, each one hour session then gets the heart and the rest of the cardiovasular system pumping and up to speed in a flash.

Now feeling pumped up, next find out what rules does one have to follow when engaging in full-body work outs:

Training commences only once every two to three days. This is so easy isn’t it? What is great about this is that there is time spared during rest days so that one can indulge in a few cardio exercise sessions instead of depending on cardio execises one normally does at the end of each work out session which after all, are not at all very effective.

Heavy lifting is strongly advised. Contrary to popular belief, especially among athletes. It is not true that it is good to get trapped on training lightly than one actually could so as to conserve energy for the other body parts that will come later in the routine. What is true is that one cannot achieve optimal progress if one is not training heavy, no matter which program that person is doing.

One exercise only per muscle group. This is very easy to follow and is also important. Doing basic exercises which are also intense means you do not have to do another different exercise for that body part.

Keep work out short. Resistance training affects the natural homones of the body connected to muscle building. Intense exercising boosts the testosterone levels and long work outs increase those of catabolic cortisol. Sixty minutes of work out allows you to get the best of both worlds.

Now with this convenient and powerful work out regimen, one can now truly experience extreme fitness.

Vitamins can help workers who are well-prepared to face the workday and the pressures it generally brings. There is a large assortment of vitamins that can avert sickness. Vitamin E also enhances the overall physical health as well as cardiovascular and immune functions. Vitamin C fosters inclusive immunity and good health.

Essential vitamins contain calcium for an individual’s muscle and bone health. Magnesium is best for healthy nerves and the heart, while zinc boosts the prostate, immune and cardiovascular system.

One can add to a commuter’s recipe, herbs that possess medicinal benefits. These should also be included in a commuter’s fleet to fight against physical illness and free radicals. The most popular herb is garlic, which supplies cholesterol, cardiovascular and blood pressure support.

Ginseng is vital for the commuter because it offers energy and augments stamina. Gingko biloba affords assurance in enhancing brain and memory function as well as allocating support in the blood circulation to extremities and the brain. Gingko biloba is good to help enhance a worker’s production during work.

Whether you are a local commuter or you even travel long distance every day, you can cultivate your own recipe for a lucrative diet. Remember to consult your physician prior to taking any type of vitamins. Your physician might be able to recommend a vitamin that is harmonious with your body. It’s crucial not to neglect exercising on a daily basis. Many commuters decide not to exercise because they just do not have the time it takes for such activity. One can certainly grab approximately15-20 minutes per day to begin and then gradually increase it to about an hour per day.

Most commuters barely have time to purchase the commuter’s special, “a breakfast bar or a pack of chocolate covered peanuts with a diet soda”. The best recipe for the commuters’ soul is breakfast and a multivitamin. Commuters, who normally exercise, eat breakfast and take multivitamins, are much more productive than commuters who don’t. Healthy commuters combine exercise, healthy eating, plenty of rest and regular vitamin intake. Commuters who don’t receive the necessary vitamin intake are often irritable and fatigued throughout the workday. Remember, before taking any vitamin supplements (including over the counter) make sure that you speak with your doctor first. Today’s commuters are taking their health into their own hands.

A habit is an action or series of actions that we perform in a subconscious manner. We don’t have to consciously think about doing these things, they seem to happen on their own. Habits can be good or bad, depending on how they enhance our quality of life, or detract from it.

Have you ever driven home or to work and then had no recollection of the ride? Or have you taken the wrong exit off a freeway because it’s the one you usually take, when in fact you had intended to keep on to another exit? Our minds become conditioned to doing things in a certain way, simply because we have done them over and over again in that exact way. This can be a good thing, as it makes much of our daily routine somewhat effortless. Imagine having to focus intently on every little thing you did, like washing dishes or taking out the garbage. Sounds exhausting, doesn’t it?

However, negative actions can also become habits, and that makes them extremely difficult to change. How many times have you tried to adopt an exercise program, quit smoking, lose weight, or give up junk food? It takes between 21-30 days to form a new habit. This means you must perform your new actions repeatedly, day after day, for up to 30 days before your subconscious mind will begin to do them automatically. Until then it takes consistent effort and focus.

When trying to break a bad habit, it is usually helpful to substitute a good habit. Otherwise you’ll end up feeling restless and gravitate back to the bad habit again to fill the void. For example, when quitting smoking, take up gum chewing, exercise, deep breathing, knitting, etc. When the urge for a cigarette hits, you have other activities you can use to busy yourself. At first, the new habit may not seem like an adequate substitute (especially if nicotene withdrawal is part of the equation!), but with consistent reinforcement, your mind will begin to let go of the old habit of smoking and adopt the newer habits you have substituted.

When trying to adopt a new habit, such as exercise, you may need to place visible reminders at your desk, on the refrigerator door, or the bathroom mirror. Remember that your mind is accustomed to not thinking about exercise. It will take some focused attention to change that.

It is important to have patience with yourself as you work on changing your habits. Remember that they are habits because they are largely subconscious. As you focus your conscious mind repeatedly on your new actions, they will also become subconscious, just like the negative actions did. Print out this handy Habit Forming Chart and hang it up where you will see it everyday. It can serve as a great reminder for your goals, as well as show your progress from day to day.

Don’t beat yourself up if you have „failures“ here and there as you work on forming new habits. No one is perfect, and you will probably have days where you don’t meet your goals. The most difficult aspect of forming new habits is becoming aware of the automatic actions we take each day, and making a conscious decision to change them.

The local YMCA is a great place to get a workout if you’re a guy. However, most ladies like to work out among other ladies rather than in mixed company. Womens fitness centers recognize our desire for privacy and many of them are popping up in communities far and wide. Finding women’s fitness centers in your area has never been easier.

One of the hottest workout places for ladies to frequent is Curves. This women’s fitness center caters to the average lady. Not only does this place recognize that we all come in different shapes and sizes. It also recognizes that we come in different abilities as well. These womens fitness centers are perfect for anyone who wants to work at her own pace.

The great thing about these facilities is the attention to the individual. You get to work with a trainer who helps you design a great workout and a great eating plan, too. The combination of diet and exercise is created to get you into shape or keep you in great shape depending on your specific needs.

These womens fitness centers are perfect for anyone who has little time to spend at the gym. Each session is only 30 minutes long so you can be in and out in relatively little time. You can also engage in non-sweat workouts during some busier days that don’t allow you enough time for a shower.

There is no excuse for skipping your workout with these women’s fitness centers in your region. Many of these organizations offer transfers as well. You can sign up at one of the womens fitness centers but move your membership to another if you need to do so. You can also visit any of the Curves centers and work out if you are in the area.

I was thrilled to find that these womens fitness centers were all over the place. My husband and I took a little vacation that was relatively close to home. I was able to visit one of the women’s fitness centers while we were away. This was a great surprise to me and I was thrilled that I didn’t have to skip my routine during the brief getaway.

Similar facilities may be in your area. You don’t have to work out with the guys in the gym. You can find womens fitness centers if you really look. I assure you that you will stick to your workout better if you are comfortable in your gym.

Years ago, the word „anti aging“ seemed to come only from science fiction movies. People joked about the Fountain of Youth and miracle medicines that were supposed to reverse the aging process to make one look 10 or 20 years younger. But today, anti-aging is more than a myth. Through scientific studies and the new cutting edge science in genomics, women are discovering that, by taking just a few steps, skin beauty and bodily cell health can indeed be encouraged. Here are five powerful anti aging tips for good women’s health.

1. Check Your Lifestyle

A lifestyle filled with health-threatening habits can be detrimental to your skin’s health and beauty. Smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages in excess, eating poorly or overeating, sunbathing, etc. all can speed up the aging process. Even taking anti-aging supplements may not help if you continue to do these things regularly. Remember, just as your bodily organs are affected by everything you eat or drink, so are your skin cells.

2. Eat for Good Skin Health

Good women’s health starts with eating healthy foods. Be sure to eat balanced meals with an abundance of leafy green vegetables and fruits. Eat protein-rich foods such as nuts or eggs to maintain good bone and joint health. Healthy eating and weight loss are both major contributors to good women’s health as well as beauty for the skin. The anti-aging process is much easier when you provide your body with the nutrients and vitamins it needs to repair cell damage and build healthy new cells on a daily basis.

3. Drink Water

The diet programs always cry aloud, „Drink water!“ That’s because there are so many benefits to drinking water. Water is needed to help the body function properly, inside and out. Water brings life to all your body parts – and your skin as well. It brightens your complexion, helps rejuvenate skin cells to promote anti aging, and adds moisture to your body. You’ll be a well-oiled machine if you can commit to drinking plenty of water daily. Water is probably the most readily available anti-aging product you can get your hands on! So, replace those sodas (and diet sodas) with a healthy dose of water.

4. Stay in Shape

Staying in shape with exercise will also help with the anti-aging battle. Exercise encourages good bone and joint health and helps with the flow of blood through your body. That’s why many people say that exercise „gets your blood pumping!“ The blood carries oxygen with it through your body, which is necessary for good overall health.

5. Use Anti-aging Supplements and Creams

Through the cutting edge science of genomics, anti-aging products are now being developed to aid in cell rejuvenation, which is needed for slowing down the aging process.

Genomics is the study of the complete DNA makeup of organisms. The recent discovery that is crucial to those interested in anti-aging products is that the repair of cells and the creation of healthy, strong cells is a major key to slowing the aging process. The new anti-aging products are all-natural and come in pills, creams or patches. Anti-aging products based on genomics help to provide the right amount of ingredients (vitamins and nutrients) needed by the body to repair cells and build new, healthy cells.

These five tips combined can help maximize the results for your anti-aging efforts. You’ll feel and look better than ever as you pass through the stages of life.

Most women fear that as they age and the hormone levels drop, so too will their enjoyment of, and oftentimes desire for sex.
Fortunately, while diminishing hormones and sex may happen in the same breath, the latest research indicates that sexual desire has less to do with these changes than it does with lifestyle and other women’s sexual health factors, at least some of which are under a woman’s direct control.
According to reports from a group of distinguished European sex experts in the first ever supplement to The Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society, the findings have helped healthcare professionals discard the notion that sexual difficulties occurring close to menopause are either biologic or physiologic.
The new research was part of a series of studies conducted on female sexual dysfunction by the department of clinical psychiatry and psychotherapy at Hanover Medical School in Hanover, Germany. As part of the overall project, 102 women aged 20 to “45 plus” answered 165 questions designed to flush out determinants of female sexual satisfaction.
Specifically, researchers hoped to determine satisfaction with sex life in general, sexual satisfaction and orgasm during intercourse, petting, masturbation, attitudes towards sexuality, quality of partnership, and women’s sexual health myths.
Based on the study, there appeared to be no differences with respect to frequency of sexual intercourse or the desire for sexual activity not involving intercourse among the differing age groups. Age did not make a difference in regard to frequency of orgasm or in sexual satisfaction ratings with their partners. For example, 29% of women up to age 45 reported having orgasms “very often,” compared with 26% of women over age 45.
Even more dramatic was that while 41% of women over age 45 reported having orgasms „often,“ only 29% of younger women reported having orgasm „often.“
Among the few differences in the groups: Women over 45 reported having fewer orgasms during non-intercourse sexual activity or during masturbation. Both groups of women reported a dual dimension necessary for successful lovemaking that included having both feelings of emotional closeness to their partner and satisfactory physical experiences.
After comparing all the answers from both older and younger women, as well as from women who reported sexual problems and those who did not, researchers concluded that the single most influential factor with regard to women’s sexual health satisfaction via intercourse was the quality of the partnership, in particular the quality of mutual respect, which then becomes of greater importance as a woman ages.
After comparing these study results to earlier and ongoing findings, the researchers concluded that the basis of any sexual problems that did occur at midlife could not be drawn from menopause status or age alone. Instead, life stressors, contextual factors, past sexuality, and mental health problems are more significant predictors of midlife on women’s sexual health interest than menopause status itself.
This study was just one of several research papers presented in the journal on the subject of women’s sexual health dysfunction. Each one striving to shed much needed light on a subject that some believe has been hidden in the shadows too long.

Writing, as a form of therapy, is as old as ink itself. Universally understood as a transformative process, the simple act of putting pen to page can effectively jump start personal growth and healing.

Over the years I’ve had more than a handful of sessions on a therapist’s couch sorting through the baggage I’ve built, bought, borrowed and inherited in my 48 years. Without exception, each qualified practitioner proposed the following recommendation: start and keep a daily journal.

Seems much angst and worry can be worked through with pen and paper. Yet for reasons that can only be explained as part of ‘my personal charm,’ my journal keeping would start and lapse in record time. Nevertheless, I knew the writing process to be powerful despite my inability to be consistent. Once, after managing to hold my journaling nose to the grindstone for 13 weeks, I leapt tall buildings made of artist block and landed on the other side, with renewed energy and fabulous paid work.

And yet, despite my success, I quickly discontinued putting my thoughts on paper.

Miraculously, last spring, my lifelong writing inertia evaporated with the click of a computer button. As easy as one, two, three, I started my own on-line journal, more commonly known as a blog.

A blog is a web log comprised of a series of posts, about the author’s choice of subject, from professional to personal. Every entry is date and time stamped as they are published, giving the material the feel of a traditional diary.

Blog procedure is exceedingly simple and free for anyone with access to a computer. I type my thoughts, press the publish toggle and instantly my rants and raves go live on the World Wide Web. There is no middle person, web mistress, publisher or editor to be found. Blog control post, pace and frequency is in the blogger’s hands.

However, there is one distinct motivating difference between your traditional hard copy diary hidden away, under the bed, and your blog. Blogging offers a possible audience.

My first thought was to use a blog to share the unusual adventure of my Calendar Girl life and draw attention to the Breast of Canada project. It took no time to realize that a following of fans was a big buzz, injecting tremendous energy into the somewhat relentless process of making, marketing and moving 3000 calendars every year.

My second blog took on a digest format offering alternative breast related news that was a simple by-product of my role of publisher.

Blog number three was born thanks to a peri-menopausal fit of memory and hair loss. Fondly called ‘My Menopause Blog, How to Punctuate Life Without a Period,’ This effort truly fits the therapeutic writing model and contributes enormously to my state of mind.

Writing publicly about my petulant period, in real time, is like inviting a bunch of menopausal women over for tea and a heart-to-heart. Not surprising, scaling the dome of silence surrounding menopause, and talking above a whisper about ‘The Pause’ resonates deeply with women readers.

Shooting from the hip and funny bone, I share my findings of remedies, attitude shifts and my belief that menopause is not a disease. Thinking broadens with each entry; confidence grows as does understanding and a liberated sense of ageing. My Menopause Blog is like a cyber red tent for anyone interested in musing on maturity.

Eventually, curiosity lead to an on-line exploration of blog networks, blog rolls and search engines to see if other women were writing about their lives, health and well being.

Turns out, they are. Thousands of blogs are written by new moms, freshly divorced, empty nesters, the menopausal, survivors of cancer, stay at home parents, clinically depressed and chronically curious. Photos are up-loaded. Advice is sought. Human contact is collected by way of comments that reader’s leave like cyber hugs. There’s a whole lot of contact being made between people separated by geography, but connected by circumstance.

Clever blog names are common with blog owners. Ellie at This is My Body, This is My Blood offers a hilarious window into her peri-menopausal pity party. ‘I’m Out of Estrogen and It’s Not Pretty’ provides a window into Victoria’s menopausal life. A group blog that I randomly come across claims: “Running this blog is about 50,000 times cheaper than a good therapist.”

This new cyber kid on the block follows a blogger code of conduct that creates a safe, encouraging and friendly zone where you can let yourself hang out, be human and be heard. Not everyone writes like a professional, although there are excellent pro bloggers leading many a parade of readers. Countless circles of similarly focused, differently skilled people gather in and share the Blogosphere.

My greatest blogging benefit comes from my daily commitment to write just like the psychologists suggested. I clear my head, sort out my hormone-scattered feelings, get cheered on and remind myself that life is dynamic. Indeed, the cyber trail documentation of my menopausal mood swings is time stamped proof.

One of the biggest weaknesses of the traditional commercial diet is the lack of iron that exists in its stringent and often excessively limited eating guidelines. In order to lose weight, many unsuspecting women get bamboozled into taking part in weight loss programs that cut out many of the nutrients that they need. Iron is one of the primary
casualties of such diets and weight loss plans.

The plot thickens for women in particular due to the fact that their bodies regularly lose iron during menstruation. Therefore, eating a low-calorie, low-iron diet in an effort to lose weight only makes the problem more severe.

It is generally suggested that women supplement their diets with an iron supplement such as the Vitality multivitamin offered by Melaleuca, the Wellness Company. This is particularly important during periods of heavy exercise and training that are typical aspects of any weight loss program or general effort to lose weight even when a special program is not in use.

One thing to be on guard for, however, is excessive iron supplementation by iron-deficient (non-anemic) women. There is a disorder known as hemosiderosis which results from large deposits of iron made in the liver that causes a glitch in the proper metabolism of the iron itself. Avoiding prolonged large doses will eliminate the risk of this particular disorder.

Below are a few recommendations from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) that will help you to make sure you get the adequate amount of iron intake in your daily diet, whether on a program to lose weight or not:

• Eat foods with a high vitamin C content with all meals. Vitamin C aids in the absorption of iron. (examples: salsa; chili peppers; oranges)
• Include dark meat chick and/or turkey in the training diet. Both of these are rich in iron
• Vegetable proteins such as split pea soup or chili beans with lean meat help the iron in those meats to properly absorb
• When eating starchy carbohydrates such as cereals, breads, and pastas, gravitate to those labeled „enriched“ or „fortified“ for their higher iron content.

Recently I published an article about the importance of exercise in fighting against the bone-brittling disease osteoporosis.

There are actually 3 primary factors that may put someone at risk for osteoporosis—women in particular:

• lack of calcium
• hormonal deficiency (estrogen in particular)
• lack of physical activity

So in addition to exercise and hormonal factors, a woman’s diet is extremely important in guarding off this very debilitating condition.

One of the reason’s why we do not recommend most traditional diet plans and programs is because the over-restrictive eating guidelines often eliminate or seriously limit the consumption of some very necessary vitamins and minerals that keep the body healthy and strong.

You never want to get to a point where you are sacrificing health merely to lose weight. In fact, any weight loss program
worth half its salt will make sure that the recommendations made for your daily diet intake are well balanced and full of all the nutrients that you need.

The most important time to get an appropriate amount of calcium is between the ages of 14 and 24, when peak bone mass is obtained. Then after that bone continues to develop until about age 35 to 40, at which time the bone mass that a woman has will strongly determine how much at risk she may be
for bone fractures in her later years.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends that women intake 1,000 mg (1g) of calcium daily, and then increase their daily dosage to 1,500 mg (1.5g) post menopause.

Sadly, only an estimated 25% of women in any age group consume the recommended daily amount of calcium to guard against osteoporosis. And when they go on diets and weight loss programs, they tend to consume even less.

Lowfat dairy prodcuts such as milk (skim milk is a better option), yogurt, and cottage cheese are all excellent sources of dietary calcium. For those who are lactose intolerant or who wish to generally stay away from dairy products, non-dairy alternatives fortified with calcium will do as long as they contined the recommended daily allowance (RDA). The nondairy product Lactaid added to lowfat and nonfat milk may also work to help you meet your desired goal.

In your efforts to lose weight, make sure that the weight loss program that you use includes calcium-rich food choices. And if it does, you will need to add them yourself. No matter what weight loss program you are on or what other means you use to lose weight, here are some good ideas recommended by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) that you may add to your daily diet in order to get the amount of calcium you need while you lose the weight.

• Prepare canned soup with skim milk instead of water
• Add nonfat dry milk to soups, stews, and casseroles
• Add grated lowfat cheese to salads, tacos, and pasta dishes
• Eat yogurt as a snack, or use it to make low-calorie dressings
• Choose calcium-rich desserts, suhc as lowfat cheese and fruit, frozen nonfat or lowfat yogurt, and puddings made with skim milk
• Drink hot chocolate in the winter made with skim milk

It is a well known fact that exercise and weight loss make you both look and feel better. Another bit of common knowledge is that to lose weight, control your diet, and exercise regularly gives you a healthier heart.

In addition to the previously mentioned benefits of proper diet and exercise are several other very specific health benefits of having a regular exercise and weight loss program.

One additional health benefits of exercise and weight loss activities is guarding against osteoporosis, the disease that makes the bones weak and brittle with age.

Weight-bearing activities like walking, ellyptical machine, and jogging, have been shown to strengthen the skeletal system and lower the risk of the development of this very debilitating disease.

The primary reason for this is that exercises that force the body to bear weight make the bones more dense over time as opposed to a sedentary lifestyle, in which the bones get weaker and more brittle due to a lack of force placed against them.

In women in particular, the low estrogen levels that often accomopany menopause and/or very sporadic menstruation make the problem even worse as the bones lose a lot of their mineral content and weaken accordingly.

In addition, such activities that many take part in to either lose weight or maintain an already healthy body composition have also been shown to aid in preventing further development of the disease for those who have already been diagnosed and have received clearance from their doctor.

Despite the urgings of national health organizations for women to have annual or biannual mammograms after the age of 40, uncertainty and controversy about the procedure persists. Based on cumulative evidence, screening mammography has become standard health care in many countries. However, the value of the procedure has been challenged by two Danish researchers who reviewed the major clinical trials of screening mammography declared that five of the seven trials were flawed and that none demonstrated that it saved lives.

The report, originally published in the Lancet in January 2000, was written by Peter Gotzsche and Ole Olsen from the Nordic Cochrane Center in Copenhagen. It found that most of the seven studies reviewed were invalid, in part because they failed to assign women to screened and non-screened groups. The two studies that did randomize women correctly, the researchers said, showed no value to mammography. Cancer experts from around the world overwhelmingly denounced this report. Even the researchers’ own institution distanced itself from the report, stating that the findings had not been submitted to the Nordic Cochrane Center’s usual rigorous review.

After the storm of criticism, the Danish authors have reevaluated their original data and declared that it „confirmed and strengthened“ their original conclusions, stating that „screening mammography is unjustified because there is no reliable evidence that it reduces mortality.“

Many women are now wondering if they should continue to have annual mammograms. After all, for many years women were told to do self examinations of their breasts, but recently that advice was discontinued after a large study found it completely ineffective at reducing the death rate from breast cancer.

However, other experts have challenged the iconoclastic report and contend that mammography is lifesaving. The American Cancer Society found no reason to alter its recommendation for annual mammographic screening for women over 40 years of age. The National Cancer Institute found that the screening test contributed to a pronounced drop in the death rate from breast cancer. The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, concludes that 28 to 65 percent of the sharp decrease in breast cancer deaths from 1990 to 2000 was due to mammograms. The remainder was due to powerful new drugs to treat breast cancer.

In the era since mammography has become widely used, the size of tumors at the time of detection has declined along with the death rate from breast cancer. During the early 1980’s, when only 13 percent of women in the United States received mammograms, the average tumor size at detection was about three centimeters. By the late 1990’s, 60 percent of women were having regular mammograms, and the average tumor size had shrunk to two centimeters, according to data from the Cancer Society and the National Center for Health Statistics.

This seemingly small difference in tumor size is extremely significant in terms of prognosis. On average, the larger a tumor is, the longer (or faster) it has been growing, with a subsequent correlation between tumor size and metastasis. More aggressive, debilitating treatment must be undertaken against large tumors, and even with this, survival chances of women with large tumors are worse than those of women with smaller tumors.

Of course, there are always exceptions, and some small tumors are aggressive and spread early, while some larger tumors are slow-growing and remain localized. Currently, it is impossible to distinguish between them by mammography. Even after biopsy and microscopic exam, it is difficult to predict how a tumor will grow.

There have been claims made that the recent reduction in breast cancer mortality, nearly 2 percent a year since 1990, is due to improved drugs and treatment. However, there is evidence that early detection has made a major contribution. A 29-year follow-up of breast cancer deaths in two Swedish counties published in 2001 revealed a 63 percent decline in the death rate from breast cancer in women who were offered mammography, and no decline in the death rate in unscreened women, even though the same improved treatments were available to all.

Currently, all major U.S. medical organizations recommend screening mammography for women 40 and older, claiming that the procedure reduces breast cancer mortality by 20 to 35 percent in women ages 50 to 59 and slightly less in women 40 to 49 at 14 years follow-up.

Mammography is an imperfect screening tool. It sometimes produces false-negative results: in women under 50, mammography is likely to miss 20 to 25 percent of existing cancers, and in women over 50, it misses 8 to 10 percent. Because of this, when a woman or her physician feels a suspicious breast lump that does not appear on a mammogram, it should be examined by some other means, such as biopsy.

Weight gain is a lot easier as you grow older particularly as the motivation to exercise also wanes, but you can turn it around it does not matter how old you are. You should start to weave some sort of exercise into your daily life.

One type of exercise that you should consider to do is weight training, also known as strength training or resistance training. Weight training will not only help with losing weight but will also trim and tone your body. Age does not matter it has been shown that women as old as 70 who have started to weight train and have improved their body strength within a very short while.

Weight training is an important element in fighting flab; maybe it is the most important. If you do aerobic exercise you only burn fat during the exercise but with weight training you burn fat even when you have finished. The body is still burning fat for up to as much as twelve hours after finishing the exercise whilst it is building the muscles worked, so you can still be burning fat while you are resting. But that is not the end of the story.

A body full of muscle uses far more calories than a body full of fat, so you will find that you will need to eat more to maintain your weight and your muscle. You do not need to worry that you will bulk up like a body builder, as you do not have the right makeup to do this, as a woman you will only elongate and define your muscles, and build lean muscles.

When you first start to weight train you might find that your weight will actually increase. This is because muscle is heavier than fat but as muscle is smaller so you should notice the body getting smaller even if the scales do not show an decrease in weight.

The additional benefits from weight training are:-

1. It helps to strengthen and increase the density of your bones because the act of the muscles pulling and flexing the bones helps to lay down more bone fibre.

2. Stronger muscles helps your body to be more steady and so helps to prevent falls.

3. It has also been found that it can fight the build up of abdominal fat by lifting weights at least twice a week.

Finally when weight training make sure that you change your routine around so that the body can not get use to the routine. It only takes the body about six weeks for it to learn how to work efficiently if keeping to the same routine and therefore you will stop seeing any weight or body changes.

So have fun and start weight training to lose weight and tone your body.