Archive for March, 2007

There are two types of vitamins: water soluble and fat soluble. Here we discuss about fat soluble vitamins, their function, importance, deficiency and benefits to our health.

Fat soluble vitamins are stored in our body. They are stored in liver and fatty tissues of the body. There is no need to replace fat soluble vitamins regularly.

As fat soluble vitamins are stored in our body, if we take excess amounts of these vitamins, it may lead to toxicity [Vitamin overdose].

You should not take excess supplements of fat soluble as they may be destructive to health [Health supplements]. Fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K.

Fat soluble vitamins:

Vitamin A: Vitamin A is fat soluble and no need to supply regularly as it is stored in our body. Vitamin A helps in repairing body tissues, helps in maintenance of body’s mucus membranes, helps in maintaining healthy skin and bones, and it is essential for night vision.

Vitamin A deficiency causes rough, dry skin, night blindness, defective teeth and gums, and increased susceptibility to infections. It is found in carrots, apricots, papaya, oranges, tomatoes, spinach, milk, liver, broccoli, sweet potato, cantaloupe, and green leafy vegetables.

Insight meditation is also known as vipassana meditation.

The aim of insight meditation is to understand one’s nature, whether mental, spiritual or physical.

One way to practice this type of meditation is observing our physical and mental movements.

Insight meditation is self transformation through self-observation. With attention to the physical sensations that form the life of the body, the focus on the interconnection between mind and body can be experienced.

Insight meditation helps to develop perception, reduces fear and tension. It helps in diminishing greed, cravings, and ignorance. Due to the observation of their own behavior, they can cultivate awareness and mindfulness.

Everyone can benefit from insight meditation, as it teaches how to meditate beyond the conscious mind. It helps to look ourselves with great clarity and change ourselves.

Practicing insight meditation:

• If you see, smell, taste, think, or touch, everything should be observed and you will be aware of what is happening. To start insight meditation, sit in a calm and quiet place on a chair or on the floor.

• Breathe through your nose and observe your breathings. Be aware of your abdomen rising and falling when you breathe in and breathe out. Feel it through your senses and concentrate on the sound of breathing.

Yoga includes variety of techniques which are most suitable for your individual needs.

The techniques of yoga differ for a teenager, woman, aged person, an athlete and child.

Yoga for health has many advantages and fulfills needs for almost all people.

Yoga for health helps every one to play their roles efficiently, comfortably and smoothly.

Yoga for health has many advantages over other exercises such as aerobics, gymnastics etc. You can practice yoga inside the house or outside alone or in groups. You should practice yoga on an empty stomach and can be performed at any time during the day.

Irrespective of your age, personality, rich, poor, lean or heavily built, it will give benefits. Yoga for health prevents diseases and ailments and maintains health and fitness in your daily life.

Although yoga can be practiced by all age groups, some techniques are suitable for some age groups. Asanas which involve backward and forward bending are good for children aged from six to ten years.

For children above ten years of age, upside down position asanas and deep breathing asanas can be started. Irrespective of age, relaxation is necessary for all. Daily meditation can be practiced by people of all age groups. Old people should avoid asanas which involve over stretching.

Exercise in our daily life is very important.As we start doing exercise our body automatically becomes fit and healthier.

While doing body building exercise your body utilizes all carbohydrates and fats stored in your body which helps you to lose weight and also build muscle in your body.

We have some basic needs of amino acids and carbohydrates which are used to build muscle.

In the same way oxygen and glycogen are also utilized while we do any sought of work through which your body functions properly.

We have to know that aerobics helps us in many ways like oxygen is manufactured and these aerobic workouts increase cardiovascular muscles function correctly and keeps away from heart diseases.

At the same time, these aerobic workouts restore oxygen while increasing the heart muscles and its capability to workout properly.

If your body does not perform aerobics, carbohydrates and other fat contents get accumulated in your body thus increasing the weight and other health problems. So, aerobics is best way to strengthen your body, build muscle and heart.

There is one more thing to know that your body contains glycogen. Glycogen is the chief element in muscles and liver. Whenever you workout, your body uses glycogen stored in your muscles for energy.

If you are always busy with your work schedules, it is difficult to maintain physical fitness in your schedule. Quick workouts saves your time and gives best results.

You have worked to get your body into shape, now don’t neglect and maintain it to keep in that shape.

You have to include workout exercise in your schedule to maintain physical fitness.

No need to take maximum time from your schedule to maintain yourself fit.

Studies proved that shorter workouts in a day are equal to one longer workout.

You can workout for five minutes every time you want to relax from your work.

Some companies provide physical fitness equipment in the office in a separate for the staff as they expect their staff to be fit and healthy to work more efficiently. You can check whether your office has any such arrangement.

If it is there, you can find the timings when it will be crowded and when it will be free. You can select free time and can workout for five to ten minutes and come back to your desk. You can repeat this for two to three times a day.

Exercise keeps every one in good shape and fitness.

Walking and jogging now-a-days have taken a back seat as every one running with short of time. There are many benefits of Walking for beginners and also for others.

You may feel lazy, getting up early in the morning and going for a walk.

Treadmill machine exercises are good solution for you as you can do exercises at home also. For home exercise you need to select best Home exercise equipment.

A Treadmill is equipment used to allow for running, walking, jogging without moving any distance.

A Treadmill workout has become very popular and helpful for those who are running short of time.

It helps you to keep lose weight and burn off fat.

Because of widespread obesity in U.S.A, Treadmill exercises have become an integral part of life. The reason behind is that Treadmill offers exercises that can considerably reduce weight in short time.

Benefits of a Treadmill:

Walking on a Treadmill helps reduce depression:
If you are walking for eight minutes on the Treadmill, it will help you to reduce symptoms of depression temporarily.

While meditation is associated with sitting posture, you can practice meditation while walking.

It is nothing but meditation in action. In walking meditation, our focus will be on walking.

There is a difference between walking meditation and doing meditation while sitting [Learn how to meditate].

When we do meditation with sitting, we close our eyes, but in walking meditation, we keep our eyes open.

While performing meditation while sitting, we don’t concentrate on surroundings.

In walking meditation, we have to concentrate on outside world and surroundings as you will be distracted by many things.

Sitting and performing meditation may make you calm and dull while walking meditation make you energize in a skillful way.

When you are doing walking meditation, you may get interruptions with people on the road and vehicles moving on the road. In walking meditation, we should be aware of many things than in sitting meditation. You have to concentrate on weather such as sun, rain, wind, and sounds [Meditation and concentration].

It is easier for many of them to be aware of their bodies and to be more intense while performing walking meditation. You can make walking meditation intense and it is easier to be aware of your body when it is in motion than sitting.

Aerobics is defined as any physical activity that is done long and hard enough to enhance respiratory and circulatory efficiency.

You can avoid diseases such as stroke, diabetes, heart disease, cancers and hypertension by regular aerobic exercise.

There are different types of aerobics such as dance aerobics, step aerobics, low impact aerobics and aerobic kickboxing.

Dance aerobics:

If you have no time to exercise, but wish to have a beautiful body, then you can prefer dance aerobics exercise [Five minute workout]. It is a great fun workout that helps in strengthening your body, giving energy to carry out your day-to-day activities efficiently and effectively.

There are many benefits of dance aerobics. It helps in losing weight and building body muscles. Dance aerobics ensures healthy heart and strengthens your lungs. It enhances your blood circulation, relieves stress and lowers your cholesterol levels.

Different types of dance aerobics include Hi-Lo aerobics, Hip-Hop aerobics, Funk and jazz aerobics.

Hip-Hop aerobics:

The Hip-Hop aerobics is a dance aerobics routine, which mixes together funk with contemporary dance. Hip-Hop aerobics incorporates the usage of high energy dance, while focusing on the entire form of the body.

Ashtanga yoga means purifying your mind through eight steps. The eight steps in ashtanga yoga are: yama, niyama, asanas, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, Samadhi.

Yama: The first step in ashtanga yoga is yama. Yama is described by five universal vows.

These vows are guidelines for how you interact with the outer world and the social disciplines to guide in you in your relationship with others.

The five vows are truthfulness, non-violence, celibacy, non-covetousness, and non-stealing.

Niyama: The second step in ashtanga yoga is niyama. Niyama describes how to interact with internal world.

Niyama is about self-regulation. It helps you to maintain a positive environment in which you grow. The five niyamas are contentment, purity, self-education, austerity, and meditation on the divine.

The yama and niyamas help to view yourself with compassion and awareness. Yama and niyama help you to lead a conscious life. These are about being honest to yourself. These help in respecting the value of this life.

Yogasanas: The third step in ashtanga yoga is yogasana. Yogasana is a posture in harmony with inner consciousness. It helps in attaining a comfortable posture for meditation. It helps in balancing the basic structure of the human body. The five basic functions of asanas perform are mental, spiritual, conative, cognitive, and intellectual functions.

Many people think that to lose weight, extreme changes should be made in their life style.

But the truth is that, you can lose weight with simple changes in your life style. The very first thing is, you need to know why you are not losing weight.

Here are seven easy changes that make much difference to your health.

Seven easy changes to lose weight:

1. Include more fiber to your diet: Fiber is important to your health. It stays longer than the other substances you eat and keep you feel full for longer time making the digestion slow [Low carbohydrate diet].

It will help in controlling your appetite. Fiber helps in moving fat from your digestive system faster so that less fat will be absorbed. Fiber helps to keep your bowel movements regular. Fiber can be found in bread and variety of vegetables.

2. Control intake of calories and fat: Cut down intake of calories by preventing the foods with full of sugars, soda and wine. Avoid fatty foods such as burgers, cheese, and fried foods as these are highly processed foods.