Tae Kown Do – My New Sport!
The day began at 5:30 am with Hip Hop Abs with Shawn T. Can't believe it, I am now a Yellow Belt. Six months ago and no one could have told me that I would be a student of martial arts. Thus Shawn T at 5:30, must get stronger and in better shape. Let's go Shawn T. Later in the morning, appointment with Chiropractor, tune up for tonight.
Almost time for class, so sore I can harly move, better soak my feet. All dressed, yellow belt, looking good!
Class time warmup, what's this, calling out random patterns. Breathe, listen, you know it. Oh crap, what am I doing facing her, should be facing the other direction. Keep going, can only go up from here.
Where's a camera when you need it. Next comes the drills, running and dropping into push-ups. Good, finished that and still breathing. Now running and dropping into crunches. One minute I'm blazing down the mat, not sure what happened, then I'm on my face, glasses flying through the air. Are you okay? Yes and I jump up pumping back down the floor and then again, flat on my face. Adrenal pumping, up I jump and until class ends, I'm jumping, kicking and punching.
Finally at home, can't move, run a bath and hope the hot water allows me to walk upright again. All in an awesome night of my new found sport, Tae Kown Do. So much for worrying about making a fool of yourself, haven't had such a good laugh in a while reliving my show of strength. All in a night of getting fit and enjoying my new found sport.
Read More»Are Women Using to Many Fat Loss Pills
Almost a Quarter of Women Use Fat Loss Pills
Women are increasingly using fat loss pills to shift fat as their busy schedules do not allow enough time for trips to the gym, new research has suggested.
According to a study by fatfreefitness.co.uk, 23 per cent of women have used the tablets in the past with a third saying they do not have enough time to take regular exercise classes.
The study of nearly 1,400 women aged between 16 and 50 also revealed that women over the age of 30 were more likely to purchase the pills.
However, the vast majority (86 per cent) of those who had resorted to taking the weight loss drugs said the side effects involved would stop them from using them again. The list of side effects was wide-ranging and included headaches, nausea, lack of concentration, dry mouth and dizziness.
Rich Leigh, founder of fatfreefitness.co.uk, said: "When an individual turns to fat-burning tablets, they're subjecting themselves to something they are unlikely to know anything about.
"Fat-loss tablet companies, especially those faceless vendors found online, are no more responsible than your typical street-corner drug dealer in my opinion." For more great tips about womens health issues please visit the Health section on GKWomen. Read More»
How to Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days
How to Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days
Whether you are wanting a small waist to show off in a bikini or are getting ready for a high school reunion and want to make some jaws drop, it is possible to lose 10 pounds in 10 days if you put forth the effort. It will not be easy. You will probably start to feel worn out and run down, just like you did when you were on the cheerleading team in high school and had to drop a quick couple of pounds to make weight. However, if you are dedicated, employ these tips and a 10 pound loss is only 10 days away.
Drink lots of Water.
Water is used in the metabolic process to break down fat. You will not lose fat very quickly if you force your body to be dehydrated. You may see pounds on the scale drop, but you won't look any better.
Exercise.
Stick with cardiovascular workouts for the next 10 days. Lay off the weight training, since this strength training tends to trigger your body to hold onto excess fluid and does not burn very many calories in the short term. Focus on staying physically active for as many hours out of the day as humanly possible. Dedicate a minimum of 3 hours each day to cardiovascular activity. This can be broken down into an hour in the morning, an hour in the afternoon, and an hour in the evening if you like. More is better.
Maintain a Low Carbohydrate Diet.
Keep your carbohydrate intake to a maximum of 60 grams per day over the next 10 days. Carbohydrates trigger your body to store excess fluid. Additionally, carbohydrates are your body's fuel of choice. When you take away your body's ability to use carbohydrates for fuel it will resort to burning fat. There is no metabolic difference between dietary fat and body fat, so your body will start to live off of its body fat for fuel, thereby making you lose weight rapidly.
Keep Your Calories Low.
For the next 10 days, keep your calories to 1,200 to 1,500 per day. Most of these calories should come from protein to support cellular growth. Ideally, you should not be eating large meals. Instead, eat 200 to 300 calories every 2 to 3 hours. This should result in 6 miniature meals each day.
Take a Quality Multi-Vitamin.
Any vitamin other than vitamins A, D, E, and K are water soluble. This means that your body has a 3 day supply of these vitamins in a best case scenario. To keep your metabolism running and to keep your body from thinking that its starving, thereby halting your weight loss, you need to be taking a quality multi-vitamin each day. Ensure that vitamins C and B are supplied in large quantities in your multi-vitamin. A pharmacist should be able to point you in the direction of a quality multi-vitamin if you find that you do not know where to start. For more great tips on loosing weight and much more please visit the Health section.
Read More»Are Cell Phones Dangerous?
A recent AOL-Pew Research Center Mobile Lifestyle Survey revealed that 52 percent of American adults surveyed keep their cell phone turned on all the time while 40 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 29 are saying that they are increasingly likely to drop their landline once and for all.
With an estimated 3 billion cell phone users worldwide and most adults and teenagers owning a cell phone or smart phone, it seems a bit late to be asking the question: are cellular phones safe?
Nevertheless, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has reported that many research groups around the world are working hard to find out if cell phones are actually safe to use. Some (not all) studies of frequent cell-phone users suggest this radiation may increase risks for cancer or children's behavior problems.
Why Cell Phones Can Be Dangerous
All cell phones and mobile devices emit radiation in order to send all those voice calls and text messages which so many people depend on each day.
Cell phone radiation exposure is long-term, and its effects on the body, particularly the electrical organ, the brain, are compounded by numerous other simultaneous long-term exposures including continuous waves from radio and TV transmitter towers, cordless phone base stations, power lines, and wireless computing devices.
Can Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer?
World renowned neurosurgeon, Dr. Vini Khurana has deemed cell phone use "worse than smoking" for cancer risk. Dr. Khurana has published a study in which he links cell phone usage to an increased risk of brain cancer. He also suggests that mobile phones could one day be responsible for more cancer deaths than either cigarette smoking or asbestos exposure.
A malignant brain tumor represents a life-ending diagnosis in the vast majority of those diagnosed. Since many cancers take more than a decade to develop and be detected, often well after it is too late, Dr. Khurana fears the potential lethal prognosis which may be waiting for those who constantly have a mobile phone held (or strapped) to their heads.
The "incubation time" or "latency" (i.e., the time from commencement of regular mobile phone usage to the diagnosis of a malignant solid brain tumor in a susceptible individual) may be in the order of 10-20 years, he writes.
Despite the dismissal of the physicians concerns by industry groups and millions of cell phone users, Dr. Khurana insists it's only logical to conclude that radiation emanating from the phones isn't good for the brain; he's worried that we may soon start seeing a virtual cancer epidemic as the exposure takes its toll.
Can Cell Phones Cause Infertility?
If brain cancer wasn't bad enough, it seems that cell phone use may also contribute to an increase in male infertility, which could a huge problem if you're trying to get pregnant and your guy is a cell phone addict. According to a 2008 observational study by the Reproductive Research Center, use of cell phones has been shown to decrease the semen quality in men by decreasing the sperm count, motility, viability, and normal morphology. The decrease in sperm parameters was dependent on the duration of daily exposure to cell phones and independent of the initial semen quality.
Cell Phone Exposure Poses Great Risk to Children
Already pregnant? You should seriously consider tossing your cell phone's handset. A massive study by the universities of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Aarhus, Denmark of over 13,000 children from birth up to age seven, has shown that pregnant women using cell phone handsets just two or three times a day was enough to raise the risk of their babies developing hyperactivity and difficulties with behavior, emotions and relationships by the time they reached school age. The research also indicates that the risk is even greater if the children themselves used the cell phones before the age of seven.
According to the Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, children cell phone users are likely to face health hazards such as disruption of memory, decline of attention, diminishing learning and cognitive abilities, increased irritability, sleep problems, increased sensitivity to stress, and increased epileptic readiness in the near future.
Expected (possible) long term health risks of cell phone use by children include brain tumors, tumors of acoustical and vestibular nerves by the age of 25-30 years, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, depressive syndrome, and other types of degeneration of the nervous structures of the brain by the age of 50 to 60.
The Committee emphasizes the ultimate urgency to defend children’s health from the influence of the electromagnetic fields (EMF) of mobile communication devices in order to prevent negative consequences to the future generation’s health.
Is Your Cell Phone Safe?
The EWG has created a guide to help consumers choose safer, low-radiation cell phones and smart phones. Their listing shows that the top three best phones (low radiation) currently available are the Samsung Impression, Motorola RAZR V8, and the Samsung SGH-t229. The worst three phones (high radiation) were the Motorola MOTO VU204, T-Mobile myTouch 3G, and the Kyocera Jax S1300.
Among the sub-category of PDAs/Smartphones, the top three best PDAs/Smartphones were the Nokia 9300i, Nokia 7710, and the T-Mobile MDA. The worst three PDAs/Smartphones were the Kyocera Jax S1300, T-Mobile myTouch 3G, and the Blackberry Curve 8330.
Check out the relative radiation level and safety of your phone.
Read More»Can Coffee Make You Fat?
People usually drink coffee for the jolting perk the caffeine buzz coffee is famous for, but did you know that coffee can actually rob you of energy and make you fat?
Coffee is undoubtedly the most commonly used and abused drug (caffeine) in North America. A naturally occurring stimulant found in the leaves, seeds or fruit of dozens of plants worldwide, caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world.
Caffeine is a Drug
The "wake-up" effect of caffeine is due to its action as a drug. Caffeine has several metabolic actions as a central nervous system stimulant; these include causing an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, gastrointestinal activity, stomach acid output, kidney function, and mental activity. Following consumption of caffeine, it is readily absorbed into the bloodstream, where its level peaks after about one hour.
How Does Caffeine Work?
The exact mechanism by which caffeine delivers its java jolt has been postulated in several theories, however according to National Geographic's January 2005 feature, "Caffeine, the World's Most Psychoactive Drug", the current consensus by scientists is that caffeine interferes with the biochemical adenosine, which acts as a natural sleeping pill. It is believed that by blocking the hypnotic effect of adenosine, caffeine prevents people from falling asleep.
In the same article, Dr. Charles Czeisler, observes that the caffeine craving is a complete catch-22 in which caffeine is used to promote wakefulness to compensate for lack of sleep: "We use caffeine to make up for a sleep deficit that is largely the result of using caffeine."
What Are the Negative Effects of Caffeine On The Body?
Aside from its ability to promote wakefulness, caffeine also has the desirable side effect of enhancing mood and alertness in moderate amounts. But what are the negative effects of caffeine consumption?
Heavy daily caffeine use – defined by the Mayo Clinic as more than 500 to 600 mg a day, or about four to seven cups of coffee – can cause serious problems. Even small doses may result in negative side effects depending on your body mass, history of caffeine use, and stress level. People with smaller body masses feel the effects of caffeine more intensely, as do people without a history of caffeine use and people with any kind of stress, physical, or psychological.
According to Dr. Elson M. Haas in Staying Health with Nutrition (2006), coffee abuse can result in cardiac sensitivity, abnormal heartbeats, anxiety and irritability, stomach and intestinal irritation, insomnia, and such withdrawal symptoms as fatigue, headaches, and depression.
Osteoporosis & Stunted Growth
Coffee and other sources of caffeine can interfere with the absorption of many vitamins and minerals, including calcium, which is required for health bones and teeth and the prevention of osteoporosis, and iron, a mineral that is essential for growth and the delivery of oxygen throughout the body.
High Blood Pressure / Hypertension
According to the MayoClinic, the amount of caffeine in two to three cups of coffee can raise systolic pressure 3 to 14 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and diastolic pressure 4 to 13 mm Hg in people without high blood pressure. Exactly what causes this spike in blood pressure is unknown, but hypertension specialist Sheldon Sheps, MD explains that scientists believe that caffeine's effect on adenosine is at play. Since adenosine helps keep blood vessels widened, caffeine may indirectly cause blood vessels to narrow as it blocks adenosine. Dr. Sheps also indicates that caffeine stimulates the adrenal gland to release more cortisol and adrenaline, which cause blood pressure to increase.
Adrenal Fatigue & Hypoglycemia Syndrome
Although caffeine is commonly used to assist weight loss, with frequent consumption, Haas explains that caffeine's effect of spiking cortisol and adrenaline secretion – hormones secreted by the adrenal glands – can result in adrenal fatigue and hypoglycemia, chronic syndromes in which the body eventually becomes unable to handle stress, resulting in exhaustion, thyroid problems and weight gain.
Caffeine is also believed to play a role in the development of fibrocystic breast disease in some women, and the incidence of certain cancers including bladder cancer, ovarian cancer and pancreatic cancer.
Caffeine addiction can be a problem, particularly with members of the nine-to-five workforce who use it to help them burn the candle at both ends. Although not as serious as some other drug addictions, withdrawal from coffee and caffeine may be difficult. Read More»
Are You Having Twins?
With twin and triplet pregnancies on the rise, here are a few symptoms which may help you figure out if you are about to become a mother of multiples.
According to the Mayo Clinic, three in every 100 women find themselves pregnant with twins, up from a rate of one in 100 only a generation or two ago according to What To Expect When You're Expecting (2002).
Twins Are On the Rise
Advanced Maternal Age & Fertility Treatments
There are several reasons why multiples pregnancies are on the rise. With more and more women delaying pregnancy well into their 30s and 40s, the incidence of non-identical (also known as fraternal or dizygotic) twins or triplets has boosted thanks to age-related hormonal changes which can cause hyperovulation – the release of more than one egg during a single menstrual cycle. The increased use of fertility drugs and in vitro fertilization also greatly contributes to the increased rate of twinning currently observed.
Predisposition
While there are no factors that seem to increase your chance of having identical (maternal or monozygotic) twins – those conceived from one fertilized egg which splits into two embryos – your chance of conceiving non-identical (fraternal) twins is increased if there is a history of fraternal twins among women in your family. Twins are also more common in black women than white women, and less common among Asian and Hispanic women.
Twin Diet?
Some research indicates that folic acid supplementation – which is currently recommended for all women of childbearing age – may contribute to an increased chance for twins.
Diagnosing Multiples: Could it Be Twins?
Exaggerated Pregnancy Symptoms May Suggest a Multiples Pregnancy
According to What to Expect When You're Expecting, mothers of multiples may find that they experience increased or exaggerated early pregnancy symptoms such as more severe morning sickness, indigestion, edema, increased weight gain, and large-for-date uterine size. However, these symptoms can all occur in a normal, healthy, singleton (one fetus) pregnancy.
Blood Tests May Suggest Twin or Triplet Pregnancy
Abnormal prenatal AFP (Alphafetoprotein) screening blood tests may also suggest a multiples pregnancy, as can elevated HcG (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin) levels in blood or urine tests very early in pregnancy.
Finding More Than One Heartbeat
If your doctor or midwife suspects you may be carrying more than one baby, she or he may look for and detect more than one fetal heartbeat using a fetal doppler machine. Keep in mind, however, that the fact that, according to What to Expect When You're Expecting, the heartbeat of a single fetus can be heard from more than one location means that this method only confirms twins, triplets (or more) if the heartbeats detected differ in rate. For this reason, the auditory detection "multiple" heartbeats alone is rarely used to diagnose a multiples pregnancy.
Ultrasound Tests Can Confirm Multiple Gestations
With the advent of modern technology and prenatal care that includes ultrasounds, nowadays twins are rarely a birth day surprise and are almost always diagnosed well before delivery, during the first or second trimester of pregnancy; a multiples pregnancy is definitively confirmed with ultrasound, where sound waves are used to create actual images and/or video of the uterus, placenta, and baby or babies. Read More»
