Get Fit Fast

Life is busy.  Sometimes, it’s too busy to exercise.  However, getting in a short workout is better than no workout at all.  This 20-minute interval workout is an effective tool to lose weight and relieve stress. 

An interval workout is a timed workout that combines all out exertion with short rest periods.  Intervals are four minutes in length.  Within that time, you complete eight sets. Each set consists of working hard for 20-seconds then resting for 10 seconds. During each four-minute interval, your exercise of choice remains the same, whether it's jumping jacks, squats, jumping rope, sprints or something else. Repeat that exercise for each set. Once you have completed the four-minute interval, you choose a new exercise for the next interval.

Here's a sample workout.

Warm-up for 4 minutes (walk to easy jog)

Interval 1:
20 seconds: Jumping jacks
10 seconds: Rest
Repeat 8 times

Interval 2:
20 seconds: Push-ups
10 seconds: Rest
Repeat 8 times

Interval 3:
20 seconds: Burpees
10 seconds: Rest
Repeat 8 times

Interval 4:
20 seconds: Squats
10 seconds: Rest
Repeat 8 times

In order to get the maximum effectiveness out of this, you must push yourself during the 20-second work interval each and every set trying to complete as many reps as possible for each set.  Both cardio and strength exercises can be used during the intervals.

This workout can be adjusted as your fitness and endurance increases.  This can be done a couple of different ways.  You can increase the exercise interval beyond 20 seconds.  Or, you can add more intervals and exercises.

It’s important to take time for yourself.  By taking as little as 20-minutes a day to exercise, you can lose weight, relieve stress, increase your muscular endurance as well as improve your heart health. It’s a small change you can make to improve your life.

Freelance writer Phyllis Edson provides a variety of writing services including blogs, social media posts, copy writing, ebooks and web content--- www.phyllisedson.com

Hidden Calories

credit: sigalonhealth.soup.io

Although losing weight is very rewarding and potentially life-changing, it can be a very
frustrating process. The most common reported frustration is when you feel that you are
doing all of the right things but the weight just won’t come off. This can leave you feeling
down and useless, and could potentially lead to the end of the diet. But why does it happen?

In some, rarer cases, it is a case of the body’s metabolism catching up with the dieter and
simply refusing to lose any more weight. Ironically, the main reason this happens is that the
dieter is taking in too few calories so the solution would be to add a few more calories into
the diet to kick-start your metabolism.

For most, this isn’t the issue. For most, it is the opposite; they are taking in too many
calories. The main culprit in this tale is hidden calories. Hidden calories are the enemy of the
dieter and are the root of all the frustration and anger that you are feeling. So where are these
calories and how do you bring them out into the open?

The main perpetrators of hidden calories are the foods and drinks that you think are healthier
choices. When we start our weight-loss plan the first thing that many of us do is to look for
healthy alternatives to the snacks and drinks that we thought were making us overweight.
However, shop bought fruit smoothies are often packed full of calories. They are nutritious
and full of vitamins but they can have just as many calories as a full-fat can of fizzy pop. The
reason? All of those fruit sugars that make the smoothie so tasty! The tropical fruits often
used in smoothies, such as mango, pineapple and banana, are full of natural sugars and are
also relatively high in calories. So, although you should make sure to eat plenty of fruit,
enjoy these varieties in moderation.

Salads can be full of hidden calories too. Lettuce, tomato and cucumber are super low in
calories but the added meat, dressing, croutons, cheese and avocado that can dramatically
raise the calorie content. In fact, a salad such as a traditional Caesar with chicken, bacon,
croutons, cheese, and a creamy dressing can potentially have more calories than a burger! So
be sensible – go for vinaigrette dressings and drop some of the fattier elements such as the
cheese and bacon.

As far as food goes, one of the worst things you can eat when on a diet is pasta. Pasta can be
a healthy choice as it is virtually fat free and relatively good for you but, unfortunately for
those trying to lose weight, it is packed full of calories. Even a small serving of pasta can
have as many calories as a bucketful of couscous, for example, so avoid it when you can.

Finally, you should look at your drink choices. You may have swapped out sugar for
sweetener but you need to also consider skimmed milk in your hot beverages rather than
semi-skimmed or whole. This will save you calories with every mouthful. Also, look out for
alcohol. Although it’s hard to cut out alcohol completely, there are no low calorie alcoholic
drinks and you would be shocked at how many calories there are just in a glass of wine.

So hidden calories are everywhere but they can be beaten. You just need a little knowledge,
and maybe the help of an online calorie counter, and you can understand what’s really in
your food.

Written by Kat Kraetzer, an experienced blogger working in the health-care industry.

Ten Simple Ways To Be Happy In Life

We often feel depressed and want to be happy but we cannot see that even the smallest changes around us can make us happier. So, here are ten ways by which we can be a more happier person than before.

1. Sleep Properly

Happiness means fighting off stress and stay fresh and fit. If you are not sleeping enough you feel more fatigued, stressed hungry and much more. Sleeping make you stress free, heels your damages. More sleep means less hunger so you have a lesser weight and good looks which obviously make you happy from inside.

2. Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is waking up, connecting with ourselves and connecting with every moment of life. It is the trending topic in western psychology as it is effectively reduced stress, increase self awareness, enhances emotional intelligence and handles negative thoughts and feelings. It means paying attention in a particular way, in the present moment and none judgmentally which is one more way to make you happier.

 

3. Stretch

As soon as you get up, throw your arms to the sky and inhale deeply. Bend down and try to touch your toes. Loosen up your body that’s been still for an entire night. Do a few jumping jacks. Move your neck around in circles. Stretch!

    Stretching makes your muscles relax and reliefs from the pain. You will feel more stronger from inner self when you stretch and bend. You will find that you understand and work with your body. Take time to listen to your body as we many times we ignore what it wants to say. It will definitely make you happy.

4. Laugh out loud

Joy is contagious and you can totally spread it. Laughing makes you relief from the stress and as I mentioned earlier makes you more happy.

5. Go Outside

Go outside into the sunlight; light deprivation is one reason that people feel tired. Research suggests that light stimulates brain chemicals that improve mood and increase motivation. If you cannot go outside daily as I can't due to busy schedules, try to go occasionally.

6. Just say no

We should learn to say NO to the things we really don't like. It's better to not doing than badly doing.

Don't force yourself to do things which you haven't interested in. Eliminate activities that aren’t necessary and that you don’t enjoy. After all, you have your own priorities and needs, just like everyone has his/her own needs. Saying no is about respecting and valuing your time and space.

7. Social around

Meet your loved ones once in a week or as it suits you. One of the most powerful ways to better your relationship with happiness is to surround yourself with people who want to make a difference. When we feel safe and supported, we don’t have to narrow in on survival tasks like responding to danger or finding our next meal. We are able to explore our world, which builds resources for times of stress and adversity.

8. Accept yourself

If acceptance feels so good, then why don’t we accept ourselves? We hate ourselves for being fat to get ourselves to diet. We judge ourselves unfavorably with the hope it will motivate us to change. Does this work? Hardly.

    Acceptance allows change. The "acceptance mode" includes everything, even my judgments. It allows me to be okay now, even before I reach my goals.

9. Befriend Failure

Do not be afraid of failure. Always remember failure is the key to success. I’m not going to say you will ever reach the point to where you will actually enjoy failure, but with each mistake you make there is always a lesson to be learned. As soon as you accept it you will be more happy.

10. Choose happiness

We always hand between the past and future and do not focus on present. Learn from your past decisions and actions and make your present beautiful. Of course, there are things in our lives that we cannot control, yet for the most part, your actions or lack of them is responsible for your present circumstances.

    There is no formula to be happy but we can be happy simply by understanding our self what makes us happy.

Learning to Love Running

In high school, I always wondered if parents forced their kids to run track or be on cross country teams. I never understood why the kids would just voluntarily join something so miserable. It never occurred to me that maybe they actually enjoyed running.

I've never been much of a runner. Every time I step onto that track or onto that treadmill, I simply feel disgusted and I am already dreading what is to come. It is a love-hate relationship. I hate the running part, but I love the benefits.

I've been thinking. I am sick of running to just exercise. I want to run to actually enjoy it. I want running to become an activity that I reward myself with at the end of each week. I realize this is going to be a hard path, especially for me. I do not know what it is going to take and I do not know how long of a process it will be. But I am willing to try anything at this point.

In the past couple of days, I have been reading others blogs and stories and finding out what they love about running. I've taken what I thought would help me and combined it with other thoughts that may help you.

Do you want to become a dedicated runner? Do you want to learn to actually love running? Well then, read on..

Find Inspiration: This is an important step. How do you think I got the motivation to write this article? I had to read others blogs and testimonials. It helps a lot to see that others are going through the same thing as you and that they have overcome these struggles. It is possible to fall in love with running or just exercising in general, you just need to find the right story to inspire you.

Make it Part of Your Life: Have you ever heard the expression, “when you love something, surround yourself in it?” Do not get confused with the expression, “when you love something, set it free.” That would be the opposite of what we are going for,  here.  Anyways, running can have the same effect. If you want to create a new passion for something, you have to think about that passion at least once a day. Learning to love running is a process. You will have to actually try  and love it. At least that's what I had to do. Try reading an article on running everyday or talking about running with a friend.

Take Your Time: This step has two different meanings. First, when you're starting off with a routine, don't push yourself too hard. This will cause you to despise running, trust me. It happened to me. Second, once you're involved in a routine, make sure you are starting off each run slowly and finishing strong at the end. This will make you look forward to that pushing point at the end and you will feel more accomplished after the run.

Make it Fun: This last step is probably the most important of all. Whatever you do, whatever you take from this post, remember to make running fun.  I don't care what you have to do to make it fun. If it's dancing around, or listening to your music too loud, do it. Do whatever makes you pumped to run! Don't worry about looking silly, this is your time  to do and be whatever you want. Make it your play time.

If you're interested in running on or learning more about treadmills, check out this website: http://www.treadmillsensei.com/best-buys

Author Bio : Katy Stephens is a 19 year old college student who enjoys writing about health and wellness. She has a passion for graphic design and writing blogs.  If you'd like to see more, check out her: Google+.

iPhone Apps That Facilitate Wellness

There are many apps available that help people become and stay healthy.  The most common of these are weight-loss and fitness apps, but there are others as well.  Here are some of the best wellness apps available for the iPhone.

LoseIt
LoseIt is one of the best calorie-counting apps available.  It allows people to track the amount of calories consumed in each meal, as well as how many are burned through exercise.  After entering their weight and ideal weight, LoseIt will create a weight-loss plan that is based on calories.  It provides daily and weekly charts, so people can monitor their progress.  The app also fully integrates with LoseIt.com.  Price: Free.

Medsy
Medsy reminds people to take their medications, vitamins and supplements.  With this app, people no longer need to use pill boxes that arrange medications according to the day of the week.  It also can help people remember to take medications during the middle of the day, which pill boxes cannot do.  All medical information is stored on the local iPhone, not Medsy’s servers.  On the one hand, if Medsy is uninstalled, all the data will be deleted.  On the other hand, no one has access to a user’s information, except the user.  Price: $3.99.

Instant Heart Rate
Instant Heart Rate is one of the most popular wellness apps available in the iPhone store and on the android market.  It has been downloaded more than 4 million times, and there are over 40,000 five-star reviews for the app.  By using the phone’s camera, Instant Heart Rate reads a person’s heart rate.  It only takes 10 seconds, and users just place their finger over the camera.  Price: $0.99.

Asthma MD
Asthma MD helps people who suffer from asthma track their attacks.  Users can immediately log an asthma attack after it is over.  By tracking one’s attacks, it can be easier to identify triggers.  The reports can be sent to a physician, and they can be anonymously uploaded to a database that helps asthma researchers.  Price: Free.

QuantiaCare for Diabetes
QuantiaCare for Diabetes is a multi-purpose tool.  It allows people with diabetes to monitor their blood glucose, insulin doses, weight, exercise and nutrition.  It also has an index of more than 60,000 pharmacies and 80,000 medical professionals.  Price: Free.

WebMD
Web MD has several apps, which are sold on the android market and in the iPhone store.  The most commonly downloaded is WebMD App, the most general of the website’s apps.  WebMD App has a symptom checker, which helps people identify their illnesses, as well as a database of drug and treatment information.  Users can also use this app to find nearby medical services.  Price: Free.

These six apps are among the best wellness apps in the iPhone store.  They can be used to create a weight-loss plan or check one’s symptoms.  But, their use is not limited to general information.  There are also apps available for specific uses, such as monitoring asthma or diabetes.  By using a combination of these apps, people can track their health.

Wayne Page writes for CNA Training Center, an outstanding guide for any and all prospective CNAs looking for more information.

Sources:
http://www.loseit.com/
http://cnatrainingcenter.net/
http://cnatrainingcenter.net/cna-certification-and-training-in-california/
http://www.webmd.com/webmdapp

The perfect time for dinner

A while ago, when I wrote about a restaurant booking service, I was picked up in the comments about my presumptions about the right time for an evening meal. I had blithely condemned 6.30pm as an eccentric time to eat dinner in a restaurant, but counted 7pm among the good slots. As @ihatesummer pointed out, there's only 30 minutes in it. But could they be the most significant 30 minutes in the restaurant-goer's schedule?

I must admit that, due to the demands of a small boy who likes to hit the hay on the dot of seven, dinner is "taken" at home at 6.15pm. But I'd never willingly book a table for that time; the idea of eating out before 7pm seems to me to be all kinds of wrong, just as starting at 9pm causes havoc with both digestion and babysitters.

The stretch between 5pm and 7pm is the time that no-one wants. They might only just have finished work, been on the Hobnobs all afternoon, or need to get a drink under their belts first. It is widely known that the great arts of theatre, cinema, opera and ballet were invented to sell restaurant seats during the early and late shifts - the only successful strategy developed so far. Lower prices, wine offers or set menus were also developed, but in vain; in all but the buzziest, urban, all-day places, there'll be tumbleweed rolling across the floor as the waiting team, smelling of fags, rehearse the specials and ignore the couple taking "advantage" of the Early Bird deal.

Consumption is, of course, a matter of science as well as pleasure. Many weight-loss regimes require followers to eat their "big" meal earlier in the day, to maximise the time available for the body to process it. Is there an optimal time for dinner? Dr Joan Ransley, honorary lecturer in human nutrition at the University of Leeds, says not. "Eating just before you go to bed does affect gastric emptying because you're lying down. But the most important thing to remember," she says, glancing briefly at my hair, "is that we are not lions on the Serengeti. We don't thrive on one huge meal, and then nothing. We need to eat roughly every four hours, so it really depends on when you had lunch."

Foreigners have their own ideas, as is their perfect right. I can find no definitive statistics on thedream dinner time for most Americans, but they have a reputation for eating out at a time when the rest of the civilised world would barely have digested lunch. In continental Europe, of course, things are terrifyingly different. The Frommer's guide to Spain reports that "the chic dining hour, even in one-donkey towns, is 10 or 10:30pm", whereas in Denmark, home of the zeitgeisty Sarah Lund, "farmer's hours", starting at 6.30pm, are kept. Frommer's, wisely, does not pronounce on English habits.

There are always extenuating circumstances. One of the reasons 6.30pm doesn't work for me is that I like to eat in a well-populated dining room. I'll go, lamblike, whenever (though not wherever, obviously) the majority does. This approach proved useless during a walking holiday in Spain. In the middle of Murcia, far from stopgap tapas and with an eight-mile walk in our legs and a limited supply of patatas fritas, waiting until the chic dining hour was impossible. We ended up the only 7.30pm diners in our lovely hotel which compassionately gave us a semi-private alcove to hide our shame; as we were sipping coffee and raisiny PX, local customers, including lots of kids, were piling in for a sliver of pre-dinner jamón.

For many restaurant geeks who have cultivated their own habits and preferences, the faultline appears where desirable restaurant meets unwanted dinner slot. If the only chance of eating somewhere at the bleeding edge of culinary adventure in the next 12 months is to have dinner at 10.30pm, is taking the table a show of Yogi-like flexibility or a compromise too far?

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2011

Everyday Foods To Increase Your Immunity

As the winter arrives, we need to boost our immunity to avoid nasty colds, coughs and flu. We should get prepared to get rid of it by eating simple everyday foods. Foods that increase or we can say boost your immunity are mentioned below:

· Lemons or citrus fruits

· Eggs

· Lean red meat

· Oats and other whole grains

· Seafood

· Nuts

Lemons or citrus fruits

Citrus fruits, rich source of vitamin C boost your immunity system. Vitamin C helps the body to produce white blood cells as well as antibodies and keep the immune system fighting invading viruses. Lemon juice contains around 30mg of vitamin C, and the peel or the zest has another 10-20mg.

Eggs

Eggs are the rich source of protein and iron; they also contain vitamin A – a fat-soluble vitamin which is important for the immune system. Liver, dairy products and oily fish are other sources of vitamin A too.

Lean red meat

Red meat is well known as an incredible source of the mineral iron, which is a form that can be easily absorbed by the body. For those who include meat in their diets, two to three red meat meals a week is ideal. Remember, go for lean varieties of meat, trim any fat off, and avoid adding too much extra fat when cooking.

Oats and other whole grains

Oats, known scientifically as Avena sativa and the other whole grain cereals i.e, wheat, rye, barley and brown rice provide important B vitamins such as vitamin B6, pantothenoic acid and folic acid. These vitamins support the immune system. Including whole grains every day can help supply the body with the B vitamins it needs as well as providing a valuable source of fibre and other nutrients needed for good health.

Seafood

Shellfish, including oysters, mussels and scallops, are great sources of zinc. Squid, prawns and other fish including salmon also have some zinc. Nutritionists have known for decades that seafood is a low-fat source of top-quality protein, and that the health benefits of eating seafood make it one of the best choices for growing children, active adults, and the elderly.

Nuts

Nuts have immune-boosting power from zinc, iron and the B vitamins, it also have the added value of being sources of other vitamins and minerals which support the immune system. Eating nuts as part of a healthy diet can be good for your heart. Nuts, which contain unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients, are a great snack food, too. They're inexpensive, easy to store and easy to take with you to work or school.

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