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Health Benefits of Various Kinds of Exercises

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There are many different reasons why a person might want to start exercising. One of the most common reasons why many people stop exercising after a week or two is because they get bored of performing the same exercise day after day. However, there are many different kinds of exercises that come with their own set of benefits. Properly switching between these exercises will not only be more beneficial for your body, but it will also prevent you from getting bored of your exercise routine. Explained below are a few types of exercises along with the benefits that they offer.

Aerobic Exercise

Also known as cardiovascular exercise, aerobic workouts increase your heart rate and promote healthy heart, lungs, and muscles. Performing aerobic activities along with eating a healthy diet will help you to maintain a healthy weight, thereby reducing the risk of numerous health conditions associated with obesity. There are various cardiovascular exercises that you can perform either alone or with your friends. Performing aerobic exercises with moderate intensity just about three hours a week will benefit your heart and the respiratory system. If your motive behind exercising is to lose weight, then you should perform aerobic activities about five times a week. Some beneficial, enjoyable, and easy to perform aerobic exercises are listed below.

Walking: People of all age groups can go for a short walk anytime they want to. Walking is perfect for people who are just starting with an exercise routine. It will help to build strength and endurance for more strenuous exercises.

Cycling: Cycling is certainly one of the most enjoyable forms of exercises. It helps to strengthen bone and muscles, improve balance, and increase endurance.

Swimming: Swimming is considered to be among the best aerobic activities as it works on your entire body. Moreover, it does not exert too much stress on the joints.

Outdoor Games: Football, basketball, volleyball, etc. are some exciting aerobic activities that you will never get bored of.

Resistance Exercise

Adding resistance exercise to your routine can help to increase your strength and improve balance and posture. This form of exercises helps you build more muscles, which will in turn make you look toned. Muscles have the ability of burning more calories, even when you are resting.

Resistance exercise involves you to move your muscles against free weight equipments, your body weight, or any form of resistance. You should perform strength activities about twice or thrice a week and always make sure that you work out all your muscle groups.

Choosing the right amount of weight that allows you to perform 8-10 repetitions per set is very important. Therefore, it is recommended to consult a professional trainer so as to choose the perfect weight.

Flexibility Exercise

This kind of exercise involves stretching your muscles so as to prevent them from becoming shorter and less elastic. Flexibility exercise also helps to boost circulation, promote relaxation, and improve balance and posture. Besides simple stretches, you can also perform yoga and tai chi to improve flexibility.

Balance Exercise

Performing balance exercise will help you to prevent accidental falls. This form of exercise is particularly beneficial for older people, as they tend to lose the sense of balance. Strength exercises like tai chi, standing on a single foot, and heel-to-toe walk can all be very helpful in improving your balance.

 

 

Psychological Health Benefits of an Exercise Routine

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The physical health benefits of regular exercise are well-known to all of us. What very few people know is that having an exercise routine in place can help to improve your mental health in a number of ways. Exercise improves blood flow to all the organs of your body, including the brain. This benefits your physical and mental well-being. Some of the best psychological health benefits of regular exercise are explained below.

Increases self-confidence

Exercise not only helps to improve your physical appearance, but it also makes you feel young and beautiful from the inside. A fit and healthy body can make you feel happier and improve your frame of mind. It can also boost your confidence in your own abilities. Being more confident has a positive effect on your personal as well as professional life. Feeling good about your body will always keep your confidence level high.

Fills you with positive energy

Physical activities like performing cardiovascular exercise not only help to burn fats, but they also reduce stress. You will always feel happy and positive after a healthy exercise session. Since exercise causes an increase in blood flow towards the brain, it makes a person feel refreshed. Exercise and other physical activities also encourage the release of endorphins, which reduces depression and develops a sense of happiness. People who have a habit of exercising regularly are able to handle difficult situations in a more positive way when compared to people who don’t exercise at all. Positive energy always improves your decision-making abilities.

Improves alertness

Regular exercise will help you to get rid of lethargy and moody behavior. Exercise will allow your mind to stay alert, thereby enhancing your concentration level and improving your memory. As a result of enhanced flow of blood, oxygen, and necessary nutrients to the brain, you will be able to feel alert and positive even in challenging situations. Exercising and increasing your physical activities also promote a good night’s sleep. Getting sound and sufficient sleep of about 8-9 hours every night will naturally make you feel alert on the next day.

Reduces fatigue

Exercise facilitates the release of hormones that act as natural painkillers. This helps you to feel energetic and reduces fatigue. Regular exercise also increases muscle strength, bone strength, stamina, and endurance, all of which further help to reduce fatigue. Maintaining high energy levels throughout the day will increase your productivity and develop a sense of well-being.

Relieves stress

Stress in professional or personal lives cannot be avoided. A person might feel stressed even without physically exerting the body. Pressure at work, family problems, and financial worries are three of the most common reasons for stress and disappointments. Exercising regularly can help you to deal with this kind of stress in a much better way. People who exercises every day do not feel as stressed as people who don’t exercise, even on being exposed to similar situation. As mentioned above, exercise facilitates the secretion of endorphins, which relieve stress and promote good mood.

Kidney Stone – Symptoms, Causes, And Preventive Measure

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A person may suffer from kidney stone when salt in the urine forms a solid crystal. If this condition is not treated then these stones can lead to block the flow of urine and cause infection, kidney failure or kidney damage. Kidney stone is also referred as renal calculi. The most of the kidney stone problems can be treated without any surgery. Many a time the pin can be severe and may require an immediate medical attention along with it a very strong pain killer will be needed. It is advisable for you to seek for immediate medical help if you are suffering unbearable pain.

4 major types of kidney stones and its causes

  1. Calcium Stone – It is caused by eating too much calcium or vitamin D.
  2. Uric Acid Stone –This can be cause due to too much intake of animal protein or by genetics.
  3. Struvite Stones – This type of stone is form due to magnesium and the waste product ammonia. This one can be very dangerous and cause urine infection.
  4. Cystine Stones – This one is very rare and is cause due to cystinuria, a genetic kidney disease.

Symptoms of kidney stones

Generally a kidney stone will not show any symptoms until it moves around or within your kidney or passes through the ureter (a tube connecting kidney and the urinary bladder). Some of the commonly noticed signs and symptoms that may occur are;

  • Severe or unbearable pain in the back, side and below the ribs
  • A chronic pain that spreads from lower abdomen to groin
  • A pain that comes in waves in intensity
  • Pain during urination
  • Urine color changes to pink, red or brown
  • Cloudy or afoul-smelling urine
  • Fever and chills if an infection is present
  • Urinating more often than usual
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Persistent urge to urinate

The pain caused due to kidney stone may keep on changing, for example, it keeps on shifting in different directions and location or may pain in increasing intensity as ir moves through the urinary track.

Diagnosis of kidney stones

Urine and a blood test can help you to diagnose the problem and its cause to some extent. The further test to confirm urine stone may include;

  • Ultrasound
  • CT scans
  • X-rays including an Intra-Venous Pyelogram (IVP)

In case if the urine stone passes, collect it and take it to your doctor for analysis. To prevent the chances of the reappearance of kidney stone, and take the necessary precautionary measures.

Various treatment options available for kidney stone are;

90% of kidney stones pass by themselves within 3 to 6 weeks from the time of diagnoses. The only treatment that a person requires during this is a pain relief. However this pain can become so severe and chronic that it many require hospitalization along with very strong painkillers to the patient. Only in a few cases there is a need for operation, which is not really very a troublesome issue.

There are certain medications also available in the market. Apart from there are several self-care tips also they may help you to treat and prevent kidney stone trouble. The best option is drink plenty of water so that it can instantly pass urination.

Uncovering the Most Common Myths About Diabetes

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Millions of people from all parts of the world suffer from diabetes. This common health issue can be categorized into type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops in either childhood or early youth due to the complete non-production of the hormone insulin. Type 2 diabetes takes place due to the body’s failure to produce enough amounts of insulin. Diabetes can happen to any person regardless of the gender, weight or age.

Diabetes is one of the most feared health problems because it requires the patient to make some serious restrictions. However, a lot of diabetes patient tend to become overprotective because of various myths that surround diabetes. Having knowledge about these myths can help a diabetic to manage the problem in a better way. Explained below are some of the most common myths about diabetes.

Myth 1: Since diabetes is so common, it is not a big deal at all.

The fact that more and more people are suffering from diabetes these days does not make this problem any less serious. Diabetes is still one of the leading causes of deaths and should be taken seriously. If not controlled in a proper manner, diabetes can cause some serious conditions like nerve damage, amputation of limbs, blindness, kidney deterioration, and heart diseases.

Myth 2: Diabetics have to be very restrictive about their diets.

Like anyone else, diabetics have to eat a healthy and well-balanced diet. Although diabetes patients should closely monitor their meals, there is no need for them to make drastic dietary changes. Making big dietary changes becomes necessary only when the patient has the habit of eating a lot of unhealthy foods. A healthy diet for both diabetics and non-diabetics is one that consists of the right amounts of carbohydrates, protein and fiber. Junk food should be completely avoided as it is high in salt, trans fat, and saturated fat.

Myths 3: Diabetics must completely avoid having desserts.

Consuming sugar causes a spike in the levels of blood glucose. This is the main reason why diabetics are advised to limit their intake of sweets. However, this does not mean that diabetics should completely avoid having desserts. It is fine to eat a small portion of desserts after having a low-crab meal. Diabetes patients will not have to completely avoid sweets as long as they strictly monitor their sugar intake.

Myths 4: Only people who eat a lot of sugar suffer from diabetes.

Consuming too much sugar is not the only reason for suffering from diabetes. Type 1 diabetes happens due to genetic and some other unknown factors, while type 2 diabetes is usually a result of genetic and unhealthy lifestyle habits.

Myth 5: Thin people can’t get diabetes.

Many people believe that only overweight people can develop diabetes. This is not at all true and might make thin people complacent about their routine check-ups. Although being obese is known to increase the risk of diabetes, being thin does not guarantee immunity.

Myth 6: Diabetes ruins your life.

Just because you suffer from diabetes does not mean that your life is ruined. Although uncontrolled diabetes can cause various health issues, taking necessary measure can allow you to live a healthy life. Eating a healthy diet and maintain an exercise routine will help you to reduce the effects of diabetes. Taking healthy steps makes it a lot easier to manage and control diabetes.

Exercising Tips for Diabetes Patients

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Exercise is very beneficial for diabetes patients as it helps to maintain the blood sugar levels and also lowers the risk of heart disease. It is never easy to start off with a new exercise routine, especially for people who are not at all used to exercising. Moreover, people who are newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes often feel reluctant to begin with a new routine. A proper combination of prescribed medications, diabetes friendly diet, and exercise can play a huge role in helping you to keep diabetes under control. If you are newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and are looking for healthy ways to exercise, then the tips explained below can come in handy.

Have a discussion with your doctor before going ahead with an exercise routine

Diabetes is a kind of health issue that requires you to stay in constant touch with your doctor. To avail the benefits of an exercise routine and ensure that it does not cause any harm, it is very important to first discuss it with your doctor.

Start off slow

When starting off with a new exercise routine, you need to take it slow. Initially, a ten minute walk is good enough. You just need to ensure that you make it an inseparable part of your schedule. Go for a short 10 minute walk for five days a week, and stick to this routine for three to four weeks. Once you start to feel comfortable with this easy routine, you can increase the duration to 30 minutes. This healthy habit of walking will help you to balance blood sugar levels, increase your energy level and will also make you look and feel younger.

Stay active throughout the day

Besides going for a short walk at least five times a week, try to perform small physical activities throughout the day. There are many easy and enjoyable ways to stay active. Doing light yoga or Tai Chi will keep you active and also benefit your body in several ways. To merge exercise with your daily routine, you can use stairs rather than taking the escalator or the elevator.

Find a workout buddy

Exercising alone can sometimes be boring. Having a friend to workout with and keep you motivated can make a lot of positive difference in your approach. Joining a walking group is also a good idea as it will ensure that you always have company.

Set realistic goals

Setting small and realistic goals can add that extra bit of motivation. Moreover, the satisfaction that you get from achieving a goal can encourage you to do even better. Always ensure that you do not have unrealistic expectations as this will only lead to disappointment and hinder your efforts. Set small and achievable goals such as losing 10 pounds, not missing your exercise routine, etc.

Reward your efforts

Rewarding yourself on accomplishing a goal can do a world of good. Make sure that you don’t reward yourself with foods or drinks that can sabotage your achievement. Getting yourself some spa treatment, going out with your friends, planning a short vacation, etc. are some good ways to remind yourself of your accomplishments.

Have a positive mindset

Always remember that you are doing all this for your own good. When you lack motivation, remind yourself of the reasons behind staring off with an exercise routine. You are not the only one suffering from type 2 diabetes. Millions of people suffer from this common health problem, and a lot of them have managed to get control over it. Stay positive and always believe that you have the ability to keep your diabetes under check.