How to Stop Oversleeping

What wouldn't we give to enjoy sufficient amounts of sleep, not for one day but for every day of the week? Believe it or not there are many who do, and they overdo it a tad too much. There are people who oversleep without a worry in the world. Of course the real problem arises when they wake up and find that all their work is behind schedule! Oversleeping is turning into a major disorder of sorts, because it is hampering the professional lives of many, especially those whose jobs have been put at stake.

No boss would appreciate or accept late coming and negligence at work, at least not after the first few warnings. Nor can family be sustained without being able to spend quality time with the other members, if one of them keeps sleeping all day long. On the personal front, contrary to popular beliefs, oversleeping is not a healthy habit and is not considered normal. This article will explain what may be causing this condition and how to stop oversleeping in the best possible manner.

Oversleeping Causes

#1 Stress
Many a time, both children and adults try and evade their tensions by sleeping. It is very common to find children oversleeping before an exam, because they are stressed and do not want to study. Adults do the same when they want to avoid thinking about a stressful issue which needs to be solved.

#2 Depression
Oversleeping has a lot to do with depression than we would like to believe. When we are depressed we would do anything to evade the subject and try to keep ourselves away from our sorrows. The mind becomes exhausted and therefore tries to seek rest through excessive sleep. However, oversleeping only makes things worse for such people and they feel even more gloomy after they wake up.

#3 Boredom
Many a time, both young and old people oversleep, simply because they do not have anything better to do. They lack the will to chalk out their day's goals, which is why they have so much of free time at hand. These people usually wake up late and sleep even later. Their day goes by without much activity except maybe watching the TV or playing computer games and eating.

#4 Habit
Some people oversleep simply because they are habituated to it, like people who work from home or do not choose to be employed. Young children of whose, such habits have been neglected by parents and people with odd working hours, often end up oversleeping because they know they can afford it and can get away with their habit. People who have addictions, such as alcoholism and drug abuse, often sleep for many hours because they are intoxicated and drowsy most of the time.

#5 Health Conditions
There could be some underlying causes of sleeping too much. Sleeping disorders such as Sleep Apnea or a neurological disorder known as Narcolepsy, cause a person to oversleep. People who are on strong medication, over a prolonged period of time or have health issues may feel more exhausted than usual. People who work throughout the week and are often overworking, may end up sleeping the entire weekend so as to compensate for their lack of rest and sleep.

Tips to Stop Oversleeping

#1 Alarm Yourself!
During the initial phase, waking up through sheer will or promising yourself, does not usually work. You'll need to buy a lot of loud and annoying alarm clocks. The noisier the better. Now place these alarm clocks far away from your bed and as far away from your reach as possible. Set the alarm on every clock at a 1 - 2 minute variation. This way, when it's time to wake up, the alarm clocks will ring one after another, and ensure that you wake up from all that noise. There is no doubt that you'll wake up with a foul mood, but once you realize that this is good for your health, you'll begin to feel much better about yourself. A sleep of 6 - 7 hours is adequate for all normal human beings, which is why you must time these many hours, before you set the alarm.

#2 Stop Loving Your Sleep!
You will need to revamp the way you feel about sleeping. You will need to stop enjoying the many hours of useless slumber. You have to realize that oversleeping will make you fall ill and cause more health problems than you can handle at one time. Heart diseases, headaches, backaches, weak muscles, constipation, bloating, and obesity are all symptoms and side effects of sleeping too much.

#3 Prioritize Your Life Now!
You will need to steel yourself and tell yourself that oversleeping is not what you wish for and that you would like to lead a normal healthy life. For doing so, you will need to make an itinerary of your day from the start to the end. You will need to make a plan which should ideally begin with some form of physical exercise. Try to join a gym or some form of classes which teach dance, yoga or karate lessons. Make up your mind that you will wake up on time every day from this moment onwards.

#4 Slow and Steady
You cannot just decide to wake up on time one fine day. This process takes time, and you will need to be patient. You will need to try waking up earlier than your usual time, and gradually decrease the number of hours you spend sleeping. This will take a month or two, but eventually your mind will get used to a specific time early in the morning and will automatically wake you up.

#5 Sleep Properly
Set your sleep cycle on a 7 hour schedule. Which means that if you are to wake up at 6:30 am, then you must ideally be asleep by 11:30 pm. Do not compromise for anything, because at the end of the day, it is you who has to overcome your sleeping disorder and not the people you party with, until late nights.

If after all these measures, you still can't wake up, you may be suffering from a health condition of some sort. Get yourself checked for sleep disorders as well, so that all your doubts may be cleared once and for all. Hopefully, this article on how to stop oversleeping will help you stay healthy.

How Does Yoga Help in Diabetes Prevention

Diabetes is one of the rapidly growing diseases in the world, and nothing can beat diet and exercise for combating this disease. A healthy diet, that avoids sugar and starch is what can help you keep the sugar in control. What most of the people fail to realize that exercise is equally important for tackling any health issue. When the disease is diabetes, which has more than 280 million people across the globe suffering from it, there needs to be a lot of effort and dedication to tackle it. Most of the experts recommend a diabetes control diet, that helps in most cases, but exercise too is prescribed, which many will avoid. Diabetes can be simply described as the disease caused due to the lack or sufficient amount of insulin or ineffective functioning of insulin in the body. Insulin is secreted by the pancreas and is important to transport the glucose that is produced after breaking down of food, into the bloodstream. In case of less insulin or ineffective insulin, the glucose will settle and stay in the body without being used for energy and this can pose serious health risks. With type 1 diabetes that is caused naturally due to less secretion of insulin in the body, there may not be much of an issue, but for type 2 diabetes that is caused by various factors, that include obesity, lifestyle, heredity, stress, etc., there needs to be serious thought on the cure. The reason we discussed diabetes and the cause is to understand the cure better.

Exercise is what is recommended by most of the health experts and nothing can beat the traditional form of exercise accepted world wide, that is yoga. It has been described as the most effective workout. It has also proved to be extremely beneficial in treating many diseases. One of which is diabetes. For curious people willing to know the exact role of yoga in diabetes, we have compiled information based on studies related to ways in which yoga helps to prevent it.

Yoga For Diabetes Prevention
Yoga is an exercise that involves movement, poses, breathing and focus. It not only helps in physical relaxation, but also helps you connect to the mind. The many benefits of yoga are listed below. We will first take a look at these, so as to understand how does yoga helps in diabetes prevention.

    Yoga helps in excellent blood circulation. This helps blood flow in all the parts of the body. Even those that are difficult to be involved in everyday activities and other workouts.
    It involves breathing along with blood circulation, that ensures good flow of oxygen and blood to all the vital organs of the body. This along with the many beneficial poses of yoga help in calming the mind, focusing and meditation. It reduces the stress and increases concentration. This also increases will power, that helps you to push your body to more rigorous exercise and maintain your diet goals, and other healthy lifestyle changes.
    As glucose levels are elevated by stress, yoga can help in keeping them in control. The stress hormones like adrenaline, cortisol and nonadrenaline are reduced in blood, and thus yoga helps in reducing stress. This is also believed to ensure proper functioning of insulin.
    Yoga helps in stretching the entire body, tones it and also helps in building muscle. This aids weight loss and thus, is able to combat type 2 diabetes and decrease the risk.
    The different poses and stretching also help in building a strong digestive system, gives flexibility to the blood vessels and maintains the levels of glucose in the blood.
    Yoga with breathing techniques, that is called 'pranayama' helps in activating the pancreas, that secrete insulin. Certain yoga poses, exert pressure on the pancreas which helps in their activation and also helps in eliminating the toxins.
    The muscles are relaxed in with the different poses of yoga, and the increased blood and oxygen supply, are the possible triggers for better insulin reception on the muscles, that in turn enhance glucose consumption.
    Blood pressure too is regularized throughout the body, that keeps it in check. As blood pressure maximizes the risk for diabetes, this is tackled well by yoga.

It can be thus concluded that yoga helps in combating weight issues, increases immunity that helps in slow progression of complications. It helps in better insulin production and consumption of glucose. It also helps you be determined and think positively, which is very important when dealing with any disease.

Many studies have found out that people with diabetes who practiced yoga on a regular basis, showed significant decrease in blood glucose and hemoglobin AC1 levels. Another study also found out that yoga therapy for diabetes prevention helped curb after meal rise in blood glucose and insulin resistance. Yoga is one name that has been a savior on all diseases. And now we know how does yoga help in preventing diabetes. So start practicing from today, but only under an experts training. Balance diabetes with a healthy diet and with the many benefits of yoga for diabetes!

Fitness Exercises for Women

The only sure shot, healthy and proper way to gain muscle, lose weight, and/or stay fit is through a well-balanced diet and exercise. There is no way around this fact, except for popping dangerous and risky drugs or cosmetic surgery. Even the advertisements on television and in magazines are false that claim to help you achieve your ideal body proportions, no matter how skinny or overweight you may be, by taking the muscle building or fat burning supplements. Instead of risking your life by trusting these false advertisements, why not give time to exercises that will provide actual results. Total body toning exercise for women successfully help you lose extra fat, gain more energy, and provide better overall health. Here are some exercises for women that target your problematic body zones.

Strength Training Exercises for Women

Now summertime stroll in the evening are considered a good habit to stay in shape, but it actually doesn't do much to show those changes. Besides, working out at the gym or at home, other fun summer activities can provide hardcore body-shaping benefits. You can continue your regular exercises during the week, and over the weekend, can indulge in these exhilarating weekend activities. If you really want more rigorous exercises for women, then take a look at the following outdoor activities.

Cycling
A fantastic workout, it ensures an overall fitness without having you realize that it is doing good to your body. Cycling is the most effective form of exercises for women, as it helps shed those extra calories and give you firm abs. For every hour of cycling, you burn about 500 to 700 calories per hour, depending on the speed and terrain you choose. Other benefits of cycling are:

    An aerobic exercise which gives your heart, blood vessels and lungs excellent workout and reduces risk of heart problems.
    One of the best thigh exercises for women, as it trims and tones the upper thigh, hamstring, and calf muscles.
    Regularly going for a ride helps relieve stress, anxiety, and depression.
    For those who wish to reduce weight, cycling can be very beneficial, as it reduces waistline and excess fat.
    Cycling builds your stamina and helps you carry out daily activities with ease.

Kayaking
Kayaking may seem difficult, but can actually be learned in few days. It is not just a hobby anymore as kayaking has many health and fitness benefits. You can relax, enjoy a fun social sport and have a great workout all in one. Involve your family and friends along with you and spend couple of hours enjoying your time together. For every hour of kayaking, you burn about 400 or more calories per hour. Other benefits of kayaking are:

    Kayaking reduces stress levels, as it facilitates you into breathing fresh air (rather than stuffed gym environment).
    Depending on how fast you paddle, you can actually add kayaking into your weight loss program (400 calories per hour).
    You build great amounts of muscle strength in your arms, chest, abdomen, and shoulders.
    As a sport, kayaking requires your body to be flexible, which in turn helps you get a great aerobic exercise.

Tennis
Another physical activity which can be considered as one of the best fitness exercises for women is tennis. It benefits both body and mind, which gives tennis an edge over all other physical activities. You can grab a friend for a fun game of tennis over the weekend and sculpt your entire body. For every hour of tennis, you burn about 544 calories per hour. Other benefits of tennis are:

    Instead of using tennis as a recreational sport, go for a more cardiovascular approach, as it reduces the risk of heart problems.
    Trims and tones your arms, shoulders, back and abdominal muscles like a pro.
    As tennis works, many muscle groups in your body all at the same time, it helps improve overall balance, dexterity, and agility.
    Tennis helps lower body fat and cholesterol, as it reduces stress levels.

The main idea behind these exercises for women mentioned above is to provide you with fresh air. When the weather is great outside, why spend your time stuck in a stuffy gym to exercise. Instead, get your friends and family along with you and have some fun while shedding calories, staying motivated, and building a firm, toned body.

Baby Safety Products

Safety of your baby is one of the most important responsibilities that you need to consider while bringing up your child. The stage when your baby learns to crawl and toddle, is probably the most crucial and you have to remain alert at every step to avoid mishaps. With introduction of a wide range of baby safety products, you can rely on them without any doubt. The products are designed in a way to prevent the common mishaps, like tripping, slipping, bruising, etc, that take place due to negligence. The devices are especially installed near staircases, kitchens, bathrooms and electric appliances, to ensure safety of your baby when he freely roams inside your house, accessing them without any knowledge of the dangers associated.

1. Baby Safety Cribs
The place where your baby sleeps and plays should have adequately raised edges so that he doesn't tumble and fall. Look for cribs that contain a solid framework, that could be tightened or loosened as per necessity. Check the date of manufacture and ensure that the guarantee period is of minimum six months. The quality and type of the mattress is also an important thing to consider. Purchase a crib mattress that is considerably firm. Avoid using extra soft mattress and bumper pads. Using a sleeper is recommended in place of a blanket, because the latter is comparatively heaver and it might also hinder free breathing. Look for toddler cribs having high raised arches and rails.

2. Baby Safety Gates
If the staircase in your house faces your baby's bedroom, then you must install a baby safety gate near it. You can also install gates and doors near your kitchen to demarcating that zone when you are busy cooking. You can also install a door near the oven so that he is not able to touch it. Portable play yards are also available at baby care shops and e-shopping sites. They are nothing, but a light weight enclosure where you can confine your baby when he is playing. Four gates are installed that make it look like a small yard. The safety gates could also be installed near bathrooms, balconies, patios and other places that are prone to accidents. Install temporary fireplace gates and screens when your baby is playing within its vicinity. You can check out these products Regalo Easy Step Walk Thru Gate and Evenflo Crosstown Soft Portable Travel Gate, to get an idea about them.

3. Baby Safety Appliances
This section covers a wide range of things that are necessary for insuring safety of your baby. Kids are tempted to toy with electrical switches, keyboards, knobs and drawers. These are certainly dangerous when operated without knowing the correct method. It's also difficult for you to monitor your kid throughout the day when he's extremely notorious. So why not installing the safety devices? Different types of safety gadgets are available in the market that guarantee electrical safety. You can also purchase those kits that contain multiple protective devices for cabinets, drawers and electrical appliances. Plug-in all the electrical outlets firmly so that he cannot access them, and attach stoppers on all doors and windows. You should also keep the drawers, doors, racks and cabinets latched and locked. Dreambaby L7081 No Tools Required Home Safety Kit and Mommy's Helper Outlet Plugs are some products that contain almost every type of safety appliances.

4. Baby Safety Bathing Gears
Taking bath is a luxury for babies. In the process of playing with water, they tend to slip and fall. Thus, the need arises to look for bath seats and bathtubs that are safe and comfortable. Make sure that they are made up of slip resistant materials and are durable enough. You can float inflatable rings in the water while he is playing or taking bath. Moby Bath Spout Cover and Munchkin White Hot Inflatable Duck Tub are some examples of safe bathing gears. Other types of baby safety items used for creating a safe bathing zone include tub thermometers, splash guards and safer grips. These products can also be purchased online. This Buzzle article shall provide you some more information on baby safety.

Even after knowing the details about baby safety products, we sometimes fail to implement them rightly. Well, this should not be the cause of your negligence. Make your house a safe place for your baby, so that he can roam around freely. Worth to mention, never leave your baby alone in his bathtub while giving him a bath and try to always be with him while he is playing.

Heart Murmur in Babies

Heart murmurs are nothing but abnormal sounds produced by heart. When parents notice heart murmur in their baby, they panic a lot. But they should make a note that, heart murmur in babies is very common and usually is not a cause of concern. Almost every kid experiences heart murmur once in his/her lifetime. Let us first understand what a heart murmur exactly is.

What is Heart Murmur in Babies?
Human heart beats in a rhythmic pattern, making a lub dub sound. This sound is generated due to the blood flowing into and out of the heart. In medical terms, heart murmur can be described as abnormal sound made by blood, when it passes through the heart blood vessels. Normally when the blood flows through the heart vessels, it does not make any noise. But sometimes, the blood flow can make disturbing noises where the lub dub sound is combined with some swishing sound. Many a time, heart murmur in babies is a sign of normal changes that take place in the blood circulation of baby's body, after its birth. These sounds can be heard with the help of stethoscope. Mostly, heart murmur in babies is not a serious problem and the heart is in a normal state. In few cases, it can be a result of some heart disorder.

What are the Causes of Heart Murmur in Babies?
A heart murmur can be innocent (functional), congenital or heart defect. There are no specific symptoms of innocent heart murmur in babies, other than unusual sound made by the heart. But if the cause of heart murmur is of congenital type, then few serious symptoms can be observed. These include breath shortness, feeding difficulty, chest infection, etc. In 90% cases, heart murmur in babies are of functional type. Hence, parents should not panic and worry when they come across the murmur sound in their baby's heart. Let us take a look at the causes of heart murmur in babies. Read more on, heart murmur in infants.

Innocent Murmuring: Innocent murmuring, is the most common type of hear murmur noticed in babies. This is also known as functional heart murmur and is a sign of healthy and normal heart. This type of murmur can be noticed a number of times, during the childhood. There is no special treatment required for this type of heart murmur. Innocent heart murmur, as the name suggests, do not pose any threat to the child.

Congenital Heart Murmur: This is a rare and serious type of heart murmur, that can be a symptom of some heart problem. One in 100 babies can have congenital heart murmur. If the doctor finds that the heart murmur is a cause of some heart problem, then he/she may ask to perform certain laboratory tests like electrocardiogram, chest X-ray or echocardiogram. The health of the mother during pregnancy can influence the health of the baby. If the mother suffered from German measles, diabetes or if she was an alcoholic, then the risk of congenital heart murmur increases.

Common Heart Defect: Common heart defect is a result of structural disorder of a baby's heart. Here heart murmur is a consequence of some structural problem in the heart. There are different types of heart defects. These include, valve abnormalities, cardiomyopathy and septal defects. Septal defects are due to holes present in the heart walls. The hole can cause flow of extra blood into the heart, that further results into murmur. Cardiomyopathy is a heart muscle disorder, where the heart muscles are abnormally thick and weak, resulting into impaired functioning of the heart.

What is the Treatment for Heart Murmur in Babies?
The treatment for heart murmur depends on the cause. Innocent or functional murmur does not require any type of treatment. If congenital or common heart defect are diagnosed after the laboratory tests, then the parents need to approach a pediatric cardiologist. Depending on the symptoms observed, the pediatric cardiologist provides the appropriate treatment, that will regulate the proper blood flow in the heart. Medication and surgery are two main parts of the treatment.

Heart murmur in babies, is quite common and is usually not a result of any serious health problem. Thus, if parents notice such symptoms in their baby, they should not worry and consult a pediatrician at the earliest to confirm the cause of the heart murmur.

How to Lose Weight at Home

Just as charity begins at home, losing weight to begins at home. Surely you must have tried a million times get in to a regular exercise routine, crammed in time for exercise and probably joined a gym to leave the endeavor half way through. Phew! That's a lot of effort and sadly all in vain. Relax, take a deep breath, you've just found a solution for losing weight at home! Now it's just about following it and following it religiously.

Best Ways To Lose Weight At Home

There are 7 Simple Rules for getting the gorgeous body that would make heads turn. Follow these easy exercises to lose weight at home. Here you go!

Rule No. 1
The Rule No. 1 states, that you need to stop watching the idiot box in front of you. Yes, the television set in front of you in the worst possible idea for recreation. Pack it up and place it safely in some corner of your house. Keeping away from the TV set is the best exercise to lose weight at home. Step out of your house for recreation. Walking, jogging, playing with your children or pets, participating in outdoor sports, weekend trekking and mountain climbing are the easy ways to lose weight outside home.

Rule No. 2
The Rule No. 2 orders you to do your laundry by yourself. Washing clothes is the best way to lose weight at home. Forward and backward bending can be improved very well by washing clothes at home. Doing your own laundry stretches the extra unwanted flab and reduces the lousy love handles. Washing clothes will also strengthen the arms and tone them up.

Rule No. 3
The Rule No. 3, wants you to knead the dough at home. Don't use a food processor, this time and every time henceforth, knead the dough all by yourself. Stomach muscles are used while kneading the dough. Lose weight quickly at home by kneading dough regularly for cooking. This is one of the best exercises to do at home. Losing weight would never have seemed sweeter!

Rule No. 4
Rule No. 4 explains why you must climb the stairs and not order someone to fetch things for you. Any qualified gym instructor will tell you that climbing stairs is the best cardiovascular exercise that you do to keep your heart and legs in shape. Tone up the flab on the thighs by taking the stairs, this will strengthen the muscles, shed the extra pounds and make them stronger.

Rule No. 5
Rule No. 5 will focus on a complete exercise for your body. Mowing your lawn is the best way to lose weight at home fast. It exercises your arms, abs, legs and back. Think about it. Mowing your lawn for two months will save you a few extra dollars to buy a sexy slim fitting dresses once you get the lean built.

Rule No. 6
Rule No. 6 is a fun Sunday activity. Sundays are the days, when you want to lay back and read the Lazy Sunday Book, sipping your cuppa coffee. Never mind! Anytime during the day, wash your car thoroughly with soap and water. This again is the fabulous exercise to tone up the body and still have fun. To make it interesting, burn a CD of your favorite songs and plug it on while washing your car.

Rule No. 7
Rule No. 7 is mopping the floor. Don't shrug off this fabulous opportunity to turn those flabs into abs. Take a complete advantage of it so that you lose weight quickly at home. Roll up your sleeves and get started to clean the floor.

Hopefully, the 8 simple rules must have answered your question, how to lose weight at home. Pull up your socks and get down to losing weight at home, ASAP!

Healthy Habits to Lose Weight

Everybody, today, seems to be conscious about their weight. Not that it is bad, however, it is good if the weight loss refers to loss of body weight with an aim to improve fitness and health. Losing weight to ape certain stereotypes is not advisable, and definitely not healthy. In some cases, weight loss is achieved with extreme dietary restrictions and vigorous exercising.

Though diet and exercise are vital to lose weight, the core of losing weight lies in adopting healthy habits and making a significant change in one's lifestyle. In that regard, given below are a few healthy habits you can adopt, to lose weight. These habits are simple and easy to incorporate in your day-to-day life. Healthy habits to lose weight will only make your task of losing weight easier than before.

Healthy Eating Habits to Lose Weight

• When it comes to weight loss, most people treat food as their enemy by not eating enough, or starving themselves.These activities will not aid weight loss, but simply make you weak. The point is, instead of binging on everything and anything around you, eat consciously. Chalk out a strategy for your meals. Restrict the portion size you eat. A good way to determine portion size is to compare it with hand size. A healthy serving should not be more than the size of your palm. Resort to healthy snacks at those times of the day when you feel hungry. Remember not to starve and not to skip meals in any case. These habits will only weaken the digestive system.
• This probably comes as an obvious advice to most of us, but do we really follow it? Now, there are several reasons why drinking (at least 2 liters) of water is recommended. Water cleanses your body and regulates your metabolism, which helps you to get rid of accumulated fat around the midsection. Moreover, drinking plenty of water helps you to feel satiated throughout the day and suppresses the urge of snacking.
• This may sound funny, but it definitely has some logic to it. When you drink plenty of water, you feel the urge to pee, for which you have to walk to the washroom. This activity helps you break the monotony at work and at the same time, results in some physical activity. It may not be intense but it definitely adds up to the total calories burned.
• Consumption of excess alcohol is one of the major reasons for accumulated belly fat. This does not mean you completely stop its intake, but make sure you limit the quantity. Smoking too can reduce your appetite and wreck your digestive system. These unhealthy habits can sabotage your weight loss, so be careful.
• Make it a habit to chew your food slowly. Chew every morsel 32 times before you swallow it. This habit not only helps in proper digestion, but you also end up eating less. Look for all the unhealthy eating habits you indulge in during the day and make an effort to eliminate them. Like, for example, binging on desserts after dinner, snacking while watching television, having donuts and thick chocolate shakes while you drive to office every morning, and so on.

Simple Exercising Habits to Lose Weight

• If your job requires you to sit at your desk all day, restricting physical activity, then you can do little things at your workplace which will promote physical activity. Take the staircase instead of taking the elevator. During breaks, try pursuing some active game, which not only will help reduce stress levels at work but will also leave you feeling energized.
• With the fast-paced life we live, it becomes difficult to for us to find time to exercise regularly. However, it is important to squeeze out a little time of your hectic schedule, which should be dedicated to exercising. It no doubt aids weight loss; but exercising should be viewed as a way of life, instead of compulsion. Exercising regularly is a healthy habit, which keeps one fit and feeling energized throughout the day.
• Another simple exercise you can practice, is to go shopping with a full tummy. One may not realize it, but shopping amounts to miles of walking. On an average, a woman is bound to spend around 3-4 hours shopping per week, which results in walking for more than 20 miles per week and burning about 150 calories per trip.
• When you are in a bumper-to-bumper situation, don't crib, instead, make use of that time, by performing a few exercises, which involve simple movements. A torso twist allows you to relax your tense muscles. Point and flex your toes to stretch your calf muscles. You can also perform neck rotations, to enhance the mobility of your neck and in the process, burn some calories.
• You can also perform simple exercises like squats, push-ups and crunches while watching TV. Synchronize your exercises with the commercials, which will allow you to enjoy your favorite show and at the same time help you burn calories.

You cannot come up with an excuse to not incorporate the above-mentioned healthy activities in your daily life, as they are simple and can easily become a habit, when you practice them daily. Remember, the most important habit, besides all those mentioned above, is to keep yourself motivated. You will be amazed to see how these small alterations in your life bring about a noticeable and welcoming change.

5 Reasons Girls Should Play Sports

Why play sports? You might say "to get exercise" and you'd be right. To have fun? That's true, too. But there's more. In fact, there are at least 5 more reasons. According to the Women's Sports Foundation, girls who play sports get a lot more than just fit.

1. Girls who play sports do better in school. You might think that athletics will take up all your study time. But research shows that girls who play sports do better in school than those who don't. Exercise improves learning, memory, and concentration, which can give active girls an advantage in the classroom.
2. Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goal-setting skills. Sports teaches valuable life skills. When you working with coaches, trainers, and teammates to win games and achieve goals, you're learning how to be successful. Those skills will serve you well at work and in family life.
3. Sports are good for a girl's health. In addition to being fit and maintaining a healthy weight, girls who play sports are also less likely to smoke. And later in life, girls who exercise are less likely to get breast cancer or osteoporosis.
4. Playing sports boosts self-confidence. Girls who play sports feel better about themselves. Why? It builds confidence when you know you can practice, improve, and achieve your goals. Sports are also a feel-good activity because they help girls get in shape, maintain a healthy weight, and make new friends.
5. Exercise cuts the pressure. Playing sports can lessen stress and help you feel a little happier. How? The brain chemicals released during exercise improve a person's mood. Friends are another mood-lifter. And being on a team creates tight bonds between friends. It's good to know your teammates will support you — both on and off the field!

Smoking and its Effects on Menopause

A woman goes through several phases during her lifetime. Menstruation starts as the woman attains puberty, normally at the age of 12-15 years. Cessation of menstruation is known as menopause. Life after the last menstrual period when the ovaries stop functioning and the woman loses her fertility is quite challenging as the body undergoes several hormonal changes. A woman is said to have entered into the phase of menopause if she has not experienced periods for twelve consecutive months. In the U.S., the average age of menopause is 51 years but it may vary according to the region (northern, southern) where the woman lives, overall health, diet, race and lifestyle of the woman, genetic factors and the biological clock that regulates the bodily functions, etc. Take a look at the following section to explore the relationship between smoking and the onset of early menopause.

Smoking and Menopause: How are they Linked

A woman does not reach menopause suddenly. Several changes, especially hormonal changes take place within her body and the menstrual cycle slows down gradually. The body of a woman in perimenopausal stage and premenopausal stage exhibits several symptoms like irregular menstrual cycle, hot flashes, night sweats, high heart rate, increased irritability, loss of libido, insomnia, etc. Studies show that the percentage of women experiencing menopause at 'premature age' has significantly increased over the last few years. Hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries), obesity, genetic factors, certain illnesses and treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, bad habits like smoking, drug/alcohol abuse can be the reason behind an early menopause. A number of researchers are busy studying smoking and its effects on menopause.

According to the study reports presented by the researchers of the Massachusetts General Hospital, the specific gene 'Bax' and the genetic receptor 'Ahr' trigger the onset of menopause when activated; and the chemicals that the body receives through smoking activate these genetic factors that destroy the ovarian cells. Thus, smoking affects the average menopause age.

Smoking and its effects on menopause may vary from woman to woman depending upon whether the woman belongs to the class of ex-smokers or current smokers and the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Smoking affects the health of the arteries which in turn can affect the blood supply to the ovaries and can trigger an early menopause. Several study reports show that smokers have a higher risk of reaching menopause at an earlier age than non-smokers. Smokers show higher rate of infertility than non-smokers as smoking is responsible for the toxic effects on ovaries. Smoking speeds up the rates of follicular atresia. Several studies have thrown light on the fact that, more the number of cigarettes smoked, higher is the rate of inception of perimenopause.

According to the study reports presented by the 'International Journal of Epidemiology', early menopause increases the risk of osteoporosis and heart diseases. As ovaries stop functioning, the woman loses estrogen that helps control bone loss. Once the woman attains menopause, bones become weak and porous. Loss of bone density increases the risk of fractures. Hormonal changes lead to weight gain after menopause which in turn results in increased blood pressure and increased risk of heart diseases.

As smokers reach menopause earlier, they need hormone replacement therapy (HRT) earlier. Studies show that the severity of the peri- and premenopausal symptoms is higher in smokers than in non-smokers. Smokers may have to face certain side effects of HRT as they opt for it earlier than non-smokers. Since smoking is linked to earlier menopause, quitting smoking as early as possible is the only way of preventing health complications after early menopause.

Effects of Smoking on Menopause

Certain studies were conducted by the Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway and by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo. The reports say that:

• Women who smoke are more likely to enter into the phase of menopause before the age of 45 years.
• Women who smoke have an increased risk of osteoporosis and heart diseases as they reach menopause at an earlier age.
• Passive exposure to smoke does not affect the age of menopause.
• The risk of reaching menopause at an earlier age is almost doubled in case of women who smoke too much.
• Women who stop smoking 10 years before menopause are less likely to reach menopause before the age of 45 years.
• Women who start smoking later in life are also likely to reach menopause earlier than non-smokers.
• The average age of menopause is not affected much, if women quit smoking 10-15 years before menopause. If a woman stops smoking earlier in life, the risk of early menopause is reduced to a great extent.
• Dr. Thea F. Mikkelsen and her colleagues at the University of Oslo studied a group of 2,123 women belonging to the age group 59 to 60 years. They found that women who currently smoked were 59% more likely to reach menopause earlier than the non-smoking women.

Various studies have shown that smokers are likely to hit menopause between the age 43-50 years. Hence, women should not underestimate the connection between smoking and menopause.

Volodymyr Dvornyk, from the University of Hong Kong has also presented his study reports which confirm the fact that women who smoke reach menopause at an earlier age than non-smokers. Hitting menopause earlier results in several health problems like diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, obesity, Alzheimer's disease, heart diseases, and others.

A few years before, it was not possible for doctors to determine at what age a woman would reach menopause. But, according to new researches, doctors can now predict approximately when a woman would have her last menstrual period, by keeping a record of the declining levels of anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) secreted by the ovaries.

According to the North American Menopause Society, after menopause, most women experience high levels of self-confidence and energy than they used to have when they were young. They feel more empowered, more focused and more involved, than ever before. But for women who smoke, menopause can be an awful and turbulent process. Remember, it's never too late, you can quit smoking and can definitely stay away from the ill effects of early menopause.

The First Steps To Weight Loss – Motivation

 if you think that just eating less and exercising you will lose 100 pounds in the next week…I am sorry to say, you are probably in for disappointment! It’s just not reasonable to think that you are going to lose a bunch of weight, and keep it off, in such a short amount of time.

Now, if you were to take the philosophy of “One Pound at a Time,” as what is suggested within these pages, you are going to have a much easier time adjusting to your new diet/nutrition/exercise program, and you will be more likely to succeed AND CONTINUE TO SUCCEED!

Why Do You Wish To Lose Weight?

Because your spouse wants you to?

Because your kids want you to?

Because your doctor tells you to?

Because your friends tell you to?

I suggest you write down your own reasons for wanting to lose weight. Here are some ideas:

-  I want to lose weight because I want to gain a healthy respect for my body

- I want to lose weight because I want to live longer for my family

- I want to lose weight because I want to enjoy life more by doing the things that my weight restricts me from doing

- I want to lose weight because I want to feel great about my myself and my appearance

- I want to lose weight because I want to travel and enjoy all that life has to offer me

- I want to lose weight to have the strength and energy I need to enjoy life like having the energy to chase my children

- I want to lose weight so that I can be an active participant in my own life and not just a spectator
Other Reasons Why You May Want To Lose Weight

No doubt a big reason why you want to lose weight is linked to your physical appearance.  This scratches far below the surface than just wanting to lose weight to fit into something or simply hating the way your thighs look.

Excess weight can impact on self esteem.  No one wants to be obese because it has so many negative connotations in our society.

Because we believe we are not attractive and appealing to others can make us rethink our own self worth and value.  This can lead to social and emotional problems and distort the way we perceive ourselves as well as how we interact with others.

This can become a vicious cycle within itself where we eat because of how we feel to medicate the pain yet often end up feeling worse along with gaining even more weight.  The cycle continues.
Take your time and think of something that is truly worthy of you and you will stick with it like glue. While doctors, your family, and/or your friends may tell you that you need to lose weight, the one person that is the most important in your decision to follow through is YOU.  YOU must want to lose the weight for yourself – FIRST!

Choosing to lose weight and maintaining your weight loss is going to require a life-change.  A change that you must be 100% committed to, because without that dedication, you are already set up to fail.

One way to help you in your Journey is to think about your Journey in very small steps.

One of your very first few steps is making the commitment to succeeding, truly believing you can succeed, and picturing yourself having already succeeded.  That is a key component.

So, are you committed to the Journey?  Are you ready for a New You?  Is that a “YES”?

GREAT!  You are well on your way to being successful!

One of the first challenges you will face is discovering how you are going to lose weight.  There are thousands upon thousands of places both online and offline that claim to have the “magic” formula to weight loss.

Please realize that weight loss does not just happen overnight.

It will take time, commitment, and effort on your part.
The good thing is that you are off to a great start with having made that commitment on the previous page!

On the following pages are some of the tips and techniques to start your Journey.  These are some realistic ideas to help you succeed, as well as resources you can use to help you find or create the best plan for you.

Your plan will need to include a mixture of both diet changes and exercise.  While you can lose some weight with only doing one or the other, to be successful you need a good combination of both!

The reason is that once you start losing weight with your diet change, you should include exercise to help tone up your new body.

Don’t worry though … it can be done, and it doesn’t have to be painful…and everything you will ever need is right here in this site!

Meditation's Health Benefits

Meditation can have big health benefits. Sitting alone in a quiet room might give you more than a peaceful moment to yourself. That pause in your day could also help you reduce stress, ease anxiety, lower blood pressure, improve immune function or lift your mood. Such health changes may be possible through meditation, a centuries-old spiritual practice that's gaining attention in the 21st century for tangible, not mystical, reasons.

Although science and spirit seem unlikely partners, Western medicine is increasingly considering the benefits of using meditation in conjunction with traditional drugs or other therapies to heal modern woes.

"A lot of hospitals have programs now as a complementary treatment for conditions," says researcher Kimberly Williams, PhD, assistant professor in community medicine at West Virginia University in Morgantown. Studies have found positive results for meditation's use to support treatment for both physical and psychological ills, she adds.

Yet meditation is no quick fix. It takes time to develop the technique, and you have to practice regularly.

What's more, there are different types of meditation. All share certain traits, such as taking a comfortable position, focusing attention and ignoring distractions. Among the various meditation approaches, the practice known as mindfulness meditation—sometimes simply called "mindfulness"—has emerged as the method gaining the most notice for helping to improve health.

Achieving mindfulness

When we think of meditation, many of us still envision people meditating while repetitively murmuring a word like "om." This mantra, or specific focus, is at the core of concentration meditations. In these modes, distractions are mentally pushed away.

In mindfulness, or insight meditation, meditators focus awareness on their present experience without judging or ignoring distractions. They note their breathing and physical sensations as well as random sounds, feelings and thoughts. "You just watch what arises...stay with it as long as it is there and let it go," Dr. Williams says. "The meditator can watch and keep that witnessing perspective."

Science doesn't yet know why this may provide health benefits, but it could be by creating changes in the nervous system and brain. By slowing down and taking a nonjudgmental view of your thoughts and feelings, proponents say, you become more aware and open, creating greater balance. Mindfulness builds your inner resources, allowing you to be calmer and more insightful when facing stress or difficulties.

In an eight-week mindfulness meditation training study conducted by Dr. Williams and her colleagues, participants who completed the course reported a 44 percent reduction in psychological distress and a 46 percent lowering of medical symptoms.

"Mindfulness helps you be more present with your life, so you can make conscious choices and engage in all of your experiences in a more meaningful way," says Shauna L. Shapiro, PhD, assistant professor of counseling psychology at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA. "You're training your mind to be more present."

That sounds easier to do than it is, which is why it's helpful to learn mindfulness meditation from a teacher or counselor. But does using mindfulness to achieve a less-stressed life mean you have to change your religious beliefs? "It's not about adopting any doctrine," Dr. Williams says. "It's about learning the practice, having the experience."

Getting started

Developing a mindful approach through meditation often means fighting yourself. For mindfulness meditation to be effective, you need to take time out from your day's activities, unhook from the steady stream of technological interruptions and recognize that being great at multi-tasking in your personal and work life isn't necessarily wonderful for you all the time.

To begin mindfulness meditation, try these steps:

    State your purpose. Ask yourself why you want to practice mindfulness. Many people have a clear idea—they want to improve their sleep, lower stress, or solve a relationship issue. As you continue practicing, your intention may evolve, extending the mindful approach to other aspects of your life.

    Make a commitment, even a small one. Decide to give over 20 minutes each day for the next two months to practicing mindfulness meditation. "I ask people to see it as an experiment, not to be evaluating it every day as you go along," Dr. Shapiro says. "At the end of two months, you tell me if it was helpful. And, if not, let's find something else."

    Dr. Williams believes you can start with as little as five minutes, so long as you meditate at the same time every day. "Can you sit still and be aware of your breathing? Try not to miss a day," she advises. "In the morning, it sets your thermostat for calmness and vitality. In the evening, it lowers stress."

    Train your mind. Each day when you meditate, you will be training your mind to pay attention in an accepting way. "Start with your body and breath as an anchor in the moment," says Dr. Shapiro. "When the mind wanders off, we gently note where it went and come back to (awareness of) breath and body." Many people are surprised at how hard it is to pay attention. When you're not paying attention, you don't even feel your breath. "It's called 'monkey mind.' Your mind swings from one thought to another, like a monkey in trees," she adds.

    "What you're trying to do is cultivate the ability to pay attention," says Dr. Shapiro. "You know when you're mindful and when you're on automatic pilot. There's a qualitative difference."

    Extend your mindful actions. Mindfulness practice can't succeed if you compartmentalize it into one 5- or 20-minute session. Once you become comfortable with the practice, bring mindfulness into your daily life. Take time to appreciate the experience of simple actions, such as washing dishes, eating a meal or taking a walk. The more skilled you become at mindfulness meditation, the more seamless the transition becomes between your "official" mindfulness meditation and everyday experiences.

    Find a teacher. It helps to have guidance, as you would in a yoga or spinning class. One good measure is to look for a teacher trained in the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) techniques developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society. Hospitals with integrative medicine departments are also good resources for meditation programs and instructors.

If you're experiencing severe anxiety, depression or debilitating stress, consult with a mental health professional or other health care provider. Some are trained in MBSR and use mindfulness meditation along with talk therapy or medications.