Diabetes is a chronic illness, which tends to be more complicated and more severe as time goes by. This is why it is very important not only to people who are prone to it but to everyone to take note of the things that can help them veer away from the condition.
Just like in any condition or illness, veering away from diabetes involves the development of healthy habits. Experts say that those people who have decided to practice healthy habits have lower risks of getting the disease even if they are prone to it. All they need to do is to make changes in their lifestyle including:
1. Diet. As the saying goes, "what you eat is what you are." If you eat healthy foods and have well balanced meals, then you are healthier than those who don’t do it. Experts advise people who are prone to diabetes that if they don’t want to develop this disease they should eat lots of fruits and vegetables especially those that are non-starchy ones like green beans, broccoli, carrots, or spinach. If you are at risk for diabetes, you should whole grain foods such as brown rice and whole-wheat pasta not processed grain products should be your main option. Also take more meals that has fish, leans meats, calorie-free drinks, and the like.
2. Weight issues. A person's weight is also a big factor for people who are prone to diabetes. Experts say that people who are overweight have greater risk for suffering from the disease because they can develop high resistance against insulin. If they don’t have enough supply of insulin because of too much weight—responsible for making cells resistant to glucose—they can eventually develop diabetes.
3. Regular exercise. Many experts believe that people who have regular set of exercise and workout have lesser possibility of developing diabetes this is because it keeps a person fit and away from being obese. People who are at risk with diabetes should take into consideration implementing amongst themselves a routine that involves regular exercise at least once a week. It doesn’t have to be a regular set that could be boring or would take so much of your time such as walk, jogging, swimming, cycling, doing household chores, or hobbies that involve lots of physical movements such as gardening.
4. Eliminate vices. Smoking and drinking alcohol are also among the factors that increase the risk of developing diabetes. This is crucial especially to those who have high risk for type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes because the toxins that enter the body make it harder for immune system to cope up.
Just as a side note, I know from experience what it feels like to be on the edge of developing this disease. Luckily I saw the importance of changing my lifestyle, thus reducing my chances of becoming diabetic. So if you or someone you know is in a similar situation, point them in the right direction and help them, or yourself.
For more information and resources, visit: The American Diabetes Association
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Stress Management -- Helpful Relaxation Techniques
Stress management is an important practice that most people nowadays need to learn. With a fast paced working environment, people are constantly subjected to tremendous pressure that result to unpleasant levels of stress in their lives. You need to be able to cope quickly with the amount of stress that you have to deal with since it produces several negative effects on your body in mind.
First off, stress can cause your performance to drop because of your inability to focus on the tasks at hand. Stress can also affect your health and body. Oftentimes, stress can escalate into depression or anxiety. Relaxation is one of the best techniques used to cope with and reduce the symptoms of stress. Relaxation methods have been utilized for stress management during ancient times and they prove to be as effective today. Therefore, learning how to relax in the midst of too much stress in your everyday life will mean a world of difference.
Starting a Relaxation Practice
As with anything, starting a relaxation practice is often the biggest hurdle that people are faced with. Once you begin to notice that you seem to quickly lose energy and constantly change your mood, then maybe it's time to re-evaluate yourself because this can be all caused by stress. There are several relaxation activities that help combat stress in your life whether as simple as deep breathing, stretching or meditation, to more advanced relaxation methods such as yoga or tai chi.
To experience the full benefits of such relaxation methods, you need to take time each day to perform them. Only then would you be able to harness its relieving power so you can benefit from stress relief. It does not have to take so much of your time each day, maybe at least 10 minutes to as much as 20 minutes is enough for stress management.
For better success at developing this practice, take note of the following tips:
• Determine a given schedule for each day when you can perform these relaxation exercises. If possible, schedule once or twice a day, whichever is most convenient for you. Then, make sure you follow your schedule strictly.
• Refrain from scheduling your relaxation practices near bedtime since you're sleepiness could get in the way.
• Never opt for an exercise method that could stress you out all the more. Find a level of practice that are most comfortable and feel relaxed with.
Stress Relief Through Deep Breathing
This is one of the easiest and simplest exercise you can perform to achieve stress relief. This would allow fresh air to get into your lungs. To perform effective deep breathing, follow these methods:
• Sit straight with one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
• Breathe through your nose, enough to make your stomach rise. Make sure that your chest produce little movements.
• Use your mouth to exhale and push the air out with as much force as possible.
• Repeat the same process. Take note of the rise and fall of your lower abdomen.
Muscle Relaxation, Yoga and Meditation
For further stress relief, you can perform different relaxation methods that involve your muscles and mind. In muscle relaxation, your objective is to tense and relax the various muscle groups in your body. To do this, find a comfortable position and start by taking slow and deep breaths. Then, create tension on your body by squeezing them tightly while counting slowly until its time to let go. Focus on the release of the tension in a specific body part until you feel relaxed. When doing this, start from foot and eventually move upwards.
Yoga and meditation are also two other techniques used in stress management methods. These are associated with slow and steady movements, as well as gentle stretching. This practice is best for relieving tension in the body and mind, which is why it is recommended for stress relief practices.
Get A Dog (or Cat)
More and more studies are proving that having a pet can help reduce stress and provide companionship, especially if you live alone. If you aren't allergic, pets are not only good for reducing stress levels, they're fun, lovable and will make a great addition to your family/home.
So take a deep breath, smile.... and relax! You deserve it! :-)
First off, stress can cause your performance to drop because of your inability to focus on the tasks at hand. Stress can also affect your health and body. Oftentimes, stress can escalate into depression or anxiety. Relaxation is one of the best techniques used to cope with and reduce the symptoms of stress. Relaxation methods have been utilized for stress management during ancient times and they prove to be as effective today. Therefore, learning how to relax in the midst of too much stress in your everyday life will mean a world of difference.
Starting a Relaxation Practice
As with anything, starting a relaxation practice is often the biggest hurdle that people are faced with. Once you begin to notice that you seem to quickly lose energy and constantly change your mood, then maybe it's time to re-evaluate yourself because this can be all caused by stress. There are several relaxation activities that help combat stress in your life whether as simple as deep breathing, stretching or meditation, to more advanced relaxation methods such as yoga or tai chi.
To experience the full benefits of such relaxation methods, you need to take time each day to perform them. Only then would you be able to harness its relieving power so you can benefit from stress relief. It does not have to take so much of your time each day, maybe at least 10 minutes to as much as 20 minutes is enough for stress management.
For better success at developing this practice, take note of the following tips:
• Determine a given schedule for each day when you can perform these relaxation exercises. If possible, schedule once or twice a day, whichever is most convenient for you. Then, make sure you follow your schedule strictly.
• Refrain from scheduling your relaxation practices near bedtime since you're sleepiness could get in the way.
• Never opt for an exercise method that could stress you out all the more. Find a level of practice that are most comfortable and feel relaxed with.
Stress Relief Through Deep Breathing
This is one of the easiest and simplest exercise you can perform to achieve stress relief. This would allow fresh air to get into your lungs. To perform effective deep breathing, follow these methods:
• Sit straight with one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
• Breathe through your nose, enough to make your stomach rise. Make sure that your chest produce little movements.
• Use your mouth to exhale and push the air out with as much force as possible.
• Repeat the same process. Take note of the rise and fall of your lower abdomen.
Muscle Relaxation, Yoga and Meditation
For further stress relief, you can perform different relaxation methods that involve your muscles and mind. In muscle relaxation, your objective is to tense and relax the various muscle groups in your body. To do this, find a comfortable position and start by taking slow and deep breaths. Then, create tension on your body by squeezing them tightly while counting slowly until its time to let go. Focus on the release of the tension in a specific body part until you feel relaxed. When doing this, start from foot and eventually move upwards.
Yoga and meditation are also two other techniques used in stress management methods. These are associated with slow and steady movements, as well as gentle stretching. This practice is best for relieving tension in the body and mind, which is why it is recommended for stress relief practices.
Get A Dog (or Cat)
More and more studies are proving that having a pet can help reduce stress and provide companionship, especially if you live alone. If you aren't allergic, pets are not only good for reducing stress levels, they're fun, lovable and will make a great addition to your family/home.
So take a deep breath, smile.... and relax! You deserve it! :-)
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Shakeology -- Why EVERYONE should be drinking it
I just thought of this post five minutes ago so if it seems rushed, then....yeah.
My topic of discussion? Using health drinks to lose weight .
Now I'm not against it, since I've used them in the past (I won't name names but you've seen many of them in the stores). Some of these drinks on the market have too much sugar and way too many calories to be considered healthy or they don't contain enough proteins for building muscle, which is important if you want to burn calories at rest.
Here's a really interesting video clip about Shakeology -- a health drink that has no equal, in my opinion. I've tried it and it's absolutely delicious, especially when you mix the chocolate flavor with a scoop of peanut butter -- it's a Reese's Cup in a glass AND it's healthy for you!
Okay, spoiler alert: yes this is a shameless plug (AKA a commerical), lol. But it's also something to think about. Even if you don't buy Shakeology, at least it will make you think twice about buying those coffehouse drinks or high calorie, so-called fruit smoothies at the mall.
If you're interested in getting some for yourself, ask me how you can get it at 25% off retail price. Cheers! :-)
My topic of discussion? Using health drinks to lose weight .
Now I'm not against it, since I've used them in the past (I won't name names but you've seen many of them in the stores). Some of these drinks on the market have too much sugar and way too many calories to be considered healthy or they don't contain enough proteins for building muscle, which is important if you want to burn calories at rest.
Here's a really interesting video clip about Shakeology -- a health drink that has no equal, in my opinion. I've tried it and it's absolutely delicious, especially when you mix the chocolate flavor with a scoop of peanut butter -- it's a Reese's Cup in a glass AND it's healthy for you!
Okay, spoiler alert: yes this is a shameless plug (AKA a commerical), lol. But it's also something to think about. Even if you don't buy Shakeology, at least it will make you think twice about buying those coffehouse drinks or high calorie, so-called fruit smoothies at the mall.
If you're interested in getting some for yourself, ask me how you can get it at 25% off retail price. Cheers! :-)
Friday, January 21, 2011
Waiting for Godot (not really, but I AM waiting)
Happy Friday to you all, and happy birthday to me! Tee hee! :D
As part of my Friday Recipe Collection, here is this week's selection. Just one problem....
Can't post it.
I'm waiting for permission from a publishing company to reprint a recipe (or few) but since it's taking a while, I'll just post a link to the book if you're really interested in buying it:
It's SUPER cheap if you buy it used and there are many yummy Asian dishes from all over the region (not just China). So if you like Asian cuisine, here's a great addition to your cookbook collection.
The recipe in question is a Malyasian Seafood Stew, on page 120. This book was a Christmas present, so I'm putting it to good use, lol.
But, yeah.... that's what I'm having as part of my birthday dinner. Once I get permission, I'll post it for anyone that didn't want to buy the book. :-)
As part of my Friday Recipe Collection, here is this week's selection. Just one problem....
Can't post it.
I'm waiting for permission from a publishing company to reprint a recipe (or few) but since it's taking a while, I'll just post a link to the book if you're really interested in buying it:
It's SUPER cheap if you buy it used and there are many yummy Asian dishes from all over the region (not just China). So if you like Asian cuisine, here's a great addition to your cookbook collection.
The recipe in question is a Malyasian Seafood Stew, on page 120. This book was a Christmas present, so I'm putting it to good use, lol.
But, yeah.... that's what I'm having as part of my birthday dinner. Once I get permission, I'll post it for anyone that didn't want to buy the book. :-)
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