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5 Tips for the Jogging/Running Beginner

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How many times in life have you promised yourself you were going to start jogging or running, but never started?  If you’re anything like me, the answer is, “a lot.”  But when the internal call to get off the couch and lace up those running shoes would come, something else would inevitably, and conveniently, pop-up and prevent it from happening.

Finally though, an impending sense of lifelong laziness and overall unhappiness with an unhealthy, unmotivated person got me off the couch.  I’ve since slipped into a continuous and pleasurable daily jogging routine that I can’t imagine living without.  Here are some tips for those of you out there looking to start an exercise routine of your own that should prevent injury:

– Routine

Consistency: Perhaps the best way to make a habit of jogging/running is to set aside a daily time, whether it be in the morning, midday, afternoon, or evening; by staying consistent and following a strict schedule, you increase your chances of continued and regular exercise greatly.  For me, coming up with a standard jogging routine, consisting of an early morning jog every day at the same time, was key in starting and staying focused and consistent.

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Shoes/Accessories: While minimalist running/jogging shoes are all the buzz lately, it’s important that you research and find a shoe that works best for your body.  Similarly, if you’ve got knee pain or problems, finding a good knee brace or similar support system can be huge in staying pain and injury-free.

Practicing the proper running stride and technique is also hugely important, and should be another research point or something you ask an expert about.

– Hydration:

Properly hydrating hours before a run is hugely important to being comfortable during that run.  Running dehydrated is not only dangerous, it can make your stomach ache, cause cramps, and generally turn you off to running before you’ve given it a proper chance.  Similarly important is rehydrating after a run to replace all the precious fluids you’ve lost through sweat.

– Stretching: Many people make the common mistake of stretching before they’ve warmed up.  Make sure that you warm up for about five minutes by either lightly jogging, running in place, doing jumping jacks, or something similar to loosen your muscles before stretching them out.  Avoid over stretching, but make sure you do some solid, relevant stretches before you run to decrease the risk of injury.  Stretching after you run or jog is also very important.

– Build-Up

Gradually:  Many people also make the mistake of starting off too hot out of the gates.  If you haven’t run in weeks, months, or even years, it’s very important that you start very slow, with short runs, and gradually build up over time.  Starting too aggressive is a sure recipe for injury or extreme muscle discomfort.

I think we can all agree that we wish there was more time in each day for the things we know we should be doing: exercise being one of the big ones.  By taking the time to make just a little bit of time each day, and getting into a solid routine with good, safe habits, we can make these wishes a reality.  Living a healthier life doesn’t have to be all-consuming; often times, it just takes a little bit of extra effort, and a solid, set routine to get us there.

Learning To Reduce Your Salt Intake

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The average American, as you can probably expect, is something of a salt connoisseur: on average we consume 3400 milligrams of salt daily, a figure that far surpasses the 2300 milligram limit advised in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This poses a serious issue for many people. While sodium certainly has its benefits – the element balances fluids, controls muscle contraction, and regulates pH levels – it can lead to harmful consequences if consumed in excess over a long period of time. Some of these consequences are well-publicized, such as heart issues, high blood pressure, and kidney disease.

Others, however, are not; salt consumption can increase the chances of Ménière’s disease and tinnitus, conditions both of which can lead to hearing loss.

Although a hearing loss cord blood clinical trial recently found that these issues can be countered through stem cell treatment, the fact remains that sodium is harmful for the average American at its current consumption level. But reducing our salt intake is easier said than done. After all, most of our foods contain salt and most of us are conditioned to desire the taste. So how can reduce lower and minimize our sodium intake in an effective manner? Here are a few tips:

-Take salt off the table. It’s one thing if we put salt in our meals from the onset, but many of us go the extra step and shake some extra sodium on our food while sitting at the kitchen table. The easy fix for this problem? Get rid of your salt shaker, or at least remove it from your dining area.

1) Cook more, eat out less. Processed foods and restaurant-cooked meals are, on average, far more salt intensive than a similar product cooked at home. As such, the extra time it takes you to cook in the kitchen could translate into substantial and immediate sodium reductions in your diet.

2) Substitute spices. We use salt so as to insure that our food doesn’t taste bland, but there are other products that can accomplish the same ends without the same consequences. Garlic, onion powder, thyme, oregano, and pepper are always great options in this regard.

3) Transition slowly. Sodium is not an addictive substance, but it nevertheless reflects an acquired taste that we desire more when our bodies are accustomed to higher consumption rates. This means that a gradual reduction of your salt intake can conceivably accomplish the ultimate goal – make you less desirous of salt in the first place. Such a move could stand to improve your eating habits for the long term.

Following these tips can hopefully help you reduce your sodium intake and bring your salt consumption in line with the dietary guidelines. Although sodium has its benefits, you probably can get those benefits without any added salt in your diet. As such, any reduction is an advantageous one – both for your heath and for the substance of your diet.

Good Health with a Healthy Pregnancy Diet

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If you are not striving to consume a healthy pregnancy diet during your pregnancy, then you may be missing some vital ingredients that are necessary for pregnancy health. Imagine leaving an important ingredient out of a complicated recipe. This is what it is like to leave the wrong nutrients or the wrong food sources out of your diet – You would be missing a vital ingredient that will prevent you from getting everything that you need nutritionally. There are a number of components of a healthy pregnancy diet that you need to take care to consume in order to boost your health during pregnancy.

Your healthy pregnancy diet does not have to be complicated in any way in order to be successful. Use the following healthy pregnancy diet tips as a foundation to ensure that both you and your unborn baby are healthy and happy.

The food pyramid is going to serve as a suitable foundation for determining what types of foods you should be eating. You should be eating healthy carbs, fruits and vegetables and dairy while avoiding fatty meats in favor of lean meats and fish.

Your healthy pregnancy diet should absolutely contain a wide variety of different vegetables. Each vegetable contains different nutrients in different levels. You should strive to introduce plenty of dark leafy green vegetables in your diet, as they provide you with an excellent natural source of iron.

Rather than having three typically large meals every day, you should consider having more frequent portions of smaller meals. When you eat more often but choose smaller meal portions, the result is a healthier metabolism.

You should not be trying to lose weight during your pregnancy through any unhealthy means. The neat thing about eating right is that if you have some weight to lose, it will come off naturally, you do not have to rely on fad diets or other extreme measures to lose weight. Your body knows how much weight you need to promote the wellness of your baby.

Take a multi-vitamin to supplement the nutrients that you are getting from meals, but do not rely on a multi vitamin to replace healthy meals all together. Your body needs to break down real, natural foods in order for you to be healthy and you cannot simply eat poorly and rely on a multi vitamin to make up for it.

Make sure that you are drinking enough water every day. The bare minimum that you should be drinking is 8 glasses of water, but you may need more depending on your body’s unique needs.

Consuming a healthy pregnancy diet really is not difficult, but it can go a long way in promoting good health for you and your unborn child.

What a Good Fat Really Is

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There is no doubt that the obesity epidemic is one of the most troubling health issues affecting not only the United States, but most of the modern industrialized world. The number of those suffering from Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure has skyrocketed in recent years, and all over the world people are starting to see their pants become tighter and tighter as they continue to rely on quick, convenient, and often unhealthy meals as their prime source of

Unfortunately, these diseases so closely correlated to diet and exercise don’t always have clear indicators. Diabetes symptoms are usually silent and only until someone passes out from a blood sugar crash do they find out they have diabetes.While symptoms of heart disease are often more apparent, most don’t realize that they have heart disease until they suffer from a stroke or heart attack.

To best combat these types of diseases, we need to use preventative care. Proper diet and exercise is a must. However, with so many diets floating around and new reports linking to the “Best Heart Foods For You” detailing different foods each time, most of us don’t understand what health food is any more. One of these types of food that has received much attention thanks to diets such as the Mediterranean Diet and the South Beach Diet is fat.

What is a Good Fat?

There are several different types of fat that can be found in our everyday foods, and aside from certain oils, nearly all derive from animal products. Good fats are those that are unsaturated fats which help lower bad cholesterol and raise your good cholesterol. There are 2 main types of good fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated and both provide great benefits to your health. While monounsaturated fats are better for you, polyunsaturated are great because they are normally found in foods which are high in omega-3 fatty acids – an essential fatty acid we can’t produce ourselves.

Where Can I Find Good Fats?

Good fats come from a variety of food sources – not just animal products like other fats do. Great sources for good fats include:

  • Cold-water fish
  • Nuts such as pistachios, walnuts and almonds
  • Olive oil
  • Artichokes
  • Avocados
  • Dark, leafy vegetables

What are Bad Fats?

Trans fats, which are often found in fried food and highly processed foods, such as cakes and doughnuts, are the worst types of fats and have been shown to raise bad cholesterol. Saturated fats are also bad for you, and are found in most dairy products. Although a few studies have suggested that some saturated fats, such as those found in coconut oil, are good for you, people are still advised to eat limited quantities or low fat options of such foods.

Eating a proper diet is the first step in preventing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, and can greatly improve your overall quality of life if done right. There are several websites that provide great recipes such as this one and DiabeticConnect.com, that can help you get on the right track to a healthier you.

Why Choose an Ergonomic Chair

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One of the most common problems shared by the world’s population is back pain. In fact, nearly 8 out of every 10 adults in the U.S. have stated that they have suffered from back pain at some point in their lives. Back pain has become such a chronic problem among Americans that many don’t even seek out a cure for their pain. They just assume that back pain is a part of the average adult’s life. However, this could never be more far from the truth.

The human body was meant for motion, and unfortunately most Americans don’t get their daily exercise or work in sedentary professions. Day in and day out, many adults sit behind a desk for hours on end without proper breaks. Even worse, these sedentary days are also often spent sitting in an uncomfortable chair which many don’t even realize may be the cause of their pain. A poorly designed office chair wasn’t designed to handle the stresses that sitting all day can have on the body. They cause the body to awkwardly strain which can lead to poor posture and chronic neck and back pain. These seemingly harmless pains can progress into chronic head aches or neck and back strain which can become so severe that they may even cause you to miss work.

The best way to avoid becoming a victim to chronic neck and back pain while in the office is to purchase an ergonomic chair. Ergonomic chairs are designed to complement the body, and to support it accordingly so that you avoid strains and pains. Although most regular office chairs provide minimal lumbar support, very few offer mid and upper back support. The best chairs for back pain will offer lumbar, mid, and upper back support. Each of these areas of the back should be supported evenly regardless of your movement. Even when reclining, a good ergonomic chair should properly support your back

When you decide to purchase an ergonomic chair of your own, make sure to research the various chairs on the market.Different ergonomic chairs offer different support. Some are more specially designed to relieve upper back and shoulder pain while others may be more inclined to prevent lower back pain. Generally, the more you have to pay for an ergonomic chair, the better it will be for your back so don’t be afraid to spend a few extra dollars. Buying one of the best chairs on the market will actually be one of the best healthcare purchases you will make as it will save you hundreds on chiropractic, doctor visits, and pain killers over the life of the chair.