9 Tips on How to Drink More WaterPosted by admin on January 18th, 2011

Many health experts will agree that drinking more water will help give you more energy. Here are my personal tricks on drinking more water. 

* Make it a Morning Ritual. I once read in a magazine article that many of us wake up dehydrated, and the first thing you should do before you do anything else is drink two glasses of water. I’ve now made it a regular morning habit, and it inspires the momentum to continue drinking more for the rest of the day.

* Add Some Lemon. Back in the early stages when I couldn’t stand drinking water, I squeezed lemon juice into my water. At restaurants, I would ask the servers to provide lemon slices with my water–which makes me sound snobby, but most restaurants are willing and expected to provide this service.

* Keep it In the Clear. When your urine is clear, you are properly hydrated. When your urine is a dark yellow, you are definitely dehydrated.

* Think of How Pretty You’ll Look. I don’t know how direct the correlation is between having healthy, glowing skin and drinking a lot of water, but I’m not taking any chances. Whatever psychological trick keeps me hydrated!

* Do It Like It’s Hot. If you’re in the mood for a hot drink, drink heated water. Sometimes we just want the psychological pleasure that comes with having a hot mug cupped in our hands than the actual drink itself. Plus, coffee and tea contain caffeine, which is a diuretic and elevates the rate of water being expelled from your body via urination.

* Drink When You Have a Munchie Attack. Sometimes our hunger is thirst masquerading as fake hunger. Drinking a cup or two of water will make you feel “full.”

*Take Baby Steps. Don’t expect to go from zero glasses of water to the full 8 glasses overnight. Start with one glass of water in the morning and one glass of water at night, and build your way up from there.

* Cheap cheap. Water at restaurants are FREE!

* Always have a full glass of water near you when you are working. It will give you something to mindlessly sip on when you are brainstorming or need something to do with your hands.

By Yumi Sakugawa for Intent.com

Walk First, Stretch LaterPosted by admin on January 18th, 2011

Forget stretching to limber up before your fitness walking. Instead, walk at an easy pace for five or ten minutes until you’re warm before kicking into high gear walking for exercise.
When you finish your walking session, do at least three static, not bouncing stretches for 30 seconds on each leg.

Healthy Heart ExercisePosted by admin on January 17th, 2011

Whether you have been diagnosed with heart problems or just want to prevent them, exercise is very beneficial for heart health. What type of exercise Is best? Here is a list of healthy heart exercise taken from Medicinenet: Exercise can be divided into three basic types:

* Stretching: slow lengthening of the muscles. Stretching the arms and legs before and after exercising helps prepare the muscles for activity and helps prevent injury and muscle strain. Regular stretching also increases your range of motion and flexibility.
* Cardiovascular or aerobic: steady physical activity using large muscle groups. This type of exercise strengthens the heart and lungs and improves the body’s ability to use oxygen. Aerobic exercise has the most benefits for your heart. Over time, aerobic exercise can help decrease your heart rate and blood pressure and improve your breathing.
* Strengthening: repeated muscle contractions (tightening) until the muscle becomes tired. For people with heart failure, many strengthening exercises are not recommended. (See below)
Before you start any heart healthy exercise program check with your doctor to make sure it is safe for your condition and don’t overdo it at first. Walking is one of the safest heart healthy exercises and it doesn’t require special equipment. So get a buddy and start a walking program.