How to Keep the Interest in Exercising Consistently

The challenge in any exercise plan is to stay interested with the same enthusiasm that was there during the start of the exercise plan.Summer Sanders, who is preparing to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon at the end of February, has written in her blog about ways to improve fitness and most importantly stay on track. 
In her blog, she stresses on the importance of days of rest during an exercise schedule. 
She also says that committing to an exercise routine does not really mean that one needs to do to a strenuous workout for an hour every single day. The key is to be consistent and keep moving even if it is for a quick 10-minute workout. There are great benefits even from light exercises that help work muscles and improve metabolism. 
According to her, there is no need to wait for that one good hour everyday for a workout. The idea is to not skip the work out even if it is for just 10 minutes each day. This will help make fitness a part of our everyday lives. 
Rest in between longer and difficult workouts is also important. This would make for a balanced exercise schedule.
 

 

Want to Lose Weight? Eat Your Meals on Time

Timing of meals seemed to have a bearing on weight management as scientists found that those who ate late in the day lost much less weight than those who ate early.
So, those wanting to lose weight should look at not just what they eat but the timings of their meals.Researchers found that despite equal calorie consumption and use of energy, those who ate lunch late shed fewer pounds than those who ate lunch early. Recent research in animals and humans revealed that energy regulation and laying down of adipose tissue (fat) is dependent on circadian rhythm, which when altered can disrupt metabolism. 
Further, tests on mice revealed that mice fed at night gained more weight than mice fed during the day, even though both groups ate the same amount of calories and expended the same amount of energy.
Professor Scheer said: "This is the first large scale, prospective study to demonstrate that the timing of meals predicts weight-loss effectiveness." 
 

Sedentary Lifestyle At 16 Raises Disease Risk At 43: Study I

Teenagers who indulge in watching television with no exercise are at higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome at age of 43, according to scientists.Metabolic syndrome is a name for the disorder of metabolism - a combination of abdominal obesity, elevated blood lipids, hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance - which provides for a significantly increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease. 
It has previously been shown that lack of physical activity increases the risk of metabolic syndrome. It is also known that low leisure-time physical activity, for example, how much time spent watching TV is linked to the risk of metabolic syndrome independent of exercise habits. 
The new research findings have now been able to show that these relationships extend over a large part of life, specifically between 16 to 43 years of age. 
The study was conducted by scientists at Umea University, in collaboration with colleagues in Melbourne, Australia and included 888 participants in northern Sweden who had been followed from 1981 when they were in ninth grade in elementary school, until 2008. 
"The results demonstrate that we need to consider how we can reduce sedentary lifestyle among children and adolescents," said lead author, a general practitioner and Adjunct Professor Patrik Wennberg, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umea University. 
"It may be more important than only focusing on increased fitness and sports activities for those who are already interested," he added. 
The study has been published in the journal Diabetes Care.
Source-ANI
 

 

Long-acting Painkillers Linked With Low Testosterone Levels in Men

Men who take long-acting opioids for chronic pain are five times at greater risk of low testosterone, the male sex hormone, a new study says.The study is the first to compare the use of short-acting opioids, which immediately release the drug, taken every four to six hours, and long-acting opioids, which slowly release the medication and are taken every eight to 12 hours. 
The 81 men involved in the study were between 26 and 79 years old (median age 51) and were seen in the chronic-pain clinic at Kaiser Permanente's Santa Rosa Medical Centre, California (KPSRMC), between January 2009 and June 2010, the Clinical Journal of Pain reports. 
All of the participants had been on a stable dose of an opioid for at least three months, and none had a previous diagnosis of low testosterone. A larger retrospective study of more than 1,500 male pain patients is currently under way, according to a KPSRMC statement. 
"There's a large gap in the evidence base with regard to opioids," said Andrea Rubinstein from the departments of chronic pain and anesthesiology, KPSRMC. 
"More safety and efficacy studies are needed. We need to know how we can prescribe these very useful medications in a way that brings the greatest benefits to our patients, without introducing additional risks." 
Once prescribed primarily to cancer patients, the use of opioid-based medications such as oxycodone (Oxycontin) and hydrocodone (Vicodin) for treating chronic, non-cancer pain has increased dramatically in recent decades. An estimated 4.3 million Americans use opioids on a daily basis for pain. 
"For years, doctors have been encouraged to prescribe long-acting opioids rather than short-acting opioids because we believed they were safer, had less abuse potential, and offered more consistent pain control, but no study has ever been able to support this practice," Rubinstein said. 
A healthy young man should have testosterone levels between 300 and 800 nanograms per decilitre (ng/dL). Low testosterone, also known as hypogonadism, was defined as less than 250 ng/dL. 
A decilitre is one-tenth of a litre. 
Low testosterone levels have been linked with decreases in muscle mass, bone density (osteoporosis or osteopenia), cognition, mood, libido (sex drive) and general quality of life. 
Seventy-four percent of the men on long-acting opioids had low testosterone levels, compared with 34 percent of the men using short-acting opioids. 
After controlling for daily dosage and body mass index, the study found that the odds of having low testosterone were 4.78 times greater for men taking a long-acting opioid than a short-acting opioid.
Source-IANS

 

 

Careers in Traditional Healing

Rapid advancements and developments in medical science have widened horizons and opened up new possibilities for the treatment of various disorders and grave diseases that were once incurable. This, however, has not managed to put a damper on the traditional systems of healing such as Ayurveda, Herbal medicine and more.
Due to the spiritual and cultural values of countries like India, traditional healing practices are still given importance and value. And why not? There is enough evidence to support some of these practices with studies confirming their efficiency. A number of new schools and universities have now emerged to help aspiring young students gain a good practical knowledge about healing therapies that have originated not only in India, but different parts of the world. Listed below are a few popular branches of complementary and alternative medicinal systems, which one can take up as a career or a profession. 
Ayurveda: Ayurveda, an ancient form of Indian medicine, being used for thousands of years, has been an effective form of treatment. This practice works on the basic principles of 5 constituents of a person’s body, each of which is important for survival. A bit of less or more in these constituents is responsible for disease- according to this system of medicine. Treatment of an individual is done on an overall basis- physical, mental and spiritual. 
Ayurveda is a 5 and a half year course in India, after which one can start working as a registered practitioner. 
Acupuncture: Acupuncture is one of the most popular branches of complementary medicine, and also one of the most widely applied ones. It relies on the belief that energy of the body flows through channels, which when blocked, can cause disturbance in the system, leading to diseases. Stimulating certain points on these channels (mostly with the help of a needle) balances and corrects the energy flow and brings about well-being. 
A degree or a diploma course in acupuncture can help you establish yourself as a practitioner. 
Homeopathy: Homeopathy, another widely used therapy, was introduced and implemented upon by the sole belief that ‘like kills like’, which explains why bee and snake venom is used to treat poison ingestion. Dilution practices also play an important role in this field. 
Homeopathy is a 5 year bachelor’s degree course in India. 
 Naturopathy: Naturopathy, as the name suggests, is based purely on matters of diet, nutrition and natural ways of healing. Focus is given on natural ways of treatment of disease and simple lifestyle changes are encouraged to improve overall health of the individual. 
Naturopathy can be opted for as both a diploma (1-2 years) and a degree (3 years) course. 
Biochemic medicines: Biochemic medicinal practices work on the belief that the body is constituted of 12 tissue salts that are vital for life. A deficiency or excess of any of these salts is what leads to development of disease. 
Biochemic medicines can be opted for as a diploma course; however, universities pertaining to this course are not established in India. 
Aromatherapy: Aromatherapy, commonly used by patients suffering from sleep disorders like insomnia and narcolepsy, is another amazing field of alternative medicine that is now gaining increased importance. Essential oils extracted from different plants and herbs are thought to stimulate both mental and physical changes, bringing about well being. A recent study even shows that aromatherapy can help reduce weight. 
Aromatherapy is a simple 1-2 year diploma course. 
Hypnotherapy: Hypnotherapy, sometimes categorized under psychological therapies, is based on the principle that the mind is a flexible muscle. Compelling and transforming the mind by use of hypnosis and self hypnosis techniques is thought to eradicate many health conditions and is even thought to be an effective pain killer. 
Hypnotherapy can be done as an online course or as a practical course in most countries. 
Magnetic healing: Magnetic healing is a form of energy medicine that makes use of magnetic energy available to change the vibrational frequency of the diseased cells, bringing about well being and removing disease. Magnetic therapy universities are yet to be established in India.
Source:Medindia