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Living and Wellness

Lymphatic system needs help

Your lymphatic system is not the best.  Sorry, it isn’t you.  Well, I mean it isn’t ‘just’ you.  You see everyone in the world has a lymphatic system and not one of those is quite up to par. I guess you could say that the lymphatic system is just a poorly designed organ system.  Actually, it is most absolutely a poorly designed organ.

 

The body is constantly being overwhelmed with rubbish, mainly from that garbage food you eat.  This garbage you eat is chalk full of toxins that are working to kill your cells and upset your life.  Sometimes intellectuals call these toxins free-radicals, and then they will probably go on to say something about how they cause cancer.  And, they do.

 

So how do you protect yourself against these? Easy you send that garbage in your body to the lymphatic system so it can transport it to the kidneys where it will then be filtered out of the body.  Yup easy as that, but uh… how do you do that?

 

Back to the design flaw of the lymphatic system. Turns out there is a major one, design flaw I mean. You would think that a system responsible for draining and filtering garbage from the body would be equipped with a pump, not this system.  It is a lot like your houses sewage system, but without the water.

 

So what you have to do is manual locomotion to get the body to push that junk throughout the lymphatic veins.  It sounds tedious and boring i know, but sometimes it can be kind of fun.  For example rebounders are a great way to get your lymphatic system all fire riled. If you know what i mean

 

 

Nutrition Ins and Outs

Lower Sodium Intake, Higher Potassium Intake

A high sodium diet can cause hypertension, a state of the body where your blood pressure is rising, and is one of the leading factors in cardiovascular disease. The less sodium one consumes, the lower their blood pressure is, and the less likely they are to have a cardiovascular disease.

There too many foods that contain high sodium and many foods that have toppings or condiments that are high in sodium as well. So maybe pass on that dash of salt or the side of ketchup the next time at lunch. Look for alternates of the foods you eat that have the low sodium label on them instead.

You can also eat fruits, vegetables, or any high potassium foods to help lower your blood pressure. Eating these high potassium foods causes your blood cells to take up less sodium and as a result keeps you from having a high blood pressure. So next time you’re out shopping, pay attention to how much sodium is in the foods you’re eating. The recommended amount of sodium in a day is a 2400 mg.

Nutrition Ins and Outs

A Balanced Food Pyramid

We’ve all seen the food pyramid, but how many of us actually attempt to stick to it? Perhaps we don’t stick to this iconic suggestion because we don’t truly understand what it is suggesting.  The food pyramid is not telling us what foods are good or bad, but is more of a suggestion of moderation. There are no bad foods, but there are foods that we should eat less of and foods we should eat more of. It’s all about moderation. The suggested daily calorie intake for a 30-year-old is around 2,500 calories. This means those 2,500 calories  should be divided among the food groups so that it fits into the pyramid’s suggestion.

Living and Wellness

Why You Need To Get Up

Little kid playing basketball
Remember back when you had time to play basketball?

Our society is different than it used to be. We sit down more. We sit down so much that often times we get home from sitting down and take a nap from being so tired of sitting down. It’s ridiculous. At work, on the couch, in front of the computer, by the table, there are so few times when we actually get up, go out, and move! Remember back in high school when you used to play sports and move around more? What happened?

Well most likely you either went to college or got a full-time job and found yourself too busy to be occupied with sports and activities. This happens to a lot of people, thus is why freshman in college tend to gain a few pounds. Get involved again. Go out with your friends for a friendly game of basketball, go to the gym, just make sure to get up and be active like you used to be!

Living and Wellness

Cycling Trend Today

They start out young don't they?Cycling is one of the best exercises you can do outside. It’s become quite the trend however. You probably have seen a couple of  cyclists in tight shorts, racing colors, and those glasses flying down in the middle of the road sometime. Don’t be intimidated. You don’t have to wear all those clothes, look that fit, go that fast, or even have some expensive bike. I’m not too sure why there are so many people looking like bicycling is their job instead of just their hobby, but I do know that I won’t let it bother me. I hop on my cheap $80 mountain bike once or twice a week and just ride along the SIDE WALK for about 3-4 miles.

Just enjoying the ride outside can be a really calming experience and is one heck of a workout. All the “professional” cyclists can pass me if they want, I’m not competing. I do this for my enjoyment and to stay in-shape. I think a lot of people would enjoy cycling as well, but may be too intimidated to really give it a fair chance. So don’t fall into thinking that because you’re not anything like the “professional” cyclists, that cycling isn’t for you. Do it for fun, do it for exercise, and just enjoy your own pace of cycling.

Fit Physique

Rebounders in Exercise

Sometimes just running on a treadmill or outside can get a little monotonous and boring. Have you ever been on a trampoline before? Trampolines are an amazing way to get some fun exercise. The only problem is that they are too big or too expensive and require a backyard. That is when you say, “What is a rebounder?”. Rebounders are mini trampolines that you can use to switch up your workout.

At first you might think that they wouldn’t be that big of a workout. You would be wrong though. Rebounders are just as if not more effective than treadmills. The workout from a rebounder will quickly drain you of your energy and you will be sweating in no time. These small trampolines can be easily moved and stored. Set it out in front of the TV while you watch, try out some rebounding exercises, or even use it to do something crazy like this guy,

So if you’re getting bored with running give rebounding a shot, there is so much you can do.

Living and Wellness

5 Ways to Trick yourself into NOT exercising

  • Telling yourself you’ll do it later

Don’t Be This Guy

How often do you spend watching health videos, reading fitness articles online, or just talking about exercise? Now compare that to the actual time spent exercising.  If you are spending more time watching, reading, or talking about exercising than actually exercising, you may be a victim of the vicarious fallacy.  If you are SNAP OUT OF IT, no matter how much you think about exercising you won’t get anywhere unless you actually do it.  Stop imagining yourself doing things you clearly aren’t doing.

  • Make your workouts dependent on some inconsequential variable

This is a neat one. Many people find a way to trick themselves into excusing themselves from exercise.  For example, “oh I can’t exercise because I have no dumbbells”.  Ohh, the poor guy can’t exercise. WRONG, he can. Now get down and give me twenty. Pushups are  just one example of how to workout without dumbbells or any other fitness apparatus for that matter.  You do not need anything but a little motivation to exercise.

  • Calculate too little was enough

This one is my personal favorite way to avoid exercising.  Exercise requires a little bit of exertion right?  But you do not want to go out and actually physically exert yourself, so you buy a gym membership and spend twenty dollars a month on something you never use.  But hey, at least  you are satisfied until you realize, three months later, that you have spent a hundred dollars and used the facilities approximately zero times.

Nutrition Ins and Outs

5 Drinks to Replace Soda Addiction

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Whether you are addicted to soda and need a healthier change or need a quick way to lose some weight, it’s a great idea to use these drinks to replace soda.

  1. Gatoraid/Poweraid/Sports Drinks

    Soda Addiction

    Sports drinks are a great replacement for soda without resorting to plain, old water. They have healthy amounts of electrolytes and sodium to keep water pumping through your body faster and longer. Most sports drinks even come in light or zero calorie versions which makes replacing soda with one of these all the more appealing.

  2. Coconut Water

    Coconut water is more nutritious than whole milk with less the fat and cholesterol. It’s also a naturally isotonic drink, the same level as our blood, which means it replaces fluid much faster and more efficiently. Use this to combat the bad effects of soda addiction.

  3. Crystal Light/Flavor Water Packets

    There are a lot of good ways to make water a better tasting replacement for soda. Crystal Light packets offer a variety of different flavors such as raspberry lemonade that are all around 5 calories.

  4. Tea

    If you’re unwilling to go completely off caffeine when replacing soda drinks you could try a number of different teas. Green tea is a great choice that can satisfy your caffeine withdrawal as you make the transition. If green tea isn’t your thing, then maybe a black tea such as chai tea would do you well. Just make sure that the black tea is made from actual spices and not white sugar and you’re good to go.

  5. Light Juices and Juice Spritzers

    Juices are great to drink, but if you’re focused on losing weight be careful of the calories in them as some juices are worse than soda in that area. A good tip on making juices a little less full on calories is to make a spritzer. Just use seltzer water as a base and only add a little bit of juice to the mixture. This is especially useful to those addicted to soda as the seltzer fizz is a nice replacement to soda fizz.

Fit Physique

Running Without Your Reeboks

Barefoot Running?

It’s most likely that this isn’t the first time you’ve heard of this topic. It seems to be abuzz in the news, where doctors and marathon runners claiming that shoes are not as good as we think. How can this be? Shoes have been around since the written history of man. How can multi-billion dollar shoe companies who pay loads for this kind of research be wrong? Isn’t barefoot running a step backwards for man kind? Lets take a look at the facts, and try to not get caught in what might just be another new trend.

The “Benefits” of Barefoot Running

    Claim 1

  • Running barefoot causes less collision force to the feet than running in cushioned shoes.

Why is this you think? Well it seems that runners who forgo their sneakers end up running on the balls of their feet, whereas those with shoes are more likely to end up running on their heels. Landing on your heels while running can create 2 or even 3 times the impact than landing on the balls or middle of your feet. I’m still skeptical about this claim and here’s my theory behind it. If you are running barefoot and you’re trying to run on your heels, you’re going to be in pain. Barefoot running punishes incorrect running and running with shoes on allows you to build the bad habit of running on your heels.

    Claim 2

  • Wearing shoes causes our smaller feet muscles to weaken

This claim may have some truth behind it. If you are running barefoot, you’re going to have to use all your toes, tendons, and ligaments to prevent hurting yourself from the terrain. This increase in activity can help your body improve its balance and reflex when it comes to movement.

    Claim 3

  • Barefoot runners receive less foot injuries

This is simply not true. The injuries that both barefoot and shoe runners experience are not the result of what they are or are not wearing, but from improper running. The process itself in starting to run barefoot involves your feet getting calluses. The whole point in your body doing that, is to protect itself from the excessive use of your feet in such a manner. Not only would you have to worry about unsightly calluses, but you would also be at risk for stepping on glass, nails, and other unclean, potentially dangerous artifacts.

Overall it may feel nice to run around barefoot, but I would advise you to leave it where it belongs. Run at the beach or the park barefoot, but save your feet from potential harm on roads and other such surfaces.

Nutrition Ins and Outs

Is Low Carb or Low Fat Diet Better.

This question is an on-going war where each side takes a loss. On the side of low carb, the participants will lose out on pizza, pasta, bread, and potatoes. On the side of low fat, they’ll lose out on burgers, sausages, whole milk, and ice cream. It’s a tough decision to make when either way you’ll lose. If you have to lose though, which one will be the most effective?

Low Carb

Low Fat

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons
 Lower blood pressure  May burn miscle tissue  More selection of food  More room to eat unhealthy
 Increased fat loss  Insufficient micronutrients  No carb crash from low carb diet  lack of good fats

Both diets make great points and both have their advantages, but it all depends on what you think you can stick with and pull off!