10 Paths to Conquer Asthma

Asthma is a condition where due to certain stimuli a person experiences narrowing of air passages and difficulty in breathing. Treatment for asthma should be done under the guidance of a doctor and should be planned carefully. The key lies in recognizing the causes and managing the condition such that you are in control of the situation.

Treatments include:

1.    Preventive action where you avoid situations that triggers off symptoms.

2.    Practice meditation and breathing exercises to strengthen the air passages and lungs.

3.    Exercise regularly to keep fit and to strengthen your heart as well as lungs.

4.    Use air conditioning this will reduce your exposure to air born pollen and other triggers.

5.    Keep your environment free of dust mites, pet dander, fur and feathers by regularly vacuuming and decontaminating your mattresses, pillows, sofas, throws, carpets, as well as curtains and covers.

6.    Use inhalers which are of three types: aerosol inhalers; breath-actuated inhalers; and dry powder inhalers. These contain medication in aerosol form to provide immediate relief.

7.    Drugs like short acting beta agonist namely salbutamol and terbutaline are first prescribed. The alternative medications are long acting beta2 agnostics like salmeterol or formoterol or antimuscarinics like ipratropium or oxitropium. In layman terms asthma medication is of two kinds anti-inflammatory medicines and bronchodilators. Common medicines are Albuterol, Altrovent, Pulmocort Respules.

8.    Combination therapies where a steroid along with long acting medication are prescribed. Alternately, a combination of antimuscarinic and short acting beta 2 agnostic is used. 

9.    Use of special equipments like a peak flow meter which will warn you of an impeding attack and an inhaler spacer which will ensure efficient disbursement of medication.

10.    Allergen Immunotherapy where the patient is desensitized to asthma causing allergens like smoke, weed, grass, pollen, dust, mold and so on. Similarly the patient is tested for food allergies that trigger off attacks and treated for them.

Research indicates that the best option for patients is to maintain a dairy and record when and why attacks occur. This will give a clear understanding of triggers. Then the next step is to create an asthma management plan with the help of your doctor. To strengthen the mind and spirit patients are often asked to join therapy groups that talk about fears, problems faced by asthmatics,   personal experiences, and work together at breathing exercises and other regimens to strengthen their bodies.

Alcohol And Exercise

On Friday afternoon after you leave work, you probably think about going out and having a few drinks with  friends to relax and wind down.  Even though you  may think you deserve to go out and have a few drinks, there are some things that you should certainly keep in mind.

Like any other day, tomorrow is going to be a day for exercise, and since you are exercising on a  regular basis, a few drinks of alcohol won't really hurt anything, right?  Before you decide to rush out to the local bar, there are a few things below that you should think about before you make your choice about going out to drink some alcohol.

Research has proven that even small amounts of  alcohol with increase muscular endurance and the output of strength, although these types of benefits are very short lived.  After 20 minutes or so, the  problems will begin to surface.  All of the negative side effects associated with alcohol will easily outweigh any possible benefits that it can have.   No matter how you look at it, alcohol is a poison that can really harm your body if you aren't careful.

The negative side of alcohol can reduce your  strength, endurance, aerobic capability, recovery time, ability to metabolize fat, and even your muscle growth as well.  Alcohol will also have an effect on your nervous system and brain.  If you use it long term, you can cause severe deterioration of your central nervous system.   Even with short term use, nerve muscle interaction can be reduced  which will result in a loss of strength.

Once alcohol reaches the blood cells, it can and probably will damage them.  With alcohol users,  inflammation of the muscle cells is a very common thing.  Over periods of time, some of these cells that have been damaged can die which will result in less functional muscle contractions.  Drinking alcohol will also leave you with more soreness of your muscles after you exercise, which means that it will take you a lot longer to recuperate.

Alcohol will also have many different effects on your heart and circulatory system as well.  When you drink any type of alcohol, you may begin to see a reduction in your endurance capabilities. Anytime you drink, your heat loss will increase, due to the alcohol simulating your blood vessels to dilate.  The loss in heat can cause your muscles to become quite cold, therefore become slower and weaker during your muscle contractions.

Drinking alcohol can also lead to digestive and nutrition problems as well.  Alcohol cause a  release of insulin that will increase the metabolism of glycogen, which spares fat and makes the loss of fat very hard.  Due to alcohol interfering  with the absorption of several key nutrients, you can also become anemic and deficient with B type vitamins. 

Because your liver is the organ that detoxifies  alcohol, the more you drink, the harder your liver has to work.  The extra stress alcohol places on your liver can cause serious damage and even destroy some of your liver cells.

Since alcohol is diuretic, drinking large amounts can put a lot of stress on your kidneys as well. During diuretic action, the hormones are secreted. This can lead to heightened water retention and no one who exercises will want this to happen.

If you must drink alcohol, you should do it in moderation and never drink before you exercise, as this will impair your balance, coordination, and also your judgement.  Think about your health and how you exercise - and you may begin to look at things from a whole new prospective.

Benefits of Cardio Training

Being fit and healthy is the in thing. Actually, it really never goes out of style. That body is the most valuable asset you could have in your lifetime. Thus it is important that you take good care of it. Give it the proper attention it needs.

When it comes to ensuring and maintaining the health, the best option is to do cardio training.

What Is Cardio Training?

Cardio training involves any activity that requires the use of the large muscle groups of the body in a regular and uninterrupted manner. It elevates the heart rate between 60 to 85 percent of the fastest heart rate you could get.

Some of the usual cardio training activities are walking, jogging, running, aerobics, cycling, tae bo, swimming and rowing. Cardio training is considered an aerobic exercise as one is required to move from one exercise to another.

What Are the Benefits of Training?

1. Gives Energy to the Body
You can expect more energy and higher endurance after some time of regular cardio training.

2. Prevents Diseases
One could prevent heart diseases with regular cardio training. It is also helpful in preventing other variety of diseases like diabetes, obesity and even high cholesterol. The cardiovascular training strengthens the heart and the lungs. The low to moderated type of cardio exercises are required for people seeking to prevent diseases. Examples of these are walking, brisk walking or jogging.

3. Control Your Weight
With cardio training, you are able to burn more calories. This will help one who needs to lose weight. While those who already achieved their ideal body mass, the training will make it easier to control the weight.

Cardio training helps burn calories. However this generally depends on your current weight and the kind of cardio training you are undergoing. Better consult this matter with your physician or trainer, to know the proper type of training for your needs.

4. Lose Body Fats
Some people do not have problem with their weights. However, there may be some excess fats that keep bothering. Cardio training will help in getting rid of those. The activities involve the movements of large muscle groups. Regularly doing the training will make you leaner.

5. Get Rid of Boredom
Cardio training is fun. It pumps up your system. You will definitely feel more energized and on the go.

Recommendations to Better Enjoy the Benefits of Cardio Training

Cardio training is essential when you need to make health improvements. For starters, it is best to do the 30 to 45 minutes of exercises, 3 to 5 days a week. If you are aiming for weight loss, the training must be done 5 days a week. The more frequent you do it; the more likely it is that you will lose weight. However, avoid exhausting yourself too much in exercise. Avoid going beyond 45 minutes. Remember, it has to be done in a regular basis.

Start now. Walk or ride the bike around the neighborhood now. Follow that aerobics video you purchased. Set a goal and follow that goal. At the same time, modify your diet too. Eat healthy food.

As you increase in the fitness level, the intensity of the training must also increase. This is to have an area of variation and there should always be room for improvement. Implement this by intensifying some parts of the training. If you are into jogging or running, increase speed every 5 minutes for at least a minute or two. It is important that you challenge yourself, so as not to be stuck in a stump.

Avoid doing the cardio exercises before bedtime. You will have a difficult time sleeping if you do so as the energy level of the body will stay high for sometime.

If you are undergoing weight training too, do the cardio exercises right after, not before.

It is best to take a snack 30 minutes before doing the cardio exercises. Do not start with training in an empty stomach. This will not help in achieving the proper momentum when you train. At the same time, avoid indulging in large meals too before exercise. Just give your body the proper supply it will need to sustain exhausting movements.

It is good to do the cardio exercises outdoors. This way you can easily interact with nature and breathe fresh air. You can also simply enjoy going around the neighborhood as you get your system healthier by the minute. It is possible to make some friends among the people who also do their exercises.

Be consistent and stick with the training once you have started it. This is the only way that cardio training will benefit your body and your health in the long run.

10 Steps to Help You Get a Great Night’s Sleep

How did you sleep last night?

I had a great night’s sleep, but when I woke up I thought what a powerful effect a great night's sleep has on your metabolism, and I wanted to share with you some ideas about how to get a better night's sleep.

Now my idea of a great night's sleep is one in which you sleep soundly and wake fully refreshed and full of energy. During a great night's sleep you rarely, if ever, think about your troubles, your never think about the news, and you usually fall asleep within 10 minutes of your head hitting the pillow (with positive thoughts in your mind).

Also, a key factor in determining if you had a great night's sleep is if you dream 'positive' or 'fun' dreams. Because if your night full of 'bad' or 'stressful' dreams then you're most certainly tossing and turning throughout the night and NOT getting a "restful" sleep.

Why is it so important to get quality sleep each and every night? Your body and your mind break down and get worn out from stress during the day.

The only time that your body and your mind repair themselves and rejuvenate is when you're sleeping. But it's important to note here that "restful" sleep is the key. Tossing and turning all night or waking up every few hours is not considered restful sleep. I recently read an article that made it to my research center that stated the facts about how snoring effects your sleep and your health. People who snore tend to disrupt their sleep, on average, 300 times each night - now that's not a restful night's sleep! Now think about it this way for a moment - if you've been under stress lately, or if you're mattress sucks, or if you just plain haven't been able to sleep well for the past few weeks (or months), then you haven't given your brain or your body the time it needs to repair itself.

So you actually start each and every day a little bit less focused and less metabolically healthy than the previous day.

Don't try to catch up on your sleep. People tell me all the time that they know that they don't get enough sleep during the week - but they "catch up" on the weekends. Let me put an end to that myth right now. That does not work!!! Your body and your mind need a regular sleeping pattern to repair and rejuvenate - without it you're actually deteriorating yourself rather than re-energizing yourself.

So what's considered enough sleep?

Generally speaking, everyone should strive to get 8 hours of restful sleep. Now if you eat a very healthy diet and exercise properly, and give yourself a few mental breaks during the day, and if you sleep like a baby and awaken fully refreshed every day, then you might be the type of person who can get away with less sleep - maybe 6 hours each night.

On the other hand, if you experience extraordinary amounts of stress each day (mental or physical), then you'll need more than 8 hours. A marathon runner for example, tends to put his/her body through a lot of stress each day - that person needs more than just 8 hours because their body needs more repair time than normal. The same holds true for the person going through massive mental stress as well.

So what can you do to help facilitate a better night’s sleep for yourself and those around you?

10 Steps To Help You Get A Great Night's Sleep:

1. Make a list of what you need to do the next day, write it all down and keep that paper and pen near your bedside in case you think of anything else you need to do. When you write things down you’re giving your brain the signal that it no longer needs to think about those tasks.

2.  Don't watch television or listen to the radio (especially the news) before retiring for the night - and certainly do not fall asleep with the TV or radio on.

3.  Read some inspirational or self-growth material for at least 30 minutes prior to bed. Your goal is to fill your mind with inspirational thoughts before falling asleep so that the last thoughts you have before drifting off are uplifting thoughts - as opposed to the stressful thoughts that most people fall asleep thinking about.

4.  Make sure the room that you're sleeping in is as dark a room as possible - the body is made to sleep when it's dark out - the darker the room the more potential for a deep sleep.

5.  Make the room as silent as possible - turn off all electric devices and ask others in the house to be as quiet as they can be.

6.  Don't eat for at least 3 hours before going to bed. When there's undigested food in the stomach, your body is forced to focus on digesting that food rather than being focused on repairing your body and mind - which is what sleep is all about! The body was designed to digest food best while moving - not while laying down.

7.  Try to go to bed at approximately 10:00 pm and awake at approximately 6:00 am. In Ayurvedic medicine it's believed that there are cycles that are the most conducive for certain activities. Going to bed at 10:00 pm and arising at 6:00 am appears to allow the body to rest the deepest, rejuvenate the most, and give the person the most energy throughout the day.

8.  Don't take drugs or vitamins/herbs that are supposed to help you sleep (unless required by your physician). Most of these artificial sleeping aids do nothing more than deaden your senses - the goal of 'sleep' is to give your body the time and means to repair itself and prepare for the coming day. When you drug yourself to sleep, every system in your body is slowed down, including all those systems that are responsible for repairing you.

9.  Make sure that there's a fresh air supply in the room. The air indoors is said to be some of the most toxic air around. When you sleep, you're only able to breath in the air that surrounds you in your enclosed bedroom. Try opening a window (if it's cold outside then just open the window a crack). The fresh air that comes in while you sleep will help your body repair itself because you'll have access to cleaner, more oxygenated air.

10. During the day, do 60 minutes of mild exercise. If you don't have time to do 60 minutes in a row, then break it up into 2 - 30 minute sessions, or 3 - 20 minute session, or 6 - 10 minute sessions --- just get a full 60 minutes in. The best exercise when talking about general health and preparing your body for a great night's sleep is walking.
          
I wish you the best night's sleep tonight and every