A mans health is a very important aspect of his life. To say that health is wealth is not only to utter an old, used up mantra, but to mean that for most human beings, staying fit and healthy is parallel to being wealthy, for a persons everyday life is influenced mainly by the state of his mind and body, especially by the presence and absence of certain diseases.

Many people go through various efforts to stay fit, maintain good health, and ensure their longevity. Examples of these practices include engaging in rigorous physical fitness training, eating a balanced and healthy diet, maintaining ideal weight, and employing an effective stress management procedure. It is also important to stop smoking, reduce alcohol intake, and avoid the use of prohibited substances.

Poor health can be caused by a host of different factors, such as poor eating habits, lack of exercise, stress, and excessive smoking and alcohol intake. Unbalanced intake of nutrients, for one, may cause excessive or deficient nutrient intake, which will definitely affect the bodys normal functions. These nutrients are necessary for a persons growth, metabolism, and other functions. There are about six nutrients, which are needed by the human body in different amounts to perform its various processes. These are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, or nutrients that are known to provide energy to the body; and minerals, vitamins, and water, or those nutrients that support the bodys metabolism.

Water, the last nutrient in the list, is sometimes called the forgotten nutrient, but it is considered as the most important. Water is necessary for the bodys growth and metabolic processes. It runs through the blood and lymphatic system, carries oxygen and distributes nutrients to the cells, and rids the body of toxins and wastes in the form of urine and sweat. If water and its other liquid substitutes are not present in the human diet, food digestion, nutrient absorption, and waste excretion would be impossible.

The human body is made up of two-thirds water. It needs eight to ten glasses of water or caffeine- and alcohol-free liquids to replace the water it loses during the day. The bodys need for water is satisfied by the intake of other drinking liquids free from caffeine and alcohol, such as juices; fruits and vegetables, which are made of 80 to 95 water; meat products, which are made of 50 water; and cereals like rice and oats, which can contain as much as 35 water.

Fruit juices, on the other hand, have been scientifically proven to give certain health benefits, provided that they are taken in moderation. Nutritionists also suggest that fruit juices should be taken in their pure state, and people should only drink 100 fruit juice. Cranberry juice is believed to prevent urinary tract infections; grape juice is believed to lower the chances of blood clots in the heart; and orange juice is believed to prevent stroke and reduce the risk of heart attacks.

Though these popular beliefs have no scientific basis to their therapeutic claims, most scientists say that many fruit juices are indeed healthy to drink. Pure orange juice, for example, is very rich in Vitamin C, potassium, and folic acid. Other fruit juices that are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and anthocynanins water soluble pigments found in plants which act as antioxidants include grape juice purple, pomegranate juice, and cranberry juice. It is believed that juices that are made from fruits with rich colors such as grapes, pomegranates, cranberries, and blueberries are rich in vitamins and antioxidants. New juices from black currants and Tahitian noni have also found their way in the international market.

Recent scientific studies have also claimed that the antioxidants found in most fruits and vegetable juices can help lower a persons risks of developing Alzheimers disease. Antioxidants are naturally occurring substances found in most plants and have the potential to help combat heart diseases and fight cancer.

Freshly squeezed juices from fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of minerals and vitamins which catalyze chemical reactions occurring in the body. These enzymes also produce the energy needed for digestion, absorption, and conversion of food into body tissues. An increased intake of fruit and vegetable juices ensures that the body will efficiently absorb more minerals and vitamins.

Another helpful benefit of fruits and fruit juices is their ability to promote detoxification in the human body. Fruits help to cleanse the body, especially those with high acid levels. Tomatoes, pineapples, and citruses such as oranges, red grapefruits, and lemons are known for their detoxifying properties. While these fruits promote cleansing, they still provide the body with a high boost of Vitamin C!

Of course, when it comes to healthy eating, there are plenty of alternative diets that people want to claim are healthier than the traditional calorie counting method. They are usually motivated by a desire to sell a book or a food range, but some people swear by these methods.

The most famous diet lately has been the Atkins diet and its many copycats the South Beach diet, GI, and the rest. These are basically high-protein diets that tell you carbohydrate carbs are evil, and you should cut right down on them or even cut them out of your diet completely. While nutritionists are incredulous that anyone would seriously consider cutting an entire food group out of their diets, the books have sold in the millions.

The dirty little secret of protein diets is that they do help you lose weight, but only in the short term. They do this by causing you to give yourself a disease called ketosis, caused by lack of carbohydrate, that makes you lose weight, feel bad and have terrible breath. As soon as you go off the diet and back to your old ways, however, you will simply put all your weight back on again.

It is a similar situation with many other diets, including weight loss milkshakes, which rarely contain anything resembling a balanced meal. Instead, they flood your body with protein and little else, forcing it to burn fat but again, the effect quickly wears off if you stop using the shakes.

A cynic might say that theyre not really trying to help you lose weight or eat healthily, so much as they are trying to keep you on their dodgy diets forever. If you want to eat healthily, stick to balance no matter what anyone tells you, thats never going to change.

Sticking to a nutritious diet while traveling can be one of the more difficult things to do. However, if you learn how to make smart choices, a healthy diet is really not that difficult. Its probably not the best time in which to start a healthy diet, but if you are currently making healthy choices in your foods already, modifying your diet slightly to accommodate travel, is not as difficult as it first may seem.

If you are traveling by airplane, your diet may have to include airplane food, which can often be of poor nutritional value, depending on the selection. When you book your flight, ask about your food options, ask if a vegetarian dish is available? Vegetarian dishes are sometimes more nutritional in this case, but it really depends on what they may be serving. If you can, eat a larger meal before your flight, so that you dont have to eat the entire meal that is served, to feel full.

When driving or taking a bus, you may be tempted to stop at fast food restaurants and eat the meals found there. Avoid this whenever possible! If youre on vacation, you may wish to splurge a tiny bit, but having fast food more than once during a week can really be bad for your health. If you must, choose the healthiest options available, like chicken breasts and diet soda.

Also, remember that you can take your own meals when traveling. Carrying a loaf of whole-wheat bread or pita wraps, some lean lunchmeat, and low-fat cheese in a cooler is a great way to avoid high-fat and high-cholesterol junk food meals. These are much better choices and youll save a lot of money as well. Call ahead to ask if there will be a refrigerator in your hotel room.

Lastly, make smart choices when you eat out. If you choose salads or pasta get the dressing on the side and ask about low-carb options. In fact, many places print these dieting options directly in the menu for the health-conscious people. Control your portions by ordering lunch menu sizes or splitting the meal in have and getting a doggie bag, and youll be well on your way to healthy eating, even away from home.

Yes, eating healthy foods when you travel can be a challenge. However, your health is worth it. Eating meals high in nutrition will also assist in fighting illnesses that you are likely to encounter when traveling and you will find yourself more alert so that you can enjoy your trip.

Science has made stunning discoveries in this area of human interest, it’s something we all want to know – can we slow down the process of ageing, can we live longer, if so, how? It’s a highly technical subject, too detailed to look at in-depth within this article. But, we can give you some powerful pointers to help slow down the ageing process and increase your chances of a healthier old age.

What determines your biological ‘age’?

Our parents precondition us from a young age to believe that we’ll live to a certain age. We walk around with a particular notion in our subconscious that we have a pre-defined lifespan of between 60-90 years. But there is no definitive speed at which a person should gracefully age because we are all so different. Some people seem to look and act eternally young – ageless, wrinkleless! Others, less fortunate, look old beyond their years. Our body’s biological age is a reflection of our physical, mental and spiritual journey through life. In perfect conditions, our bodies can survive to an age of 125 years! Look at the two very different lists below, the potential for ageing becomes quite obvious when you compare such a stark difference in lifestyle.

The first person has all the attributes to significantly slow down the ageing process and live to a ripe old age with good health.

Lifestyle characteristics that promote longevity

. Regularly partakes in enjoyable exercise

. Enjoyable career and tolerates ‘healthy’ stress

. Generally happy relationships with spouse and children

. Active member of the community, enjoying many friendships

. Seeks to learn new things and enjoys personal development

. Eats a balanced, healthy diet

. Supplements diet with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants

. Has a sense of worth and purpose in life

If your life reflects these characteristics then you have adopted the attributes which significantly slow down the ageing process and increase your chances of living to a ripe old age with good health.

Lifestyle characteristics that do not promote longevity

. A sedentary lifestyle

. Overweight or obese

. Inability to cope with pressure

. Isolation – working and living alone, few friendships

. Poor or limited career opportunities

. Constant diet of nutritionally deficient food junk food

. Eating too much food comfort eating

. Drinks excess alcohol

. Smokes cigarettes

. Regularly visits the doctor for various illnesses

. Harbors resentment, anger, fear

. Lack of purpose and self worth

. Lack of stability and routine

If this list is more like you then you may be ageing fast! Time to take action and make some changes if you want to improve the quality of your latter years. It may be a daunting task to make lifestyle changes, however, by taking things one step at a time and being consistent in developing new lifestyle habits – you will notice the difference in time, and your body, friends and family will thank you.

Can-cer n. A malignant tumor that invades healthy tissue and spreads to other areas; the disease marked by such tumors.

INVADES? DISEASE? Where and when did all this invasion and disease begin?

FOLKS, you cant consume 3 gallons of soft drinks and eat fast food all week long and expect not to get a disease.

FOLKS, you cant smoke 2 packs a day, stay out late at night drinking, or snorting stuff up your nose and not expect to get a disease.

FOLKS, you cant eat fruits and vegetables and all the foods in the USDA Food Pyramid and expect not to get a disease.

Whoa! Hold on. Hey – wait just a minute I do try and eat right and live right what do you mean I may still get a disease.

Back in the days of Adam and Eve that was correct. The food chain and water and air were pure. But today our fruits, vegetables, meats, water and air is so contaminated Come on, dont act so surprised, you have heard this all before from many sources.

OK, you are right, but what are we to do? What is the Solution???

The Facts are clear and the Proof is there!! Mostly all disease is preventable. Again I repeat, mostly all disease is preventable.

Nutrition is a very recent science; however, the study of food and its effects on the body is as old as the study of Medicine. Prior to the 20th century, mans food was also his medicineherbs and plant life.

Hippocrates, called the father of medicine, believed that the least medicine was the best medicine. His motto was Do no harm

Thomas Edison, remember this guy? He wasnt a dummy; he was as brilliant as a light bulb. He stated, The doctors of the future will give no drugs, but will practice nutrition.

Wow!! Double WoW !! Have we Americans, the richest country on this planet gone so far in the opposite direction of this way of thinking!

Its all in the thought process; we as a society dont want any restrictions placed on what we eat and how we choose to live. Today when we get a disease, just give me a pill to make it go away. If that doesnt work then cut or burn it out of me, just dont ask me change the way I like to live. Wow, this was me also not so long ago.

Folks, the way to an abundant healthy life is not rocket science. The answers have been in front of us all along. Find someone you can trust who specializes in nutrition that can teach you how to read your body symptoms what your body may be lacking nutritionally and will help you put life back into your body. This is a matter of Life or Death.

Ted Salonica
www.abundanthealthyliving.com

Sleeping on your side with arms on the sides or with legs bent

Sleep on your side with your legs drawn up slightly toward your chest and a pillow between your legs. Use a full-length body pillow if you prefer.
This position can help keep your skips level and reduce any pain you might have there.
Also , this position may be particularly helpful if you have osteoarthritis in the spine, spinal stenosis a narrowing in the spine or hip pain.

Sleeping on your back with arms by the side or with arms by the head

If you sleep on your back, place a pillow under your knees to help maintain the normal curve of your lower back. You might try a small, rolled towel under the small of your back for additional support. Support your neck with a pillow.
This position may be helpful if you have low back pain.

Sleeping on your abdomen

It is generally not good for your back to sleep on your stomach, but if you need to for some specific reason, then it will help reduce back strain if you put a pillow under your pelvis and abdomen . Use a pillow under your head if it doesnt place too much strain on your back. If it does cause strain, try sleeping without a pillow under your head.
This position may be helpful if you have degenerative disease or a herniated disk in the central portion of your spine.

Tips for the best positions for lying down or sleeping
- Try to maintain the curve in your back such as lying on your back with a pillow under your knees or a lumbar roll under your lower back, or on your side with your knees slightly bent.
- Do not sleep on your side with your knees drawn up to your chest.
- Avoid sleeping on your stomach, especially on a saggy mattress, since this can cause back strain and can be uncomfortable for your neck.
- Select a firm mattress and box spring set that does not sag. If necessary, place a board under your mattress.
- Try a back support to help you feel more comfortable. Try tying a rolled sheet or towel around your waist.
So.. Enjoy your sleep !

First thing first, Balance Ball is also known in a variety of different names. However, the most common name for Balance Ball is called, the Stability Ball. Balance Ball is also known as Swiss Ball, Exercise Ball, Fitness Ball and Physio Balls.

The Balance Ball has had long-standing success in the world of clinical rehabilitation. However, due to their effectiveness in developing balance and core strength, athletic trainers, coaches, personal trainers and physical education teachers have begun to integrate them into their programs. Now they are the new craze in the world of athletic and functional conditioning.

The history of the Balance Ball originates back to the early 1960s. It was made by an Italian toy maker, Aquilino Cosani, and sold primarily in Europe as the Gymnastik.
The balance ball is a conservative treatment option for back pain sufferers and is designed to help prevent further episodes of low back pain as part of a rehabilitation program. The exercise ball is effective in rehabilitation of the back because it helps strengthen and develop the core body muscles that help to stabilize the spine.

Once limited to the rehabilitation and clinical setting, the Balance Ball has permeated to all sectors of the health and fitness community. In clinics they are still used to provide gentle proprioceptive stimuli for individuals recovering from surgery. The balance ball is fun, its colorful and everybody from pediatric patients to geriatric patients literally find the Balance Ball to be something unique and that they can generate some enthusiasm about. The unique thing about the Balance Ball is that they utilize the neuromuscular system in a way that no other exercise equipment I have come across has. That is that they incorporate the use of

1. Multiple muscle systems
2. Neurologically induced muscular responses
3. A normal and natural process of balance
4. The bodys own normal processes, to establish and restore balance.

It is remarkable to find how many people eat out of boredom, sheer habit, or to the accompaniment of a newspaper, a book, or a heated business discussion. Many succumb to the habit of eating at a “minute” diner, fast food restaurant or lunch counter, gulping their food and running a “hoof and mouth” race with Father Time. He always wins.

Others are trained from childhood to stuff themselves”finish your plate An old relic of primitive days when food scarcities or the uncertainties of a next meal or a next day were constantly present. Some call this “scavenger eating;” many children acquire this habit by imitating their parents who are imitating their parents who may have been raised under food scarcity circumstances.

Many men and women are the victims of monotony or plain poor cooking in their meals. They rarely vary the selection and choice of foods out of sheer inertia, indifference, or lack of attention. So they try to make up in quantity what they lack in quality, seeking satisfaction from calories instead of from quality and contrast.

Dr. Arthur Master, in a study of a group of patients not suffering from heart disease, found that a significant loss of weight was followed by an average 35 per cent reduction in the work the heart has to do. The lesson to you is clear Even though your heart is strong, being overweight taxes it with work and strain beyond its normal capacity. A healthy heart is gradually weakened by the extra stress imposed on it by 20, 30 or 40 pounds of unnecessary fat.

Your energy reserves are depleted; you feel tired too soon and too often, even when doing simple things like walking and swimming, things that the person of normal weight can handle with ease and pleasure. Don’t let too much weight rob you of a strong heart and the vibrant energy that you need to enjoy a full, healthy life. Learn to count your calories and you can count on more years of healthy, happy living.

We must remember that in the past 50-100 years there has been a considerable reduction in energy expenditure, because of a more mechanized way of life. People today don’t have to go out to the barn and hitch up a horse or team or count on a long walk when they are ready to go somewhere. They merely step into their car, which is as close to the front door as they can manage it, and then drive to their destination, again parking as near the entrance as possible.

The introduction of countless labor-saving devices in our home, factories, and
offices has also robbed us of most of the physical exertion our grandparents and great-grandparents knew. In fact, when it comes to conserving energy, we seem to have approached about as near as we can get to a vegetable existence.

The message is clear; we must break our old bad habits and develop new good ones if we want to lose weight. Making healthier food choices whenever possible, watching our portions at mealtime, and getting in some exercise regularly are paramount if we want to keep our weight down and live a long, healthy, happy life.

After a little research it is apparent that nobody really knows where the saying that you need to drink 8 cups of water per day comes from. Some people trace it back to a study in the 1980′s, and other people claim that doctors starting telling people that amount because it was a good goal, but didn’t have any scientific research to back it up with.

Either way, the point is clear, water does wonders for your body, and your brain. Water is well known to cleanse your body of harmful chemicals through your intestines and also throughout your urine tract. Without proper water intake, our bodies break down very quickly, in a matter of days. Without food, however, some people can live for a week or two. That just shows how important water is to our bodies.

Here are 3 quick tips for taking in more water.

1. Always have water available.

I like to buy the 12 ounce bottles of water and keep them in the fridge. Whenever I go to the gym I grab a bottle. On my way out the door to work, I grab a bottle. Before a trip that will be 30 minutes or longer, I grab a bottle. When I watch a movie, I grab a bottle.

Whenever I am sitting watching TV or a movie, I will keep the bottle in my hand with the lid off. I take a lot of little sips until the bottle is gone. A great way of making sure you drink more water is to make sure it is easily accessible.

2. Keep it cold.

I don’t know many people who like to drink room temperature water, I sure don’t. If you keep your water cold, you will drink more. I make sure there is always ice in my freezer, this make it very easy to have a cold glass of water anytime.

3. Chose water in restaurants.

Whenever I go out to eat, I always drink water with some lemon. The lemon adds a little spunk to the taste and the water is always nice, cold and refreshing. After a short time you will stop craving your old drink of choice and will begin to appreciate the taste, or lack of taste, that water provides.

Give water a shot and your body will be thankful!