About Liquid Vitamins

Many people think that by taking vitamins in liquid form, they will experience better mineral absorption. This in true to an extent, but the liquid form may be a better medium for only certain minerals. Because of its ease of ingestion, liquid vitamins benefit those who have a tough time taking pills and capsules. They are more effective for people whose gastrointestinal system has been compromised and cannot effectively break down compressed material. Liquid vitamins are convenient, because they do not require water and may be available in spray forms.

Mineral Absorption
Although liquids are typically absorbed more expediently than solids, this does not necessarily mean that liquid vitamins deliver higher absorption. The problem is that liquid vitamins have less mineral content than vitamins in pill form, so while the liquid has higher and faster absorption, it is not necessarily more beneficial. However, vitamins such as B12 and folic acid that are naturally delivered in small doses may be better ingested in liquid form.

Easy Delivery
For those who have difficulty swallowing pills, such as toddlers and the elderly, liquid vitamins provide an effortless alternative. Of course, if a toddler has little coordination, liquid vitamins could get messy. The best way to handle a potential disaster is to spoon feed the vitamin to the toddler. A little mess is a small price to pay to prevent a choking hazard.


Intestinal Ease
Some people do not have any problem swallowing pills, but may not be able to digest the pill once it is inside the intestine. This is a common condition in people who suffer from diverticulitis, where the sharp edges of the pill can cause serious inflammation and even bleeding. Liquid vitamins are less aggressive to people with such conditions.

No Water Needed
As water is not needed to swallow liquid vitamins, they can be taken anywhere. This provides immeasurable convenience to individuals who may not be able to get themselves a glass of water, including the elderly and small children. It must be taken into consideration, however, that liquid vitamins often have high sugar content, which is added by manufacturers to mask the taste.

Portability
Lugging around a glass bottle of 150 vitamins can be aggravating and noisy. Liquid vitamins, especially if they are insulated within a slim plastic bottle, are easily transportable. New methods of liquid vitamin delivery are being developed. One is the spray version, which comes with pump action and is absorbed directly through contact with the tongue or with any part of the inner mouth.

How to Use Vitamins for the Face

Vitamin supplements can be taken orally or put on the skin topically. Some vitamins will help your facial skin regardless of how it is used, while others are more beneficial if they are ingested. There are a variety of face lotions and other products on the market that contain vitamins, but you need quite a bit of information before you run out and purchase the one that appears to have the greatest number of vitamins in it.

Instructions
1
Understand which vitamins are better for your face when applied topically and which vitamins provide more nutrients to your skin when ingested via liquid or tablet form. Some vitamins, such as vitamin C, will help your skin in terms of producing collagen regardless of whether or not it is ingested or applied topically. However, vitamin C shows more immediate changes when applied topically to the skin.

2
Check with a doctor or dermatologist before using any new vitamin-enriched creams or taking any vitamin supplements. If you have pre-existing health conditions or if you may be pregnant, you should definitely consult your primary physician prior to taking any new supplements, as they may interact with any prescription medications you are already taking. If you are using prescription skin care from a dermatologist, consult with him prior to using a new face cream, as the vitamins could interact with the medication in the prescription cream.

3
Read up on the benefits of vitamins A, C and E for skin health. These are the three main vitamins found in face creams. Vitamin A is used to help soften the skin, but it is found that it is more valuable via oral vitamins than when applied topically. Vitamin C helps reduce redness in the skin and helps build collagen in the skin, making it appear more supple. Both oral vitamins and topical face cream containing vitamin C have been shown to help facial skin health. Vitamin E is known for its antioxidant capabilities. It helps with scarring of the skin when applied topically and also helps reduce free radicals that can cause wrinkling of the skin.

4
Choose a topical cream that will benefit the trouble you are having with your skin. If your skin is dry, you may just need a vitamin A enriched cream, but if your face is dry and red, you should lean toward a cream that offers both vitamins A and C.

5
Read all ingredients found in any face lotion before using it. Some may have other ingredients besides the vitamins, and you must be sure you do not have allergies to any of the ingredients prior to using the new lotion, or you risk making your skin look worse.

About Vitamins

Along with carbohydrates, fats, protein and minerals, vitamins are essential nutrients that allow the human body to properly function. We can obtain many of our daily doses of vitamins from the foods we eat, but others must be taken in supplement form in order to have a full effect. With the addition of vitamins to a healthy diet, people are able to have a healthier life and live longer than ever before.

Significance
Vitamins are organic compounds required by living organisms in order to perform the processes of life. While some animals need more, or different, vitamins than others, humans require the largest amount of different vitamins to live healthily. Vitamins perform many tasks within the body, ranging from hormone triggers to antioxidants to co-enzymes that help with metabolism. Each set of different vitamin compounds performs a different task when integrated into the body.

Function
Figuring out which vitamins are important for which body functions has been an ongoing process. While often times it was not known that a specific vitamin was responsible for curing an illness or strengthening the body, foods rich in vitamins were often prescribed as cures--even though doctors back then didn't know it was the vitamins doing the curing. For example, ancient Egyptians often prescribed a diet high in liver for those people who suffered from night blindness. Today, however, we know this is because liver is rich in vitamin A--a vitamin that helps with sight.


Types
There are many different types of vitamins; most were discovered, or at least identified, in the early 1900s. In 1909, vitamin A, (retinol) was the first vitamin discovered. Vitamin C, an important vitamin throughout the history of world exploration because of its connection to scurvy, was not discovered until 1912. Thankfully, people had been eating fruits with high amounts of vitamin C to prevent scurvy before vitamin C was discovered. Vitamin B9 (folic acid), discovered in 1942, was one of the last vitamins discovered. Vitamin B9 is very important to fetal development.

Effects
The lack of vitamins can have a profound effect on the human body. For instance, in the case of scurvy, the lack of vitamin C can cause teeth to fall out and other hideous conditions of the skin and bone, eventually leading to death. The lack of vitamin B in the diets of some Asian cultures lead to the disease known as beriberi, another deadly illness. The lack of vitamin B12, well known for its role in supplying energy, can create pernicious anemia. This disease has many different symptoms, but the most major is severe fatigue.

Considerations
Today, there are set guidelines for the amounts of specific vitamins that humans need each day. The recommended daily allowances are chosen so that the body will perform at its optimum capacity and so that illnesses caused by the lack of these vitamins can be avoided. Most doctors believe that if you eat a completely balanced diet, full of vegetables, fruits, meats and grain, you will get all of the vitamins you need for a day. If your diet is less than balanced, a multivitamin might make sure that you are getting all the vitamins you need to be healthy.

Functions of All of the Vitamins

The function of all vitamins in the human body is extensive and complex. Vitamins serve multiple roles and they work together to perform many functions, from reducing infection to aiding metabolism. Taking in insufficient amounts of vitamins can result in deficiencies, and taking in excessive amounts can result in toxicities; both can cause health problems. A well-rounded diet with a variety of foods is ideal for supplying the body with an appropriate amount of the vitamins it needs to function to the best of its ability.

Types
Vitamins can be categorized in one of two ways--fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins. Vitamins A, D, E and K are the fat-soluble vitamins. They require the presence of fat for their absorption and are stored in the liver. Water-soluble vitamins include vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins. The B vitamins include thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, B6, B12, folate, biotin and pantothenic acid. Water-soluble vitamins are lost through urination and are not stored in the body.

Function
Vitamin A is important for eye health and supports a healthy immune system. Beta carotene is a precursor to vitamin A and acts as an antioxidant which protects the body from free radical damage. Vitamin D assists with the absorption of calcium. Vitamin E is also an antioxidant, protecting healthy cells much like beta carotene. Vitamin K is important for blood clotting. Vitamin C plays a role in the synthesis of neurotransmitters important in brain function and collagen, a structural component of the body. It is important for wound healing and acts as an antioxidant. Thiamine is important in the function of the nervous system, helps release energy from the food we eat and promotes normal appetite. Niacin has a similar function to thiamine and also promotes healthy skin. Riboflavin is also like niacin and thiamine, in addition to promoting healthy vision. Vitamin B6 is important for protein metabolism, fat utilization and red blood cell formation. Vitamin B12 plays a role in the synthesis of genetic material, red blood cell formation and helps maintain a healthy nervous system. Folate prevents spinal birth defects and lowers homocystein levels. Biotin works to release energy from carbohydrates and to synthesize fat. Pantothenic acid plays a role in energy production and hormone development.


Prevention/Solution
In addition to their functions within the body, vitamins are important for the prevention of disease. The antioxidant action of beta carotene, vitamin E and vitamin C protects cells, reducing the risk of cancer. In addition, vitamins E and C work hand in hand. Once vitamin E serves its purpose as an antioxidant it becomes inactive, however, vitamin C has been found to regenerate vitamin E. Vitamin A reduces the risk of night blindness. Vitamin D's role in bone health helps prevent osteoporosis. Folate's action to lower homocystein levels links it to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Deficiency
While it is rare to see major deficiencies of fat-soluble vitamins due to their storage, mild deficiencies can occur with the lack of a balanced diet. Children deficient in vitamin D can develop a bone disease called rickets. Lack of vitamin A can cause intestinal infections. Vitamin K deficiency can cause excessive bleeding. Deficiencies in water soluble vitamins are more common because they are not stored. Lack of vitamin C can cause infection and reduction in wound healing. Thiamine and niacin deficiency can result in mental confusion and muscle weakness. Insufficient intake of riboflavin and vitamin B6 can result in dermatitis. Folate and vitamin B12 deficiency can cause anemia. While uncommon, insufficient intake of biotin and pantothenic acid causes fatigue, nausea and abdominal cramping.

Toxicity
High doses of vitamins can result in toxicity. In much the opposite way as with deficiency, toxicity of water-soluble vitamins is rare, but it sometimes occurs in fat-soluble vitamins due to their storage in the body. Among water-soluble vitamins, abdominal cramping and bloating can occur with high doses of vitamin C, abnormal liver function can be seen with high niacin intakes and too much folate can mask a vitamin B12 deficiency, often causing anemia. Over-consumption of vitamin A can result in mild symptoms such as nausea and blurred vision, or more severe problems such as growth retardation. Too much vitamin D can cause nausea, weight loss, growth retardation and kidney damage. Vitamin E toxicity is uncommon, however, symptoms such as nausea and disorders with the digestive tract can occur. There are no reported toxicity symptoms with vitamin K.

How to Select Five Vitamins

More and more people are discovering the benefits of taking vitamins. Vitamins can not only help you stay healthy, but can help you recover from illness. There are many vitamins and vitamin combinations.

Instructions
1
Start with a multi-vitamin tablet that you'll take once daily when you want to select five basic vitamins. It's important to take a multi-vitamin, especially when you take other single kinds of vitamins or vitamin combinations. A good multi-vitamin contains all of the vitamins and minerals the body needs in the minimum recommended dosage. When you take one type of vitamin, the body will "search" for the others. So, it's important to take a multi-vitamin tablet to keep your system in balance.

2
Take vitamin C as one of the five vitamins you select for optimum health. Vitamin C is one of the antioxidants and it is also great for fighting infections. Vitamin C has been shown in studies to not only cure infections, but to also improve dental health. Vitamin C is so effective in treating infections, even dental infections respond to vitamin C. When taken regularly, vitamin C lowers the amount of bacteria in the mouth and limits the formation of plaque on teeth and gums.


3
Choose vitamin E as another of the five basic vitamins when you select nutritional supplements. Vitamin E is another of the antioxidants important for good circulation and heart health. Studies have shown that taking vitamin E regularly can help prevent heart disease and has many other benefits.

4
Select vitamin A as another one of the five vitamins you take regularly. Vitamin A teams up with vitamin C and vitamin E to protect your blood vessels and other body tissues. Vitamin A is also an important vitamin for building a healthy immune system.

5
Know that if you want to select five vitamins to take regularly, vitamin B6 is another good one. This vitamin is helpful in dealing with stress and the effects that stress can cause on the body. Vitamin B6 is also important for building and maintaining a powerful immune system.

Does One Need to Take Vitamins?

Like oxygen and water, vitamins are essential for maintaining a healthy body and mind. While some vitamins are replicated inside the body and obtained from other sources such as the Sun, daily intake of vitamins is necessary for a number of reasons including the ability to fight off sickness and disease. Either consumed through foods, or taken as supplements, vitamins are required by the body to function properly.


Digestive System Help
Vitamins can work to cure all types of digestive and stomach woes. Nausea and upset stomach can be soothed by lowering the production of acid in the stomach. Vitamins can also help in the breaking down of food to obtain the required nutrients and enzymes the body needs. It can then help to flush out the remaining waste through the excretory system and out of the body.

Cholesterol Help
Vitamins help balance the levels of cholesterol in the blood. By lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, the onset of coronary and other diseases is lessened. By the same token, by raising levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, the body is able to use the necessary cholesterol in its daily functions. Maintaining a healthy level of cholesterol in the body is vital for proper circulatory health.


Anti-Aging
Vitamins help to slow or reverse the oxidation of cells and tissue. Oxidation is the aging process by which skin and other tissue lose elasticity, become dry and are less likely to be able to regenerate and renew themselves. The vitamins help to keep the body younger by inhibiting the aging process. The underlying collagen is allowed to keep skin tighter, and wrinkle-free.

Heart Health
Vitamins work to lower blood pressure and aid the cardiovascular system. The blood is then able to flow easier throughout the body as it carries essential nutrients, all without making the heart pump harder through restricted walls. By relaxing the walls, the heart is protected from such ills as attacks, heart disease and stroke.

Mental Health
Vitamins contain enzymes very similar to those in the brain that control normal function and provide stability and cognitive processes. They work to stabilize these parts of the brain to ensure clear, precise thinking when faced with stressful situations. Symptoms such as "cloudiness" and "fog" are lifted, allowing the mind to better focus on tasks at hand.

Anti-Inflammatory
Vitamins provide anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce and soothe a number of ailments. Common colds and flu start from the respiratory system being inflamed, which can be halted from vitamin intake. Arthritis symptoms and asthma attacks are also results of inflammation in the body. Moreover, any inflamed areas throughout the body can be eased by vital nutrients the vitamins contain.

Immunity Assistance
Vitamins boost the immune system by seeking out free radicals and toxins throughout the body. They work to neutralize them before they can latch on to healthy cells and tissue and cause sickness and disease. They also help to bolster defense against allergies and other daily threats. In addition, they help to build white blood cells and antibodies that fight illnesses that attack the body.

Which Vitamins Should One Take?

One look at the vitamin section of most supermarkets and drug stores is enough to confuse most people. Which ones do you need? How much? What do they do for you? Here's a summary of the benefits of some major vitamins.
Vitamin A

Vitamin A strengthens the immune system, promotes healthy eyes and is important for the growth of cells and for healthy skin. Teenage boys should get 900 micrograms of vitamin A per day, while teenage girls should get no more than 700 micrograms. Overdosing on vitamin A--a risk especially if you taking acne medication that contains isotretinoin--can cause skin or liver damage.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is vital for the production of collagen, which helps hold cells together. Vitamin C is very important for the health of teeth, bones, gums and blood vessels. It helps the body absorb nutrients like calcium and iron, and helps the healing of wounds. Men need 75 mg a day; women, 65mg.


Vitamin B
The entire B family should be a part of your daily intake. Men and women need 2.4 micrograms of each B vitamin a day (about 200 IUs). Vitamin B12 is important for nerve cell function and red blood cell development. Vitamin B9 provides women with the folic acid they need to deliver a healthy child. A vitamin B7 deficiency can result in impaired growth and problems with infant development. Vitamin B6 helps break down proteins and assists in healthy brain functioning. Vitamin B5 provides the body with pantothenic acid, which prevents acne and keeps the skin healthy. Vitamin B3 supplements the body's niacin, which is essential for preventing dermatitis, mental confusion and diarrhea. Vitamin B2 is the bodies source of riboflavin which prevents cracks in the lips, sensitivity to sun light, and inflammation of the tongue. Vitamin B1 provides the body with thiamine, essential for preventing beriberi, a disease of the nervous system that can cause failed sensory perception and result in heart failure.

Vitamin Supplements vs Vitamins from Food
The Food and Drug Administration as well as numerous medical sites and journals attest to the importance of using food as the main source of nutrients, supplemented as necessary by vitamin supplements. Not all of the biologically active components in food have been identified, so there's no telling what other nutrients you might get from food but not a pill.

How to Teach Personal Hygiene

Teaching children about the importance of personal hygiene is necessary. When children are attending preschool or elementary school, they will be interacting with other children. By this time, it is especially important for them to know the basics of good personal hygiene. Here are some tips that will help anyone who is trying to teach personal hygiene.


Instructions
1
Begin teaching your child at a young age. It is often hard to teach an older child about personal hygiene, but this does not mean that it's impossible to do so. Teaching your children early on, and continuing to teach them throughout their teens, is key to successfully instilling a sense of personal hygiene.

2
Teach your child how to properly wipe after going to the bathroom. Many parents are under the impression that this is something that children learn on their own, but it isn't. Both genders should be taught how to wipe properly. However, it is much more important to teach girls how to reduce the risk of getting an infection due to improper wiping.


3
Reinforce hand washing. Teaching your child to use warm water and soap to wash his hands is very important. It is important to remember that he will learn by watching you, so wash your own hands after using the restroom or before doing anything in the kitchen.

4
Start a bathing routine. Having your child take a bath or shower at the same time every night will help encourage her to do it on her own later in life. While children who are very young only require a bath every other night, it is important for older children to bathe every day.

5
Teach your child to use deodorant when he is ready. This will usually happen in the pre-teenage years. Letting him know that body odors can occur if he does not use deodorant or bathe on a daily basis can encourage him to do it on his own.

6
Get your child in the routine of brushing her teeth. It is important to have her brush her teeth in the morning and at night. You also may want to encourage her to brush midday. As children get older, it is also a good idea to teach them to floss.

7
Talk to your daughter about personal hygiene involving menstruation. Let her know that it is important to bathe during this time. Be sure to talk to her about the importance of changing tampons or sanitary napkins every three hours to reduce the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome.

How do I Create a Personal Hygiene Chart for Children?

Teaching your child about personal hygiene is an important step in helping her become independent. Once she learns how to do things like brush her teeth and change her clothes on her own, you won't have to worry about doing those tasks for her. Creating a personal hygiene to-do list chart will help educate your children on how to take care of themselves.

Instructions
1
Use a large poster board as your personal hygiene chart.

2
List all of the personal hygiene tasks you would like your child to complete on the left-hand side of the chart. The list should extend from the top of the left-hand side to the bottom of the left-hand side. Include things like brush your teeth, put on clean clothes, wash your hands and face, and take a bath. If your child isn't able to read yet, include images of tasks, like brushing teach, instead of writing the words.


3
Write the days of the week on the top of the board, extending from the left-hand side of the board to the right-hand side of the board.

4
Write "AM/PM" for each day and corresponding chore. If the task is something that only needs to be done once a day, like taking a shower, then only put AM or PM.

5
Tell your child to put a sticker on the chart when he completes each task. At the end of the day, there should be two stickers for each task that has to be completed twice a day, like brushing the teeth. This chart will be helpful until your child learns to do personal hygiene chores every day without being reminded.

Kids' Personal Grooming Activities

It's clear kids aren't born knowing how to keep themselves clean, so it is essential for parents, educators or mentors to take on the responsibility of teaching them good hygiene. A daily routine can be established and reinforced when children are young, allowing the healthy habits to become second nature. The importance of personal grooming can be stressed via fun activities such as games, crafts and songs, while at home or in a school setting.

Toothbrushing Activities
The egg experiment, where an egg is immersed in vinegar and left until it becomes soft and yellow, is one that most dramatically demonstrates how teeth can become decayed. Children can also poke a hole in the skin of an apple and watch its progress over a week; relating the browning puncture to a cavity. Practice using good tooth-brushing techniques by brushing the skin of the apple. Books such as "The Berenstein Bears Visit the Dentist" can also remind children of good brushing habits in an entertaining way.

Hand-washing Activities
Hand-washing is an element of hygiene that children often want to skip. Activities like covering kids hands in glitter, asking them to wash it off and then examining the spots where glitter is still present will help kids visualize the problem areas and focus on cleaning every part of their hands. Or for a larger group of kids, give one child a handful of confetti or paper squares as “germs.” Then have all of the children shake each others' hands for 30 seconds; the child with the “germs” should give some paper to each child he shakes hands with, and these children should then hand them to children they shake hands with. Discuss when hand-washing is essential: after using the restroom, coughing or sneezing.


Hair-brushing Activities
Have children draw their faces on paper plates and give them yarn to add as their hair. While the glue dries, talk about what happens when their hair is not cared for. Let them demonstrate unbrushed hair on the paper plates. Show children how to use a brush gently so it doesn't pull or hurt. Give them brushes with soft bristles to practice on one another. Be sure each child has his or her own brush and explain why hairbrushes are an item they should not share.

Personal Grooming for Older Kids
Even kids who are well past the age when they need to have help combing their hair, personal grooming can be an issue. Older kids will be more amenable to a discussion of personal hygiene than to playing a grooming game or doing a craft. Talk to them about using deodorant, washing their faces, and keeping feet dry. Consider leading a sensitive discussion about cultural differences regarding hygiene practices and about exercising sensitivity toward one's peers to avoid teasing about acne or body odor.

How to Put on an Olympic Swimmer's Bodysuit

Olympic bodysuits keep the core temperature of a swimmer regulated. Staying warm is a must for swimmers -- especially during Olympic trials and competition. Bodysuits also help swimmers glide in the water. Putting on an Olympic swimmer's bodysuit is harder than it looks. The constricting spandex material makes putting on and removing the suit a hassle. Adopt a few handy tricks used by Olympic athletes to get into and take off bodysuits in record time.

Instructions
1
Lather the entire surface area of your feet and hands with a skin balm. Rub a BodyGlide stick, for example, over hands and feet to cover these areas with anti-chafe lubricant and make appendages slide into bodysuits easier.

2
Put socks or small plastic bags over your hands and feet if you do not have skin lubricant. Socks and plastic bags add a slick texture to your appendages for easier entrance into the suit.


3
Slide your feet in first and pull the body suit up over your thighs. Wiggle your thighs and hips and pull the suit up on the left side and right side one inch at a time. Continue until the bottom half of the suit is on and in place before sliding in your arms -- if the suit has sleeves.

4
Take off the suit by removing one arm at a time. Roll and/or push the upper portion of the suit down to the waist line. Push the lower half of the suit off as you bend your knees upward -- in a bicycle motion -- one leg at a time.

Chewing Your Food Properly May Prevent Diabetes

It seems your parents were on to something when they told you to chew your food properly. Scientists have learned that people who chew for a long time and don't rush mealtimes not only avoid indigestion but also improve their chances of avoiding diabetes.
Researchers have discovered that those who don’t wolf down their meals are two-and-a-half times more at risk of contracting the problem. The theory is that this happens because eating very quickly encourages weight gain which can trigger the illness.
The study was conducted by researchers in Lithuania who studied 702 people, including 234 who had just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. They answered detailed questionnaires about their lifestyles and subjects such as diets, exercise and whether they smoked.
Lead researcher Dr Lina Radzeviciene from Lithuanian University of Health Sciences said: ‘The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing globally and becoming a world pandemic. It appears to involve interaction between susceptible genetic backgrounds and environmental factors. ‘It’s important to identify modifiable risk factors that may help people reduce their chances of developing the disease.’
The scientists - who presented their study at the International Congress of Endocrinology and European Congress of Endocrinology in Florence, Italy - did not explain why eating fast appeared to be linked to type 2 diabetes.However, it is generally accepted that obesity is a primary cause of the illness. It’s not the first study that has indicated that the modern habit of eating too quickly is causing problems in the modern generation. 
A study last year warned rising numbers of children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Figures suggest up to 1,400 have type 2 diabetes - a few decades ago there were virtually no sufferers.
But David Speigelhalter, a professor in the public understanding of risk at Cambridge  University, warned that the study was too small to extract any definite conclusions.: 'This is one of those many small studies that raise an interesting question but don't prove causation. It is a huge and unjustified jump to say that eating slower reduces your risk of getting diabetes.'

How Does a Swimmer Build Endurance?


Building endurance requires repetition.

Building endurance for swimming cannot be rushed. It takes dedication and perseverance for a swimmer to develop proper breath support and muscle memory to draw upon when swimming for long periods. By swimming different drills that focus on speed, form and endurance, your swimming style will improve and you will be able to swim longer distances more efficiently. For a beginner, swimming three or four times per week for shorter durations will build your endurance faster than swimming for longer, less frequent sessions. Once you are a seasoned swimmer, training two or three times per week is sufficient.


Breath Support and Rhythm
Exhale under water when swimming. Often times, people will try to inhale and exhale when they lift their head. By exhaling under water, you allow yourself a full inhale breath when you lift your head out of the water. Count your strokes. This will help you maintain a regular rhythm and keep your stroke length consistent. Keep your head aligned with your spine and look down to make your body aerodynamic.

Arms and Legs
Keep your legs together as much as possible. When you lift your head to inhale, touch your big toes together. Keep your elbow high as you pull through a stroke. Be sure to push through the entire stroke as much as you can. Begin by pushing firmly through five strokes, then pushing less for the next five strokes while maintaining your rhythm. Gradually increase the number of strong strokes with each endurance training session.

Form Training

Warm up by swimming one 25-meter lap, then one 50-meter lap. Swim three 25-meter laps focusing on the pull of your right arm through a stroke, using a pull buoy if desired. Swim three 25-meter laps focusing on the pull of your left arm through a stroke. Then swim three 25-meter laps, focusing on your kick and its effectiveness. While working on your kick laps, lessen the pull of your stroke but keep the integrity of the stroke. Cool down by swimming the warm-up pattern at a slow but steady pace. After three to four weeks, you will be able to swim this pattern easily. At that point increase the laps in 25 meter increments, up to 150 meters.

Endurance Training

Swim one 25-meter lap, then one 50-meter lap to warm up. Swim two laps, focusing on your pull and stroke. Swim two more laps, focusing on your kick. Swim a ladder exercise, beginning with 25 meters, then increase to 50, 75, then 100 meters. Decrease your swimming to 75, then 50 and lastly 25 meters, with brief rest periods in between. Cool down by swimming the warm up pattern at a slow but steady pace. Once you can swim this ladder exercise easily, increase the laps in 25 meter increments over time while decreasing your rest period.

How Does an Olympic Swimmer Train?

Nutrition
Nutrition is an important part of training for any Olympic athlete but even more so for swimmers. Swimming burns a lot of calories. A 150-pound body doing vigorous freestyle laps can burn nearly 700 calories in an hour. Many Olympic swimmers will swim more than six or seven miles a week. Nutrition should be targeted to build a balance between endurance and muscle strength because of the stringent training requirements. Protein, protein supplements and carbohydrates should be a major part of the diet. Michael Phelps consumed 12,000 calories a day, six times the amount of an average man's intake.

Weight Training
Weight training for Olympic swimmers should be focused on building long and strong muscles. A swimmer's body should have enough strength to cut through water resistance while providing enough flexibility to perform repetitive motions like the various swimming strokes. The legs should be strong enough to get a good push off of the walls for turns, yet able to maintain the propelling kicks. Some lifting techniques for Olympic swimmers focus on range of motion, especially with the arms. All repetitions should be performed at their maximum length with medium to heavy resistance. One exercise involves strengthening the shoulders through standing raises. Swimmers stand with their feet one foot apart while holding dumbbells at thigh level in each hand. They raise their arms slowly to shoulder level with palms facing each other. Then they turn their palms to face the floor and slowly lower the weights. Weight training should be at least 30 minutes a day (not including warm-ups), two times a week.

Recovery
Forty-one-year-old Dana Torres emphasized recovery as part of her Olympic training. She became the oldest person to win a swimming medal in the 2008 Olympics. Torres included massages as part of her regular workout, aiding the muscles in recovering faster from strenuous workouts. Her massages were not the spa-type of relaxing rub downs. They often included two people standing on and kneading her muscles, applying great pressure. Ice baths are also a good way to recover. Since swimming requires use of almost all the major muscle groups, it isn't uncommon for there to be great soreness after training. Ice baths help reduce swelling and soreness faster, allowing Olympic swimmers to train more often throughout the week.

Mental Training
Swimming in a crowded gym with thousands of onlookers may seem like a lot of pressure for an athlete. With the entire world watching, the pressure can multiply a hundred fold. That's why mental toughness is also a part of Olympic training. From sun up to sun down, the focus on swimming could easily be taken away by a multitude of distractions. Interviews, autographs, tours, crowds and competing against the best in the world can't come easy. Olympic swimmers must strengthen their minds to focus on the event at hand. Some swimmers develop routines like listening to certain songs or self-talk before hitting the water.

Swimming
Olympic swimmers don't just hit the pool and do laps all day; they practice all the techniques needed to shave off those precious seconds from their times. Almost every aspect of swimming is studied, from the mechanics of the stroke to the push-off at the end of each lap. For example, olympic coaches may focus on sculling, the action of moving your hands near your head to complete a stroke. The amount of time an Olympic swimmer spends in a pool training depends on the events they swim. Dana Torres, a sprint swimmer, trained at least two hours a day swimming 5,000 meters worth of specialized laps and drills. Famed Olympian Janet Evans, who set world records in middle and long-distance events, swam up to 12 miles a day when she trained. Rebecca Adlington, another competitive swimmer, reported she swam at least one two-hour session per day in the pool, with a few days of two two-hour sessions. Each session involved 3,000 to 8,000 meters of swimming and water aerobics.

You've Bean Framed - Humble Bean My Not Be To Blame For Flatulence

There’s nothing quite as unpleasant as excessive flatulence - both for the sufferer and the person, well, downwind of them.
But it seems that the food most commonly associated with this unfortunate disorder may have been treated unfairly. In fact, it could be a case of 'you've bean framed' when it comes to intestinal wind.

The findings are likely to bring a smile to manufacturers of beans  everywhere and especially the mighty Heinz corporation.
In a study published in the Nutrition Journal Donna Winham of Arizona State University and Andrea Hutchins of the University of Colorado, say that “People's concerns about excessive flatulence from eating beans may be exaggerated."
The authors added:"Many consumers avoid eating beans because they believe legume consumption will cause excessive intestinal gas or flatulence."
The university academics asked volunteers eat half a cup of beans daily and to fill in a weekly questionnaire. At the end of the first seven days less than 50 per cent of the bean eaters reported increases in gas production.
But as the study progressed so the researchers started getting responses they had not been expecting. "Seventy per cent or more of the participants who experienced flatulence felt that it dissipated by the second or third week of bean consumption."
Donna Winham and Andrea Hutchins have come up with a theory to explain this phenomena and say that it boils down to beans garnering an undeserved reputation so that people really belive that they will give them wind, or as the academics put it “beans owe their unhappy reputation to psychological anticipation of flatulence problems".
But being academia it may well be that their findings could spark an ongoing debate in the world of university studies. For instance, their study is almost precisely opposite to the findings of a study by Geoffrey Wynne-Jones of Waikato Hospital in Hamilton, New Zealand, in 1975.
Dr Wynn-Jones published a treatise in highly respected medical journal The Lancet, under the heading Flatus Retention is the Major Factor in Diverticular Disease.  As he went on to explain: "Diverticular disease is confined to modern urban communities: flatus retention in a rural, primitive society would be pointless. It afflicts the cultured, the refined, the considerate. It should be recognised as originating in suppression of a normal bodily function."
Or to put it in other words, you need to avoid “windy foods” and the doctor said beans were a prime culprit.

Rising US Obesity Rates Hits Organ Donation

The growing crisis of obesity in America is causing a new and unforeseen problem - a massive shortage of organ donors who are slim and fit enough to undergo the necessary operation.

A major study has discovered that obesity has been a strong reason for potential donors to be turned away from donating organs such as their kidneys.
Researchers at the North Shore-LIJ Health System Transplant Center in New York and Feinstein Institute for Medical Research found that almost a quarter of willing donors in a test group were initially excluded because they were obese. And only a small percentage of those rejected were then able to lose sufficient weight to donate.
There are no set limits, but broadly speaking, people who have a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or more are excluded. But with America’s average waistline expanding at a terrifying rate, this is preventing more and more people from taking part in organ donation programs.
This is a big problem which is costing people their lives. Around 7,000 patients waiting for a kidney transplant die each year because they can’t get a replacement organ in time.

Dr Mala Sachdeva, who led the research at the North Shore-LIJ Health System Transplant Center believes that to get more donors transplant facilities have to encourage more aggressive weight loss programs and join social support groups to encourage people more to lose pounds.
Something needs to be done to increase the number of live donors but also to make it as safe as possible for them to donate,' Sachdeva said.
National Kidney Foundation President Dr Lynda Szczech backed him in his claims about ‘the impact of obesity as a barrier to donation.’ ‘As the kidney transplant waiting list grows, there is a great need for living donors,’ Szczech said.
America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that US obesity rates will rise to 42 per cent by the year 2030. At the moment obesity already affects an estimated 78 million adults and 12.5million children in the US - a frightening statistic.

Burma's AIDS crisis at breaking point

Burma's AIDS crisis at breaking point
Only 1 in 8 people in Burma are receiving treatment for HIV and Aids, according to shocking new figures.

It’s estimated that there are 240,000 people with HIV in Burma, half of whom urgently need antiretroviral treatment (ART) drug treatment if they are to survive according to doctors. In 2010, it is reckoned that less than 30,000 of these people were receiving the drugs.
Burma is poorest country in southeast Asia, with one third of people below the poverty line and the Government only able to pay for around 30 per cent of all healthcare. The reality is that few of the Aids and HIV sufferers will ever be able to afford the treatment, which the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), says costs just $30 a month.
"We see patients crawling in, some lethargic and near death, some trying to drag themselves in," said Dr Maria Guevara, medical co-ordinator at MSF, who are the largest provider of ART in Burma. "As doctors, to be faced with that and have to say we can't give them treatment because they don't meet our criteria; it's tragic. We are having to say no to people we know will just get sicker and die."
As if this isn’t bad enough, Burma’s tuberculosis in Burma is nearly three times the global average, partly because it attacks HIV patients in particular.
MSF had been hoping that the  Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria would give them the funds to treat an extra 46,500 people - but those hopes were dashed last year when the fund announced it was short of cash.
"The fact they have withdrawn the round is a true failure," said Guevara. "Understandably, there are issues economically and internationally, but the commitment is still there. The pledges were made. By doing this they didn't just fail themselves, they failed everyone they made commitments to. And that means lives."
As a result, the ART drugs are being rationed by doctors. Already death rates are up by 25 per cent on last year.

Polio Vaccination Program At 'Make Or Break' Poing

Polio Vaccination Program At 'Make Or Break' Poing
Hopes of eradicating polio are on a knife-edge with authorities turning to some unlikely sources for help, the World Health Organisation, or WHO, has admitted.
Polio has been 99 per cent eliminated in most of the world since the development of vaccines in the 1950s. Today, oral medicines mean it is almost non existent in the developing world.
But there are three remaining polio problem nations - Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. And the WHO is warning that if it is not tackled in these countries now there is a real danger that the illness will make a comeback - and blight the lives hundreds of thousands of children.
According to Sona Bari, spokeswoman for the polio eradication programme at the World Health Organisation, the world faced a “now or never” moment.
“We are really on a tipping point between success and failure,” she said.
As a result, the WHO is poised to declare a health emergency to attract funding and prevent the spread of the illness by allowing poorer nations to vaccinate visitors from affected countries when they arrive at their airports.

Each of the three countries affected have different problems. In Afghanistan the ongoing conflict with the Taliban makes it difficult for drugs to get to children while in Nigeria, the health system is fragmented and inefficient.
In Pakistan, there is also a problem with Muslim preachers, who preach that the polio programme is an American plot to make Muslims infertile. This has been fuelled by the fact that the CIA used a fake hepatitis vaccination campaign last year to detect the presence of Osama Bin Laden.
Now, however, clerics are joining the WHO in arguing in favour of vaccination. Sami ul-Haq, known as the father of the Taliban, recently launched an immunisation drive at his madrassah, near the north-western city of Peshawar, giving oral drops to his own grandson.
“Giving polio drops to children is very much Islamic,” he reassured people.

Health Dangers of Cannabis Underestimated by Young

Doctors are warning that young people are unaware of the potential health risks of cannabis.
According to the British Lung Foundation (BLF), smoking the drug poses a 20-times greater risk of lung cancer per cigarette than tobacco smoking.
The findings say the drug is used by more than a third of people under 24, but the vast majority, more than 80 per cent, think it is less of a cancer risk than tobacco.
A further one in three were unaware that research has linked smoking cannabis to a range of other problems including complications with respiratory and circulatory systems and even  psychiatric problems.
The BLF  said the findings were "alarming". "New research continues to reveal the multiple health consequences of smoking cannabis. There is still a dangerous lack of public awareness of quite how harmful this drug can be," said Dame Helena Shovelton, BLF chief executive.
"Young people in particular are smoking cannabis unaware that each cannabis cigarette they smoke increases their chances of developing lung cancer by as much as an entire packet of 20 tobacco cigarettes."
She called for a public health campaign to "dispel the myth that smoking cannabis is somehow a safe pastime".
It is believed that cannabis smoking is more harmful because drug smokers inhale more deeply and hold it longer than tobacco smokers. Some research has found that the average puff on a cannabis joint is two-thirds larger and is held four times longer than the average puff of a tobacco cigarette.

This means cannabis users inhales four times as much tar and five times as much carbon monoxide. The smoke particles become more concentrated and more harmful.
According to police officials the modern day drug is more powerful than ever before. The concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been linked to an increased heart disease and suppression of the immune system.
Concern has also focused on the drug's impact on mental health, particularly on a small group of vulnerable users with an inherited predisposition to schizophrenia.
An important mitigating factor is that most cannabis users give up in their 30s which has a big role factor in cigarette-induced lung cancer. Studies in Sweden and the US found no increase in deaths.

Choc-Full Of Goodness - Chocolate Really Is Healthy

Here's some great news for chocoholics everywhere - scientists have found even more evidence that consuming chocolate is good for our health.
The health benefits of chocolate have been known for some time with studies indicating it can help protect against high blood pressure and cut the risk of diabetes. But now research scientists have unearthed evidence that it also helps protect people with high risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The research was conducted by a  team from universities in Melbourne, Australia. They used a mathematical model to predict the effects and cost effectiveness of eating a small amount of dark chocolate every day.
The team tested a sample of 2,013 individuals at high risk of heart disease because of a mix of problems  including raised blood pressure, obesity, high fat levels in the blood and an inability to control blood sugar levels. However, none of the sample, who were monitored over a decade, had a history of heart disease or diabetes and they were not on blood pressure drugs.
The results were spectacular and showed that daily consumption of 100g of dark chocolate could potentially avert 70 non-fatal and 15 fatal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people treated over ten years. The results were published on the British Medical Journal's site bmj.com
It could be an effective cost-effective treatment, costing $37 a year per head of population.
The study found that milk or white chocolate does have not provide the same benefits. Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids which are known to have heart protecting effects.
Of course there are sceptics who argue that chocolate can't be a long term health treatment because its high calorie content will offset the benefits. But it adds strength to previous research that shows eating chocolate reduces blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity, reducing the risk of diabetes.

How to Become an Olympic Swimmer

If swimming is your passion and it is something at which you excel, you may wish to become an Olympic swimmer. This dream is possible, though it does require a lot of work and dedication, and you have to start young. Read on to learn how to be an Olympic swimmer.
Instructions
1
Choose the event in which you excel. The Olympic events are freestyle (50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 meters for women and men and up to 1500 meters for men), backstroke (100 and 200 meters), breast stroke (100 and 200 meters), butterfly (100 and 200 meters) and 200 and 400 meter individual medleys.

2
Join your school swimming team if your school offers one. If not, join the one at the local YMCA or Boys and Girls Club.


3
Practice all the time. Practice while the team practices, but also practice on your own. Even when you're on vacation or when the swimming season's passed, find a pool, stay in shape and work on improving your times.

4
Advance from competitive level to competitive level. As you grow older and your fitness level increases, you can compete in more advanced competitions.

5
Find the Local Swimming Committee in your area. That information is available at the USA Swimming website. As the site states, "Each LSC is responsible for administering USA Swimming activities in a defined geographical area and has its own set of bylaws under which it operates." Through the LSC, you can find swim clubs in the area that offer you an opportunity to advance in USA Swimming recognized events. You need to become a member before doing so.

6
Meet the Olympic Trails qualifying times for your event. Once you succeed in doing this, you are eligible to compete in the U.S. Olympic trials. The team will consist of 26 men and 260 women.

New High-Tech T-Shirt Is Future Of Health Monitoring

New High-Tech T-Shirt Is Future Of Health Monitoring
Going to the doctor for a check up could soon be a thing of the past.
Scientists in Spain believe they have developed ‘intelligent T-shirts’ that are capable of monitoring vital signs such as heart rate and temperature.
The T-shirts, which are expected to go on sale to the general public this year,are made of conductive 'e-textiles' which have electrodes integrated into the fabric. These are used to measure a person's heart rate and can even take an ECG.
The raw data is collected by what is technically known as an 'acquisition device' which is worn around the neck under the T-shirt. From there the data is sent wirelessly to a computerised management system, which interprets the results.
And that’s not all the T-shirt does. The ‘acquisition device’ element also includes a thermometer that presses against the skin and another specialist instrument, an accelerometer, which indicates how active the patient is, whether they are lying down or sitting up and so forth.
If a key indicator reaches a dangerous level, an alarm is triggered so that doctors can intervene either by contacting the patient or - in extreme cases - sending an ambulance.
The T-shirt is an important breakthrough that will particularly help keep patients from having to spend time in over-crowded surgeries and hospital wards.
'The idea of it is to be non-intrusive,' said developer Jose Ignacio Moreno, from Carlos III  University in Madrid.

'The patient can be monitored in real-time without any cables due to the wireless platform, so they can stay in bed or walk around as they wish.'
The advantages of the T-shirts are numerous, from freeing up patient and doctors to get on with their lives to combating the threat of picking up hospital bugs such as MRSA by staying at home. The shirts can even be washed in standard washing machines, allowing patients to keep them clean of infections and bugs.
The first pilot scheme and special management centre was set up 18 months ago by four Spanish companies in partnership with Jose Moreno, Gregorio Lopez, and Victor Custodio at Carlos III University in Madrid and was tested by five patients at the Cardiology Unit of La Paz Hospital in Madrid. Results were so encouraging that the shirts are now being offered to a much wider audience.
Soon millions of people could be getting on with their day-to-day lives while at the same time wearing discreetly concealed heart monitors and thermometers.

How to Increase Stamina Fast

How to Increase Stamina FastAccording to the book "Fit To Be Well," exercise can cause fatigue immediately after the activity, whether it is running, jogging or walking. Over a long enough term, stamina will increase and fatigue will be reduced. Increasing stamina does take a bit of time, so the fastest way to increase stamina is work out every day and more each day than the last. However, give your body at least one day of rest a week to recover.

Instructions
1
Turn on the treadmill at its lowest setting or at a speed that is a normal walking or running pace for you. Use the treadmill for no less than 20 minutes. According to the book "Lifetime Physical Fitness & Wellness," the treadmill is the best machine to use to increase stamina.

2
Increase the speed of the treadmill and distance you walk or run the second day. You can determine how much faster you want to go. On the second day, walk or run for 10 minutes longer than you did the previous day.

3
Increase again, each day, both time and speed. For a walker, this increase will stop when you reach your fastest walking speed. For joggers or runners, this increase will stop when at the fastest speed at which you can maintain for the desired amount of time you want to jog or run.

Treadmill for Beginners

Treadmill for Beginners
With all the different styles of treadmills, it may daunting for a beginner to know which treadmill to use for his routine. Basic treadmills provide a few different speeds, while more advanced ones will have more functions, including inclines to simulate walking uphill. Take time to examine the treadmills before choosing one.

Buying
Buy your treadmill from a trusted dealer, retail store or manufacturer. Make sure that if you need help with your treadmill, you will be able to call and have your questions answered. Even though a treadmill seems simple enough to use, you may have questions about some of the advanced functions or you may need to get a part replaced.

Features
As a beginner, you will not use many of the more advanced features that the more expensive treadmills offer. However, there will come a time that you will advance to these levels and if you do not have a treadmill with features, such as inclines for climbing, you may have to purchase another treadmill to advance in your workout, and this would be additional money spent. It's often better to buy the treadmill with more advanced features in the beginning. However, if you purchase a more advanced treadmill and then abandon your workout, you spent more than you needed to. Weigh these factors to help decide what is best for you.

Workout
When you first use a treadmill, start slowly. Make sure you know how your treadmill operates and the safe way to get on and off the treadmill. Start with the treadmill in the slowest position and walk for a while to get the feel of the treadmill. It may surprise you, since it is not quite the same as natural walking, so spend some time getting to know this feel.

When you are ready, slowly increase the speed of the treadmill until you are walking comfortably. Walk for about 10 to 15 minutes and then take a break so you do not overdo it at first. Each day, or every couple of days, add five more minutes to your workout. Pay attention to how your body feels when adding more time to your workout.

As you get used to the workout, try some of the other features of the treadmill. Incline it slightly so you are simulating walking uphill. At first only walk uphill for five minutes and then gradually bring the treadmill back down to level. Increase the time and the steepness of the incline gradually each day or every other day.

Before beginning your new treadmill routine, do not forget to tell your health care provider about your new regimen. Most of the time, your health care provider will applaud your efforts.

Treadmill Routines for Beginners

Treadmill Routines for Beginners
Some runners find treadmills boring because of the lack of scenery, but you can mix things up with a structured routine. If you're a beginner, don't try to run too fast; instead, try a walking routine with different incline settings or a short, light-jogging-and-walking workout. Treadmills can help you get fit without having to run aimlessly for hours.

Walking Routines
If you want to begin using your treadmill with a walking routine, try walking as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then slow the pace down for two minutes. Repeat this cycle about eight times for a 20-minute workout.

If you're trying to lose weight, do a steady mid-pace walk for 45 minutes to an hour. This aerobic workout will help keep your heart rate up and burn fat.

If you're trying to build your endurance, power walk (walk with your back straight, chest out, arms swinging) for about five miles, or up to 10 miles.

Alternating Routines
Alternate jogging or running with walking as a good way to begin a running routine without tiring yourself out too much. Try this: Begin by walking to warm up, and then take five minutes to slowly increase your pace until you're jogging. Back off the pace slightly for five minutes, and then slow to a walk for three minutes. Run or jog for four to five minutes, then decrease your pace to a walk for five minutes. This routine should take you 20 to 30 minutes.

For a quick 20-minute routine with incline, warm up by walking for five minutes with no incline, and then increase your pace until you're at a moderate speed with a 1 percent incline. Hold this pace for three minutes, and then increase your incline 1 to 3 percent for one minute. Decrease your speed and your incline for three minutes, then increase your speed three to five increments on the treadmill and increase your incline 1 to 2 percent for one minute. Decrease your speed and incline to a very slight incline for three minutes, then cool down for five minutes.

How to Get an Anaerobic Workout

How to Get an Anaerobic Workout
Anaerobic workouts can burn just as many calories as aerobic workouts in a fraction of the time. While aerobic workouts involve a steady increase in heart rate over a long period of time, anaerobic workouts require short bursts of intense activity. In combination with aerobic exercise, anaerobic workouts can contribute to an overall fitness program.

Instructions
1
Make sure that you are rested and motivated. An anaerobic work out requires intense bursts of energy. You can't do this if you are feeling tired or lazy. Eat a good meal so you are energized. The goal of anaerobic exercise is to spike your metabolism. You body will continue to burn calories long after your workout is over. Anaerobic exercise also builds muscle, which burns more calories.

2
Start with wind sprints. This is the fastest and easiest way to exhaust yourself in a very short period of time. Find a small hill and sprint as fast as you can to the top. Really pump your arms and legs hard to accelerate all the way up. Jog back down and sprint up again. Do not lose intensity. Go "all out" every time. They are called wind sprints because you should be winded after a few of them. Try to do 10.



3
Hit the bag. If you are a boxer or martial artist then put on some gloves and find a punching bag. Do flurry drills. Get a timer and set it for 30-second intervals. Punch and kick the bag without stopping for 30 seconds then rest for 30 seconds. Try to do 10 of these intervals.

4
Do intense calisthenics. You can try pushups, situps, jumping jacks or a combination. For pushups, do 20 hard and fast then rest for 30 seconds then do another set. Don't cheat. Go all the way down and push all the way up. For situps and jumping jacks go "all out" for 30 seconds then rest for 30 seconds. Don't cheat. Do them as fast and as hard as you can.

5
Pump yourself up with weight circuits. Lifting weights may be the ultimate anaerobic exercise since it requires intense bursts of energy. However, to take advantage of this you must ratchet up the intensity. It is not an anaerobic workout if you spend all afternoon in the gym and rest for minutes between sets. Plan your weight circuit before you begin. Go from one weight lifting exercise to another with no more than a few seconds rest. You can work on opposing muscle groups so your muscles won't all give out at once. For example, do bench presses followed by pullups then squats. Keep going for at least 15 minutes.

Aerobic & Anaerobic Training Benefits

Aerobic & Anaerobic Training Benefits
In the dictionary, aerobic means "with oxygen" and anaerobic means "without oxygen." In the fitness world, these terms describe two distinct styles of exercise that offer very different training results. Fortunately, there's no need to choose. Combine them both into an integrated fitness plan and gain the benefits of each.

History
Dr. Kenneth Cooper popularized the term "aerobics" in 1968 when he published his best-selling book of the same name. "Aerobics" became synonymous with sustained, repetitive exercise at a moderate rate of exertion. The movement really took off in the 1980s with Covert Bailey's "Fit or Fat" books and television appearances. Cooper and Bailey believed that aerobic exercise alone was the key to good health and longevity. Millions took up jogging and flocked up to aerobic dance studios. The aerobics culture even entered pop culture with the movie "Perfect," starring John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis, and Olivia Newton-John's video for the song "Physical."

Now we know that both aerobic and anaerobic exercises are part of a well-rounded fitness plan. These days, even Covert Bailey advocates anaerobic speed intervals and resistance exercises along with moderate aerobics.

Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise relies on oxygen for fuel. Any activity that consistently elevates your heart rate to 50 percent to 80 percent of maximum for 20 minutes or more can be aerobic. Jogging, dancing, power walking and swimming are just a few examples. To determine your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For example, if you are 35 years old, your maximum heart rate is 185. Any activity that keeps your heart rate between 93 and 148 beats per minute is aerobic. Regular aerobic exercise conditions your whole cardiovascular system for a healthier heart and lungs.



Anaerobic Exercise
Anaerobic exercises are brief bursts of maximal effort. Feel the burn? Lactic acid builds up in your muscles during all-out effort, resulting in the burning sensation that's the hallmark of anaerobic training. Weightlifting, running sprints, and sports such as soccer and tennis that intersperse periods of rest with intense activity are all anaerobic. Aerobic activities become anaerobic when performed at a pace that raises your heart rate past 80 percent of maximum. These exercises place heavy demands on the muscles being trained, including your heart. Endurance, strength and muscle mass increase as your body adapts to the load.

Benefits
Regular aerobic exercise can prevent the so-called "lifestyle" diseases: obesity, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, adult-onset diabetes and cancer. Experts recommend at least three 30-minute aerobic workouts a week to reap these benefits. Anaerobic exercise develops strength and improves endurance. The benefits of sprints and high-intensity cardiovascular exercise carry over to your aerobic workouts, letting you burn more calories by working out longer and harder. Lifting weights not only gives you a strong, toned body now but offsets the loss of muscle mass that occurs naturally as we age. Greater muscle mass also increases your metabolism so you burn more calories even at rest.

Warning
Anaerobic training is by its nature very intense. Doing too much too soon can lead to injury or overtraining. Symptoms of overtraining include fatigue, sleep problems and increased vulnerability to infection. New exercisers should build a fitness base with three 30-minute aerobic workouts. See your doctor before adding strenuous anaerobic activities.

How to Increase Cardiorespiratory Endurance

How to Increase Cardiorespiratory Endurance
The cardiorespiratory system is responsible for transporting oxygen throughout your body, cleaning out waste and carrying vital nutrients to your organs. By increasing your cardiorespiratory endurance, you strengthen your heart's ability to supply oxygen to the rest of your body. In addition, your lungs and muscles will benefit.

Instructions
1
Perform an aerobic exercise at least three times a week, while maintaining your target heart rate for approximately twenty minutes each time.

2
Figure your target heart rate by subtracting your age from 220, then dividing that number in half. That's the lower number of your target heart rate. Then take your original number and multiply it by .075 to determine the upper number of your target heart rate.

3
Count your heart rate during aerobic exercise by placing your fingers along the front of your throat, just to the outside of your Adam's apple.

4
Determine your maximum oxygen consumption capacity (VO2max) when you're trying to increase your cardiorespiratory endurance. Calculated by recording the distance of the run and the time it takes to complete it, your VO2max indicates your overall cardio health. (See Resources below.)

5
Increase your swim sessions. As a non-impact aerobic exercise, swimming strengthens your cardiorespiratory endurance without risking joint injury.

6
Control body fat by increasing your cardiorespiratory endurance. As you expend more energy daily, your metabolic rate will also increase and you'll burn fat more effectively.

7
Supplement your diet with foods rich in antioxidant to enhance your cardiorespiratory health by reducing free radicals in your bloodstream.

Tips on Starting to Exercise

Tips on Starting to Exercise
A 2009 Gallup poll found that only 27 percent of Americans are getting the American Heart Association's recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week. Fortunately, it's never too late or early to reap the benefits of regular exercise. When you're first starting to exercise, take it slow to build stamina, reduce injuries and improve the likelihood that you will continue exercising. As with any lifestyle change, consult your doctor before embarking on a fitness routine.

Warm-Up and Cool-Down
Wear loose-fitting comfortable clothing and supportive shoes. Before exercising, warm-up for five minutes to slowly increase your heart rate and warm your muscles. A warm-up may include slow walking, marching in place or other low-impact exercises. Follow your workout with an additional five minutes of light physical activity and stretching to slow your heart rate and breathing.

Cardiovascular Exercise
The American Heart Association suggests exercising at a moderate pace for a minimum of 150 minutes per week or 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Beginning cardiovascular exercises may include walking, swimming, biking, dancing and light jogging. The exercise does not have to be done in one session. Breaking your cardiovascular routine into 10 or 15-minute intervals offers the same health benefits and helps beginners build stamina. Gradually increase the duration as you adjust to your new routine.


Strength Training
Strength training helps strengthen bones, builds muscle and increases the burning of calories. The National Institute on Aging recommends strength training all major muscle groups at least twice a week. Use weights that are hard for you to lift, but not so had that you cannot do eight repetitions of a given exercise. Avoid weight training the same muscle group two days in a row. Your muscles need time to repair after strength training. Strength and Conditioning Specialist Stew Smith recommends a stretching routine during your first week of exercise, progressing to calisthenics and light weight training during week two.

Motivation
Set weekly or monthly fitness goals and track your progress. If your goal is overall health, gradually increase the duration of your exercise routine. If strength is your goal, track increased weight and repetitions. Calculate weight loss progress by your weight and measurements. However, avoid weighing yourself more than once a week as your weight fluctuates and daily weight changes are not indicative of progress.

Warnings
Exercise should not hurt. Mild soreness after weight training may occur but any exercise that causes sharp or continuous pain should be discontinued and your doctor should be consulted. Additionally, you should be able to carry on a conversation during cardiovascular exercise. The goal is to elevate your heart rate and breathing gradually.

How to Plan an On & Off Workout Schedule

A lot of workouts are characterized by on and off days. This is generally called a split schedule that has you focusing on different body parts each workout with proper rest in between for full recovery. There are several approaches to take with this workout style. The most important thing to remember is to be organized.

Instructions
The Master Plan
1
Keep a journal. This can be something as simple as a notebook or notepad that fits in your back pocket. Write down your workouts, which muscles you are working, what weights you are using, the repetitions, the sets and the length of your workout.

2
Figure out your goals. Be specific about what you want to do. Ask yourself "Do I want to lose weight? Do I want to put on mass? Do I want to get ripped? Do I want to be able to touch my toes?" Then write these goals down in your journal.


3
Figure out how much time you have to work out. Figure out what days and times you are going to be able to work out. Write them down in your journal. For example, if you are trying to lose weight and want to go to the gym six days a week, with one day off, write it down.

4
Decide what muscle groups you are going to work on. Now that you have your goals and you know what times and days you will work out, write down your workouts. For example if you are doing an upper body split routine consisting of opposing muscle groups like chest and back and triceps and biceps, you may write out your workout like this: chest and back on Monday, triceps and biceps on Tuesday, off Wednesday, chest and back on Thursday, triceps and biceps on Friday, off Saturday, cardio on Sunday. This is a five day on, two day off routine.

5
Set weekly goals. At the end of each week, write down the next week's goals. Include the specific days and times of your workouts and what workouts you will do. Treat these workout appointments just like any other appointment you would go to such as the dentist or doctor.

New Cancer 'Smart Bomb' Offers Less Toxic Treatment

A new, less toxic form of cancer drug is offering hope to patients. 

For a generation, chemotherapy drugs have had a dramatic impact on many patients, causing hair loss, loss of fingernails and other side effects. 

But now an experimental treatment, in which the drug Herceptin and a chemotherapy agent are attached to each other to neutralise the toxic part of the medicine is producing encouraging results. 

One woman, Fern Saitowitz, who has advanced breast cancer, switched to the new treatment and found the side effects much less distressing. Using the traditional treatment, Ms Saitowitz’ hair fell out, her fingernails turned black and she was constantly tired. With the new treatment, she only experienced mild nausea and muscle cramps.  

“I’m able to live a normal life,” said Ms. Saitowitz, 47, a mother of two young children in Los Angeles. “I haven’t lost any of my hair.”

The experimental treatment is called T-DM1 and is being heralded as the pioneer in a new form of cancer drug that may be more effective and less toxic at the same time. 

The drug uses antiodies to deliver a ‘toxic payload’ to cancer cells, but spares healthy cells. It’s being called a ‘magic bullet’ for the disease which kills millions each year. 

“It’s almost like we’re masking the chemotherapy,” said Dr. Edith Perez, a breast cancer specialist at the world famous Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Another scientist compared the treatment to ‘smart bombs’ with the antibodies passing through the bloodstream but only sticking to cells with the right target on them. 

“These are like floating sea mines,” said K. Dane Wittrup, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at MIT the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “But when they end up in a particular harbor, they blow up.” Dr Wittrup estimated that less than 1 percent of the drug actually makes it to the tumor.