Eat Healthy, Kids! - Funny Cartoon

Nutritional needs of athletes

What are the nutritional needs of athletes?

"Eat to compete" has become something of a rallying cry among both amateur and professional athletes. Health food stores and sports shops offer a variety of ergogenic (performance-enhancing) vitamin supplements and concoctions of ingredients such as amino acids, bull testicle extracts, ginseng, and bee pollen. Do these products really enhance athletic performance? Nutrition researchers insist they do not.
The same principles of moderation, variety, and balance that characterize good nutrition for the general population also apply to athletes. Contrary to popular belief, vitamins and minerals do not provide energy, but they are necessary in adequate amounts to properly metabolize the body's real sources of energy — carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Still, athletes require more of certain nutrients than their sedentary counterparts.

Why is nutrition important to athletes?

Without an adequate reserve of energy, an athlete simply cannot perform at his or her peak ability. The human body has about 600 groups of muscles, which are made up of millions of tiny elastic fibers. Depending upon the sport, a conditioned athlete may double his or her muscle mass. Working and maintaining this increased muscle mass requires extra calories. The type of exercise determines what sort of energy reserve is needed. Glucose (blood sugar), which is most readily derived from carbohydrates, is the body's major fuel. Fatty acids can also be burned directly, or converted to glucose. Protein is used mostly to repair and maintain muscle tissue, but it also can be converted to glucose to meet energy needs.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.drkrider.com/Topics/Nutrition/nutritional%20athletes.htm




 

Healthy Activities for Seniors

Don’t let age stop you from working out and reaping the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. The following is a list of the Top 10 activities for seniors that are not only healthy, but fun!

Number One: Tai Chi

This ancient Chinese form of exercise helps to teach you balance and relaxation techniques. The slow movements are easy to learn and within a week you’ll feel more stable and relaxed.

Number Two: Water Aerobics

This is a great activity because stress that is normally placed on key joint areas such as your knees and hips is a thing of the past. You can get a great workout while your joints are stress free with this great aerobic exercise that is ultimately a full body workout.

Number Three: Tennis

There’s a reason you see so many older individuals playing tennis. It’s an excellent cardiovascular workout and quick bursts of activity are great to keep up your stamina.

Number Four: Cycling

From spinning to riding your bike at a slow pace through the park, cycling is a sure way to build your endurance while enjoying a great workout.

Number Five: Speed Walking

Perhaps the easiest exercise that you can do anywhere, speed walking is an effective way to workout without putting as much stress on your knees as with jogging. You can speed walk in the park, mall, your neighborhood, and now there are even exercise videos that are all based on speed walking in your own home, believe it or not.

Looking for more information?? Please visit:
http://www.healthydivorcemen.com/seniors/top-10-healthy-activities-for-seniors

Healthy Diet for Athletes

A healthy diet for athletes is vital because athletes use up a lot of calories and need more nutrition. Everyone needs to be healthy, but an athlete has special nutritional and caloric needs. A healthy diet for athletes is a necessary requirement to provide adequate nutrition and calories. If they don’t eat healthy and have the proper athletes nutrition, they will not be able to perform well and will also suffer physically.

Athletes diet and Different nutritional needs

Athletes diet will depend on what kind of sports they take part in and for how long. A weekend athlete will have different needs from a professional Olympic athlete who trains everyday. A body builder or weight lifter’s dietary requirements will vary from that of a swimmer.
Some athletes need nutrition for short bursts of activity; others need for activity along with endurance. There are sports that require building of muscle mass, while other sports require the athlete to be lean and agile. Women athletes have specific requirements as do vegetarians.

Healthy Diet for Athlete

A healthy diet is essential for an athlete. It's not the quantity of food intake, but the quality and selection of food that matters. There are some basic nutrients to be taken regularly, read on for healthy dietetic tips.

Athletes are people with tough physique. We consider them strong, but seldom realize the hard work that has been put, to build those biceps and muscles. Athletes can endure through tough situations. A.C. Green, a former American NBA basketball player, rightly said, " Tough times don't last but tough people do."

What matters most to athletes is a careful and planned intake of various nutrients like vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates. An intelligent athlete should know the importance of balanced workouts with proper stretching exercises and of course, the intake of right nutrients. The reason why athletes need a good diet is that, they burn and lose sweat more than any normal person.

Diet of athletes differ according to the sports they are involved in. A diet for sprinter is different from the diet of a weight lifter. An athlete should know what food and drink items he needs to avoid, as wrong intake of nutrients restricts the growth of body tissues. During a workout, there is wear and tear of cells in muscles. To build these muscles, adequate nutrients in the diet are required.


Look for more information?? Please visit:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/healthy-diet-for-athletes.html

Sesame Street: Healthy Foods

How to start living a healthier lifestyle - Tips for a healthy life

 Tips for a healthy life ......

The important things in life

What are the important things in life? 

 

 

 

Let us list them:

-  a good trustworthy mate with a nice disposition

       -  good health 
       
       -  a home where there is peace, harmony, warmth and 
          affection 

       -  knowing yourself, liking yourself, "having it all 
          together"; feeling sure of your priorities and sure 
          that you know what is important in life and what 
          isn't;  a relaxed, confident outlook on life.

       -  a degree of financial independence

NOTES.

To have a home where there is warmth and affection you must  

 be a warm and affectionate person yourself.  You must  

 treat your mate well.  To have a home where peace and  

 harmony reign you must be a reasonable and peace-loving  

 person yourself. 
 

To have good health you must look to your health and live  

 by healthy habits.  You must refrain from such unhealthy  

 habits as smoking, drinking, using drugs, overeating,  

 etc.. 
 

To have a good, trustworthy mate you must select your mate  

 with prudence and judgment.  Romantic attraction is not  

 enough.  He must be a good, dependable person, made out  

 of good material, a person of character --- and of  

 pleasant disposition. 
 

To know yourself, like yourself and be true to yourself you 
 must give top priority to spiritual things.  You must 
 seek spiritual truth.  You must love God and love the 
 Righteousness, Goodness and Virtue that he stands for. 
 

To achieve financial independence you must learn thrift and 
 economy.  You must learn to lower your wants and demands 
 and learn to be content with little.

For more imformation, please visit:

http://solitaryroad.com/a328.html  

Health Benefits of Exercise

Regular exercise can help protect you from heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, noninsulin-dependent diabetes, obesity, back pain, osteoporosis, and can improve your mood and help you to better manage stress.

For the greatest overall health benefits, experts recommend that you do 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity three or more times a week and some type of muscle strengthening activity and stretching at least twice a week. However, if you are unable to do this level of activity, you can gain substantial health benefits by accumulating 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity a day, at least five times a week.

If you have been inactive for a while, you may want to start with less strenuous activities such as walking or swimming at a comfortable pace. Beginning at a slow pace will allow you to become physically fit without straining your body. Once you are in better shape, you can gradually do more strenuous activity.

How Physical Activity Impacts Health

Regular physical activity that is performed on most days of the week reduces the risk of developing or dying from some of the leading causes of illness and death in the United States.

• Reduces the risk of dying prematurely.
• Reduces the risk of dying prematurely from heart disease.
• Reduces the risk of developing diabetes.
• Reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure.
• Helps reduce blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure.
• Reduces the risk of developing colon cancer.
• Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety.
• Helps control weight.
• Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints.
• Helps older adults become stronger and better able to move about without falling.
• Promotes psychological well-being.

For more imformation, please visit:

http://www.nutristrategy.com/health.htm

Healthy living means making positive choices.....

Healthy living means making positive choices that enhance your personal physical, mental and spiritual health. You make these choices when you:

• Eat nutritiously, choosing a variety of foods from all of the food groups as suggested by Canada's Food Guide;
• Build a circle of social contacts to create a supportive environment of people who care for you and respect you;
• Stay physically active to keep your body strong, reduce stress, and improve your energy.
• Choose not to smoke; and
• Put an end to other negative lifestyle practices.

Healthy living choices are affected by where you live, work, learn and play. Keeping yourself informed about positive health practices within your environment is an important way to improve your overall health and sense of well-being.

For more imformation, please visit:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/index-eng.php