Health and Fitness Make the Difference Between Living Well and Living

Health and Fitness Make the Difference Between Living Well and Living

Quality of life is what we all want. Good health helps us achieve a high quality of life. Fitness makes us want to live it every day. If you agree with these three premises, keep reading.

The Purpose of Health and Fitness Tips
To inform you of new developments in the health and fitness fields is our aim. We'll do the research; we have the resources. You get the results. The name of the game is 'current' and 'relevant' for today. Forget all the excess baggage of the so-called fitness gurus.

Become Healthier and Fitter Faster
While we know you are interested in becoming healthier and fitter or maintaining the health and fitness you have, we also know you have limited time to devote to it. We therefore pledge to you a fast, simple method to hop aboard the fitness fast train. Get on track with the facts.

Health Professionals, Medical Doctors and Health and Fitness Writers and Editors Make Up Our Staff
Our staff experience in the booming Health and Fitness field adds up to more than 100 years. Not that anyone is age 100 or even close, but we all plan to live that long. We want to make sure we have company. So we invite you along for the ride. We'll spur you on and help you over the rough spots to your own fitness destination.

Diet and Exercise are Keys to Healthy Living
But you know all this. So our aim is to give you the shortcuts, the little-known tricks and proven methods to help prevent boredom and hopelessness in your quest for good health. Our high tech world has advanced in the fitness field also. In fact, so fast that we want to get the information out to you yesterday. That's what the Health and Fitness Tips Site is all about…the latest up-to-the-minute-in-the-zone information for your health and fitness.

The Health and Fitness Tips Newsletter
Is a free weekly newsletter that is delivered straight to your email box. It's short, to the point, and it's absolutely free. This newsletter contains one weekly health and fitness tip that will get you on the right track. Click here and become one step closer to your health and fitness goals for the year 2002! http://www.health-fitness-tips.com/

Hot Health & Fitness Finds

"Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God, and value it next to a good conscience." -Izaak Walton

Aquatics:
Older people find stress free weightlessness in water is a good way to work out. All kinds of new "water toys" to exercise with are on the sports store shelves these days. Younger people also like aquatic fitness training. There's less stress on the joints and less sweat. …Could be the wave of the future.

The 12-Minute Anti-slip and Fall Routine for Senior Adults:
A Florida physician has developed an exercise routine for older adults that can be done in bed and takes just 12 minutes. Further details to come soon.

Spas for the New Millennium:
More and more hospitals are developing wellness centers that consist of a large variety of fitness machines, whirlpools, lap pools, running tracks and individual health analysis testing. We predict these unisex centers will replace the typical gender oriented "pampering spa' that were once the domain of rich women. More and more HMO's and insurance companies are seeing the value of preventive medicine.

Nutrition Hotline:
"The health of a nation has often depended on the good or bad digestion of a prime minister." -Voltaire

Antioxidant Rich Foods:
Now that everybody's loading up on Vitamin C and E for their proven antioxidant effects, studies show that the best antioxidant dosages are not necessarily in pill-form. Eating your 10 servings a day of fruits and veggies (remember what Mom and Grandma used to harp on?) could be the best way to increase antioxidant capacity. Although all fruits and veggies have them, the best foods for antioxidants are cauliflower, peas and oranges. Amer. Journal Clinical Nutrition, 1998.

New Sugar Substitute Approved by FDA:
More sucralose-sweetened products are becoming available on grocery-store shelves since last year's approval by The Food and Drug Administration of Splenda (sucralose) the latest sugar substitute to be approved in more than a decade. Advantages claimed over other sugar substitutes are no bitter aftertaste and sweetness retention when used in cooking.

Steer Clear of Old Myths about Foods:

Myth: Asparagus is a diuretic.

Truth: Asparagus is not a diuretic. It just creates an odor during urination.

Myth: Potatoes and bread make you fat.

Truth: Both are healthy carbohydrates that average about 100 calories and are low in fat. It's what you add to both that increases fat. (i.e. butter, sour cream, mayonnaise)

Myth: Eating after 6 p.m. makes you gain weight.

Truth: Eating at night tends to lead to consuming higher calories because you are home, near the T.V. (did you ever notice what most of the commercials feature?) near the refrigerator and relaxed. Or you are eating out at a party or in a restaurant where you tend to eat higher fat and calories and larger portions. Calories are the same at any hour of the day.

Myth: Drinking lots of water makes you retain fluid.

Truth:Water acts as a natural diuretic. It will help flush out your system of toxins.

Daily Exercise Suggestions

"To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first."
-Shakespeare, Henry VIII. Act I. Sc. 1

Walk 10 Minutes a Day and Increase Your Fitness Level Old thinking was to work out in a sweat-filled gym for hours a day. No pain, no gain. New studies show that even short bouts of activity can increase your fitness level, especially if you're new at working out.

Park and Walk
Whenever you have an errand, park your car as far away as you can handle and walk to the store. At the mall, park at the farthest end and walk the length of the mall. Use every opportunity to walk. At the end of the day, it all adds up to better fitness.

Crunch in Bed
Before you even get out of bed in the morning, do 10 stomach crunches while lying flat on your mattress. Increase daily by one until you get up to 100. Think you'll never get there? Try it. You may eventually have to set your clock to wake up 15 minutes earlier, a small price to pay for a flatter stomach.

10 Essential Health Tips (The Basics to Practice Every Day) "He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything." -Arabian Proverb 1. Move More Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kickboxing. But that's great when you're up to it. Meanwhile, move more. Thought for the day: Cha, Cha, Cha…. Then do it! 2. Cut Fat Avoid the obvious such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats (i.e. pork, bacon, ham, salami, ribs and sausage). Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts. Most are available in lower fat versions such as substitute butter, fat free cheeses and mayonnaise. Thought for the day: Lean, mean, fat-burning machine…. Then be one! 3. Quit Smoking The jury is definitely in on this verdict. Ever since 1960 when the Surgeon General announced that smoking was harmful to your health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products that kill. Just recently, we've seen a surge in smoking in adolescents and teens. Could it be the Hollywood influence? It seems the stars in every movie of late smoke cigarettes. Beware. Warn your children of the false romance or 'tough guy' stance of Hollywood smokers. Thought for the day: Give up just one cigarette…. the next one. 4. Reduce Stress Easier said than done, stress busters come in many forms. Some techniques recommended by experts are to think positive thoughts. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. (i.e.,Soak in a hot tub; walk on the beach or in a park; read a good book; visit a friend; play with your dog; listen to soothing music; watch a funny movie. Get a massage, a facial or a haircut. Meditate. Count to ten before losing your temper or getting aggravated. Avoid difficult people when possible. Thought for the day: When seeing red, think pink clouds….then float on them. 5. Protect Yourself from Pollution If you can't live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low. Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good. Plant lots of shrubbery in your yard. It's a good pollution and dirt from the street deterrent. Thought for the day: 'Smoke gets in your eyes'…and your mouth, and your nose and your lungs as do pollutants….hum the tune daily. 6. Wear Your Seat Belt Statistics show that seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes. Thought for the day: Buckle down and buckle up. 7. Floss Your Teeth Recent studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Nobody knows exactly why. Perhaps it's because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than people who don't? Thought for the day: Floss and be your body's boss. 8. Avoid Excessive Drinking While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day (two for men) can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney disease and cancer. Thought for the day: A jug of wine should last a long time. 9. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook There's a definitive connection between living well and healthfully and having a cheerful outlook on life. Thought for the day: You can't be unhappy when you're smiling or singing. 10. Choose Your Parents Well The link between genetics and health is a powerful one. But just because one or both of your parents died young in ill health doesn't mean you cannot counteract the genetic pool handed you. Thought for the day: Follow these basic tips for healthy living and you can better control your own destiny.