Tuesday 4 December 2012

Tips for men for a healthy life

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It’s very exciting that our health — and our ability to stay strong and live longer — are not just a matter of our genes or our luck. Here are two things you can do to take charge of your health. You can take a quiz to see how much you know about men’s health, and you can also take some simple steps to support your health, your family, and your future.
  • Eat healthy. Nutritious foods give you energy and may lower your risk of certain diseases. Focus on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free milk products. Learn nutrition basics and how to read a food label.
  • Stay at a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can raise your risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Find out your body mass index External Website Policy, or BMI, to see if you're at risk. Eat healthy foods, control portion sizes, and be active to keep your weight in check.
  • Be smoke-free. Smoking is linked to many of the leading causes of death, including cancer, lung disease, and stroke. If you smoke, quit today! Also, avoid secondhand smoke.
  • Get routine exams and screenings. Ask your doctor how often you need to be examined. Ask about screening testsfor certain diseases and conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, sexually transmitted infections, and certain types of cancer.
  • Take any medications you need. Thousands of deaths could be prevented each year by taking medications properly. Make sure to follow your doctor's instructions for all medications, including those that help control conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes. Learn about medication safety.
  • Avoid heavy drinking. Heavy drinking can lead to many problems, including high blood pressure, various cancers, psychological problems, and accidents. For men 65 and younger, drinking in moderation means no more than two drinks per day. Men older than 65 should have no more than one drink a day. Find out about drink serving sizes.
  • Get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep can affect your mood and your health. Try certain changes that can improve your sleep. See your doctor if you think you have a serious problem. Sleep apnea, a common problem in which your breathing stops briefly, can increase the risk of accidents and certain health problems.
  • Know your risks. Learn how your lifestyle affects your risk of health problems. For example, people who work with certain chemicals need to take protective steps, and men who have sex with men should talk with their doctors about particular concerns. You also should keep track of your family medical history and share it with your doctor.
  • Stay safe. Safety means many things, like wearing seatbelts and helmets, having working smoke detectors, and following safety rules at work. It also means using condoms, washing your hands, taking care of your teeth, and wearing sunscreen
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Monday 19 November 2012

The 25 Best Health Tips

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The 25 Best Health Tips We’ve Ever Published

Here are 25 simple health solutions that stand out above the rest.
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Get Figgy With It

Figs are loaded with iron, which helps stave off anemia and fatigue. And according to one report, a single serving of this chewy fruit contains more polyphenols (recently linked to longevity) than tea or red wine.

figs fruit picture
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Digestive System tips

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Digestive System

The digestive system is in charge of absorbing and transporting nutrients your body needs in order to thrive -- and it gets rid of all the waste the body doesn't need. Discover how saliva breaks down the food you eat and more.
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Top one hundred instant health tips

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Top one hundred instant health tips

We're bombarded with advice on healthy living - which can be very confusing. Here, we sort out the myths from the facts with our top one hundred health tips from the experts.
Diet 
Dr Wendy Doyle is a state-registered dietician and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. She says: 
• Do not 'go on a diet'. Switch to healthier eating habits that you can continue long term. If you lose weight gradually, you are more likely to keep it off.
• Eat plenty of fibre-rich food such as brown bread, pulses and cereals. Fibre helps keep the digestive system in order. It also reduces the risk of bowel cancer. We need to consume around 5g more than the average 13-18g of fibre a day - that's one extra slice of wholemeal bread.
• Aim to eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables every day to boost energy levels and general health. One of the portions can be a glass of fruit juice.
• Have a varied diet. Look for different, brightly coloured fruits and vegetables which generally provide plenty of nutrients.
• Reduce the amount of saturated, or animal, fat you consume. Most people eat more than the recommended 35 per cent of total calories from fat. But saturated fats should make up no more than 10 per cent of total calories.
• Keep alcohol intakes within sensible boundaries. Safe weekly limits are 21 units for men and 14 for women - one unit is the equivalent to a glass of wine or half a pint of beer. A moderate intake has heart protective effects but too much is bad news.
• Eat more fish. It is the omega 3 fatty acis in fish oils that are thought to make the Mediterranean diet more healthy and protect against heart disease and raised cholesterol levels. You should have 1.5g of these fatty acids a week - two or three servings of fish.
• Don't eat too much salt. The recommended daily intake is 5-6g. An average fry-up contains 10g of salt per plateful. Some brands of breakfast cereal contai as much salt per bowlful as a packet of crisps.
• Drink around 1.5 to 2 litres of liquid, not necessarily water, every day. This will ensure the kidneys stay healthy and help prevent urinary infections.
• Take vitamin and mineral supplements only as an insurance policy - they are not a substitute for good food. Most people eat more than enough food to meet nutrient requirements. 
Posture
Warwick McNeill is a physiotherapist at the Physioworks clinic in London. He says:
• Do Pilates regularly. The exercises work the deepest stomach muscle, the transversus abdominus, which has perhaps the greatest bearing on the shape of your midriff.
• Avoid wearing corset-style restrictive clothes. Normally you breathe using your lower lungs and your diaphragm moves up and down. With this sort of clothing, you are forced to breathe in the upper part of the lung which creates tension in the shoulders and affects posture as well as breathing.
• Take off your suit jacket at work. It doesn't allow for much movement when you are sitting at a desk, and if your jacket is tight it can cause all sorts of postural distortion and cause back pain over time.
• Carrying a heavy handbag on your shoulder can throw your body off balance and seriously hamper your posture. A bag you can wear in various positions is the best buy because it means you aren't putting all the pressure in one spot.
• Focus on your breathing and posture while gently contracting your stomach muscles throughout the day. It maintains and strengthens the abdominal region.
• Perform small muscle contractions throughout the day, at your desk, in queues protective effects but too much is bad news.
• Stretching: regular activity such as walking, and massage can help unlock tightened muscles that affect your posture.
• Laugh a lot - believe it or not it strengthens your tummy muscles and relaxes knotted muscles.
• Stand up straight. Shoulders back, abdominal muscles pulled in, pelvis tilted forward. Walk and move with better posture and the habit will stick. 
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Immune System tips

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Inside your body, there is a mechanism designed to defend you from millions of bacteria, microbes, viruses, toxins and parasites. Find out the different components and how the human immune system works.
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Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat tips

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The eyes, ears, nose and throat are interconnected organs that are vital parts of several body systems. Discover how these organs work as well as conditions that can affect them.
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Skin care: 5 tips for healthy skin

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Good skin care — including sun protection and gentle cleansing — can keep your skin healthy and glowing for years to come.

By Mayo Clinic staff
Don't have time for intensive skin care? Pamper yourself with the basics. Good skin care and healthy lifestyle choices can help delay the natural aging process and prevent various skin problems. Get started with these five no-nonsense tips.

1. Protect yourself from the sun

One of the most important ways to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun. A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, age spots and other skin problems — as well as increase the risk of skin cancer.
For the most complete sun protection:
  • Use sunscreen. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. When you're outdoors, reapply sunscreen every two hours — or more often if you're swimming or perspiring.
  • Seek shade. Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun's rays are strongest.
  • Wear protective clothing. Cover your skin with tightly woven long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide-brimmed hats. Also consider laundry additives, which give clothing an additional layer of ultraviolet protection for a certain number of washings, or special sun-protective clothing — which is specifically designed to block ultraviolet rays.

2. Don't smoke

Smoking makes your skin look older and contributes to wrinkles. Smoking narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin, which decreases blood flow. This depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients that are important to skin health. Smoking also damages collagen and elastin — the fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. In addition, the repetitive facial expressions you make when smoking — such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke — can contribute to wrinkles.
If you smoke, the best way to protect your skin is to quit. Ask your doctor for tips or treatments to help you stop smoking.
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