Running

Running has health benefits that extend well beyond any pill a doctor could prescribe. Studies have shown that running can help prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, some cancers and a host of other unpleasant conditions. In addition, running improves the quality of emotional and mental life and helps you live longer.

1. Running makes you happier.
A 2012 study in the Journal of Adolescent Health proved that just 30 minutes of running during the week for three weeks boosted sleep quality, mood, and concentration during the day.  

Running can increase oxygen and blood in the brain by 25% and the quality of sleep at night improves. During running, the lung capacity increases from 5.8 liters to 6.2 liters while blood oxygen carrying capacity greatly increases. In the meantime, the heart beat frequency and effectiveness greatly improve and the elasticity of vessel wall increases

In a May 2013 study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in which rats and mice got antidepressant-like effects from running on a wheel, researchers concluded that physical activity was an effective alternative to treating depression.  

Running can suppress the secretion of two tension causing hormones,adrenaline and cortisol, while releasing "endorphins" to make people feel relaxed, to help maintain a good mental state. 

 2. Running helps you get skinnier.
Running burns calories. And this continues after you stop. And you do not have to be sprinting at the speed of sound to get this benefit. This happens when you’re exercising at an intensity that is about 70 percent of VO2 max. (i.e. a little faster than your easy pace and a little slower than marathon pace.) .

Running reduces the body fat content by 6-13% in males and runners can effectively reduce the "bad" cholesterol while raise "good" cholesterol, thereby effectively controlling the body weight.

3.Running strengthens your knees, joints and bones
Running increases bone mass, and even helps stem age-related bone loss and studies show that running improves knee health.

4. Running will keep you sharper, even as you age.
Running 30 minutes a day increases secretion of growth hormone, HGH, which slows down the extent of brain aging. It helps defeat age-related mental decline, particularly functions like task switching, selective attention and working memory.  

Studies consistently found that fitter older adults scored better in mental tests than their unfit peers. In stroke patients, regular exercise improves memory, language, thinking, and judgment problems by almost 50%.  

5. Running reduces your risk of cancer.
Studies in the Journal of Nutrition showed that regular exercise is associated with a lower risk of certain cancers.  And if you already have cancer, running can improve your quality of life while you are undergoing chemotherapy.

6. Boost the immune system
Running can promote the generation of white blood cells, with which the body can eliminate many viruses and bacteria.

7 Running adds years to your life.
Studies show that when different types of people started exercising, they lived longer. For example, cancer survivors extended their lives by 5.3 years while those with heart disease gained 4.3 years.  

8. Becoming more energetic
Running increases muscle glycogen storage capacity from 350 grams to 600 grams and the number of mitochondria increases.  

Benefits of drinking warm water

Regularly drinking warm water, especially in the morning, can heal our bodies, providing digestive power and reducing metabolic waste that could have built up in our immune system. The consumption of warm water increases the tightening of the intestines, which optimizes elimination. In short, it has the following benefits:

1. Cleanses Digestion
Drinking warm water in the morning can help cleanse your body by flushing out toxins. It decomposes any remnant foodstuffs and makes the movement of the particles smooth and less painful through the intestine. Warm water helps break down these foods faster. 

2. Aids Constipation
Drinking warm water in the morning on an empty stomach can help improve bowel movements and aid constipation while breaking down foods as they smoothly pass through the intestines. Stimulating the bowels will help return our body back to normal functioning.

3. Alleviates Pain
The heat from warm water is known to have a calming and soothing effect on the abdominal muscles, which can help provide instant relief for cramps and muscle spasms. It increases blood flow to the skin and help relax the cramped muscles.

4. Weight Loss
Warm water increases body temperature, which therefore increases the metabolic rate. An increase in metabolic rate allows the body to burn more calories throughout the rate. It can also help the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys to function even better.

Drinking a glass of warm water together with a lemon will help break down the adipose tissue, or body fat, in our body, and also control food craving due to lemon’s pectin fiber.

5. Improves Blood Circulation
The fat deposits in the body are eliminated along with accumulating deposits in the nervous system when drinking warm water. This flushes out the toxins that are circulating throughout the body and then enhances blood circulation.

6. Halts Premature Aging
The presence of toxins in the body can lead to aging faster, but warm water can help cleanse the body from those toxins, while repairing skin cells to increase elasticity.

7. Assists with Nasal and Throat Congestion
Drinking hot water is an excellent natural remedy for colds, coughs and a sore throat. It dissolves phlegm and also helps to remove it from our respiratory tract and so it can provide relief from a sore throat. It also helps in clearing nasal congestion.

8. Prevents Acne and Pimples
Hot water deep cleanses our body and eliminates the root causes of acne-related infections.

9. Hair Health and Vitality
Drinking hot water is also good for obtaining soft, shiny hair. It energizes the nerve endings in our hair roots and makes them active. This is beneficial for getting back the natural vitality of our hair and keeping it healthy. The hot water promotes the regular activity of the roots and subsequently accelerates the growth of our hair.

Why not drink cold water after meal?

Although having a cup of cold drink after a meal is comfortable, the cold water can actually harden the oil in consumed foods and therefore creating a fat deposit on the inner wall of the intestine. The lining later changed into unhealthy lipids that can cause initiation of cancer cell formation.

In addition, cold water after meal slows down the process of digestion. Slowing down of the digestion process is actually due to the change of the temperature. The indigestion of foods can lead to various stomach problems. Undigested food also leads to improper nutrient absorption. Lack of nutrients can affect our health. Energy is deficient due to improper digestion. Above that, the energy produced is wasted on maintaining the temperature.

Improper digestion is a source of many diseases. Body gets mal-nutritioned. Functions are not properly performed. However, if we replace the glass of cold water with hot water, we can avoid this problem. In addition, hot water is beneficial to digestion.  

Health effects from the wireless devices

International studies looking at possible adverse health effects related to cellphones, cell towers, WiFi and other equipment have come to mixed conclusions.

Some studies have suggested that cellphones may increase the risk for certain brain tumours, primarily among the heaviest users.

In 2011, the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) asked Dr. Anthony Miller , an epidemiologist and a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health to review the evidence assessed by its working group that led members to conclude that exposure to electromagnetic radio-frequency fields was a possible cause of cancer.

“But the evidence is still quite mixed,” said Demers, director of the Occupational Cancer Research Centre at Cancer Care Ontario.

“If that was the case, our brain tumour rates all over the world would be going up right now – and they’re not. If there’s some kind of smaller effect, that still remains possible. It may be we simply haven’t been using them long enough to have seen an effect yet. … Often it takes decades for us to be able to see a pattern associated with an increased risk of cancer.”

“If we’re at the beginning of a period of increasing exposure of a new possibly – probably – carcinogen, it could be some years before we get a major impact seen in the population,” Miller said in an interview. “But by then it will too late.”

Children are of particular concern because their smaller size and developing bodies and brains could make them more vulnerable to adverse health outcomes.

How to limit wireless exposure

Here are some tips for reducing exposure to electromagnetic radio-frequency waves, based on the precautionary principle:

Turn off cellphones or tablets when not needed or turn on airline mode.

Keep cellphones away from your head as much as possible. Use speakerphone mode or earbuds for phone calls rather than a Bluetooth headset. Don’t carry your phone in your pocket or bra.

Do not sleep with wireless devices near you.

Keep cellphones and tablets away from small children.

Use a wired baby monitor instead of a wireless unit. Do not place a wireless baby monitor by your child’s bed. Use a wired monitor instead.

Use hardwired Internet connections for computers in your home instead of using WiFi. Turn wireless router off at night. Do not keep it in high-use or sleeping areas.

Pregnant women should keep wireless devices away from the abdomen.

Avoid cordless phones.

Sources: Canadians For Safe Technology; Health Canada

Uses of turmeric

Besides using for daily consumption, some other uses of turmeric include: 

Whiten Your Teeth 

To get whiter and brighter teeth, combine 3 tablespoons of softened coconut oil, 2 teaspoons baking soda and 1 teaspoon turmeric to create a paste. Use on a dry toothbrush and be careful not to splatter.

Make a Non-Toxic Food Dye 

The most common yellow dye, Yellow #5, is a petroleum byproduct. Yuck. Use turmeric for a brilliant yellow coloring instead. If you are concerned about the flavor, it is easily masked by fruit or flavor extracts.

Get Glowing Skin 

Combine 1 egg white (whisked until frothy), 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1/3 teaspoon of turmeric powder and apply to your face (avoiding delicate eye area). Relax for 10–15 minutes, then rinse off with warm water.

Alternately, for a version that targets the eye area, use 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon raw organic honey and 1 teaspoon of milk or yogurt to do the same process.

A word of caution:

Although 2 of the above are for external use, it needs to know that consuming excess turmeric can cause stomach upset. Avoid consuming if you are pregnant or if you have bile duct obstruction, gallstones, hyperacidity or stomach ulcers.

How can we stop overeating?

If you are trying to lose weight and you are not losing weight, you are likely still overeating. How can we stop overeating? Here are some hints:

Track Your Food

 

Tracking the food you eat is the first step to stop overeating. Use a food journal as a starter approach to monitor your eating habits.

 

Use a Food Scale

This is probably the single most important item on the list. You have no idea how much you are actually eating unless you are weighing your food. Weigh all of the food you eat to make sure you know exactly how much you are consuming.

 

Don't Eat at Night

 

A late night snack is usually an impulse craving and will be the calories that you did not plan or budget for, resulting in overeating for the day.

Avoid Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners in diet soda actually trick us into overeating by confusing the brain. It is best to avoid these altogether.

Eat Breakfast

A study found that people who ate breakfast were less likely to overeat later in the day.

Eat raw, wholesome Food

When you eat real, whole foods you will be getting a more nutrient rich, fiber packed meal that will help you achieve a feeling of satiety much earlier.

Don't Eat in Front of the TV

Being distracted when you eat can lead you to eat more than you intend to. You might simply snack until an episode is over or simply not realize you are full when focusing on a show instead of your body. A study showed that attentive eating is a simple but effective approach for weight loss and maintenance. 

Turn Off the TV

In addition, there is a lot of food tempting you when you watch TV. Watching food related TV leads to an increased caloric intake.

Be Mindful When Eating Healthy Foods

Just because something is healthier does not mean you can eat twice as much of it. You can still have weight gain by doing so.

Moderate Alcohol Consumption

Studies show that people eat more after alcohol consumption compared to those who are not consuming alcohol. And of course alcohol itself is high in calories.

Meditate 

A lot of people use food for comfort. Using mindfulness meditation may help prevent binge eating.

Avoid MSG

The brain-stimulating deliciousness of MSG has been linked to obesity in a study on Chinese adults. And so avoid MSG.

Stay Busy and Be Active to Reduce Temptation

Do you ever find yourself looking in the fridge when you are bored? And so try to get yourself busy.

Try Acupuncture

Acupuncture has shown promise to help with overeating and obesity.

Get More Sleep

If you go to bed a few hours after dinner, you are less likely to be feeling hungry again in the late hours of the night. Shoot for a bedtime early to avoid reaching for that extra late night snack and unnecessary calories.

Moreover, according to WebMD, when you do not get enough sleep, your body will product more ghrelin (a hormone that induces hunger) and less leptin (a hormone that cues your brain to eat less). The result of sleep deprivation is overeating and extra pounds.

Exercise More

Exercise is fantastic for both the body and the mind. In a study, aerobic exercise was shown to reduce the neuronal response to food cues.

And exercise also helps you burn calories. Regular exercise combined with not overeating is the best way to lose weight.

Drink Water

Drink a full  glass of water 1/2 hour before eating. The water fills you up so you have a better shot of realizing when you are full.

Staying hydrated also helps you make sure you do not mistake thirst for hunger.

Slow Down While Eating

Eating slower has been linked to decreased calorie intake during meals. It allows you to realize you are full or satisfied sooner. Some techniques you can try to eliminate overeating by slowing down include setting your fork or spoon down between bites or eating with your opposite hand (for example, using left had if you are right handed).

Focus on enjoying each bite instead of shoveling it in with the goal of clearing your plate.

Find the Exercise Equivalent

Try to figure out how much exercise it takes you to burn 100 calories can help curb temptation. You may ask yourself: is that extra taco worth an extra hour on the treadmill? Do I really want that late night bowl of ice cream if I need to cycle an extra 8 miles to burn it off?

Increase Fiber Intake

 

Increased fiber intake has been associated with a lower body weight, with reduced appetite. Raw foods are often a great source of fiber.

 

Drink Lemon Water

 

Lemon water has a variety of health benefits. Reduced appetite often reported among them.

 

Consume Only What You Need

 

Change your mindset to consider food being a fuel for your body and not just a source of pleasure.

 

Eat high quality foods that provide adequate fuel (calories, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals) for your body and don't eat to excess. More is not always better.

 

Hopefully the above can help you stop overeating and maintain your desired healthy weight.