Health Benefits of Aerobic Activities

 

Exercises are a major part of a healthy lifestyle. It’s important to move systematically to live a fit, smart and ailment free life. There are a number of exercises that one can perform as per their fitness level and desired results i.e. yoga, Pilates, Aerobics, Cardiovascular exercises and a lot more. Aerobic exercise is such fun way to add in your daily routine with a lot of fun activities.

What is Aerobic?

 

The word aerobic simply means ‘with air’ or ‘with oxygen’ which simply indicates the manner of the workout. An aerobic activity involves all the movements that require a lot of oxygen and also provide a lot of oxygen to our large body muscles. An aerobic activity is the particular repetitive movement in a certain period of time that increases your heart rate. In this regard it also increases the rate of respiration and consequently the oxygen consumption. It is important to know that in order to get the benefits of an aerobic workout one should perform the repetitive task for about 20 to 30 minutes. This duration of continuous activity leads the cardiovascular system and lungs to process and transport oxygen quickly all over the body. Running, cycling, swimming, dancing, climbing and jumping are some of the most known types of Aerobic activities.

Importance of Aerobics

• Performing the aerobics regularly strengthens the heart muscles. It makes it possible for heart to work more efficiently and pump large amount of blood with each stroke.

• They assist in increasing the oxygen level in blood and to transport it throughout the body efficiently. Aerobic exercises help in improving the cardiovascular conditions and also in lowering the blood pressure.

• Regular aerobics exercises enhance the resistance power and energy levels. They relieve a person via releasing endorphins in the body that help in reducing anxiety and depressive behavior. Aerobics enhances a sense of well being.

• Aerobic activities are a perfect option to keep the body tones and fit. They assist in toning individual muscle groups and also help in building muscles throughout the body. They particularly stimulate bone growth and reduce the risks of osteoporosis in both, men and women.

• Aerobic exercises reduce insulin resistance in the body via improving glucose metabolism. This is how the risk of diabetes is minimized. 

Demand For Male Skin Health Products On The Rise

 

Men spend less on skin care products than women but today, men all over the world are becoming more conscious of their skin than in the past. They now seek information and pay particular attention to new skin products targeting males.  The market for skin care products specifically for men rose by 9% in 2010 and is expected to grow by 16% in 2014. With more information now available advising men to take care of their skin, this projection can grow even more.

Men with sensitive skin deal with problems related to acne, rashes and razor burns and would need more effort to get healthier facial skin. Their facial skin tend to be oilier than women’s because of testosterone production. It’s no longer acceptable for a man to look oily;  they are expected to have grooming habits that are at par with those of women.

Men seem to be particularly attracted to moisturizers, astringents and cleansers, emphasizing the increased awareness that personal hygiene is a major factor in the quality of  the skin. Unlike in women, men seek products that are glycerin based and niacinamide based since they minimize transpidermal loss of water after shaving.  With the growing concern for the harmful effects of sun exposure, men also look for products that provide effective sun screen.

Men will benefit from the use of cleansers and toners that are developed according to their skin type.  Shaving products are now available that reduce skin irritation and dryness as well as relief for oily skin. Further, many anti aging products can help men reverse aging factors to improve facial lines and wrinkles .

New Possibility for Women with Estrogen-Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer?

3There is hope today. Yes, there is hope for the one in eight. There is hope for women who are diagnosed with breast cancer.
That’s not to say that there never was before, of course. Certainly there was – thanks in part to the tireless efforts to raise breast cancer awareness through pink promotional item campaigns – already hope for the millions of women suffering from breast cancer. If by nothing else, that reality is evidenced by the more than 2.6 million U.S. breast cancer survivors the non-profit Breast cancer.org says there were in 2011.

Now, however, there is new hope for women who are suffering from estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer. Findings from a newly completed study that was conducted by Australian scientists show that a specific change occurring when tumors become immune to anti-estrogen therapy has the possibility to make the cancer vulnerable to chemotherapy drug treatments. 

The 70 percent of breast cancer patients who have the estrogen-receptor-positive variety typically experience positive results when anti-estrogen therapy is administered. That is, they do for the first few years, at least. Tragically, though, half of them experience a relapse inside of 15 years and eventually lose the fight against the disease.

The new findings out of Australia present at least a sliver of raised hope that that may one day no longer be the case. In conjunction with Cardiff University scientists, doctors and professors from Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research were able to demonstrate that the BCL-2 gene becomes epigenetically “silent” in resistant tumors.
 

What exactly does that mean?

"The main purpose of the BCL-2 gene is to keep cells alive, so when the gene is silenced, cells become more vulnerable to chemotherapy," said Dr. Andrew Stone.

This discovery, then, is potentially a major step forward in the treatment of breast cancer. It’s too early to start promoting a new miracle breast cancer treatment, though. There’s still a long way to go before the findings effect change in that 50 percent figure. The findings must now be tested through clinical studies.

Still, the study’s conductors are hopeful.
 

“We propose that if the BCL-2 gene is silenced, patients with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer would benefit from combination therapy,” said Stone. “In other words, tamoxifen could be used in combination with a chemotherapy drug, to kill off vulnerable tumor cells.

"Excitingly, this is something that could be implemented into clinical practice very quickly, since the technology now exists to profile methylation of BCL-2 in all patients -- both estrogen responsive and estrogen resistant patients. In addition, the proposed chemotherapy drugs are already in use."

It’s his belief that this test could prove helpful to shut down tumors in patients at an early stage. It’s only a hopeful belief at this time, but, with so many tragically dying when the current treatment options fail and the tumors spread to other parts of the body, hope is at least something positive to hold onto.

Nail Biting Habit: Causes and Impacts

Nail biting is one of the most common oral compulsive habits in children, teenagers and adolescents even you can observe older adults also having the bad habit of biting finger nails. According to studies this habit is at its peak in between the age of 10 to 18. Most of the nail biters have sore and red fingertips due to bite the nails beyond the nail beds and bite them till they bleed. They may get infections through this bad habit. Nail Biters tend to hide their hands because of the unpleasant look of fingers and nails. Some of the psychological deficiencies can occur while having a constant embarrassment feeling. It hurts the self esteem and confidence as well. It is interesting to know that boys are more prone to the nail biting habit than girls. 

•    Causes of Nail Biting:

Inactivity, boredom, stress and anxiety are some of the common causes of nail biting. Some researches show that lacking or excess of stimulation is one of the main triggers of biting the nails to release the tension. It may also happen when a person feels guilty for some of the reasons. This is a certain way of them to punish them by hurting like this. 

Genetics can be a particular reason of biting the finger nails. This bad habit may runs in the family. Children tend to copy their parents or other adults in the family and develop the nail biting habit. Some of the people bite their nails due to inactivity. When they have nothing to do they unconsciously start biting their nails while watching a movie or during reading books. In other serious cases people bite their nails during sleeping and this is the most alarming situation of having certain hidden emotional disorders. Some of the latest theories suggest that vitamin deficiency may lead the habit of nail biting.
 

•    Impacts of Nail Biting:

Continuous nail biting is too bad for skin, fingers and nails. It may cause certain infections in nail beds. The area where skin meets the nails may become too painful. Biting the soft tissues around the nails can cause bleeding, swelling and soreness. The bacteria that are present in saliva can lead to infections and a particular health ailment known as paronchia. People may have the oral infections due to the germs accumulated under the nails. Continuous nail biting is harmful for the front teeth as well. It puts a lot of pressure on them regularly. Gum infection and cavities are common in nail biters.

How to Take Care of your Eyesight

Screens of computers, laptops, televisions or even cell phones screens, play a major role in ruining our eyesight. Our eyes are often being overworked with the rise of the technology. Poor vision is one of the most common health problems around the globe.  It is important to take a break from your work and be cautious about improving your eye sight with simple healthy changes in your lifestyle to keep them healthy. Blurred vision, black spots, glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration are some of the common vision problems. Eye care is the other most required thing after maintaining a healthy diet and workout regimen for overall health and fitness.

There are many reasons of having eye problems and it is sensible to focus on your eyesight health to improve your vision naturally:

Having Balanced Diet:

Having balanced diet is the key to perfect overall health. Our diet plays a major role to take care of our vision. Certain dietary approaches might be useful in improving eyesight. Protein intake is specifically imperative for healthy eyes. Carrots are widely known for better eyesight. They are rich in vitamin A which eliminates the risk of night blindness. Carrots are having most nutrients including vitamins K and C and the important mineral potassium. Fish, eggs, green leafy vegetables, spinach, berries, avocado are other nutritious foods for eye health. A number of cold water fishes like sardines, cod, tuna etc. are rich in omega 3 fatty acids which help greatly in improving eyesight. Zinc and vitamin E also work to protect tissues to improve quality of vision.

Exercises to Improve Eyesight:

There are a number of eye exercises that may be beneficial for your vision. Your ocular muscles get strong through certain eye exercises. These practices allow your eyes to focus, move and adjust their vision fats. Eye exercises also help in adjusting the vision of both the eyes in unison. Focusing your vision on an object, keep changing the vision from a farther object to nearer repeatedly and rotating the eye balls are some simple eye exercises that can be done anywhere anytime. These certain movements strengthen your eye muscles and sharpen your vision.