More benefits of aerobic activities!

In addition to lowering stress, those activities that get your blood moving and your heart pumping can also help build self-esteem and lead one to feel more competent. It can even lead positively to affecting self-concept. This is very important in young children, adolescents and teen-agers. Anyone, truth be told, can benefit from increased self-esteem. I was in my late twenties or early thirties before I really began to feel a sense of self worth, sad to say. Maybe if had a started a regular routine of running back then I would have been on a road to self-discovery sooner.

Inviting a young person on a hike or walk and introducing them to the joys of the outdoors may help to convince them they can leave their electronic toys for a few hours. Birding is a great thing to share with a youth and the walking or hiking you do to observe the different species will feel fun and not like exercise at all.

 Lowering anxiety is an additional benefit of aerobic conditioning, stress being so abundant in our lives. The earlier one discovers the joys of physical exercise, the more self actualization is able to take place. With more people relying on drugs to control stress and hypertension, a little natural therapy will be less expensive and more enjoyable.

An alternative to sit ups.

Do you hate getting down on the floor to do sit ups and abdominal exercises? Are you tired of that little roll around your abdomen? Then hula hooping is for you. Not just any hula hoop though. Check out the fitness department of one of the discount department stores. You might just find one of the new and improved weighted hula hoops. Or if you are handy you can make one yourself by visiting your local hardware store.

Women tend to keep weight around their abdomen as they age. By paying attention to diet, limiting your amount of alcohol consumption, and exercising regularly you can prevent this. Having extra pounds around the belly can increase the chance of stroke and heart disease. Why hula hooping you ask? Because hooping requires a lot of effort from some of the biggest muscles in the body, and because these muscles require a lot of energy, it forces the body to burn fat stores. Hooping will also work out several of your core muscles by strengthening and toning these muscles. Another benefit is that hooping is fun and can bring you back to thoughts of your care free days as a kid, thus making hooping a great stress reliever.

What does aerobic conditioning do for me?

Are you an artist or writer who feels stuck at times? Maybe you have writer's block or are just having a hard time getting that painting to come out the way you want? Taking a break and going for a run could be your answer. Engaging in aerobic activities have shown to boost creativity. If you can scoot out of the office for a quick workout you might find when you return that the ideas flow better and that ad campaign you were working on magically comes together.

Another obvious benefit is the relaxation factor. Need to release tensions after a day at the office? Hit the tennis or racquet ball court. There are so many ways to get aerobic benefits besides doing the customary three mile run. Get your kids or grandkids to throw a frisbee or kick a football around with you, you'll be doing them a favor as well as yourself.

What is aerobic exercise doing for me?

Do you wonder what the benefits of running, walking, biking, swimming, and hiking are? Besides the obvious fact of helping to keep weight gain down? All of these activities and many more produce endorphins, the hormones produced by the brain that make us feel on top of the world. And the great thing about endorphins is that they don't have side effects, unlike other drugs that are toxic to the body and can be dangerously addictive. In addition to improving mental alertness aerobic conditioning may also reduce one's risk of mental decline. Just twenty minutes a day of getting your heart rate into the moderate intensity zone can provide all these benefits.

 Just don't overdo it in these dogs days of summer. If you are new to exercise, take it slow in the beginning and make sure as always to hydrate. A little muscle soreness after physical activity is okay but if you are so sore you cannot get out of bed in the morning, you probably over did it. Exercise is free! You don't need a gym membership to get the benefits that the members enjoy. Check out your local park or try out that hiking trail you pass everyday on your way to work. Swimming has the benefit of cooling you down and also providing a low impact workout. See you at the pool!

What and when to eat after exercise.

Eating carbohydrate after an intense workout, usually within 15 minutes, helps to restore glycogen levels in the muscles. Fruit or juice are good choices, but make sure the juice is pure with no added corn syrup or any of the other substances that are snuck into juices. If one waits longer than 2 hours to eat after a workout, when one is doing endurance training, less glycogen in stored in the muscles. Carbohydrate consumption stimulates insulin production, which in turn aids in the production of the muscle glycogen. However there is a point of diminishing returns if you consume too much carbohydrate because the glycogen storage will reach a plateau. So make sure you look at the serving size before you down that super sized bottle of gatorade or fruit juice.

Combining protein with carbohydrate within 30 minutes of exercise almost doubles the insulin response. This in turn results in more stored glycogen. How much protein or carbohydrate to eat? The ratio of carbohydrate to protein if about 4:1. Translated, this means four grams of carbohydrate for every one gram of protein. But don't go hog wild! Eating more protein than that can slow rehydration and glycogen replenishment. If you are exercising less than 30 minutes, gatorade isn't recommended. Water is best if you are looking to rehydrate. Of course when you are exercising in really hot and humid weather you should drink during the course of exercising and not wait till you are finished with your activity. Happy swimming, biking, hiking, or whatever you choose to do! Tis the season!

Smelling this herb might help improve your memory.

Rosemary has a long history of being linked to memory-enhancing properties. Carnosol, the main chemical in rosemary oil has been linked with brain performance, according to researchers in the United Kingdom. Research has found that rosemary has neuroprotective properties that may protect against Alzheimer's disease and even normal memory loss that happens with aging.

If you have a small rosemary plant in your kitchen, I would suggest taking of few snifts of this herb whenever you walk by, in addition to cooking with it, it might enhance your mood as well as flavor your food. Use it to flavor soups, sauces, and meats. I like to slice potatoes thinly, place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle rosemary on top. As the potatoes bake the smell of rosemary will begin to prevail in your kitchen.

Rosemary has been used as a natural remedy for migraines. pain relief for arthritis, sore muscles, and has anti-inflammatory properties. I used to make a rosemary rinse for my hair as I believed it would keep my brunette hair dark. Well that didn't actually work but I do have a thick head of hair and rosemary is believed to speed hair growth. So there you go, as my silver tresses grow quite fast, I am a frequent visitor to my hairdresser to keep my pixie cut in check.

An apple a day...well you know the rest.

We have all heard the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Did you ever wonder why? Apples contain quercetin, another one of those antioxidants that are good for you. The plant chemical in apples protects brain cells and helps to keep your mental faculties alert. Some research shows that quercetin protects brain  cells from free radical attacks that can damage the outer lining of the neurons, hastening cognitive decline.

Eating apples with their skins on is the best as most of the quercetin is found just under the skin. Make sure to rinse them well to remove any pesticide residue and buy apples organically when possible. You will make less visits to the doctor and your wallet will be happy too when you munch on this delicious fruit.