Health & Fitness

Valeo Dual Ab Wheel

Valeo Dual Ab Wheel

Amazon.com

Strengthen and tone your abs, shoulders, arms, and back with the Valeo dual ab wheel. The unit teams up a pair of nonskid wheels and two easy-grip handles. To use, simply get on all fours, grab hold of the handles, and glide the wheels back and forth across the floor. At various points during the exercise, you’ll work every major upper body muscle group as your torso adjusts to the movements. The dual ab wheel comes with an instructional fitness guide. About Valeo Va (more…)

Tags: , ,

Saturday, January 9th, 2010 Health & Fitness No Comments

Max Fitness 75cm Exercise Ball with Foot Pump (Black)

Max Fitness 75cm Exercise Ball with Foot Pump (Black)

75 cm Max Fitness Exercise Ball with free pump included. Incorporate the versatility and effectiveness of the Max-Fitness exercise balls into your workout. Core strength training is the only way to exercise. You can take your exercise balls with you wherever you go or exercise at the convenience of your home. Whether you are new to fitness or a seasoned athlete, this ball will enhance your workout giving you results. Ideal for stretching, strengthening and toning exercises. Firs (more…)

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 Health & Fitness No Comments

Best Fitness BFFID10 FID Bench

Best Fitness BFFID10 FID Bench

Bring everyday strength training into your living room with the Best Fitness BFFID10 bench. Ideal for barbell and dumbbell exercises, the bench is functional, compact, portable, and durable. The bench offers five starting positions–from a 10-degree negative decline to a 70-degree positive incline–along with durable and comfortable 1.75-inch upholstered pads. Once you’ve chosen the proper position, you can use the bench for dumbbell presses, bicep curls, shoulder pre (more…)

Tags: , , ,

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 Health & Fitness No Comments

Max Fitness 65cm Exercise Ball with Foot Pump (Pearl White)

Max Fitness 65cm Exercise Ball with Foot Pump (Pearl White)

65 cm Max Fitness Exercise Ball with free pump included. Incorporate the versatility and effectiveness of the Max-Fitness exercise balls into your workout. Core strength training is the only way to exercise. You can take your exercise balls with you wherever you go or exercise at the convenience of your home. Whether you are new to fitness or a seasoned athlete, this ball will enhance your workout giving you results. Ideal for stretching, strengthening and toning exercises. Firs (more…)

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Thursday, December 31st, 2009 Health & Fitness No Comments

The Recipe for Dry Skin Care

dry-skin-care-for-the-faceDry skin cannot be ignored. Dry skin leads to cracking of the upper layer of skin and gives it a real bad appearance. The main causes of dry skin include: dry climate, hormonal changes, too much exfoliation and treatment of other skin disorders. Moreover, dryness could be the inherent nature of one’s skin. Whatever be the cause, ‘dry skin care’ is very important (but not very difficult).

‘Dry skin care’ starts with moisturisers, the most effective remedy for dry skin. Generally moisturisers are classified under 2 categories based on the way they provide ‘dry skin care’.

The first category includes moisturisers that provide ‘dry skin care’ just by preserving the moisture within the skin e.g. Vaseline. These moisturisers are relatively inexpensive and are readily available (even at grocery shops).

The second category includes moisturisers that work by drawing moisture from the environment and supplying it to the skin. This is a very effective way of ‘dry skin care’ in humid conditions. The moisturisers that provide ‘dry skin care’ in this way are also called humectants. For proper dry skin care, you must use a non-greasy type of moisturiser, as far as possible. Humectants fall in this category. The ingredients of humectants include propylene glycol, urea, glycerine, hyaluronic acid etc

‘Dry skin care’ is not about just using moisturisers but also using them properly. The best ‘dry skin care procedure’ is to cleanse the skin before the application of moisturiser. You can make your ‘dry skin care’ even more effective by applying the moisturiser while the skin is still damp (after cleansing). Also, make sure that you use soap-free products (especially on your face, neck and arms). Exfoliation does help in dry skin care, by removing the dead skin cells. However, don’t exfoliate too hard. Your dry skin care procedures/products should also take care of sun protection. Avoid too much and too direct exposure to sun (simply by using an umbrella/hat etc). Use a good sunscreen lotion before going out. A lot of moisturisers provide sun protection too, along with dry skin care.

You also have natural products for ‘dry skin care’ i.e. products that provide ‘dry skin care’ in a natural way (without the use of synthetic chemicals). These dry skin care products supply lipid enhancements to the skin, hence enabling moisture retention within the skin. Another, important thing for ‘dry skin care’ is the temperature of water you use for shower or for washing your face – Use warm water; too hot or too cold water can cause dryness too.

‘Dry skin care’ is also about being gentle with your skin. You should avoid harsh detergents and alcohol based cleansers. Also, after a face wash, do not rub your towel on your face, just pat gently to soak the water off.

On the whole, dry skin care is really simple for anyone who takes that seriously.

Tags: , , , ,

Thursday, July 16th, 2009 Featured, Health & Fitness No Comments

Healthy Sex Prevents Illness

no_sunscreenThere are many positive correlations between love, sex and health. Being so, it has produced many questions…..

Have you wondered if an active sex life can truly alleviate pain? Do sexually active people have fewer colds and bouts of flu? Is it true that married people live longer than single or divorced people? Can an active sex life help prevent disease and illnesses by strengthening our immune system?

I have these answers and more, read on….

An active sex life is both stimulating and rejuvenating to the glandular system. When we make love the pituitary gland, the thyroid gland, the adrenal glands, the prostate and testes in men, and the ovaries in women are thoroughly exercised. The net result is that people in love look and feel better about themselves.

Activation of the sex center in the brain has health effects on other brain centers. Every cell in the body gets this message and is strengthened by it. An active sex life strengthens our immune system. Scientists have compared the nerve endings of happy, loving and sexually-fulfilled people with unhappy and sexually-unfulfilled people.

Apparently, large numbers of immune-system cells were gathered near the nerve endings in the “happy” people. A similar microscopic exam of  “unhappy” and depressed persons showed no such gathering of immune-system cells.

Scientists theorized that the nerve endings in the “happy” group were releasing neurotransmitters. These are chemicals, like adrenalin and acetylcholine, that facilitate the transmission of nerve messages.

Scientists concluded that these neurotransmitters could attract, feed, and strengthen the various immune-system cells. During sex, the heart beats twice as fast, pumping blood to the pelvis, breasts, nipples, and surface of the skin, helping get rid of toxins and bringing in nutrients.

We also breath twice as fast, bringing in more oxygen. Muscles are tensed and relaxed, alternatively. Of course, not much good is realized by those who rush through lovemaking in ten minutes or less.

But for those who spend a leisurely hour or two, the benefits can be considerable. You, and you alone can determine the success or failure of your sex and love life; your physical, mental and spiritual health; and almost every other aspect of your life.

Tags: , , ,

Sunday, June 14th, 2009 Health & Fitness No Comments

Superfoods for Super Sex

Every aspect of a food – its color, shape, scent and texture make it sexy. In addition, certain foods contain substances that make us feel good by interacting with our hormones or stimulating our brain. Consider incorporating some of the following into your next candlelight dinner to help you and your partner get in the mood.

oysterOysters are a good source of minerals like selenium and zinc, and are also high in protein. A perfect appetizer to a beautiful meal but be careful when purchasing, as some can have high levels of pollutants and PCB. If you’re pregnant, oysters should be avoided.

chocolateChocolate has been a symbol of love and lust for centuries due to theobromine, a stimulant to the brain that creates a pleasurable effect. Chocolate also contains antioxidants that may lower cancer and heart disease risk. However, chocolate is also very high in fat, so self-restraint should be exercised. Dark chocolates are usually lower in sugar, but higher in antioxidants and theobromine than milk chocolate.

kiwiKiwi and papaya are colorful fruits have an alluring and interesting aspect about them that can help flip the switch. Loaded with antioxidants, tropical fruits help fend off heart disease and cancers. Kiwi actually has more vitamin C in it than an orange, and papaya is rich in beta-carotene and high in fiber.

honey1Honey was thought in medieval times to sweeten the marriage when mixed into a drink.  Bear in mind, however, it’s still pretty high in sugar, so use sparingly.

asparagus1Asparagus can also help get your partner in the mood. It’s one of the few good sources of vitamin E and is a natural diuretic. Steaming is the best way to prepare them without losing nutrients, and they can easily be eaten by hand.

teaA good cup of coffee or tea after that romantic dinner stimulates the release of epinephrine, which contributes to stimulation in the body. It can also be found in dark chocolate. Just don’t consume too much caffeine before bed, unless you plan on being awake all night long!

more about sex health visit menreally.com

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 Health & Fitness 2 Comments

Speech Therapy: An Overview

speech-therapistOne of the not so noticed areas of rehabilitation medicine is Speech Therapy. In fact, a lot of people may not even know that something like this existed. It may be the case that this is your first time to encounter the field or you may have heard it somewhere, but don’t fully understand what the practice is all about.

The sad truth about Speech Therapy is that you may not encounter it unless the situation calls for it. However, getting to know what the practice is can be very beneficial information.

What Is Speech Therapy?

As the name suggests, speech therapy deals with speech problems that an individual may encounter. However, the field of Speech Pathology doesn’t only tackle speech, but also language and other communication problems that people may already have due to birth, or people acquired due to accidents or other misfortunes.

Speech therapy is basically a treatment that people of all ages can undergo through, to fix their speech. Although speech therapy alone would focus on fixing speech related problems like treating one’s vocal pitch, volume, tone, rhythm and articulation.

Goals Of Speech Therapy

Speech Therapy aims for an individual to develop or get back effective communication skills at its optimal level. Recovery mainly depends on the case and severity of your problem, especially if your speech problem is acquired, meaning you had normal speech skills before then you had an accident or abrupt incident that caused your current speech problem; thus, you may or may not get back your old level of speech function.

Speech Problems

Speech problems are mainly categorized into three namely: Articulation Disorders, Resonance or Voice Disorders and Fluency Disorders. Each disorder deals with a different pathology and uses different techniques for therapy.

Articulation Disorders

Articulation Disorders are basically problems with physical features used for articulation. These features include lips, tongue, teeth, hard and soft palate, jaws and inner cheeks. If you have an Articulation Disorder, then you may have a problem producing words or syllables correctly to the point that people you communicate to can’t understand what you are saying.

Resonance or Voice Disorders

Resonance, more popularly known as, Voice Disorders mainly deal with problems regarding phonation or the production of the raw sound itself. Most probably, you have a Voice Disorder when the sound that your larynx or voice box produces comes out to be muffled, nasal, intermittent, weak, too loud or any other characteristic not pertaining to normal.

Fluency Disorders

Fluency Disorders are speech problems with regard to the fluency of your speech. There are some cases that you talk too fast, in which people can’t understand you, thus, you have a Fluency Disorder of Cluttering. The most common Fluency Disorder however, is Stuttering, which is a disorder of fluency where your speech is constantly interrupted by blocks, fillers, stoppages, repetitions or sound prolongations.

Who Gives Speech Therapy?

A highly trained professional, called a SLP or a Speech and Language Pathologist, gives Speech Therapy. Speech and Language Pathologists are informally more popularly known as Speech Therapists. They are professionals who have education and training with human communication development and disorders.

Speech and Language pathologists assess, diagnose and treat people with speech, communication and language disorders. However, they are not doctors, but are considered to be specialists on the field of medical rehabilitation.

Tags: ,

Friday, March 27th, 2009 Health & Fitness No Comments

The Basic Guide To Choosing Golf Clubs

woman-golfChoosing a decent set of golf clubs is a very important part of maturing in the game. Therefore you should consider many different things when buying the clubs. If you have no previous experience with the selection and purchase of golf clubs, you should be glad that you have stumbled across this article. You will find out some of the most helpful advice when buying clubs, as well as general helpful information that any golfer should know. If you are very thorough in your search for the right golf clubs, you will be glad that you took the extra time and research to find out the information needed to make that choice.

Firstly you should familiarize yourself with the types of golf clubs that you need. There are 14 clubs total for each set, but they can all be categorized in the following: irons, woods, and putters. Irons are the ones that are used for very distance specific golfing work, and the distance is determined by the size and weight of the head. You are provably most familiar with these from using them on the golf course. Woods are used to achieve very large distances with a slightly lower accuracy level than irons. You will have to hit a ball a few times with a wood to get an idea of how far it will go with your stroke. Putters are used for shorter strokes, and strokes that require a higher level of accuracy than the other clubs can provide. In order for your golf club collection to be complete (or even functional within the golf game), you will need to have at least one of each of these.

If you are just getting started with golfing, then you probably won’t want to buy a full golf set. It is a better idea to buy adjustable clubs that can change into different types. You may be able to change the 14 clubs into just 5 or 6. This not only means less to carry, but also that you will be able to tweak your clubs to perfection after you purchase them. This is the best way to get a feel for your needs when it comes to the specific statistics of the club. Once you have pretty much decided on certain settings, you may decide to buy golf clubs that are permanently set like that. Until then, you should be perfectly fine with adjustable clubs, especially since you are a beginner.

Graphite is something that many golfers are split on. The advocates of graphite say that it is lighter, easier to swing, and allow for more powerful strokes because of this. However, there are many who disagree with graphite and will remain steel golfers for life. They maintain that graphite clubs are unnecessarily expensive, without giving noticeable benefits. Some prefer the stiffness of steel over the comparatively flexible graphite clubs. If you have a fast stroke or you prefer to have some weight in your club, you will be fine sticking with steel clubs. After all, there’s nothing better than really having a heavy club that you can feel the momentum in when you swing.

Until you are an advanced golfer, you won’t have to worry about things like spin and head weight. The best thing you can do as a beginner is to familiarize yourself with all aspects of the game, and become very skilled with the equipment that you already have. Doing this will allow you to make smart choices for the future, and therefore constantly improve your golf game. Until then, just stick with what you have and master it. You will be glad in the future when you have not wasted huge amounts of money on equipment that is far more fancy and technical than you could possibly need. This is something that many golfers regret, and something that you can avoid.

Tags: ,

Tests could find ovarian cancer early

2692_ovarian-ribbonDoctors screening women for ovarian cancer were able to pick up the disease about two years earlier than normal, according to a British study published Wednesday.

Scientists have long searched for a way to identify ovarian cancer early, which kills nearly 100,000 women worldwide every year. If it is found early, nearly 90 percent of women survive.

However, most women are currently only diagnosed with the disease after it has spread, when there is only a maximum 30 percent chance of survival.

In the British study, doctors enrolled approximately 200,000 post-menopausal women aged 50 to 74 across the United Kingdom from 2001 to 2005. About 100,000 of those women received no screening tests.

The remaining half were split into two groups. Roughly 50,000 were screened with a blood test. If the blood test results suggested an abnormality, they then had an ultrasound. The rest of the women, nearly 50,000, received an ultrasound only.

In the women who had a blood test first, researchers found 38 who had cancer. In those who only had an ultrasound, there were 32 cancer cases. Using the blood test method, ovarian cancer was picked up 89 percent of the time. With the ultrasound, the rate was about 75 percent.

In these preliminary results, doctors found nearly half of the cancers detected were at an early stage. Normally, doctors would only catch about 15 percent of early ovarian cancer patients.

The study was published online Wednesday in the medical journal, Lancet Oncology.

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” said Robert Smith, director of cancer screening at the American Cancer Society. Smith was not connected to the study.

“This may make a difference to saving lives, but we don’t know that right now,” he said. Smith said the tumors detected in screening are sometimes not the ones that kill.

To know if catching ovarian cancer early saves lives, researchers must wait until the study finishes in 2014 to look at all the data. The study was mainly paid for by Britain’s Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK and the Department of Health.

“Picking up cancer early is a prerequisite to saving lives,” said Ian Jacobs, one of the study’s authors and dean of health sciences research and director of the Institute for Women’s Health at University College London. “But the question is, is this early enough?”

Experts will also have to weigh the tests’ benefits against its costs. “It’s a big and expensive jump to decide that (national) screening programs might be beneficial,” Smith said.

With any screening test, authorities must determine whether the tests save enough lives to merit the financial and other costs, like patients who will have unnecessary surgeries or psychological distress.

Several companies in the United States are seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration to sell their tests.

n e w s v i n e . c o m

Tags: ,

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 Health & Fitness No Comments