by admin | Jun 11, 2022 | Diet
A Constipation Home Remedy – Cayenne
Cayenne is a constipation home remedy that is effective in producing peristalsis in your colon and aids digestion. It can be used regularly at every meal and when needed for constipation. Cayenne pepper is known to help thin the blood. So, it is good for improving blood circulation. Obviously if you are on blood thinners check with your physician before trying this out.
Cayenne is available in capsules of different strengths, from 5,000 heat units (HU) to 100,000 and even higher. In addition, cayenne when used with other herbs helps to deliver these herbs more efficiently to where they are needed in the body.
As a constipation home remedy, start with one capsule of 40,000 HU and always take it after you eat. You may feel a hot or slight warming feeling in the upper stomach and that ís when you know it’s working. The feeling may be like when you get heartburn. This warming sensation will pass as your body gets use to you using cayenne.
However, if you find it too uncomfortable lower the dose till you can better cope with the cayenne. There is no point taking something to deal with an uncomfortable situation if it is just going to cause another, so be sensible and just build up slowly.
Do not use cayenne seeds, as they can be toxic. If you are pregnant or breast-feeding do not take cayenne supplements until you have cleared this with your doctor- no exceptions.
baby constipation home remedy
Use cayenne only as directed on its container and only as capsules.
Some say that Cayenne has the ability to block the ulcer producing effect of NSAIDS. It also has shown to increase the body’s absorption of theophylline, a drug used to treat asthma. However, we cannot answer that here, so always check with your doctor if you want to cayenne and are taking medications.
In his book, Left for Dead, Dick Quinn tells how Cayenne pepper saved his life after coronary bypass surgery failed to restore it.
In this book, Shannon Quinn, says,
‘One of the most effective stimulants, mostly, cayenne targets the digestive and the circulatory system. Cayenne regulates blood pressure, strengthens the pulse, feeds the heart, lowers cholesterol, and thins the blood. It cleanses the circulatory system, heals ulcers, stops haemorrhaging, speeds healing of wounds, rebuilds damaged tissue, eases congestion, aids digestion, regulates elimination, relieves arthritis and rheumatism, prevents the spread of infection and numbs pain.’
Of course, these are other people’s experiences and yours may well be different. Always use the recommended dose shown on the bottle of cayenne you use.
You can also add cayenne pepper into other foods. Add cayenne to soups, salads, and other foods you like.
In soups or salads break open a cayenne capsule and mix it in. You can add 1 – 2 capsules, but first start with 1/4 or 1/2 capsule so you can get use to the hot taste. As stated earlier start slowly.
Use this constipation home remedy and you will see results. It definitely has the power to eliminate constipation and keep you regular and has many other benefits, especially for your heart.
Just start slow, go steady and ensure you are cleared to take it by a doctor.
by admin | Jun 11, 2022 | Fitness
How to get more antioxidants
Let’s talk Antioxidants – Part 2
10 Ways To Get More Antioxidants Into Your Daily Routine
It is no secret that antioxidants help keep the body healthy. It’s believed the antioxidants in food can help prevent cancer, reverse or slow aging, enhance your immune system, increase your energy and improve heart and organ health.
Antioxidants also offer protection from a range of other ailments, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Antioxidants are substances that either prevent or repair the damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS).
The words “antioxidant” and “oxidant” were first used in 1928 by Walter Reichert and Fritz Paneth who, when measuring oxidation of fats in the body, found that fats could be made to withstand oxidation better if they had been heated first. The term “antioxidant” was coined because it was thought that these substances are good for your health because they help to slow down the process of aging. It is estimated that approximately 10-20% of your total body weight is composed of antioxidant compounds.
Considering how beneficial antioxidants are, it is amazing that more people aren’t consuming enough fruits and vegetables, which are excellent sources of antioxidants. Experts recommend eating at least five servings of fruits and veg every day, and often I’ve read it is preferred between 7 and ten. My advice is getting as much as you can. Closer to ten than five.
Ok let’s look at how we can get more antioxidants into our daily routine.
1.Start with a drink and Breakfast
Get off to a good start with some lemon water – lemon contains Eriocitrin, the main lemon polyphenol, which is a water-soluble antioxidant and abundant in lemon juice and peel. The morning meal does not have to be so hurriedly thrown together on the run that it is just some burnt toast and jam now does it.
While you can do it quick, be careful to keep it healthy at the same time. Strawberries, or other berries, 100% juice, and some coconut yogurt can be mixed together in a blender. Transfer the blend to a cup and enjoy your tasty snack. You’ve just added one to three servings of fruit to your daily intake. Or add some berries to your cold or hot cereal.
- Antioxidant snacks
Here are a few ways to increase your antioxidant intake.
A handful of raisins or a bowl of fresh red grapes would be great for a snack. Dip some strawberries or blackberries in yoghurt. You will feel decadent, but the berries provide the colour you’re looking for. Need some crunch? A dip of baby carrots in hummus may be just the thing and will add some healthy vitamin A.
Pecans have a great crunch and are rich in antioxidants. Even some raw dark chocolate is an indulgent but great antioxidant especially homemade with blueberries or goji berries. Let’s not forget the antioxidant packed staple banana.
3.Lunch and dinner
A salad can serve as a great addition to each of your main meals each day, which will improve your health and wellbeing. They need not be boring, and they need not be just salad greens. For a classic green salad, add some red pepper slices, some tomatoes, or cranberries to the Greek salad. Throw in some red cabbage.
Lunch can be as simple as a broccoli salad, or as exotic as a rice salad mixed with string beans, peppers, tomatoes, and onions. Add avocado for vitamin E and good fat. Add a nice garlicky, olive oil lemon juice dressing for a few more antioxidants and a bit of punchy zest.
4.Dessert
Berry desserts, with or without whipped cream or chocolate, are a delicious way to end your healthy, antioxidant-rich eating day. Pomegranates drizzled in chocolate or added in a muffin base would go down a treat here.
5.Beverages
Make tea or coffee your drink of choice instead of soda, as they are packed with antioxidant compounds. If you’re going for a glass of wine opt for red, with dinner, or if you want to switch it up, try a flavourful herbs and spice chai tea or chai latte instead.
6.Think outside the ‘fruit and veggie’ box
In addition to berries, salads, and other common foods that are high in antioxidants, researchers have discovered that russet potatoes, artichokes, and small red beans contain powerful compounds as well.
Researchers say beans may be more antioxidant-rich than blueberries. I know I almost didn’t believe that one myself but hey it’s all good stuff. So now you know, adding beans to your already veggie-filled rice salad will make it even richer in antioxidants than an ordinary salad.
7.Don’t overcook
When you prepare vegetables for dinner each night for your family, you think you’re doing a good thing, which of course you are. Let’s not forget that first and foremost. Nonetheless, if you’re overcooking your vegetables, a lot of their beneficial antioxidant properties are being cooked out.
The best way to cook vegetables is to steam them (don’t boil them) and stop after their bright colour is fully developed and most of their bite is still present.
8.Get growing!
Those who plant and harvest vegetables in their own gardens eat more vegetables and fruits than those who buy their produce from the store, according to experts. Now I can’t speak for everyone, but I at least know that I eat far more when I grow my own fruit and veg as it’s such a pleasure to get out in the garden, nurture everything and see it grow.
To harvest your own food and know exactly where it came from is such a delight. I highly encourage it! If you plant your own little garden, you can watch your garden grow and enjoy the veggies and fruits (literally) of your labour. How amazing is that?
- Don’t let going away ruin your healthy diet.
It’s not uncommon for the majority of us to view vacations as a time to disregard healthy eating. But you could also take a different view and think of vacations as opportunities to experience new foods. You can explore the way a chef prepares an interesting vegetable dish by ordering one in a restaurant.
Try out new and interesting fruits and veggies that you don’t see often at home. Explore, your body and your taste buds will thank you.
- Develop your cooking skills
The art of cooking involves preparing whole foods, washing and peeling veggies, and paying attention to how they are prepared, not opening take away boxes and bags. We get the majority of our antioxidants from eating whole foods and natural fruits and vegetables. If you order out every night, your intake is greatly reduced.
So, try to focus more on what you actually eat, where it comes from and how it is prepared to ensure you get a healthier, more antioxidant-fueled way of life.
Disclaimer
Article for entertainment and information purposes only. Always seek a medical opinion before trying any new supplements or nutrition routine and never stop taking medication without speaking to your medical provider.
by admin | Jun 11, 2022 | Fitness
Common Training Mistakes
Our intention is not to criticize your exercise regimen or suggest that you’re not making progress. We won’t claim that you’re squandering your time at the gym or that your existing workout routine will never lead to any results.
Yet, it’s worth noting that numerous workout mistakes can hinder our progress in achieving our fitness goals. It’s essential to be aware of these errors if you’re aiming to improve your physical fitness this year.
Therefore, we’d like to share some of the most frequent training blunders that people tend to make, which can waste their time and prevent them from achieving their desired outcomes. Pay close attention, as this knowledge can help you avoid such pitfalls.
Ego Lifting
It’s common knowledge that the gym can be a place to boost one’s ego and self-confidence. Who doesn’t love flaunting their tightest tank top and most impressive pair of sweatpants? However, indulging in ego lifting at the gym may feel good in the moment, but it can be detrimental in the long run.
Ego lifting refers to lifting weights that are too heavy for you, using improper form. It can result in injuries, suboptimal workouts, and potential embarrassment if you fail. Therefore, our advice is to avoid lifting weights that compromise your exercise form and put your muscles, joints, and ligaments at risk.
Instead, opt for moderately heavy weights that allow you to come close to failure without sacrificing proper form. This approach will help you maximize your gains while minimizing your risk of injury.
Not Resting Enough
Ego lifting (lifting too heavy) is a common mistake made by gym-goers, but the second most common mistake is lifting heavy weights without taking enough rest between sets. It’s important to understand that heavy lifting is incredibly taxing on the body, and rest periods are critical for maintaining performance.
Consider this scenario: if you perform 10 reps with a given weight and only rest for a minute, you’re likely to perform fewer reps on the next set if the weight is heavy. However, if you give yourself enough time to rest, you’re more likely to achieve those 10 reps again for at least a couple more sets.
So what does this mean? It means that your muscles are doing more work overall, resulting in better stimulation. For your heaviest lifts, take up to three minutes of rest between sets to allow your body to recover properly.
Progressing Too Quickly
The third mistake that many trainees make is attempting to increase the weight on the bar too rapidly. It’s common to see trainees abruptly increase the weight by 10-15%, which brings us back to the first mistake: ego lifting. Rather than increasing the weight too quickly, it’s crucial to systematize your progression and gradually increase the weight you’re lifting.
Here’s a strategy you can use:
- Begin with a specific weight.
- Aim for 32 or more total reps across four working sets.
- Once you’ve achieved 32 or more reps across four sets, increase the weight by 2.5-5%.
- Work your way up to achieving 32 or more reps across four sets with the new weight.
This approach will enable you to incrementally increase the weight you’re lifting while ensuring that your form remains intact and you don’t put yourself at risk of injury.
Doing Too Many Sets
Finally, it’s essential to note that most people perform too many sets in a single workout, which results in low-quality sets. A quality working set on any heavy exercise should leave you feeling like you need longer rest before your next set, and you’ll quickly notice a decrease in performance.
For beginners, 5 high-quality working sets per muscle group per week, taken close to failure, will suffice. As you advance, the number of sets should increase to 15-20+ to create an effective stimulus and continue progressing.
Therefore, here’s another piece of advice: select a couple of exercises and perform multiple sets, taken close to failure, with three minutes of rest between each set. This approach ensures that you’re completing high-quality sets, which will lead to better results in the long run.
Final Thoughts
Training mistakes are common but avoidable with some awareness and attention. By being mindful of the common pitfalls, you can focus on maximizing the benefits of your workouts and seeing results more quickly. Consistent effort and proper form are crucial to success in training.
It’s important to remain aware of these training mistakes and take steps to avoid them to achieve your fitness goals more efficiently. By avoiding these errors, you can make steady progress toward your goals. With a bit of patience and attention, you can avoid common training mistakes and achieve the results you desire.
by admin | Jun 11, 2022 | Fitness
Developing: How to get stronger shoulders
Your shoulders are one of the most important body parts, as they allow you to train basically every other part of your upper body. For this reason, making them functional and keeping them healthy is an important task on your fitness development to do list. In this article, we’re going to tell you more about the shoulders and how to train them properly, so if this is something of interest to you, keep reading!
Shoulder Anatomy
To understand exactly what the shoulders are doing, let us have a look at their superficial and deep anatomy. The main muscles of the shoulders are the deltoids, which are made up of 3 heads:
- The anterior (front) deltoid
- The medial (side) deltoid
- The posterior (back) deltoid
Each of these serves a variety of functions that allow a vast range of motion – You can lift your arms overhead, laterally, to the front and you can even take them back. However, this big range of motion can make the shoulder joint unstable and thus, vulnerable to injury.
So How Do You Stabilize The Shoulders?
Luckily, our bodies were designed like what seems to be a very adaptive machine with components for high performance! The shoulders are in fact, very well reinforced with stabilizing muscles, BUT, those muscles often become weaker due to the modern-day sedentary lifestyle and lack of natural movements like climbing. There are 4 muscles that stabilize the shoulder and are referred to as “the rotator cuff”.
Those are namely:
- The infraspinatus – This is the main rotator cuff muscle that allows you to extend and rotate the shoulder
- Supraspinatus – This second rotator cuff muscle allows you to lift your arm and also, keeps the shoulder joint in place
- Teres minor – This is a pretty small muscle, but important for the external rotation of the arm, away from the body
- Subscapularis – Last but not least, the subscapularis keeps your upper arm and shoulder blades tight and also helps with arm rotation
To strengthen the rotator cuff, you should do exercises such as:
- Resistance band external rotation
- Resistance band internal rotation
- Active hanging
- Passive hanging
- Climbing
All of these movements will help you stabilize your shoulders and thus, you can have a greater output on the strength exercises for the deltoids, safely.
Training The Deltoids
As we already mentioned, the deltoids work with a variety of other upper body muscle groups. The main muscle groups that work in synergy with the shoulders are the chest and the triceps. These usually work together to help you complete complex exercises, such as:
- The bench press
- The overhead press
- The push-up
For this reason, when it comes to getting better, stronger shoulders, you should mostly rely on compound, free-weight movements, instead of isolated exercises.
Compound movements will allow you to engage synergistic muscle groups to ultimately lift a bigger load, while placing the focus on the desired area (i.e the triceps and upper chest will help you during an overhead press, but most of the work will go for the shoulders.
Here are the 5 best deltoid building exercises:
- Overhead presses (these are king, especially for the front deltoids)
- One Arm Lateral raises
- Two Arms Lateral Raises
- Machine Lateral Raises
- One Arm Dumbbell Upright Row
- Handstands
- Climbing (again, really?)
- Olympic clean
When you combine powerful, compound deltoid movements, with precise, focused rotator cuff work, you will inevitably set yourself up for a healthy shoulder line in the long term.
PLUS… Deltoids can make or break the physique you have, so work on them!
Take Home Message
The shoulders play a major role in your upper body training, which is the main reason why you should pay specific attention to their development.
Before establishing a foundation of heavy overhead presses and lateral movements, think about your rotator cuff and what you can do to strengthen it. Only then, you can move into the more solid exercises that will allow you to develop overall strength and looks of the shoulders.
by admin | Jun 11, 2022 | Mind
Effective Ways to Stop Anxiety
Anxiety is widespread, and it affects one in 13 persons. It manifests differently, sometimes through a panic attack, other times through nervousness in your stomach, shaking hands, overwhelming tensions, beating heart, etc. It causes overwhelming discomfort and can significantly reduce the quality of life of a person.
How can you help yourself? Let’s find out!
But, first, here is some information about the anxiety you should know.
What is Anxiety?
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), anxiety is an emotion of fear and tension, followed by some physical manifestations, such as high blood pressure.
Occasional fear and tensions are normal emotions, but once it becomes too overwhelming and too often, a person is at higher risk of General anxiety disorder (GAD).
Here are some of the symptoms of GAD:
- Continuous tensions
- Continuous feelings of fear, uncertainty and irritability
- Problems with sleep and concentration
People who suffer from GAD experience these symptoms to severe levels. It can affect their ability to develop relationships, do their work, and complete everyday tasks.
Types of Anxiety
There are several types of anxiety, including:
- Generalized anxiety disorder – GAD
- Social anxiety disorder
- Selective mutism
- Specific phobia
- Separation anxiety disorder
The first two types are the most common, with a wide range of symptoms.
5 Ways to Reduce Anxiety
The following are simple methods you can practice to ease the feeling of fear and worry.
Skip the Extra Coffee
There is nothing wrong with starting your day with a cup of coffee. Coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant that keeps you awake. But, research shows that too much caffeine increases the feeling of anxiety.
Therefore, you don’t have to give up on coffee, just drink three or fewer coffee cups per day.
Walk it Out
Workouts are excellent for anxiety and have both long-term and short-term positive effects on your mind and body. But, if you feel anxious, you don’t have to grab your fitness equipment and rush to the gym.
A slow walk around the neighborhood will help you feel better and relax your muscles. You can listen to music while you walk to block the outer noise. Exercising three times per week for half an hour is an optimal workout schedule, but a ten-minute walk when you feel overwhelmed will make an instant difference.
Focus on Something Else
If you feel extensive fear or worry and experience trouble calming down, try to distract yourself and focus on something that will keep your hands busy. It is called a distraction technique and is a simple trick to drive your attention away from your overwhelming feelings. You can draw, wash your hands, brush your hair, or anything else you can think of.
The technique stops your brain from focusing on thoughts that increase anxiety.
Breathe
When your emotions and thoughts become unbearable, your breathing changes and your brain doesn’t get enough oxygen which stops you from thinking clearly. Therefore, it is important to practice a simple breathing technique that will help calm you down, lower the heart rate and stop your blood pressure from going sky high.
When your breathing becomes rapid, close your eyes and slowly take a deep breath through your nose, hold your breath for several seconds, and exhale slowly. Repeat the technique as many times as you need until you feel your vision clears, your hands stop shaking, your heart rate stabilizes and the unbearable feeling decreases.
Final Thoughts
Dealing with anxiety is challenging. When anxiety strikes, the last thing you are capable of is thinking clearly and helping yourself. Practice the mentioned techniques that are simple to remember and focus on in those moments to feel better. How do you deal with anxiety? Please share your tips! If you learned something new, please consider giving this article a thumbs up!
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