Lets Check Your Physical Activity IQ.

Answer these following simple questions and you will easily come to know the facts.

1. In general, what % of the calorie should come from carbohydrates if you are physically active?

  • 60-65%
  • 40%
  • 50%

Answer- 60-65% . Carbohydrate is the cheif fuel for you muscles. Examples of carbohydrate food include breads, cereals, pasta, vegetables and fruits. 

2.The most effective physical activity plan is?

  • Strength training
  • Aerobic workouts at moderate intensity 3 or more times a week
  • A combination of strength training, flexibility exercises, and aerobic activity

Answer- A combination of strength training, flexibility and aerobic activity. Strength and resistance training increase your muscle mass and strength. Aerobics ( walking, biking) has a beneficial effects on your heart. So this combination is considered to be the most effective well rounded plan.

3. Certain activities can help you to selectively remove fat from your waist, thighs, or specific areas of your body.

  • True
  • False

Answer – False. You cannot selectively remove fat from certain areas of body. Much of the way you look, including the size of different body parts, is determined by genetics. But dont give up. Although activities for specific areas wont burn fat there, the activity will strengthen the muscles there and make it firm.

4. Women tend to have a lower metabolic rate.

  • True
  • False

Answer- True. Women usually have a greater percentage of fat than men, and fat burns fewer calories tan muscles. This makes women’s metabolic rate 5-10 % slower than men’s.

5. How long does it take to see improvement in fitness levels if you are doing moderate intensity aerobic activity for 30 min 3 times a week?

  • a day or two
  • a week or two
  • a month or two

Answer- A week or two. If you are doing this activity you will see the improvements on regular basis. But the results will be noticeable within a week or two. As your fitness improves the activity will feel easier.

6. What type of workout maximizes fat burning?

  • low intensity workout
  • moderate intensity workout
  • high intensity workout

Answer – Moderate intensity workout.The percentage of fat calories burnt is higher for low intensity workouts, but this can be misleading. A greater absolute number of fat calories are burned during a moderate intensity workout.

7. A person who weighs more, burns more calories doing the same exercise as someone who weighs less.

  • True
  • False

Answer- True.The calories burned during an activity are directly related to how much you weigh. A smaller person would have to do an activity for a longer time to use the same amount of energy as a larger person because it takes more calories to move a large arm versus a small arm.

8. Because we start loosing muscle mass every year after about 30 years of age, physical activity has only a small benefit in older age.

  • True
  • False

Answer- False.It is never too late to include physical activity in your life. Frail and very old people (80+) can still participate in regular physical activity program improving the capacity of their hearts, decreasing the risk of falling, and improving their psychological outlook.

9. What are the key components of physical activity that are important for improving your fitness?

  • Frequency, intensity, duration
  • Calorie intake, altitude, humidity
  • Temperature, time, type of activity

Answer- Frequency, intensity, duration. Frequency means number of times per week an activity is performed, intensity is how hard you work, duration is the time spent during the activity. 

10. People who want bigger muscles should take protein supplements.

  • True
  • False

Answer– False. There is no evidence that excess protein will lead to bigger muscles. Eating more protein than you need is a waste, since the excess will be converted into fat or burned for energy. If you want to increase the size and strength of your muscles try strength training.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Top 10 Ways To Protect Yourself From Cancer

The uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells causes cancer. Although all cancers have similar characteristics each is distinct. Genetics plays an important role in development of cancer, but along with that environmental factors, our diet and lifestyle too has a role.

English: Most common cancers in the United Sta...

English: Most common cancers in the United States 2008. See Epidemiology of cancer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Top 10 ways to protect yourself from cancer:

1. Don’t smoke: Cigarette smoke is the number one carcinogen responsible for cancer.

2. Limit your alcohol intake: Heavy drinkers are more likely to develop oral cancer and cancer of larynx, throat, esophagus, liver and breast.

3. Stay out of the Sun: wearing sun-screen is better that using nothing.

4. Get moving: exercise- the heart strengthener and stamina builder also can reduce the risk of colon cancer.  Women who exercise early in life are less likely to develop breast cancer.

5. Watch your weight: Obesity increases the risk of several cancers including endometrial cancer particularly among post menopausal women.

6. Check yourself out: Scan your skin for suspicious moles every month. If you are a women, examine your breasts regularly. If you are a man, check your testicles.

7. Be sexually cautious: Cervical cancer has been linked with intercourse at an early age, multiple sex partners and infection with human papilloma virus. The incidence of prostate cancer in men increases with multiple sexual partners and history of frequente sexual transmitted diseases.

8. Watch what you eat: Cut down on fats. Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. High fat foods have been linked to several cancers including breast, colon and prostate. Fruits , vegetables and whole grains are rich in antioxidants to help you.

9. Protect yourself from possible environmental carcinogens:  Many chemicals used in the industry can increase the risk to employees and people living near a factory that creates smoke, dust or gases. Follow safety precautions at work and check with local environmental officers about possible hazards.

10. Inform yourself: Know the warning signs of cancer and see the physician if you develop any of them. Find about any history of cancer in your family. Even though heredity accounts for less percentage of cancer cases the more you know about potential risks the more you can do to protect yourself.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Is Your Heart Ready For Cold Weather?

If you have a heart disease, you have to take care of your heart throughout the year all 365 days. In addition to monitoring your symptoms, taking medications, following healthy lifestyle, having proper diet you also have to be prepared for the natural conditions.

Winton, heavy snowfall - geograph.org.uk - 1150414

Winton, heavy snowfall – geograph.org.uk – 1150414 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Let us understand what happens when the weather becomes cold:

1. When the temperature outside drops the heart has to work harder to maintain  body’s core temperature.

2. According to American Heart Association heart failure is the cause of most of the deaths from hypothermia.

3. Research is still going on that why cold temperature increases the risk for heart disease too.

4. Few researchers think cold weather may influence the human body in other ways (e.g hormones or blood vessel constriction) leading to heart attack.

Take care of yourself:

  • Be sure to bundle up with layers of clothes when going outside.
  • Wear a hat to reduce heat loss from your head.
  • Go slow while doing physically challenging tasks.
  • Ask your doctor about which activities should you do in cold weather.
Enhanced by Zemanta

Top 10 Do’s And Don’ts Of Yoga

With the new year you all must have planned and made resolutions for being healthy, weight loss, eating right etc.

These do’s and don’ts will help all the begginers for making a start for a healthy year:

Yoga Class at a Gym Category:Gyms_and_Health_Clubs

Yoga Class at a Gym Category:Gyms_and_Health_Clubs (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. Don’t have a big meal right before the class. Try eating light few hours before the class.

2. Don’t drink water during the class. But have some before and after.

3. Don’t wear shoes or socks during the class.

4. Don’t try to do yoga on your own or from an untrained person.

5. Do check out your yoga tips for more on what you expect.

6. D0- review the yoga etiquettes so that you feel comfortable entering a unfamiliar situation.

7. Do- tell the teacher that its your first yoga class.

8. Do- ask for any help required.

9. Do- familiarize with some beginner yoga poses before you take your first class.

10. Do- Be regular for your classess!!

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

Top 5 Tips For Preventing Stroke

When blood supply to a portion of brain is blocked a cerebrovascular accident or stroke occurs.

Stroke ranks third after heart attacks and cancer as a cause of death. 80% of strokes are preventable and key risk factors can be modified through either lifestyle changes or drugs.

Here are top 5 tips for preventing stroke:

Stroke Diagram

Stroke Diagram (Photo credit: ConstructionDealMkting)

1. Quit Smoking: Smokers have twice the risk of stroke that non-smokers have. when they quit their risk drops 50% in 2 years. Within 5 years of quitting their risk is similar like non smokers.

2. Keep blood pressure under control: Treating hypertension with medication can lead to a 40% reduction in fatal and non fatal strokes.

3. Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet which reduces your risk of fatty buildup in blood vessels.

4. Avoid Obesity, which burdens the heart as well as the blood vessels.

5. Exercise: Moderate amounts of exercise improves circulation and may help dissolve deposits in the blood vessels that can lead to stroke.

Enhanced by Zemanta