Your body and mind are your most valuable assets so take control of your wellness. You must be aware of the right food to eat and the proper activities to do. At the same time, you must be wary of the things that are ruining your health.
Watch What You Eat and Drink
Alcohol causes dehydration which can lead to other serious health problems. When you drink alcoholic beverages, notice that you are frequently urinating. Alcohol is a diuretic which means it removes water from your body rapidly, and reduces the vitamins and minerals present in your body. Some say that drinking alcoholic beverages is acceptable when done moderately. However, medical practitioners claim that it is still harmful because alcohol contains Tyramine, a known component that raises one's blood pressure. Drinking carbonated beverages such as soda is also one of the things that are ruining your health. Soda overloads your body with sugar. A constantly high sugar level leads to a condition called Diabetes. When this condition is not addressed immediately, it may lead to serious complications like a cardiovascular disease, Neuropathy, Retinopathy and kidney damage.
Aside from alcoholic beverages and soda, another drink you should cut back on is coffee. Too much caffeine could greatly affect the heart, can cause the nervous system to go haywire, and may result to Acid Reflux or Heartburn.
Eating too much fast food is among the top things that are ruining your health. Since fast food is almost always deep fried, you are consuming tons of calories. Also, fast food has high values of Trans and Saturated fats. Too much of these in the body will result to a high cholesterol level and will put you at risk of various heart diseases. Too much salt, additives, and the lack of vitamins and minerals make fast food one of the worst things you can have.
How Taking Vitamins can Do More Harm than Good
Health-conscious people often supplement their health habits with taking vitamins and other supplements. It is one thing to take multivitamins, but it's another thing to take too many of these things. You have to remember that you do not need to take a pill for everything. Overdosing on vitamins can damage your organs like the kidneys. It may also lead to severe neurological and cardiovascular conditions.
Stress
Physical stress ranks high among the things that are ruining your health. Stress increases the rate of aging and makes you weak to fight off other health conditions. Do not overexert yourself, especially when trying out a physical activity for the first time. Always allow your body to recover after a strenuous activity.
Psychological stress can also affect your well-being. Stay calm and relaxed. Stop worrying on the little things. Try to control your anger and anxiety. Excessive mental and emotional stress can lead to serious health issues such as a stroke or heart attack.
Bad Habits
Having a sedentary lifestyle leads to many health problems like obesity. Watching too much television and staying in front of the computer for a long time can easily lead to an inactive lifestyle. In line with this, try to avoid staying up late at night. Lack of sleep increases the rate of aging, weakens the immune system, and keeps your brain from functioning at full capacity the next day.
Last on the list is cigarette smoking. It is perhaps the most crucial item on the list of things that could ruin your health. Smoking causes a host of health problems, including lung cancer and various heart diseases. Smoking is so dangerous that even second-hand smoke can alter a person's health. It is crucial to kill this habit before it kills you.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Paleo Athletes - The Cavemen of Athletics
Cavemen meals might seem unpleasant to some, especially when you think that cavemen were not thoroughly familiar with cooked food. However, what a lot of people miss is that cavemen were much stronger, thanks to their higher protein, vegetable, and healthy fat intake. If you are an athlete who wants to gain more strength, increase your stamina, or simply boost your confidence by maintaining an impressive physique, then it is best for you to become one of today's Paleo athletes.
Paleo athletes are basically athletes who follow the Paleolithic or caveman diet. This is a diet that promotes and improves health by sticking to meals of lean meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. The main principles of this diet are to:
* Focus on meat and fresh produce, which allows the body to absorb nutrients better
* Avoid processed or fried food, high-fat dairy, and too much sugar as they lead to weight gain and even chronic diseases
* Drink a lot of water and prefer it over other liquids (e.g., juice and soda)
The Paleo diet is continuously rising to popularity, gaining recognition from elite athletes and acclaimed medical personalities, as it is shown to produce stunning results. However, Paleo athletes don't always have it easy. For one, avoiding bread, pasta, and other grains altogether can be very tough, especially if you grew up with them consistently a part of your meals. The fact that athletes, especially endurance athletes, are prone to sugar intake for maintaining or gaining strength in trainings or competitions makes it tougher.
Are you an athlete who likes to drink soda pop or has candy bars once too often? If yes, then you might find the Paleo diet a harsh challenge. That is not even to mention that you might also find it restrictive. Yes, you can still eat a lot of different types of meat, fruits, and vegetables. However, this does not take away the reality that you will need to have a strong conviction to succeed.
While it may take time for you to become part of the Paleo athletes' guild, if you are determined, you can be confident that it will bring various benefits to your body. For one, your strength and endurance will be highly optimized. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors were able to continuously run for ten miles a day just to trap their prey. How much better can we get if we are able to achieve the same results today?
Now, some people might point out that a caveman's lifespan was estimated to be nothing more than between thirty and forty years. Here is where the second benefit of the Paleo diet is revealed. Cavemen did not encounter common diseases that plague us like diabetes, heart diseases, or the like. What most of them got were infections, traumas, and other diseases that we have already found absolute cures for. With the Paleo diet, you can guarantee that your body will be a lot stronger and healthier. You will always be in tip-top shape, and you are more likely to avoid the above-mentioned diseases.
Paleo athletes are reaping all these benefits, having embraced the caveman diet, but that does not mean it is only for veteran athletes. It does not matter if you are still aspiring to start a solid career in sports or are already training to become like one of the elite Paleo athletes. By going on the Paleo diet, you are sure to achieve success.
Paleo athletes are basically athletes who follow the Paleolithic or caveman diet. This is a diet that promotes and improves health by sticking to meals of lean meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. The main principles of this diet are to:
* Focus on meat and fresh produce, which allows the body to absorb nutrients better
* Avoid processed or fried food, high-fat dairy, and too much sugar as they lead to weight gain and even chronic diseases
* Drink a lot of water and prefer it over other liquids (e.g., juice and soda)
The Paleo diet is continuously rising to popularity, gaining recognition from elite athletes and acclaimed medical personalities, as it is shown to produce stunning results. However, Paleo athletes don't always have it easy. For one, avoiding bread, pasta, and other grains altogether can be very tough, especially if you grew up with them consistently a part of your meals. The fact that athletes, especially endurance athletes, are prone to sugar intake for maintaining or gaining strength in trainings or competitions makes it tougher.
Are you an athlete who likes to drink soda pop or has candy bars once too often? If yes, then you might find the Paleo diet a harsh challenge. That is not even to mention that you might also find it restrictive. Yes, you can still eat a lot of different types of meat, fruits, and vegetables. However, this does not take away the reality that you will need to have a strong conviction to succeed.
While it may take time for you to become part of the Paleo athletes' guild, if you are determined, you can be confident that it will bring various benefits to your body. For one, your strength and endurance will be highly optimized. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors were able to continuously run for ten miles a day just to trap their prey. How much better can we get if we are able to achieve the same results today?
Now, some people might point out that a caveman's lifespan was estimated to be nothing more than between thirty and forty years. Here is where the second benefit of the Paleo diet is revealed. Cavemen did not encounter common diseases that plague us like diabetes, heart diseases, or the like. What most of them got were infections, traumas, and other diseases that we have already found absolute cures for. With the Paleo diet, you can guarantee that your body will be a lot stronger and healthier. You will always be in tip-top shape, and you are more likely to avoid the above-mentioned diseases.
Paleo athletes are reaping all these benefits, having embraced the caveman diet, but that does not mean it is only for veteran athletes. It does not matter if you are still aspiring to start a solid career in sports or are already training to become like one of the elite Paleo athletes. By going on the Paleo diet, you are sure to achieve success.
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