Jog Your Way to Better Health and Weight Loss

If you were thinking about starting up a daily jogging routine there are ways to make sure that you stick with it. Chances are if you haven’t jogged in a quite sometime you won’t make it very far without exhausting yourself. I would highly recommend that you do not do that.

Jogging can be fun if you want it to be. I associate the process of jogging with learning the piano. When I first started playing the piano it really wasn’t much fun. I had to learn how to coordinate my hands, know which key was which and so on. In other words I didn’t just sit down at the piano and start playing Mozart.

Jogging is the same way. You need to work yourself up to the point where it is fun. When does it become fun? It becomes fun when the ground seems to move effortlessly underneath your feet. This occurs by starting off slow.

Just like the piano example above when you begin your jogging program it will feel clumsy, you will feel out of shape, you will breathe heavier then you ever have before and it really won’t seem like fun. That is ok because you are going to work yourself through it.

Here is what you should do. Set small goals for you should achieve. On day one make the goal to jog at least halfway around the block, or a reasonable distance depending upon where you live. One day two the goal should be to make it five feet further than the previous day. On day three you should try to go five feet further than day two and so on. Each day you will be pushing yourself a little more, but not too much more, and will feel like you are accomplishing something.

Before you know it, your jog halfway around the block will be one whole block, then two, then three then a mile then two miles and so on. Eventually you will work yourself up to the point where you enjoy going jogging because you are getting some good exercise in and it makes you feel great.

Don’t forget to invest in an iPod or an MP3 player to bring some music along, or even some audio books, podcasts etc. It will make the time go by even faster.

As always do not forget to get a complete physical from your primary care physician. They will look you over, do some tests, and let you know how much you should exert yourself prior to beginning your jogging routine.

How to Enjoy Exercising For Better Health and Weight Loss

Exercising has great benefits to the body. It can affect positively body and mind; improve our physical, physiological and psychological condition.

Research show that people who are in the age of forty-five and older experience improvements with their physical, emotional and mental health because of proper exercise. It is a fact that exercise can benefit the body in many ways when done moderately, reasonably, persistently and regularly.

Exercise can also help burn fat by increasing the metabolic rate of the body. For many people exercise sounds like a boring exhaustive routine they have to perform to stay healthy and lose weight. However this is far from being true.

There are many different types of exercises to choose from for all the different tastes. Also exercise shouldn’t be exhaustive to be effective.

You can choose aerobics exercise, swimming, jogging, walking. For some people dance is the best way to exercise. Just putting on your favorite music and dancing actively for 10-15 minutes daily might be enough to satisfy your daily needs for an aerobic exercise. You can also try an African dance. It is very dynamic and very often there is a live percussion. It is a very powerful experience that affects positively body and mind alike. Carrying equal weight in both hands when you go shopping or doing work around the house might satisfy the weight training requirements for the day.

For stretching you can choose regular stretching classes or yoga. Yoga provides with additional weight loss and health benefits. You can also do stretching while doing housework. Just make sure you stretch equally on both sides.

Exercising is not hard if you choose the right activity, one that you enjoy and if you know how to fit it into your busy daily schedule.

Health Risks of Obesity in Men, Women & Children – What Are They & What You Need to Do About It!

There are some serious health issues with being overweight or obese for men, women & children. Wanting to lose weight is important for a long and healthy life but one needs to be careful to pick a program that will not do more harm than good. First, let us go over many of the possible health issues that men and women can have when being overweight or obese. It should be noted that there has been an alarming increase in these diseases in children from 8-17 years of age.

Heart disease - Heart attack, heart failure or angina (chest pain caused by restricted blood flow to the heart) are the leading causes of death for both men and women in North America.

Stroke - Known as a “brain attack”, most strokes are due to restricted blood flow to the brain caused by a clot blocking an artery.

Diabetes - Overweight people are twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes as people who are not. It is the inability of your body to control your blood sugar level causing death, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and blindness. Control your blood sugar levels by losing weight, become more physically active and you may find you can reduce medications that you need.

Cancer - In overweight women, cancer of the gallbladder, breast, uterus, cervix, and ovaries are possible. Overweight men are at a risk for developing cancer of the colon, rectum, and prostate.

Gallstones or gallbladder disease – Gallbladder disease and gallstones are more common in overweight individuals and the risk increases as weight increases. Rapid weight loss can increase your chances of getting gallstones. Regulated weight loss of about 2 pounds a week is less likely to cause gallstones.

Osteoarthritis - A common joint disorder that most often affects knees, hips, and lower back joints. Additional weight puts pressure on the joints, wearing away cartilage that protects them. Weight loss can improve symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Gout - Also known as the “rich man’s disease”, it is a joint disease caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid can form crystals that collect in the joints. Gout is more common in overweight people.

Breathing problems (including sleep apnea) - It is a serious condition that causes a person to stop breathing for short periods during sleep and to snore heavily. It may cause daytime exhaustion or even heart failure. The heavier you are the greater your chances of having sleep apnea. Sleep apnea usually improves with weight loss.

High blood cholesterol - High levels of “Bad” cholesterol (LDL & triglycerides) can lead to heart disease. Obesity also causes low levels of “Good” cholesterol (HDL). Weight loss usually improves cholesterol levels.

High blood pressure - Is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Obese adults are twice as likely to have high blood pressure then those who are a healthy weight. Weight loss lowers your blood pressure.

Complications of pregnancy - Being obese during pregnancy increases the risks of high blood pressure and diabetes. Obesity can also lead to problems with labor, delivery, irregular menstrual cycles and infertility (polycystic ovary syndrome).

Psychological and social effects - The emotional suffering that obesity causes is often overlooked but is one of the most painful aspects of being overweight. Society puts great emphasis on ones appearance, often associating slimness with attractiveness, especially women. This makes overweight people feel unattractive and can lead to depression. The obese often face prejudice or discrimination in their everyday lives. Feelings of rejection, shame, or depression are very common.