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Cardiovascular Training for Excellent Health

Word Count:
704

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Everyone on the earth needs cardiovascular exercise. It is necessary for a healthy body and a quality way of life. Cardiovascular exercise has a plethora of benefits and will make you feel more well in all phases of your life. Aerobic exercise-why should you do it?

exercise, aerobics, anaerobics, cardiovascular exercise, weight loss, aerobic exercise

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Everyone on the planet has to have aerobic exercise. A healthy constitution and quality way of life requires it. It has a lot of perks and will make you perform improved in all areas of your life. So why should you do aerobic exercise?

Aerobic exercise is beneficial to you by developing the lungs to be stronger by boosting levels of oxygen to the body and the heart by helping it to use that oxygen more efficiently. The word aerobic translates to with oxygen, or with air. Exercise that is less intense and longer in duration is aerobic. With aerobic sessions, an athlete implements the same big muscle area in a steady motion for between fifteen and thirty. A maximum heart rate of about sixty to eighty % is the goal to maintain. Swimming, cycling, light running, and walking are some examples of aerobic exercises. These exercises should be able to be done without someone breathing hard. If you cannot carry on a short conversation while working out, you may be moving it up a level by anaerobically exercising.

Muscle groups get extra blood and oxygen from the body during an aerobic exercise session. Halting all of a sudden in the midst of an aerobic session is not a wise move. This can lead to dizziness and muscular cramping. After a fairly intense work out, a cool off session is usually a wise idea. Moving in place for a few minutes is a good idea if somebody gets too exhausted during a work out session. Anaerobic exercise is different from aerobic in that it is usually shorter in time span and greater in intensity. With anaerobics the body wears down faster and muscles build more quickly. Football, soccer, skiing, basketball, and weight lifting are sports considered anaerobic exercises. Sprinting or running is another example. Anaerobic exercise will escalate the chances of the body being sore.

Working a certain group of muscles for a specific amount of time to reach your target heart rate is the point of aerobic exercise. This exercises the heart out better and has the body expend more calories. The aerobic curve is something some people will often hit. This is when you begin working out and elevate your intensity to the max then slow down gradually. Keeping a continuous heart rate is more efficient. The lungs and heart endure longer and work more efficiently when they are trained. People who perform aerobic exercise on a steady basis will have to exercise longer to achieve their target heart rate as their stamina increases. People that are only beginning will achieve their target heart rate quickly until their body gets adjusted to the exercise.

Aerobic exercise has so many benefits that it is strange to imagine that we often fail to take the time to do it for ourselves. It controls and lowers body fat, expands our whole endurance, gives us more energy, aids our resistance to tiredness, develops our muscles, and increases our lean body mass. It also aids us mentally by lifting mood, lowering anxiety, reducing depression, reducing tension, and making us sleep better at night. Who can’t benefit a bit from all that?These are advantages that people would all use.

An aerobics class might be a good beginning for people who want to reap the rewards of aerobic exercise and aren’t sure how to begin. In an aerobics class, you can do higher or lower intensity exercise. The class instructor should be able to show class members how to do these moves either way. How much you carry your limbs up during the aerobic session is how the intensity is measured. Athletes must perform at the level of intensity pertaining to their level of fitness and the frequency of their exercise sessions.

This type exercise is without a doubt essential for cardiovascular fitness even though it may be a little hard at first. A good body requires regular cardiovascular sessions and is a continuous process. People who have already achieved good cardiovascular condition can keep this by exercising a minimum of three times a week. Four to five intervals a week should be the intervals of people who are attempting to lose weight and elevate their level of health.

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Cardiovascular Effort for Optimum Health

Word Count:
663

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Everybody on the planet has to have aerobic exercise. A healthy constitution and fit lifestyle requires it. You are going to perform greater in all areas of your life with the pros of it. Why should you do aerobic exercise?

exercise, aerobics, anaerobics, cardiovascular exercise, weight loss, aerobic exercise

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Aerobic exercise is advantageous to you by strengthening the lungs to be more effective by raising levels of oxygen to the cells and the heart by enabling it to use that oxygen more effectively. The definition of aerobic translates to with air, or with oxygen. Work outs that are less intense and longer in length is aerobic. With aerobic work outs, a person implements the same big muscle group in a repetitious movement from between fifteen to thirty. A heart rate of about sixty to eighty % is the objective to maintain. Swimming, cycling, jogging, and walking are some aerobic exercises. These sessions need to be able to be done without someone having to gasp for breath. If you are incapable of carrying on a short conversation while working out, you might be moving it up a level by exercising anaerobically.

The goal while exercising aerobically is to reach your target heart rate and maintain that for the entire time you are exercising that group of muscles. This exercises the heart more efficiently and makes the body burn more calories. Sometimes exercisers will reach the aerobic curve. This is when you start exercising and raise your intensity level to the peak then slow down gradually. It is more efficient to maintain that constant rate as your heart rate is increased. This will train the heart and lungs to last longer and work more efficiently. People that perform aerobic exercise on a regular occasion will have to work harder to reach their target heart rate as their endurance increases. People who are only beginning will get to their target heart rate quickly until their body gets used to the exercise.

People who want all the perks of aerobic exercise and are unsure of where to start may get started with an aerobics class. In a class, you can do high or lower intensity cardiovascular. The class instructor should be able to show class members how to perform these moves either way. How high you take your arms and legs up during the work out is what measures the intensity. Athletes should do the level of intensity according to their abilities and the frequency of their work outs sessions.

To think that often we avoid aerobic exercise is unbelievable because of it’s many advantages. It maintains and lowers body fat, raises our whole endurance, gives us extra energy, helps our resilience to exhaustion, increases our muscles, and increases our lean body mass. It also helps us mentally by elevating mood, decreasing anxiety, reducing depression, decreasing tension, and making us rest more soundly at night. Who can’t benefit a little from all that?These are benefits that people could all use.

Anaerobic exercise is different from aerobic because it is often shorter in time span and greater in intensity. The body depletes faster and develops muscle more actively with anaerobics. Football, soccer, skiing, basketball, and weight lifting are sports considered anaerobic exercises. Sprinting or running is another activity. A person will more likely experience soreness at the conclusion of anaerobic exercise.

Muscle groups get extra blood and oxygen from the body while in an aerobic exercise session. It is bad to stop all of a sudden from an exercise session. Cramping and dizziness can occur from this. It is usually a great thought to have a cool off period after a fairly intense aerobic work out. If someone gets too exhausted during an aerobic session, they can run in place for a few moments until able to continue.

Aerobic exercise may be somewhat difficult to do at first, but it is absolutely obligatory for cardiovascular health. It is an ongoing process and takes regular aerobic sessions to keep a fit body. Three times a week is generally how frequently a person should work out if they are already in fairly good cardiovascular shape. Four to five intervals a week should be the intervals of people who are attempting to lose weight and elevate their degree of health.

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Cardiovascular Effort for Excellent Health

Word Count:
716

For the best Pilates Mat company, call Cara McGrath Pilates.

Cardiovascular exercise has a ton of benefits and will make you feel better in all aspects of your life. Aerobic exercise-why should you do it?

exercise, aerobics, anaerobics, cardiovascular exercise, weight loss, aerobic exercise

To find the best Pilates Mat company, click here for Cara McGrath Pilates.
No matter who you are in the world, your body needs aerobic exercise. A healthy body and high quality way of life needs it. It has a number of pros and will help you feel greater in all areas of your life. So how can you benefit from aerobic exercise?

Anaerobic exercise is not like aerobic in that it is often shorter in length and greater in intensity. With anaerobics the body gets tired faster and muscles are created more actively. A variety of sports are categorized as anaerobic activities: soccer, downhill skiing, weight lifting, basketball, and football. Running or sprinting is another one. Anaerobic exercise will boost the possibility of the body being sore.

To imagine that often we don’t do aerobic exercise is crazy because of it’s number of perks. It helps control and reduces body fat, increases our total endurance, gives us more energy, assists in our resilience to exhaustion, increases our muscles, and raises our lean body mass. It also helps us mentally by improving mood, lowering anxiety, reducing depression, reducing tension, and having us sleep good at night. Who can’t benefit a little from all that?These are pros that people would all use.

An aerobics class could be a good beginning for people who want to reap the rewards of aerobic exercise and aren’t positive how to start. Both high and low intensity work outs are available in an aerobics class. The teacher should show class members how to perform these moves either way. The amount of intensity is how high you bring your limbs up during the work out routine. Athletes must perform at the level of intensity pertaining to their level of fitness and the regularity of their work outs sessions.

The goal while working out aerobically is to reach your target heart rate and remain at that for the whole period you are exercising that group of muscles. This exercises the heart more effectively and makes the body expend a greater amount of calories. The aerobic curve is something some people will often reach. This is when you start exercising and elevate your intensity level to the peak then decrease gradually. It is better to maintain that continuous level as your heart rate rises. The lungs and heart endure longer and work more effectively when they are conditioned. People who do aerobic exercise on a steady basis will have to exercise harder to achieve their target heart rate as their stamina increases. People who are only beginning will get to their target heart rate quickly until their body gets used to the exercise.

More effective implementation of the lungs by escalating the oxygen carried to them as well as the heart using that oxygen more effectively are a few of the pros of aerobic exercise. The definition of aerobic means with oxygen, or with air. Exercise that is lower in intensity and longer in time is aerobic. With aerobic sessions, an athlete implements the same big muscle group in a continuous motion from between fifteen and thirty. The goal of the aerobic exerciser is to maintain a maximum heart rate of approximately sixty to eighty %. A few aerobic sessions are: light running, cycling, walking, or treading water. These activities should be able to be done without a person breathing hard. You are possibly anaerobically working out if you are not able to carry on a brief
conversation.

While in an aerobic exercise session, the body transports more blood and oxygen to the muscle groups. It is not smart to stop suddenly from an aerobic session. This leads to dizziness and muscle spasms. It is usually a great idea to have a cooling off session after a relatively intense aerobic work out. Running in place for a moment or two is a good idea if anybody gets too exhausted during a work out session.

This type exercise is absolutely obligatory for cardiovascular fitness even though it may be a bit difficult at first. A healthy body takes regular aerobic sessions and is an ongoing process. Three times a week is generally how frequently a person should exercise if they are already in fairly good cardiovascular shape. Those who are trying to lose weight and raise their level of fitness should work out four to five times a week.

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Cardiovascular Disease and Women

Amanda Baker
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Cardiovascular disease, also known as CVD, is the number one killer of men and women of all ethnic groups in the United States. Cardiovascular diseases include such ailments as high blood pressure, arrythmia, valve disease, congestive heart failure and stroke. Though worries of more “high profile” diseases such as breast cancer are on the forefront in many women’s minds, the hard truth is that one in four women are affected with some form of cardiovascular disease.
Risk factors for cardiovascular diseases are things such as high blood pressure, obesity, abnormal blood glucose, and even the use of tobacco, among other factors. When caught at an early age, these risk factors can be muted to help prevent manifesting themselves as cardiovascular disease later on.
Altering your lifestyle can help to lower your chances for cardiovascular diseases. Such alterations as eating a diet that is low in fat and cholesterol, adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet, drinking enough water daily, and exercising for half an hour a day are all ways that physicians suggest can assist in lowering your chances for cardiovascular disease.
Cardiovascular diseases are known as silent killers, as they often have no symptoms. If you think you may be having any symptoms of heart disease, you should speak to your doctor about the many tests available. Doctors often begin with simple tests, the results of which can lead to tests that are more complex.
In connection with cardiovascular disease are “extra” heartbeats, which typically happen when there is an irritation in the lower part of the heart’s pumping chambers. They interrupt the normal heart rhythm, which can feel like a missed beat. This can actually be a harmless “quirk” of your body’s functions, or can lead to problems that are far more serious.
If a woman has these palpitations or any other symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, or shortness of breath, she should contact her doctor right away. A complete medical history, physical exam, and other tests will be run to determine the cause of these behaviors, which can be anything from stress-related behavior to something far more dangerous. The advice and consultation of a physician where heart disease is concerned is the only way to go.
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Cardio-Boxing for Super Fitness

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1032

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Sports scientists agree that cardio-boxing is one of the best forms of exercise, because it conditions the total body and provides a complete workout for your cardiovascular and endurance systems.

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Sports scientists agree that cardio-boxing is one of the best forms of exercise, because it conditions the total body and provides a complete workout for your cardiovascular and endurance systems.

The major benefits of cardio-boxing include:

 Increased Stamina
 Increased Strength
 Increased Speed
 Increased Coordination

Cardio-boxing also promotes a person’s well being by strengthening their self-discipline and combined with strength training it’s well and truly the total package for self-defence and fitness and usually consists of:

 Adjusted heart rate work
 Actual boxing techniques

The usual workout consists of the age-adjusted heart rate work starting with 10 minutes for beginners and leading up to 20 minutes for the more advanced. For the second part of the workout, you’ll need to perform and practice 20 minutes of actual boxing techniques.

Cardio

The best way to measure the effects of an exercise program on your body is to check your pulse.

The easiest way to check the pulse is to place your index and middle fingers on your carotid artery or the wrist. Immediately after the exercise, count your pulse for 15 seconds and multiply by 4.

You can also check your pulse during the exercise but with safety as a first priority. To get a more precise reading of your pulse rate, purchase an electronic device from any sports store.

Now you have your exercising pulse rate or heartbeats per minute. We’ll be concentrating at the upper end of your pulse region: the 50% – 70% ranges.

To figure this out, deduct your age from 220. Suppose your age is 40, deduct this from 220 and you get 180.

50% of 180 is 90 beats a minute,
60% of 180 is 108 beats a minute,
70% of 180 is 126 beats a minute and so on.

Don’t jump into 70% work straight away. Start with 50% and slowly work your way up to the 70% upper limit.

Start with no more than 10 minutes, and work up to 20 minutes. Once you’re comfortable with working out for 20 minutes at 70% then try to increase the heart rate up to 80%.

Mix up your cardiovascular activities in the gym. Use the treadmill, skipping, rower, climber, and bike and other equipment that might be available to you.

Boxing

The boxing stance is the posture a boxer takes before and after every action depending on whether you are left or right handed. We’ll be dealing with the most common; right-handed. For left-handed people, just reverse the instructions.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, with your left foot in front of your right foot. Your right heel should be slightly raised with your left foot flat on the floor and toes pointing ahead.

Bend your knees a little and balance your weight comfortably and evenly.
Place your elbows close to your body with your left fist held at head height and in a position that corresponds to your left foot.

The right fist should be at head height also and guarding the chin, with both elbows protecting your body and both fists protecting your chin.

This is your defensive and offensive position after throwing punches, so please practice this before going any further. When moving forward in this boxing stance the left foot moves forward first and then the right follows.

When moving back, the right moves back and then the left follows. When moving sideward to the right, the right foot moves first followed by the left. When moving sideward to the left, the left foot moves first followed by the right.

Practice this moving forward, back and sideward in the boxer’s stance until it is done smoothly and quickly. Remember to keep your guard up and elbows tucked in to your sides.

Keep your head at eye level with your upper body leaning forward slightly. In boxing it is important that punches are thrown quickly and then bought back quickly to assume a defensive posture.

Punching

A left jab has many uses, it can be used for both offensive and
Defensive actions. From the set stance the left arm is pushed quickly and forcefully forward, the weight is shifted to the front foot. The fist moves in a straight line and straight back again for defence.

At the moment of impact the back of the hand and the lower arm are in a straight line. Keep the right fist in the defensive position and elbow tucked into the body during the movement.

The straight right is also known as the punching hand and can be thrown with considerable force. The arm moves straightforward from the chin, the body weight is shifted to the front foot with the ball of the foot of the back leg pushing into the floor for more power.

The back of the hand is straight and pointing up at the moment of impact. The arm is then immediately pulled back for protection after the hit.

The left hook to the head and body is an effective punch for closer range work. From the set stance turn your left shoulder quickly and move your elbow up to shoulder height. The fist moves in a circular motion to the target, with the elbow bent.

Rotate your hip and body whilst pressing your front left down keeping the back of your fist pointing up and in a straight line with the lower arm. The left hook to the body is similar to the above but increases the rotation of the body

The right uppercut is also carried out at close range. Drop the lower part of your punching arm until the lower and upper arm is at right angles to each other. The back of your hand should be pointing away from you, now thrust your arm forward and upward to your target.

Shift your body weight to your front leg and rotate your hip and shoulder on the same side. Remember to keep your left fist guarding your chin during the entire movement. Now practice all your punches until they are done quickly and smoothly.

To develop speed and endurance, try punching straight left and right combinations into the heavy bag. The duration of the exercise period is the same as the rest period i.e. 10 seconds exercise, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds exercise, 20 seconds rest, and so on. Move up higher as your condition improves.

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Cardio Enthusiasts: Discover a More Effective Training Method for Fat Loss and Heart Health!

Michael Geary
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It is common to hear fitness professionals and medical doctors prescribe low to moderate intensity aerobic training (cardio) to people who are trying to prevent heart disease or lose weight. Most often, the recommendations constitute something along the lines of “perform 30-60 minutes of steady pace cardio 3-5 times per week maintaining your heart rate at a moderate level”. Before you just give in to this popular belief and become the “hamster on the wheel” doing endless hours of boring cardio, I’d like you to consider some recent scientific research that indicates that steady pace endurance cardio work may not be all it’s cracked up to be.
First, realize that our bodies are designed to perform physical activity in bursts of exertion followed by recovery, or stop-and-go movement instead of steady state movement. Recent research is suggesting that physical variability is one of the most important aspects to consider in your training. This tendency can be seen throughout nature as all animals demonstrate stop-and-go motion instead of steady state motion. In fact, humans are the only creatures in nature that attempt to do “endurance” type physical activities. Most competitive sports (with the exception of endurance running or cycling) are also based on stop-and-go movement or short bursts of exertion followed by recovery. To examine an example of the different effects of endurance or steady state training versus stop-and-go training, consider the physiques of marathoners versus sprinters. Most sprinters carry a physique that is very lean, muscular, and powerful looking, while the typical dedicated marathoner is more often emaciated and sickly looking. Now which would you rather resemble?
Another factor to keep in mind regarding the benefits of physical variability is the internal effect of various forms of exercise on our body. Scientists have known that excessive steady state endurance exercise (different for everyone, but sometimes defined as greater than 60 minutes per session most days of the week) increases free radical production in the body, can degenerate joints, reduces immune function, causes muscle wasting, and can cause a pro-inflammatory response in the body that can potentially lead to chronic diseases. On the other hand, highly variable cyclic training has been linked to increased anti-oxidant production in the body and an anti-inflammatory response, a more efficient nitric oxide response (which can encourage a healthy cardiovascular system), and an increased metabolic rate response (which can assist with weight loss). Furthermore, steady state endurance training only trains the heart at one specific heart rate range and doesn’t train it to respond to various every day stressors. On the other hand, highly variable cyclic training teaches the heart to respond to and recover from a variety of demands making it less likely to fail when you need it. Think about it this way — Exercise that trains your heart to rapidly increase and rapidly decrease will make your heart more capable of handling everyday stress. Stress can cause your blood pressure and heart rate to increase rapidly. Steady state jogging and other endurance training does not train your heart to be able to handle rapid changes in heart rate or blood pressure.
The important aspect of variable cyclic training that makes it superior over steady state cardio is the recovery period in between bursts of exertion. That recovery period is crucially important for the body to elicit a healthy response to an exercise stimulus. Another benefit of variable cyclic training is that it is much more interesting and has lower drop-out rates than long boring steady state cardio programs.
To summarize, some of the potential benefits of variable cyclic training compared to steady state endurance training are as follows: improved cardiovascular health, increased anti-oxidant protection, improved immune function, reduced risk for joint wear and tear, reduced muscle wasting, increased residual metabolic rate following exercise, and an increased capacity for the heart to handle life’s every day stressors. There are many ways you can reap the benefits of stop-and-go or variable intensity physical training. One of the absolute most effective forms of variable intensity training to really reduce body fat and bring out serious muscular definition is performing wind sprints. Most competitive sports such as football, basketball, racquetball, tennis, hockey, etc. are naturally comprised of highly variable stop-and-go motion. In addition, weight training naturally incorporates short bursts of exertion followed by recovery periods. High intensity interval training (varying between high and low intensity intervals on any piece of cardio equipment) is yet another training method that utilizes exertion and recovery periods. For example, an interval training session on the treadmill could look something like this:
Warm-up for 3-4 minutes at a fast walk or light jog;
Interval 1 – run at 8.0 mi/hr for 1 minute;
Interval 2 – walk at 4.0 mi/hr for 1.5 minutes;
Interval 3 – run at 10.0 mi/hr for 1 minute;
Interval 4 – walk at 4.0 mi/hr for 1.5 minutes;
Repeat those 4 intervals 4 times for a very intense 20-minute workout.
The take-away message from this article is to try to train your body at highly variable intensity rates for the majority of your workouts to get the most beneficial response in terms of heart health, fat loss, and muscle maintenance.
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Carbon Monoxide Levels – How Much is too Much?

Alexandria Haber
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What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide or CO is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. Due to this fact, it is very hard to detect the presence of CO in your environment. It is, however, imperative that the CO levels in your home are carefully monitored. Even at relatively low levels, CO is poisonous because it rapidly accumulates in the blood thereby depleting its ability to carry oxygen. Extreme cases of CO poisoning result in death.
Where does carbon monoxide come from?
CO is a common by product of the combustion of fossil fuels. When properly installed and maintained, most fuel burning equipment (natural gas, propane or oil) will produce insignificant amounts of CO.
At what level does carbon monoxide become toxic?
For healthy adults, CO becomes toxic when it reaches a level higher than 50 ppm (parts per million) with continuous exposure over an eight hour period.. When the level of CO becomes higher than that, a person will suffer from symptoms of exposure. Mild exposure over a few hours (a CO level between 70 ppm and 100 ppm) include flu-like symptoms such as headaches, sore eyes and a runny nose. Medium exposure (a CO level between 150 ppm to 300 ppm) will produce dizziness, drowsiness and vomiting. Extreme exposure (a CO level of 400 ppm and higher) will result in unconsciousness, brain damage and death.
How to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning

have a qualified technician install and regularly inspect all fuel burning appliances
regularly inspect fireplaces and chimneys to insure proper ventilation
never use a gas or charcoal barbeque indoors
never start a car or gas run lawnmower or snow blower in a closed garage.
install a carbon monoxide detector in your home.

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Carbon Monoxide Can Be Deadly–Early Detection Monitors Make It Easy to Protect Your Family

Debra Lynn Dadd
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If you burn gas, kerosene, or wood in your home to produce heat for cooking or warmth, you need to monitor the level of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is odorless and can easily build up to dangerous levels. Ordinary carbon monoxide detectors don’t sound an alarm until certain levels of carbon monoxide accumulate in the air. New monitors show the amount of carbon dioxide in the air at any given time, so you can take action well before levels reach the danger zone.
HOW CARBON MONOXIDE GETS INTO THE AIR IN YOUR HOME
Carbon monoxide is the major toxic combustion by-product that is created when gas, kerosene, or wood is burned to produce heat for cooking or warmth. Other combustion by-products include formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, nitric acid, and vapors from various organic chemicals.
Carbon monoxide and other combustion by-products are produced when fuels do not burn completely. All fuel-burning appliances need air for the fuel to burn efficiently. When a generous supply of fresh air is available and the fuel is burning properly, there is little danger of poisoning. But when there is inadequate ventilation or the appliance is not operating properly, carbon monoxide is produced and can gradually overcome and even kill an unsuspecting bystander. Many years before I was born, my grandmother almost died from carbon monoxide seeping from her gas furnace. It was just by chance that someone walked in and saved her.
SYMPTOMS OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
It is possible to identify symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning if you know what to look for. Your body will tell you if there is too much carbon monoxide in your home. Different concentrations of carbon monoxide and different exposure times cause different symptoms.
Mild exposures to carbon monoxide are often confused with the flu. Symptoms include sleepiness, slight headache, dizziness, flushed skin, disorientation, abnormal reflexes, blurred vision, irritablity, slight nausea, fatigue, and an inability to concentrate.
As exposure continues, mild symptoms turn into severe throbbing headache, drowsiness, confusion, shortness of breath, vomiting, and an accelerated heart rate. Unconsciousness and convulsions are signs that cardio respiratory failure and death are near.
If you or anyone in your family experiences flu-like symptoms and you burn gas, kerosene or wood in your home, you should immediately evaluate if it is, in fact, early signs of carbon monoxide exposure.
CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS AND ALARMS
There are two types of devices that can warn you about carbon monoxide levels in your home.
Carbon monoxide detectors sound an alarm like a smoke detector when carbon monoxide reaches dangerous levels. These are relatively inexpensive, but, like a smoke detector, only warn you when carbon monoxide in your home has already reached a level that is approaching dangerous.
Carbon monoxide monitors give you an ongoing numerical reading of the current level of carbon monoxide, and sound an alarm when concentrations approach dangerous levels. These cost around $50, but show you what the actual carbon monoxide concentration is at any given time. With a monitor, you can catch carbon monoxide leaks at low levels, and rest assured that your family is safe.
TO ELIMINATE THE THREAT OF CARBON MONOXIDE…
Electric appliances do not emit combustion by-products under normal use.
If you prefer to use gas, propane, or wood, make sure appliances are well-adjusted for a clean burn and provide enough ventilation for combustion by-products to escape.
For online sources of carbon monoxide monitors, visit http://www.debraslist.com/air/index.html#coalarms
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Carbohydrates: Why Size Matters

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If I collected a dime for each time I’ve seen or heard the word “carbohydrate” – or picked up a book on the subject, for that matter – I’d be a wealthy woman. And of course we’ve all heard the buzzwords: simple carb; complex carb; high carb; low carb; no carb. But do we really know what a carbohydrate is? And are carbs really as bad and fattening as we’re told they are?

In this article, I’ll make my best attempt to unveil the mystery of the carbohydrate – and why it’s gott…

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If I collected a dime for each time I’ve seen or heard the word “carbohydrate” – or picked up a book on the subject, for that matter – I’d be a wealthy woman. And of course we’ve all heard the buzzwords: simple carb; complex carb; high carb; low carb; no carb. But do we really know what a carbohydrate is? And are carbs really as bad and fattening as we’re told they are?

In this article, I’ll make my best attempt to unveil the mystery of the carbohydrate – and why it’s gotten such a bad rap. After all, it’s the molecule both scientists and nutritionists know is the main source of the body’s energy.

Basic Chemistry:
First the boring stuff. The basic chemistry of a carbohydrate. I’ll keep it brief: Carbohydrates contain a carbon atom attached to water molecules. This is important because it’s the structure and size of a carbohydrate which influences the speed by which it’s converted into glucose (sugar) and then into energy.

Why Are Carbs Useful?
Before we take a look at the different “sizes” of carbohydrates, let’s look at why they are useful to us. Aside from supplying the body’s energy, carbs are also useful for the proper functioning of internal organs, as well as proper function of the muscles and nervous system. The most exciting feature of a carbohydrate, in this writer’s opinion, however, is it’s ability to aid in protein and fat metabolism. So as it turns out, when used wisely, carbohydrates are actually useful in burning fat.

The Three Principal Carbs Found In Foods:
Next let’s take a look at the three basic carbohydrates found in foods (Still boring but stay with me). They are: simple sugars, starches and fiber.

Simple Sugars come in two varieties. The monosaccharide (meaning one sugar) are quickly digested and almost immediately utilized by the body due to their “simple” structure (think fruits, fruit juices and honey).

The second, disaccharides, act in almost the same way and are one molecule larger. The disaccharides, however, tend to be more of the refined sugars are very sweet to taste (think white sugar, candy etc.)

The second basic type of carbs are the starches or what we would consider complex carbs (the polysaccharides): foods such as potatoes, wheat, rice, corn. These carbs are slow to break down and take some time to be converted into energy.

Finally, there’s the fibers (think bran). Fibers don’t have a lot of energetic value, however, they do lend some support to the body. Because they don’t add much sugar to the system, they make it further through the pipeline to help with intestinal function and elimination. Moreover, they reduce cholesterol and slow fat absorption.

Why Size Matters
The theory behind a low carbohydrate diets is, when the body consumes too many carbohydrates the excess will become stored by the body as fat. This is true.

When the body ingests a carbohydrate, it aims to convert it to glucose as soon as it can, so that it can be utilized by the body. If there is some excess, no problem, it will get stored as glycogen in the limited space of the muscles. The trouble arises, when the stores exceeded capacity: the remaining molecules are stored as fat in fat cells that can infinitely expand (horrors!).

Yet, what if there was a way to outsmart this system by using the different “sizes” of carbohydrate molecules to your advantage? What if you could keep the body burning carbs at a steady rate according to the speed of your metabolism and your activity level?

Enter the glycemic index. The glycemic index is a scale which tells you (on a food-by-food basis) the rate at which a carbohydrate is converted into glucose. The scale is calibrated by glucose itself (which is rated at 100). The higher the number the faster the conversion.

First used by diabetics to prevent flux in blood sugar, the glycemic index (GI) has become a popular way to get all the benefits of carbohydrates without the threat of fat storage.

Here’s what the scale looks like:
Low GI = 55 or less
Medium GI = 56 – 69
High GI = 70 or more

To see a chart with samples of some favorite foods visit: http://thecompounder.com/GlycemicIndex.html

How Is The GI Helpful?
If weight loss or weight maintenance is your goal (isn’t it everyone’s?), creating a diet around lower GI foods will decrease peaks in glucose levels. It’s as simple as that. You can implement this eating pattern by scanning the low glycemic foods and aiming to consume a serving at each meal, this will also help you avoid both the “highs and lows” of the refined sugar rush.

Higher glycemic foods can be useful, too, and are considered the “recovery” foods. Medium and high GI foods should be consumed for up to two hours after exercise to recover lost carbohydrates and maintain steady blood-sugar levels.

Because metabolism varies from person to person, it would be well worth your time and effort to continue a personal study of the glycemic index. Enjoy your carbs by checking in on your favorite foods and decide when it’s best to consume them.

Where To Get This Information?
You can get the skinny on the glycemic indexes of all your favorite carbohydrate foods. Check out the searchable data base at: http://www.glycemicindex.com

In closing, here’s a few guidelines to help you put your carbs to good use:

*Aim to eat several small meals during the day. Choose one serving of carbs for each, preferably low GI.

*When in doubt choose carbohydrates that are naturally occurring such as vegetables and fruits.

*Minimize refined sugars whenever possible.

*When consuming breads aim for wheat instead of white.

*Try to substitute white potatoes with sweet and substitute brown rice for white.

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pilates mat

Chiropractic Services: For Your Health

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481

For the best Pilates Mat company, call Cara McGrath Pilates.

There are a variety of ways that people today can protect and even promote the health of their bodies. There are more than enough diets to choose from no matter what kinds of foods you love or hate. People can join an expensive diet club to receive accountability for their weight loss goals or people can join expensive gyms filled with amazing equipment that many people do not even know how to operate. Diet and exercise are both important elements of any healthy lifestyle, do…

chiropractic

To find the best Pilates Mat company, click here for Cara McGrath Pilates.
There are a variety of ways that people today can protect and even promote the health of their bodies. There are more than enough diets to choose from no matter what kinds of foods you love or hate. People can join an expensive diet club to receive accountability for their weight loss goals or people can join expensive gyms filled with amazing equipment that many people do not even know how to operate. Diet and exercise are both important elements of any healthy lifestyle, don’t get me wrong. However, there are also a variety of other elements and services that can be helpful in achieving and maintaining a truly healthy life. Benefiting from chiropractic services is one of these amazing yet underused elements that promote health.

I’ll admit that for most of my life I thought that chiropractic services were only for those people with terrible posture or for people who had just gotten into a bad car accident and needed almost a physical therapy of sorts. So it had never entered my mind to see get chiropractic services done for myself until a friend of mine began boasting about her chiropractic visits and the difference they were making in her life.

Still a bit skeptical, I asked my friend exactly what the chiropractic services did for her. I wasn’t prepared to hear the long list of benefits that she listed off. She shared with me that she had been utilizing chiropractic services for the past several years and that in that time she had been sick with common colds and flus only once. It seemed that the chiropractic services she was receiving every other week made a huge difference in her immune system being able to fight against common viruses and diseases. She also claimed that chiropractics had done wonders for her alignment and posture and that her lower back was no longer in constant, throbbing pain like it used to be. My friend said chiropractic services had simply “straightened everything out for me.”

After hearing about these benefits and more, I decided to give chiropractic services a try for myself. I called to schedule an appointment with my friend’s chiropractor and then I waited for the blessed day to arrive. When it did, I was filled with a little bit of fear and trepidation about what he would say to me and about if his chiropractic services would cause me pain. (I had, for some reason, never thought to ask my friend if the chiropractic services she ranted about hurt at all.)

After one hour of receiving chiropractic services and advice about my health, I left the office a believer. I couldn’t believe what I had learned and how good I felt after just one visit. And now, years later, I am still just as strongly convinced that chiropractic services should be added to everyone’s health and fitness regimen.