July 21, 2009
July 12, 2009
July 10, 2009
13 Fitness Tips To Stay Motivated And Workout Effectively
Rejuvenate your fitness routine with these 13 tips. Find out how to stay motivated, interested, and effective.
1. Read fitness magazines. Fitness magazines are a great source of both information and inspiration. They can help remind you of why you want to get fit in the first place!
2. Work out with a friend. Not only can this help you actually get to your workout appointment, but friends can help encourage each other to work out with more intensity.
3. Set a regular time for fitness. If you have fitness time incorporated into your schedule, it's much easier to stick with it, especially over time.
4. Find exercise activities that you enjoy. Whilst it's important to have a balanced workout, there are many ways to build muscle and strength, flexibility, and get aerobic exercise. List the types of activities you enjoy, or think you might enjoy, and start working through all of them. You could even rotate them every 6 weeks.
5. Build variety into your program. Not only does this make it more interesting, you'll actually work different muscle groups, or the same muscles but in a different way. The challenges we create for our body in adapting to new types of exercises results in a fitter and stronger body. Change your program every 6 weeks.
6. Try new fitness activities - Try dancing, boxing, plates, yoga, or kickboxing.
7. Frame the thought of exercise in a positive way in your mind. Even if you don't like exercise, try and think of it in a positive way - that way you are less likely to talk yourself out of it. Think of how good you feel afterwards, not the pain involved in getting there!
8. Exercise outdoors. Whether it's team sports or swimming, get out in the fresh air!
9. Try skipping. Skipping ropes fit into small bags, don't require expensive gym memberships, are available for use 24 hours a day, are never overcrowded, and are great aerobic activity.
10. Try resistance training. Resistance training will increase the size and strength of your muscles, thus preventing injuries. If you're not up to free weights, take a circuit class, or a bodypump class.
11. If you're tired, or your muscles ache, try something a bit gentler - but don't avoid fitness entirely 'until you feel better'. Swimming is good because it helps support the whole body, and it is still a good workout.
12. Don't rest too long between sets. Otherwise your workout will take a lot longer to complete, and it could be off-putting mentally the next time you are scheduled to do a workout, especially if you don't have a lot of time that day.
13. Use a heart rate monitor. That way you can make sure you are working out at the right intensity, thus maximizing your workout time. You'll see improvements a lot more quickly that way.
July 8, 2009
Benefits of Milk
The health benefits of milk can be achieved from its products including cheese, butter, curds, clarified butter or ghee, condensed milk, diary whitener, ice cream, paneer, tofu, skimmed milk, milk powder, flavored milk, khoya, rabri, milk sweets etc. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has clearly mentioned in its Dietary Guidelines to include milk and milk products in the diet.
Deficiency Symptoms: Milk deficiency can cause severe anemia, osteoporosis and other related illnesses. Milk consumption is very essential to maintain good health and doing normal activities. It is the best source of calcium for all age groups.
Benefits: Milk is extremely beneficial drink for mankind. Some of the advantages of drinking this life-giving nectar are as follows:
Calcium: Milk is the best source of calcium supply to our body. Calcium protects the body from major chronic ailments such as cancerous chemicals, bone loss, arthritic condition, migraine headaches, pre-menstrual syndrome, and obesity in children and aids in losing unwanted fats.
Healthy Bones: As mentioned above, milk is rich in calcium, which is very essential for growth and proper development of strong bone structure. Bone disorders such as osteoporosis can be prevented with daily intake of adequate quantity of milk. Children deprived of cow milk have an increased chance of bone fractures when injured.
Healthy Teeth: Encouraging children and youngsters to drink milk would give them excellent dental health, as milk protects the enamel surface against acidic substances. Drinking milk for energy and health would dissuade children from consuming soft drinks, thus reducing the risk of decayed teeth and weak gums.
Rehydration: Fluids are an integral part of human body. The body needs to be replenished with liquids at regular intervals. It is very essential for growing children and they must drink at least six to eight glasses of fluid every day. Milk contains a good quantity of water molecules and is considered the best fluid for rehydration.
Skin Care: Milk and milk products are used in a number of cosmetic preparations that help in giving you a ‘peach and milk’ complexion.
Slim Body: People who are known to consume diary products and milk do not gain excess weight. In fact milk tends to make you slimmer, as whole milk contains only 4 percent of fat and skimmed milk contains even lesser percent of fat. Milk is related with leanness as against sugary fluids that may lead to obesity.
Improving Diet and Vitamin Intake: According to medical research, drinking milk considerably improves our intakes of vital minerals and vitamins. A man who consumes a carton of whole milk doubles his chances of fulfilling calcium requirement per day, whereas, another person consuming a can of fizzy or carbonated drink may in reality lower his calcium levels by one third percent.
Wholesome Food: It contains a whole lot of vitamins and minerals to keep you fit, healthy and strong. A glassful of milk contains vitamin A & B for good eyesight and increasing RBC count, carbohydrates for vitality and energy, potassium for proper nerve function, magnesium for muscular function, phosphorous for energy release, protein for body repair and growth.
July 6, 2009
How to Use the Swimming Pool for an Abdominal Workout
Introduction
Perhaps you are bored of your normal ab routine. Perhaps you are looking to start a new routine. The swimming pool can be a great way to work out your abs. Read this article for ways to work out your abs in the swimming pool.
Instructions
Difficulty: Easy
Things You'll Need
Pool
Steps
1. Walk. Walk in the shallow end of the pool [about 3 feet deep]. While you walk back-and-forth across the pool, with each step, pull your knee up to your chest while keeping your back straight. Tighten your abs as your pull your knee up to your chest.
2. Leg Lifts. In slightly deeper water, [about 4 feet or higher, as long as your head is above the water] perform leg lifts. You will lift each leg one at a time towards your chest. This will be like the exercise you did in step 1 with walking, but in this exercise you will lift your legs to your chest at a much faster pace. In fact, lift each leg to your chest as fast as possible. Try to keep your back straight and tighten your abs as you perform this maneuver.
3. Tread Water. Go to the deep end. Tread water for one minute. Rest and repeat 5 or 10 times. Keep your abs tight as your tread water. Treading water provides a great work out for your entire body, but also works out your abs.
4. Get a Kickboard. Do the backstroke kick with the kickboard. Hold the kickboard to your chest and turn on your back. While holding the kickboard, try to do the backstroke kick while keeping your thighs, knees and feet as close to the surface as possible.
5. The wall grab. Find an area of the pool deep enough so your feet do not touch the ground. Grab the side of the wall. Slowly lift your knees to your chest while tightening your abs. Repeat at least 20 times.
July 4, 2009
Healthy 4th of July Food
Sweet-&-Sour Chicken Drumsticks
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
½ teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, divided
½ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
8 chicken drumsticks (about 2 pounds), skin removed, trimmed
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat grill to medium. (No grill? See Broiler Variation, below.)
2. To prepare dipping sauce, combine orange zest, orange juice, water, honey, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and coriander in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Whisk cornstarch and the remaining 1 teaspoon vinegar in a small bowl until smooth. Add to the saucepan and return to a boil, whisking until thickened, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in mint.
3. Sprinkle drumsticks with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the drumsticks until crispy on all sides and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, about 15 minutes total. Serve the drumsticks with the dipping sauce on the side.
Broiler variation: Position oven rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat broiler to high. Prepare sauce (Step 2). Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle drumsticks with salt and pepper (Step 3), then broil, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, about 15 minutes total.
Tips
To oil the grill rack: Oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Don�t use cooking spray on a hot grill.)
Nutrition Information
Per serving: 255 calories; 8 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 93 mg cholesterol; 16 g carbohydrate; 29 g protein; 1 g fiber; 389 mg sodium; 315 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Selenium (27% daily value), Vitamin C (15% dv).
1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 4 lean meat, 1 other carbohydrate
June 30, 2009
WiiFit: the next generation of exercising
Video games have always seduced us with fantasy. Whether you play a carjacker in Grand Theft Auto or a mad scientist in The Sims, you can forget your worries as you plot your path to glory. So it may seem odd that the very first thing you do in Wii Fit, an unconventional new game that goes on sale for $90 in the U.S. on May 19, is step on a scale and weigh yourself. I don't know about you, but weighing in each morning is not my idea of a good time. And it's certainly no fantasy.
This is the genius of Shigeru Miyamoto, the famed game designer and mastermind behind blockbusters like Legends of Zelda, Donkey Kong and the many Mario titles. He has managed to take an activity that many people dread — exercise — and actually make it feel like a game. "What is most interesting to me is helping people find something within themselves and then drawing it out," says Miyamoto, 55, who gave TIME a private demo of Wii Fit in a penthouse suite overlooking Central Park one morning in April. After two full weeks of sweating with it, I'm here to say he's right. Although I'll admit there were days when I hated Wii Fit, I kept going back for more.
Nintendo's Wii Fit comes with a wireless "balance board" that you set on the floor in front of a TV hooked up to the Wii console. About two feet wide and half as deep, the board is essentially a fancy scale, which not only measures your weight, but also detects your equilibrium with startling precision. To play Wii Fit, you stand on the board and go through a series of exercises/games that fall into one of four categories: balance, strength, aerobics and yoga. You can box, snowboard or hula-hoop. You can practice your tree pose and lotus position. Or you can play a tilting game that uses careful body movements to maneuver balls across a shaky platter onscreen, as you try to sink them into various holes.
You score points and unlock new challenges by completing each task without falling off the board or tilting too far in any direction. The board is constantly monitoring your center of balance and docking points for every wobble. The hardest part, I quickly discovered, was simply standing or crouching still for increasingly long periods of time. That's a far cry from your average shoot-'em-up game, in which fast moves and fancy button-punching are key to your success. Wii Fit, on the other hand, is all about subtlety and restraint.
I cringed the first time I stepped on the scale and endured the indignity of learning that my "Wii Fit Age" — a figure that takes into account your weight, body mass index, and sense of balance — was nine years older than I actually am. Puh-leeze. The insolence. I was miffed alright. Even more horrifying was the colorful chart Wii Fit generated each day to detail my progress (and setbacks). I felt like a contestant on the Biggest Loser. I started thinking about those late-night cookies and other treats that no one knew about — for the first time in my life, I was accountable for everything I ate, and I wasn't so sure I liked that. Wii Fit wouldn't give me a break.
It did turn out to be fun, though. My favorite game by far was the Snowboard Slalom, in which you crouch down into a squat then twist your torso back and forth — ever so gently — as you slalom down the hill. Not only did this make my thighs burn, but it took 51 tries before I reached the top level: Champion! Although I've never snowboarded in my life, and am a klutz on skis, for a few minutes, I actually felt like a sports star.
I think Wii Fit will be more popular with adults than kids, and especially with women, although there are a few challenges, like trying to catch fish jumping out of the water by sliding from one side of the board to the other, that are especially kid friendly. Namco Bandai's WeSki patrol, which is compatible with the Wii balance board, is already on sale, and a bunch more titles using the board are rumored to be in the works.
Eventually I stopped dreading those daily weigh-ins and started trying to figure out exactly what I needed to do to shed a few pounds. "When you weigh yourself on a daily basis, and you see changes, you think about why," says Miyamoto. I was skeptical when he told me that a month ago, but now I'm a believer. It's no wonder Wii Fit has already sold more than two million units since it went on sale in Japan earlier this year. It's pure fantasy to imagine myself as a champion snowboarder, but being more aware of how skipping workouts and sneaking in snacks affects my weight is a reality check I'm at peace with. So thanks, Mr. Miyamoto, for dreaming up a game that makes hard work feel like serious play.
June 28, 2009
IFIT: 50 COOLEST FITNESS AND HEALTH APPS FOR THE IPHONE
For many individuals and caregivers staying in shape and getting healthy can be a bit of a challenge. The iPhone can help make it a little easier, however, with a wide range of apps that can help you track and stay informed about your health. From nutrition facts that let you know just how many calories are in that Big Mac to instructional fitness videos, there are numerous ways you can turn your iPhone into more than just a phone and let it help you keep yourself in tip top shape. Here are a few great applications that can let you integrate your iPhone into you or your patient’s health and fitness program.
Tracking
Keep yourself motivated and on track with these fitness programs that monitor your progress to a happier, healthier you.
1. iPhit Fitness Tracking: This program allows users to combine their Nike + iPod sensor kit with their iPhone to keep track of their walking or running progress.
2. MyNetDiary: Get access to this Web-based diet and exercise program right through your iPhone. You’ll be able to quickly jot down what you had for dinner or how long you worked out, even when you’re on the go.
3. Gyminee: Sign up for this fitness tracking site and use the iPhone-optimized version to keep track of your workouts and your daily nutrition.
4. iPhodometer: This Nike + alternative allows users to keep track of how many calories they are burning as they walk or run.
5. WeightDate: This application makes it easy to see how your weight is changing over time, whether it’s going up or down. The program also provides an average to let you see how you’re moving towards your goal over the long term.
6. Limeade: Limeade aims to help users get healthy by giving them an assessment and helping them to develop personalized fitness goals. Best of all, the site has a version optimized just for use with the iPhone.
7. SparkPeople: Create diet plans that concentrate on nutrition and focus on fitness training through SparkPeople on your iPhone.
8. FitReach: This program allows you to view your gym training for the day, track your diet and manage your weight goals, all from the iPhone interface.
Calculators
Figure out how the numbers work out for your fitness and health with these calculators.
9. iPhone Calculator: Among other calculators, this program comes with a useful calorie calculator that can help you learn how much an exercise will help you burn off.
10. Calories Burned Calculator: Figure out how many calories your workout is burning with this helpful mobile calculator.
11. BMI Calculator: Get a good estimate of your Body Mass Index by using this calculator.
12. BMR Calculator: This calculator allows you to figure out your base metabolic rate, which means the number of calories you burn even when you’re doing nothing, so you can better figure out what to eat and how to work out.
13. Blood Alcohol Concentration Calculator: Are you safe to drive? This calculator can help you figure out where to cut yourself off when it comes to drinking.
14. Daily Calorie Calculator: Get an estimate of how many calories you should be eating each day with this calorie intake calculator.
Diet and Nutrition
Make sure you’re eating right at home or when you go out with these tools for your iPhone.
15. Food Information Database: This application provides nutritional information for thousands of restaurants to let you know how much you’re taking in even when you’re eating out.
16. Food Network: Get access to great healthy recipes and instructional videos through the Food Network’s iPhone site.
17. iPhone Nutrition: This application allows you to enter in a food and get all the nutritional information on it you’ll need.
18. Mindful: Track your food intake using this fitness tool. It features a built-in food database, calculation of your recommended daily calories, food preferences, activity levels and much more to help you lose or gain weight.
19. iPoint Calculator: Those following Weight Watchers will appreciate this calculator, which allows users to easily keep track of how many points they’re having at each meal.
20. SugarTracker: Diabetics can ensure they’re not consuming too much sugar with this helpful dietary tool.
21. One Trip Shopping List: Make a shopping list of all your healthy choices and stick to it with this portable shopping list tool for your iPhone.
22. 101 Cookbooks: Check for recipes on just about anything on this site so you can eat right and enjoy your meals at the same time.
23. iPhone Diet: You can use your iPhone as a personal diet and health coach with this nutrition monitoring program.
Working Out
Get free workout videos and track your routines using these great tools for your iPhone.
24. Pump10: Using Pump10 you’ll have access to loads of workout videos that you can watch right on your iPhone.
25. Progio Mobile: Take your training program with you on your iPhone with this online iPhone-optimized program from Progio.
26. FitSync: Get access to training programs, log your workouts and compare your progress to others with this great iPhone compatible application for using FitSync.
27. CityRUNNR: Track your runs using this iPhone-based tool. You can watch yourself improve, make graphs, and refine your running.
28. SpeedoMeter: Measure how fast you’re running or walking with this helpful calculation tool for your iPhone.
29. MoboVivo: Download loads of fitness videos on this site and watch them right on your iPhone.
30. Health and Fitness Mobile: Health and Fitness magazine provides iPhone users with workout videos, tips and articles to help them get the most from their fitness programs.
Relaxation and Inspiration
These programs will help you to relax and meditate no matter where you are.
31. Bob’s Sheep Counter: Count these animated sheep as a means to get yourself sleepy or just to relax.
32. Yogi Says: Get inspirational quotes from the Amrit Yoga Institution using this tool. Every time you refresh, a new quote will come up.
33. Zen Timer: Give yourself a few minutes of peace and relaxation each day with this meditation timing tool.
34. Meditation Timer: This meditation timer can be used on your iPhone, iPod or even burned to CD to help you fit in meditation in your busy day.
Medication and Diagnosis
Learn about your medications, look up your symptoms and monitor your health right from your iPhone using these apps.
35. iRx: iRx is a pharmaceutical reference tool that allows medical professionals or patients to to easily get information from the FDA on a wide variety of drugs.
36. Lab Tests: Find out if your test results are normal or not or where they fall on the spectrum using this tool. It covers areas like tumor markers, urinalysis, and clinical chemistry.
37. Symptom Navigator: Get an idea of what you might be suffering from with this tool that allows you to easily navigate a range of symptoms.
38. iPharmacy: With iPharmacy you can browse through thousands of drug descriptions, illness symptoms, and drug side effects and interactions all right through your phone.
39. iEyeExam: Having trouble seeing road signs ahead? Feel like you’re squinting? Give yourself a quick eye exam to see if you may need glasses with this free application.
40. Eponyms: Eponyms are words that are based on or derived from someone’s name, and medical terms are full of them. Learn what symptoms lie behind the names in thousands of illnesses with this handy tool.
41. Chondriac: Access this health and medical information site through your iPhone. It contains information on women’s, men’s and children’s health as well as on health centers all over the US.
42. Medicinal Herbs: Those interested in a more natural route to health may appreciate this tool which gives easy access to a database of medicinal herbs and their uses.
43. Medicomatic: Medical professionals can analyze symptoms and read about a variety of diseases and illnesses through the iPhone using this helpful database.
Miscellaneous Health
Whether you’re expecting a baby or just want to look up a health term, these tools can make it easier.
44. iPregnant: This tool allows you to calculate your term, due date, weeks pregnant, days remaining and even your baby’s astrological sign.
45. The Wheel: The wheel is a gestational age calculator you can use to determine a baby’s due date and the baby’s gestational age anytime during pregnancy.
46. Ovulation Calendar: Those trying to get pregnant can keep track of their most fertile times with this app to increase their chances of conception.
47. Brush Timer: Make sure you’re spending enough time cleaning your teeth so they stay healthy and cavity free with this great free timer application for your iPhone.
48. Bio Dictionary: For those who don’t have a huge knowledge of biological and medical terms, this dictionary can be a quick and easy way to look things up and stay on top of any health issue.
49. Plusmo: iPhone users can find loads of health related widgets they can put on their iPhones on this site.
50. Trixie Tracker: New parents can use this tool to keep track of their baby’s habits for sleeping and feeding to keep both baby and parents much happier.
Tracking
Keep yourself motivated and on track with these fitness programs that monitor your progress to a happier, healthier you.
1. iPhit Fitness Tracking: This program allows users to combine their Nike + iPod sensor kit with their iPhone to keep track of their walking or running progress.
2. MyNetDiary: Get access to this Web-based diet and exercise program right through your iPhone. You’ll be able to quickly jot down what you had for dinner or how long you worked out, even when you’re on the go.
3. Gyminee: Sign up for this fitness tracking site and use the iPhone-optimized version to keep track of your workouts and your daily nutrition.
4. iPhodometer: This Nike + alternative allows users to keep track of how many calories they are burning as they walk or run.
5. WeightDate: This application makes it easy to see how your weight is changing over time, whether it’s going up or down. The program also provides an average to let you see how you’re moving towards your goal over the long term.
6. Limeade: Limeade aims to help users get healthy by giving them an assessment and helping them to develop personalized fitness goals. Best of all, the site has a version optimized just for use with the iPhone.
7. SparkPeople: Create diet plans that concentrate on nutrition and focus on fitness training through SparkPeople on your iPhone.
8. FitReach: This program allows you to view your gym training for the day, track your diet and manage your weight goals, all from the iPhone interface.
Calculators
Figure out how the numbers work out for your fitness and health with these calculators.
9. iPhone Calculator: Among other calculators, this program comes with a useful calorie calculator that can help you learn how much an exercise will help you burn off.
10. Calories Burned Calculator: Figure out how many calories your workout is burning with this helpful mobile calculator.
11. BMI Calculator: Get a good estimate of your Body Mass Index by using this calculator.
12. BMR Calculator: This calculator allows you to figure out your base metabolic rate, which means the number of calories you burn even when you’re doing nothing, so you can better figure out what to eat and how to work out.
13. Blood Alcohol Concentration Calculator: Are you safe to drive? This calculator can help you figure out where to cut yourself off when it comes to drinking.
14. Daily Calorie Calculator: Get an estimate of how many calories you should be eating each day with this calorie intake calculator.
Diet and Nutrition
Make sure you’re eating right at home or when you go out with these tools for your iPhone.
15. Food Information Database: This application provides nutritional information for thousands of restaurants to let you know how much you’re taking in even when you’re eating out.
16. Food Network: Get access to great healthy recipes and instructional videos through the Food Network’s iPhone site.
17. iPhone Nutrition: This application allows you to enter in a food and get all the nutritional information on it you’ll need.
18. Mindful: Track your food intake using this fitness tool. It features a built-in food database, calculation of your recommended daily calories, food preferences, activity levels and much more to help you lose or gain weight.
19. iPoint Calculator: Those following Weight Watchers will appreciate this calculator, which allows users to easily keep track of how many points they’re having at each meal.
20. SugarTracker: Diabetics can ensure they’re not consuming too much sugar with this helpful dietary tool.
21. One Trip Shopping List: Make a shopping list of all your healthy choices and stick to it with this portable shopping list tool for your iPhone.
22. 101 Cookbooks: Check for recipes on just about anything on this site so you can eat right and enjoy your meals at the same time.
23. iPhone Diet: You can use your iPhone as a personal diet and health coach with this nutrition monitoring program.
Working Out
Get free workout videos and track your routines using these great tools for your iPhone.
24. Pump10: Using Pump10 you’ll have access to loads of workout videos that you can watch right on your iPhone.
25. Progio Mobile: Take your training program with you on your iPhone with this online iPhone-optimized program from Progio.
26. FitSync: Get access to training programs, log your workouts and compare your progress to others with this great iPhone compatible application for using FitSync.
27. CityRUNNR: Track your runs using this iPhone-based tool. You can watch yourself improve, make graphs, and refine your running.
28. SpeedoMeter: Measure how fast you’re running or walking with this helpful calculation tool for your iPhone.
29. MoboVivo: Download loads of fitness videos on this site and watch them right on your iPhone.
30. Health and Fitness Mobile: Health and Fitness magazine provides iPhone users with workout videos, tips and articles to help them get the most from their fitness programs.
Relaxation and Inspiration
These programs will help you to relax and meditate no matter where you are.
31. Bob’s Sheep Counter: Count these animated sheep as a means to get yourself sleepy or just to relax.
32. Yogi Says: Get inspirational quotes from the Amrit Yoga Institution using this tool. Every time you refresh, a new quote will come up.
33. Zen Timer: Give yourself a few minutes of peace and relaxation each day with this meditation timing tool.
34. Meditation Timer: This meditation timer can be used on your iPhone, iPod or even burned to CD to help you fit in meditation in your busy day.
Medication and Diagnosis
Learn about your medications, look up your symptoms and monitor your health right from your iPhone using these apps.
35. iRx: iRx is a pharmaceutical reference tool that allows medical professionals or patients to to easily get information from the FDA on a wide variety of drugs.
36. Lab Tests: Find out if your test results are normal or not or where they fall on the spectrum using this tool. It covers areas like tumor markers, urinalysis, and clinical chemistry.
37. Symptom Navigator: Get an idea of what you might be suffering from with this tool that allows you to easily navigate a range of symptoms.
38. iPharmacy: With iPharmacy you can browse through thousands of drug descriptions, illness symptoms, and drug side effects and interactions all right through your phone.
39. iEyeExam: Having trouble seeing road signs ahead? Feel like you’re squinting? Give yourself a quick eye exam to see if you may need glasses with this free application.
40. Eponyms: Eponyms are words that are based on or derived from someone’s name, and medical terms are full of them. Learn what symptoms lie behind the names in thousands of illnesses with this handy tool.
41. Chondriac: Access this health and medical information site through your iPhone. It contains information on women’s, men’s and children’s health as well as on health centers all over the US.
42. Medicinal Herbs: Those interested in a more natural route to health may appreciate this tool which gives easy access to a database of medicinal herbs and their uses.
43. Medicomatic: Medical professionals can analyze symptoms and read about a variety of diseases and illnesses through the iPhone using this helpful database.
Miscellaneous Health
Whether you’re expecting a baby or just want to look up a health term, these tools can make it easier.
44. iPregnant: This tool allows you to calculate your term, due date, weeks pregnant, days remaining and even your baby’s astrological sign.
45. The Wheel: The wheel is a gestational age calculator you can use to determine a baby’s due date and the baby’s gestational age anytime during pregnancy.
46. Ovulation Calendar: Those trying to get pregnant can keep track of their most fertile times with this app to increase their chances of conception.
47. Brush Timer: Make sure you’re spending enough time cleaning your teeth so they stay healthy and cavity free with this great free timer application for your iPhone.
48. Bio Dictionary: For those who don’t have a huge knowledge of biological and medical terms, this dictionary can be a quick and easy way to look things up and stay on top of any health issue.
49. Plusmo: iPhone users can find loads of health related widgets they can put on their iPhones on this site.
50. Trixie Tracker: New parents can use this tool to keep track of their baby’s habits for sleeping and feeding to keep both baby and parents much happier.
June 26, 2009
What You Really Need For Flat Abs
Despite what you think, ab exercises are not the number one thing you need to do for flat abs. In fact, getting flat abs requires hard work, commitment and something else you have no control over: cooperative genes.
The only way to get flat abs is to lose body fat and you already know what that requires:
1. Regular cardio exercise
2. Strength Training for the ENTIRE BODY (treating the abs just like any other muscle in the body)
3. A healthy, low-calorie diet
You must get all three of these (especially your diet) right on a consistent basis in order to even get close to flat abs. And, something else important: If you've lost body fat and you still don't have flat abs, don't be terribly surprised. Many of us will never see that six-pack because:
The body fat level required to get flat abs is lower than you can sustain with your current lifestyle/schedule, or
The body fat level required is lower than is healthy for your body to function.
So, even if you follow a perfect program and a perfect diet, flat abs still may elude you. Does that mean you should give up? You shouldn't give up on exercise but, maybe, giving up the ideal of six-pack abs is exactly what you need to make your life better.
Giving Up on the 'Ideal'
Now you know the truth: The goal to get flat abs may:
Require more exercise than your schedule will allow and more than you can mentally handle
Require more attention to your diet than you're willing/able to expend
Require more strict adherence to diet/and exercise than you have the time or energy to spare
Not be in your genetic cards
If that's the case, maybe it's time to get rid of that goal. It may seem foreign to imagine an exercise life without it, but it's possible and tossing that goal may actually be a relief, allowing you to focus on what you can change.
Now's the time to ask yourself:
Do I really want flat abs?
Am I willing to work as hard as I need to to get them?
If I will work that hard, am I willing to accept that it still may not happen, even if I do everything right?
If I did get six-pack abs, what will that change in my life? What will flat abs actually do for me?
What would happen if I let go of this ideal and focused on other goals?
Accepting that your body works as a whole and not in pieces and parts is the first step towards releasing that ideal body that lurks in your mind and embracing the one you have now. Maybe it's time to finally let that goal go and realize you aren't a failure for not reaching it.
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