Blood Pressure & Exercise

Blood pressure (BP) refers to the pressure in the large arteries when the main pumping chamber of the heart, the left ventricle is at maximal contraction (systole) and relaxation (diastole). BP is usually presented as two numbers: the higher, systolic BP (normally about 120 mmHg); and the lower diastolic BP (normally about 80 mmHg). The two pressures are usually expressed together, for example ‘ 120 over 80’. These values represent the pressure that the heart, kidneys, eyes and arteries are exposed to. Excessively high BP is called hypertension. Hypertension is a major risk factor for chronic kidney disease, heart failure, cardiovascular events (e.g: heart attacks and strokes) and early death. Hypertension may not cause any symptoms, which is why it is sometimes referred to as a ‘silent killer’.

Did you check your BP today?

Blood pressure category	Systolic BP (mmHg)	Diastolic BP (mmHg)
Normal	< 120	< 80
High-normal	120-139	80-89
Grade 1 hypertension (mild)	140-159	90-99
Grade 2 hypertension (moderate)	16-179	100-109
Grade 3 hypertension (severe)	≥ 180	≥ 110

A sedentary lifestyle is one of the top risk factors for heart diseases. Regular exercise with a healthy diet will reduce your blood pressure and chances of getting chronic diseases. Below are some benefits you will gain from regular exercise.

• Strengthen your heart and cardiovascular system.
• Improve circulation and help the body use oxygen better.
• Improve heart failure symptoms.
• Increase energy levels so you can do more activities without becoming tired or short of breath.
• Increase endurance.
• Improve muscle tone and strength.
• Improve balance and joint flexibility.
• Strengthen bones.
• Help reduce body fat and help you reach a healthy weight.
• Help reduce stress, tension, anxiety, and depression.
• Boost self-image and self-esteem.
• Improve sleep.
• Make you feel more relaxed and rested.
• Make you look fit and feel healthy.

Always check with your doctor before starting an exercise program. If you are diagnosed with “hypertension” seek assistance from a fitness professional that would prescribe you with a program that suits best for you.

Stay Active & Eat Clean for a Healthy Heart

Happy Hormones

TfG's weekly newsletter : Thank you for the editing...the TfG's style. Love it!

http://www.icontact-archive.com/OPtAwZWk96LB8UewNIn_vavTVKqASwta?w=2

Speed it up!

It’s quite sad, but researches show that after age 40, female metabolism slows down 5% per decade. This is a part of the aging process and menopause as well. As menopause emerges, many women begin gaining weight, though they haven't changed their diet. It's all due to drastic hormonal changes which can decrease metabolism and cause other trouble including night sweats, moodiness, diminished sex drive and loss of energy.

Ladies don’t you worry! You can fight it back and speed it up!

Speed it Up! - Regular exercise keeps your metabolism up. Regular aerobic exercises like jogging, cycling, cardio lasses would help you.

Fuel it Up! - Eat smaller frequent meals to burn more calories efficiently. Keep your snacks high in protein, low in carbohydrates. Drink adequate water to keep you hydrated and run your system smoothly.

Pump it Up! - As I have mentioned in my previous article on “ways to increase metabolism” & “ways to increase your bone density” adding weight training routine to your program gives you a lot of benefits. It helps to increase your metabolism helping you to burn more fat at rest. Increasing your bone density helps to reduce the calcium loss and helps slowing down osteoporosis process. And it even boosts your immune system; you’ll feel stronger, promotes better sleep as well and many more.

So Keep it Up!, be Active, and happy!

Ways to increase your Bone Density

The phrase “Use it or lose it” can be used in many ways.  As we grow older, our muscles get weaker and even our bones lose their density. But we can take steps to maintain it.

Bone is a living tissue. To keep it strong your body breaks down old bones and replaces it with new bone tissues. As we enter our 40’s and 50’s more bone is broken down that it can be replaced. As a result our bones lose calcium and minerals and it becomes lighter, less dense and more porous which makes the bone weaker and increases the chances to fracture. But women tend to lose bone density as early as the age of 25. This does not mean that losing bone density (osteoporosis) is a woman’s disease. Men also lose their bone density but slower than women.

Osteopenia (bone loss) may lead to osteoporosis (bone degeneration). So the thicker your bones are the longer it takes to get to osteoporosis.

Enough of losing stuff, now here’s the good news. You can increase your bone density and reduce the chances of falling and having a fracture at any age, but the sooner the better. It’s really easy and simple to reverse osteoporosis.

The only thing you need to do is include more calcium and vitamin D (helps in calcium absorption) in your diet. And to compliment the diet do weight- bearing exercises such as walking, jogging, dancing, stair climbing with a well-designed resistance training program.

Participating in a weight bearing exercise program 3-5 times a week for 30-60 minutes and following a resistance program with 3 times a week will contribute to the fight against osteoporosis, increasing bone density as well as your overall well-being.

By knowing this we can help our parents and ourselves even. Hope I could help you some much!

Foods rich in Calcium

Diary sources	Fish	Fruits & vegetable sources	Nuts
Cheese	tuna, skipjack, fresh, cooked, dry heat	Dried figs(Hikki Theeni)	Dry roasted almonds
Skimmed milk	Silver sprat ( Rehi)	Broccoli	Cooked dried white beans
Yoghurt	Salmon and sardine	Chinese cabbage

Foods rich in Vitamin D

Milk, skim, low-fat	Fish liver oil (cod liver oil)	Mushroom
Egg	Mackerel

Your Secret Exercise

If I say “PC” , I am sure you will think I am talking about Personal computer (PC). But sorry it’s not Personal Computer but pubococcygeous (PC) muscle and I'm going to tell u about your secret to the :

1. Easier child birth

2. Better sex

3. Tight Vagina

4. Stop urinary incontinence

Where it is located:

The hidden PC muscle makes the floor of the pelvis. You have seen hammocks! Specially in the resorts and picnic islands where we can rest and bask the soothing environment’s pleasure. Would you not agree? This muscle is same like a hammock stretching from side to side across the floor of pelvis that is attached to your pelvic bone in front and to the tail end of your spine.

What does it do?

• The PC muscles supports your pelvic organs and contents of your abdomen. (bladder & rectum in both sexes, and the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes in females).
• It helps your bladder to maintain its control.
• It helps is avoiding leaking when you cough or sneeze (urinary incontinence).
• It is used to control wind and when holding on your bowels.
• It helps to increase sexual arousal with more stimulating sensation during lovemaking both for yourself and your partner.

A strong pelvic floor is important for women and men for many reasons. When we exercise and do strength training our muscles gets stronger. If we don’t use it we lose it. So does muscles in the pelvic floor weakens with inactivity and ageing. So, (get up stand up standup and be active for your PC muscle).

It also weakens through hormonal changes in women, through pregnancy and childbirth. And factors such as being overweight, chronic constipation and chronic cough can put extra pressure on pelvic floor.

Good news is that researches has shown that pelvic floor responds to regular exercise and it is possible to overcome the symptoms of weak pelvic floor muscles no matter what their age is. Therefore it is not too late to begin to exercise the pelvic floor. So why don’t we make our first move today. Right now!!

Pelvic floor exercises are usually called Kegel exercises, which were originally developed by Dr. Arnold H. Kegel as a method of controlling incontinence in women associated with childbirth.

The best thing about kegels is that you can do it anytime anywhere; sitting, standing or lying & even when your at office, driving your car, cooking, watching your favourite TV show or even while face booking :P. And if you go to a gym make sure you include kegels in your workout.

How to do it:

1. Squeeze and draw in the muscles around your back passage, vagina and front passage and lift up inside as if trying to stop passing wind and urine at the same time. Or insert your thumb into your mouth and draw in, your PC muscles will be contracted.
2. Try to hold the muscles strong and tight as you count to 8. Now let them go and relax. 
3. Repeat the "Squeeze, Lift and Hold" movement and let go it is best to rest in between each lift up of the muscles. If you can't hold for a count of 8, just hold for as long as you can.
4. Repeat this "Squeeze, Lift and Hold" contraction as many time as you can, up to a limit of 8-12 contractions.

Try to do three sets of 8 to 12 squeezes each, with a rest in between.

If you do pelvic floor exercises regularly, you will see optimum results within 3 to 6 months, but you should continue them for life to fully protect your pelvic floor.

The experts Specialists strongly believe that a regular program of pelvic floor exercise will enhance a woman's sex life.

These exercises, when performed correctly, can increase orgasmic intensity as well as prevent pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence. Stanford University School of Medicine

The pelvic floor has an important sexual function, helping to increase sexual awareness both for yourself and your partner during sexual intercourse. Continence Foundation, UK.


you can find great info about PC muscle here as well.. just visit my friends blog :)
http://shaambe.blogspot.com/2008/03/recently-i-gave-presentation-on-kegel.html

Ref: ACOG website.

Shanns ART

Let your mind take control and do the work for you. There is no right or wrong. It’s just imagination and creativity, something unknown on your mind which is put together, and we keep on thinking, the object, the strokes, the colours and we know there is something special. And finally something that represents nothing becomes so eye catching….something called abstract art.

SWAY - Specially for my sweet marshmallow 

BLACK & WHITE

 A rough pencil hand sketch....with some cool photoshop effects.

FLORA BLU








TREE DAHLIA

SUNSET














I CAN SEE LIGHT: Never lose hope. There is always right time for the right thing to happen. This one's for you dear love.

MARGO: Wish you all a very Happy & wonderful year 2010!!!!
 This one is specially for my sweet cute margo...done with her little foot & hand prints.






 


TWISTED MIND: A special birthday gift for my best friend Zara!!!