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[R330]Right Handed Live Longer

by Jim Selleck, Jim

There is a simple formula for longer life. It is not magic and it has nothing to do with finding the Fountain of Youth and taking a dip. You can lower your risk of heart disease and feel better. The earlier you start the better, but medical studies have clearly shown that positive changes in your behavior and lifestyle will bring about positive results for your health at any age.

Better health means longer life. Perhaps more importantly, better health means better, more enjoyable life. But especially for those of us over age 40, life is hectic and stressful. Between work and family obligations we feel we have no time go to health clubs and work out. Our meals are grabbed in a rush from fast food windows. We can't be expected to keep to a perfectly balanced diet. What can we do?

The four healthy lifestyle behaviors

The good news is that you don't have to change everything about your lifestyle to bring about positive changes in your health; reducing your chance of heart disease, improving your chances of living longer and feeling better. In a recent study published in the American Journal of Medicine, participants between the ages of 45 and 64 experienced significant improvements in health by changing just four simple behaviors:

Eating at least 5 fruits and vegetables daily

Exercising at least 2.5 hours per week

Maintaining a Body Mass Index between 18.5 and 30

Not smoking

Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables daily

The US Food and Drug Administration recommends five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Surveys show the average American eats only about three servings a day. Their nutritional value is no secret. They are important sources of vitamins and the dietary fiber required for good digestion. Adding more fruits and vegetables is also a great way to begin improving your diet; a good start on regulating your weight by substituting better foods in your daily intake.

What is a serving? These recommendations come from the National Cancer Institute:

1 medium fruit or 1 half cup small or cut up fruit

3/4 cup (100 milliliters) of 100% juice

1/4 cup of dried fruit

1/2 cup raw non-leafy or cooked veggies

1 cup raw leafy veggies (such as lettuce)

1/2 cup cooked peas or beans (such as pinto beans, lentils, or kidney beans)

Exercise at least 2.5 hours per week
We all know we should exercise more, but it's not necessary to spend 20 hours a week in a health club to realize positive gains. A little bit of regular exercise is a lot better than none, and it has been proven to lead to longer, better life and a reduction in the occurrence of heart and cardiovascular disease.

In a current article published by the Mayo Clinic, the following 7 life improvements gained through regular exercise are listed:

Exercise improves your mood

Exercise combats chronic diseases

Exercise helps manage your weight

Exercise strengthens your lungs and heart

Exercise helps you sleep better

Exercise can put the spark back into your sex life

Exercise can (actually) be fun!

Maintain a Body Mass Index between 18.5 and 30

Your Body Mass Index is a number derived from your height and weight. It is a general rule-of-thumb and does not take into account your body type or factors like bone density. The US National Heart Lung and Blood Institute publishes a BMI calculator that is available for free online. You are considered to be in the healthy normal weight range if your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.5. Between 25 and 30 you are considered overweight, but not obese. A person having a height of 5 feet 10 inches who weighs 160 pounds has a BMI of 23.

Stop smoking

We all understand the destructive effects of smoking and countless studies have already established that smoking greatly increases your risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Recently studies on second-hand smoke have suggested that you risk harming your friends and family as well. Do not give up and assume that just because you have been smoking for decades the damage is done and cannot be fixed. This study proves once again that even habitual smokers who quit late in life experience improvements in health, fewer occurences of cardiovascular disease, and longer life.

You can begin today making the small changes to your lifestyle and habits that can lead to better health and longer life. Most importantly, you'll have better quality of life. So what are you waiting for? Stub out that cigarette and grab a piece of fresh fruit. Looks like a beautiful day for a brisk walk. Life ahead is looking pretty good.

Every one loves heading for a sauna or steam after a tiring day. However, it is only few of us who are actually aware of the benefits of sauna and the different types of sauna available. In this article, you can read about sauna, its types and benefits in full details.

Let us first become completely clear about what sauna actually is and means. A sauna is an enclosure where the enclosed environment is slowly heated with the help of various techniques. There are many types of saunas available these days. Though in the old days, sauna was a wooden enclosure, these days, new technology has brought in several types and formats. You can decide on the ones that suit your requirements best.

Unlike various myths associated with the word ?infrared,? infrared saunas (FIR) are amongst few of the best saunas available. Depending upon their sizes and built, the infrared saunas provide heating using the infrared radiations, which focus on increasing the temperature of the skin more than that of the saunas complete environ. Infrared saunas generate the same type of radiation which is also used in the hospitals in incubators to keep the babies heated. Infrared saunas have a lot of therapeutic advantages. Therefore, many doctors advise using infrared saunas as part of the daily therapy for the patients. The carbon fiber sauna generally uses a larger area as its setting. Hence, the distribution of the heat is most even in this type of sauna.

A sauna helps bring out the deep hidden toxins in the skin along with the perspiration. Thus, it helps in cleansing of the toxins from the body. Apart from the fact that sauna helps in releasing the toxins deep hidden in our bodies, the sauna has various other health related advantages as well. A sauna helps in raising the temperature of the body and the skin. Thus, it is a kind of artificially induced fever. This helps in getting the defense mechanism of our bodies into working mode, thus fighting off any premature setting of viruses and infections. Further, sauna results in an increase in the heart rate. It is almost equal to the kind of heart beat rate one would have when doing a brisk walk. This, directly results in the more pumping of blood to the far reaching places of our body. Furthermore, it also burns the fat in our body helping in weight loss. Meanwhile, the heat also results in the expansion of our blood vessels, making them stronger. Thus, a sauna provides you with the health benefits like weight loss, detoxification of our body, glowing and healthy skin.

However, one needs to be extremely careful about gong about the process of sauna. Ask the experts for the time duration for one sauna session, any health related issues, cardiac difficulties and precautionary measures to be taken.

Once you are clear on all these topics, your way to health awaits you in the form of sauna!

Article Source : wellness curriculum

About Author

Both Jim Selleck & Jenni Taylor are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Jim Selleck has sinced written about articles on various topics from Wellness. Jim Selleck is known as a writer, actor, video producer, and web developer, but has also been a professional musician and piano tuner/technician since the 1970's. He turned his computer programming skill into a business in the early 1980's, a. Jim Selleck's top article generates over 480 views. to your Favourites.

Jenni Taylor has sinced written about articles on various topics from Sauna, Health and Wellness. Jenni Taylor is author of this article on . Find more information about. Jenni Taylor's top article generates over 590 views. to your Favourites.