dibya’s blogosphere

It is a fact of life that people age. Our once young and strong bodies break down and we become frail and weak, only to find ourselves living in a nursing home, unable to care for our most basic needs. The frail and weak nursing home stage is one option for your future, but it does not have to be your end result. You do not have to take the aging process in stride and just accept it. There is something that you can do so that you won’t wind up like the majority of the elderly in our country.

You can protect and strengthen your body by fueling with proper nutrition. Sure, the ideal situation would be to eat healthy your entire life so that by the time you hit 70 years old, you still feel young and vigorous. Just because you have not lived that path your entire life does not mean it is too late to start now. There are plenty of benefits of consuming proper foods as you age, including increased strength, strong bones, memory retention and healthy hair and skin. The ability to function in life should be motivation enough to consume a healthy diet. So many elderly people are unable to take care of their basic needs. They cannot complete even the simplest of tasks, such as carrying in a gallon of milk, because they do not have enough strength to do so.

Elderly people are at risk for fracturing their bones because they are not dense or strong enough. If you truly want to enjoy your golden years and live life on your own accord, then you need to be eating a well-balanced diet and incorporating both strength and cardiovascular exercises into your daily life.

According to the United States Census Bureau, by the time we reach the year 2050, the percent of elderly people that are in our country will be 20.4 percent. This means that we will need more services for aging Americans such as physicians, nutritionists, nursing homes and other assisted living services. Government data shows that approximately 4 million people require assistance each day with some aspect of living.

With these staggering numbers, it is imperative that we as a country take greater action in trying to combat this problem so that it does not become a greater financial strain than it already is. People do not want to give the government credit for when it does something good; however, when it comes to this problem, they have taken some action. People do not have to sit back and wonder what they can do about a healthy diet for the elderly.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Library has a complete section devoted to Lifecycle Nutrition. This site has a wealth of information from some of the most respected institutions in the country, including the National Institute of Aging, National Library of Medicine and United States National Institute of Health, as well as many respected colleges and universities.

Requirements for the Elderly are Different

As you progress through the human lifecycle, you will discover that your nutritional needs differ as time goes on. While the need for quality whole foods does not change, our needs in terms of macro- and micronutrients will start to differ. Such examples would include elderly people needing to consume more vitamin D and less iron in their diet.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that can either be obtained by sun exposure or from certain foods, such as dairy products. It plays an important part in calcium absorption, is necessary for bone growth and prevents bones from becoming thin, brittle or misshapen. This vitamin is important to the elderly because they are at risk for diseases such as osteoporosis and are more prone to falling and breaking their bones.

Not only are there differences in micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) for the elderly, there are also differences in macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat and protein) as well. A few years back, the United States Food and Drug Administration released their new version of the food guide pyramid, called My Pyramid.

More recently, scientists at Tufts University have released a modified version of this pyramid that takes into account the dietary needs of the elderly population. For the most part, elderly people need to consume the same things that younger people do. The elderly need to focus on a balanced diet that contains quality sources of protein, whole unaltered fruits and vegetables, plenty of whole grains and, especially, lots of fluids. This new pyramid is designed so that older adults can have a visual representation of their needs. Foods that they should be eating are depicted by large identifiable pictures.

One thing that the modified pyramid suggests is for older people to consume frozen and canned foods as well. The reasoning behind this is that frozen and canned sources can be pulled out for a single serving meal and have a longer shelf life. If the elderly person does not have a chance to get out or has someone replenishing their stores of food for them, then it is good to have frozen and canned food on hand. Another great way to make sure that the elderly get their dietary requirements that falls in line with this theme is by using liquid protein.

Elderly people need to be consuming quality protein on a regular basis so that their bodies will function at optimal levels. Liquid protein shots, such as those available from Protica, give the elderly the same advantage as other packaged foods (like their canned fruits and vegetables.) These vials of liquid protein can be incorporated into their daily meals and should they not consume the entire thing, they can reseal it and save it for later. Not only will they be getting what they need, but they will also have the convenience that fits into their lifestyle. Should the elderly consume liquid protein in conjunction with proper exercise, they will continue to keep up their muscle mass, which is very important so that they can complete basic living tasks unassisted.

As we age, it is important to remember that we need to continue on the path of a healthy lifestyle. Our aging bodies need certain requirements so that we will keep functioning and living life to the fullest. Diets that are rich in vitamin D, calcium and protein are what we need to keep healthy. If we incorporate these things into our lifestyle along with exercise, then we will be able to maintain a higher quality of life for a longer duration of time.

A BIT OF NEWS has just come out that is encouraging to those of us who are cranks on the subjects of dirt, disease, and germs.

There is at least one thing that doesn’t need a sign “HANDLE WITH CARE.” In fact we are urged to treat it with the utmost familiarity as it carries no dangers, expressed or implied. Common it may be, but not unclean. It differs from the towel and the drinking cup in that it exposes a new, fresh surface to every user. Our old acquaintance, the cake of soap, turns out to be a friend indeed.

Sanitation and Sense

A great deal of evidence goes to show that the common cake of soap is safe to use in the ordinary process of washing. Of course, it is much “nicer” to have one’s own individual cake or, in a public washroom, to find the liquid or the powdered kind. But to be so fastidious as to prefer to go away with dirty hands rather than to use the common soap is not the best of sanitation or judgment.

It has been found in many experiments that soap has a deadly action on most disease germs and thus is a real factor in preventing their spread. No matter how dirty the soap may be the germs will suffer one of three fates : die a natural death; be killed by the soap; be washed off in the rinsing. Real protection lies, not in avoiding common wash room facilities, but in using them intelligently ; washing in running water with such Soap as is available, and then drying by some means other than the common towel.

No Admittance to Germs

After all, there are relatively few germs that are dangerous and they must get inside the body to do any harm. For this reason the greatest care should be taken of cuts and scratches to prevent infection. Keeping fingers, pencils, and other such things out of mouths and noses is a healthy habit that children can be taught at an early age.

Only clean food, dean utensils, and dean hands should be allowed at any meal.

I have learned over the many years that I’ve worked in the financial world, people are generous by nature. If given the opportunity and an accountable, reliable source, instinctively human beings desire to help one another given the right avenues to do so. That is one of the premises that Club Asteria was born of. Interestingly, the same drive, appeal, and yearning compelled me to enter the world of micro financing and all its intricate realms of opportunity. It all begins with the education of those who want to give and those who want to receive.

At Club-Asteria we know the importance of teaching entrepreneurial skills from the very basic philosophies of growth and development to the more complex details of financial stability and strategic business planning. To fund someone financially and then depart is wasting an opportunity to teach them to expand and develop at a level that not only affects them but their community, their children, and the lives of future generations.

Recently, I worked with a single mother of three, Rogelia, in the Philippines. Rogelia’s husband had died several years prior to our meeting her. She and her three sons lived in one of the poorest areas of the Philippines, scraping by on what little money she could make sewing. As a girl, Rogelia worked with her father in the fishing business and she believed that she could teach her sons all that she had learned from her father. With the current government’s encouragement of growth in the fishing industry and the duty-free shipping of equipment into the area, Rogelia dreamed of recreating the life she knew with her father but she did not have the educational confidence or the financial ability to move forward and start a business.

Club-Asteria strives to empower individuals and communities through entrepreneurial education by focusing on their talents and capabilities. We utilize our own income and enlist the aide of donor contributions to launch and sustain their entrepreneurial businesses. We understand the depth of need globally and the dire predicaments people find themselves living daily. We encounter the seemingly hopeless and endless fate of poverty every day; however, when Club-Asteria can contribute to benefit a family then the cycle of poverty is broken and change is put into action. It is all about transforming one individual’s and one family’s future at a time.

Rogelia attended our entrepreneurial educational workshop in her village. Today, she and her three sons own two fishing vessels and employ four other men in the community. Rogelia manages the home office assuring distribution and care of the fish caught daily. For her it is not just about the dream or a return to a childhood memory, for Rogelia, it is about teaching her sons a trade and the discipline it takes to earn a respectful living. When I asked her how her father might feel about what she is doing, she smiled shyly and whispered, “Honor… I have brought him honor.”

Learning good financial habits and gaining the confidence to create opportunities to build businesses that work is one of many missions of Club-Asteria. If we can support one person in a business successfully, the trickle-down effect is enormous in the present day community and the future. I have seen first-hand the impact of change through entrepreneurial education and the hope it brings to families throughout the world. Rogelia and her sons live it daily.

Whenever anyone sees someone with strong and defined abs, there is definitely an immediate sense of awe and jealousy as this is an incredible means by which people showcase their overall healthiness and discipline for working out. The stomach is often a centerpiece for those that wish to look healthy and trim at all times. Thus, for a stronger muscle area, one should know the routines used for an effective abs work out to build an incredible set of abs.

Abs could be very frustrating and discouraging as they are the smallest and most difficult muscles to work on. During the workout process, there are actually three separate sections that should be worked out including the lower, middle, and upper abs that all require different routines for building muscle. Incorporating all three will lead to increased chances of success.

When working on any abs routine, one should bear in mind that they will not necessarily equate to a thinner and trimmer waste line. Truly, what will happen is the muscles will show up beneath any fat present until it is burned off completely. With this being the case, there should be solid goals in place to burn the fat off as well.

In order to work on the lower abs, leg lifts are often considered some of the most effective routines. Keeping the back and arms flat on the ground, lift this legs until they are perpendicular to the ground and slowly lower them. The weight of the legs and resistance provided actually allows for an incredible strength and endurance in the process.

The middle abdominal muscles are actually developed more effectively by performing the classic and often mundane sit up routines. When doing sit ups, ensure that feet are firmly planted on the ground to avoid using the leg muscles. Also, avoid letting the shoulders touch the floor at all times to ensure stress placed on the muscles is sufficient for muscle building.

For the upper abs, performing standard crunches are incredibly effective. These are very efficient to perform and much easier on the back for a more incredible and robust routine overall. Thus, incorporate crunches to train the upper abs as well.

When performing abs work out routines, one should also keep a low fat diet. Incorporating cardio routines into any workout is also incredibly beneficial and should be paid attention to. Thus, ensure all aspects of a healthy lifestyle are maintained at all times.

Aerobic exercises are great for your cardiovascular and lung health, for losing weight, and for burning fat. When combined with a strength training regime and healthy eating habits, you will be on your way to optimum health and longevity. There are numerous aerobic exercises from which to use, so you don’t have to stagnate with the same mundane exercise every day. You can also purchase great CDs to listen to while you do your exercises, or to guide you through a specific routine. We are going to present to you five of the most effective and entertaining aerobic exercises available.

Cross-country skiing uses an incredible amount of calories and helps with quick weight loss. This is a great exercise for exercising both your upper and lower body. You can do this in a health/fitness club on their ski machine, or out in nature, enjoying the brisk air and great scenery. Your heart rate will become rapidly elevated, and you can easily utilize 350 calories in thirty minutes.

Elliptical training at your local gym or health club. Elliptical machines are available in almost every gym or health club. This is a great way to get into shape and increase your endurance without high impact on your joints. People who are accustomed to running enjoy this machine, and it does not harm your joints like running can. Most people can use approximately four hundred calories in thirty minutes with this exercise.

Step aerobics for rapid weight loss. Step aerobics are a lot of fun and the only equipment you need is a step pad about 6″ high. It can be a strenuous workout and it uses a lot of calories. It’s great for toning your legs and buttocks, and you will generally utilize about four hundred calories in thirty minutes. The easiest way to do stepping is to start with your right foot, step up on the step, step up with your left foot, then step down with your right foot, followed by your left foot. About halfway through you can change to starting with your left foot. Once you get used to it, an intense workout should be about twenty five steps per minute.

Rock climbing is quite strenuous and consumes a ton of calories. Of course this exercise requires a lot of training and specialized equipment to avoid disaster. It uses the strength and power in your legs and arms and burns almost 400 calories in half an hour. Receive good training, use caution, and go climb the cliffs at Mohonk Mountain Preserve in New Paltz, New York, which has the best rock climbing on the east coast!

Handball and racquet ball give you a great workout, and they are both quite entertaining. Your heart rate and legs will get a great workout with the sprinting you’ll be doing with one of these sports. Go to a health club and use a personal trainer if you are a beginner, it helps to get you started. An average sized person can burn more than 400 calories in just half an hour!

If you want your body to look young a supple, you spend time at the gym, working everything into shape. As we age, the strength and tone of our face also requires some exercise to keep wrinkles at bay and maintain a younger appearance.

You will find different ways you can develop your facial muscles. One advice is to utilize electronic toning tools specifically fashioned for the face. These instruments generate small electric currents that, when applied to the face, stimulate the collagen production and overall tone sagging muscles. Collagen is the system’s natural source for elasticity, which becomes much less evident as we age. Boosting the collagen creation makes it tougher for wrinkles to form, and lessens existing creases and laugh traces.

Sculpting your face will improve circulation, giving it more colour. It also promotes and highlights structure of cheek bones and brow, giving you a more sculpted and renewed look. If electronic tools are not for you, then try some manual facial toning workouts.

There are several simple exercises you can try at home that will stimulate and revitalize your aging skin.

For the forehead, put a finger above each eyebrow and gently pull down with your fingers while arching your brows. Repeat this process in series of twenty to thirty a minimum of two times each day to reduce the wrinkled fury of the forehead.

For defined cheeks, hold your mouth in the shape of an O while allowing the corners pull up, like you would if you were smiling. This is a great physical exercise for your cheeks that also functions all the way up to the eyes.

Like any workout regime, in order for it to be successful, it must be consistent. Consequently, some diligence is needed on your part to carry out your facial toning exercises each day. Unlike a workout at the fitness center, nonetheless, you can exercise your face anyplace and at anytime. In the tub, while watching television or even while you are sitting at work.

Whether you use an electronic toner or manual exercises, keeping your face fit keeps you looking young, fresh and ready for the world.

There is a multitude of muscles within your body. And trying to determine which exercises are best for specific muscles can be a daunting task.

Maybe you have been trying to tone your inner thighs with ineffective leg exercises that have you wasting time and energy.

So, without further ado, here are 5 effective exercises for toning this overlooked part of your legs:

1. Standard back squats: Squats are regarded as the king of all exercises for one simple reason, they target a very large amount of muscle mass. This translates into more efficient workouts and more fat loss. And if you do traditional back squats with a wider stance, you can focus the majority of stress on your inner leg muscles.

2. The hardest squat: By hardest squat, I am referring to front squats. Not only do they do a great job at toning your legs, but they also work your core heavily. Just make sure you widen your stance for maximum effect here.

3. Barbell hack squat: Again, try to use a wider stance here for the best inner leg toning. With this exercise, you grip a barbell behind your back and squat down with it. It may be a challenge to get depth, but keep on trying and your technique will improve.

4. Pile squat: This variation of the squat will also develop your trapezius muscles and neck muscles since you have to hold a dumbbell in between your legs. You may have to use a really wide stance here since you have a dumbbell along your midline.

5. Double dumbbell squats: With this inner leg toning exercise, you hold two dumbbells on your sides and squat down. Now since you are holding two dumbbells laterally, you can’t use that wide of a stance. Nevertheless, this is still an effective movement.

Although you cannot burn fat from specific areas of your body, you can develop the underlying muscle and increase concentrations of growth factors within the muscle. So if you want to tone your inner legs, do these exercises!

Intensity truly is king when it comes to losing as much weight as possible in the shortest time period. Doing this turns your body into a fat burning machine.

This is easier said than done, however. After all, increasing intensity requires a lot of will power.

So here is how to increase the results from your workouts:

1. Pushing beyond your normal repetition range: You can’t do this alone, you will need a workout partner. Also, make sure you stay aligned when trying this. In a nutshell, you complete as many repetitions as you can for a given set, then push beyond with help.

2. Slower tempos: By slowing down the speed at which you do an exercise, you greatly increase the amount of tension your muscle is subjected to. The key here is to overcome the intense burn you get from this technique. So brace yourself before trying this.

3. Drop down sets: This technique involves doing one set at a heavy weight, then another set at a moderate weight and finally, one last set with a lighter weight. And you can’t rest between each successive set. This technique is very challenging, and you have to make sure you form stays good.

4. Giant sets: With a giant set you do one exercise immediately after another without any rest in-between. This accomplishes a couple things. First, you activate more muscle mass. Second, it automatically decreases rest time. Finally, it increases the amount of calories you burn outside of the gym.

5. Not resting as much: By not resting as much in between exercises, you do a great job of increasing the metabolic demands of your workout. And doing this is a great way to crank up the post exercise caloric burn from your workouts.

Increasing the effectiveness of your workouts is the best thing you can do to bust out of plateaus and to accelerate fat loss. The key here is taking action as soon as possible, don’t let this information sit in your head!

After a certain point, if you spend too much time in the gym you will actually get worse results. You see, after a certain amount of time, your body’s internal environment changes for the worse.

So here is how to get the most out of your arm toning exercise in the shortest amount of time:

1. Big muscles first: Always prioritize bigger muscles first in your workouts. The last thing you want is an exhausted smaller muscle limiting the development of a bigger muscle. And remember that the more muscle mass you activate during your workouts, the more fat loss you will achieve.

2. Add specific moves for your arms: Although total body exercises are necessary for fat loss, you still need to add in specific arm exercises for the best results. Common sense here: to make your arms tighter, you have to work them directly.

3. Never forget that intensity trumps everything else: No matter how solid your nutrition and exercise program is, you have to remember that intensity is the most common rate limiting factor for progress. So make sure you constantly push the envelope here.

4. Have a buffet of exercises: The more the merrier here. If you do the same workout week in and week out, you will never get to the next level. You have to change things up here for continual results. The good news, however, is that you don’t have to completely revamp everything.

5. Work your biceps and triceps from all angles: If you only do the most common exercises week in and week out, you will not be able to fully tone your arms. Instead, you will end up with mediocre results. And most people have incomplete arm toning programs.

Long gone are the days of spending countless hours in the gym to get sculpted arms. If you do this, you will actually reduce your chances of success. So make sure you follow the above tips.

Weight loss exercise would be easier to do and more effective if performers would breathe correctly. Some women huff and puff through routines, as though toting a ton of weight. Others hold their breath, as if scared they might elicit a gusset.
And owing solely to being overweight, many people arc shallow breathers. They breathe from the top of the lungs in short gasps.

The correct, natural breathing action comes from the diaphragm. You take in deep drafts of air and let it out fully, in regular rhythm. In that way the body gets its full share of oxygen and expels all the “dead air.”
One result is an increased supply of energy. Another is a speed up in the disposal of wastes. Both are of tremendous value in weight loss.
Consequently, a wise move for every woman interested in weight loss would be to include breathing routine in their exercise sessions. Here’s a good one:

Stretch out on the floor with the arms resting overhead. Now relax, letting every muscle go limp. After, a moment take a deep breath — deep enough to expand the diaphragm. Then let out the air so that the diaphragm contracts. Do not strain, but make it slow, and make it smooth.

Thereafter, the toughest exercise will not leave you breathless— if, of course, you carry over the established breathing pattern. But more important, you will have begun to form a good habit that will serve your health and beauty all your life.