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5 Tips to Help You Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

June 30, 2011 By HeadHoncho

The average American gains about seven pounds during the holiday season. Before you roll your eyes and blow this information off, keep in mind that research indicates that most people never completely burn off that weight during the next year. In other words, a portion of that weight you gain during the holidays is never going to be lost, which is why many of us gain a few pounds as we grow older. With that in mind, consider these tips to avoid (or minimize) weight gains during the holidays.

  1. Take it slow. While you’re at a party or a gathering, make a point of eating very slowly. This will fill you up with much less food. Telling yourself that you will only eat during the first hour of a party is usually a mistake — you end up gorging yourself, and oftentimes you end up eating later in the party anyways.
  2. Eat before you leave your home. You know there is going to be good food at a holiday party — and chances are, it’s not going to be healthy. So fill up on something healthy before you leave the house. Just like you shouldn’t go shopping for groceries on an empty stomach, the same rule applies to going to a holiday party.
  3. Take it easy with the alcohol. Alcohol is a major culprit when it comes to holiday weight gains. That’s because in addition to being high in carbs, alcohol will lower your inhibitions-including your commitment not to over eat! Stick to only one drink-or even better, avoid alcohol altogether.
  4. Stick to small plates. Many parties will have smaller appetizer-sized plates as well as larger options. Stick with the smallest plate available-by forcing yourself to limit your portions and make multiple trips to the buffet, you’ll be much less likely to over eat.
  5. Focus on socializing, not eating. Many of us immediately think of delicious appetizers and courses when we think of a holiday get-together. Train yourself instead to visualize the friends and family that you’ll see. If you’re like most of us, you’re busy all year long and don’t get to spend the time you’d like with those that are close to you. So take advantage of the opportunity by spending time with them, instead of in line at the buffet.

The holidays are a great time of year — unfortunately, it’s also easy to overeat. While it may be unrealistic to avoid gaining any weight this year, the suggestions we’ve given above will at least help you minimize any gains.

Cole Tanner is a mid-40s Southern California freelancer who enjoys writing about exercise, fitness, nutrition, coaching, family, home improvement and self-help techniques.

Visit Cole’s blog to get health articles and health ebooks that you can use in your newsletter, website or blog.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: ,

The Most Common Sports Injuries and Treatment

June 27, 2011 By HeadHoncho

The most common sports injuries include foot, shoulder and back injuries; tennis elbow; knee injuries; sprained ankles; and shin splints. Moderate to severe injuries need a doctors attention to make sure you are getting the best treatment. Listed below are some the more common injuries.

Tennis elbow, an inflammation of the muscles and tendons, is a common injury. With overuse comes inflammation and pain. A common injury among tennis and golf players, it is also common in many sports and from excessive computer use. Rest, ice, heat, anti-inflammatory, are common temporary remedies. Some injuries need physical therapy.

Fasciitis is common in runners and is also common with sudden weight gain or a sudden increase in activity. Do you have pain in your heels when you get out of bed in the morning? Heel pain in the morning is a sign of plantar fasciitis. Treatment often involves rest and ice, anti-inflammatories, a foot massage roller, and wearing a night splint.

Although there are many types of knee injuries, MCL and ACL injuries are common in sports. A torn ACL usually occurs from force applied to the knee when the foot is immobilized or from a direct blow to the knee. Symptoms of a torn ACL include instability, extensive swelling, an audible pop or crack when the injury occurs, restricted movement, and tenderness. Treatment includes rest and ice. Seek professional medical advice.

Rotator cuff is the support tendons and muscles in the shoulder that stabilize and allow the arm to move up and down, as well as rotate. Signs of injury include aching and weakness in the shoulder; especially when the arm is lifted overhead. The pain and inflammation is caused when swollen muscle push on the nearby bone. Torn rotator cuff symptoms include pain, decreased range of motion, weakness and a deep ache. Rotator cuff injuries need a doctor to decide if surgery is needed to repair the muscle.

Spin injuries are rare in sports. Often, this injury happens when the head is thrown back, or forwards violently, and damage to the vertebrae occur. There may also be damage to the ligaments, and muscles surrounding the spine. Immobilization is necessary and immediate medical help is required.

Many sports injuries need medical evaluation and treatment. Before engaging in sports: Warm up properly, cool down after exercising, use the correct equipment, if possible, exercise different muscles on different days when weight training. Stretching and strengthening will help prevent common sports injuries, and should be a part of a warm up and general conditioning program.

Learn more about acl reconstruction. Thank you SportMED in Huntsville Al for your information on many sports injuries.

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Effective and Cheaper Ways to Look Leaner

June 7, 2011 By HeadHoncho

Sad though it is, we live in a very judgemental world and most of that judgement springs from the way you look and present yourself. Vanity plays a big part in human existence. Just the other day, I was watching this fascinating documentary on History Channel about ancient aliens. Apparently, up until the start of the 20th century, some of the Native American tribes and indeed tribes from all over world were indulging in the practice of ‘cranial binding’. Now, one of the reasons put forth by the believers of the ‘ancient astronaut theory’ of why they did this was to imitate the aliens or ‘gods’. So, as you can imagine, imitation and vanity is not a recent phenomenon affecting the human psyche at all.

In the present day scenario too, nothing has changed really. You have to admit it that when you are walking down the street, you want heads to turn and people to admire you as you pass them by (of course the right kind of people!).

So, how do you go about changing the way you look. well, read on to find out more. Without being too critical of anyone, I think these big chain of gyms with their multi million dollar spending on marketing make you feel that if you want to get fit, there is no better way than to join a fitness centre. You can’t be more wrong if you start believing in that.

Get things into perspective:

I am a big fan of people who look to make changes in the things that can be changed. Admitted, there are certain things, esp. those determined by genes that you can’t fight, for example, height but you can certainly change the way you look, in terms of getting leaner and fitter. I don’t want to seen as practising ableism but to me, people who are fat are just not organised enough in their lives. I tend to look at fat or obese people in terms of ‘failure of their personal admin.’

OK, so what is the one thing that you really need to be sure about is embark on the journey to change the way you look. I would say, ‘the fitness goals’. Be very frank and sure in your head what you want to do the most. Once you start seeing results, you can chop and change your fitness goals. A lot of the times you see people doing stuff that is does nothing for them. For instance, if you are in your early 20s and looking to lose weight, you’d be wasting your time going on the BOSU ball because chances are, you will always have the balance and unless you were on ankle injury rehab or looking to compete in some elite sport, you’d be better off doing intense cardio and resistance training.

Way to go!

Well, one of the first things that people do when they begin to contemplate to make changes in the way they look is get a gym membership. Well, if I was you, I wouldn’t! First of all, you got to look at the bigger picture. Think about what you really want to do with your body. For most people, looks come first. Then there are a select few who are really in it for fitness. While very few (the freakish ones are for improving performance in sports; let’s leave these guys alone coz they are a different breed altogether!)

Now, whether it is the looks or fitness that concerns you, you should remember that hitting the gym most days of the week will form a part of the solution. To me, a better solution is practising ‘active lifestyle’. What that effectively means is you have to be up and about all the time. How many times have you seen young people who are waiting for the underground or the bus sitting down on a bench! I would much rather pace about (sometimes I have done that with 20 Kg of stuff in my duffel bag; people look at you like you are crazy; but that’s OK). I am a big believer in the phrase ‘why sit when you can stand, why stand when you can walk about, why walk when you can jog and why jog when you can run?’

Another big favour that you can do to yourself is to indulge in some outdoor sporting activity. I have had so many clients over the years saying to me, ‘oh, but I am lousy at tennis’. Well, don’t play to win but to burn calories while you have fun with friends. Again, outdoor activities are more functional than gym workouts. How many times have you realised that after hitting the treadmill quite regularly in the gym, you still huff and puff when you sprint to catch the bus?! And the whole idea to try ‘activities at which you are lousy’ is to shock your body to respond because you do something that your body is just nor used to. I realised, after years of trying out various fad diets and ergogenics (fat burners) to get ripped, the thing that really made a difference was a couple of weeks of Thai Kick Boxing.

Again, if you want to build huge muscles (like most guys), then you would need to join a gym (I would prefer a weightlifting gym rather than a fitness centre; these are much cheaper and really make you strong and muscular). However, if you are looking to get lean or get toned (esp. women), I would suggest to not waste you hard earned money. Also, over the years, I have seen that after the initial motivation wears off, most people drop off from the gym but still keep paying for the whole year because of the way gym memberships work. I would rather suggest you try out different home workouts, indulge in active lifestyle, balanced diet and playing some outdoor sport over the weekend.

Keep following my articles on how to save a lot of money and effort and still get the result that you want! In one of my articles I will also touch upon why and how a personal trainer is much more effective in terms of getting results.

Stay Fit, stay smiling!

Hi there, I am a sports medic, an elite personal trainer and a sports injury, health, medical and fitness writer. For more information on my personal training services or if you have any queries, do not hesitate to get in touch with me at http://www.thefitnessdoc.co.uk/#!__contact-me

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Aloe Vera, A Natural Beauty Gel

May 25, 2011 By HeadHoncho

Keep your skin smooth, healthy and glowing with a remarkable natural beauty gel. Everyday your skin goes under attack from sun, wind and environmental toxins. Using this gel and products made from it, protects your skin and heals past damage. Packed with vitamins, anti-oxidants, amino acids and minerals, it nourishes, protects and heals face and body. In fact, it is a natural cure for the skin, as well as offering major beauty benefits.

Aloe vera works wonders on dry skin by smoothing out rough areas and nourishing the skin cells. It naturally contains high levels of vitamin E. Vitamin E works on the skin surface to smooth out the appearance of fine lines, age spots, and scars for smoother, younger looking skin. Vitamin C, also found in high quantities in the gel of this plant, is a free radical fighting anti-oxidant that improves collagen production in the skin. Collagen is a structural protein that breaks down over time. By building up collagen levels, vitamin C helps plump up skin cells.

Amino acids work externally on the skin adding collagen-building proteins. The amino acid proteins smooth and protect moisture levels in the skin by bonding with the skin cells. Aloe vera has 18 different amino acids that improve the skin when used in topical applications.

Age spots and discoloration of skin pigment is an inevitable part of the aging process as your skin undergoes damage from free radials and UV radiation. This natural beauty gel naturally lightens dark areas on the skin.

You can also treat puffy eyes with aloe vera gel. In the morning, eyes can look puffy and swollen. Rub some of the gel around your eyes first thing. It’s natural anti-inflammatory properties get to work right away so you look fresh and awake when you head out the door.

It also heals damaged skin. Studies show that small wounds and cracks heal better when treated with it. Compounds in aloe vera fight fungal and bacterial infections while stimulating the healing process and encouraging the skin to rebuild in the damaged areas. And, as a natural anesthetic, it reduces pain at all stages in the healing process.

Keep healthy skin glowing and repair damaged skin with a daily application of aloe vera. Face cream and toner that contain it make it easy to add this natural healing gel to your daily skin care routine. Or use aloe gel straight from the plant. The leaves come packed with clear gel. Simply break off a stalk and squeeze the gel into your hands. That’s why I like to keep an aloe vera plant close at hand.

You can learn more about organic moisturizers, facial toners and other natural ways to create beautiful skin at my GaelleOrganic web site.

Filed Under: Beauty Tagged With:

Choosing The Right Mascara For You

May 18, 2011 By HeadHoncho

You probably don’t wear a lot of make up but chances are you are a fan of mascara. That said, when it comes to mascara each brand is unique. The mascara that works for your friend will not necessarily work for you. As you will soon find out, the problem lies not in the mascara but in your lashes. And as you delve deeper, you find that the mascara itself is not half as important as the mascara wand that is used in application.

If you’re a victim of stubby, sparse or pale lashes, don’t worry. I have compiled some tips to help you in choosing the best mascara for your lashes. Keep in mind that all mascaras use different wands so it is not wise to mix them up as the results may be disastrous. Trying to make a decision is very difficult.

However, with the information I am to provide, you will be able to make a better decision on what mascara to pick for yourself.

First and foremost there are different types of mascaras. Waterproof, thickening, lengthening, defining mascara and curling mascara are all types of mascara. Yes! Choosing mascara now is more challenging than it used to be largely because there are so many to choose from. Most people tend to go with mascara that complements their skin tone. Think about your eye color too and pick mascara that works with both.

If a dramatic look is what you’re seeking then you can have fun with dark blue and light blue mascara i.e. if your eyes are blue. Purple mascara works very well especially with green eyed individuals with auburn hair or light skinned individuals in general. In choosing mascara you need to pay attention to the size of the mascara brush. The fuller and longer eyelashes you have, the thicker the brush you need.

Take for example lengthening mascara. I find that this type of mascara is great for those with reasonably thick eyelashes. The brushes usually have long bristles to help you put mascara to the tips of your lashes. They also serve the purpose of extending your eyelash length. Anyone can use waterproof mascara as long as they are not allergic to it. This type of mascara, however, is not highly recommended for daily use and comes highly recommended for athletes who spend so much of their day in water or in extremely humid atmospheres.

Defining mascara- coats each lash to make them dramatically long and extremely defined.

What about thickening mascara you ask? Thickening mascara wands consist of thick bristles. They serve to broaden your eyelashes and make them stand out more by thickening them – just as the name spells out.

Curling mascara is useful in exposing your eyes to give them better definition while adding thickness to the lashes. Not only do they bring out beautiful eyes but also very enhancing eyelashes.

For more helpful make up tips visit Ariane Poole Cosmetics. The secret to an even complexion is using the perfect concealer make up. Check out the Ariane Poole concealer make up today.

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