Tag: Fitness

Many of us, me included have eyesight problems and am always looking for tips for better eyesight.

I have no bad problems like glaucoma or cataracts but I have worn glasses or contacts since I was eight years old. Readers Digest has a great article of vision tips here that will allow you to improve your vision or at least make it degrade at a much slower rate.

The good news: The most common diseases of eyesight — age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), cataracts, glaucoma, and dry eye disease — are all preventable to some extent.

Before we go any further, we have to tell you that the first step or tips for better eyesight, if you smoke, is to stop. Smoking increases your risk of cataracts, glaucoma, dry eyes, and age-related macular degeneration.

Tips for better eyesight

Tips for better eyesight

1. Mix a cup of blueberries with a cup of yogurt for breakfast this morning.Blueberries are one of the richest fruit forms of antioxidants.

A study published in The Archives of Ophthalmology found that women and men who ate the greatest amount of fruit were the least likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the leading cause of blindness in older people.

2. Spread bilberry jam on your morning toast. Or take a bilberry supplement every morning. The berries contain compounds called anthocyanosides, which may protect the retina against macular degeneration.

3. Have spinach twice a week. Could be a spinach quiche, steamed spinach, or maybe Tuscan spinach — sauteed in some olive oil with garlic and raisins. Regardless, be sure to get your spinach.

Studies find that lutein, a nutrient that is particularly abundant in spinach, may prevent age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Ideally, get your lutein in combination with some form of fat (olive oil works great) for the best absorption.

4. Cook with red onions, not yellow. Red onions contain far more quercetin, an antioxidant that is thought to protect against cataracts.

5. Aim your car vents at your feet — not your eyes. Dry, air-conditioned air will suck the moisture out of eyes like a sponge. Aim the vents in your car away from your eyes, or wear sunglasses as a shield.

Dry eyes can be more than an inconvenience; serious dryness can lead to corneal abrasions and even blindness if left untreated.

6. Move your computer screen to just below eye level. One of the best tips for better eyesight. Your eyes will close slightly when you’re staring at the computer, minimizing fluid evaporation and the risk of dry eye syndrome, says John Sheppard, M.D., who directs the ophthalmology residency program at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia.

7. Take a multivitamin every day. Make it a habit, like brushing your teeth. A major study suggested that if every American at risk for age-related macular degeneration took daily supplements of antioxidant vitamins and zinc, more than 300,000 people could avoid ARMD-associated vision loss over the next five years.

Other studies find that women who took vitamin C supplements for at least 10 years were 77 percent less likely to show initial signs of cataracts than those who took no supplemental C.

So take a multi with at least 150 mg vitamin C, or take a separate C supplement.

8. Walk at least four times a week. Some evidence suggests that regular exercise can reduce the intraocular pressure, or IOP, in people with glaucoma.

In one study, glaucoma patients who walked briskly four times per week for 40 minutes lowered their IOP enough so they could stop taking medication for their condition. It’s also possible — although there’s no proof yet — that walking could also reduce your overall risk of developing glaucoma.

9. Eat fish twice a week. A study from Harvard researchers presented at the 2003 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s annual meeting evaluated the diets of 32,470 women and found those who ate the least amount of fish (thus getting the least amount of omega-3 fatty acids) had the highest risk of dry eye syndrome.

Even tuna fish (yes, the kind that comes in a can) protected against the syndrome. If you can’t stand fish, or are worried about mercury consumption, try fish-oil supplements to get your omega-3s.

10. Twice a week, walk away from greasy or sweet snacks. A 2001 study found that people whose diets were high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in omega-6 fatty acids (found in many fat-filled snack foods like commercially prepared pie, cake, cookies, and potato chips) were significantly less likely to develop ARMD than those whose diets were high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3 fatty acids.

In fact, if your diet was high in omega-6 at all — even if you still ate plenty of fish — the protective effects of the omega-3 fatty acids disappeared.

11. Have sweet potatoes for dinner tonight. Since they are rich in vitamin A, these sweet spuds can help improve your night vision.

12. Turn down the heat in your house. Heat dries out the air, which, in turn, dries out your eyes. In the winter, you might also try adding some humidity with a humidifier or even bunching a lot of plants together in the room in which you spend the most time.

More tips for better eyesight

Go to the Readers Digest article and you will see that there are even more tips for better eyesight.

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Many people wonder about the steps to a six pack, and how to get a six pack abs Most of them aren’t aware that fat cannot be turned into muscle, nor do they understand that six pack abs won’t appear until you burn off your belly fat.

Anyone can have a six pack stomach, even without doing a single sit-up or crunch. However, strength training (and especially abdominal exercises) will speed up the process of helping you get a six pack (and make your abs look better too!).

Steps To Six Pack Abs – A Good Diet

Steps to a six pack

To begin with, try and avoid following any fad diets. Consult your doctor especially if you plan on following any of these diet plans:

• Negative calorie diets
• Very low calorie diets
• Very low carb diets
• Any other type of unbalanced fad diet

Changing your diet should be considered a part of a healthier lifestyle. Do what you can to learn everything about nutrition. The more you understand, the easier it will be to implement healthy nutrition in your diet.

Let’s take a look at ten ways to speed up the process of burning fat, for achieving a six pack stomach quickly, through safe and healthy ways.

Steps to a six pack

Instead of using butter or margarine, substitute fruit pure. The first step in the steps to a six pack is to keep your fat level low in your diet  They are quite simple to prepare with a food processor and will greatly reduce calories and fat.

Cheese can be good for you, but the saturated fat is not. Try this: microwave cheese for a few seconds to drain off any excess grease, or choose a lower fat substitute.

If you exercise before eating, you will just end up more hungry. Seek to perform exercise AFTER you eat, so the body will work harder during digestion.

Avoid television while eating. Focusing too much on something entertaining will take your mind off your appetite, and you will end up eating more than you should.

Don’t skip breakfast. Your metabolism is higher when you wake up, so you will burn more calories. Also, breakfast will temper your desire to eat a large lunch and dinner.

If you mix water with fructose, it will be more effective in suppressing your appetite than water with glucose or diet sodas. A glass of orange juice 30-60 minutes before a meal can reduce your appetite.

Stay away from trans fatty acids as much as you can. Instead, use canola oil or olive oil. Anything that lists partially hydrogenated oil contains trans fatty acids, which slow fat burning and increase your risk of heart disease.

Drink skim milk. You’ll get all the nutrients without the extra fat.

Remove as much fat as you can from meat before cooking. This one step alone will drastically reduce your calories and fat intake.

Use health Supplements. This is critical in the steps to a six pack. I can honestly say that I could not have built the body I have today without the convenience and enhancements supplements provide.

This is a choice that you must decide for yourself. You will be spending your money on these products, so make sure that you know their place in your program.

Have you thought that maybe you have the whole picture wrong about how to get six pack abs? There is this fantastic diet and exercise system that will teach you everything you need to know about how to get a firm and trim midsection and that allows your ab muscles to show through.Check out The Truth About Six Pack Abs now.

Remember that the best way to get 6 pack abs is to make sure that you are keeping a very good diet and that your exercise is heavy and often. These tips above are the critical steps to a six pack.

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If you want to rejuvenate, find new energy and bring a sense of well being into your life, plus lose a few pounds, what better way than through undertaking a raw food cleanse?

How good is a Raw Food Cleanse?

Raw food is almost always healthier than the foods that most of us are choosing every day. If you eat only fresh, unprocessed foods, you will automatically cut out all refined sugars and flours and most fatty foods. During a raw cleanse, you will eat very simply and your body will thank you for that!

The raw food cleanse can last from 7 to 10 days. You will need to do some planning ahead of time.

Social occasions can be difficult when you are eating raw so if you want to make your detox as easy as possible, try to pick a period of time when you do not have any business lunches, restaurant meals or visits to family.

If people are visiting you that’s fine because you can control what you eat. It is possible to take your own food when eating at somebody else’s house but it can be hard for them to understand so it will be much simpler if you can find a clear week in your diary for your cleanse.

Preparing For Your Raw Food Cleanse

The day before your raw food cleanse begins, try to eat as simply as possible with plenty of fruit and vegetables. Avoid eating a lot of meat or fatty, sugary foods and stay off alcohol.

If you drink more than two cups of coffee/tea per day, cut down gradually in the days leading up to the cleanse to avoid caffeine withdrawal headaches during the cleanse.

Then begin your raw food cleanse with a 24 hour fast, starting from the time that you finish your evening meal on the last day before the cleanse. So imagine I am starting a cleanse on a Saturday.

I eat dinner on Friday evening, finishing at 7.30 pm. I don’t eat or drink anything else after that except water, until 7.30 pm on Saturday, day 1 of the cleanse. Then I will have my first raw food meal.

Fresh Food on a Raw Food Cleanse

During the raw food cleanse you will eat anything that is the fresh, non-fatty fruit, leaves, stem or roots of a plant, without cooking it. This includes salad, vegetables and fruits. You can have as much of these as you like, whenever you like, but do be sure to include at least one pound of green vegetables each day. This will give you a broader range of minerals than if you eat fruit only, which means you will have fewer cravings. Celery is great if you have cravings for salty foods.

Be sure to have a wide variety of ripe fruits and vegetables in the house at all times during your raw food cleanse. It is important to be able to have whatever type of fruit or vegetable you feel like eating.

Foods to Avoid on a Raw Food Cleanse

There are a few fatty fruits that you should avoid. These include avocado, coconut and durian (jackfruit). You will also avoid nuts, seeds and oils. There is no need for any dried herbs or seasonings, although you can use fresh herbs in small quantities if you want.

You will not need any drinks other than water. Be sure to wash all foods well.

You can make a simple salad dressing by blending equal quantities of tomato and cucumber in the blender. Add a few herbs or red bell pepper if you want.

If you want to continue eating a raw food diet after the end of the cleanse, you can add some fats in the form of nuts, avocado, unpasteurized cheese etc. The cleanse program does not contain all of the fatty acids and other nutrients that are needed for a long term diet.

Be aware that you may have some detox symptoms in the first few days of the cleanse and in some cases these can be quite severe. Check with your medical adviser before going on a raw food cleanse, especially if you are pregnant or nursing or have any pre existing medical conditions.

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