Taking care of our bones

(source: RD Health)

OUR SKELETONS naturally lose strength as we grow older. Here’s how you can protect your bones and save yourself from injury by doing daily chores correctly.

Always sit up straight. Pick a chair that supports the curve of your lower back (or use a roll-up towel or lumbar roll). Sit with your spine lengthened, shoulder wide.

Prepare for a cough or sneeeze. Sudden sneezes can jerk a weakened torso forwards and injure the spine. If you feel one coming on, bend your knees, back straight, and put a hand on your thigh for support. Or brace your lower back with your hand to stay upright.

Do chores correctly. Take care as you vacuum, mop floors or sweep the deck. Bend from your knees and hips, not your waist. Don’t twist; Push rather than pull.

Bend from your your hips. When you lean down to load the washing machine or make the bed, don’t sag from your waist. Instead, bend at your knees and hips, keeping your lower back straight.

Open with care. Trying to lift a stuck or heavy object is a common cause of compression fractures, because it puts a great deal of pressure on your spine. Ask someone to help.

Drink and Eat These To Fight Cancer

A new study found that women who sip a few cups of coffee and/or tea daily have a lower risk of uterine cancer than those who skip these beverages. A second study indicates that consuming an antioxidant called apigenin found in celery, parsley, and red wine is associated with a lower likelihood of ovarian cancer.

Seven Steps to Staving off Alzheimer’s

1. Mind your mind: keep your brain active by learning, doing puzzles and engaging in social activities.

2. Mind your diet: reduce saturated fats and eat plenty of vitamins and antioxidant-rich foods.

3. Mind your body: exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.

4. Have regular health checks for blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and body weight.

5. Keep social.

6. Get enough sleep, don’t drink too much and don’t smoke.

7. Mind your head: take steps to avoid head injury, for example wearing a seat belt and preventing fails.

My Healthy Alternative to French Fries

I love French fries very much. I crave for it all the time even if I know it is unhealthy.

So I used a healthy option to eating potatoes.

-1kg potatoes (I sometimes used sweet potatoes to be more nutritious)

-1 1/2 tbsp garlic freshly minced (if I’m too busy I use the McCormick garlic powder)

-1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary (you can substitute thyme)

-2 tsp Olive Oil

-salt to taste

- chili powder (optional- I love spicy food)

In a large bowl; toss sweet potatoes/ potatoes with garlic, rosemary, oil and salt.

Arrange in single layer, not touching, on a large nonstick baking sheet.  Bake in preheated 450 F (230 C) oven for 15 minutes.  Turn potato pieces and bake 10 to 15 minutes or until tender inside.

Enjoy!

Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

with Baked buffalo wings (my dinner today)

with tuna and tomatoes (my dinner yesterday)

Anti-Ageing Exercise

REGULAR RUNNING- may help prevent disability and early death from cancer, neuroligical disease, or infections, according to Stanford University School of Medicine. Researchers tracked 1000 runners and non-runners over age 50. After 19 years, 34 percent of non-runners had died, but only 15 percent of the runners had.

What you need to know:

Warm up and warm down: Even if you’re just going for a gentle run, warm up first to achieve a certain level of joint mobility and to avoid injuries. Warming down will also help cut down on stiffness.

Run tall and breathe deeply: Try to get in the habit of running with a straight back to minimise pressure on your diaphragm. Take a deep breath, lift your whole upper body and then hold that position as you run.

Running time: Only run for as long as you can do so in the correct style. As soon as your form gets sloppy, pack in for another day.

Top Chip

A portion of fish and chips contains 20% less fat than a 12 inch cheese and tomato pizza.

Here’s a healthy recipe of chips we can do at home from the celebrity chef Mark Hix:

* 4 large baking potatoes weighing about 200-250g each.

* 5-6 tbsp olive oil

* 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

* 2 tbsp rosemary leaves

* 3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Halve the potatoes then cut each half into 6-7 chips. Place them in cold water, bring them to the boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Heat oil in roasting tray in the oven, then add potatoes, garlic and rosemary. Season. Cook for 45 minutes. Turning a couple of times, until crisp and cooked through.

Scatter parmesan over and return to oven for 10-12 minutes.

Source: RD Asia

Foods that melt flab away!

Source: Cosmopolitan April 2009 issue by: Zoe Ruderman

Regular dieting is old school… and boring. Eat the stuff that puts your metabolism on high speed to burn mucho calories.

GREEN TEA. One ingredient, caffeine, is a stimulant that raises your heart rate and compels your system to burn calories faster. Plus green tea has catechins, substances that some experts believe help burn belly fat. Aim for three 8-ounce cups a day.

(HR- I drink 2-3 cups a day! Yipee!)

YOGURT. Yeah, dairy has a bad rep for high calories, but yogurt, both the low-fat and regular kinds, contains probiotics: ‘friendly’ bacteria that preliminary research suggests may help reduce the amount of fat your body absorbs.

(HR- I only get 1 cup each day…)

COFFEE. Again, the caffeine kicks your metabolism into high gear. Caffeine also jump-starts lipolysis, the break down of fat. One to two cups is ideal.

(HR- fortunately or unfortunately for me, I drink 1 cup of DECAFFEINATED coffee- Nescafe RELAX)

CINNAMON- Without going into the whole scientific explanation of why it works, adding 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of this spice to something you eat every day- hot cereal, marinades, yogurt— helps blood sugar get into cells to be used for energy, so less is stored as fat.

(HR- after reading this, I now add large amount of sprinkes of cinnamon in my tea, coffee and hot milk everyday…)

CHILI PEPPERS. Often found in high quantities in hot salsa as well as in many Thai, Indian, and Chinese curry dishes, these wonder foods are packed with metabolism-boosting compound called capsaicin, which provides chili peppers’ fiery flavor.

In addition, capsaicin increases your body temperature somewhat, giving your metabolism an extra calorie-burning push.

(HR- no question asked… I thank God everyday for Chili peppers!)

CHICKEN AND FISH. It actually takes energy to digest food, and your body burns more calories digesting and metabolizing protein than it does while breaking down carbs and fats.

Translation: Consuming a few servings of lean protein, such as chicken, fish, and tofu, each day may help keep your metabolism revving away long after you finish eating your meal.

Women who take CONTRACEPTIVE PILLS beware!!!:We have a CYCLE for a reason

Source: Candyblush 

I’ve been really thinking what to blog, but I can’t seem to know what to blog anymore. Until, when I was going to random forums, I stumbled into this true story shared by a lady.

PS. Please do read this, it’s very important. You’ll never know, it might soon happen to you,too.

Recently this past week, my cousin Nicole Dishuk (age 31…newly graduated student with a doctoral degree about to start her new career as a Doctor…) was flown into a nearby hospital, because she passed out.

They found a blood clot in her neck, and immediately took her by helicopter to the ER to operate. By the time they removed the right half of her skull to relieve the pressure on her brain; the clot had spread to her brain causing severe damage.

Since last Wednesday night, she was battling… they induced her into a coma to stop the blood flow, they operated 3 times… Finally, they said there was nothing left that they could do… they found multiple clots in the left side of her brain… the swelling wouldn’t stop, and she was on life support…

She died at 4:30 yesterday. She leaves behind a husband, a 2yr old Brandon and a 4yr old Justin… The CAUSE of DEATH – they found was a birth control she was taking that allows you to only have your period 3 times a year… They said it interrupts life’s menstrual cycle, and although it is FDA approved… shouldn’t be – So to the women in my address book – I ask you to boycott this product ; deal with your period once a month – so you can live the rest of the months that your life has in store for you.

*Please send this to every woman you know – you may save someone’s life… Remember, you have a CYCLE for a reason !

The name of this new birth control pill is LYBREL . If you go to Lybrel.com, you will find at least 26 pages of information regarding this drug.

The second birth control pill is, SEASONIQUE. If you go to the website of, Seasonique.com, you will find 43 pages of information regarding this drug.

The warnings and side effects regarding both pills are horrible. Please, please forward this information to as many daughters & sons, co-workers, friends and relatives. Several lives have already been changed.

I got this from FemaleNetwork.com 

It’s really scary right? I do hope you have learned something from this post.

Eat More in the A.M., Weigh Less

Consuming a hearty morning meal helps you lose pounds and maintain a healthy weight, reports a recent study.  Researchers compared women who regularly ate a higi-carb, high protein, who had a 290-calorie meal; the women in the first group lost more pounds and kept it off. A filling breakfast may curb your appetite all day so you’re less likely to pig out at lunch and dinner.

 

—Cosmopolitan Magazine January 2009 p. 166

4 Ways to Stay Healthy at Work

Viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs cause the flu and the common cold. These germs usually spread from one person to another when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Here are four ways to stop this cycle:

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