Healthy Living

One might define healthy living as taking good care of your physical and mental health.

That would include getting enough exercise everyday, eating a healthy, balanced diet daily, getting a good night's sleep and managing your stress levels well.

Healthy living also means staying withn a healthy weight range for your height, cutting down on cigarettes, alcohol and staying away as far as possible from things that damage your body to keep your body at optimal health.

Did you know that smoking not only causes lung cancer and increases your risk of stroke, it also ages you prematurely. This article explains How smoking ages you

Obesity and Health

Who wants to be fat?
Not only are obese kids and teens often made fun of by their peers, obesity leads to a myriad of health problems later on in adulthood.

Obesity increases the risk of

heart disease which may lead to strokes or heart attacks
high blood pressure
diabetes
high cholesterol
heart burn and acid indigestion
esophageal cancer
sleep apnea
Osteoarthritis
Urinary Stress Incontinence

In a world where thin is beauty, being fat can really affect a person's self esteem. A fat person is deemed less attractive than a fit one. The real world, where lookism reigns, it really sucks to be overweight. One's social life suffers as well.

One of the worst things about being fat even once in your life is that the fat cells never die. As you gain weight, the fat cells reproduce. Then they just stay there. Dieting and exercise can cause the fat cells to shrink, but they simply wait for the opportunity to load up on fat again. That makes maintaining a healthy weight a life-long challenge. Staying slim requires a permanent change in lifestyle. Watching what you eat and making the effort to exercise regular is necessary to stay fit.

At home weight loss

Whether you are fat or fit depends on your lifestyle. Yes, genes do play a part, but blaming your parents for your weight problems aren't going to get you anywhere. You have to take action yourself.

If you take in more calories than you burn, you gain weight.

If you consume fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight.

All you really have to do to slim down and get fit, is to exercise more to burn calories, and eat and drink fewer calories, so you end up losing weight. Once you reach your ideal weight, a permanent change in lifestyle that includes more exercise and lower consumption of calories would help you stay fit and trim for life.

You can do that easily at home.

Burn more calories

Make exercise a priority. Running burns the most calories and is so easy to do. Just put on your running shoes and go for a run.

Indoors, you can always invest in a treadmill so you can have your daily run in the comfort of your own home.

As for lifestyle changes, use the stairs instead of the lift or elevator. Instead of taking the bus to your destination, stop a few stops before and walk the rest of the way. If you live near enough to your workplace, you could walk or cycle to work instead.

Consume fewer calories

Watch what you eat and drink. Did you know a 12-ounce can of coke has 155 calories. A can of Budweiser beer has 146 calories. Switch to plain water or water with a little fresh lemon juice squeezed into it and you'd cut a substantial amount of calories.

Eat more fresh vegetables. Instead of candy, have some fruit. Berries are delicious. Instead of ice cream, try yoghurt. Occasionally, allow yourself a treat so that you don't feel deprived as that could lead to binging.

Lean meat, especially skinless chicken, turkey and fish give you the protein you need with far less fat than red meat.

Watch your portions as well. Eat until you are 80% full, then stop. There's no need to finish everything on your plate. Restaurant portions are far bigger than what you really need, so eat slowly, chew your food so that your body has time to realize you've eaten enough, then put down the fork and spoon once your hunger is satiated.

There are many diet supplements that can help with fast weight loss. Check out the ingredients for potential side effects before you take them. Do avoid anything with Ma Huang or Ephedrine though as that is linked to liver failure.

What does a healthy diet consist of

Follow the food pyramid.

Your body needs the most carbohydrate (go for whole grain as these contain more vitamins and the fiber in whole grains keep you full longer.)
Next comes fruits and vegetables.
Then comes the meat, fish, milk, beans and dairy products
Finally, you need a little fat and oil. Use olive oil where possible as that is a very healthy oil. Avoid lard as it clogs the arteries

Skin health

Rosacea

What is rosacea?
This is also known as adult acne. Although it looks like regular acne with the characteristic redness, Rosacea treatment is different. There is no real cure for rosacea. A visit to the doctor's office can help you start your rosacea control routine. There are acne rosacea treatment products you can use to manage your rosacea. Check these out.