Friday, March 23, 2007

Cheap Exercise Equipment

One of the best ways to get a hold of some usable home gymequipment is to check out yard sales. Of course many peoplewould overlook this option but if you look you are able to findsome great equipment at a great price.It is all too common for someone to get new exercise equipmentfor Christmas or as a New Year's resolution only to use it onceor twice and let it collect dust in the corner until they gettired of looking at it and sell it. You may also run intosomeone who is upgrading their equipment.You can usually see big exercise equipment from the streetbefore you even get out of your car making it very easy to spotout in a yard sale. When you see something that looks promisingdon't be afraid to ask any questions. In fact the morequestions you ask the better idea you will have of the type ofshape the equipment is in.You want to ask the seller when they bought it and how oftenthey used it. Also ask them if they cleaned it or had toperform any maintenance on it. If they didn't use it very oftenask they how long it has been sitting there in their home idle,and where it has been stores. These are all important questionsthat will tell you how the quality of the equipment is and if itis even worth the super discount price.After you have asked questions, or even prior to talking to theowners you need to look the equipment over closely and make sureit is functional as well. You want to look closely and make surethere aren't any missing pieces that go to the equipment such asmissing screws or safety pieces.See how well oiled the equipment is and be sure to ask if theystill have the original manual that came with it. This manualwill give you a great idea as to what the machine looked likewhen the sellers' first purchased it.The manual is useful in many ways as it will tell you how touse the machine as well as the basic care and maintenance thatis required. If you find missing or damages pieces then don'tbe afraid to ask for a discount. People are usually trying toget rid of the equipment and are more than willing to give itto you at a steal.When you are checking out local yard sales looking for exerciseequipment then one thing to keep in mind is the prices you willaccept. Try to familiarize your self with some equipment oreven use your cell phone and call someone to check online forthe price of the exact machine you found brand new. Knowing howmuch the original price was will help you determine how much youshould be willing to fork over for a used piece of equipment.About The Author: Article provided by Sven Ullmann, who runshttp://www.deservedhealth.com - a site dedicated to differenthealth related topics. Interestedhttp://www.deservedhealth.com/how-to-find-good-cheap-exercise-equipment?

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Adjustable Beds Promote Natural, Comfortable Sleep

What are the advantages of an adjustable sleep bed over a normal one? Theanswers are multiple. You know, for every problem there's also a solution.That's what an adjustable sleep bed offers for people who suffer from differentconditions or for those who want to prevent those conditions from everhappening.Did it ever happen to you not to be able to sleep at night? The best guess isthat it happened because of your bed. When you are not able to fall asleep, youkeep turning around from one side to another, on your back or on your belly.That's because your body tries to avoid pressure points which reduce the bloodflow and cause you discomfort.Moreover, the traditional bed mattresses are flat, and guess what? That's incontradiction with your spinal alignment. A lot of the traditional backillnesses are made worse by the traditional beds and mattresses.So what's the most natural and comfortable sleeping position? You will probablybe a little bit surprised to find out that it's not at all the traditional onein which a normal bed would make you sleep. The head should be elevated just alittle bit, thus allowing for easier breathing. Even more important seems to bethe knees position, which must be slightly bent over the heart's level. Now thisis the natural sleeping position and you might find it a little strange.But that's the purpose of an adjustable sleep bed, to enable you to sleep in anatural, comfortable position. One of today's most important concerns seems tobe the health issue, and that only seems normal. Eating natural products,practicing sports and other healthy things seem to be more and more on everyperson's agenda.An adjustable sleep bed could also be the answer towards avoiding differentconsequences of unnatural sleeping positions. For example, did you know thatback problems, snoring, shoulder pains, breathing problems, gastric reflux,blood circulation problems, and arthritis could all be the consequences ofunhealthy sleeping habits? In the long run, these could even get aggravated andoffer you some very unpleasant surprises. And it's far better to prevent than totreat.So what does an adjustable sleep bed actually offer? Well, it can be bestdefined as a personalized mattress. Yes, that's right, because you have anadjustable base and a mattress. The mattress needs to perfectly fit over thesleep base. Sleep bases are not all the same, they come in different shapes,sizes and adjusting positions. One thing is certain though. They are far morerecommendable than traditional beds.Now, everything I told you may come as a surprise to some and be old news toothers. One thing is clear though: the traditional bed is hardly the best optionfor sleeping. You know, some may say, Oh, it doesn't really matter, it's justsleeping, it's not important. This is very wrong.Just think about it. A normal adult person has to sleep about 8 hours a day.Depending on each person's constitution, it may also be seven or nine hours aday, but certainly not less than seven. So you will agree with me that everyperson has to spend a third of his or her life sleeping. To me, it sounds verymuch. We all could do better things with that time, but it's a necessity that wecan't be deprived of or else we couldn't function normally. So, if this is thecase, why neglect the way in which we live 33 percent of our lives? Why sleep ina traditional bed when we can sleep in a far more health-oriented adjustablesleep bed?Tips, guidelines and advice on purchasing adustable beds.http://www.adjustablesleepbeds.comMore information on electrical adjustable bedshttp://www.electricaladjustablebed.com

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Eating For Health And Efficiency

Errors in diet are very largely responsible for the majority ofthe chronic ailments which afflict the civilized portions of thehuman race. This is particularly true of maladies which affectthe alimentary canal. It naturally follows that the adoption ofa biologic diet is of first importance in any serious attempt tocure patients suffering from disorders of nutrition. The following simple rules if faithfully followed should enablea patient who has changed his flora and gotten a new start inlife by the aid of the fruit regimen and the milk regimen, tomaintain and greatly add to the improvement which he hassecured by the aid of these specific regimens. 1. Eat only natural foods; that is, those which are naturallyadapted to the human constitution. The natural dietary includesfruits, nuts, cooked grains, legumes, and vegetables. Naturalfoods impart to the body the greatest amount of energy, andmaintain normal conditions of life. No animals but scavengersand men eat everything. 2. Avoid meats of all sorts (flesh, fowl, fish, including "seafood"). These are unnatural foods. They are all likely tocontain parasites of various kinds, and countless numbers ofnoxious germs. "Meat bacteria" or "wild germs," which infectthe intestines, cause putrefaction and other poison-formingprocesses, and inoculate the body with colitis and many otherdiseases. These germs are not destroyed by ordinary cooking,such as stewing, broiling, frying, and roasting. 3. Take care to avoid an excess of protein; that is, thealbuminous element which is represented by lean meat, the whiteof eggs, and the curd of milk. An excess of protein promotesputrefaction, and thus intestinal autointoxication, the chiefcause of "biliousness," colitis, appendicitis, gall-stones,arteriosclerosis, possibly cancer, Bright's disease, andpremature old age. Ordinary bread contains a sufficient amountof protein, as do also other cereals. Most nuts, also ripe peasand beans, contain an excess of protein. 4. Eggs should be eaten in great moderation, if at all. Theyencourage autointoxication, and thus often cause "biliousness."The yolk of the egg is more wholesome than the white. Eggs andeven milk as well as meat may be discarded if nuts are eaten. 5. Such animal fats as lard, suet, and ordinary butter, shouldbe avoided. They are difficult of digestion, and promoteintestinal auto-intoxication, and thus cause "biliousness."Vegetable fats are more easily digestible, and do not encourageintestinal autointoxication. Butter must be perfectly sweet, andshould be made from certified or sterilized cream.About The Author: For more tips on eating for health, pleasevisit the following url:http://www.oldandsold.com/articles02/health6.shtml

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Low Carb Diet Part 2

It is important to keep in mind, that DIT or the thermic effect of a meal only represents 3-10% of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). So we must keep things in perspective. Basal or resting metabolism accounts for up to 70% of TDEE and energy expenditure from exercise is responsible for the rest. Logic dictates, therefore that these two take precedence over DIT.The other big important factor in weight loss is the reduction of daily food intake. Lets look at the input/output equation: x (Input) y (Output) = z. Daily output and total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) are the same thing. If you ate fewer calories (x) than your body burned (y), z would have a negative value. If you consumed more calories than your body expended, z would be positive. A negative balance in the equation results in weight loss, a positive value causes weight gain. Its that simple.In the above study, the high protein low fat type diet involves 2 factors of Input: Food composition and food quantity. In this diet, food composition (food selection) consists of a particular combination of macronutrients (high protein, low fat). Food intake (Input) affects the DIT which causes a certain increase (energy expenditure) on the Output part of the equation. And, as food composition varies so does the DIT. Food composition, though, can only have a limited effect on DIT. Remember DIT only represents 3-10% of the TDEE (Output). And food composition (high-protein, low-fat), accounts for a percentage of DIT, which includes even a smaller value. Food quantity, on the other hand, can have a tremendous effect on the equation as it increases, the balance becomes more positive. If it surpasses TDEE then you gain weight - quite independently of DIT. Therefore, there can be a downside with respect to DIT involving the high-protein low-fat diet or any diet for that matter. With this diet, as protein intake increases so does the DIT. The problem is, however, that the food quantity (Input) also increases. The point here is that there is a limit to the amount of protein you can ingest before your body starts storing it as fat. Because DIT doesnt account for expending a lot of calories (3-10% of TDEE), and food composition (high-protein, low-fat) accounts for a percentage of DIT, theres only so much protein you can ingest before you start getting a surplus of calories. And excess dietary protein just as excess carbohydrate or fat is stored as fat in the bodys adipose tissue. The only other factor that can compensate for the excess of protein intake is an increase in exercise participation. Although, that would defeat the purpose for obvious reasons.