Health Beauty & FitnessHealth, Beauty, Fitness Tips

Cholesterol is an essential nutrient for human health that saves lives. It helps to protect against infectious disease and repairs damaged tissue. Cholesterol is naturally present in cell walls or membranes everywhere in the body, including the brain, nerves, muscles, skin, liver, intestines, and heart. Cholesterol is required in the membrane of mammalian cells for normal cellular function, and is either synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum, or derived from the diet, in which case it is delivered by the bloodstream in low-density lipoproteins. Cholesterol can also be converted to vitamin D in our body and used for the calcification of bones and teeth.

The precise causes of a high level of blood cholesterol are very complex, with many genetic factors playing important roles. The causes which are now seen as contributing to higher-than-normal cholesterol levels are: hereditary factors, which are the most important; then high blood pressure; followed by stress, smoking, obesity and dietary cholesterol. Unfortunately, some individuals have very high cholesterol levels, and the cause is hereditary; about 25 people in 10,000 carry this trait. Some drugs that are known to increase cholesterol levels include anabolic steroids, beta blockers, epinephrine, oral contraceptives, and vitamin D.

Some studies have shown that fish oil supplementation may increase the level of LDL-cholesterol (the “bad” kind), but that the ratio of HDL-cholesterol (the “good” kind) to LDL remains unchanged. Another study found an average reduction of 38% in triglyceride levels and an increase of HDL levels of 24% in both men and women consuming fish on a daily basis. Healthy lifestyle changes such as losing excess weight and exercising regularly can help lower triglyceride levels.

Physical fitness is to the human body what fine tuning is to an engine. Physical fitness is the capacity of the heart, blood vessels, lungs, and muscles to function at optimum efficiency. In previous years, fitness was defined as the capacity to carry out the day’s activities without undue fatigue. Physical fitness is now defined as the body’s ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseases, and to meet emergency situations. Whether exercise is aerobic or anaerobic, exercise, health, and physical fitness go together for life. Aerobic fitness reduces brain tissue loss in aging humans.

The decision to carry out a physical fitness program cannot be taken lightly. Unless you are convinced of the benefits of fitness and the risks of unfitness, you will not succeed. As you undertake your fitness program, it’s important to remember that fitness is an individual quality that varies from person to person. Your goals, your present fitness level, age, health, skills, interest and convenience are among the factors you should consider. Exercise that doesn’t raise your heart rate to a certain level and keep it there for 20 minutes won’t contribute significantly to cardiovascular fitness. The best-laid plans of many a fitness program have been ruined by too much enthusiasm on the first day and sore muscles on the second.

An aerobic exercise program can burn fat and increase the metabolic rate. Popular aerobic conditioning activities include brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, rope-jumping, rowing, cross-country skiing, and some continuous action games like racquetball and handball. It is generally recommended that aerobic exercises be done three to five days per week, from twenty to sixty minutes of continuous activity at a time, such that the heart rate increases from 50 to 90 percent, depending on the intensity of the workout. Heart rate is widely accepted as a good method for measuring intensity during running, swimming, cycling and other aerobic activities.

In a nation of couch potatoes, suggesting that people find whatever kind of exercise works for them is sound health advice. Weight training exercise is essential for enhancing muscular strength and endurance, helping to prevent the decline of muscle mass (and metabolic rate) that accompanies aging, and promoting bone health.

Walking is a great way to stay fit and is an easy form of exercise. It gives a good aerobic workout which has been linked to helping with health issues such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

As well as the health benefits, walking also improves the strength in your bones and joints. It is also a good way to lose weight at a steady rate and keep it off. There is no doubt about it that for many people, walking for exercise and fitness is an easy way to look after the body.

When starting out, you should be aiming for a low scale workout of about 20 to 30 minutes. Begin by walking the first 5 – 10 minutes at a normal pace and then gradually build up to a quick enough pace to make feel like you are working out but not so quick that you can not sustain it. The aim is to finish without doing yourself an injury.

For the last 5 minutes of the walk, gradually reduce the pace until you finish up at the same normal pace you started at. This will be your cool down and will help your body to recover.

From there, you can progress to setting yourself a walking fitness program. In this program, you should be aiming to walk a few times a week and be setting yourself goals of increasing your distances and speed over a period of time.

All the goals you set for yourself should be achievable. Not so difficult that you lose hope and give up, and not so easy that you don’t need to put any effort in. Try and set a weekly goal, even if it is just to walk a quarter of a mile extra on one of the days.

You should also be setting yourself long term goals. These can be weight or health related as well as walking performance related.

Goals are an important way to keep you motivated on your walks and it also serves as a good way of keeping track on how well you are doing with your program.

If you have trouble motivating yourself to get out and walk, why not ask a friend or two to join you. Some people like to walk on their own as it gives them time to think and get away from their ‘normal’ life. Others like to walk with company and enjoy the banter and friendly competition.

Overall, you need to keep in mind that walking for fitness is exactly as it sounds. You should only be walking as fast as your body will allow. Going to fast for your own good may end up in injury for yourself and putting you off walking for good. Always walk at a nice comfortable pace.

A good way to judge your pace is by talking to yourself or your walking companion. Your breathing should be steady enough for you to hold a conversation. If you are puffing and having trouble getting the words out, then you are probably working your body too hard.

Walking for fitness should be easy and fun. Follow these tips and you will keep it that way.