Importance of a Healthy Diet

A healthy diet has been formulated by the World Health Organization and emphasizes on certain factors associated with proper growth and development of an individual. The diet is based on recommended nutrition of a person and that the nutrients are obtained from healthy sources of foods. Read the following points to know the guidelines laid for healthy dieting.

• A combination of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and fibers is necessary in the correct proportion.
• Minerals and vitamins should come from vegetables, fruits, legumes, pulses, grains, cereals and nuts.
• Saturated fatty acids should be replaced with unsaturated fatty acids, while simple carbs with complex ones.
• Avoid fast food, junk food, aerated drinks, alcohol and canned food containing artificial sweeteners, preservatives, carcinogenic and heavy metals.
• Drinking at least four liters of water in a day is recommended for everyone.
• Limit consumption of caffeine and drink decaffeinated or herbal teas instead.

Healthy Diet Plan

A healthy balanced diet is essential for everyone. It implies balancing the foods in the right proportion and eating them on time. A meal plan should be chalked out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Skipping any of these meals wouldn’t prove beneficial to health. Let’s find out the right ways to incorporate a balanced diet.

Proteins
The average protein requirement of an adult is 65 grams per day. This calculation is based on 1 gram of protein for each pound of body weight. Proteins are extremely essential for growth and development of muscles in body. Children suffering from protein deficiencies do not undergo proper growth and they are vulnerable to a wide range of health disorders. Thus, proteins and amino acids should be consumed in the right proportion. The healthy sources of proteins are dairy products like milk, eggs, butter, cheese, whey, tofu, soy, pulses, grains, etc. Animal products like chicken, turkey, beef, pork, fish are the richest source of proteins.

Carbohydrates
The right dosage of protein is crucial for everyone, as carbohydrates are easily overeaten. For some, carbohydrates requirement can be as high as 180-230 grams, while some limit it only to 20-10 grams/day. However, the source of carbohydrates is more important than the dose. Complex carbohydrates like whole wheat, beans, cereals, brown bread, brown sugar, brown rice are healthy, while simple carbs should be limited as much as possible. The most common simple carbohydrates are white bread, white rice, white sugar and refined flour based foods. Carbohydrates are more essential for gaining instant energy; a very small portion is enough to keep you energetic throughout the day.

Fats
If you consume 2000 calories everyday, then your daily fat intake should be in the range of 40-60 grams. The figure is higher for children. However, consumption of saturated fats is strictly restricted since it elevates cholesterol levels inside body and is detrimental to heart health. Healthy diet recipes should be prepared from extra virgin olive oil and flax seed oil. One of the most useful unsaturated fatty acid is omega-3-fatty acid. Eat sea foods, nuts (almond, walnuts, peanuts), dried fruits, apricots, raisins, low fat cheese, olives, etc., to fulfill the fat requirement of your body.

Fibers
Consumption of fibers, in both soluble and insoluble form, is necessary. At least 25 grams of dietary fiber should be come from natural sources of foods. Fibers regulate a number of metabolic functions inside the body, amongst which assisting in bowel movement and reducing cholesterol levels are an important function. Healthy sources of fibers include fruits and vegetables rich in roughage. They are guava, prunes, apples, pine apples, jack fruit, pears, carrots, cabbages, spinach, etc. Drinking fresh fruit juices and raw vegetables juices is excellent for body.

Vitamins and Minerals
The role of vitamins and minerals cannot be overlooked. Fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products are rich in vitamins. They are important for proper functioning of every organ of our body and the biochemical processes taking place inside our body. The most important vitamins are A, C, B complex, D and E. Minerals and co-factors like biotin, thiamin, niacin, iodine, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, etc., are also essential for our body. WHO recommends limiting consumption of sodium and replacing it with sea salts. You can derive all these nutrients by consuming as many vegetables and fruits as possible.

These were some of the important factors necessary to understand the importance of a balanced diet and the concept of a healthy diet. Your daily calorie intake should not exceed the figure 2500. Including all these foods in your diet would improve your heart health and also fortify your immune system. Start improvising your diet slowly and then follow a balanced diet along with exercise to keep yourself fit and healthy.

Health tips for kids

Teach your child the importance of a healthy routine. The day should always begin with a healthy breakfast. Help the child to understand why breakfast times are important for the day. You can make a chart of different recipes for breakfast and tell him/her gently about the importance of many vital ingredients for one’s body. Fruits and green vegetables are so important for a healthy diet. Your child should know why fruits score over packaged foods. You need to include fresh fruits during breakfast times or slip one in the lunchbox. Make it interesting by having fresh fruit juices or even fruit salads to break the monotony.

Children are not aware about many things that are very important for their growth. As parents, you must ensure your child has plenty of water and fluids during the day. Fluids should include fresh juices. Make sure your child carries a bottle of fresh juices to school. Kids should know the importance of exercise at an early age itself. Teach kids few basic exercises that can be done at home. An exercise routine that incorporates walkingor swimming can help children to manage these activities on a daily basis. As they grow up, these routines will naturally form a part of their life.

Kids should also be aware of hygiene-related issues. Youngsters should learn things such as the need to wash hands before and after meals. For young kids, you can simply use a singsong routine to get them into the process. Children will then surely make this a part of their routine once they understand the importance of personal hygiene.Dental care should begin at an early age. Brushing teeth twice daily is needed to keep teeth looking healthy and clean. You can promise to read a bedtime story for a kid that does not really enjoy a brushing routine. Make it seem enjoyable rather than making the child feel punished.

As your child grows older, you can help your kid maintain a chart on foods to be avoided on a regular basis. It’s important the child knows that indulgence in foods high in sugar is fine once in a while. It should not be done on an everyday basis. Avoid being too stern if your kid wants to enjoy foods such as French fries and ice cream. Simply teach your child how to be smart and consume such foods only occasionally.

Your child may require a daily dose of vitamins if the diet does not include the required amount. Make sure you check with your doctor about the vitamin intake to give the right amount of doses. There are many vitamin tablets packed in attractive containers. Generally, kids believe they eat candy instead of medicines due to the innovatively packed products that are available these days. There can also be alternative ways to include food items in the diet, which are a rich source of vitamins. Your doctor would be the best judge to decide upon the diet plan.

Parents also need to make sure their children get the appropriate amount of sleep. The child needs a healthy balance of activities and play. Sometimes, children take a long time to fall asleep. You can read a bedtime story or simply speak to the child softly. This will help the child to fall asleep naturally. This health tip will help children to stay in good health and remain active during the day.

So how do you become the local expert? In simple terms you need to get your name out into the market place, as the go to person for eBay, Amazon, Online Marketing etc. Tell your family, friends and work colleagues. You can do this by word of mouth, putting leafets and flyers on notice boards and offering to speak free of charge to small groups and gatherings. If you feel brave enough you could put on a one day course on a Saturday, and either do this free of charge or just charge a small amount to cover your costs. Yes free, you see if you put on a free class and get say 20 people along, as long as you offer good content, and at the end of the class put in a small sales pitch you will end up with paying clients time after time.

Another way is to offer free press releases, and writing free articles for local papers and radio stations, by doing this you will be getting your name out into the local community and when someone needs or wants an eBay person or an SEO person it will be your name that is on their lips and your name they call to come and help them, and guess what… it will be your name on the cheque they pay you.

A good way to get your name out into the local community is each day try and speak to three people or leave three flyers somewhere and very soon this will snowball and you will be getting phones calls saying. “My best friend just told me to call you as I need to sell something on eBay” If you follow these simple steps in a matter of a few weeks you will become the local expert.

Systems

Scientifically, freshwater habitats are divided into lentic systems, which are the stillwaters including ponds, lakes, swamps and mires; lotic systems, which are running water; and groundwater which flows in rocks and aquifers. There is, in addition, a zone which bridges between groundwater and lotic systems, which is the hyporheic zone, which underlies many larger rivers and can contain substantially more water than is seen in the open channel. It may also be in direct contact with the underlying underground water.

Source

The source of almost all fresh water is precipitation from the atmosphere, in the form of mist, rain and snow. Fresh water falling as mist, rain or snow contains materials dissolved from the atmosphereand material from the sea and land over which the rain bearing clouds have traveled. In industrialized areas rain is typically acidic because of dissolved oxides of sulfur and nitrogen formed from burning of fossil fuels in cars, factories, trains and aircraft and from the atmospheric emissions of industry. In extreme cases this acid rain results in pollution of lakes and rivers in parts of Scandinavia,Scotland, Wales and the United States.

In coastal areas fresh water may contain significant concentrations of salts derived from the sea if windy conditions have lifted drops of seawater into the rain-bearing clouds. This can give rise to elevated concentrations of sodium, chloride, magnesium and sulfate as well as many other compounds in smaller concentrations.

In desert areas, or areas with impoverished or dusty soils, rain-bearing winds can pick up sand and dust and this can be deposited elsewhere in precipitation and causing the freshwater flow to be measurably contaminated both by insoluble solids but also by the soluble components of those soils. Significant quantities of iron may be transported in this way including the well-documented transfer of iron-rich rainfall falling in Brazil derived from sand-storms in the Sahara in north Africa.

Numerical definition

Other sources give higher upper salinity limits for fresh water, e.g. 1000 ppm or 3000 ppm.

Water distribution

Water is a critical issue for the survival of all living organisms. Some can use salt water but many organisms including the great majority of higher plants and most mammals must have access to fresh water to live. Some terrestrial mammals, especially desert rodents appear to survive without drinking but they do generate water through the metabolism of cereal seeds and they also have mechanisms to conserve water to the maximum degree.

Out of all the water on Earth, only 2.75 percent is fresh water, including 2.05 percent frozen in glaciers, 0.68 percent as groundwater and 0.011 percent of it as surface water in lakes and rivers.Freshwater lakes, most notably Lake Baikal in Russia and the Great Lakes in North America, contain seven-eighths of this fresh surface water. Swamps have most of the balance with only a small amount in rivers, most notably the Amazon River.The atmosphere contains 0.04% water. In areas with no fresh water on the ground surface, fresh water derived from precipitation may, because of its lower density, overlie saline ground water in lenses or layers. Most of the world’s fresh water is frozen in ice sheets.

Aquatic organisms

Fresh water creates a hypotonic environment for aquatic organisms. This is problematic for some organisms with pervious skins or with gill membranes, whose cell membranes may burst if excess water is not excreted. Some protists accomplish this using contractile vacuoles, while freshwater fish excrete excess water via the kidney. Although most aquatic organisms have a limited ability to regulate their osmotic balance and therefore can only live within a narrow range of salinity, diadromous fish have the ability to migrate between fresh water and saline water bodies. During these migrations they undergo changes to adapt to the surroundings of the changed salinities; these processes are hormonally controlled. The eel (Anguilla anguilla) uses the hormone prolactin, while insalmon (Salmo salar) the hormone cortisol plays a key role during this process.

Many sea birds have special glands at the base of the bill through which excess salt is excreted. Similarly the Marine Iguanas on the Galápagos Islands excrete excess salt through a nasal gland and they sneeze out a very salty excretion.

Fresh water as a resource

An important concern for hydrological ecosystems is securing minimum streamflow, especially preserving and restoring instream water allocations. Fresh water is an important natural resource necessary for the survival of all ecosystems. The use of water by humans for activities such as irrigation and industrial applications can have adverse impacts on down-stream ecosystems. Chemical contamination of fresh water can also seriously damage eco-systems.

Pollution from human activity, including oil spills, also presents a problem for freshwater resources. The largest oil spill that has ever occurred in fresh water was caused by a Shell tank ship in Magdalena, Argentina, on January 15, 1999, polluting the environment, drinkable water, plants and animals.

Agriculture

Changing landscape for the use of agriculture has a great effect on the flow of fresh water. Changes in landscape by the removal of trees and soils changes the flow of fresh water in the local environment and also affects the cycle of fresh water. As a result more fresh water is stored in the soil which benefits agriculture. However, since agriculture is the human activity that consumes the most fresh water, this can put a severe strain on local freshwater resources resulting in the destruction of local ecosystems. In Australia, over-abstraction of fresh water for intensive irrigationactivities has caused 33% of the land area to be at risk of salination.

Limiting resource

Fresh water is a renewable and changeable, but limited natural resource. Fresh water can only be renewed through the process of the water cycle, where water from seas, lakes, rivers, and dams evaporates, forms clouds, and returns to water sources as precipitation. However, if more fresh water is consumed through human activities than is restored by nature, the result is that the quantity of fresh water available in lakes, rivers, dams and underground waters is reduced which can cause serious damage to the surrounding environment.

Fresh water withdrawal

Fresh water withdrawal is the quantity of water removed from available sources for use in any purpose. Water drawn-off is not necessarily entirely consumed and some portion may be returned for further use downstream.

Causes of limited fresh water

There are many causes of the apparent decrease in our fresh water supply. Principal amongst these is the increase in population through increasing life expectancy, the increase in per capita water use and the desire of many people to live in warm climates that have naturally low levels of fresh water resources. Climate change is also likely to change the availability and distribution of fresh water across the planet

“If global warming continues to melt glaciers in the polar regions, as expected, the supply of fresh water may actually decrease. First, fresh water from the melting glaciers will mingle with salt water in the oceans and become too salty to drink. Second, the increased ocean volume will cause sea levels to rise, contaminating freshwater sources along coastal regions with seawater”.

Water pollution and subsequent eutrophication also reduces the availability of fresh water.

Elder care services are particularly necessary when seniors suffer from medical conditions. Among the most common medical ailments that affect an elderly individual’s day-to-day activities include forms of dementia (such as Alzheimer’s), Parkinson’s disease, heart related diseases and recovery from heart treatments, vision problems, and diabetes as well. These illnesses and the varying degrees of severity pose challenges for not only the elderly who suffer them but the caregivers who provide treatment and support. As mentioned, the majority of elderly individuals choose to live in the comfort of their own homes or with their loved ones. Elder care services provide the resources and support necessary for them to do so.

Even if your elderly relatives or loved ones are fortunate enough to have their health, elder care can still be an option for support. But how do you know when it’s time to provide your loved ones with assistance, especially if they aren’t going to ask for it?

Signs Your Loved One is in Need of Elder Care Services or Assistance:

• Does your relative, friend, or family member lose track of what they’re saying mid conversation? I.e. the names of their children, grandchildren, or the year or date?
• Has their spouse or close friend recently passed away?
• Have you noticed a decline in their personal hygiene?
• Have you observed a significant change in their weight?
• Do they neglect to clean or repair their home?
• Even though they’re still mobile, is there never any food in the house?
• Do they sometimes forget to take their medication, or fail to take it regularly?

It’s important to consider getting help for your elderly loved ones when they can be involved in the process, as joint decisions are generally more thoughtful and respectful to a senior’s dignity. Remember that moving your loved one out of their house and home isn’t always the best option, and elder care services provide assistance better suited to their needs. Elder care services aid seniors with the daily activities mentioned above, allowing them to remain the security of their own home with some necessary assistance to improve their quality of life.

Jogging

Definition

The definition of jogging as compared with running is not standard. Dr. George Sheehan, a running expert, is quoted to have said “the difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank”. Mike Antoniades offers a more specific definition, describing jogging as running slower than 6 mph (10 minute per mile pace, 9.7 km/h, 6.2 min/km).

History

In 1593 William Shakespeare wrote in Taming of the Shrew, Katerina tells off a gentleman to go jogging till his boots go green; this was a proverb meaning going when you are most ready or able. The etymology of the word is unknown, but it may be related to shog or be a new invention in the sixteenth century. At that point, it usually meant to leave.

The term “jog” was often used in English and American literature to describe short quick movements, either intentional or unintentional. Richard Jefferies, an English Naturalist, wrote of “joggers” describing them as quickly moving people who brushed others aside as they passed.

The terms to jog and jogging as referring to a form of exercise, originated in England in the mid seventeenth century. This usage became common throughout the British Empire and in his 1884 novel My Run Home the Australian author Rolf Boldrewood wrote “your bedroom curtains were still drawn as I passed on my morning jog”.

In the United States jogging was called “roadwork” when athletes in training, such as boxers, customarily ran several miles each day as part of their conditioning. In New Zealand during the 1960s or 1970s the word “roadwork” was mostly supplanted by the word “jogging”, promoted by coach Arthur Lydiard, who is credited with popularizing jogging. The idea of jogging as an organised activity was mooted in a sports page article in the New Zealand Herald in February 1962, which told of a group of former athletes and fitness enthusiasts who would meet once a week to run for “fitness and sociability”. Since they would be jogging, the newspaper suggested that the club “may be called the Auckland Joggers Club”—which is thought to be the first use of the noun “jogger”. University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman, after jogging with Lydiard in New Zealand, brought the concept of jogging as exercise to the United States in 1962. Bowerman published the book Jogging in 1966, and later updated the book for a 1967 republication. Bowerman established jogging programs for men and women of all ages. The popularity of these programs helped to spread the concept of jogging, as an exercise for everyone, throughout the United States. Many jogging and running clubs started up all over the world. The “MABAC” Running League are probably the pioneers of road running in Britain, founded in 1977. The prime mover was Alan Blatchford, who organised a running group at the British Aircraft Corporation in Weybridge (now British Aerospace). Ralph Henley brought in runners from Matthew Arnold School, Ashstead. This running league is still active.

Jogging may also be used as a warm up or cool down for runners, preceding or following a workout or race. It is often used by serious runners as a means of active recovery during interval training. The runner who may just have completed a fast 400 metre repetition at a sub-5-minute mile pace may drop to an 8-minute mile pace for a recovery lap.

Physical exercise

Types of exercise

Physical exercises are generally grouped into three types, depending on the overall effect they have on the human body:

• Flexibility exercises, such as stretching, improve the range of motion of muscles and joints.
• Aerobic exercises, such as cycling, swimming, walking, skipping rope, rowing, running, hiking or playing tennis, focus on increasing cardiovascular endurance.
• Anaerobic exercises, such as weight training, functional training, eccentric training or sprinting, increase short-term muscle strength.

Categories of physical exercise

• Strength training
• Agility training
• Eccentric Training

Sometimes the terms ‘dynamic’ and ‘static’ are used. ‘Dynamic’ exercises such as steady running, tend to produce a lowering of the diastolic blood pressure during exercise, due to the improved blood flow. Conversely, static exercise (such as weight-lifting) can cause the systolic pressure to rise significantly (during the exercise).

Categories of general physical skills

Physical exercise is used to improve physical skills.

Physical skills fall into the following general categories, per CrossFit:

• Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance
• Stamina
• Strength
• Flexibility
• Power
• Speed
• Coordination
• Agility
• Balance
• Accuracy

Benefits

Physical exercise is important for maintaining physical fitness and can contribute positively to maintaining a healthy weight, building and maintaining healthy bone density, muscle strength, and joint mobility, promoting physiological well-being, reducing surgical risks, and strengthening the immune system.

Exercise also reduces levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that builds fat in the abdominal region, making weight loss difficult. Cortisol causes many health problems, both physical and mental.

Frequent and regular aerobic exercise has been shown to help prevent or treat serious and life-threatening chronic conditions such as high blood pressure,obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, insomnia, and depression. Endurance exercise before meals lowers blood glucose more than the same exercise after meals. According to the World Health Organization, lack of physical activity contributes to approximately 17% of heart disease and diabetes, 12% of falls in the elderly, and 10% of breast cancer and colon cancer.

There is some evidence that vigorous exercise (90–95% of VO₂ Max) is more beneficial than moderate exercise (40 to 70% of VO₂ Max). Some studies have shown that vigorous exercise executed by healthy individuals can increase opioid peptides (a.k.a. endorphins, naturally occurring opioids that in conjunction with other neurotransmitters are responsible for exercise-induced euphoria and have been shown to be addictive), increase testosterone and growth hormone, effects that are not as fully realized with moderate exercise. More recent research indicates that anandamide may play a greater role than endorphins in “runner’s high”. However, training at this intensity for long periods of time, or without proper warmup beforehand and cooldown afterwards, can lead to an increased risk of injury and overtraining.

Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise also work to increase the mechanical efficiency of the heart by increasing cardiac volume (aerobic exercise), or myocardial thickness (strength training). Such changes are generally beneficial and healthy if they occur in response to exercise.

Not everyone benefits equally from exercise. There is tremendous variation in individual response to training: where most people will see a moderate increase in endurance from aerobic exercise, some individuals will as much as double their oxygen uptake, while others can never augment endurance. However, muscle hypertrophy from resistance training is primarily determined by diet and testosterone. This genetic variation in improvement from training is one of the key physiological differences between elite athletes and the larger population. Studies have shown that exercising in middle age leads to better physical ability later in life.

Effect on the cardiovascular system

The beneficial effect of exercise on the cardiovascular system is well documented.

There is a direct relation between physical inactivity and cardiovascular mortality, and physical inactivity is an independent risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease. There is a dose-response relation between the amount of exercise performed from approximately 700 to 2000 kcal of energy expenditure per week and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality in middle-aged and elderly populations. The greatest potential for reduced mortality is in the sedentary who become moderately active. Most beneficial effects of physical activity on cardiovascular disease mortality can be attained through moderate-intensity activity (40% to 60% of maximal oxygen uptake, depending on age). … persons who modify their behavior after myocardial infarction to include regular exercise have improved rates of survival. … Persons who remain sedentary have the highest risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.

Effect on the immune system

Although there have been hundreds of studies on exercise and the immune system, there is little direct evidence on its connection to illness. Epidemiological evidence suggests that moderate exercise has a beneficial effect on the human immune system while extreme exercise impairs it, an effect which is modeled in a J curve. Moderate exercise has been associated with a 29% decreased incidence of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), but studies of marathon runners found that their prolonged high-intensity exercise was associated with an increased risk of an infection, although another study did not find the effect. Immune cell functions are impaired following acute sessions of prolonged, high-intensity exercise, and some studies have found that athletes are at a higher risk for infections. The immune systems of athletes and nonathletes are generally similar. Athletes may have slightly elevated natural killer cell count and cytolytic action, but these are unlikely to be clinically significant.

Vitamin C supplementation has been associated with lower URTIs in marathon runners.

Biomarkers of inflammation such as C-reactive protein, which are associated with chronic diseases, are reduced in active individuals relative to sedentary individuals, and the positive effects of exercise may be due to its anti-inflammatory effects. The depression in the immune system following acute bouts of exercise may be one of the mechanisms for this anti-inflammatory effect.

Effects on brain function

A 2008 review of cognitive enrichment therapies (strategies to slow or reverse cognitive decline) concluded that “physical activity, and aerobic exercise in particular, enhances older adults’ cognitive function”.

In mice, exercise improves cognitive functioning via improvement of hippocampus-dependent spatial learning, and enhancement of synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis. In addition, physical activity has been shown to be neuroprotective in many neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases. For instance, it reduces the risk of developing dementia. Furthermore, anecdotal evidence suggests that frequent exercise may reverse alcohol-induced brain damage.

There are several possibilities for why exercise is beneficial for the brain:

• increasing the blood and oxygen flow to the brain
• increasing growth factors that help create new nerve cells^[30] and promote synaptic plasticity^[31]
• increasing chemicals in the brain that help cognition, such as dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine, and serotonin^[32]

Physical activity is thought to have other beneficial effects related to cognition as it increases levels of nerve growth factors, which support the survival and growth of a number of neuronal cells.

Effects on depression

A number of factors may contribute to depression including being overweight, low self-esteem, stress and anxiety. Endorphins act as a natural pain reliever and antidepressant in the body. Endorphins have long been regarded as responsible for what is known as “runner’s high”, a euphoric feeling a person receives from intense physical exertion. However, recent research indicates that anandamide may possibly play a greater role than endorphins in “runner’s high”. When a person exercises, levels of both circulating serotonin and endorphins are increased. These levels are known to stay elevated even several days after exercise is discontinued, possibly contributing to improvement in mood, increased self-esteem, and weight management. Exercise alone is a potential prevention method and/or treatment for mild forms of depression.

Effects on sleep

A 2010 review of published scientific research suggested that exercise generally improves sleep for most people, and helps sleep disorders such as insomnia. The optimum time to exercise may be 4 to 8 hours before bedtime, though exercise at any time of day is beneficial, with the possible exception of heavy exercise taken shortly before bedtime, which may disturb sleep. There is, in any case, insufficient evidence to draw detailed conclusions about the relationship between exercise and sleep.

Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons. These include strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance and for enjoyment. Frequent and regular physical exercise boosts the immune system, and helps prevent the “diseases of affluence” such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes andobesity. It also improves mental health, helps prevent depression, helps to promote or maintain positive self-esteem, and can even augment an individual’s sex appeal or body image, which again is also linked with higher levels of self-esteem. Childhood obesity is a growing global concern and physical exercise may help decrease the effects of childhood obesity in developed countries.

Types of exercise

Physical exercises are generally grouped into three types, depending on the overall effect they have on the human body:

• Flexibility exercises, such as stretching, improve the range of motion of muscles and joints.
• Aerobic exercises, such as cycling, swimming, walking, skipping rope, rowing, running, hiking or playing tennis, focus on increasing cardiovascular endurance.
• Anaerobic exercises, such as weight training, functional training, eccentric training or sprinting, increase short-term muscle strength.

Categories of physical exercise

• Strength training
• Agility training
• Eccentric Training

Sometimes the terms ‘dynamic’ and ‘static’ are used. ‘Dynamic’ exercises such as steady running, tend to produce a lowering of the diastolic blood pressure during exercise, due to the improved blood flow. Conversely, static exercise (such as weight-lifting) can cause the systolic pressure to rise significantly (during the exercise).

Categories of general physical skills

Physical exercise is used to improve physical skills.

Physical skills fall into the following general categories, per CrossFit:

• Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance
• Stamina
• Strength
• Flexibility
• Power
• Speed
• Coordination
• Agility
• Balance
• Accuracy

Benefits

Physical exercise is important for maintaining physical fitness and can contribute positively to maintaining a healthy weight, building and maintaining healthy bone density, muscle strength, and joint mobility, promoting physiological well-being, reducing surgical risks, and strengthening the immune system.

Exercise also reduces levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that builds fat in the abdominal region, making weight loss difficult. Cortisol causes many health problems, both physical and mental.

Frequent and regular aerobic exercise has been shown to help prevent or treat serious and life-threatening chronic conditions such as high blood pressure,obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, insomnia, and depression. Endurance exercise before meals lowers blood glucose more than the same exercise after meals. According to the World Health Organization, lack of physical activity contributes to approximately 17% of heart disease and diabetes, 12% of falls in the elderly, and 10% of breast cancer and colon cancer.

There is some evidence that vigorous exercise (90–95% of VO₂ Max) is more beneficial than moderate exercise (40 to 70% of VO₂ Max). Some studies have shown that vigorous exercise executed by healthy individuals can increase opioid peptides (a.k.a. endorphins, naturally occurring opioids that in conjunction with other neurotransmitters are responsible for exercise-induced euphoria and have been shown to be addictive), increase testosterone and growth hormone, effects that are not as fully realized with moderate exercise. More recent research indicates that anandamide may play a greater role than endorphins in “runner’s high”. However, training at this intensity for long periods of time, or without proper warmup beforehand and cooldown afterwards, can lead to an increased risk of injury and overtraining.

Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise also work to increase the mechanical efficiency of the heart by increasing cardiac volume (aerobic exercise), or myocardial thickness (strength training). Such changes are generally beneficial and healthy if they occur in response to exercise.

Not everyone benefits equally from exercise. There is tremendous variation in individual response to training: where most people will see a moderate increase in endurance from aerobic exercise, some individuals will as much as double their oxygen uptake, while others can never augment endurance. However, muscle hypertrophy from resistance training is primarily determined by diet and testosterone. This genetic variation in improvement from training is one of the key physiological differences between elite athletes and the larger population. Studies have shown that exercising in middle age leads to better physical ability later in life.

Effect on the cardiovascular system

The beneficial effect of exercise on the cardiovascular system is well documented.

There is a direct relation between physical inactivity and cardiovascular mortality, and physical inactivity is an independent risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease. There is a dose-response relation between the amount of exercise performed from approximately 700 to 2000 kcal of energy expenditure per week and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality in middle-aged and elderly populations. The greatest potential for reduced mortality is in the sedentary who become moderately active. Most beneficial effects of physical activity on cardiovascular disease mortality can be attained through moderate-intensity activity (40% to 60% of maximal oxygen uptake, depending on age). … persons who modify their behavior after myocardial infarction to include regular exercise have improved rates of survival. … Persons who remain sedentary have the highest risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.

Effect on the immune system

Although there have been hundreds of studies on exercise and the immune system, there is little direct evidence on its connection to illness. Epidemiological evidence suggests that moderate exercise has a beneficial effect on the human immune system while extreme exercise impairs it, an effect which is modeled in a J curve. Moderate exercise has been associated with a 29% decreased incidence of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), but studies of marathon runners found that their prolonged high-intensity exercise was associated with an increased risk of an infection, although another study did not find the effect. Immune cell functions are impaired following acute sessions of prolonged, high-intensity exercise, and some studies have found that athletes are at a higher risk for infections. The immune systems of athletes and nonathletes are generally similar. Athletes may have slightly elevated natural killer cell count and cytolytic action, but these are unlikely to be clinically significant.

Vitamin C supplementation has been associated with lower URTIs in marathon runners.

Biomarkers of inflammation such as C-reactive protein, which are associated with chronic diseases, are reduced in active individuals relative to sedentary individuals, and the positive effects of exercise may be due to its anti-inflammatory effects. The depression in the immune system following acute bouts of exercise may be one of the mechanisms for this anti-inflammatory effect.

Effects on brain function

A 2008 review of cognitive enrichment therapies (strategies to slow or reverse cognitive decline) concluded that “physical activity, and aerobic exercise in particular, enhances older adults’ cognitive function”.

In mice, exercise improves cognitive functioning via improvement of hippocampus-dependent spatial learning, and enhancement of synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis. In addition, physical activity has been shown to be neuroprotective in many neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases. For instance, it reduces the risk of developing dementia. Furthermore, anecdotal evidence suggests that frequent exercise may reverse alcohol-induced brain damage.

There are several possibilities for why exercise is beneficial for the brain:

• increasing the blood and oxygen flow to the brain
• increasing growth factors that help create new nerve cells^[30] and promote synaptic plasticity^[31]
• increasing chemicals in the brain that help cognition, such as dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine, and serotonin^[32]

Physical activity is thought to have other beneficial effects related to cognition as it increases levels of nerve growth factors, which support the survival and growth of a number of neuronal cells.

Effects on depression

A number of factors may contribute to depression including being overweight, low self-esteem, stress and anxiety. Endorphins act as a natural pain reliever and antidepressant in the body. Endorphins have long been regarded as responsible for what is known as “runner’s high”, a euphoric feeling a person receives from intense physical exertion. However, recent research indicates that anandamide may possibly play a greater role than endorphins in “runner’s high”. When a person exercises, levels of both circulating serotonin and endorphins are increased. These levels are known to stay elevated even several days after exercise is discontinued, possibly contributing to improvement in mood, increased self-esteem, and weight management. Exercise alone is a potential prevention method and/or treatment for mild forms of depression.

Effects on sleep

A 2010 review of published scientific research suggested that exercise generally improves sleep for most people, and helps sleep disorders such as insomnia. The optimum time to exercise may be 4 to 8 hours before bedtime, though exercise at any time of day is beneficial, with the possible exception of heavy exercise taken shortly before bedtime, which may disturb sleep. There is, in any case, insufficient evidence to draw detailed conclusions about the relationship between exercise and sleep.

Mainly, there are three types of gloves used in healthcare works: examination, surgical, and utility or heavy-duty household gloves.

1. Examination gloves

Workers use these gloves when they do their routine duties, sometimes in contact with mucous membranes and skin. Commonly, these gloves are made of vinyl, a synthetic material that can be made easily and not much expensive. While vinyl is inelastic (does not well as latex), the gloves are made often loose-fitting and can be taken off easily. In some cases, examination gloves are needed to better quality and made from latex or nitrile and can be bought in medical supply stores in most cities. Remember, all examination gloves are very thin and should not be reprocessed for reuse.

2. Surgical gloves

These gloves should be worn during some infectious medical procedures and surgical works. Workers use them for all procedures including contact with tissue deep under the skin. The best material for surgical gloves is latex rubber, because the rubber has natural elasticity, sensitivity and good durability and it provides a comfortable feeling. However, it’s also more expensive than vinyl and has a serious problem of latex allergy, a new synthetic rubber-like material called “nitrile” has been developed mow. It has properties that similar to latex. Gloves made of “nitrile” are less likely to cause allergic reactions. Different with examination gloves, surgical gloves can be reused. When doing this, they must be checked carefully for tears or cuts before final processing

3. Utility or heavy-duty household gloves

They should be worn in handling and operating equipment, instruments or other machines for healthcare use; in cleaning contaminated rubbish and disinfecting all the contaminated equipment. For example, they can be used when handling used instruments and equipment that may have contact with blood or body fluids and for handling medical waste and linens. Because of these, utility gloves are made of thick rubber. Through doing like this, these gloves are much less sensitive, have good performance in durability and they provide maximum protection as a barrier. While, these gloves are often less flexible and may make workers fell uncomfortable.

These are brief introductions of the types of healthcare gloves and I hope it can help you.

Swimming

History

Swimming has been known since prehistoric times; the earliest records of swimming date back to Stone Age paintings from around 7,000 years ago. Written references date from 2000 BC. Some of the earliest references include the Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Bible (Ezekiel 47:5, Acts 27:42, Isaiah 25:11), Beowulf, and other sagas. In 1538, Nikolaus Wynmann, a German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book, The Swimmer or A Dialogue on the Art of Swimming (Der Schwimmer oder ein Zweigespräch über die Schwimmkunst). Competitive swimming in Europe started around 1800, mostly using breaststroke. In 1873 John Arthur Trudgen introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native Americans. Due to a British disregard for splashing, Trudgen employed a scissor kick instead of the front crawl’s flutter kick. Swimming was part of the first modern Olympic games (1896 in Athens). In 1902 Richard Cavill introduced the front crawl to the Western world. In 1908, the world swimming association, Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), was formed. Butterfly was developed in the 1930s and was at first a variant of breaststroke until it was accepted as a separate style in 1952.

As key survival skill

The human being is a land animal, and the human who can’t get out of the water dies from it with absolute certainty (see Risks). Swimming is a key survival or rescue skill in almost all incidents involving people involuntarily entering water while alighting a disabled vessel or aircraft or falling accidentally in it from land, especially while in motor vehicles.

As recreation and exercise

The most common purposes for swimming are recreation, exercise, and athletic training. Recreational swimming is a good way to relax, while enjoying a full-body workout.

Swimming is an excellent form of exercise. Because the density of the human body is very similar to that of water, the water supports the body and less stress is therefore placed on joints and bones. Swimming is frequently used as an exercise in rehabilitation after injuries or for those with disabilities.

Resistance swimming is one form of swimming exercise. It is done either for training purposes, to hold the swimmer in place for stroke analysis, or to enable swimming in a confined space for athletic or therapeutic reasons. Resistance swimming can be done either against a stream of moving water in a swimming machine or by holding the swimmer stationary with elastic attachments.

Swimming is primarily an aerobic exercise due to the long exercise time, requiring a constant oxygen supply to the muscles, except for short sprints where the muscles work anaerobically. As with most aerobic exercise, swimming is believed to reduce the harmful effects of stress. Swimming can improve posture and develop a strong lean physique, often called a “swimmer’s build.”

As a competitive sport

The aquatic sport of swimming involves competition amongst participants to be the fastest over a given distance under self propulsion. The diffd ’1500′ free, and the ’100′, ’200′, and ’400′ Individual Medley,also known as the ‘IM’, which consists of all strokes in equal proportierent events include 50, 100, and 200 yards/meters in breaststroke,freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, the ’50′, ’100′, ’200′, ’400′, ’800′ anon, starting with butterfly then backstroke, breaststroke, and then freestyle. There are also medley relays, which combine strokes swum by four relay partners leading off with Backstroke, then Breaststroke, Butterfly, and Freestyle. In this, swimmers only swim one stroke, such as 100 yards (American) or meters of butterfly, while other swimmers take the other strokes. Medley relays are swum up to 400 meters, freestyle relays up to 800 meters, with each participant swimming an equal “leg” from the racing blocks. Regulation swimming pools are either 25 or 50 meters or yards across. Racing or training from one side to the other is known as a lap (one way), so a coach may say four laps in place of 100 yards/ or 200 meters. Typical public pools, school pools, and regulation private pools tend to be 25 meters/yards long and Olympic competition is always in fifty meter pools.

Swimming has been part of the modern Olympic Games since inception in 1896. Along with the other aquatic disciplines of diving, synchronised swimming and water polo, the sport is governed internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), and each country has its own National Governing Body(NGB) such as United States Swimming.