How to Get Fit for Free with YouTube

 If you have ever wanted your own Personal Trainer well now you can. 

Free YouTube Fitness Videos are a great way to stay fit. From Yoga, dancing, boxing and aerobics its on YouTube for free.

 Gregory Han, Editor of Apartment Therapy Tech has a great story about using free YouTube Exercise Videos. After deciding to start following different videos  he lost 25 pounds (11kgs).

 Gregory tells you the good stuff and the benefit of having a Personal Trainer on your computer. If you would like to read his story head to Apartment Therapy Tech to learn more.

Here are a few other great fitness classes on YouTube and have fun finding the ones you enjoy.

Fitness Blender Standing Ab Workout - Toning Standing Abs Exercises 

Belly Dance - Fitness For Weight Loss

Salsa Exercise

 

Pinterest for Health

I have finally jumped on Pinterest and was pleasantly surprised. I found some fantastic graphical health information and have made a Health board. Pinterest is easy to use and it covers all sorts of health and fitness using photos and graphics. Imagine posters basically and you can add all sorts to your own Pinterest Board.

You can join and become a follower and then you are able to Pin and Repin" any graphic to your own board or just have a look at what others have come up with. You can check out my boards at http://pinterest.com/aussieoioi/healthy-news-info/

How to Stop the Aging Effect

Is your skin starting to dry out and go flaky? Can you see the subtle changes and want to know how to look after your skin.

Dermatologist Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD, says fewer natural oils, sun damage, and decreased cell renewal can all lead to dry, rougher skin as we get older. Loss of hormones can also lead to drier skin. Dermatologist Carolyn Jacob, MD, says, "The skin doesn't produce as much natural moisturizing factor as it used to, and the top layers of skin become dry."

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says that sun damage is the major cause of unwanted changes to the skin. Read what dermatologists say is the best way to protect your skin against aging. 

http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/features/age-dry-skin?src=RSS_PUBLIC

How to Talk Health to a Senior

For children with an aging parent talking about their health can sometimes be upsetting. Knowing how to discuss and use the right words is a must. I found this article and video today that discusses this problem. http://www.everydayhealth.com/senior-health/10-things-not-to-say-to-a-senior.aspx

An Apple a Day Really Does Keep the Doctor Away

With this season’s fruit and vegetables hitting our tables, now is a good time to incorporate them into our diet for their cancer fighting effectiveness says Stacy Kennedy, senior nutritionist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Studies suggest that eating at least one apple a day can help prevent throat, mouth, colon, lung and possibly breast cancer. Besides being crisp, sweet, and juicy, apples contain quercetin, a nutrient that protects the cell's DNA from damage that could lead to the development of cancer. "The key is to eat them raw and with the skin on," says Kennedy. "That's where many of the nutrients are found."

"The brighter and richer the pigment, the higher the level of cancer-fighting nutrients," says Kennedy. Load dinner plates with as much colorful plant-based foods as you can. Broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts, Kennedy points out that people who have diets rich in these vegetables have been found to have lower incidences of lung, prostate, and stomach cancer. 

Pumpkins, squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes are all packed with a cancer-fighting nutrient called carotenoid. Kennedy says carotenoids have been linked to the prevention of colon, prostate, breast, and lung cancer.

Kennedy says no matter what season, the overall key to finding cancer-fighting foods is to look for a lot of color. "Eating a plant-based diet is the best way to help lower your risk of cancer all year long."

Coughing Children - The New Treatment

If your child is coughing DON'T reach for the cough medicine. Parents are being advised about giving cough and cold medicines to children with concerns about their effectiveness and safety. The TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) advice about cough and cold medicines for children has changed from 15 August 2012.

• Cough and cold medicines should not be given to children younger than 6 years old.
• Ask a doctor, pharmacist or nurse practitioner for advice before giving cough and cold medicines to children aged 6 to 11 years.

Cough medicines can also sometimes cause unwanted side effects such as drowsiness, nausea, vomiting or constipation. 

NPS MedicineWise Head of Programs Ms Karen Kaye says that the new advice reflects that the potential for harm from cough and cold medicines in young children outweighs the potential benefits. “It can be distressing to have a child who has a cough, cold or flu but we have known for some time that there is little evidence for the effectiveness of cough and cold medicines,” says Ms Kaye.

“Parents often think that a medicine is required when their child has a cough or cold, but there are many simple remedies that can help to relieve their symptoms, including making sure your child gets plenty of rest, ensuring they drink plenty of water and avoiding exposing your child to cigarette smoke". 

“You can supervise your child while they breathe in steam from a hot bath or shower in a closed room, a drink made with hot water, honey and lemon is a simple and effective home remedy, and for older children an ice cube or a throat lozenge can soothe a sore throat. If your child has a fever (a temperature higher than 38.5°C) and this is making your child uncomfortable or miserable, paracetamol can be given to help ease any discomfort.” says Ms Kaye.

Cough medicines can also sometimes cause unwanted side effects such as drowsiness, nausea, vomiting or constipation.

Chart of Medicines

Type of medicine	About the medicine	Active ingredient in medicine
Demulcents	Demulcents are cough syrups (or cough linctus) that may suppress coughing by forming a protective layer over the throat (pharynx). These can be given to children.	Sugar (sucrose) and glycerol
Mucolytics	Mucolytics are cough medicines that make it easier to cough up mucus. They may help your symptoms if you have long-term (chronic) bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Medicines containing bromhexine should not be given to children younger than 6 years old. Ask a doctor, pharmacist or nurse practitioner for advice before giving to children aged 6 to 11 years.	Bromhexine or acetylcysteine
Cough expectorants	Cough expectorants loosen mucus in the respiratory tract, and can be used for coughs that produce mucus (productive coughs). There is little or no information from good quality trials that they are effective for treating coughs in children. Cough expectorants should not be given to children younger than 6 years old. Ask a doctor, pharmacist or nurse practitioner for advice before giving to children aged 6 to 11 years.	Guaifenesin, ammonium chloride, ammonia, senega, sodium citrate or ipecacuanha
Cough suppressants	Cough suppressants suppress the body's urge to cough. There is little or no information from good quality trials that cough suppressants are effective for treating coughs in children, but they can cause side effects such as drowsiness, nausea, vomiting or constipation. Cough suppressants containing opioids: should not be given to children younger than 6 years old. Ask a doctor, pharmacist or nurse practitioner for advice before giving to children aged 6 to 11 years can cause side effects in unborn babies, young babies and children, so women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should ask a doctor or pharmacist before taking any medicine containing codeine can cause breathing problems in some people with a lung condition (e.g. asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]).	Codeine, dextromethorphan, dihydrocodeine, pholcodine, or pentoxyverine

Reproduced with permission. Visit http://www.nps.org.au

Are Your Vitamins Working?

Keeping your vitamins in the fridge or bathroom cupboard could cause them to lose their potency, a study by Purdue University has found. The findings published online by the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry show high humidity can degrade and change the vitamins chemical structure.
Lisa Mauer, an associate professor of food science, said that crystalline substances including vitamin C, some vitamin B forms and other dietary supplements are prone to a process called deliquescence, in which humidity causes a water-soluble solid to dissolve.
Keeping those supplements away from warm, humid environments can help ensure their effectiveness. "Opening and closing a package will change the atmosphere in it. If you open and close a package in a bathroom, you add a little bit of humidity and moisture each time," Mauer said. "The humidity in your kitchen or bathroom can cycle up quite high, depending on how long of a shower you take, for example, and can get higher than 98 percent."

Storing vitamins and supplements correctly in a dry place will help with the life span and follow storage directions on the label. Always check the dates on your vitamins and throw out once they expire. Reconsider buying in bulk as the vitamins may have lost their effectiveness by the time you open them.
Read the rest of this interview.

Sick Showers

If you start your daily shower with a blasting of water to your face it could making you sick. A study by the University of Colorado, USA concluded that shower heads are infected with pathogenic bacteria that has been linked to lung disease. The bacteria found, Mycobacterium avium (M avium) can cause serious health risks for people with weakened immune systems but can also infect the healthy.

Professor Norman Pace, who led the study said "If your getting a face full of water when you first turn your shower on, that means you are probably getting a particularly high load of M avium, which may not be too healthy."

Water that sprays from the shower heads can spread the bacteria filled droplets in the air and they are inhaled into the lungs. Symptoms from M avium include fatigue, persistent dry cough, shortness of breath, weakness and feeling unwell.

Researchers found that the incidence of lung disease caused by M avium may have risen over the last twenty years, as people now shower rather than take baths.

Walking for your Brain

Melbourne University researchers have released a study showing that older adults who participate in moderate exercise, can boost their brainpower and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.

The study showed that walking three times a week improved memory in adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a stage between normal aging and dementia. MCI is marked by mild forgetfulness, language problems, and other cognitive problems.

The Journal of the American Medical Association who published the research believes it is the first study to prove physical activity can effectively slow memory loss due to aging.