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Health Tips for Today - Basic Fitness

Monday, June 30, 2014

Starting a fitness program may be one of the best things you can do for your health. Health Tips for Today - Basic Fitness. After all, physical activity can reduce your risk of chronic disease, improve your balance and coordination, help you lose weight, and even boost your self-esteem. And the benefits are yours for the taking, regardless of age, sex or physical ability.

At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week
Strength training exercises at least twice a week
Regular exercise can help you control your weight, reduce your risk of heart disease, and strengthen your bones and muscles. But if you haven't exercised for some time and you have health concerns, you may want to talk to your doctor before starting a new fitness routine.

Starting a fitness program is an important decision, but it doesn't have to be an overwhelming one. By planning carefully and pacing yourself, you can make fitness a healthy habit that lasts a lifetime.

When you're designing your personal fitness program, consider your fitness goals. Think about your fitness likes and dislikes, and note your personal barriers to fitness. Then consider practical strategies for keeping your fitness program on track.

Aerobic exercise
Health Tips for Today - Basic Fitness
For many people, walking is a great choice for aerobic exercise. In fact, walking is one of the most natural forms of exercise. It's safe, it's simple and all it takes to get started is a good pair of walking shoes and a commitment to include aerobic exercise in your daily routine.

And recent studies report significant health benefits from interval training, which means exercising at your near maximal intensity for short periods of 60 to 90 seconds. Health Tips for Today - Basic Fitness.

Healthy adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week. That doesn't have to be all at one time, though. Aerobic exercise can even be done in 10-minute increments.

Of course, there's more to aerobic exercise than walking. Other popular choices include swimming, bicycling and jogging. Activities such as dancing and jumping rope count, too. Get creative

Regular aerobic exercise can help you live longer and healthier. After all, aerobic exercise reduces health risks, keeps excess pounds at bay, strengthens your heart and boosts your mood.

Sports nutrition
Health Tips for Today - Basic Fitness
How much do you know about sports nutrition? What and when you eat can affect your performance and how you feel while you're exercising. Brushing up on sports nutrition basics can help you make the most of your exercise routine.

Of course, sports nutrition goes beyond simply what you eat. Health Tips for Today - Basic Fitness. When you eat is important, too. To maximize your workouts, coordinate your meals, snacks and drinks. Drink fluids such as water during and between meals.

Sports nutrition often focuses on carbohydrates. For example, athletes training for endurance events may eat more carbohydrates in their diet in the days before the event to boost their energy and performance. Protein for muscle repair and growth is another important aspect of sports nutrition.

Strength training
Health Tips for Today - Basic Fitness
Better yet, strength training doesn't have to take as long as you might think. For most people, one set of strength exercises for major muscle groups performed two to three times a week is sufficient.

Strength training can be done at home or in the gym. Free weights and weight machines are popular strength training tools, but they're not the only options. Health Tips for Today - Basic Fitness.

Strength training can help you tone your muscles and improve your appearance. With a regular strength training program, you can reduce your body fat, increase your lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently.

You can do strength training with inexpensive resistance tubing or even your own body weight. With proper technique, you may enjoy noticeable improvements in your strength and stamina over time

Stretching and flexibility
Health Tips for Today - Basic Fitness
Stretching is a powerful part of any exercise program. Most aerobic and strength training programs inherently cause your muscles to contract and tighten.

Stretching after you exercise may help improve the range of motion about your joints and boost circulation. Health Tips for Today - Basic Fitness

As a general rule, stretch your major muscle groups after you exercise. In some studies, pre-athletic event stretching has been shown to decrease athletic performance.

Overall, however, stretching after exercise can help you to optimize your joint range of motion. If you don't exercise regularly, you may want to stretch a few times a week after a brief warm-up to maintain flexibility.

When you're stretching, keep it gentle. Breathe freely as you hold each stretch for around 30 seconds. Try not to hold your breath. Don't bounce or hold a painful stretch. Expect to feel tension while you're stretching. If you feel pain, you've gone too far.

Moving in sport- or activity-specific motion planes in gradually progressive speed (dynamic stretching) may be a helpful complement to static stretching and may help improve athletic performance.

Please check our previous post Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face
Also some related post Health Tips for Today


Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face. Washing your face seems like a pretty straightforward practice, right?

While a quick splash of water and some soap might be all you need, there are some subtle things you may be doing that could be the cause of excessive drying, oily skin or even those dreaded breakouts.

Fear not a few simple tweaks can make your skin healthier. Because November is National Healthy Skin Month, we felt it was time to get this simple cleansing practice down right once and for all.

Check out some simple tips in the below.

Cool It
Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face
While it might feel good to warm up with a steamy splash of water, icy cold or lukewarm water both have their benefits. Excessively hot water will strip healthy natural oils from your skin too quickly.

Don't Obsess
Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face
If your skin is sedentary on a certain day meaning you didn't sweat or put on heavy makeup - skipping a day of washing your face is not a sin. Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face. On the other hand, It’s best not to let old makeup or sunscreen sit around too long or go to sleep with you. Generally, washing your face once or twice a day is a good plan to stick to. Anything more than that is excessive (unless there are special circumstances prescribed by your dermatologist), and can lead to rebound overproduction of oil and breakouts.

Exfoliate Sparingly
Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face
Exfoliating definitely has skin benefits: The scrub can increase circulation for a rosy glow, and it helps to remove dead skin cells. But excessive exfoliation can lead down the path to trouble. A gentle exfoliation one or twice a week recommended, max.

Keep It Simple
Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face
Because everyone’s skin is a little different, there’s no single miracle fash wash. Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face. But, something we all can do is look for a cleanser that is simple. Cleansing should take away dirt, germs and excess oil, but not appropriate skin moisture and healthy cells,”Find the gentlest cleanser that will get the job done, as puts it, but nothing too harsh that leaves redness or rashes.

Pat Yourself Dry
Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face
A lot of us rush our routines, and wipe our wet faces on whatever’s closest to the sink: a used towel, the shirt we’re wearing. Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face. But it’s important to use a gentle, clean cloth to dry up. patting your skin, rather than rubbing, and letting a fine mist of water to remain so when you apply your moisturizer it will seal the moisture into the surface of the skin.

Watch Your Eyes
Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face
Fight the urge splash your eyes open to wake yourself up on groggy mornings. The skin around your eyes is delicate and thin, so it it needs to be treated even more gently than the rest of your face. Things to keep in mind? Use a gentle eye makeup remover and don't use harsh soaps or cleansers directly on delicate eyelids.

Winterize Your Regimen
Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face
The most important thing to watch out for in winter is over cleansing and over drying. Health Tips for Face - How To Wash Your Face. In the cooler temps we’re prone to taking longer, hotter showers and spending more time in the overheated indoor air, both of which can dry out the face and fast. It’s important not to wash your face excessively and to introduce a moisturizer, if it’s right for your skin. Also crucial is an SPF: Choosing a moisturizer with an SPF of 15 in the winter (and upping it to SPF 30 in the summer, when we spend more time outdoors).

Read our previous Post Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care

Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care

Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care - Preventative Health Care Tips For Dogs

Always Deliver Good Nutrition and Regular Exercise
Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care
One of the keys to lasting health is balanced nutrition. Keep your dog on a high quality diet that addresses their specific health needs, age, breed and activity level. Regular exercise will keep your dog in lean body condition while providing a bonding experience. Work with your veterinarian to create the right nutrition and exercise plan for your dog.

Dental Care is Just as Important for Your Dog
Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care
Taking good care of your dog's teeth is important in maintaining overall health. Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care. Infections that start in the mouth can spread to other parts of the body. Plaque and tartar buildup not only causes bad breath, but can also lead to loose teeth that eventually fall out or need to be pulled. Brushing twice weekly with an edible toothpaste is recommended to keep the teeth clean and prevent problems. With a little practice and training many pet owners are finding that brushing their dog's teeth can be a rewarding experience.

Proper Training Makes a Better Canine Citizen and Family Member
Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care
Imagine a child never taught to mind their manners, clean up or follow safety instructions. Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care. A puppy is a lot like a young child. Most dogs surrendered to shelters never received adequate training. Dogs that are well trained are more likely to bond closely with your family. Investing time in training a new puppy will lead to a lifetime of benefit for both you and your dog.

Protect Your Pooch From Parasites
Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care
Heartworms, fleas, ticks and intestinal parasites can have major health consequences for your dog and are easily prevented by regular use of veterinary approved products. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquito bites. Fleas and ticks not only transmit disease, but also cause very itchy skin that is uncomfortable for your pet. With changing weather patterns, it is often difficult to guarantee when mosquitos, fleas and ticks aren't biting. Intestinal parasites cause diarrhea and vomiting and persistent infections are a health detriment as well as a source of environmental contamination.

Remember Annual Vet Visits
Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care
One of the best ways to prevent health problems in your pets is to maintain annual wellness exams with your veterinarian. Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care. Dogs age at a faster rate than humans and their health status can change significantly over the course of a year. Your vet will check your dog from head to toe looking for any changes since the previous visit. Routine lab tests detect early stages of disease before symptoms occur. This early intervention will help your dog live a longer and healthier life.

Routine Grooming is Crucial to Your Dog's Health
Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care
Routine ear cleaning, nail trimming and coat brushing are all beneficial to the health of your dog. Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care. Talk to your veterinarian about how to safely clean your dog's ears. A strong odor or discharge from the ears can be a sign of an infection. Keeping nails trimmed short will keep them from getting caught and injured as well as helping him walk normally. Daily brushing not only prevents mats but also allows you to detect skin problems before they become severe. This brushing can become "spa time" for you and your dog, another great way to bond!

Vaccination is The Best Protection
Health Tips for Dogs - Preventative Health Care
Vaccination is one of the best ways to protect your pet from diseases such as kennel cough, rabies and distemper. Dogs can even be immunized against Lyme disease and canine flu. Some vaccines can be given every 3 years (though annual wellness exams are still recommended). Talk with your veterinarian about which vaccines are best suited for your pet based on age, health status and exposure.

Read my Previous Post Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication

Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication

Friday, June 27, 2014

Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication. By making these lifestyle changes, you can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease.
If you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure (a systolic pressure the top number of 140 or above or a diastolic pressure the bottom number of 90 or above), you might be worried about taking medication to bring your numbers down.

Lifestyle plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure. If you successfully control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you may avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication.

Here are these lifestyle changes you can make to lower your blood pressure and keep it down.

Avoid tobacco products and secondhand smoke
Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication
On top of all the other dangers of smoking, the nicotine in tobacco products can raise your blood pressure by 10 mm Hg or more for up to an hour after you smoke. Smoking throughout the day means your blood pressure may remain constantly high.

You should also avoid secondhand smoke. Inhaling smoke from others also puts you at risk of health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease.

Cut back on caffeine
Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication
The role caffeine plays in blood pressure is still debatable. Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication. Drinking caffeinated beverages can temporarily cause a spike in your blood pressure, but it's unclear whether the effect is temporary or long lasting.

To see if caffeine raises your blood pressure, check your pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a cup of coffee or another caffeinated beverage you regularly drink. If your blood pressure increases by five to 10 points, you may be sensitive to the blood pressure raising effects of caffeine.

Eat a healthy diet
Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication
Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg. This eating plan is known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.

It isn't easy to change your eating habits, but with these tips, you can adopt a healthy diet:

  • Be a smart shopper. Make a shopping list before heading to the supermarket to avoid picking up junk food. Read food labels when you shop and stick to your healthy-eating plan when you're dining out, too.
  • Consider boosting potassium. Potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. The best source of potassium is food, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than supplements. Talk to your doctor about the potassium level that's best for you.
  • Cut yourself some slack. Although the DASH diet is a lifelong eating guide, it doesn't mean you have to cut out all of the foods you love. It's OK to treat yourself occasionally to foods you wouldn't find on a DASH diet menu, such as a candy bar or mashed potatoes with gravy.

  • Keep a food diary. Writing down what you eat, even for just a week, can shed surprising light on your true eating habits. Monitor what you eat, how much, when and why.

Exercise regularly
Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication
Regular physical activity at least 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication. And it doesn't take long to see a difference. If you haven't been active, increasing your exercise level can lower your blood pressure within just a few weeks.

If you have prehypertension systolic pressure between 120 and 139 or diastolic pressure between 80 and 89 exercise can help you avoid developing full-blown hypertension. If you already have hypertension, regular physical activity can bring your blood pressure down to safer levels.

Talk to your doctor about developing an exercise program. Your doctor can help determine whether you need any exercise restrictions. Even moderate activity for 10 minutes at a time, such as walking and light strength training, can help.

But avoid being a "weekend warrior." Trying to squeeze all your exercise in on the weekends to make up for weekday inactivity isn't a good strategy. Those sudden bursts of activity could actually be risky.

Get support from family and friends
Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication
Supportive family and friends can help improve your health. They may encourage you to take care of yourself, drive you to the doctor's office or embark on an exercise program with you to keep your blood pressure low. Talk to your family and friends about the dangers of high blood pressure.

If you find you need support beyond your family and friends, consider joining a support group. This may put you in touch with people who can give you an emotional or morale boost and who can offer practical tips to cope with your condition.

Limit the amount of alcohol you drink
Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication
Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. In small amounts, it can potentially lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg. But that protective effect is lost if you drink too much alcohol generally more than one drink a day for women and men older than age 65, or more than two a day for men age 65 and younger. Also, if you don't normally drink alcohol, you shouldn't start drinking as a way to lower your blood pressure. There's more potential harm than benefit to drinking alcohol.

If you drink more than moderate amounts of it, alcohol can actually raise blood pressure by several points. It can also reduce the effectiveness of high blood pressure medications.
  • Consider tapering off. If you're a heavy drinker, suddenly eliminating all alcohol can actually trigger severe high blood pressure for several days. So when you stop drinking, do it with the supervision of your doctor or taper off slowly, over one to two weeks.
  • Don't binge. Binge drinking — having four or more drinks in a row — can cause large and sudden increases in blood pressure, in addition to other health problems.
  • Track your drinking patterns. Along with your food diary, keep an alcohol diary to track your true drinking patterns. One drink equals 12 ounces (355 milliliters, or mL) of beer, 5 ounces of wine (148 mL) or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor (45 mL). If you're drinking more than the suggested amounts, cut back.
Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline
Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication
Blood pressure often increases as weight increases. Losing just 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) can help reduce your blood pressure. Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication. In general, the more weight you lose, the lower your blood pressure. Losing weight also makes any blood pressure medications you're taking more effective. You and your doctor can determine your target weight and the best way to achieve it.

Besides shedding pounds, you should also keep an eye on your waistline. Carrying too much weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood pressure. In general:
  • Asian men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 36 inches (91 cm).
  • Asian women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 32 inches (81 cm).
  • Men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (102 centimeters, or cm).
  • Women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (89 cm).
Monitor your blood pressure at home and make regular doctor's appointments
Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication
If you have high blood pressure, you may need to monitor your blood pressure at home. Learning to self-monitor your blood pressure with an upper arm monitor can help motivate you. Talk to your doctor about home monitoring before getting started.

Regular visits to your doctor are also likely to become a part of your normal routine. These visits will help keep tabs on your blood pressure.

  • Have a primary care doctor. People who don't have a primary care doctor find it harder to control their blood pressure. If you can, visit the same health care facility or professional for all of your health care needs.
  • Visit your doctor regularly. If your blood pressure isn't well controlled, or if you have other medical problems, you might need to visit your doctor every month to review your treatment and make adjustments. If your blood pressure is under control, you might need to visit your doctor only every six to 12 months, depending on other conditions you might have.

Reduce sodium in your diet
Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication
Even a small reduction in the sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg.  Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication. The recommendations for reducing sodium are:

  • A lower sodium level 1,500 mg a day or less is appropriate for people 51 years of age or older, and individuals of any age who are African-American or who have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
  • Limit sodium to 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day or less.
To decrease sodium in your diet, consider these tips:

  • Track how much salt is in your diet. Keep a food diary to estimate how much sodium is in what you eat and drink each day.
  • Read food labels. If possible, choose low-sodium alternatives of the foods and beverages you normally buy.
  • Eat fewer processed foods. Potato chips, frozen dinners, bacon and processed lunch meats are high in sodium.
  • Don't add salt. Just 1 level teaspoon of salt has 2,300 mg of sodium. Use herbs or spices, rather than salt, to add more flavor to your foods.
  • Ease into it. If you don't feel like you can drastically reduce the sodium in your diet suddenly, cut back gradually. Your palate will adjust over time.

Reduce your stress
Health Tips for High Blood Pressure - Controlling High Blood Pressure Without Medication
Stress or anxiety can temporarily increase blood pressure. Take some time to think about what causes you to feel stressed, such as work, family, finances or illness. Once you know what's causing your stress, consider how you can eliminate or reduce stress.

If you can't eliminate all of your stressors, you can at least cope with them in a healthier way. Take breaks for deep-breathing exercises. Get a massage or take up yoga or meditation. If self-help doesn't work, seek out a professional for counseling.

Read Our Previous Post Health Tips for Babies - Eating Tips

Health Tips for Babies - Eating Tips

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Health Tips for Babies - Eating Tips. Babies grow quickly in the first year of life, so they need plenty of energy (kilojoules) and nutrients. A child’s growth isn’t always steady and even, which means that appetite and hunger can be unpredictable.

The amounts of foods eaten by your baby and their interest in food may be a little different from day to day. This is normal and shouldn’t cause any concerns if your baby is growing well.

Allergy and vegetarianism
There are issues to consider when you introduce solids to your baby, especially if your baby has shown signs of allergies or your family eats a vegetarian diet.

  • Allergy – if there is a strong history of allergy in your family, seek advice from your doctor or maternal and child health nurse.
  • Vegetarians – your baby may need extra nutrients if fed on a vegetarian diet. Seek advice from your doctor or maternal and child health nurse.

Clues that your baby is ready for solids
Health Tips for Babies - Eating Tips
When your baby starts to need the nutrients that solid food can provide, there will be obvious signs they are ready to try solid foods. Health Tips for Babies - Eating Tips. These include:

  • Good head control and able to sit up with support
  • Opening their mouth when food is offered.

  • Reaching out to grab food or spoons to put in their mouth
  • Watching and leaning forwards when food is around
Don’t leave starting solids too late

It’s also important that starting solids is not left too late, as this may lead to problems including:

  • Feeding problems, particularly if not started before about seven to nine months of age.

  • Iron deficiency anaemia
  • Poor growth due to low energy intake
Introduce solids at about six months of age
Health Tips for Babies - Eating Tips
Breast milk is an important food for babies until at least 12 months of age, or longer if the mum and baby desire. Health Tips for Babies - Eating Tips. Infant formula is important until 12 months. By about six months of age, a baby’s iron stores are low and extra foods will be needed to maintain healthy growth and prevent nutritional problems such as iron deficiency. Start to introduce solids around six months of age – when your baby starts showing interest in food.

Introducing cows milk
Suggestions include:

  • Cows milk is a poor source of iron and is never a substitute for breast milk or formula for babies under 12 months. Continue breastfeeding or using infant formula until your baby is at least one year old.
  • Cows milk contains higher levels of protein, salt, potassium and calcium than breast milk or formula. This can increase the load on the kidneys.
  • Cows milk may be included from about eight months in small amounts as custard or yoghurt or on cereal.
  • Milk should not be the main drink until after one year of age or until a range of food is eaten each day, including meat or meat alternatives.

Later feeding skills – from 8 to 9 months
Health Tips for Babies - Eating Tips
While a baby’s first solids should be mashed and smooth, they soon need variety in the texture as well as the type of food. Other suggestions include:

  • Give baby a small spoon to encourage self-feeding, even while you continue to give most of the food.
  • Give finger foods, such as pieces of cooked vegetables and crusts, to encourage chewing and self-feeding.
  • Progress from food that is pureed to food that is mashed then chopped into small pieces.

Physical readiness for solids
Your baby’s organs and body grow and develop certain physical traits between four and six months. This indicates that their body is ready physically for solids. This maturing process includes:

  • Digestive system – digestive enzymes that help to digest food are developed.
  • Head and neck – your baby is able to hold their head up; head control helps them to sit up straight and swallow.
  • Immune system – immune gut defence mechanism is fully developed.
  • Kidneys – your baby’s kidneys can now handle the increased load produced by solids.

  • Mouth and tongue – your baby is able to move food to the back of their mouth and swallow safely.
Signs that your baby is not interested
Health Tips for Babies - Eating Tips
Signs that your baby is not interested or is full may include closing the mouth tightly and turning the head away when offered food. Health Tips for Babies - Eating Tips. They may cry when the food is offered or may push the spoon away. If this happens at your first attempts to feed your baby, relax and try again in a few days. While most babies naturally spit food out when first given solids, they soon learn to accept foods if you continue.

Getting to know when your baby is hungry or full is important to having happy, relaxed and enjoyable mealtimes.

Starting solids too early can cause problems
Hungry babies should be offered more breast or formula feeds until they are ready for solids. Some parents want to try solids early, believing this may help baby grow, sleep or settle better. Giving solids too early rarely helps these problems and may lead to other difficulties including:

  • Loose bowel actions or diarrhoea, if the baby cannot digest the food.
  • Poor growth, if the solid food replaces breast milk or formula
Suggested first foods
Health Tips for Babies - Eating Tips
First foods can be prepared easily and cheaply at home without salt, seasonings and sweeteners. Health Tips for Babies - Eating Tips. The foods should at first be mashed and smooth, but you can quickly move on to coarsely mashed foods and coarser textures. General suggestions include:

  • Always sit with your baby while they are eating.
  • Encourage drinking water from a cup.

  • Give vegetables and fruits, introduce meats, or chicken, and ‘finger foods’ such as toast..
  • Start with a single food rather than a mixture.
  • Offer infant cereal first as it is fortified with iron and makes an ideal first food. Mix with expressed breast milk or formula to a smooth texture.
  • Otherwise, there is no particular order for foods:
Tips for introducing solids

  • Be calm and relaxed when you start to feed your baby.
  • Be patient. Your baby may only take a spoonful at first, but this will increase with time and practice.
  • Be prepared – all babies will make a mess as they learn to eat.
  • Make sure your child is sitting comfortably and is not too hungry.
  • Offer foods on a small, infant-sized spoon.

  • Stay with your child while eating to avoid accidents such as choking.
  • Try again in a day or so if your baby refuses the first time.
  • Wait several days before introducing a new food
By the end of 12 months, your baby should be ready to eat a wide variety of family food.

  • Introduce pasta, rice and bread
  • Offer more variety of fruit, vegetables, meats, chicken and well-cooked fish
  • Small amounts of cows milk on cereals, as custard, cheese and yoghurt. The main milk for babies less than 12 months should be breast milk or infant formula. However, it’s okay to introduce and use cows milk as part of custard, yoghurt and on cereal from seven to eight months of age.

Stay with your baby when they are eating. Let them sit with the family to watch and learn.

At around nine months your baby will develop other feeding skills. These include:

  • Ability to chew lumps in food
  • Independent eating with some assistance.
  • Showing an interest in self-feeding
Always avoid small hard foods, such as nuts and hard uncooked vegetables, because babies might choke. Fruit juice is not suitable for babies.

Unsuitable foods
Health Tips for Babies - Eating Tips
Some foods are not suitable for babies under 12 months. These include:

  • Fruit juice – contains no nutritional benefit and can reduce the amount of milk consumed.
  • Honey – there is a potential risk of bacterial infection from honey.
  • Reduced fat milk – is not suitable for children under two.
  • Tea – contains tannins that can restrict vitamin uptake.
  • Whole nuts – should be avoided due to the risk of choking.

Health Tips for Weight Gain - Eat Whatever You Want

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

You weigh 125 lbs., you eat whatever you want, and you still can’t gain weight.  Health Tips for Weight Gain - Eat Whatever You Want. You’re ready to bulk up, build some muscle, and get strong like a mofo, but you have no freaking cue what you’re doing.  Luckily, you’ve found this site, and I’m here to help.
Here are some tips for you to get started:
  • Appearance is a consequence of fitness This is the mantra of the actors of who trained for the movie 300 would you be okay looking like a Spartan?  Concentrate on being really strong and lifting heavy weights, and your body will follow suit.  It doesn’t matter if you can only bench press 10 lb dumbbells right now.  Wherever you’re starting out, concentrate on being stronger each and every time you exercise.  Push yourself, get stronger, lift more, and before you know it you’ll be ripped.
Health Tips for Weight Gain - Eat Whatever You Want
  • Carbs will help you put on weight, but it won’t be muscle – pasta, brown rice, wheat bread, oatmeal, etc. will help you put on weight, but a lot of that weight will be fat.   Every meal should have vegetables and fruit.   If you just eat protein, your body will resort to using it for energy rather than building muscle.  Unless you’re eating tons of good fats (almonds FTW), good carbs (fruits and veggies), and protein, you won’t be gaining weight.
  • Cardio is your enemy Running long distances isn’t going to help you.  Health Tips for Weight Gain - Eat Whatever You Want. If you’re going to run, do sprints or run up a hill.  Think about it: would you rather look like a sprinter or a marathon runner? Keep your distance cardio to a minimum if you want to put on some pounds.
Health Tips for Weight Gain - Eat Whatever You Want

  • Compound exercises are your friend. Concentrate on complex, compound exercises that recruit as many muscles as possible: bench presses, dumbbell presses, squats, deadlifts, pull ups, chin ups, and dips.  Do these exercises, and concentrate on lifting as much weight as possible.  Don’t worry about triceps extensions, shoulder shrugs, bicep curls or crunches.  All of the compound exercises listed here use every muscle in your body, and when you overload your body with calories and protein, those muscles will grow.  Don’t worry about isolation exercises until you’re up to your goal weight and ready to tone down.  Read about squats here, deadlifts here, and pull ups here.
  • Eat a lot .This sounds much easier than it really is.  Health Tips for Weight Gain - Eat Whatever You Want. Whatever you’re eating now, you should probably double it.  If you eat three meals a day, instead eat six.  You need to be eating every 2-3 hours, and each meal needs to be the size of a normal meal.  This is going to be difficult for a few weeks, because you’ll often have to force yourself to eat even when you’re not hungry.  500 extra calories a day = 1 extra pound gained per week.  Whatever you’re eating now, add an additional 1000 calories (spread throughout the day), and you’ll put on 2 lbs a week.  Not just any calories though…
Health Tips for Weight Gain - Eat Whatever You Want
  • Eat a lot of good things - You need to eat a ridiculous amount of calories (probably 3500+ per day) if you want to gain weight, but you want to make sure most of those calories are GOOD calories.  You could easily get 3500 calories eating Taco Bell and Twinkies, and drinking Mountain Dew, but that will just make you fat.  If you want to build muscle, you want to eat healthy calories that are loaded with good protein, good carbs, and healthy fats…which brings me to my next point:
  • Keep track of everything you eat - Sign up for a site light dailyburn.com (it’s free), input your stats and start to track every one of your meals.  Health Tips for Weight Gain - Eat Whatever You Want. It will tell you if you’re eating enough calories, enough protein, and enough carbs.  This site has helped me put on 15 lbs since last fall.
Health Tips for Weight Gain - Eat Whatever You Want
  • Let your muscles rest - never exercise the same muscle two days in a row.  Your muscles get rebuilt (larger) during your days off, so never exercise the same muscle before it’s ready.  I usually wait at least 48 hours before I hit the same muscle again.
  • Make it part of your routine - It’s okay to skip a workout here and there, but it is NOT okay for you to skip a meal if you’re serious about weight gain.  You need to be always eating.  It sucks, it’s practically a full time job, but it’s what you have to do.  Eat.
Health Tips for Weight Gain - Eat Whatever You Want
  • Protein = building block for your muscles. Chicken, fish, meat, eggs, milk, almonds, peanuts.  Eat lots of this stuff, all the time.  Read more about protein here. Health Tips for Weight Gain - Eat Whatever You Want.
  • Realize you will put on some fat with all of this eating, you are going to be putting on some fat along with your muscle.  That’s okay!  Figure out what your goal weight is, and then add another 5-10 lbs on top of it.  Once you get to that weight, cut back on the carbs in your diet, do more sprints, and keep exercising: you’ll shed the fat quickly and be left with a killer figure.  Eat all the vegetables you want, but cut back on breads, pasta, rice, and oatmeal.
Health Tips for Weight Gain - Eat Whatever You Want
  • Sleep – you need to be getting 8-9 hours of sleep every night for maximum gains.  Your body is doing nothing but lying there and building muscle while you’re sleeping.  If you are only getting 6 hours or less, you’re not going to get all the benefits of your exercising and diet.  I know it’s tough, but those 3AM raids on Runnyeye need to be put on hold for a few months.  SLEEP.
  • When exercising, keep your rest between sets to a minute or less, and don’t do more than 12 reps in a set – Keep your range of reps between 6 and 12, and try to keep the time you rest between sets to a minute or less.  Example: incline dumbbell chest press – 12 reps of 50 lbs, wait a minute, 10 reps of 55lbs, wait a minute, 8 reps of 60 lbs.

Health Tips for Diabetic Patients - Diet and Food Tips

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Health Tips for Diabetic Patients - Diet and Food Tips. Diabetes is on the rise, yet most cases are preventable with healthy lifestyle changes. Some can even be reversed. Taking steps to prevent and control diabetes doesn’t mean living in deprivation. While eating right is important, you don’t have to give up sweets entirely or resign yourself to a lifetime of bland “health food”. With these tips, you can still enjoy your favorite foods and take pleasure from your meals without feeling hungry or deprived.

Taking control of diabetes
Whether you’re trying to prevent or control diabetes, there is some good news. You can make a big difference with healthy lifestyle changes. The most important thing you can do for your health is to lose weight—but you don’t have to lose all your extra pounds to start reaping the benefits. Experts say that losing just 5% to 10% of your total weight can help you lower your blood sugar considerably, as well as lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

It’s not too late to make a positive change, even if you’ve already developed diabetes. The bottom line is that you have more control over your health than you think.

Increasing your daily coffee consumption may reduce type 2 diabetes risk
Health Tips for Diabetic Patients - Diet and Food Tips
A major recent study showed that participants who increased their caffeinated coffee consumption by more than one cup per day of black coffee (or coffee with a small amount of milk and/or sugar) had an 11% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those who made no changes in consumption. Those who lowered their daily coffee consumption by more than one cup had a 17% higher risk for diabetes.
While this is good news for coffee drinkers, a word of caution before you brew another pot: Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others, but up to 400 mg of caffeine a day (about four cups of brewed coffee) appears to be safe for most healthy adults. Drinking more than four cups a day can have unpleasant side effects and may even shorten your life expectancy.

The importance of losing weight in the "right" places
Health Tips for Diabetic Patients - Diet and Food Tips
The biggest risk factor for developing diabetes is being overweight, but not all body fat is created equal. Your risk is higher if you tend to carry your weight around your abdomen the so-called “spare tire” as opposed to your hips and thighs. So why are “apple” shaped people more at risk than “pears”?

“Pears” store most of their fat close below the skin. “Apples” store their weight around their middle, much of it deep within the belly surrounding their abdominal organs and liver. This type of deep fat is closely linked to insulin resistance and diabetes. In fact, many studies show that waist size is a better predictor of diabetes risk than BMI (body mass index).

You are at an increased risk of developing diabetes if you are:

  • A man with a waist circumference of 40 inches or more

  • A woman with a waist circumference of 35 inches or more
To measure your waist circumference, place a tape measure around your bare abdomen just above your hip bone. Be sure that the tape is snug (but does not compress your skin) and that it is parallel to the floor. Relax, exhale, and measure your waist.

The dangers of "sugar belly"
Health Tips for Diabetic Patients - Diet and Food Tips
Calories obtained from fructose (found in sugary beverages such as soda, energy and sports drinks, coffee drinks, and processed foods like doughnuts, muffins, cereal, candy and granola bars) are more likely to turn you into an "apple" by adding weight around your abdomen. Cutting back on sugary foods can mean a slimmer waistline as well as a lower risk of diabetes.

What you need to know about diabetes and diet
Eating right is vital if you’re trying to prevent or control diabetes. While exercise is also important, what you eat has the biggest impact when it comes to weight loss. But what does eating right for diabetes mean? You may be surprised to hear that your nutritional needs are virtually the same everyone else: no special foods or complicated diets are necessary.

A diabetes diet is simply a healthy eating plan that is high in nutrients, low in fat, and moderate in calories. It is a healthy diet for anyone! The only difference is that you need to pay more attention to some of your food choices most notably the carbohydrates you eat.

Logic and Truth about diabetes and diet
Logic : A high-protein diet is best.
Truth : Studies have shown that eating too much protein, especially animal protein, may actually cause insulin resistance, a key factor in diabetes. A healthy diet includes protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Our bodies need all three to function properly. The key is a balanced diet.

Logic : You have to cut way down on carbs.
Truth : Again, the key is to eat a balanced diet. The serving size and the type of carbohydrates you eat are especially important. Focus on whole grain carbs since they are a good source of fiber and they are digested slowly, keeping blood sugar levels more even.

Logic : You must avoid sugar at all costs.
Truth : The good news is that you can enjoy your favorite treats as long as you plan properly. Dessert does not have to be off limits, as long as it’s a part of a healthy meal plan or combined with exercise.

Logic : You’ll no longer be able to eat normally. You need special diabetic meals.
Truth : The principles of healthy eating are the same whether or not you’re trying to prevent or control diabetes. Expensive diabetic foods generally offer no special benefit. You can easily eat with your family and friends if you eat in moderation.

Be smart about sweets
Health Tips for Diabetic Patients - Diet and Food Tips
Eating for diabetes does not mean eliminating sugar. Health Tips for Diabetic Patients - Diet and Food Tips. If you have diabetes, you can still enjoy a small serving of your favorite dessert now and then. The key is moderation.

But maybe you have a sweet tooth and the thought of cutting back on sweets sounds almost as bad as cutting them out altogether. The good news is that cravings do go away and preferences change. As your eating habits become healthier, foods that you used to love may seem too rich or too sweet, and you may find yourself craving healthier options.

How to include sweets in a diabetes-friendly diet

  • Add some healthy fat to your dessert. It may seem counterintuitive to pass over the low-fat or fat-free desserts in favor of their higher-fat counterparts. But fat slows down the digestive process, meaning blood sugar levels don’t spike as quickly. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should reach for the donuts. Think healthy fats, such as peanut butter, ricotta cheese, yogurt, or some nuts.
  • Eat sweets with a meal, rather than as a stand-alone snack. When eaten on their own, sweets and desserts cause your blood sugar to spike. But if you eat them along with other healthy foods as part of your meal, your blood sugar won’t rise as rapidly.
  • Hold the bread (or rice or pasta) if you want dessert. Eating sweets at a meal adds extra carbohydrates. Because of this it is best to cut back on the other carb-containing foods at the same meal.
  • When you eat dessert, truly savor each bite. How many times have you mindlessly eaten your way through a bag of cookies or a huge piece of cake. Can you really say that you enjoyed each bite? Make your indulgence count by eating slowly and paying attention to the flavors and textures. You’ll enjoy it more, plus you’re less likely to overeat.
Tricks for cutting down on sugar
  • Find healthy ways to satisfy your sweet tooth. Instead of ice cream, blend up frozen bananas for a creamy, frozen treat. Or enjoy a small chunk of dark chocolate, rather than your usual milk chocolate bar.
  • Reduce how much soft drinks, soda and juice you drink. A recent study found that for each 12 oz. serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage you drink a day, your risk for diabetes increases by about 15 percent. If you miss your carbonation kick, try sparkling water with a twist of lemon or lime or a splash of fruit juice. Reduce the amount of creamers and sweeteners you add to tea and coffee drinks.
  • Reduce the amount of sugar in recipes by ¼ to ⅓. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, for example, use ⅔ or ¾ cup instead. You can also boost sweetness with cinnamon, nutmeg, or vanilla extract.
  • Start with half of the dessert you normally eat, and replace the other half with fruit.
  • Sweeten foods yourself. Buy unsweetened iced tea, plain yogurt, or unflavored oatmeal, for example, and add sweetener (or fruit) yourself. You’re likely to add far less sugar than the manufacturer would have.
Proceed with caution when it comes to alcohol
  • It’s easy to underestimate the amount of calories and carbs in alcoholic drinks, including beer and wine. And cocktails mixed with soda and juice can be loaded with sugar. If you’re going to drink, do so in moderation (no more than 1 drink per day for women; 2 for men), choose calorie-free drink mixers, and drink only with food. If you’re diabetic, always monitor your blood glucose, as alcohol can interfere with diabetes medication and insulin.

Choose fats wisely
Health Tips for Diabetic Patients - Diet and Food Tips
Fats can be either helpful or harmful in your diet. Health Tips for Diabetic Patients - Diet and Food Tips. People with diabetes are at higher risk for heart disease, so it is even more important to be smart about fats. Some fats are unhealthy and others have enormous health benefits. But all fats are high in calories, so you should always watch your portion sizes.
  • Healthy fats – The best fats are unsaturated fats, which come from plant and fish sources and are liquid at room temperature. Primary sources include olive oil, canola oil, nuts, and avocados. Also focus on omega-3 fatty acids, which fight inflammation and support brain and heart health. Good sources include salmon, tuna, and flaxseeds.
  • Unhealthy fats – The two most damaging fats are saturated fats and trans fats. Saturated fats are found mainly in animal products such as red meat and whole milk dairy products. Trans fats, also called partially hydrogenated oils, are created by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid and less likely to spoil which is very good for food manufacturers, and very bad for you.
Ways to reduce unhealthy fats and add healthy fats:

  • Add avocado to your sandwiches instead of cheese. This will keep the creamy texture, but improve the health factor.
  • Cook with olive oil instead of butter or vegetable oil.
  • Instead of chips or crackers, try snacking on nuts or seeds. Add them to your morning cereal or have a little handful for a filling snack. Nut butters are also very satisfying and full of healthy fats.
  • Instead of frying, choose to grill, broil, bake, or stir-fry.
  • Rather than using heavy cream, make your soups creamy by adding low-fat milk thickened with flour, pureed potatoes, or reduced-fat sour cream.
  • Serve fish 2 or 3 times week instead of red meat.
  • Trim any visible fat off of meat before cooking and remove the skin before cooking chicken and turkey.
  • When baking, use canola oil or applesauce instead of shortening or butter.
Choose high-fiber, slow-release carbs
Health Tips for Diabetic Patients - Diet and Food Tips
Carbohydrates have a big impact on your blood sugar levels more so than fats and proteins but you don’t have to avoid them. Health Tips for Diabetic Patients - Diet and Food Tips. You just need to be smart about what types of carbs you eat.

In general, it’s best to limit highly refined carbohydrates like white bread, pasta, and rice, as well as soda, candy, and snack foods. Focus instead on high-fiber complex carbohydrates—also known as slow-release carbs. Slow-release carbs help keep blood sugar levels even because they are digested more slowly, thus preventing your body from producing too much insulin. They also provide lasting energy and help you stay full longer.

Choosing carbs that are packed with fiber (and don’t spike your blood sugar)
Try these high-fiber options…

  • Brown rice or wild rice
  • Sweet potatoes, yams, winter squash, cauliflower mash
  • Whole-wheat pasta
  • Whole-wheat or whole-grain bread
  • High-fiber breakfast cereal (Raisin Bran, etc.)
  • Steel-cut oats or rolled oats
  • Bran flakes
  • Peas or leafy greens

Making the glycemic index easy
The glycemic index (GI) tells you how quickly a food turns into sugar in your system. Glycemic load, a newer term, looks at both the glycemic index and the amount of carbohydrate in a food, giving you a more accurate idea of how a food may affect your blood sugar level. High GI foods spike your blood sugar rapidly, while low GI foods have the least effect.

You can find glycemic index and glycemic load tables online, but you don’t have to rely on food charts in order to make smart choices. Australian chef Michael Moore has come up with an easier way to regulate the carbs you eat. He classifies foods into three broad categories: fire, water, and coal. The harder your body needs to work to break food down, the better.

  • Fire foods have a high GI, and are low in fiber and protein. They include “white foods” (white rice, white pasta, white bread, potatoes, most baked goods), sweets, chips, and many processed foods. They should be limited in your diet.
  • Water foods are free foods meaning you can eat as many as you like. They include all vegetables and most types of fruit (fruit juice, dried fruit, and canned fruit packed in syrup spike blood sugar quickly and are not considered water foods).
  • Coal foods have a low GI and are high in fiber and protein. They include nuts and seeds, lean meats, seafood, whole grains, and beans. They also include “white food” replacements such as brown rice, whole-wheat bread, and whole-wheat pasta.

Low-glycemic eating

  • Eat a lot of non-starchy vegetables, beans, and fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, and berries. Even tropical fruits like bananas, mangoes, and papayas tend to have a lower glycemic index than typical desserts.
  • Eat grains in the least-processed state possible: “unbroken,” such as whole-kernel bread, brown rice, and whole barley, millet, and wheat berries; or traditionally processed, such as stone-ground bread, steel-cut oats, and natural granola or muesli breakfast cereals.
  • Limit white potatoes and refined grain products such as white breads and white pasta to small side dishes.
  • Limit concentrated sweets—including high-calorie foods with a low glycemic index, such as ice cream— to occasional treats. Reduce fruit juice to no more than one cup a day. Completely eliminate sugar-sweetened drinks.
  • Eat a healthful type of protein at most meals, such as beans, fish, or skinless chicken.
  • Choose foods with healthful fats, such as olive oil, nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans), and avocados. Limit saturated fats from dairy and other animal products. Completely eliminate partially hydrogenated fats (trans fats), which are in fast food and many packaged foods.
  • Have three meals and one or two snacks each day, and don’t skip breakfast.
  • Eat slowly and stop when full.

Eat regularly and keep a food diary
Health Tips for Diabetic Patients - Diet and Food Tips
If you’re overweight, you may be encouraged to note that you only have to lose 7% of your body weight to cut your risk of diabetes in half. Health Tips for Diabetic Patients - Diet and Food Tips. And you don’t have to obsessively count calories or starve yourself to do it.

When it comes to successful weight loss, research shows that the two most helpful strategies involve following a regular eating schedule and recording what you eat.

Eat at regularly set times
Your body is better able to regulate blood sugar levels—and your weight—when you maintain a regular meal schedule. Aim for moderate and consistent portion sizes for each meal or snack.

  • Don’t skip breakfast. Start your day off with a good breakfast. Eating breakfast every day will help you have energy as well as steady blood sugar levels.
  • Eat regular small meals—up to 6 per day. People tend to eat larger portions when they are overly hungry, so eating regularly will help you keep your portions in check.
  • Keep calorie intake the same. Regulating the amount of calories you eat on a day-to-day basis has an impact on the regularity of your blood sugar levels. Try to eat roughly the same amount of calories every day, rather than overeating one day or at one meal, and then skimping on the next.

Keep a food diary
Research shows that people who keep a food diary are more likely to lose weight and keep it off. In fact, a recent study found that people who kept a food diary lost twice as much weight as those who didn’t.

Why does writing down what you eat and drink help you drop pounds? For one, it helps you identify problem areas—such as your afternoon snack or your morning latte—where you’re getting a lot more calories than you realized. It also increases your awareness of what, why, and how much you’re eating, which helps you cut back on mindless snacking and emotional eating.

What about exercise?
When it comes to preventing, controlling, or reversing diabetes, you can’t afford to overlook exercise. Exercise can help your weight loss efforts, and is especially important in maintaining weight loss. There is also evidence that regular exercise can improve your insulin sensitivity even if you don’t lose weight.
You don’t have to become a gym rat or adopt a grueling fitness regimen. One of the easiest ways is to start walking for 30 minutes five or more times a week. You can also try swimming, biking, or any other moderate-intensity activities—meaning you work up a light sweat and start to breathe harder. Even house and yard work counts.

Please Read Our Previous Post Health Tips for Night Shift Workers - Sleep Disorder?
Also some of Our Related Post Health Tips for Diabetes

Health Tips for Night Shift Workers - Sleep Disorder?

Monday, June 23, 2014

Health Tips for Night Shift Workers - Sleep Disorder?. What do firefighters, police officers, doctors, nurses, paramedics, factory workers, and office cleaning staff have in common? They all are at risk for shift work sleep disorder. If you work at night or often rotate shifts, you may share that risk. Working at night or irregular shifts can keep you from getting the regular snooze time that most daytime workers take for granted.

Working non-traditional hours is more common than you might think. In industrialized nations, up to 20% of workers work either night or rotating shifts.

Although not everyone who works odd hours has shift work sleep disorder, a lot can be at stake. People with shift work disorder have higher rates of absenteeism and accidents related to sleepiness than night workers without the disorder.

Memory and ability to focus can become impaired, and shift workers who are sleep-deprived often get irritable or depressed. Health Tips for Night Shift Workers - Sleep Disorder?. Their relationships and social life can suffer, too.

Shift workers also face potential health problems, researchers have found. Overall, those who work night or rotating shifts seem to have a higher risk of ulcers, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease.

Better Sleep Tips 
If your job requires that you work the night shift or hours other than the traditional 9 to 5, you need to pay close attention to your sleep. These tips can help you get good sleep:

  • Ask your family to limit phone calls and visitors during your sleep hours. Health Tips for Night Shift Workers - Sleep Disorder?
  • Avoid frequently rotating shifts. If you can't, it's easier to adjust to a schedule that rotates from day shift to evening to night rather than the reverse order.
Health Tips for Night Shift Workers - Sleep Disorder?
  • Avoid bright light on the way home from work, which will make it easier for you to fall asleep once you hit the pillow. Wear dark, wraparound sunglasses and a hat to shield yourself from sunlight. Don't stop to run errands, tempting as that may be.
  • Keep your workplace brightly lighted to promote alertness. If you're working the night shift, expose yourself to bright light, such as that from special light boxes, lamps, and visors designed for people with circadian-related sleep problems, when you wake up.  Circadian rhythms are the body's internal clock that tells us when to be awake and when to sleep. These rhythms are controlled by a part of the brain that is influenced by light. Fleming says that being exposed to bright light when you start your "day" can help train your body's internal clock to adjust.
Health Tips for Night Shift Workers - Sleep Disorder?
  • Limit caffeine. Drinking a cup of coffee at the beginning of your shift will help promote alertness. Health Tips for Night Shift Workers - Sleep Disorder?. But don't consume caffeine later in the shift or you may have trouble falling asleep when you get home.
Health Tips for Night Shift Workers - Sleep Disorder?
  • Stick to a regular sleep-wake schedule as much as you can.
  • Try not to work a number of night shifts in a row. You may become increasingly more sleep-deprived over several nights on the job. You're more likely to recover if you can limit night shifts and schedule days off in between.
  • Try to avoid long commutes that take time away from sleeping. Health Tips for Night Shift Workers - Sleep Disorder?
Health Tips for Night Shift Workers - Sleep Disorder?
  • Use blackout blinds or heavy curtains to block sunlight when you sleep during the day. Sunlight is a potent stimulator of the circadian rhythm. Even if your eyes are closed, the sunlight coming into the room tells your brain that it's daytime. Yet your body is exhausted and you're trying to sleep. That discrepancy ... is not a healthy thing for the body to be exposed to.
 

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