13 Steps to Bloody Good Health
Rate it:
28%
Flag icon
aerobics is a series of exercises which help convert fats, sugars and starches into aches, pains and cramps.
28%
Flag icon
The human body expends energy in three main ways—digesting food; maintaining regular body functions such as beating of the heart and breathing; and finally, exercise. When you diet, your reduced calorie count lowers your metabolic rate. This would have the effect of not lowering your weight loss unless you exercise. A well-balanced plan of cardio and resistance training is ideal to compensate for that.
28%
Flag icon
Exercise can strengthen your heart. If you want to get the maximum benefit from exercise, you should aim to reach between 50-85 per cent of your maximum heart rate.
28%
Flag icon
If you have diabetes, exercise can help regulate your blood sugar level. Remaining fit and active can control your diabetes and keep your blood sugar level in the normal range.
28%
Flag icon
Exercise enhances sexual desire, function and performance in both men and women. It also decreases the risk of erectile dysfunction in men.
28%
Flag icon
Exercise strengthens bones and also firms up muscles. Walking or skipping helps maintain as well as improve bone density in people with low bone density or osteoporosis.
29%
Flag icon
Regular exercise has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular fitness and body composition, while lowering blood pressure and blood fat levels.
29%
Flag icon
Exercise can reduce pain and help maintain muscle strength in affected joints and reduce joint stiffness, thereby providing relief from arthritis and related conditions.
29%
Flag icon
Exercise can enhance brain function and protect memory and thinking skills. Exercise pumps up your heart rate which, in turn, enhances the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain. It also increases the production of hormones that can enhance the growth of brain cells. Exercise can combat the effects of aging, oxidative stress and inflammation. Exercise causes an increase in the size of the hippocampus, that part of the brain that’s critical for memory and learning. Exercise has even been shown to reduce alterations in the brain caused by Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia.
29%
Flag icon
exercise can be a real energy booster for healthy people, as well as those suffering from various medical conditions. One study found that six weeks of regular exercise reduced feelings of fatigue for healthy people who had previously reported persistent fatigue. In fact, exercise can significantly increase energy levels for people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and other serious illnesses.
30%
Flag icon
sitting is the new smoking.
35%
Flag icon
Eat a nutritious diet that is high in fibre-rich foods: These include fruits, vegetables and whole grains. A high-fat, high-sugar, low-fibre diet is the primary suspect in killing some specific types of bacteria thus leaving your microbiota less diverse.
35%
Flag icon
Antibiotics can almost entirely exterminate healthy bacteria while killing bad bacteria. Use antibiotics only when recommended for emergencies by your doctor.
35%
Flag icon
Surprisingly, exercise also encourages the growth of several types of gut bacteria.
35%
Flag icon
There is no clear rule regarding frequency of bowel movements. Some people evacuate their bowels three times per week while others do it three times a day. Each gut has a specific pattern. It usually takes twenty-four to seventy-two hours for food to travel through your digestive tract.
36%
Flag icon
if you’re not having regular motions, your body could be retaining food that you ate days ago. Waste being retained in your gut implies putrefaction inside your body. This can be a serious cause of many other problems.
36%
Flag icon
your gut does not identify the processed foods you’ve eaten as digestible food. Instead, the gut misidentifies ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup or chemical and artificial ingredients as ‘invaders’. This results in an inflammatory response—the body is virtually fighting these foods as though they are infections.
36%
Flag icon
Gluten is the general name for the proteins found in wheat, rye and barley. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape—almost like a glue holding the food together.
36%
Flag icon
Examples of prebiotics are onions, legumes, garlic, bananas and asparagus.
36%
Flag icon
Fermented foods and beverages such as miso, kimchi, tempeh, yoghurt, sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha contain live cultures.
37%
Flag icon
better sleep improves the bacterial composition in your gut. Getting adequate levels of sleep lowers the level of cortisol and allows enough time for the gut to repair.
37%
Flag icon
eat slowly and deliberately without distractions such as the phone or television.
37%
Flag icon
some time to meditate can help ease symptoms of gut disorders. For an extra mindful boost, learn which specific probiotic strain is right for your mood.
37%
Flag icon
cure a leaky gut are coconut oil, flax seeds, bone broth, kefir, fermented yoghurt, salmon, steamed vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, celery, carrots, cabbage and squash.
38%
Flag icon
Mildly acidic compounds are needed within our bodies to keep tissues firm and supple. But if the acidity is overdone, we would have rigid and dry tissues, hardened arteries, hypertension, gout, arthritis, stiffness, pain, anxiety, tension, osteoporosis, kidney stones, insomnia and elevated odds of cancer and infection. On the other hand, a mildly alkaline state creates fluidity, flexibility and relaxation in the body. If alkalinity is overdone, though, we could experience nausea, tissue deterioration, hallucinations, lethargy and mental instability.
38%
Flag icon
Water has a neutral pH of 7. Anything below 7 is considered acidic and anything above 7 is considered alkaline.
38%
Flag icon
Blood serum as well as most body tissues are around 7.365. Saliva and urine are usually on the acidic side lying between 6.4 and 6.8 in a healthy human. The stomach is usually at a pH of around 2. This acidic nature allows the stomach to break down foods properly for digestion.
38%
Flag icon
A build-up in the acidic content of your body causes your blood to become acidic. Your kidneys are responsible for maintaining equilibrium in pH and electrolyte levels but owing to the higher acidity in blood, they use vital calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium to fight the acidity.
38%
Flag icon
we rob vital minerals from our cells, tissues, organs and bones. Cells become mineral-deficient and are unable to effectively remove waste or oxygenate. Vitamin absorption too is reduced. This is followed by a build-up of toxins and pathogens. You end up compelling your body to work doubly hard to maintain a neutral pH level but this is accomplished by sucking up vital nutrients. Soon, the kidneys begin excreting more minerals via urine. Although you may not have an imbalance in pH, your body will be fatigued and stressed by lower kidney function.
39%
Flag icon
A balanced pH level can greatly help in: Reducing internal inflammation Protecting your body from heart disease Lowering the possibility of diabetes Preventing formation of kidney stones Ensuring stronger bone density Preventing calcium build-up in your urine Preventing kidney disease or damage Enhancing bone mineral density Reducing muscle wasting or spasms Protecting from vitamin D deficiency Relieving lower back pain
40%
Flag icon
Diabetic ketoacidosis: When the liver produces dangerously high amounts of ketone bodies owing to high sugar. Hyperchloremic acidosis: When diarrhoea or vomiting causes your body to lose sodium bicarbonate which neutralises your blood. Lactic acidosis: Alcoholism, over-exercise, heart failure, liver failure, cancer, seizures, oxygen deprivation or low blood sugar that leads to build up of lactic acid. Renal tubular acidosis: This happens when your kidneys are unable to flush out acids to your urine. This leads to acid build-up in your bloodstream. Dietary acidosis: This is the result of eating ...more
40%
Flag icon
Lower your intake of acidic foods: Some of the foods to reduce in your diet would include processed meats, high-sodium foods, foods that contain added sugar, milk and dairy products, peanuts, refined grains (including white bread, white rice, pasta or breakfast cereals), caffeine, alcohol, fried food, processed cereal grains (examples are corn, wheat, barley, sorghum, millet, rye) and conventional meats (including beef, chicken and pork). Yes, there are some foods that provide excellent nutrition but tend to be higher in acidic content. You would need to eat these in moderation, for example, ...more
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
45%
Flag icon
Every cell in the human body needs oxygen. It is a key component in essential cellular activities—the very processes which support life. Simple deep breathing and pranayama not only ensure this but also significantly enhance the quality of your blood.
45%
Flag icon
‘Just take a deep breath and calm down’, is a piece of advice that we have all heard in our lives. It’s indeed appropriate. Breathing deeply and slowly permits your nerves to ease. And the increased oxygen to your spinal cord, nerves and the brain enhances the release of pleasure neuro-chemicals, thus putting you in a better mood.
45%
Flag icon
When the nerves are calmed down, the muscles naturally follow. Deep breathing, especially during or after a stressful day at work, can reduce the occurrence of muscle stiffness and can enhance your overall sense of well-being. Deep breathing has been shown to improve stamina too.
45%
Flag icon
Deep breathing forces oxygen into the deepest parts of your lungs and sweeps out any residue there. Deep breathing also improves lung capacity and performance. Deep breathing exercises are also able to enhance lung function.
45%
Flag icon
Deep breathing strengthens your lungs, thus making them more efficient. This leads to increased oxygen in the blood. By forcing more oxygen into your cells, your heart rate is automatically lowered. The net result is more energy and a less taxed heart.
45%
Flag icon
Deep breathing leads to an increased pressure differential in the lungs. This leads to enhanced circulation, thus ...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
45%
Flag icon
When you exhale you release carbon dioxide—metabolic waste—that has been transferred from your bloodstream into your lungs.
45%
Flag icon
Deep breathing relaxes your muscles as well as the arteries and veins—the pipes that carry our blood. The result of that relaxation is a lowered blood pressure.
46%
Flag icon
Deep breathing has been shown to improve the symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
46%
Flag icon
A study that observed the effects of deep breathing therapy over a month found that their quality of sleep improved considerably.
46%
Flag icon
Your diaphragm movement during deep breathing exercises results in a gentle internal massage of the stomach, small intestine, liver, pancreas and even heart. This massaging action improves circulation within them. Deep breathing also strengthens your abdominal muscles.
46%
Flag icon
Oxygen is transported through your bloodstream by attachment to haemoglobin in your red blood cells, thus prompting your body to metabolise nutri...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
46%
Flag icon
Breathing can help ease your pain. Some research studies have found that using deep breathing exercises as a relaxation technique are effective in managing pain for patients who had recently undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
46%
Flag icon
deep breathing has an effect on our molecular-level physiology almost instantly.
46%
Flag icon
If you are overweight, extra oxygen burns your fat better; on the other hand, if you are underweight, extra oxygen feeds your tissues and glands better. Deep breathing also improves glycemic response. Diaphragmatic breathing is also found to be effective in reducing oxidative stress in diabetics.
46%
Flag icon
Deep breathing can even help in the treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).
46%
Flag icon
When digestive organs such as the stomach receive more oxygen, they operate more effectively. Digestion is further improved by food being oxygenated even more.
47%
Flag icon
Deep breathing has been shown to increase growth hormone (GH) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), two key hormones associated with aging. Just twelve weeks of yogic breathing was found to increase GH and DHEAS in both males and females. If you are always feeling tired, deep breathing can assist.