Healing Positions of Yoga

Yoga Poses On Your Lunch Break

How to Burn Calories by Walking With a Weighted Backpack

When you wear a weighted backpack, you burn more calories because you have to work harder to carry the extra weight. For example, a 150-pound person walking at a rate of 4 mph for 30 minutes burns 175 calories. Add 5 pounds and the same individual burns 181 calories, according to the HealthStatus website. Walking with added weight also puts stress on your joints, including your back and knees. The key to burning calories by walking with a weighted backpack is to ensure that you get the maximum burn with the minimum risk of injury.

Step 1

Use a backpack with padded shoulder straps and a hip strap. The hip strap will keep the backpack from bouncing and moving as you walk and protect your back and shoulders. The padding will prevent the straps from digging into your shoulders.

Step 2

Unzip the backpack and open it all the way. Lay the weights lengthwise inside the strap side of the bag and arrange them from the center out.

Step 3

Use duct tape to tape the weights inside the bag to keep them in place. You want the weight evenly distributed from top to bottom. Do not let the weights lay in the bottom of the bag, which can pull you off center. Having the weights in the bottom of the bag can also press against and irritate your hips and lower back.

Step 4

Zip up the backpack and put it on. Adjust the shoulder straps so that the bag is centered on your torso, and secure the strap around your hips.

Step 5

Walk outdoors or on a treadmill for at least 30 minutes plus a five-minute warm-up and cool-down. Keep your shoulders in line with your hips and your chin level with the ground. Pump your arms as you walk to increase your heart rate.

Step 6

Incorporate hills and stairs into your routine. Hills and stairs will raise the intensity and increase the number of calories you burn.

Step 7

Do intervals. Walk at a rate of 3 mph for two minutes, then speed up to 4 mph for one minute. Alternate between fast and slow for at least 30 minutes.

Warnings

• If you feel pain in your knees, ankles or hips, reduce the amount of weight or stop using the weights altogether.

Tips

• Start with one to five pounds of added weight and work your way up as you get stronger. Do not add more than 20 pounds to your backpack.
• If you do not have room to tape all of the bars inside the backpack, you can use the outside pockets as well. Just make sure the weights are evenly distributed and that none of them rest or swing against your lower back or hips.
• If you do not have weight bars, use flexible, sand-filled ankle weights. You can put the ankle weights in the bottom of the backpack but, as with the weight bars, you should evenly distribute the weight.
• Consider using a walk vest, which is specifically designed for weighted walking with its own weights and evenly spaced pockets..

Things You'll Need

• Backpack with hip strap
• 1-pound weight bars
• Duct tape

Source: livestrong.com/article/494473-how-to-burn-calories-by-walking-with-a-weighted-backpack/

Skipping breakfast can lead to TWO STONE of weight gain over a year

• Survey reveals those who skip breakfast three times a week are twice as likely to snack on a packet of crisps and chocolate bar mid-morning
• One in 10 people never eat breakfast, with more than a third admitting to skipping the first meal of the day at some point during the week
• An average 35g bowl of cereal with semi-skimmed milk is around 181 kcal
• But a 33g packet of crisps and 49g chocolate bar total 433 kcal

People who skip breakfast three times a week are twice as likely to gorge on an extra 252 calories a day, new research has today revealed.

Missing the first meal of the day increases the urge to snack and could cause a person to gain up to 26lb - almost two stone - a year, if the extra calories are not burned off through exercise.

A survey, conducted for Breakfast Week, revealed the most popular mid-morning snacks for breakfast skippers are crisps, chocolate and biscuits.

One in 10 people do not eat breakfast at all during the week.

And more than a third - 37 per cent - admit to skipping the first meal of the day at some point during the working week.

That is despite the survey, of 2,000 adults, revealing 45 per cent of breakfast skippers admitting it makes them feel hungry mid-morning, 30 per cent complaining of being tired and lacking in energy and 14 per cent revealing it leaves them feeling grumpy. 

The main reasons for missing breakfast are not feeling hungry first thing (30 per cent) or sacrificing eating for extra time in bed (23 per cent).

Meanwhile just over one in 10 (12 per cent) say they simply forget to eat breakfast, with the same number admitting they are too busy doing household chores. 

The survey also revealed how breakfast is key in affecting your food choices for the rest of the day.

Those who skip the meal are more likely to opt for a chocolate bar (27 per cent) and a can of sugary fizzy drink (one in 10) with their lunch, than those who eat breakfast every day (13 per cent and four per cent respectively).  

Dietitian Azmina Govindji said missing breakfast can cause a person's blood sugar levels to drop, encouraging them to reach for a snack that will provide instant gratification.

'This research suggests that those who are missing breakfast are more likely to have unhealthier eating habits during the rest of that morning period,' she told MailOnline.

'Perhaps a low blood sugar level prompts people to opt for something that is going to give them an instant boost, like a biscuit or chocolate bar, but this can be counter-productive, and offers little nutritional value.

'Or perhaps they're so hungry that they reach for the most convenient food to fill them up.

'Unfortunately convenient snacks don't always tend to be the healthiest and can be laden with sugar, salt and fat.

'The extra 252 calories that we've calculated people can be consuming if they miss breakfast and choose a chocolate bar and a 33g bag of crisps as snacks, can, over time, lead to significant weight gain if it's not compensated for in activity.'

The extra 252 calories is the difference between a person eating an average 35g bowl of branflakes cereal with 135ml of semi-skimmed milk (181 calories), and a 33g bag of crisps (173 calories) and a 49g chocolate bar (260 calories) - two of the most popular snacks among those missing breakfast.

Researchers calculated the potential weight gain, assuming a person eats an extra 252 calories every day - totalling 91,980 calories every year.

Assuming the extra calories are not matched with any physical activity or a reduced total intake over the course of each day, using the assumption that an extra 3,500 calories equate to an extra 1lb in weight, there is the potential for a person to gain 26lbs a year.

Ms Govindji added: 'Research shows that eating breakfast can help improve mood, energy and concentration.

'Studies have also demonstrated that people who eat breakfast are more likely to be in a healthy weight range than those who do not. 

'If you're someone that simply can't face eating first thing, then it's fine to have your breakfast a little later, perhaps when you get to work. 

'Or opt for something light like a small bowl of cereal or a piece of fruit. 

'There are lots of choices out there, many of which are quick and easy, so ideal for those who like to spend as much time as possible in bed; it's a case of finding something that works for you.'

Breakfast Week, a not-for-profit campaign organised by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, runs this week, until Sunday and is in its 16th year. 

Source: dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2927963/Do-regularly-skip-breakfast-twice-likely-snack-extra-250-calories-day-cause-TWO-STONE-weight-gain-year.html

How to Increase Lung Capacity After Smoking

Smoking can damage the lungs and affect lung capacity, making it difficult to breathe. The lungs contain tiny air sacs called alveoli where oxygen is transferred from inhaled air to the blood, according to the Cleveland Clinic. When these air sacs are damaged by smoking, the lungs and heart must work harder to take in oxygen, which can lead to shortness of breath, says Norman Edelman, M.D., chief medical officer for the American Lung Association. But there are ways to help heal your lungs and increase lung capacity after smoking.

Steps

Step 1

Do cardiovascular exercise. Run, speed walk, ride a bicycle or work out on fitness equipment, such as a stair climber or rowing machine, several times a week. "Aerobic exercise is the best thing you can do to heal the lungs after giving up smoking," Edelman says. Moving the large muscles of the body increases the demand for oxygen and expands the lungs ability to take in more air. This will help keep the respiratory system strong and may eventually increase lung capacity, according to Edelman.

Step 2

Add swimming to your workout mix. Swimming uses more muscles and requires greater lung capacity than any other type of cardiovascular exercise, according to Alice Burron, an exercise physiologist in Cheyenne, Wyoming and spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise. "The lung capacity of swimmers in peak condition can be three times that of the average person," Burron notes. Try to swim laps at least once a week to give your lungs a good workout, Burron recommends.

Step 3

Eat apples. In a British study of 2,500 men published in the journal "Thorax," regular consumption of apples was associated with increased lung capacity. The men who ate five or more apples per week had the greatest lung capacity. Edelmen says that other studies suggest eating apples may reduce your risk of lung cancer and improve your resistance to respiratory infections.

Step 4

Try yoga. The focused breathing required to practice yoga may help increase lung capacity. Yoga exercises the diaphragm muscles that expand the lungs during breathing and allow more air to be inhaled into the lungs. "More air in the lungs may eventually stretch the lungs and increase lung capacity," Burron says. If yoga isn't your cup of tea, Burron adds that simply doing deep breathing exercises can also improve the health of your respiratory system and may increase lung capacity.

Step 5

Take up a musical wind instrument. Playing a wind or brass instrument is a good way to exercise the lungs, which may improve lung capacity, Edelman says. The best musical instruments for increasing lung capacity? Edelman recommends a clarinet, flute, oboe, tuba, trumpet or trombone. Singing may also be helpful.

Step 6

Be patient. Increasing lung capacity after smoking takes time. Edelman says that it won't happen overnight no matter what you do. According to the American Lung Association, it takes two weeks to three months for lung function to begin to improve after giving up smoking and up to nine months for shortness of breath to decrease. But regular exercise, a healthy diet and continued smoking cessation will help improve the health of your lungs and increase lung capacity over time.

Warnings

• Consult your doctor before starting a strenuous exercise program, especially if you've been a long-term smoker. Poor lung function due to smoking transfers more of the burden of exercise to the heart, according to the Cleveland Clinic. This could lead to heart failure.
• If you have hoarseness, frequent coughing or shortness of breath, it's important to see your doctor to be checked out for lung cancer and emphysema, Edelman warns. Delayed diagnosis of either disease can negatively affect the success of treatment.

Tips

• To keep your lungs healthy, stay away from smoke-filled environments. "Breathing secondhand smoke damages the air sacs in the lungs, increasing the risk of lung illnesses and diminished lung capacity, Edelman says.
• Exercise may help you resist the urge to start smoking again, in addition to helping to increase lung capacity. Some research suggests that regular aerobic exercise reduces nicotine cravings, Edelman says. Exercise will also help stave off weight gain after giving up smoking.

Source: livestrong.com/article/217724-how-to-increase-lung-capacity-after-smoking/