Pets and Their Positive Effect On Our Health

Most people adopt pets just so that they have something cute to play around with. But aside from the 'aww' factor, what else is keeping a pet good for?

Would you believe me if I tell you that your health may benefit from picking up a pet from the shelter? Sounds hard to believe? Let me tell you why.

Once you get a pet of your own, you instantly pick up a friend. They're always there with you when you're at your lowest, listening to you when you need to rant, and they're still beside you when you're having the best day of your life. People with pets are generally less stressed that people who don't have one.

Also, if you have a pet, specifically a dog, you're going to have to take him out for walks or play with them as they are naturally playful animals. You may not think so, but that, right there, is physical activity. The more physical activity you have, the more fat you burn and the more excess weight you begin to shed.

Now, who would've thought having a pet around could do so much good?

 

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

Get the Long, Shapely Legs You've Always Wanted

Would you agree with me when I say that the legs are the hardest to keep toned? Why, even models have a hard time keeping their legs cellulite-free. You can just imagine how difficult it would be for regular people to combat cellulite.

But fitness trainers explain that by performing leg-specific exercises, you can slowly work your way to perfect, shapely legs. Here are some examples of leg-shaping exercises:

1. Lunges and step-up exercises have been well-endorsed because these routines work out all the different leg muscles at once. You can easily do it anywhere and don't necessarily require expensive equipment.

2. Squats are also great for the legs and calves. Unfortunately, they're not easy on the knees as they tend to carry most of the stress of the exercise.

3. Leg lifts are also a great way to give your legs some work out. However, it tends to focus more on the thighs than the calves. Adding weights to your leg lifts can increase the speed of progress.

For more information on these exercise and how to safely perform it, consult a fitness professional for guidance. It's better to be safe than sorry after all.

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

How to Drop One Pound A Week

Health professionals advise obese and overweight individuals to get started on dieting to shed excess pounds and decrease their risks of developing chronic diseases like heart attack and diabetes.

But the big problem is finding the will to stay away from the foods that we're so used to eating. What if there's a way to shed pounds slow and steady without fighting the urge to eat your favorite foods.

If you're a big potato chip junkie, learn to control your consumption by not holding on to the big bag while you munch. Get a small bowl and fill it with enough chips. The reason behind this is that as long as your hand can feel that there's something to grab and stuff to your mouth, it'll keep feeding your mouth with chips.

If you have a sweet tooth, why not choose something natural. Dried fruits can make for a great alternative for the sweet stuff. You can replace your sugary drinks with home-made fruit juices to keep things natural and chemical-free.

Keep in mind that you want to be able to stick to your diet. Cutting your guilty pleasures out completely only increases your chances of failing.

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

Control Overeating By Curbing Your Hunger

When I'm hard pressed with time, I tend to skip meals and compensate for the missed meal on the next one. And because this tends to happen a lot, I get told that I overeat.

I hate to say this but because I did overeat, I gained weight. This is why I'm trying to learn to curb my hunger so that I can stop overeating. I've found several ways to naturally curb my hunger without the use of diet pills, here are some of them:

• Take in lots of water. Water has been known for its filling properties.
• Take time to chew. The longer you chew, the more time you give your stomach to realize that you're filling it with food.
• Break your food consumption down into smaller chunks and eat in two to three hours intervals.
• Choose high fiber foods as they are more filling. It also takes a longer time for the feeling of fullness to go away.

It'll take a little getting used to, but I'm going to stick with this to finally control my eating habits and eventually lose weight.

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

Sing to Health

So I've been backtracking American Idol season nine episodes lately and found this one auditionee who had asthma. And I got thinking, how could someone who has respiratory problem get into singing?

Apparently, singing does us a world of good, both physically and mentally.

Singing can act as a great stress reliever. It can help take our mind off of whatever it is that's troubling us. Also, it can also serve as a creative channel to express our emotions.

As for the physical benefits of singing. It can act as an aerobic exercise that works out our lungs, our abdominal muscles, and pumps up your blood circulation. A pretty great lung workout for someone with asthma, don't you think?

The constant breathing that comes with singing makes your lungs and abs contract more and it also gets more oxygen into your blood and into your system. The more oxygen you have in your blood, the better equipped your body becomes to protecting itself from diseases.

Now that I've learned about this, I don't think I'm going to pass up on the opportunity to sing whenever I can. And that would be in the shower while I get ready for work.

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

Working Around Your Lactose Intolerance

As much as I love dairy products, there's only a certain level that I can take because I have, to an extent, lactose intolerance. I'm just lucky that I can take more than enough to give me my fix of dairy everyday.

For those like me who can tolerate lactose to a certain degree, learning to moderate one's dairy consumption can help create a compromise between your love of lactose-based products and your inability to digest them fully.

First up, determine just how much dairy you can take. This way, the next time cheese is on the menu, you'll know just how much your body can take and stop when you reach that point.

I've learned that I can take more milk or cheese when it's mixed with something else. I drink milk with a little chocolate and take my cheese mixed into my salad.

I've also learned not to take my dairy without anything prior to it. I found that my stomach revolts to the lactose faster when I eat cheese on an empty stomach.

Again, it would be best to consult your doctor to understand more about your lactose intolerance and ask for workarounds to your condition.

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap

Healthy Breakfast Choices For An Energy Boost

As a person who sleeps late, I find myself almost always feeling tired and fatigued every morning. This feeling usually extends until after lunch where work starts picking up.

My roommate tells me it's because I don't eat breakfast, not the right kind anyway. She tells me that there are lots of breakfast foods that will help me feel energized early in the morning.

Take eggs, for example, she says. It's filled with protein, which stimulates the production of a brain chemical that makes us alert and increases the heart rate. It also takes a while for protein to be fully digested, so you're sure to have a steady supply of energy for a few hours.

Multi-grain cereals are also a great energy starter. They are high in iron, a mineral that helps distribute oxygen to your muscles. The more oxygenated the muscles, the more energetic you are.

Lastly, a glass of OJ should be part of your breakfast if you want to be up and energized early. Thanks to carnitine found in citrus fruits, fat gets distributed to cells to be used as energy. Vitamin C also reduces the effects of stress, making you less prone to fatigue.

Written By: Abbey Grace Yap