Stretching Is A Must, & Here’s Why

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Many people don’t understand the importance of stretching before exercising. Some of the benefits of stretching before exercising include injury prevention, reduced muscle tension, increased energy levels and improved circulation and flexibility. By stretching, you allow your muscles to be stretched out gently and slowly. Stretching helps reduce the soreness that you can feel after exercising or working out. You’re also putting yourself at risk of sustaining injuries if you don’t stretch before exercising.

When you exercise without stretching your muscles first, they’ll stretch once you start to exercise. The muscles can get stretched out too fast, which can lead to a pulled muscle. For instance, you may pull a muscle in your arms if you’re doing exercises that use your arms. You may pull a muscle in your legs if you’re doing exercises that mostly use your legs. You have to get your muscles stretched out before you begin working them. Here are other reasons why you should stretch.

Prevent Muscle Soreness after Exercising

Stretching after exercising will help the muscles recover. This will put your muscles and tendons in better condition. You won’t feel muscle soreness as you allowed your muscles to stretch gently before starting. Stretching after exercising will help relax your muscles.

Improve Posture

Stretching your muscles in your chest, back and shoulders can help keep you in better position, allowing you to stand straighter. As the muscles function in pairs, stretching can help treat muscle disproportions that cause you to slouch.

Improve Circulation

The flow of blood to the muscles increases when you stretch. This brings the muscles more nourishment, allowing them to recover faster when they’re injured.
Increase Range of Motion
The muscles get tighter as you grow older and your range of motion can be reduced, which can compromise your everyday activities. Stretching on a regular basis lengthens your muscles, allowing you to move with much more ease.

Alleviate Stress

You tighten your muscles when you are stressed. Stretching alleviates stress and makes you more relaxed.
Reduce Risk of Injury
By stretching, your joints and limbs can move further. Remember that the more conditioned your tendons and muscles are, the better they’ll deal with the demands of your workout or exercise. This can help you reduce the risk of injury.

Reduce Lower Back Pain

The tension in the spine that is causing lower back pain can be reduced by stretching the hip flexors, pelvis and hamstrings.
Stretching is an important part of any exercise or workout routine. You should stretch before you exercise as it is good for the body and your mental state. Muscle soreness is painful and might even cause you to give up on working out or exercising. You don’t want this to happen. By stretching, you can avoid sore muscles and lower back pain. You can improve your posture, circulation and range of motion. These are just some of the reasons why you should stretch. With all these benefits, there’s no reason why you should not stretch before exercising.

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Ring Hazards: My princess cut engagement ring horror!

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We usually only post studied pieces so this is out of character but we found this quite important to talk about. My husband and I recently just got engaged, and he landed on a princess cut engagement ring for me.

I was wearing it for 2 weeks and noticed my finger extremely puffed and and red. Eek.

Many married people were complaining about the itchy feeling in their ring finger. The very common is the wedding ring dermatitis that usually occurs under the ring band. People who have sensitive skin and prone to allergies, eczema and other atopic dermatitis most likely can experience this type of allergy. The nickel component on the ring is one of the culprits of allergy as well as the soap residue buildup under the ring.

It may happen even after long years of wearing the ring. The allergy is manifested by the appearance of red patch on the skin. It may fade on its own or worse it may become chronic. It is more possible if the wearer doesn’t take it off when doing the laundry or washing the dishes.

In most cases, people who are susceptible to nickel allergies don’t know about it. That’s why they are more worried once the skin becomes itchy and reddish. Nickel allergies is very common in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Thus, anyone who is allergic with nickel should avoid using ring that has nickel component otherwise the skin irritation won’t go away on its own.

As mentioned earlier, allergies can also happen if water and soap is trapped for long time under the ring. That’s why it makes sense to wear off the ring and wipe it dry after washing and ensure that the skin is also dry. If you notice that the skin under the ring is reddish, you can opt to transfer it to your other finger.

Wedding ring allergies can be easily treated as long as it is given immediate attention and treatment. Aside from properly rinsing and drying the skin, applying lotion can protect the skin irritation.
But, before applying anything on your skin it is best to consult first a dermatologist to ensure that the condition will not aggravate. Keep in mind that the irritation may worsen if you’re using the wrong substance. Likewise, if the wedding ring allergies persist after employing treatment, the best thing to do is to consult again to your dermatologist for new medication. You should also avoid wearing the ring until such time that the irritation gets well.

If you’re just planning to get married and you have allergy from nickel or other metals, you should be extra careful in choosing your wedding ring. You can choose other options to avoid wedding ring allergies. Nevertheless, if ever the allergy occurs several years after wearing the ring, you should not wait for long time before treating it. You should wear off the ring immediately so that the irritation would not affect deeply your skin.
The wedding ring serves as the proof of union. But, if the allergy occurs you have no other choice but to wear it off for some days. Otherwise, the irritation may amputate your finger when it is infected. Thus, immediate treatment should be employed the soonest possible time.

Why Bananas Are Key

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Bananas have a special place in low salt, fat and cholesterol diets. Eating this fruit is a good way to recover from fatigue. Bananas have 3 naturally occurring sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose. These naturally occurring sugars, combined with the fiber in bananas, provide a considerable and sustained boost of energy, making this fruit great for professional athletes and regular people who are working out. Eating 2 bananas is enough to get energy for an arduous 90-minute workout. Bananas are also a great and healthy snack for kids.

The increase in energy levels is the reason why bananas are the number one fruit for athletes. This fruit also prevents a large number of health conditions. Adding bananas to your daily diet is recommended due to the many benefits it provides.

Unripe bananas can be cooked and ripe ones are eaten as a breakfast fruit or in a dessert. The flour made from dried unripe banana is 3 times richer in minerals than wheat flour. Banana chips made from unripe banana are not only delicious, but also healthy. Bananas are also a good food for infants. Here are other reasons why you should eat bananas.

Blood Pressure

Banana is low in sodium and contains high amounts of potassium, making it a good natural protection against high blood pressure. Certain compounds in this fruit work like angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Angiotensin-converting enzyme increases blood pressure. Six varieties of bananas have ACE inhibiting properties. The potassium it contains also naturally energizes the brain, which makes students more receptive and alert.

Bowel Movements
Bananas have colon cleansing fiber, which helps restore and promote regular bowel movements. This also makes bananas a good and natural laxative alternative.


Bananas can help alleviate heartburn as they have a natural antacid effect. Eat bananas for dessert to avoid heartburn.


Bananas contain Tryptophan, a kind of protein which is converted into serotonin in the body. Serotonin improves your mood.

Nicotine Withdrawal

Bananas contain vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, which help smokers get rid of their habit. Along with the magnesium and potassium it contains, bananas help smokers recover from nicotine withdrawal.

Intestinal Disorder

Bananas can be used as a dietary food when treating intestinal disorders. Chronic ulcer patients, for instance, have to avoid acidic fruits. Bananas neutralize the hyperacidity of the gastric juice. Ripe bananas can help treat ulcerative colitis as it is slightly laxative, bland and easy to digest. This fruit also alleviates acute symptoms and speeds up the healing process.


Bananas contain a high amount of iron, making it beneficial in treating anemia. It promotes hemoglobin production.
These are just some of the reasons why you should eat bananas. Raw bananas contain 20 to 25% starch. During the ripening process, the starch is completely converted into sugar, so bananas should be consumed thoroughly ripe in order for it to be digested easily. Those with renal failure should not eat bananas due to the high amounts of potassium that this fruit contains.

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Why Vegetable Oils Are A No No

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Cooking with vegetable oils is bad for the health. When heated, vegetable oils release harmful chemicals associated with various diseases such as cancer. Here’s why vegetable oils are bad to cook with.

Trans Fats – Vegetable oils have high amounts of trans fats which are extremely toxic and linked to a higher risk of developing different disease like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Some of the most common sources of trans fats are processed baked goods. Avoid vegetable oils to reduce your exposure to this kind of fats.

Fatty Acids – Vegetable oils ruin the fatty acid composition of the cells in the body. Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids that the body cannot produce. These fatty acids should be obtained in the right balance. Imbalance can cause various health problems. Fatty acids are more reactive when they have more double bonds. Polyunsaturated fats can react with oxygen which can lead to chain reactions and damage various body structures. These fatty acids may also stay in the cell membranes, which can boost detrimental oxidative chain reactions.

Inflammation – Eicosanoids are made using Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. These modified fatty acids stay in the cell membranes and play an important role in different bodily functions such as immunity, inflammation and cellular messaging. Acute inflammation can help the body heal from damage, but having persistent, systemic inflammation is not good at all. Eicosanoids formed from Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory, while those formed from Omega-6s are pro-inflammatory.

These fatty acids compete with one another. You need less Omega-3 if you have less Omega-6. You need more Omega-3 if you have more Omega-6. Having low Omega-3 and high Omega-6 is very bad. A diet that has low amounts of Omega-3, but high in Omega-6 increases the risk of inflammation. On the other hand, a diet with balanced amounts of Omega-3 and Omega-6 reduces the risk of inflammation. Increased inflammation can contribute to different diseases such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Processed seed oils such as corn oil, safflower oil, soybean oil as well as sunflower oil are usually called vegetable oils and they contain large amounts of Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. These are biologically active fats that are harmful in large amounts.

Soybean oil, for instance, contains PHG. This toxic biochemical is poisonous not only to animals, but also to humans. PHG can slow blood circulation, alter hormone activity, cause blood clothing and memory loss, interfere with digestion, negatively affect the peripheral and central nervous system, slow down blood circulation and vital organ functions.

Polyunsaturated fats can also affect other diseases as they are involved in bodily functions on a molecular level. The ratio of Omega-3 and Omega-6 in blood has been found to be strongly linked to the possibility of severe depression.

With these reasons, you should start looking for healthier alternatives to vegetables oils. Plant oils such as coconut oil and olive oil are good for you as these are natural.

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The True Benefits Of Broccoli

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Broccoli is among the healthiest foods out there as it contains many vital chemicals that sustain the body like anti-cancer, detox-support, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients. It can be served with a meat dish or eaten raw. Here are the benefits of broccoli that you should know.

Immune System

Broccoli contains vitamin C, zinc, selenium and beta-carotene. It not only helps you avoid common cold, but also helps those with hay fever.
Broccoli is a great source of vitamin A. This vitamin is required by the body to create vital molecules to help you see even in low lighting conditions. Aside from vitamin A, broccoli also has lutein, a carotenoid which can lower the risk of developing cataracts.

Weight Loss

Broccoli contains high amounts of fiber that promotes regular bowel movements, which in turn helps you have a healthy digestive system. The fiber also helps in maintaining blood sugar levels. As broccoli makes you feel fuller for a longer period of time, it prevents you from eating too much. This can help in your weight loss efforts.


Broccoli is rich in vitamin K and calcium, which are crucial for healthy bones. It also helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a disease that increases the possibility of bone fracture.


Broccoli has sulforaphane which can help reverse or prevent damaged blood vessel linings caused by inflammation due to persistent blood sugar disorders. Research has shown that lutein that slow down the speed in which the arteries thicken as you age. This can help reduce the possibility of stroke and heart diseases. Broccoli also has folate and vitamin B6, which have been proven to reduce the risk of having a heart attack.


Broccoli is among the most powerful vegetables that can help reduce the risk of developing cancer. It contains indole-3-carbinol, a chemical that helps repair DNA in damaged cells. This chemical also reduces the development of cancerous tumors.
Broccoli has glucoraphanin that can be processed by the body into sulforaphane, an anti-cancer compound that can kill bacteria in the body. A study done by the University of Illinois revealed that broccoli’s anti-cancer properties can be boosted when paired with different spicy foods that contain myrosinase. This enzyme can be found in horseradish, mustard, wasabi and other spicy foods.
With all the broccoli benefits mentioned above, there is no reason why you should not include it in your diet. Make sure that it is not overcooked as it will then lose many of its benefits. Broccoli can be stir fried or steamed (not less than five minutes) if you don’t want to eat it raw.
Boiling or steaming broccoli makes it bland as the process takes away its flavor. This is why many kids hate eating broccoli. There are other creative ways to add broccoli to your food like adding to salads or sautéing it with mushrooms. If you are planning to eat broccoli regularly, it is still best to talk to your doctor first to get the right advice.

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