msommer, Author at Better Innovations

7 Tips For Improved Eating Habits

December 14, 2011 By msommer

Staying fit is not only about what you eat but how. This entails changing the quantity of your meals, promoting good digestion and eating at regular intervals. For a healthy diet, it is essential to change your daily eating habits. Consider incorporating the following tips into your diet plan.

1. Break your fast. For your digestion and weight loss, dieticians recommend eating a heartier breakfast. This will balance our your glucose for the day and save you from binging on snacks later on. Most dieticians suggest a healthy mix of proteins, dietary fiber, fruits and veggies.

2. Consume natural digestives. Your digestion is key is greater energy and the absorption of nutrients. If your body is working to hard to digest it may lead to fatigue. Try drinking some peppermint tea that will act as a natural digestive.

3. Snack smart. When snacking stick to small healthy portions and avoid foraging through open bags. Prefer liquid snacks such as soups and smoothies. These snacks are predigested and if you are careful, can be healthy too.

4. An early dinner. A prime cause of weight gain is a late dinner. Your body doesnâ€™t have the proper time to digest when you eat right before bed. Plan your dinners early in the late afternoon. While most people save dinner for their largest meal of the day, dieticians agree that dinner to should be a modest portion comparable to breakfast or lunch.

5. Take fizzy water with a lemon. A carbonated beverage with lemon is a fresh way to circulate carbon dioxide in your body and to your brain. This will increase your energy and cognitive functionality. It is also great for liver function and digestion.

6. Pump up your C. As a natural immune system booster, vitamin C should be incorporated into any diet plan. Avoid sugar laden juices and get vitamin C from the source in oranges, bell peppers and kiwis. This is a natural way to stay fit and resistant to colds.

7. Supplement minerals. Use ingredients that inject energy, vitamins and phytonutrients right into your diet plan. Try to eat high magnesium foods such as black beans and okra. Include antioxidants in your diet plan by eating blue and red foods such as blueberries and cranberries. Use natural sugar products such as blackstrap molasses.

Changing your eating habits is an easy way to feel and live healthier. Give these tips a try for better eating habits.

Matthew writes health tips and helps people to get cheaper insurance quotes.

7 Alternative Remedies for High Cholesterol

December 1, 2011 By msommer

Physicians often prescribe treatments of statins for patients with high cholesterol. While this may be the most effective treatment, some people are hesitant to take a medication for the rest of their lives. There are also alternative and natural remedies for your cholesterol that include diet and medicinal supplements. These alternative treatments can be used alone or in conjunction with prescribed medication to affect your cholesterol.

1. Artichoke. Limited studies suggest that artichoke extract, cynara scolymnus, is an effective treatment for lowering LDL cholesterol. This comes from a German study that claims artichoke extract will reduce cholesterol levels by up to 22.9%.

2. Policosanol. A non-prescription method of reducing cholesterol. Policosanol is plant wax, which is derived from sugar, bees wax and yams. Certain studies show results rivaling that of statins (from 10 â€“ 20 % HDL increase). Policosanol is available in dietary supplements.

3. Red yeast rice. Cardiologists agree that red yeast rice cuts levels of cholesterol. In a study, a group consuming red yeast rice had their cholesterol decrease markedly better than a group who had a placebo. Turning red when fermented, red yeast rice actually shows traces of statins in its chemical analysis. It is readily available in herbal supplements.

4. Krill oil. Proven more effective than fish oil in reducing LDL cholesterol. It is uncertain exactly how krill affects your cholesterol, but is overwhelmingly good for heart health. Krill oil has beta-carotene, antioxidants and more omega 3 than fish oil. Krill oil is available in soft gel supplements.

5. Fo-ti root. Classically used in Chinese medicine, this root has numerous benefits for fatigue and as a detoxifier. It is also an alternative medicine for reducing cholesterol. Fo-ti root is available in extracts and capsules.

6. Garlic. The benefits of garlic for your cholesterol are controversial. Supplement of garlic are largely taken to in part treat high cholesterol. Some studies suggest that garlic does lower bad cholesterol but only works temporarily.

7. Fiber. Dietary fiber absorbs cholesterol and, in effect, allows more cholesterol to naturally process through the liver to create more bile acids. Dieticians recommend including fiber in your daily diet.

If you cholesterol is out of control, a physicianâ€™s aggressive approach is probably your best option. If, on the other hand, your cholesterol is moderately elevated, give try these remedies out and see how they affect your cholesterol.

Matthew writes health tips and helps people to get cheap insurance quotes.

6 Meditation Benefits For The Elderly

November 18, 2011 By msommer

More and more of the elderly in the West are giving meditation a try. This is nothing new in the East where the oldest generation has utilized meditation for centuries. Meditation, regardless of your spirituality, yields numerous benefits for those young and old. Many older meditation participants are reaping the benefits that meditation teaches for the trials of old age. The following examples are only a few of the health gains associated with meditation.

1. Lowers blood pressure. Meditation relieves your tension that cause high blood pressure. More scientifically speaking, the process of meditation influences the production of nitric oxide, which widens your blood vessels. Some physicians are suggesting meditation along with other lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise.

2. Relieves stress. Stress is a killer that can lead to a score of medical complications. As you get older the chance of stress triggering health conditions such as a heart attack or asthmatic episode is ever more likely. Daily meditation reduces your stress and teaches techniques to control stress in a tense situation.

3. Clear mindedness. One reason meditation is often associated with Eastern religion is because its clarity induced state is essential to those spiritual pursuits. Meditation allows for peacefulness and clear thought. Since the elderly are often more concerned about mortality, this allows for spiritual reflection regardless of your religious beliefs.

4. Focuses memory. Meditation can also assist with the onset of dementia and Alzheimerâ€™s disease. A study from the University of Pennsylvania suggests that daily meditation slows down the progression of Alzheimerâ€™s. The study shows that participants who meditated just twelve minutes a day had increased blood flow in their brains. The participants also tested for improved memories.

5. Pain management. The idea is mind over matter, yet you donâ€™t have to be a monk to manage pain. A study at the University School of Medicine indicates that pain discomfort is greatly reduced in test subject who were meditating. This sort of technique, if effective, would be invaluable to those with chronic pain.

6. Sleep. Proven to be effective with insomniacs, meditation can help with your sleep patterns. Try relaxing with mediation in the morning or afternoon but not before bed. While meditating relaxes you it can also wake you up if practiced to close to bedtime.

Meditation will take some effort and practice, yet the benefits for even the novice are great. Give meditation a try and see how it can work for you.

Matthew write health tips.

6 Alternative Methods For Reducing Stress

November 4, 2011 By msommer

Stress affects your day-to-day life and can be detrimental to your health. At the same time controlling your stress is easier said than done. Short of medication there are various techniques that will effectively reduce your stress. Give the following methods a try.

1. Biofeedback. Hooked up to electric leads, biofeedback monitors your heart rate, skin temperature, blood pressure and breathing. These biological functions are signs of stress. By watching the readout of the bodily functions you can teach yourself to regulate and control them. Biofeedback is a proven anxiety and stress reducer that is also good for your health.

2. Meditation. The process of simply quieting your mind and in effect; relaxing. Researchers believe that daily meditation can significantly reduce stress and lower your blood pressure. Try sitting a quiet spot and not thinking for 20 minutes a day. It just might eliminate the incessant thoughts you are stressed about.

3. Massage. If youâ€™ve ever experienced a massage then you know its relaxing power. Numerous studies show that massage and actual physical touch is responsible for decreasing cortisol levels to relieve stress. Some health care providers now cover massage therapy due to its positive impact on your health.

4. Hypnosis. Not only a cool trick at the fair but also a worthwhile therapeutic treatment. The benefits of hypnosis are two-fold. The process of hypnosis helps you to relax while you also train yourself to be less stressed or lead a less stressful lifestyle. You can either choose to see a professional hypnotist or learn easy methods to hypnotize yourself.

5. Yoga. It is all in the breath. Yoga involves athletic stretches and exercises based around focus and your breathing. The process is deeply relaxing and good for your body too. Yoga teachers claim that the moves restore the flow of energy in your body. Whether you believe this or not, yoga is an effective method to control stress. Try yoga only if you are physically fit enough for the exercises.

6. Art and crafts. Hobbies are an excellent way to take your attention of the daily stresses. Try an art class or buy a pottery wheel. Artists and hobbyists know that focusing all of your attention on a piece of art is a cathartic experience. Take up an art form for yourself and reap the benefits.

Donâ€™t let stress control your life. Utilize these methods will help you to live healthier and stress free.

Matthew Sommer writes health tips and helps people to compare health insurance quotes.

Also try one of our relaxing sound machines or massagers over at the BHI Store.

Alternative Methods For Back Pain

October 13, 2011 By msommer

Back pain can be a debilitating condition. Once youâ€™ve exhausted modern medical treatments, and are fed up with popping pain pills, you may consider resorting to alternative means. There are in fact many effective alternative treatments for your backâ€™s health. Give some of the following methodologies a try to relieve your back pain.

1. Acupuncture. Working along acupuncture points (meridians), acupuncturists place painless needles in your skin. Where the needles are placed is based on your pain and thousands of years of trial and error. For instance, back pain is often relieved with needles in your under elbow and hand. If youâ€™re not interested in getting punctured try acupressure. Acupressure works on the same meridians without the needles.

2. Yoga. Who can argue with a good stretch? Yoga strengthens your back against further injury and stretches it to relieve pain. If you believe in Chi, these motions also allow your energy to move more freely through your body.

3. Chiropractic. Another form of alternative back pain therapy. Chiropractors manipulate and â€œadjustâ€ your back to relieve pain. There are many skeptics of this treatment, however, most advocates simply refer to the relief the treatment allows and shy away from the vitalistic claims of early chiropractors.

4. Cupping. This Chinese therapy involves putting a flame in a glass cup to create a vacuum and then applying the cup to points on your back. The vacuum creates suction pulling your skin into the cup and increasing your circulation, which encourages the healing process. The actual therapy is doesnâ€™t hurt much but leaves red rashes where the cups were applied.

5. Rolfing. A sometimes painful procedure, rolfing is the manipulation of soft body tissue. For your back, this means folding yourself into yogo-like positions to be massaged by a rolfing specialist. It is not a proven methodology, however, participants are often relieved afterwards (perhaps because it is over).

6. Prolotherapy. This therapy involves injecting sugar solutions into your ligaments and tendons. The idea is that this will promote the growth of connective tissue and healing. Some studies show that this is not an effective method by itself, yet there are some positive results for this method in conjunction with massage or other techniques.

7. Alexander technique. So simply it might work. This technique, also used to improve vocal capability, involves methods of improving your posture. Poor posture is of course a proven cause of some back pain, so it follows that this technique has proven validity.

What is most important is that these therapies are effective in treating your pain. Give these techniques a shot to see what works for you.

You can also try an inversion table or a Thumper massager over at the BHI Store.