How to Hold your Breath Longer

If you are a swimmer, a diver, a dancer, or an athlete, you can benefit by learning how to hold your breath longer. Although it is difficult to hold your breath for a long duration in the first attempt, continuous practice will help you to hold your breath longer. Holding your breath means you have to increase the capacity of your lungs to control inhaling and exhaling air. However, be careful while you practice holding your breath. 

Never practice to hold your breath alone as you may pass out if you hold your breath for too long. Stop holding your breath if you begin to feel weak and dizzy. Also, be sure to practice these exercises only under the strict supervision of an expert. If you really wish to learn to hold your breath longer and impress your friends, then here are some tips to your aid. Read through the following sections to learn the different ways of holding your breath for longer durations.

Holding Your Breath Longer

Breathing Exercises

Although there is no way by which you can increase the size of your lungs, you can do several breathing exercises to increase the capacity of your lungs to hold air. Take a deep breath slowly through your nose and hold it for 30 seconds. Subsequently, gradually exhale the air through your mouth. Rest for 30 seconds and then do it again. Do this breathing exercise once in the morning and once at night. Gradually increase the time of holding your breath. You may use a stopwatch to check and see as to how long you have managed to hold your breath each time.

Quit Smoking

If you are a heavy smoker, then try to quit smoking. Quitting helps increase your lungs ability to release carbon dioxide and absorb more oxygen. If you are a regular smoker, the black smoke and the tar will damage your lung tissues to a great extent. Quitting will improve your lungs and you can effectively hold your breath for longer.

Swimming

Swimming is a great exercise that helps hold your breath longer. It strengthens your lung tissues thus helping you to hold your breath for longer. Start with small sessions so that your lungs and muscles grow strong. Increase your time gradually until you have reached your goal.

Useful Tips

Don’t hold air in your cheeks. Splash cold water on your face before you start practicing holding your breath. Alternatively, you can also use a cold washcloth on your face. Research studies have shown that washing your face with cold water triggers bradycardia or the slowing of the heart rate. However, don’t use icepacks. Make sure the water temperature is around 21 degree celsius and the rest of your body is in a relaxed position.

In order to hold your breath longer, you need to relax your muscles. Meditation is a good exercise that lowers your heart rate and helps you relax. The more you lower your heart rate, the better you can hold your breath. To meditate, close your eyes, and focus on a thought that makes you calm and relaxes your nerves.

Try not to move at any point when holding your breath. When you move or do some physical activity, you waste oxygen and you need to breathe more to get adequate oxygen supply. On the other hand, when you relax you consume less oxygen as your heart rate drops down. Try holding your breath when you are in a relaxed state.

These are some of the best ways to hold your breath. However, be sure to practice these techniques only under the supervision of an expert to avoid complications.

How to Fight a Cold

Any query of medications for cold is most often met by a reply that goes like “with medications the cold will last seven days and without medications it takes about a week”. This is because there is no known cure for common cold. Often it is said that humans cannot call themselves thoroughly developed as long as the cure for common cold eludes them. 

Cold is one of the most common ailments that affect mankind and the only way to respond to it, as of now, is to fight it or to work for relief. Common cold, though it doesn’t pose a serious risk to the health, can be quite irritating. Getting infected with just one symptom of cold is enough to hamper any type of work. 

So, for proper functioning, it is important that we know how to get relief from cold. For this, this article will be of immense help. If you follow all the remedies given below, then you can tide over the battle with cold, without much discomfort. Keep on reading to know how you can fight a cold.

Remedies For Cold

Supplements

There are various supplements that can provide relief against cold. The best is of course zinc tablets and lozenges. Vitamin C supplements are also very effective in fighting the cold virus. One should take vitamin C supplements every 3 to 4 hours. Marshmallow and slippery elm soothes the sore throat. These also provide relief against the cold.

Chicken Soup

Chicken soup has traditionally been the most widely used home remedy for common types of ailments like fever and cold. A bowl of homemade chicken soup helps open the nasal passages and provides the much-needed relief. It is better if you do not go for commercial chicken soup. Have at least three bowls of chicken soup throughout the day.

Liquids

Drink plenty of liquids like water and juices throughout the day. Needless to say that you shouldn’t drink cold liquids as it will aggravate your condition further. Drink at least 8 to 12 glasses of boiled water and fresh fruit juices during the day. The liquids will act as the natural body cleanser and also provide the body with essential vitamins and minerals. It is also important that you stay away from all alcoholic and caffeine-related beverages.

Rest And Sleep

During cold, the virus weakens down the body and the immune system. Stay away from any rigorous activity so that the body doesn’t have to use extra strength to fight the virus. It is always better if you can manage to sleep nine to twelve hours a day. Good sleep will rejuvenate the body and you will feel less weak.

Nasal Flush

Regularly flush the nasal passages with water using a netti pot. This will clear the sinuses and help in proper elimination of mucus. Another effective method is to gargle with salt water. Both gargling and nasal flush should be done regularly to speeden up the healing process and also for cold relief.

Humidifier

If the season is dry and cold, then it is very helpful if you can install a humidifier in your room. This will help in restricting the natural environment from aggravating the cold. You should also keep the house free of dust and other allergens.

How to Breathe when Running

You have put on your shorts, laced up your running shoes, got your playlist lined up and are all set to take on the tracks. However, before you sprint, make sure that you have your breathing technique in place. Having your breathing technique in place will save you from post-run fatigue and stress. 

If you feel giddy, queasy, breathless and high-strung after a good mile of running, then it means you are not sucking in enough air to sustain your speed, performance and energy. Believe it or not, even the savviest of runners forget to breathe when on the run. Result - fatigue, increased blood pressure, cardiac cramps and more. 

If you really wish to run a marathon without passing out, then all you have to do is boost your breathing skills to save your heart and lungs from hitting a slump. The cue is to breathe, and breathe correct! You must have often seen and heard coaches and spectators pressing the runners to breathe hard. 

For a physical activity as intense as running, air exchange is crucial. So make sure that you suck in enough oxygen and push out carbon dioxide when on the go. These breathing techniques for running should ensure that you sprint an extra mile without tiring your body or injuring yourself.

Breathing Techniques For Running

It is easy to forget to breathe while you are sprinting on the tracks or even breathe erratically. However, if you wish to forego the stress, have more energy, and perform better in the run, then you will have to learn to breathe well, even while on the go. For that, it is important to develop a proper breathing pattern to stop your blood pressure or your heart rate from shooting high. The trick is to breathe comfortably instead of gulping in air.

If you feel wobbly and shaky after a good mile of running and your heart thumps faster, then it could be that your body isn’t getting enough oxygen and is sustaining more carbon dioxide instead. It’s crucial therefore to oxygenate your body fully and expel carbon dioxide from it as well. A 3:2 inhale-to-exhale ratio can do the trick. The cue is to inhale on the left, right, left foot strikes and exhale fully on the right and left foot strikes.

Experts say that maintaining rhythmic strides while running can save one from sport-related injuries. Using a 3:2 ratio not only pushes out carbon dioxide from the body and improves oxygen levels, but also helps to balance the stress on both sides of the body, which means lesser stress and lesser injury.

Just establish a steady rhythmic pattern between your steps and your breathing. You can repeat a chant or cadence to create your own breathing pattern. In that way, you will be in a better position to control your breathing.

Another important technique is to co-ordinate breathing with your steps. In that way, you can jog for many extra miles without running out of oxygen. The trick is to keep a “dead fish expression”, meaning keep your lips slightly parted and let your jaws fall a little open. Keep your facial muscles relaxed and try and breathe from your diaphragm instead.

Following these breathing techniques should make your respiration easy while on the run. However, remember not to over think about breathing as doing so might stress you out and hamper your performance.

Egg Allergy in Children

Nowadays, allergies have become a very common ailment, and in children it is egg allergy that is the most prevalent. In fact, egg allergy is the second most common food allergy, after cows’ milk allergy in children. In most cases, egg allergy doesn’t pass onto adulthood and is quite rare in adults. According to various studies, egg allergy is usually outgrown by the time the children turn seven. Egg allergy occurs because in some children the various proteins in eggs cause an overreaction by the immune system. 

While the substances in eggs that trigger an allergic reaction are harmless for most children, in those who suffer from an allergy due to it, their immune system releases an army of antibodies called immunoglobulin E to counter the allergen. This leads to allergic reactions, which, in some cases, can be very severe, leading to anaphylaxis.

This is why parents of children with egg allergies should always be on their guard to prevent their wards from, knowingly or unknowingly, eating eggs or egg-based products. Given below are more information on egg allergy in children.

Symptoms Of Egg Allergy In Children

Red bumpy rashes develop on the skin soon after eating eggs. There is also redness and swelling around the mouth. The skin may also experience an outbreak of eczema.

Egg allergy can also result in vomiting, nausea, belly cramps or diarrhea.

The allergy can also trigger asthma with coughing and wheezing. Other respiratory symptoms include runny nose and sneezing. The eyes also start itching and watering.

It can lead to anaphylaxis, though this is rare in egg allergy compared to other food allergies. Certain signs can show if the child has suffered an anaphylactic reaction. These signs are pain and cramp in the abdomen, a drastic drop in blood pressure, rapid pulse and dizziness and loss of consciousness.

Diagnosis Of Egg Allergy In Children

The symptoms generally appear within minutes to couple of hours after ingesting or coming in physical contact with eggs.

The allergy can be confirmed with an allergy skin prick test or an RAST test.

In addition, physical examination and medical history of the child will help in correctly diagnosing if the child is suffering from egg allergy.

Treatment Of Egg Allergy In Children

To avoid an allergic reaction, it is always better to avoid eggs and egg based products altogether. Make sure that the child also doesn’t come in contact with eggs as in some cases allergic reactions can be triggered when the egg touches the skin.

Antihistamine medications can help in controlling the minor reactions. These medicines will also provide relief to the child.

In case of anaphylactic reactions due to egg allergy, epinephrine must be administered. That is why the guardians of those children with severe egg allergy should carry a injection of epinephrine with them since anaphylactic reactions can be very severe and quick.

As always, prevention is better than cure, so it is better to scan each food products to make sure that no eggs have been used. Make a list of all the foods that the child must avoid.

Effects of Soft Drinks

Before knowing anything about the harmful or ill effects of soft drinks, let’s first discuss the reasons as to why do we consume soft drinks and can’t resist a can every time we head towards the refrigerator or pass by a shop. 

First and the foremost reason of buying a can of soft drink is its ubiquitous status. You might not find ‘consumable’ water everywhere but can surely find soft drink even in the remotest corners of the world. Be it desert or mountain, malls or stores, you would find soft drink everywhere. 

Now, how is one supposed to resist the urge when soft drinks are displayed predominantly on the vending machines leaving no space for any other drinks or beverages? Kids will surely back the second reason which says that soft drinks are tasty. No wonder buying a soft drink is one of the top priorities of kids when strolling malls and supermarkets. 

The next reason is based on a question. What do you expect teenagers to do when their favorite pop singer or actor is relishing a bottle or can of soft drink on TV commercials or big hoardings? Without a doubt, it is imitating them.

Effects Of Soft Drinks

This is probably one of the prominent reasons why school and college-going students go for soft drinks. And if these reasons are not enough, the convenience with which they are available and the cheap price add to the craving. More than the thirst factor, gulping down soft drink has become a habit for people today. 

This is probably because of the caffeine components of soft drinks which have addictive properties. Soft drinks have a number of harmful effects that we should be aware of. Mentioned herein are some of the common side effects of soft drinks.

Side Effects Of Soft Drinks

It has been experimentally proved that soft drinks are one of the prominent reasons for obesity. The weight gain is directly related to the amount of soft drink that a person takes in. With every single can, people unknowingly add many extra calories to their body weight.

Another very common effect of soft drinks is diabetes. With every can of soft drink, people add large amount of sugar in their body. Long habitual intake of soft drinks can lead to ineffective insulin production from pancreases which consequently affect the sugar level in the body. This further leads to diabetes.

It has been proved that frequent consumption of soft drink can lead to weakening of the bones and osteoporosis. Soft drinks impair the calcification of the growing bones in children.

Studies also say that soft drinks increase the risk of tooth decay. The acidic content of soft drinks can dissolve the tooth enamel and make them weaker. It is recommended that people should avoid taking soft drinks between meals to prevent dental erosion and tooth decay.

This fact may shock you, but is quite true. Researches have proved that constant and habitual intake of soft drink can lead to kidney stones formation. This happens because of the acidic and mineral radical balance. The body tries to buffer the acidity caused by the soft drinks with the calcium from the bones. This leads to calcium erosion, which ultimately gets settled in the kidney in the form of stones.

Soft drink also leads to impaired digestive system. Soft drink contains phosphoric acid which competes with the hydrochloric acid present in stomach and affects its functioning. The ineffectiveness of stomach leads to undigested food which further causes indigestion and gassiness.

Soft drinks cause dehydration in the body. Both the sugar and caffeine components of soft drinks are dehydrating agents. They both lead to excess urination, which makes you thirstier than before.

Soft drinks have strong caffeine content. Caffeine causes irritability, restlessness, tension, high blood pressure, excessive urination and other side effects. It is also believed that soft drinks increase blood pressure. Some studies also claim that soft drink has harmful effects on liver.

The sweetener used in soft drinks is Aspartame. It is 200 times sweeter than normal sugar and is far more harmful with many side effects. Next time, when head towards the refrigerator or a store to satiate your thirst with a can of soft drink, make sure you remind yourself of all the side effects that gulping down the beverage will bring forth.

Healthy Blood Pressure Range

With our lifestyles becoming sedentary and with no time for any physical activity, our body faces a number of complications dealing with which becomes difficult at times. One such health complication which we might face because of our inactive lifestyle and unhealthy eating routines is fluctuation in the blood pressure level of the body. 

Blood pressure is nothing but the reading of the force which is exerted by the flowing blood on the blood vessels, veins and the arteries. The blood pressure of a person is enough to judge the health of a person. Any fluctuation in the pressure surely indicates the risk pertaining to the health of an individual. 

A healthy blood pressure is the pressure level which is considered to be an ideal pressure level that a person should try and preserve. The healthy pressure rate is measured based on two measurements viz systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. 

Systolic blood pressure is the pressure exerted on the arterial walls when the blood gets pumped out to the arteries, while the latter is the pressure which is measured between two heart beats or when the heart is at the resting stage. The article provides you with tips to maintain healthy blood pressure range. Read on to discover more.

Tips To Maintain Healthy Blood Pressure Range

As per ‘World Health Organisation’ (WHO) the normal blood pressure rate is generally reflected as the systolic or pulse rate value less than 140 and the diastolic value below 90. According to many renowned health organizations, the healthy blood pressure level for an adult will be a systolic pressure between 90-120 and a diastolic pressure between 60-80. 

According to the ‘National Institute of Health’ the suggested optimum blood pressure level is 120/80 mmHg. After an all-inclusive study of the suggested blood pressure rates of different health organisations, one can say that the exact healthy blood pressure rate reading will be somewhere between 120 and 130 systolic pressure, and between 80 and 85 diastolic pressure. 

Steps To Ensure Healthy Blood Pressure Range

The first step you should take is to maintain a healthy eating pattern. Good intake of food, vegetables, low fat dairy products and other fibre-rich food items will help your pressure level to be on the safer side.

You should take steps to reduce your daily sodium intake in order to keep blood pressure on the healthier side. Try and purchase fresh unprocessed food items, make sure that you read the nutrition fact section on any packaged food you are buying, cut down on consumption of fast food, minimize your use of condiments and salted food items in order to cut down on your consumption of sodium.

Having and maintaining a healthy weight and body mass index (BMI) will also help keep your blood pressure under check. You should try and maintain BMI somewhere between 18- 25. Any measurement below or above this reading can prove to be unhealthy for a person.

You should cut down on your intake of alcohol. Consuming too much of alcohol also can cause fluctuations in the blood pressure level. Keep your alcohol consumption of 2 servings a day and maximum of 9-12 servings a week in order to maintain your pressure level.

Providing physical challenge to your body is the best way to deal with any health issue. A regular exercise routine will definitely keep your blood pressure levels towards the healthier side. Little exercise every day will keep your blood circulation good and will prevent any risk pertaining to blood pressure.

How to Get Ripped Fast

Every young boy’s dream (minus the extraordinary few that take to ballet) is to to sport impeccable six pack abs and bulging brawny biceps. Lucid dreams gradually spawn haphazard muscle building regimens. However, if one uses the incorrect approach to getting ripped fast, the effect won’t be as anticipated! In fact, most of these ideas cause hindrance in gaining muscle mass. Firstly, caution must be taken with regard to whether the aspiring bodybuilder requires a fat loss program or a bulking program to inch closer to his dreams. 

We all possess a good set of abdominal muscles which are hidden under a layer of skin that further contains a layer of fat. Hence, a good deal of exercise promises visibility of ripped abs. You might stumble upon several ‘get ripped fast’ supplements in the markets. Stay away! They will only do you more damage than good! Be that guy who steals the show by simply taking off his shirt as you execute the tips mentioned below.

Getting Ripped Fast

Weight Training

Don’t be beguiled into believing that 100 push ups and two continuous hours of weights is the secret to turning into Sylvester Stallone within a week! If you do, you should be more perturbed about your acumen than your physique! Volume overload is a bad idea. 

Instead, perform weight training exercises with the sole intention of maintaining muscle mass. It is important that you strive to maintain the intensity of your workouts instead of increasing the total number of reps and sets! This guarantees to preserve the strength and vigor of your muscle tissues.

If you were accustomed to doing five sets of bench-press entailing 5 reps of 180 pounds, you should offer yourself some respite by reducing it to 3 sets at least! The key motive here is to increasing muscle power by maintaining the same weight intensity and to conserve energy by going easy on the reps. Avoid excess of isolation workouts, if your aim is to get ripped. 

Focus on bench press, dead lifts, squats, calf raises and shoulder press as opposed to bicep curls and the like! Exercises such as deadlifts and squats inflict immense pressure and tension on the body, which inevitably lead to large hormone spikes. Thanks to these hormone spikes, development of muscles is underway! 

Increase Your Metabolism

Higher the rate of metabolism, higher will be the speed at which your body burns all your calories to work towards your ideal physique. If you achieve fast metabolism, the layers of fat on the abdominal muscles will burn with more ease than otherwise. 

Eat frequently in smaller quantities to improve your metabolism. For instance, eat a banana at 3 pm and then treat yourself to some oatmeal at 5 pm followed by a chicken salad at 7 pm! Soon enough, your body will let go of the compulsion to save calories since the next round of reinforcements will be on its way in the next two hours! Hence, the body would be ever so willing to expend its calories and facilitate muscle building activities!

Nutritional Diets

A bulky person has to make a special effort to lose excess fat before anticipating a ripped body. He therefore must reduce his calorie intake and follow nutritional diet instructions. 

He has to inculcate the habit of counting calories and keeping a safe distance from unhealthy fattening foods like pizza, burgers and so on! Substitute these consumables with vegetables, fruits and good proteins! Yes, if you crave for a ripped body, increase your protein intake and limit your intake of carbohydrates since it gets converted into glucose. 

This, in turn, deposits fats in your system, probably hiding your muscle tone! Hydrate yourself well and ensure that your liver is functioning properly, considering that a poor one aids in fat accumulation!

Cardio Movements

Never neglect your heart! Your heart is the best pump ever made! Always include some cardiovascular exercises in your elaborate workout plan. Pick a few simple cardiovascular exercises that you can implement on alternate days. 

Do not perform hour-long cardio sessions after having completed your intense weight lifting workouts! Health issues will ensue if you do not give your body and heart a fair share of rest. Cardio will not bring you phenomenal results, but is essential to provide impetus for intensive workouts and stale heart rate!

While a fat man will need to limit calorie intake and work out intensively, a skinny guy will have to focus on gaining extra weight and muscle mass to support his frame. Follow the given tips and your body will be shredded to the bone and ripped in no time. Hope you do get a ripped body fast.

Effects of Low Blood Pressure

Did you know that your blood pressure is the yardstick by which a doctor measures how alive you are? In fact, your blood pressure is the barometer for your well-being and fitness. A sudden rise or slump of blood pressure can lead to serous health issues. 

What is more unfortunate is that most people suffering from blood pressure dismiss it as a one-off condition until it starts intervening in their daily lives. However, by then, you are already are at the mercy of heavy-duty drugs to save your life. Low blood pressure or hypotension is a common condition that crops up when your once consistent blood pressure reading dips beyond 90/60. 

Anything from pregnancy to dehydration to vitamin and iron deficiency can trigger off this unwanted condition. Luckily, there are remedies for low blood pressure to allay your concerns. Guzzling gallons of water, slashing your sodium intake, tweaking your diet and spending a few extra hours on the treadmill can ensure that you live a long and drug-free life. Listed below are some of the major effects of low blood pressure. 

Scroll down the following section and acquaint yourself with the major drawbacks of low blood pressure. Familiarizing yourself with the potential risks of low blood pressure might just save you from spending big bucks on medical bills later. After all, prevention is always better than cure.  

Low Blood Pressure Effects

For anyone suffering from high blood pressure, the prospect of having hypotension may seem normal. But mind you, low blood pressure can be equally dangerous, if not more. Low blood pressure can lead to kidney malfunctions and cause higher levels of toxicity in the body.  This, in turn, can stress the heart and create grounds for severe cardiac risks.

Low blood pressure not only involves a significant drop in blood pressure levels, but also prevents the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Result, neurological disorders and brain damage. Deprivation of oxygen in the brain can lead to brain dysfunctions, paralysis, and stroke, thus resulting in death in some cases.

A drop in blood volume and pressure can leave you feeling woozy. Clinically defined as ‘orthostatic hypotension’, a sudden slump in blood pressure levels as soon as you stand up or get out of the bed can leave you feeling giddy and sick.

Apart from stressing the heart, the kidneys and the brain, a steady slump in blood pressure can conk out the gastrointestinal tract of the body. Result – bouts of nausea. Scarce supplies of blood and oxygen to the brain can cause great stress on the alimentary canal leading to a feeling of queasiness.

Another big impact of low blood pressure is organ failure. Poor flow of blood to the body can result in single or multiple organ failure. As blood is a major source of sustenance for the body, deprivation in blood, oxygen and nutrients can completely knock out organ functions.

Apart from these, low blood pressure can cause patient to pass out, be listless, weakness, palpitations and more. Low blood pressure can also trigger respiratory disorders and cause breathing anomalies, chest pain and other complications.

Low blood pressure isn’t symptomatic by nature and more often than not goes undetected in a person. All said and done, good health comes with a few healthy habits and regular health checkups. Remember, all it takes is a quick jaunt to the nearby clinic to get your blood pressure checked. Here’s hoping that this informative compilation on effects of low blood pressure draws you towards a better life.

Early Symptoms of Pregnancy

It is always good to know the exact time when you get pregnant so that you can consult a doctor and start taking proper care of your health and also that of your baby’s. But not all women understand that they are pregnant until several days after conception, for others a number of weeks may pass before they actually get to know that they are bearing a child. 

For women of past and present ages, a missed period has been the first step to test whether she is pregnant. While the symptom is common, there are also other signs to confirm pregnancy in the early stages. Let’s take a look at some of these. However it is very important to remember that the early signs to confirm pregnancy may not be the same in every woman, rather some women do not experience any of these symptoms even though they are pregnant!  

Early Symptoms Of Pregnancy

Early Pregnancy Signs   Missed Period For a girl who has had her periods every month at a fairly regular time, a missed period is a sure sign to visit the doctor and get a pregnancy test done. However, you may miss your periods for several other reasons like poor health or sudden weight gain and loss.   Food Cravings If you are pregnant, you may have an unnatural craving for food. 

This again is not a sure sign of pregnancy, because food craving occurs even when your body has a deficit of essential nutrients.   Swollen Breasts If you are pregnant, your breasts will undergo a change within two weeks of conception. They usually become swollen and sensitive to the touch. 

It is due to the hormones that are discharged in the body at the time of pregnancy that the breasts look heavier. This symptom also occurs in many women before their periods.   Blackening Of Areolas The skin surrounding your nipples starts darkening when you are pregnant. This again may occur due to hormonal imbalance in the woman’s body.   

Implantation Bleeding After around two weeks of conception, you may notice spotting and cramping similar to the ones you experience during periods. Implantation bleeding is different from periods, because in the former the color of blood is pink or brown. It also does not continue as long as periods. Implantation bleeding occurs when the fertilized egg enters into the blood vessels of the uterus. This is almost a sure sign of pregnancy.     

Nausea & Dizziness Commonly known as morning sickness, nausea and a faint feeling is what a pregnant woman experiences soon after getting up in the morning. This is because of the drop of blood pressure as a result of the dilating of blood vessels during pregnancy. However, a dizzy, nauseated feeling in the early hours may occur because of several other reasons.   Tiredness A pregnant woman feels tired and sleepy often. 

This is because of the drop in blood sugar levels, low blood pressure and increased production of the progesterone hormone.   Abdominal Bloating Your waistline may increase if you are pregnant. If the bloating of the abdomen is accompanied with a missed period, then you can rest assured that you are pregnant.   

Constipation Constipation is a common problem in pregnant women. Though constipation alone cannot assure the fact that you are pregnant, other signs of pregnancy when clubbed together with constipation hint at a sure-shot sign of pregnancy. 

Constipation occurs because more progesterone hormones in the body does not allow an easy passage of food through the intestines.   Mood Swings Pregnancy is often accompanied with sudden mood swings due to a greater hormonal discharge in the body. An expectant mother usually feels happy one moment, excited other and then sad immediately. 

If you too are going through sudden mood swings along with other symptoms of pregnancy, then chances are you might be pregnant. Hoever, mood swings alone do not indicate pregnancy.   Though the symptoms mentioned above are the early signs of pregnancy, it is always advisable to consult a medical practitioner to confirm pregnancy. 

How to Get Rock Hard Abs

Obesity and fat abdomens are the common problems faced by people all around the globe. People envy individuals having strong, toned up abs and they are usually gym trainees or celebrities. There is a wrong notion prevailing in the society that only rich and genetically best people can get rock hard abs. This notion, however, has developed as a result of failure faced by most people, after their efforts to get a flat abdomen. 

Did you know that any person can achieve hard rock abs, irrespective of money and genetic physiology? Believe it or not, you don’t need to shell out huge sums in expensive well-equipped gyms or sulk because you don’t have a genetically strong body to fulfill that dream of rock hard abs. All that you need is strong will power and the determination to workout and shed the excess of fat accumulated. This article will provide you with few tips to get rock hard abs that you can follow and experience desired results.

Getting Rock Hard Abs

Focused Crunches

One of the ways to get rock hard abs is to practice focused crunches that are different from the normal crunches. The focused crunches concentrate on hardening both the lower and the upper abs together. Lie down on your back with folded legs and feet together, gripping the ground to perform the crunches. Place both your hands just below and to the sides of your belly button. 

Press your lower abdomen with your fingers and suck your lower abdomen towards you. Now raise your chest towards the knee. Make sure you don’t move your pelvis muscle while performing the exercise. The muscle underneath your fingers should feel tight for the successful performance of the exercise. If you move too far from your lower abdomen, you will be stressing the inner oblique muscles, instead of working out your abdomen.

Scissor Kick

Scissor kick is another method of getting rock hard abs. This is a rather sophisticated exercise for building up a strong abdomen. When performed correctly, the exercise can prove out to be really effective. Lay down on your back with your knees folded to perform the exercise. Place your hands below your back which should be straight and erect. 

Raise one leg to about 12 inches and hold it perpendicular to the ground for few seconds and then slowly lower it down. Raise the other leg, while lowering down the lifted leg in the same manner. Perform three sets with 12-15 repetitions as a beginner.

Modified Plank

This is a rather tough and professional kind of an exercise to obtain a rock hard abdomen and requires caution and supervision. Get down on the floor in a normal push up position. Keep your back straight and your feet hip-width apart. Do your pushups after raising one of your legs as high as possible and pressing down your chest as low as possible. A perfect position would be one that would make your chest touch the ground, without your knees bending. Switch your legs and repeat the same exercise.

Tips

A healthy eating habit can help you have strong abs. Consume healthy foods and avoid high calorie intake. Do not consume food that has high fat contents. Consume in small quantities with proper time intervals to keep the body’s metabolism active that will help in the burning down of fats in the body.

Cardio exercises help a great deal in burning down the excess fat from the body. Daily cardio exercise can help remove excess fat and uncover the abdomen. Walking, running, skipping are few of the cardio exercises that can be practiced without any special equipments and any special practice.

How to Delay your Period

There is nothing more annoying than realizing that your period is due on your wedding day or during an exciting vacation with your friends. Almost all women face this situation at least once in their lifetimes. The good news is that it is possible to delay your periods, so that you don’t have to compromise and miss all the fun and excitement you have planned. A woman’s period or menstrual cycle starts every 28 – 30 days. However, it is possible to delay and have your period at a more convenient time you want to. 

The delay will happen depending on how much time in advance you have prepared for it. Although a woman’s body can be unpredictable and can vary from individual to individual, most of the delaying methods can be effective if done properly. If you too wish to delay your period, then here are some quick tips to your aid. Nevertheless, be sure to consult your gynecologist to make an informed decision. 

Delaying Your Period

Period occurs when the level of progesterone, a female hormone drops. To delay your period, you need to keep the level of your progesterone high. If you wish to keep up the level of the hormone, consult your doctor at least a week prior to the date of your cycle. Progesterone levels begin to drop at least seven days before your period actually begins, so you'll need to start supplements at this time.

If you are on any birth control pills, consult your physician to manipulate your cycle. Depending upon the nature and type of the pill you are taking, the physician will adjust the dose to delay your period. Be sure to ask your physician to evaluate your overall health status before you manipulate your cycle. If you have certain ailments like thyroid problems, then it is not a good idea to delay your period.

A prescription hormone called norethiserone is also sometimes recommended to delay menstruation. Take it three days before you expect your period. Nonetheless, this is not a birth control remedy, so if you wish to avoid pregnancy make sure to take a separate birth control pill.

Engage yourself with strenuous exercises. If you suddenly start doing a lot of hard work and exercises it can induce an early period, especially if you were sedentary before. However this is not a surefire thing.

A stressful life can also delay your periods. Sleepless nights, anxiety, and emotional stress can delay your cycle by as much as two weeks.

Your period can also get delayed if you suddenly lose a lot of weight as the hormonal balance of the body gets disrupted. However, be sure to lose weight in a healthy manner. If you wish to reduce weight and delay your period, then switch to a low fat diet. Remember, a crash diet doesn’t work to reduce weight, plus it can damage your health in the long run as well.

Other Tips

Instead of delaying your period, you may also consider to advancing it. Inducing it to have it a week earlier is always a better option than delaying it for a month or more.

To advance your period, steep a handful of fresh parsley leaves in a pot of boiled water for about half an hour. Strain the liquid and drink three to four strong cups throughout the day. This is an effective remedy to advance your menstruation.

Decide as to why you want to delay your period and determine if it is truly necessary. If yes, then go ahead with the tips discussed above.

How to Burn Stomach Fat

As men and women grow older, they get closer to encountering their biggest fears. While the fitness freaks and a few lucky souls are fortunately spared of the horror, the rest have to parade around the world with one pound too many! Most of the people tend to accumulate excess fat around stomach. Losing belly fat is not as problematic as losing fat away from the tummy section. 

A sudden transformation in hormonal production is what accounts for stomach fat. For a man, the fat accumulates around the tummy area (doesn’t beer belly sound familiar to you?), chest and face, while for a woman, body fat concentrates around the hips, thighs and the buttocks! Cholesterol intake is a strong stimulant when it comes to stomach fat. 

When cholesterol isn’t burnt quickly, it converts itself to extra fat and gets stored in your belly! All the deep-fried delights are usually finger-licking delicious, but terribly injurious to your overall health. Moreover, those with thyroid gland issues and slower metabolism are obviously more prone to excess stomach fat. However, stomach fat is not impossible to combat. Linger on to this article and learn how to burn stomach fat.

Burning Stomach Fat

The Viable Nutrition Plan

If developing intricately carved abdominal muscles has been your longest goal, then it’s time you learn nutrition facts so that you have them at the tips of your fingers. To achieve efficiency in fat loss, you need to know whether you are consuming the right proportion of vitamins and minerals and avoiding heavy doses of calorie-dominant foods. 

According to your present weight and fat loss aspirations, formulate an appropriate nutrition plan, which guarantees the best results. Not that you haven’t heard this before, but junk food is good health’s biggest enemy. Get rid of the stock of chips and chocolate bars in your kitchen and hit the groceries to load up on fruits and vegetables. If you’re a bread fan, then brown bread is the way to go!

Count Your Calories!

In order to burn fat faster, you ought to consume lesser calories. The moment your body acknowledges that there is a deficit of calories, it strives to burn the added calories stored in your belly through intense exercise! Hence, it is important that you count the amount of calories ingested versus the calories you just released outside of your body! The formula is same as that you would do to ensure you don’t land up in monetary debt — you have to consistently keep a count of the money you’ve earned against the money you have spent!

Muscle Building & Cardio Exercise

Exercise and strength are the two reliable ingredients that warrant a life devoid of agonizing ailments. Interval training has been reported to produce commendable results. Research has revealed that working out at a higher intensity level stimulates our own natural growth hormones, which, in turn, boosts metabolism and burns excess fat! The best part is your body continues to burn fat hours after you have terminated your exercises! 

So, don’t prolong your cardio sessions at a slow pace, because it doesn’t help at all! Performing 30 to 45 minutes of optimum level cardio at a stretch is fantastic for burning fat, but humanely impossible! This, thus, brings us back to the proposition of interval training, which gives our body recovery time. 

Convert your system into a powerful fat-burning machine, as you execute the interval training for about three times to four times per week, bearing in mind that you rest for not less than 24 hours in between each session!

Therefore, you must have gathered that burning stomach fat is no Herculean task! Steer clear of the ineffective magic pills or vitamin supplements and pay heed to the above mentioned guidelines to achieve the desirable level of slimness.

How to Burn Body Fat

Yearning for a sexy, lean and figured body? Your search for a fabulous body ends here. Read on. Winters have been great and amazing. But it's time to put those long coats and high heeled boots back into the closet, as the summers are soon making their way. 

With summers, hitting the beach to beat the scorching heat is the most indulged activity. And as you dig into your wardrobe for that sexy beachwear to sport, you’ll surely regret hogging those extra scoops of fatty foods and high calories. 

Nonetheless, with some tips in hand, you can get back into your full-figured and gorgeous body ready to flaunt your curves and that lovely piece of beach lingerie. To lose that extra body fat, it is important to make a wise choice in terms of the foods that you consume, along with the right kind of physical workouts. Find out all about getting rid of your body fat with these helpful fat burning tips.

Burning Body Fat

Cut Down On Carbohydrates

To get that attractive figure, reduce the amount of carbohydrates from your diet chart, especially the refined ones, such as corn and wheat. Further, keep them away just before you doze off. Leave a gap of at least 3 hours between carb-meal and sleep. Eat only good quality low glycemic carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables.

Do Not Combine Carbohydrates With Fats

While combining different macronutrients, you can eat carbohydrates and proteins together or fat and proteins together. However, avoid combining carbohydrates and fats in the same meal. When combined together with fats, carbohydrates increase fat storage. Thus, include some form of fiber, like psyllium or bran, for good digestion.

Have Lots Of Fats

One of the best and most effective tips for burning body fat is to consume lots of fat. Confused? Do not be. The less fat you consume, the more fats your body will hold, resulting in a bulging body. Include healthy fats, such as fish oil, olive oil, avocado oil, nuts, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), almond butter, and some organic butter. If you eat animal fat, you can very well include lean meats, like buffalo, chicken, and turkey, or free range organic beef.

Exercise A Lot

Unquestionably, exercising is amongst the top choices for burning body fat. Without an exercise program, you cannot lose weight or burn body fat. To build lean muscles, do weight-training exercises. Include cardiovascular exercises and interval training sessions that combine high intensity workouts with short rest periods to burn those extra kilos. Doing so will increase metabolism thereby burning more fats.

Hydrate Yourself

Keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of clean pure water. Consumption of water is largely responsible for increasing metabolic rate and flushing out cellular toxins from the body. Thus, water serves as a great fat burner as the liver helps in digesting fat and helping the kidneys to eliminate waste materials. Further, drinking lots of water helps in avoiding your body from retaining water.

Early Menopause Symptoms

Every man, worth his salt, desires to be the proud owner a great looking chest. The kind of upper body that will grab instant attention when you walk into a random room can lead to instant gratification. Imagine this, a great looking body and an even greater looking shirt – Won’t you just be the talk of the town that way? You sure would! Unfortunately, a great looking chest does not come easy to anyone. 

There is ‘x’ amount of hard work involved which only makes the road you plan on treading on a little too treacherous. In any case, once you manage to put in the hours at the gym, proud and pompous chest muscles will only be yours for the taking. When looking to build chest muscles, most men use only barbells and ignore the dumbbells. The dumbbells, however, are not to be ignored because of the fitness and finesse promises they hold. Read on for guidance on a great dumbbell chest workout.

Early Menopause Symptoms

Push Ups 

When going under the banner of fitness conventions, pushups don’t really figure in dumbbell chest press workouts. However, if you are looking forward to showing off a great looking chest, you can’t afford to let go of your pushups. Beginners can start off by doing three sets of pushups until ‘failure’. 

Failure here refers to performing an exercise until you can’t do a single repetition more of the same. If you are a seasoned gym-addict, with pushups, you can push up for three sets of twenty to twenty five repetitions each. Make it a point to perform your pushups the right way. 

Flat Bench Dumbbell Press

The flat bench dumbbell press targets the center of your chest, the middle portion to be precise. Start off with the flat bench dumbbell press by lying flat on your back on a flat bench. Finding a flat bench at a gym shouldn’t be much of a problem. 

Ask your trainer or a spotter to hand you the dumbbells. The dumbbells can be of a weight you are comfortable with. If you feel extra strong, you don’t really need a spotter or trainer for this one, just lift the weights by yourself and lie flat on the bench. 

Now, go ahead and raise your hands. With this done, slowly and steadily move your hands away from start position. As you draw closer to your chest, bend your elbows. Stop when your hands are perpendicular to your chest. This makes for one repetition. You can go on to perform three to four sets of ten to twelve repetitions or until failure. Perform this exercise slowly and carefully. 

Incline Bench Dumbbell Press 

Now that you have figured out the flat bench dumbbell press, the incline bench dumbbell press shouldn’t be much of a problem for you. It really shouldn’t. All you need to do is find yourself an incline bench at the gym and lie flat on it. 

You can choose to ask for the help of a spotter or do it all by yourself. Get a grip of the weights you are most comfortable with and perform the incline bench dumbbell press, just like you did the flat bench dumbbell press. 

From start to finish, the only difference between a flat bench dumbbell press and an incline bench dumbbell press is the bench. Apart from the bench, there really is not much of a difference between the two exercises. With the incline bench dumbbell press, you can do just as many sets as you did the ‘flat bench dumbbell press’.

Decline Bench Dumbbell Press 

The decline bench dumbbell press exercise is just like the above mentioned two variations, except that it’s done with the assistance of decline bench. You can perform a decline bench press just like you did the flat and incline bench press, but you may have to be extra careful with the execution. 

This is because, with the decline bench dumbbell press, the chances of an injury are only that much more. Take extra care not to lower your hands below your chest because this might lead to injuries. Slow, steady and precise is the way to go here.

With the regular execution of all of the above mentioned exercises, you might just be on your way to a much coveted ‘great looking chest’.