8 Bad Habits That Cause Back Pain

TRy to avoid these! Thanks Discover :)

It is not always necessity to think about different illnesses and conditions when you have a back pain. Even healthiest individuals can experience this discomforts in everyday life. Read the article and you may be a bit surprised about some causes of your back pain.

Sleeping on an old mattress

A good mattress lasts eight to ten years. If you have not replaced yours for more than 10 years chances are that your spine is not getting the support it needs. Replace your old one with mattress that is not too hard and even not too soft. The curves of your back won’t sink in and won’t offer enough support.

Carrying a huge bag

If you are someone who likes to carry around your home, your back won’t be grateful. Carrying a heavy bag on a side of your shoulder causes your body to become imbalanced, getting your spine out of balance too. Switch to a lighter bag. Your purse with everything in it should weigh no more than ten percent of your body weight.

Wearing stilettos or flats

Heels which are too high for you force you to arch your back, putting stress on your joints. Flats can be bad for you as well, depending on your foot type. Sandals without a supportive back do damage, causing your feet to move from side to side and distributing your body weight unevenly. Everyone has an ideal heel height. Find yours.

Holding a grudge

Researchers at one university found that people who practice forgiveness experience fewer feelings of resentment, depression, anger and fewer aches and pains. Your emotions, muscle tension and thoughts can directly influence the strength of your pain signals. Not only are grudges bad for you physically, they do not do much for you emotionally either.

Sitting all day

Bad news for all of you with a desk job! It is bad for your health. Sitting around all day may feel nice, but most of you do not maintain proper posture while sitting in front of a computer all day, causing weakness of back muscles because of inactivity. Sitting also puts 50 percent more pressure on your spine than standing does. If your office does not get you a standing desk to help keep your core and back muscles engaged all the time, lean back throughout your day so you are sitting at a 130 degree angle to reduce compression of the discs in the spine. Finally, be sure your head is straight, not straining forward, when using the comp.

Stressing out

If you are stressed out, your whole body is also stressed including the muscles in your neck and back that contract and clench up. And if you keep stressing, those tight muscles do not get a chance to relax, causing pain. There are a lot of proven ways to lower your stress levels including exercise, meditation and a warm bath.

Skipping workouts

Exercise builds muscle tone that is vital for supporting your back. When you do not get enough of it, you experience stiffness, weakened muscles and your spinal discs become degenerated. Workouts that strengthen the back and abdomen are your best choice.

Eating too much junk food

Not surprisingly, an intake of high calorie and low nutrient food leads to weight gain. That weight gain can put a load on your back. Excess weight around the midsection causes the pelvis to pull forward, creating stress for the back. Overweight individuals are at an increased risk of osteoarthritis. Dropping even 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can improve your back condition.

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10 Ways To Get What You Want In Life

Thank you mind and body once again :)

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My Plate

Gone are the days of the food pyramid just because it was designed to suite the economic preference.

Really.

So, say NO to it!

These days it's called 'My Plate' whereby there is an even distribution on all basic types of food.

And...

Dairy is considered separate so you're more than welcome to have an ice cream after a meal! Haha, or perhaps milk and cookie :P

If you need or keen to know recipe ideas, or want to cook on a budget, head on to myplate for more info.

By the way, this is just a guideline and it works for me. Give it a shot to see if it satisfies the cravings as our body tends to know what is missed out but our brains just can't process it some times.

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13 Alternative and Healthy Baking Ingredients

For the Avid baker like me! Lovely alternatives indeed :)

October 24, 2013

By Lauren Caster

As an avid baker and someone who is passionate about nutrition, I am constantly striving to find the best healthy alternatives for my baked goods. Healthy baking doesn’t necessarily need to be gluten-free and vegan. In fact, some gluten-free options have just as much sugar and as many calories as the real deal. The same goes for vegan.

When swapping out ingredients for healthier or allergy]-free options, there are four major components of the baked good that need to be considered.

White flour alternatives

The first is white flour. This is important for people who have gluten allergies or if you are trying to control glycemic load and increase the fiber and nutrient value of a dish. Here are a few white flour swaps that work well. 

• Black beans – If you are making brownies, try using one cup of pureed black beans (about 15 oz.) instead of one cup of flour. You won’t be able to taste the beans, and they give the brownies a terrific fudgy texture.

• Whole wheat flour – In most recipes, whole wheat flour can be used instead of white flour. However, it will change the flavor, texture and density of the pastry. If you are making cake or muffins, or other recipes that should be light, try using whole wheat pastry flour instead.

• Almond meal  - For a more rustic tasting pastry, try using almond flour. It is naturally gluten-free and adds protein to your pastry. I like to use it for berry cakes or tart shells.

• Gluten free flour - If you would like to make a gluten-free option of your favorite recipe, try using a gluten free flour blend like this one from Bob’s Red Mill. You can also make your own by playing with a mixture of your favorite alternative flours like brown rice or quinoa.

Dairy alternatives

The next ingredient that you may want to substitute is dairy. In most cases, we are talking about butter in baking. To make something vegan, the butter needs to be replaced with a plant-based alternative. 

• Coconut oil - A great fat replacement! You can use the exact same amount of coconut oil as you would butter. It will give your cookies a delicious crunch and have you well on your way to vegan baking. 

• Avocado – This is a great replacement for butter if you are baking with chocolate, which will cover up the green color of the avocado. Pureed avocado will add some nutrients to your baked goods, as well as make them very moist and soft.

• Banana – Bananas can be used in much the same way as avocado. However, it’s important to note that they do have a very strong flavor. It’s best to use bananas in place of butter for recipes that you want to be banana-flavored, like loaf cake or muffins.

Sugar alternatives

Sugar is a tricky ingredient to eliminate from baked goods. This is because it not only sweetens cakes and cookies, but it is also reacts with the starch to help provide structure and acts as a tenderizer by absorbing water.

• Coconut palm sugar – This is an excellent alternative to brown sugar, as it adds a caramel flavor and color to your finished products. It can also have a slight coconut flavor, so it’s important to take that into consideration when choosing a sweetener.

• Raw honey – Using natural honey is a really good way to sweeten your baked goods. You can use the exact same amount of honey as you would sugar, or even a bit less. Because it is a liquid it brings a lot of moisture to the finished product.

• Stevia – This is a somewhat controversial sweetener, but if you are a stevia fan then I encourage you to use it for baking! Stevia is much sweeter than cane sugar, so it’s good to use in a recipe that doesn’t call for much sugar, or to substitute half the sugar for stevia. You could also combine stevia and honey or maple syrup.

Egg alternatives

The last ingredient that you can replace to make your recipe vegan or allergy free is eggs. Eggs also have a specific purpose in baking. They bind the other ingredients together and add moisture to the final product. When choosing an egg substitute, it is important to identify what the egg does in the recipe. For example, eggs are necessary for soufflé or cheesecake because it is a key ingredient. However, for cookies or cake, you can use a vegan alternative.

• Flax seed – To use flax seed instead of egg, just combine 1 tablespoon ground flax with 2 or 3 tablespoons of water to replace one egg. Once it is mixed together, add to your batter just like you would an egg.

• Chia seed – Chia can be used the same way as flax to replace eggs, except it does not need to be ground. Because chia is so gelatinous, it is a great binding agent in baking.

• Egg replacer – If you are making a dish with a big egg emphasis, you can try using an egg replacer like Ener-G Egg Replacer. These products are usually a mix of potato starch and tapioca flour, and are often gluten-free.

What are some of your favorite alternative baking ingredients? 

About the author

Lauren Caster is a contributing writer to Wellness Today. She resides in Portland, Oregon where she enjoys cooking for friends, doing Bikram yoga, and exploring new restaurants and food carts in town. She is one part of the bloging duo behind the blog Brooklyn-Portland, she received her diploma in Baking and Pastry Arts from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City and is a 2013 graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. 

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How to make Stress your friend

This is an amazing link. Stress and being compassionate have one similar trait. A hormone called Oxytocin. So we can actually transform stress into reaching out to others. Do spend some time watching.

When you choose to view your stress response as helpful, you create the biology of courage.

When you choose to connect others when under stress, you can create resilience.

Stress gives us access to our hearts.

The compassionate heart that find meaning and joy in other and yes the pounding of the heart gives us strength.

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Broccoli

It's the new Vege!

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Lactic Acid, not a waste after all

In short, it does get used back in the body energy systems after all!! The 'bad guy' was actually the H+ ions that causes acidity in the body!

Have a read, if you're challenged enough :)

Lactic Acid: Friend or Foe?

It’s not uncommon to think of lactic acid as an enemy. For decades we’ve been conditioned by teachers, coaches and personal experience to think of it as some kind of useless waste product; the cause of that “burning” sensation when you run fast or pump iron to complete failure. Of course almost everyone associates lactic acid with next-day muscle soreness, fatigue and stiffness. However, thanks to ongoing research in the field of nutritional biochemistry and exercise physiology, an entirely new perspective of lactic acid is now held. Instead of some kind of “evil Darth Vader”, scientists now recognize lactic acid as a major player in the way our bodies generate energy during exercise. Lactic acid is actually our friend. The Benefits of Lactic Acid Lactic acid fuels glucose and glycogen production in the liver, helps us to use dietary carbohydrates more efficiently and actually serves as a quick energy fuel preferred by the heart and muscles. Under anaerobic conditions, lactate even becomes a primary fuel for the brain. Lactic acid is enormously important to mechanisms involved with how we adapt to stress, and when correctly managed is possibly one of the most important keys to athletic success in high intensity sport. Research with rats while swimming at high intensity has shown that lactate has a stimulatory effect on testosterone release. Lactic acid may also signal the release of human growth hormone from the pituitary. That’s good because both of theses hormones generally take a nosedive as people age. It’s not known yet whether it’s the lactate ion itself or the intense anaerobic exercise (which increases lactate ion concentration) that causes hGH to be released, but there is definitely a correlation. The Real Cause of DOMS  Lactic acid does not cause that dreaded burning sensation during intense exercise. When lactic acid is made it’s split into lactate ion (lactate) and hydrogen ion. Hydrogen ion is the bad guy, the acid in lactic acid that interferes with electrical signals in nerve and muscle tissue. And lactic acid is not responsible for any muscle soreness felt the next day or two after a hard workout. That is caused by muscle damage and post-exercise tissue inflammation. Dr Fred Hatfield, author of “Hardcore Bodybuilding: A Scientific Approach”, associates delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) with hydroxyproline damage, caused by the production of superoxide free radicals, hydroperoxides, hydroxyl radicals and ammonia. Hydroxyproline is a constituent of collagen and occurs throughout connective tissue. In “Optimum Sports Nutrition”, Dr. Michael Colgan clearly describes how both muscle damage and DOMS are caused by the accumulation of ammonia, phosphate leakage from muscle into the blood, compression hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells), reduction of cytochrome C and uncontrolled free radical pathology. To offset this damage, which is potentially greater in large muscles such as the legs or back and rises with increased intensity, or in aerobic activity which forces a greater consumption of oxygen, athletes should take supplemental antioxidants before & after training, such as vitamin C & E, coenzyme Q10, n-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), L-glutathione, grape seed extract, beta carotene, niacin, B5, zinc and selenium. The Lactate Shuttle Dr. George Brooks, PhD, professor of integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley, claims that lactate can be shuttled between cells to supply additional energy for continued work. Lactate produced in fast-twitch (white) Type II explosive muscle fibers can be transported to slow-twitch (red) Type I endurance muscle fibers and throughout the entire vascular system to be used as fuel. This is one of the reasons why I teach my clients to perform cardio AFTER the resistance exercise segment of their workout, not before. The other reasons relate to the way we oxidize fatty acids more efficiently after glycogen has been depleted and as a preparatory step for the next and final segment of my Five Step Exercise Program©, which includes a full body stretch inclusive to the combined techniques of yoga, martial arts and dance. More on Lactic Acid  Lactic acid is formed from the breakdown of glucose, our body’s main source of carbohydrate. Although this process is oxygen independent, lactic acid is also formed and maintained in muscles that have plenty of oxygen available. The key issue is elevation above threshold, because when the rate of lactic acid entry into the blood exceeds our ability to remove and/or control it effectively, then those pesky hydrogen ions begin to lower the pH of muscle, which invariably interferes with how they contract and thus our ability to perform. Thomas Fahey, PhD, professor of Exercise Science at Cal State, Chico, says the body uses lactic acid as a biochemical “middleman” for metabolizing carbohydrates. Most glucose from dietary carbohydrate bypasses the liver and enters the general circulation where it reaches muscle and converts into lactic acid. Lactic acid then goes back into the blood and returns to the liver where it’s used as a building block to make liver glycogen. This is called the “Glucose Paradox” and should remind us why it’s so important to have a healthy liver and active muscles. Nutrients Which Improve Lactic Acid Metabolism  The first one that comes to mind is creatine. In “Creatine, The Power Supplement”, Richard Kreider, PhD explains that increasing phosphocreatine [in the myocyte] through creatine supplementation may enhance performance by buffering acid [hydrogen ions], mitigating the formation of lactic acid and reducing the reliance on anaerobic glycolysis as a replenishment source of ATP. HMB (ß-hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate) is also a great asset. Steven Nissen PhD has shown that athletes taking HMB can exercise at a higher intensity and/or for a longer period of time when compared to a placebo. HMB seems to help the body burn intramuscular fatty acids preferentially over carbs. HMB improves VO2 peak, increases the time it takes to reach VO2 peak and increases lactic acid threshold. For more info and references, check out www.mettechinc.com. Hydration is monumental to health & performance and it’s surprising how few people including athletes adequately hydrate themselves. A group of scientists in the United Kingdom examined the effects of ingesting a 6% carbohydrate-electrolyte solution on athletes (versus a placebo) during 90 minutes of intermittent high-intensity running. Serum insulin and blood glucose concentration was maintained for longer periods and blood lactate after 30 minutes of exercise was lower compared to water only (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, September 1999). Sodium bicarbonate and phosphate both help beat the burn. So do carnosine and carnitine. Standardized panax ginseng extract spares glycogen and increases fatty acid oxidation. When you spare glycogen as a fuel source in exercise you can usually extend the time it takes to reach your tolerance to acid as it builds up. Of course the food you eat also contributes in a powerful way. Unlike the Canadian average (20%) at least sixty percent of your dietary profile should consist of alkaline food. But that’s another whole article in itself! References Fahey, T., PhD, Don’t “Dis” Lactic Acid, Sports Science, Volume 36, Number 9, Muscular Development (September 1999) Boettger, C., MS, “The Lactate Shuttle”, Sports Research Update, Muscle & Fitness (February 2000) Brooks, G.A., Mammalian fuel utilization during sustained exercise. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 120 (1): 89-107 (1998) Gladden, L., Lactate uptake by skeletal muscle. Exercise Sport Science Review 17:115-155 (1989)

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