Fruitful Friday with HHWN

Enjoying A Healthy Lifestyle With

 Bryant and Anita Hewitt

Friday November 9, 2012

Food To Chew On:

Friday - Sour Perfectionism

Psalm 1:4 (KJV)

 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Thought For The Day:

Lord, give me a hopeful attitude based on your grace. May that grace radiate from me with contagious joy!

Happy Fruitful Friday…. We are focusing on having a Healthy Heart and Exercising by using Yoga.. so here are some wonderful tips that will keep you on the right track.

 Medication-free strategies to help prevent heart disease

Maintain a healthy weight

As you put on weight in adulthood, your weight gain is mostly fat rather than muscle. This excess weight can lead to conditions that increase your chances of heart disease — high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

One way to see if your weight is healthy is to calculate your body mass index (BMI), which considers your height and weight in determining whether you have a healthy or unhealthy percentage of body fat. BMI numbers 25 and higher are associated with higher blood fats, higher blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

The BMI is a good, but imperfect guide. Muscle weighs more than fat, for instance, and women and men who are very muscular and physically fit can have high BMIs without added health risks. Because of that, waist circumference also is a useful tool to measure how much abdominal fat you have:

• Men are considered overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (101.6 centimeters, or cm)
• Women are overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (88.9 cm)

Even a small weight loss can be beneficial. Reducing your weight by just 10 percent can decrease your blood pressure, lower your blood cholesterol level and reduce your risk of diabetes.

·        Get regular health screenings

High blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage your heart and blood vessels. But without testing for them, you probably won't know whether you have these conditions. Regular screening can tell you what your numbers are and whether you need to take action.

• Blood pressure. Regular blood pressure screenings start in childhood. Adults should have their blood pressure checked at least every two years. You may need more-frequent checks if your numbers aren't ideal or if you have other risk factors for heart disease. Optimal blood pressure is less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury.
• Cholesterol levels. Adults should have their cholesterol measured at least once every five years starting at age 20. You may need more frequent testing if your numbers aren't optimal or if you have other risk factors for heart disease. Some children may need their blood cholesterol tested if they have a strong family history of heart disease.
• Diabetes screening. Since diabetes is a risk factor for developing heart disease, you may want to consider being screened for diabetes. Talk to your doctor about when you should have a fasting blood sugar test to check for diabetes. Depending on your risk factors, such as being overweight or a family history of diabetes, your doctor may recommend first testing you for diabetes sometime between ages 30 and 45, and then retesting every three to five years.

Yoga Exercises

·        Relax after finishing Surya Namaskar

As you finish your last round of Surya Namaskar, lie down and relax your entire body. For best results, it is advisable to lie down in Yoga Nidra, giving the body enough time to assimilate the effects of the stretches. However, if you are short on time, you can relax for a few minutes in Corpse Pose, for complete rest to the mind and body.

·        The secret is in putting effort and then letting go

Last, but surely not the least, this is the most important tip to enhance your Surya Namaskar experience. Like every yoga posture, when you start doing Surya Namaskars in the beginning, you will need to put in a little effort. That effort is required, as it helps channelize the Rajoguna or restlessness in the body and then what remains is simple harmony or Sattva. So Rajoguna gets exhausted with exercise and Sattva leads you to meditation – the feeling of letting go.

Including all of these in our daily practice of Surya Namaskar can make the experience a complete sadhana – one which includes asana (posture), pranayama (breathing), mantra (chants) and chakra meditation. Ever thought Sun Salutation could be so much more than physical exercise for weight loss?

 

A Healthy Menu For

Friday

For breakfast, have four egg whites cooked in olive oil with 1 cup peppers, tomatoes and chopped broccoli along with whole-wheat toast and a glass of milk. For lunch, make a sandwich with 2 tbsp. of almond butter, sliced banana and a whole-grain wrap. At dinner, celebrate with homemade pizza -- make your own dough with water, olive oil and a mixture of whole-wheat and white flour. Top with no-salt added tomato sauce mixed with minced garlic and dried oregano, part-skim mozzarella and plenty of fresh vegetables. Have a large green salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar as well. For snacks, enjoy air-popped popcorn and a glass of red wine.