Well the flu season is about to get started and this year we have a swine flu (also known as H1N1) instead of just regular flu to deal with. A recent story that hit that news is that less than half of Canadians say that the care about getting a swine flu shot and this kind of lack of interest is making the Center for Disease Control and other groups nervous about the uptake of the flu shot this year.

Will you be getting a flu shot?

The other story that hit the news in support of this is the head of the CDC, Thomas Frieden, saying that he will be getting his kids immunized this year (no info as to whether he has done this in the past) and is telling people on the news shows this morning that he is very nervous in the amount of swine flu with many cases of flu showing up already.

The stats over that last year seem to show that Swine Flu is most deadly to youngsters. We always look at kids and teens being most susceptible to getting the flu and dying from it. In the past 5 years between 40 and 60% of flu deaths were kids between 5 and 17 years old but this past year the number grew to 80%

Human Swine Flu Vaccine Testing?

I have been hearing rumors lately that the swine flu vaccine has not been tested on humans but this is absolutely not true GlaxoSmithKline which is the creator of the vaccine being used has started and continues to test the vaccine starting in August (last month)

This is a very serious health issue that will be coming at us fast. I know that the school that my kids go to has already been telling parents that they have a plan for if and when there is an outbreak of swine flu so please add your comments to this post and email this post to anyone that you know that may be interested or needs info on Swine Flu (H1N1) this fall

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: center for disease control, GlaxoSmithKline, H1N1, head, Swine Flu, Thomas Frieden

If you live in a tight little place and are hesitating about buying a treadmill simply because you don’t have enough space to accommodate it, this is the right article for you. You see, you are not the only one who lives in condominiums. Moreover, large treadmills pose problems not just for those living in small apartments but also those who are constantly on the move.

Thanks to the huge market demand, treadmill manufactures have finally come up with a portable version of the regular large-sized treadmill. Now, no matter how small your room is, it shouldn’t be an excuse for not using a treadmill. So what are portable treadmills? Well, that is something I am going to discuss in this article.

Here are some of the benefits of using a portable treadmill: Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Fitness Equipment, hatchback car, head

Workouts would have bored everybody if they had tried to do it alone. Have you ever noticed the difference between walking alone and walking with your buddy? In the first instance, you get fatigued too quickly while in the latter case, you don’t even feel like you are walking (in both cases however, you walked the same distance). Well, the same is true for workouts as well. Having a fitness buddy by your side could make a huge difference to your fitness level.

If you don’t believe me, imagine this scenario:

You are sitting on your couch watching a cool comedy. You should have been working out at the gum at this time instead of watching that movie; however, the sun outside is so hot that you excuse yourself from your fitness regimen on that day.

Now, imagine another scenario:

You have got an exercise buddy who goes with you every day to the gym in order to workout together. One day, the sun outside is hot and you are watching a cool movie as before. Once again, you decide to take a break from your workout routine on that day. However, a little later, your cell phone starts ringing. It is your buddy’s call asking you whether you would be coming to the gym or not, because he has already left for it. Afraid of losing face to your friend, you switch off the TV and head for the gym in a trice, beating the hot sun.

Did you notice the difference between the two scenarios?

So many people complain about workouts getting more and more boring with every passing day, but hardly ever they realize that the solution to their problem is very simple and easy. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: cellular telephone, head, online forums

A new three-in-one-pill could reduce the risk factors for heart disease and stroke by 50 per cent and revolutionize prevention of these medical conditions, which kill thousands of Canadians every year, according to a study released yesterday.

The study, published in the Lancet, showed that when blood-pressure medications, Aspirin and cholesterol-lowering medication were taken together in one pill, known as the Polycap, they were just as effective as when taken separately.

“People could take a pill a day and, literally, keep the doctor away,” said Salim Yusuf, a cardiologist and the study’s lead author. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: atenolol, Cardiologist, cardiologist and the study's lead author, diabetes, head, heart attacks, heart disease, high blood pressure, India, lead author, McMaster University, obesity, Population Health Research Institute, Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University, Prevent Heart Disease A, ramipril, Salim Yusuf, stroke, strokes, USD

There are many reasons why a person might want or need to start a program of neck exercise for strengthening the neck. If you are bodybuilding, a strong neck is important for prevention of injuries in this vital and vulnerable area. It is also important for appearance, being even more visible than the arms when fully clothed.

Neck strengthening is particularly important for sports players, especially in contact sports such as boxing, wrestling, football, etc. Neck injuries in these sports can be disastrous, causing paralysis or even death. You might also want to strengthen the neck because of a previous neck injury.

The neck is a complicated area of human anatomy and there are four main muscle groups which both support the head and allow it to move in all directions. These are:

- Rotators, so that you can turn your head and look over your shoulder

- Flexors, so that you can look down, moving your chin toward your chest

- Extensors, so that you can tip your head back, looking up at the ceiling

- Lateral Flexors, so that you can tilt your head sideways, moving your ear toward your shoulder

The action of all of these together means that you can move your head around in any direction that you want. They all need to be flexible to maintain your range of movement, and strong to help prevent potentially fatal injuries.

Before trying any neck exercise keep in mind that the neck is a very delicate area and you must take care not to strain it. Start with very low resistance in each case. You should always consult with a doctor before starting any exercise program and check that the exercises are suitable for you.

Rotators can easily be strengthened by simply placing the hand against the head to provide resistance while you turn your head to the limit of your range of motion, first to one side then the other. Keep the head straight. Slowly increase resistance when your head is turned as far as it can.

The easiest way to strengthen the other 3 muscle groups together is to use a 4-way neck machine which you can find at many gyms. Other gyms have a simple headstrap device which is not so effective because the headstrap generally only works the extensor muscles.

If your gym does not have a 4-way neck machine you can use the headstrap for the extensors. Most gyms will have a headstrap or you can purchase one. You can also find exercises for the flexors and lateral flexors using the headstrap or a towel etc to provide resistance.

The secret in each case is to find an exercise that provides resistance while you move your head in the appropriate direction. Remember always to start with low resistance when you begin any neck exercise.

Tags: Boxing, contact sports, fatal injuries, football, head, headstrap device, neck injuries, paralysis, sports players, wrestling

New Years Resolutions are a great idea that seldom work. The reason that most peoples new years resolutions fail is that people will get a good idea and not flesh it out, decide what to do and how. The best way to be successful is to plan your outcomes and to decide what are the most important things for you. When you do this you have a much better chance at succeeding because when you need to make changes you will do it knowing why you are making a change and exactly what changes need to be made.

Starting to Plan New Years Resolutions

The way I start each year is by looking back, looking at where I am today and finally looking at where I want to be tomorrow and then creating a plan to make a better tomorrow happen.

With traditional goal setting most people just look at what they want and then create a plan to get there. My method of setting real New Years Resolutions is much better as it does not just look at myself as a superman and allow me to collapse as soon as any problem gets in the way of my goal.

Tools for successful New Years Resolutions

To start you must have a notebook and realize that this notebook will be your companion for the next year. Give yourself an hour to get started and know that you will likely be sitting down a few times over the next few days, if New Years Day comes and goes while you are in the midst of this process do not worry. Even though we always look at new years day as the switch that begins a new year remember that you are creating a map and a route that is much more important and long lasting than the flip of a calendar, the end of a day, or a fuzzy idea in the middle of the night whose idea of importance is reflected only by the thoughts and actions of a very few minutes.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: food, goal setting, head, life planning, new years day, new years resolutions, www.43things.com

Brisk walking, jogging and weight training are the most effective forms of exercise to improve bone and muscle strength, Australian experts say on World Osteoporosis Day.

It is estimated that one in two women and one in three men over the age of 60 in Australia will suffer a fracture related to osteoporosis – the loss of bone tissue – research from the University of Melbourne shows.

However, regular exercise can reduce that fracture risk by up to 50 per cent. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Australia, Federal Minister, guide co-author, head, Judy Stenmark, Justine Elliott, Maria Fiatarone Singh, osteoporosis, Osteoporosis Australia, University of Melbourne

Anyone that has been on a diet knows that one day there is no easy way to get past the first day of the diet. On the first day of a diet everything is fine and exciting. On the second day of a diet there is no way that all of those great thoughts of the first day will still be carrying you forward.

Here are some cant miss diet tips to help you after the first day of the diet.

Have a great bunch of reasons

Everyone has goals when they start a diet but these goals are usually far out. You know a picture in your mind of you and a bikini in Hawaii or something like that. Well if you have reasons then it will make things a lot easier. How about thinking about how much better your health is today when you are reaching for a cookie. Another great thing is to make a day of how great your day is today. Look back at the day from the beginning and only notice your successes. Keep your head in the sand about the bad things unless you have to and make sure that you dwell on great things so that you can do more of them all of the time. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: hawaii, head

Do you love bananas? If you love bananas and are struggling to lose weight, I have good news for you. There is a diet program which would let you lose weight with the help of bananas. It is known as the banana diet. You see, bananas are touted as one of most nutritious fruits ever, and you would be surprised to know that the banana diet is not a new fad. It has been around for decades under various names and forms. So let’s head over to discuss how many bananas you need to eat daily for weight loss.

Well, according to the diet program, you need to eat two bananas each before breakfast as well as before lunch. After that, you can have just one banana a little before dinner. That is about 5 bananas you could eat per day.

And if you have a habit of eating at late nights, you would be gravely disappointed, for the banana diet doesn’t allow you to eat even a morsel after 8 pm. It is a good thing really. If you eat something late at night and go to bed a little later, your body is unable to digest the food and turn it into energy. Naturally, it would deposit the undigested food as fat, thereby making you fatter than before.

Now the good and bad things about the banana diet.

The good thing is that it focuses on a nutritious fruit called banana for weight loss. In case you don’t know it already, banana is rich in potassium and fiber content. Fiber would keep you full for a considerable time; that way, you are able to suppress your appetite (and by implication, your appetite for junk foods as well) and lose weight easily. At least, that is how the makers of the banana diet envisioned the whole process.

However, no good diet is without some cons, and the banana diet is no exception in this regard. The bad thing about this diet is that it doesn’t dictate your food choices in any way. The only stipulation it has is that – regardless of whatever you eat, you must eat banana before anything else. Does that mean that if you eat brandy, soda, potatoes, chips, cookies, burgers etc. after eating banana, you would lose weight? Nope. Eating junk foods after having banana would be of no use.

Keep in mind that bananas don’t help you burn fat; rather, they suppress your appetite, so that you feel less hungry than usual. You still need to make wise food choices. This is an area in which the banana diet leaves you on your own. I would suggest that apart from bananas, you eat nothing except nuts, whole grains, natural vegetables, raw fruits, fishes, chicken, eggs, etc. They are all good foods, in that they not only provide the necessary nutrition to your body but also keep your overall calorie intake at a low level.

Tags: energy, food, food choices, head, undigested food, wise food choices

Some of the most astonishing miracles to come out of the nutrition laboratories in recent months have had to do with the mighty family of water-soluble vitamins grouped together under the head of the B complex.

When they use the term “B complex,” scientists are tacitly admitting that they do not know all the vitamins that compose it. Yet experiments with animals indicate that the B vitamins may turn out to be the most remarkable treasure house o£ human health thus far discovered.

The entire B complex (not the individual and better known B vitamins) appears to be a preventive o£ baldness and of gray hair, at least in animals, as we shall later see. Liberal B intake in animals is believed by many researchers to encourage greater resistance to infantile paralysis. Also, in very recent experiments, it has proved remarkably effective in preventing the development of liver cancers in laboratory rats. Right now there is a ferment of activity to relate these startling findings to human beings. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: alcoholism, anemia, b complex, b vitamins, B1 deficiency, baldness, beef liver, beriberi, chicken livers, constipation, cramps, delirium tremens, dizziness, energy, Energy-yielding carbohydrates, food, Golf, hallucinations, head, headache, heart failure, infantile paralysis, liver cancers, numbness, pain, peptic ulcers, poisoning, starvation, temperance lecturer, Tennis, thiamin, vitamin b1, vitamin deficiencies, water soluble vitamins, yeast