A man was walking down the street when he noticed his grandpa sitting on the porch, in the rocking chair, with nothing on from the waist down.

“Grandpa, what are you doing?” he exclaimed.

The old man looked off in the distance and did not answer him.

“Grandpa, what are you doing sitting out here with nothing on below the waist?” he asked again.

The old man slyly looked at him and said, “Well, last week I sat out here with no shirt on, and I got a stiff neck. This was your Grandma’s idea!”

For all of us who do not want to have a stiff neck I have some easy exercises.  I find that simply, carefully stretching your neck works wonders. 

1. Carefully strech move your head  backwards, forwards and to each side.

2. Then roll slowly around in a circle.

3. Never push it.  Just keep on breathing slowly stretching over and over again until your muscles feel relaxed again.

This video show another great exercise to cure stiff neck that you can do almost anywhere.

Tags: cure stiff neck, exercises stiff neck, stiff neck

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Today I have the pleasure of publishing a in-depth guest article about hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.  The Author – Su Rollins writes for hypoglycemia diet menu , her personal hobby blog focused on tips to prevent and cure hypoglycemia using the right diet and nutrition.

What is hypoglycemia?

Hypoglycemia, also called low blood glucose or low blood sugar, occurs when blood glucose drops below normal levels. Glucose, an important source of energy for the body, comes from food. Carbohydrates are the main dietary source of glucose. Rice, potatoes, bread, tortillas, cereal, milk,
fruit, and sweets are all carbohydrate-rich foods.

Hypoglycemia can happen suddenly. It is usually mild and can be treated quickly and easily by eating or drinking a small amount of glucose-rich food. If left untreated, hypoglycemia can get worse and cause confusion, clumsiness, or fainting. Severe hypoglycemia can lead to seizures, coma, and even death.

In adults and children older than 10 years, hypoglycemia is uncommon except as a side effect of diabetes treatment. Hypoglycemia can also result, however, from other medications or diseases, hormone or enzyme deficiencies, or tumors.

What effect does exercise have on glucose levels?

Did you know that you can easily manage your diabetes just by engaging in exercise? There are exercises that have a good effect on the glucose levels of those suffering from type 2 diabetes. When you engage in exercise, you expend a lot of energy from the glucose found in your muscles. At first, the body simply uses up the glucose which is traced from your muscles’ glycogen. It is in your bloodstream where this glucose is found. Engaging in exercise means your blood glucose levels will not get lower. Additionally, your body also releases additional glucagon and hormones. These are important because they break down your liver’s stored fats, turning it into more glucose you can expend. Engaging in exercise means your body improves; it develops a better sensitivity when it comes to insulin, as well as allowing you to be more in control of your glycemic index.
Why is the effect of exercise on glucose levels important to those with type 2 diabetes?

Exercise indeed has a good effect on a patient’s glucose level. This is good news for people who have type 2 diabetes. A lot of research indicates that patients of diabetes gain more control over their glycemic as soon as they get used to a regular exercise program. On the other hand, people who do not engage in exercise find no improvement on their glycemic control. Since exercise improves your insulin sensitivity, you will also need less medicines in order to control the levels of your blood sugar.
Should patients with type 2 diabetes exercise more often or differently than otherwise healthy people?
There are, of course, people who become at risk for hypoglycemia due to the combined effects of their diabetes and engaging in high stress exercise. This happens during exercise and after it, too. If you think about it though, people can also be at risk for hyperglycemia simply for having poor control over their diabetes. Therefore, the leaders in this field recommend engaging in moderate exercise for a minimum of 2 hours and 30 minutes, or 90 minutes if they want to do vigorous exercise.
What type of exercise is best for type 2 diabetes patients?
When it comes to exercise, the kind of exercise that is used is not as important compared to the frequency of the exercise. There are also some studies showing that if you participate in both weight training and aerobic activity, you get even more benefits as a result.
When should patients be discouraged from exercising?

Of course, sometimes patients should not engage in vigorous exercise especially when they have cardiac conditions or they are more prone to developing injuries as a result. It is better if they start of slow and get used to a light intensity program instead.
How might a patient be encouraged to exercise?

You can encourage patients to exercise slowly and surely until they adapt to it.

Image by  http://www.flickr.com/photos/dnorman/2711312845/sizes/sq/

Tags: diabetes, diabetes exercise, hypoglycemia exercise, Prevent Hypoglycemia, prevent low blood sugar

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No what?

A friend of mine signed me up for a 10k race. So now I have to start running. The race is still a couple of weeks away and it makes me feel very motivated to start running. But I have yet to actually get out there.

I would like to track how far I run so I am looking for iPhone apps that can assist me. I found a bunch on Marshable.

RunKeeper Pro $9.99 is probably the most well-known of the running apps on this list. This is a feature-rich app that enables GPS tracking, distance, speed monitoring, caloric output and activity history for any number of activities you partake in including sports such as running, cycling, hiking, skiing and swimming. You can also sync all the data to RunKeeper’s website to monitor progress and share publicly. RunKeeper also offers a simplified version of the app for free.

Targeted more for beginner runners, Get Running for $1.99 provides users with a specific training regimen over the course of nine weeks, with the end goal of being able to run for 30 minutes. Audio prompts guide users through each workout and even provide encouragement along the way.

Fitnio, $1.99,  is another GPS-based tracking and monitoring app for walking, running and cycling. The app records your activity and then displays distance, pace, caloric burn and also keeps an ongoing log of all workouts and also syncs with its website. Fitnio also provides an emergency contact option in the event that immediate help is needed during a workout.

If you want a GPS-based route tracker and activity log, but don’t want to pay for one, iMapMyRun is a good alternative. Similar to some of the other tracking apps, this also enables you to save your data to the app’s website where you can monitor progress and share publicly, even via Twitter. For more features like iPod integration and photo geo-tagging, there’s a more comprehensive version available called iMapMyRun+ that costs $4.99.

I’m thinking that maybe Get Running is a good alternative to start with or maybe the free iMapMyRun.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/luciuskwok/

Tags: gadgets, iphone apps, running

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Maybe we were a little too eager to go green.

A Swiss research team just published results on radiation from the popular Energy Saving Light Bulbs. Turns out that the radiation is high enough to be potentially dangerous just 30 cm. That’s about 12 inch.

This very moment my son is probably a sleep with his bedside lamp still lit just 8 inch from his head. Now that feels great!

Switzerland is now recommending that you keep a distance of a least 30 cm from energy saving lamps while you rest, work or do any longer activity. So no energy saving by your bed or at your desk.

It’s the CFL bulbs they are talking about compact fluorescent lamp.  CFL light bulbs are expensive but they use less energy and have a longer rated life. It is estimated that you can save $30 in electricity costs during the lamp’s life time. The lamp bulbs are very popular in Europe and many countries have banned the old fashioned “safe” light bulbs.

Now I have to go upstairs and change a lamp. See you guys later.

Image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/levyfulop/

Tags: energy saving light bulbs, Go Green, health risks, save energy

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“I don’t need those, I’ve got running shoes.”

That was my first thought when I saw Skechers new Shape-Up Shoes.

Then I started hear more and more good things about them. Great for your back. Great for your butt. I even heard of someone who got rid of  incontinence with the help of Shape-Ups. When my mother visited from Sweden and told me that they sell for 300 bucks over there.  I decided that it was worth $100 to try them out.

If people are willing to pay $300 and still only have good things to say about them then I get interested. So I picked up a pair of  black and white Metabolize Shape-ups.

The first thing I noticed is that it felt like walking on bouncy cushions. I felt very tall. No wonder consider how high they are but they also make you straighten up your posture so the effect is double.

I didn’t follow the instructions to use them for only 45 minutes the first two days, I never follow instructions. NO I just put them on and did my thing. The first two I had a lot of errands to run so that’s what I did. The shoes were very comfortable and very warm and I enjoyed wearing them.

I  just wore just wore my new shoes doing what I normally do errands, dropping of and picking up kids and I only wore them outside the house. This is what happened:

The first night I felt my back.

The second night I felt my buttocks

The third night I my transverse abs joined the party.

I was very impressed by the effect I felt by the Shape-Ups. I had to remind myself to stretch since I didn’t think about the fact that I was working out. After three days I decided I was probably better off using them every other day as I built up the strength in my back. The shoes toned my muscles much more that I had expected.

A week after I’d purchased the shoes I took them on a power walk. It was a very comfortable and the bouncy effect made me  feel very fit.  But I must confess that the work-out was impressive. I normally have to work very hard to get out of breath by walking but that was not the case when I was wearing the my new shoes.

Pros and Cons with Skechers Shape-Ups Shoes:

+ comfortable

+ tones calves, back, abs and buttocks

+ corrects posture

+ increase resistance while you walk which improves your circulation and helps you burn more fat

+ improved circulation helps combat cellulites

- warm

- since you don’t really notice that you work out it’s easy to forget to stretch afterwards

I can definitely recommend the shape-up shoes. If you can planning to use them indoors or during the summer months I would consider one of the open shoes since the sneaker is very warm. It is also very important to remember to stretch your muscles and remember let them rest. If you work your back muscles during fitness you stretch out after wards and you don’t get surprised if you feel your muscles the next day.  Same goes for these shoes. They really work your back with is excellent since a lot of people suffer from back and neck pain however we also have a tendency to think that ache in our back muscles is dangerous. Just like any other muscles in your body the muscles in your back can get sore.

The shoes comes with a booklet and a DVD, it is probably a good idea to read the instructions.

Remember to build up your strength slowly and stretch your muscles after using your new shoes and you will love your Shape-Up shoes.

Tags: back pain, exercise, good posture, shape-up shoes, Shape-Up Shoes Review, sneaky weight loss

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