How Does Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer Spread to Bone, Lung, & Liver?

Misdiagnosis
One of the most common ways that stage IV breast cancer metastasizes or spreads to the lung, liver and bone is if it is misdiagnosed. Cancer cells multiply and spread through the blood stream and oftentimes to the lymph nodes. Perhaps routine cancer testing such as a mammogram, PET scan, MRI, Bone scan, X-ray or CAT scan may have only shown the primary tumor and not the metastasis. It could also go undetected if there was a secondary tumor or lesion that developed shortly after the cancer was diagnosed.

Making sure to have followup care even with a stage I cancer may prevent a trace of cancer going undiagnosed. There may also be abnormalities that exist with the primary tumor such as that not all of it was removed with surgery. Even with aggressive treatment such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy focused on the cancer left behind, it can still quickly spread and create a secondary tumor or metastasize to the liver, bones and lungs.

Unresponsive to Treatment
In some cases when a stage IV breast cancer is detected, a high-dosage round of chemotherapy, radiation and other forms of treatment may be used to kill the cancer cells. But when the cancer has metastasized to vital functioning organs such as the liver—which filters out toxins in the body—the overall health of the person may become severely affected, making it harder for the body to fight off the disease. The further the cancer has spread from the breast or primary tumor, the harder it is to treat. Radiation therapy is often not an option except to merely shrink the tumor. If there are multiple metastases, it may be difficult to treat as a large amount of radiation in the body can be deadly. Many times small amounts of radiation are used as a form of palliative care therapy in order to keep the patient comfortable during her last few months of life.

Aggressive Cancer
In most cases, metastatic breast cancer to the bone, liver and lungs is a form of aggressive cancer. This means that it invades outside organs and tissue fast and rapidly. It also means that it can be very resilient to therapy and hard to treat. Cancer that has already spread to the bones eats away at bone and can make the body structure weak and increase pain in the joints. Breast cancer that has also made its way to the lungs not only causes pain, it can make breathing difficult, if not unbearable. Oxygen therapy and breathing treatments may be necessary as a form of palliative care to help the patient remain comfortable. Aggressive cancer that has invaded the liver can be difficult to treat and contain because the liver is a vital organ to human function. In some cases small areas of cancer in the liver may be removed as opposed to risking damage through radiation therapy.

Can You Lose Weight Eating Peaches?

Peaches are nutritious sources of vitamins A and C, and you can eat these summer fruits for a snack or with almost any meal. Whether you have an abundance of fresh peaches from the summer harvest or you depend on frozen ones, you can lose weight eating peaches. To best fit your weight-loss goals, eat them in moderation, and focus on keeping the rest of your diet low in calories.

Control Your Calorie Consumption
Because a fresh large 6-ounce peach contains 68 calories, peaches can easily fit into a calorie-controlled diet for weight loss. You need to consume fewer calories than you expend if you want to lose weight, and including low-calorie foods such as peaches can help you stick to a reduced-calorie diet. To reduce your calorie consumption, choose peaches instead of higher-calorie foods. Have a peach for dessert instead of a brownie, which typically has about 227 calories, or snack on a fresh peach instead of potato chips, which have 152 calories per ounce.

FIll Up on Fiber and Water
A large fresh peach provides 2.6 grams of dietary fiber, or 10 percent of the daily value based on a 2,000-calorie diet. A high-fiber diet can aid in weight control because it helps you feel full so you eat less of other potentially higher-calorie foods. Peaches are also filling because water composes 89 percent of their weight. Water is a calorie-free nutrient that helps reduce hunger because it fills up your belly. For a high-fiber breakfast, add sliced peaches to oatmeal or whole-grain cold cereal with skim milk.

Choose the Right Kind
Some forms of peaches are higher in calories and less beneficial for weight loss. Dried peaches have a lower water content than fresh peaches and have a higher calorie content per ounce. Each quarter-cup serving of unsweetened dried peaches weighs only 1.5 ounces and contains 96 calories. Sweetened frozen peaches contain 118 calories per half-cup, and a half-cup of peaches canned in heavy syrup contains 80 calories. For better weight loss results, choose fresh peaches, unsweetened frozen peaches or peaches canned in their own juice.

Considerations
Eating peaches in a variety of recipes can prevent boredom. For a low-calorie breakfast, try peaches with fat-free cottage cheese or a whole-grain waffle. For lunch, a green salad with peaches, chicken and walnuts is filling and low in calories, but it supplies protein, vitamins A and C, omega-3 fats and other essential nutrients. For a low-calorie, high-calcium snack, grab a low-fat cheese stick and a large peach. You also can grill nutritious skewers for dinner with pieces of salmon, mango, peach, onions and pineapple.

3 Quick Body-Toning HIIT Workouts You Can Do Anywhere

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: High Intensity Interval Training is having a moment.

And we don’t just mean at boot camp-style studios. Considering that the biggest piece of equipment you really need is your own body, you could say that home is where the HIIT is.

In fact, the easiest part about the otherwise super-sweaty workout is the fact that you can literally roll out of bed and do it.

The second easiest part? Finding someone to guide you through your at-home workout no matter how much eggnog drinking, gift shopping, or holiday traveling threatens to distract you this winter, thanks to Sean Bartram and his book High Intensity Interval Training for Women.

Bartram, the official trainer to the Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders and founder of Indiana studio Core Pilates and Fitness, says the secret to mastering HIIT no matter where you’re doing it is in the push.

“As Thomas Jefferson said, ‘If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done,'” explains Bartram. (If only there was an equally motivational Keep Calm and Push It poster hanging above your sofa.)

Follow the trainer’s motivational words and, according to him, “you can lose body fat, preserve muscle and improve your conditioning in as little as 15 to 20 minutes a day.” Or at the very least squeeze in some hard-won sweat-time.

Read on for Bartram’s three favorite HIIT workouts from his book (and watch the videos for help figuring out any exercises you don’t know). Go on, do try these at home. —Victoria Lewis

Up first? A short cardio routine featuring “tiger push-ups.” Intrigued? You should be…

1. Hop to HIIT

“This is a short cardio routine,” says Bartram. “It features cardio staples such as mountain climbers to drive the heart rate up and pairs them with calorie-scorching, strength-building compound exercises such as tiger push-ups. Repeat each exercise twice.”

2. Total Body Blast

“This routine combines explosive cardio exercises, plyometrics (jump training), and strength exercises,” Bartram explains. “By working multiple large muscle groups in unison, you stoke the body’s fat burning furnace, incinerating calories, and creating muscle tone, definition, and strength in the process.”

3. Core Killer

“The core muscles work as stabilizers for the entire body and help it to function more effectively,” says Bartram. “Working on them will give you correct posture, a toned tummy, prevent injuries and increase your athletic performance.”

The Health Benefits of Alfalfa Juice

With their pale green heads and long, fine, white threads, alfalfa sprouts are delicate tasting. Nutrient rich, alfalfa sprouts might not be your first choice as a juicing ingredient, but adding even just a little bit to a vegetable or fruit juice can significantly boost the nutritional content of your drink. Alfalfa is low in calories and fat, its mild taste won’t interfere with the taste of the other juice ingredients and it will provide a strong boost of essential vitamins and minerals.

Macronutrient Content
Alfalfa juice provides a large number of nutrients without greatly increasing your calorie or fat consumption. A 2-ounce serving of fresh alfalfa juice contains only 38 calories per serving and 1.14 grams of total fat. This size serving of alfalfa juice also contains no cholesterol. Alfalfa juice also has only 0.3 gram of sugar and a little over 6.5 grams of protein.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant, helping your body defend itself from cell damage through exposure to environmental toxins and free radicals. Free radicals are produced by your body during the breakdown of food. It also helps your body produce collagen to make skin, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels, as well as heal wounds. A single serving of alfalfa juice contains 13.5 milligrams of vitamin C. This is 15 percent of the daily adequate intake for adult men and 18 percent of the daily AI for adult women. It is also almost 16 percent of the AI for pregnant women and 11.25 percent for breast-feeding women.

The Mineral Magnesium
An essential mineral, magnesium helps with the production of energy and protein in your body and the contraction and relaxation of muscles. Magnesium also helps certain enzymes function. A 2-ounce serving of alfalfa juice contains 45 milligrams of magnesium, which provides 14 percent of the recommended daily requirement for adult women and almost 11 percent for adult men. It is also 11.25 percent of the recommended daily requirement for pregnant women and 12.5 percent for breast-feeding women.

Thiamine
Also known as vitamin B-1, thiamine helps your body convert carbohydrates into useable energy, as well as break down and use fats and proteins. As a member of the B vitamin group, thiamine helps with maintaining healthy skin, hair, eyes and liver. Thiamine may also help with supporting your immune system and improving your body’s ability to handle stress. A 2-ounce serving of alfalfa juice has 0.125 milligram of thiamine. This is a little over 11 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for adult women, almost 9 percent for pregnant and breast-feeding women, and a little over 10 percent of the RDA for adult men.

How to Help an Autistic Child

Helping an autistic child can be frustrating because they need continuous, intensive and multifaceted assistance. Autistic children in the 60 to 70 IQ range tend to have a better outlook, as do those who have spontaneous speech by age 5 or 6.

Make your child a part of your family, not the center of it. No child benefits from all of his parents' attention.

Provide consistency. Your autistic child needs you to establish a set routine that he can count on every day. If you feel disorganized, if you are trying to juggle too many balls, your autistic child will respond to this confusion with bizarre behaviors.

Use the same set of words every time you reward him, likewise when you reprimand him. Autistic children do not learn well from experience. Often each event is a completely new occurrence to the child, even if the exact same thing happened yesterday.

Use behavior modification to correct undesirable behaviors. Use tangible rewards to increase motivation. You should provide 10 praise statements for every one corrective statement.

Notice your child's cues to stop a misbehavior before it occurs. A child might whine, or begin avoiding eye contact.

Pay attention to his warning signs, give him a basic instruction, guide him through the task nonchalantly, and then praise him.

Describe what you are going to do to your autistic child beforehand, since autistic children are easily confused by change.

Find the best educational program available to fit your child's special needs. Early intervention programs offer special education for autistic children that are not yet of school age.

Contact your local school district or health department, or ask your pediatrician about preschool and all-day school programs available in your area.

How to Use Home Remedies for Sore Muscles

If you’re a little hesitant to pop a pain reliever pill for sore muscles, try using home remedies to ease your muscle pain. All of these methods are easy to use and offer no side effects, in addition to being considerably cheaper than analgesic creams and pills. Fore moderate muscle pain, home remedies work great. For severe muscle pain, it’s best to visit your doctor and act on his recommendations.

Things You'll Need
Epsom salt (purchase at drugstore)
White vinegar
Apple cider vinegar
Ace bandage
Bananas
Ice pack
Bath tub
Water

For immediate relief as soon as you strain your muscle, apply an ice pack--20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. Make sure you drink plenty of water. Proper hydration helps heal your muscles quicker. Heat, although it might be much more soothing than ice, shouldn’t be applied in the first 24 to 36 hours after injury.

Take it easy! Gently stretching your muscles is fine, but continuing with a strenuous workout schedule won’t ease your muscles. To reduce swelling, lightly wrap the area in an ace bandage. Be careful not to wrap the muscle too tightly as this can cause swelling around the affected area.

Soak in a warm bath with 2 cups of epsom salt or 2 cups of white vinegar. Pour the vinegar or salt into the tub as it’s filling and soak for 30 minutes. Epsom salt contains magnesium sulfate that helps replace lost magnesium in the body. Vinegar helps draws out lactic acid from the sore muscles--a main culprit of muscle soreness.

Compresses soaked in apple cider vinegar should be applied to the sore muscle for 20 minutes. Again, drawing out the lactic acid is a great way to alleviate soreness.

Eat some bananas to boost your potassium levels. Muscles stiffen and cramp up when your body is low in potassium. Bananas are a great source of potassium. Make sure to drink plenty of water too!

Massage helps stimulate the blood flow in and around the affected muscle. There’s no need to pay for an expensive masseuse. Use your own hands and gently rub the affected area after applying an ice pack, soaking in the tub, or applying the vinegar compress.

Work Your Butt, Arms, And Abs With 5 Moves And Just 5 Minutes

The first week back at work is a major reality check, particularly when it comes to sticking with a new fitness routine. While there may be a desire to log 30 minutes on the treadmill (yep, those are actual thoughts people have…sometimes!), the freedom that comes along with being on vacation is over.

But you don’t need a lot of time to log an incredibly effective workout. For a full-body routine that you can squeeze into your daily routine without rearranging your schedule, trainer David Kirsch has got your back…and abs, arms, and butt. The fast, five-minute workout below is part of Kirsch’s new book, Ultimate Family Wellness, where he lays out his 5-5-5 plan for wellness that includes healthy-eating guidelines and simple workouts.

Move through the exercises below without resting if you can and you’ll not only strengthen your muscles, but you’ll burn more calories, too.

The workout:

Do each of the five exercises below for one minute without rest. If you want more of a challenge, repeat the sequence one or two more times. You’ll need one set of light dumbbells.

Now let’s breakdown the moves:

1. Sumo Lunges: This is one of Kirsch’s signature butt exercises—he uses this move when training clients like Heidi Klum. Here’s a quick video of him demonstrating how to do it.

2. Squats: Think more ballet, less boot camp. This is a plié squat which means you don’t hinge your hips back when lowering your butt toward the floor. Instead, imagine that you’re gliding your back down a wall while you’re getting low.

3. Jumping Jacks With Shoulder Presses: Adding light weights, Kirsch recommends 3 to 5 pounds, makes this cardio move even more challenging. The tip here is to keep your elbows wide throughout the entire exercise.

4. Plank: Kirsch is a big fan of this exercise. The goal with this move is to get into position (that means keeping your spine long, abs tight, and wrists directly under your shoulders), and holding it for one full minute—or as long as you can without sacrificing form. If you need to drop to your knees, that’s OK, come back into the full position when you’re ready.

5. Side Planks: This plank variation targets your obliques, the muscles that run along the sides of your waist. Keep the wrist of the arm that’s on the floor in line with your shoulder and drive your hips toward the ceiling.

7 Pro Tips For Keeping Your Emotions In Check

All of your emotional upsets are caused by lack of harmony, imbalances and unresolved issues, from your past or present, in the emotional body. Now, here’s the kicker, 98 percent of that upset is what you picked up from other people.

That’s right, you are picking up other people’s feelings, thoughts and emotions all of the time. Your body is an amazing energy-sensing machine and has its own consciousness. It is designed to give you sensory input, but most people don’t even realize that they’re taking on someone else’s upset.

Since you were in the womb, you have been a sponge that picks up the energy around you all of the time. Have you ever been referred to as too sensitive?

The truth is that your sensitivity is actually your gift — your ability. You are so much more psychic than you give yourself credit for. The problem is not your sensitivity, it’s that you are taking on the energy of other people and making it your own.

What, then, can you do when the negative emotions take over? Here are my seven tips for keeping your emotions in check and maintaining happiness:

1. Ask yourself, Who does this belong to?
First and foremost, ask yourself, Who does this belong to? You don’t even have to answer the question to begin to feel a shift. Only the ego wants to know the answer. If you’re still in a funk, then ask, Hey body, what awareness are you sharing with me? Or, What awareness am I avoiding? What’s the gift in experiencing this now?

2. Don’t react.
Reaction indicates that you are judging what you are experiencing. For example, you may be judging that someone is wrong in a particular situation. Instead of going there, just say to yourself, They have an interesting point of view, and I have an interesting point of view. This helps you to stop taking what’s happening between you so seriously and personally. If you do react, please don’t beat yourself up. Be kind and just laugh it off.

3. Accept, rather than resist.
Be neutral. Be like Teflon and let what negativity or judgment that is coming your way, slide right past you. Don’t let it land with you.

4. Forgive yourself.
Forgive yourself for any transgression or neglect that has been displayed toward your Higher Self.

5. Choose a different perspective.
Take action by choosing another perspective. If you let the negativity land with you, you are choosing to take it seriously and to engage with it. Instead, choose something else. Ask yourself, What do I choose to experience now?

6. Let it go.
Release it by making it part of your past. Stay present. Be in faith and trust that you are a divine and infinite being. Each new moment is your chance to play and create something new.

7. Be grateful.
Be thankful for this experience. Thank your body for giving you more awareness.

Here is a list of positive emotions or states of mind that you can now focus on:

• Acceptance: Everything is what it is.
• Energy: All that life is made up of.
• Joy: How you were born into this life.
• Creativity: What you came here to experience — to create upon create.
• Tranquility: A choice that is always possible.
• Freedom: Being in the state of allowance with what is.
• Wisdom: Every cell of your body is tuned into Universal Intelligence.
• Peace: What’s actually possible on this earth.
• Harmony: When you are in fluidity with your Highest Self.
• Health: Being in the state of congruency with life.
• Abundance: The truth of what life really is.
• Love: Who you really are.

Each new moment is your chance to play and create something new.

How to Bathe in Epsom Salts to Lose Weight

Epsom salts have long been associated with the easing of stress and improvement of sleep and concentration. The healing benefits help to flush toxins, improve absorption of nutrients like magnesium and help muscles and nerves to function properly. Epsom salts in a bath of hot water absorbs toxins, extracting them from the body, resulting in a weight loss. Creating an Epsom bath is simple and the added advantage is that the bath sedates the nervous system, relaxes muscles, reduces swelling and more.

Things You'll Need
1 cup Epsom salts
Handful of sea salt
2 tbsp. bath oil
Water
Tub

Gather your cool towel and glass of water and begin to fill the tub with hot bath water. The bath water should be approximately 40-degrees C or 104-degrees F.

While the tub is filling, add 1 cup Epsom salts. Measure the sea salt in your hand and add one handful. Add 2 tbsp. of the bath oil It is important to add the Epsom salts as the tub is filling because it will get lumpy if exposed to the humid bathroom air.

Before emerging in the tub, drink the glass of water and place the cool towel on your head. Relax in the tub for approximately 20 minutes.

What Body Systems Are Affected by Alzheimer Disease?

Alzheimer disease is a chronic, incurable brain disorder characterized by progressive loss of brain tissue and function. The early stages of Alzheimer disease primarily affect intellectual functions. Late-stage Alzheimer disease directly or indirectly affects other body systems. The condition is ultimately fatal. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that up to 5.3 million men and women in the United States are living with Alzheimer disease.

Central Nervous System
Alzheimer disease is principally a disease of the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord. Although the cause of Alzheimer disease remains poorly understood, specific brain abnormalities have been identified in patients with the disorder. Amyloid plaques, composed of specific proteins and pieces of dead brain cells, progressively accumulate in the brain tissue. A naturally occurring brain protein known as tau also accumulates abnormally, causing brain cells to malfunction and eventually die.

The loss of functioning brain tissue that occurs with Alzheimer disease initially causes problems with memory and learning. As the disease progresses, intellectual function, personality and mood are increasingly affected. With late-stage disease, patients lose their sense of self and present circumstances. Patients with advanced Alzheimer disease are completely dependent on others for daily care, as they have forgotten how to go about the most basic tasks of daily living. Patients do not recognize loved ones and lose the capacity to contemplate, plan, rationalize, organize and interact with their environment.

Digestive System
Alzheimer disease adversely affects the digestive system in several ways. According to a review published in 2013 in the "Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics," swallowing difficulties commonly occur in Alzheimer disease, and compared to other types of dementia, these difficulties often occur fairly early in the disease. People often have difficulty eating without choking. Pneumonia remains a common cause of death among people with Alzheimer disease. The onset of pneumonia is frequently associated with swallowing difficulties that lead to the accidental entry of food or liquids into the airways.

People living with Alzheimer disease may develop an impaired sense of smell, which also interferes with the sense of taste. Eating may become problematic due to these impairments. Bowel control is also adversely affected with Alzheimer disease. Fecal incontinence occurs in most people with advanced disease.

Neuromuscular System
People with advanced Alzheimer disease lose the ability to use their muscles in purposeful ways. Patients with late-stage disease typically lose their ability to walk. The ability to maintain posture to sit safely in a chair may also be lost. The muscles become increasingly rigid as control of the neuromuscular system declines. Accidental injuries related to declining motor function are common among people with Alzheimer disease.

How to Use Stinging Nettle as a Natural Allergy Medicine

Are you looking for a natural allergy medicine? Does taking prescription or over the counter allergy medication not work for you? That's where stinging nettle (Urtica Dioica) comes in. I use it for my own allergies and I consider it one of the best natural allergy remedies out there.

Stinging Nettles one of my favorite herbs to take daily because that's the best way to make sure that your allergies are under control. It's also rich in healthy nutrients.

The best way to take Stinging Nettle for a natural allergy medicine is in the form of a strong tea. This tea is brewed for longer than the normal time. Even though the tea is strong, the herb is pretty gentle. The following tips will help you in making a cup for yourself.

This article explains how to make a tea that you brew for a while. Some call them "nourishing herbal infusions". But, you don't need to take it this way to reap the benefits. I will also cover the other ways of taking nettle for allergies.

Things You'll Need
Tincture
Tea
Capsules
1 cup Dried stinging nettle leaves
1 qt. Mason jar with lid
Boiling water

Other Was to Take Nettle for a Natural Allergy Medicine
Take Nettle Tincture for Allergies

You can purchase the tincture for allergies. Mix twenty drops with warm water and drink. Do this in the morning when you wake up and again at night. This is a convenient way to reap the benefits.

Brew a Cup of Nettle Tea

I explain how to make a strong tea in the next section. However, you can also just purchase the tea bag or loose tea and make it a cup at a time. Follow the instructions on the package but be sure to steep it for at least 10 minutes.

Taking Stinging Nettle Capsules

Another option is to take nettle capsules. This is the most convenient method out of all of them. Just follow the instructions on the package to determine how much to take and when to take it.

Instructions for Making Stinging Nettle Infusion
Boil water in a tea kettle or in a non-alluminum pan. Stainless steel is best.

Add the dried stinging nettle to the glass mason jar.

When water starts boiling, pour over the dried stinging nettle to the top. Secure the lid tightly.

Keep the mason jar on the countertop and let the stinging nettle steep fore 4 to 8 hours. I usually do it overnight. When the nettle is ready, it will be a dark green color.

Strain the infusion well before use--you don't want to consume the leaves.

There are several ways you can serve the stinging nettle infusion. You can pour it over ice and drink it cold, add it to fruit juice, or reheat it and sweeten with honey or drink unsweetened. There are no restrictions. My favorite ways are to pour it over ice or heat it up. I don't need to sweeten it because it is mild tasting.

Characteristics of a Premature Baby

Depending on how early delivery occurs during pregnancy, a premature baby can have different characteristics than a full-term baby. Over time, the characteristics become less noticeable. Premature babies require close monitoring and sometimes special medical assistance in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a hospital. Advances in medicine have given premature babies a better chance at overcoming the obstacles they face from the shortened stay in the womb.

Low Body Fat
Chubbiness is a typical trait of full-term babies. A premature baby may have very little body fat. This can make the infant appear very thin. The baby will not weigh nearly the amount of a full-term baby. This weight range varies, but a typical full-term baby weighs at least 7 pounds at delivery. The earlier the baby arrives, the lower the number will be on the scale. Pediatrician, Dr. Sears, points out that 90 percent of the baby's weight is gained after the fifth month of pregnancy, and 50 percent in the final two months.

Skin Traits
Premature babies who arrive between weeks 30 and 32 are likely to have thin skin as a result of the limited body fat, explains the March of Dimes. The ribs may be easy to see under the skin. Regardless of the infant's natural skin tone, the tissue may appear red. The skin is often wrinkly. Extremely premature infants, those who are delivered anytime between the 24th and 27th weeks, have yet to develop the exterior layer of skin, which begins solidifying in the 26th week. March of Dimes points out that the skin may appear smooth and shiny and be too fragile for anything other than light touching.

Hair
Very premature babies have no hair at all. They lack the lanugo, or fine fuzz that covers an infant's body beginning around week 24 or shortly after. A premature baby who arrives closer to term may have fuzz all over the body, even the head.

Sealed Eyes
The eyelids are fused shut until the 26th week of pregnancy. At that time, the lids open on their own, revealing eyes and sometimes eyelashes, states the March of Dimes. A baby born prior to the 26th week will continue to have sealed eyes.

Movement
Without the needed body fat and muscle, a preemie will not move the way a full-term baby will. The movements of a baby born between 29 and 32 weeks may appear jerky instead of smooth. Babies born before these weeks may not move much at all. The arms and legs may remain in an outstretched position from the lack of muscle tone. Around the 35th week, a preemie has enough muscle tone to get into the fetal position, like a full-term newborn. Sucking to eat may be difficult due to an infant's poor muscle tone. The cries of an early baby are often weak.

Incomplete Development
Other signs of a premature baby include evidence that development has not finished. The lungs are some of the last parts of the body to develop. A premature baby is often provided oxygen to maintain life until the lungs finish developing. The genitals may be small or underdeveloped in a preemie. In proportion to the rest of the body, the infant's head is likely to appear long and irregular.

List of Heart Healthy Foods

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States today. Thirty percent of the adult population and nearly a third of all children in the U.S. are obese. While a large part of this problem can be attributed to a lack of regular physical activity, an equally large part is the prevalence of unhealthy foods in the diets of most Americans. It is important to know not only what foods are bad for your heart, but what foods are good for it.

Bad Fats
When it comes to heart healthiness, its all about the fats. Saturated fats and trans fats are the big NO here. Saturated fats are found in animal products, and in some plant products like coconut. Trans fats are most commonly found in "partially hydrogenated" cooking oils associated with deep-fried foods. Saturated and trans fats both raise LDL cholesterol (the bad kind), and may even lower HDL cholesterol (the good kind).

Saturated fats are found in red meat, butter, milk, cream and cheese (however, 1 percent and skim milk are low in saturated fats, as are the dairy products made from them). Trans fats are found in fried foods and pastries. Even if a food claims to be "trans-fat free," it may still be high in saturated fats.

Good Fats
Not all fats are bad. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, as well as certain fatty acids like Omega-3, are actually needed by the body, and are thought to raise HDL cholesterol (which in turn, lowers LDL cholesterol). These good fats are liquid at room temperature, whereas fats that are generally solid at room temperature contain saturated and trans fats--a good rule of thumb to use when shopping and cooking.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to both lowered LDL cholesterol and increased HDL cholesterol, and to arterial health. Omega-3 can be found in fish and nuts.

Heart-Healthy Foods
Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in seafood like Salmon, as well as nuts such as walnuts and almonds.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are generally found together, and are present in canola, vegetable and olive oils (of these, olive oil is the healthiest), as well as nuts, avocados and seafood. Although healthier than the alternatives, these good fats are still fats, and so the key is moderation. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight, and being overweight is the number one indicator of probable heart problems.

Heart-healthy foods that aren't fats inlude oatmeal, apples, blueberries and other fruits, red wine (in moderation: studies show one or two glasses a day can be beneficial to your heart), whole grains, green vegetables, tomatoes and soy (found in tofu, an excellent substitute for red meat).

Of all the world cuisines, a Mediterranean-style diet has been most closely linked with heart-healthiness. Use that as a guideline for making choices about what you eat.

How to Build Up Your Immune System to Fight The Flu

Influenza is an upper respiratory infection that can produce symptoms such as dry cough, sore throat, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. Because this illness is spread by airborne virus cells, it is highly contagious. Although bed rest and fluids are typically recommended for treatment of influenza, prevention is preferable to treatment. Boosting your immune system may help your body ward off the influenza virus, preventing you from contracting influenza.

Step 1
Add fresh, chopped or diced garlic to entrees, soups and side dishes. Garlic may help boost your immune system, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. It also contains a chemical compound called allicin that may offer antiviral benefits, helping your body ward off the influenza virus.

Step 2
Take supplements containing astragalus. This herb, native to eastern and northern China, may help boost immune system function to help your body destroy influenza virus cells, according to Phyllis Balch, author of "Prescription for Nutritional Healing." It may also prevent toxic damage to your liver, allowing this organ to effectively remove immunity-weakening wastes from your bloodstream. Talk to your doctor before taking astragalus supplements. This herb may counteract immune-suppressing drugs used after organ transplants, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Step 3
Consume foods rich in vitamin C, such as kiwi fruit, grapefruit, watercress, alfalfa, strawberries, oranges and pineapple. Vitamin C may improve immune system function and protect your body against influenza infection, according to Balch. It may also help prevent free radical damage to your liver than may impair its ability to remove toxins and waste.

Step 4
Take supplements containing ginkgo biloba. This herb, native to China, may enhance blood flow through your circulatory system, according to Balch. This may aid in the delivery of vitamins and minerals necessary for immune system support.

Things You'll Need 
Garlic Astralgus supplements Vitamin C-rich foods Ginkgo biloba Ainc-rich foods Cayenne pepper Ginger

The Best Gym Exercises to Lose 40-Plus Pounds

Gym exercises help increase metabolism, allowing your body to burn more calories, which means losing more weight. Losing 40-plus pounds takes time and discipline, and adding the best gym exercises can help in the process. Along with eating a well-balanced diet, a combination of aerobic exercises to burn fat, strength training to build lean muscle, and flexibility workouts to increase range of motion can help you reach your weight-loss goals.

Step it Up with More Cardio
Increasing your heart rate through cardiovascular workout machines is an important part of your plan to lose more than 40 pounds at the gym. Among some of the best gym exercises are treadmills, elliptical machines, stair steppers and recumbent bicycles -- and each of these machines can be programmed for a weight-loss workout that gradually increases your heart rate. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio training each week for adults. This can be divided into 30 to 60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise five days per week or 20 to 60 minutes of vigorous exercise three days each week.

Be Stronger Longer
Strength training with weight-lifting gym equipment raises body metabolism and helps you burn fat longer. According to the Strengthcoach.com, weight training raises your metabolism and keeps it there long after you exercise. This happens because your body needs time to recover from the strain and impact of lifting weights. "Fitness" magazine recommends the cable tower because it has several weight stacks to choose from, multiple settings and many attachments so you can do a variety of exercises with just one machine. And the leg press is recommended for targeted toning and weight loss in the thighs and buttocks -- while the Smith machine is effective for a total upper-body workout.

Home on the Range of Motion
Along with cardiovascular exercise and weight lifting, flexibility training completes the total-body workout for weight loss. Flexibility training increases range of motion which can improve your form while weight lifting and give you a better stretch while walking or doing other cardiovascular exercise. Do flexibility training at your gym with resistance bands, balls and through yoga and water exercise classes. The American Academy of Sports Medicine suggests doing some light cardiovascular exercise before flexibility training as the exercises are most effective when the muscles are warm. The Academy of Sports Medicine recommends adults do flexibility exercises at least two or three days each week.

Short Bursts for Big Results
Most health and fitness centers and gymnasiums offer circuit training classes for weight loss. Interval training is a body workout with short bursts of high intensity exercise followed by active recovery. Health.com reports interval workouts to be some of the best calorie-burning gym workouts because they raise your metabolic rate for up to four hours after training. And the more calories you burn the faster you will get to that 40-pound weight-loss goal.

How to Make an Apple Cider Vinegar Bath for Sore Muscles

Raw, organic apple cider vinegar is a naturally occurring antibiotic and antiseptic that contains powerful enzymes and minerals, including potassium. It has numerous internal and external uses, including providing relief for sore muscles and aching joints. Bathing with raw apple cider vinegar is one way to find sore muscle/joint relief. Soaking in warm water relaxes muscles and joints while the vinegar adds potassium to the affected areas. Potassium helps keep body tissues soft and flexible and the muscles toned.

Things You'll Need
Measuring cup
1 to 2 cups raw apple cider vinegar
Water
Bathtub

Fill your bathtub with warm water and add 1 to 2 cups of raw apple cider vinegar to the tub.

Soak in warm apple cider vinegar water for at least 30 minutes.

Massage entire body, starting with the feet. Squeeze and relax each part of foot gently but firmly. Work slowly up the right leg to the hip, then do the same to the left leg. Continue up the torso, then the arms and neck. Always rub upward towards the heart. Lightly stroke upward on the face. Do not pull skin down.

Go over scalp with a firm fingertip dry massage, then finger-rub the ears.

Health Benefits & Clear Skin From Grape Juice

Grape juice is obtained from grapes. As they come from the same source, grape juice and wine share many health benefits because they both contain a number of health-boosting nutrients. The main difference, of course, is that wine is fermented and contains alcohol. Grape juice can be made from all types of grapes, but is usually made from "table grapes." These are seedless and are larger than "wine grapes." Remember that like all juices, grape juice is a source of sugars and calories. Consume it in moderation.

Memory
Grapes contain polyphenol compounds that exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. These compounds are also present in the juice. The March 2010 issue of the “British Journal of Nutrition” reported that grape juice consumption for 12 weeks improved cognitive function in older adults with early memory decline. The study found no changes in weight or waist circumference following juice consumption. Further research is warranted to investigate these neurocognitive effects.

Blood Pressure
Subjects given 5.5 milliliters of grape juice per kilogram of body weight daily for eight weeks exhibited a significantly reduced blood pressure, reported the 2004 issue of “Biofactors.” The decrease was 7.2 mm Hg for the systolic blood pressure and 6.2 mm Hg for the diastolic. The researchers attributed this to the grape’s polyphenols, which are known to exert platelet-inhibitory and arterial-relaxing effects.

Cardiovascular
A study reported in the July 2006 issue of the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” investigated the effects of drinking concentrated grape juice for two weeks on cardiovascular parameters of both healthy subjects and subjects on hemodialysis. It was found that in all subjects, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased. The former is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, while the latter is associated with a lower risk. In addition, oxidized low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were reduced. This type of cholesterol has a very high propensity to cause atherosclerosis.

Skin
Consuming antioxidant-rich food and beverages, such as grape juice, can help to maintain clear and youthful skin, reports the book “Medical Herbalism: The Science Principles and Practices Of Herbal Medicine.” Antioxidants protect your body against damage by free radical molecules. Such damage is associated with chronic conditions such as heart disease as well as age-related changes such as wrinkles and skin tone deterioration.

Full Workout Plans to Gain Weight Without the Gym

While doctors recommend aerobic activity like walking and swimming to aid your weight-loss efforts and improve the function of your heart, strength training helps you gain muscle mass, or muscle weight, that normally decreases as you grow older. Strength training also enhances your body’s ability to burn calories and complements aerobic exercise as a way to shed unwanted fat. Several methods of strength training can be performed at home or outdoors, which allow you to have a full workout and to build muscle weight in every area of your body without incurring the cost of a gym membership.

Multiple Muscle Workout
A full workout to build muscle weight away from the gym often includes free weights like barbells and dumbbells, as well as smaller hand weights. Free-weight workouts provide the option of lifting while standing, sitting or positioned on a bench and are ideal for building multiple muscle groups in your body during a single exercise session. Your injury risk increases when lifting heavy free weights without a trainer nearby, so recruit a workout partner to assist you. Most sporting good stores offer free weights at a variety of prices, although you may prefer to buy used weights online for additional savings.

Core Muscle Focus
Add weight to the core muscles in your body -- or the muscles located in your abdomen, hips and back -- by including a stability ball in your strength-training workout. Lie on the stability ball on your back, and perform crunches to build muscle without weights, or try pushups with your feet or knees on the ball. Some athletes prefer to lift free weights like barbells while sitting or lying on the ball. Stability balls can also be used to stretch the muscles in your back, abdomen and other areas. The balls come in a variety of sizes and colors, although larger balls serve to increase the difficulty of your workout.

No Equipment Workout
Athletes who seek to gain muscle weight in multiple areas without the need for equipment often prefer body-weight exercises like pushups, pullups and situps. Body-weight exercises can be performed anywhere and also carry a lower risk for injury than a workout that includes weights. The activity strengthens your bones and improves your stamina, balance and focus. Additional body weight exercises include abdominal squats and crunches.

Small Muscle Training
Resistance bands let you add weight to the smaller muscle groups in your body while in your office, living room or outside. A resistance-band workout centers on stretching, which causes the lightweight material to provide resistance that challenges your muscles. Some trainers recommend resistance bands for athletes who wish to improve conditioning during rehabilitation from an injury. Most sporting good stores offer the bands at affordable prices.

Remedies to Remove Underarm Odor From Clothes

Sweating is perfectly normal and is the body's way of moderating temperature, but the smells associated with sweating can be unpleasant and embarrassing. If you've laundered your clothes and they look bright and clean but still harbor an underarm odor, it's time to try some new tactics to restore your clothing's fresh, clean smell. Launder bad-smelling garments separately so the smell won't be transferred to your other garments.

Aspirin and Cream of Tartar
A blend of aspirin and cream of tartar may be an effective treatment for stubborn underarm odor. Mix three white, noncoated aspirins in a bowl with a cup of warm water and a tbsp. of cream of tarter. Scrub the paste into the underarm area of the clothing with an old toothbrush, then allow the mixture to remain on the garment for at least 20 minutes. Launder as usual. Repeat up to three times, if necessary.

Baking Soda
Baking soda can often neutralize odors caused by perspiration. Make a paste with baking soda and warm water, then rub the paste into the problem areas. Leave the paste on the garment for 15 minutes, or allow it to remain overnight. Launder the garment as usual.

Salt
Try a salt solution to remove unpleasant underarm odors from your clothing. Dissolve several spoonfuls of table salt in a bucket or bowl of warm water. Soak the affected garment, then launder.

Vinegar
Vinegar is a powerful odor neutralizer and may be just what you need get rid of stubborn smells. Fill the washing machine with water, then add 1/3 cup of vinegar. Soak the garment for at least 10 minutes, then launder as usual. If necessary, add another 1/3 cup of vinegar during the rinse cycle.

Sunshine
Hang just-laundered garments in fresh air and sunshine instead of placing them in the dryer. Odors can be difficult to remove after the heat of the dryer has set the odors into the garment. Don't allow colored garments to remain in bright sunshine too long, as the sun can fade clothing.

How to Drink Hot Water for Weight Loss

You don’t need to be a nutritionist or a personal trainer to know that cutting excess calories from your diet while increasing your activity level is the basic formula for successful weight loss. Although exercise makes you stronger and boosts your metabolism, your dietary habits can have an even greater effect on your waistline. Choose water rather than caloric beverages of any kind, and especially avoid drinks high in sugar. Water is an easy way to jump start and sustain any weight loss. Don't worry about heating the water before you drink it, though – water can work its magic at any temperature.

The Hot Water Myth
Even though the recommendation to “eat a little less and move a little more” sounds easy, weight loss can be a real challenge. So it's not surprising that countless myths exist about how you can lose weight faster or how you can lose weight with very little effort. One such myth is that you can lose weight by drinking hot water. This myth relies on the premise that your digestive system needs to bring hot water down to your core body temperature for it to absorb the water, which – according to the myth – burns a few calories and boosts your metabolism in the process. Although it’s true that your body uses approximately 10 calories to digest 100 calories, you don’t expend a significant amount of energy to absorb water -- no matter the temperature of the water. And drinking hot water won’t speed up your metabolism; your body’s metabolic rate is fairly stable and is mostly determined by your size, age, gender and genetics.

How Hot Water Might Help With Weight Loss
In one respect, when it comes to water's role as a potential weight-loss aid, hot water may have a leg up on cold water in that hot water stays in your stomach a bit longer. Cold water is absorbed a little faster than hot water, so drinking a cup of hot water could help you feel fuller a bit longer than if you drank the same amount of cold water. Although this might be helpful when you’re trying to avoid snacking, scientific studies have yet to validate whether the effect is significant enough to make a measurable difference. If you notice that drinking hot water helps you get through the day without consuming unplanned calories, then this might be a good strategy for you.

Drink Water Hot, Cold or Tepid
It’s safe to say that if drinking a beverage accounts for a significant number of calories in the average diet, then drinking water – whether hot, cold or room-temperature water – is a big step toward attaining a healthy body weight. But drinking water may do more than prevent you from drinking too many liquid calories – it may also help you eat fewer calories at mealtime. “Preloading” with water, or drinking approximately 16 ounces of water 30 minutes before a meal, can boost your weight-loss efforts. According to a 2015 randomized, controlled trial published in the journal Obesity, dieters who drank water before eating consumed an average of 40 fewer calories per meal and lost more weight than those who didn’t preload with water.

Other Ways to Enjoy Water
Drinking water – and making it an everyday habit – is a good strategy in any weight-loss plan, but this strategy is useful only if you can maintain it on a long-term basis. Water is still a good choice if you’d simply like a little flavor or a bit of fizz, and experimenting with infusions and sparkling water can help keep you from becoming bored. A squeeze of fresh lemon will make hot and cold water a little more refreshing, as will crushed mint leaves, cucumber slices or slices of peeled fresh ginger. Sparkling or carbonated water may actually have its own potential weight-loss benefits – according to a small study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology in 2012, which found that drinking carbonated water on an empty stomach can help you feel fuller longer than if you drank regular water.

Breathing Techniques for Stomach Exercises

Learning to breathe properly during exercise can mean the difference between an invigorating workout and one that leaves you fatigued and breathless. When doing abdominal exercises like crunches or planks, the right breathing technique can enhance the workout so you get the most out of every second of exertion. By practicing the correct breathing techniques on your own and knowing when to inhale and exhale, you can pair proper breathing with your fitness efforts for the best possible results.

Breathing Benefits
You might not think about something as automatic as breathing, but it can make all the difference in your ab workout. When doing stomach exercises, breathing out at the right time tightens your ab muscles and engages your core, so you get more out of your workout. Proper breathing technique can also give you more stamina while on the exercise mat. When exerting yourself, it can seem like a natural reaction to hold your breath. Unfortunately, this is a dangerous practice, which could result in dizziness and even fainting.

Proper Technique
Improper breathing technique could be hindering your ability to get the most out of your ab workout. To get the most oxygen from your lungs to your muscles, it's important that you draw air deep into your lungs. This is accomplished using a technique known as abdominal breathing. Abdominal breathing helps you fill your belly with air to get the optimal amount of oxygen into your body. If you're only pulling air into your chest, you may not get the oxygen you need during a workout.

Breathing Exercises
To ensure that you understand how to breathe properly while exercising, try taking a few abdominal breaths when you're relaxed. Find a comfortable position on the floor and place your hand over your belly, then take a deep breath. Watch your hand; if it rises with the breath, you're breathing properly. If it stays put, you're not breathing deeply enough. Breathe three times in a row with your hand over your belly before starting your ab workout.

Inhale, Exhale
To engage your abdominal muscles while breathing throughout your stomach workout, you should know when to inhale and when to exhale. Your breathing pattern will differ depending on the type of workout you use for your abs. If you use weight or resistance training, exhale with the contraction or exertion of your ab muscles for the most power. If you're exercising using yoga or Pilates techniques, inhale through your nose during the exertion and exhale through your mouth as you relax in order to maintain a rhythm and calm while exercising.

The Risks & Benefits of Taking Turmeric

Turmeric or Curcuma longa has been used for 4,000 years to treat a plethora of diseases and conditions ranging from inflammation to indigestion to infections. Curcumin, a substance found in turmeric, is a potent antioxidant, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. While generally regarded as safe, some people may experience unpleasant side effects from turmeric. Always talk to your doctor before taking herbs for medicinal purposes.

Benefits of Turmeric
The UMMC says curcumin has been suggested to prevent, manage and possibly treat a number of cancers, including breast, colon, prostate and skin cancers based on test tube and animal research. Turmeric may also help prevent the accumulation of plaque that can obstruct arteries and lead to heart attack or stroke. Animal research found an extract of turmeric helped improve cholesterol levels, according to the UMCC. It's uncertain whether the same effect would occur in humans.

Other Potential Uses
Curcumin shows promise as an herbal remedy for an inflammatory eye disorder called uveitis, according to a review in the January 2013 issue of the "American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists" journal. The journal also reports that curcumin is beneficial in treating other conditions such as heart disease, Crohn's disease, pancreatitis, ulcers, psoriasis, diabetes, acute liver conditions and hepatitis. Turmeric may also ease osteoarthritis symptoms due to its ability to decrease inflammation. However, the UMCC says further research is needed. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.Turmeric has also been used to improve digestion, liver function and help regulate menstruation.

Associated Risks
Liver toxicity and stomach upset are possible when recipients take turmeric in large doses or for extended periods. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center warns people with liver disease to avoid taking turmeric. Diabetics should use extra caution before taking turmeric since it can lower blood sugar levels.Turmeric also may interfere with blood-thinners such as aspirin, warfarin, brand name Coumadin, or clopidogrel, sold as Plavis, and may affect the blood's ability to clot, cautions UMMC. Turmeric may also interfere with antacids including famotidine, brand name Pepcid, and ranitidine, sold as Zantac.

Consult Your Physician
Although turmeric is used for a variety of ailments scant reliable evidence exists to support its medicinal effects. Talk to your health care provider about the potential benefits and risks of turmeric and curcumin.

Benefits of Juicing Parsley

Frilly and bright green with a fresh, vegetable flavor, parsley as one of your regular juicing ingredients will give a nutritious boost to your diet. Parsley juice can be drunk on its own, or it can be added to other fresh juices. Consider mixing it with other green vegetable juices for a nutrient-packed beverage, or with your favorite fruit juice -- such as apple or orange -- to increase the health value. A 1-ounce serving of parsley juice is produced from a half-cup of fresh, chopped parsley.

Benefits of Vitamin A
A natural antioxidant, vitamin A is essential for maintaining healthy heart, lung and kidney function. It also plays a vital role in maintaining healthy eyesight, as well as providing the color to your retina. A 1-ounce serving of fresh parsley juice has 126 micrograms of retinal activity equivalents of vitamin A per serving. This is 14 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for adult men, 18 percent of the RDA for adult women, 16 percent of the RDA for pregnant women, and almost 10 percent of the RDA for women who are breastfeeding.

Benefits of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, so its stores need to be replenished regularly as excess amounts leave your body through urination. This essential vitamin helps your body make and repair damaged tissue, including producing collagen for your blood vessels, skin and cartilage. Vitamin C also helps with producing scar tissue and is an antioxidant, protecting your body from damage from free radicals and environmental toxins, such as exhaust fumes and radiation. One ounce of parsley juice contains almost 40 milligrams of vitamin C. This is almost 45 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for adult men, and over 50 percent of the RDA for adult women. Pregnant and breastfeeding women require more vitamin C per day, so a single ounce of parsley juice provides 47 percent and 33 percent of the respective RDA. As tobacco smoke reduces stores of vitamin C, the percentages will be lower for those who smoke regularly.

Benefits of Vitamin K
Also known as the clotting vitamin, vitamin K helps your body form blood clots, and is found in high concentrations in leafy green vegetables such as parsley. Low vitamin K levels can lead to bleeding problems, including difficulty recovering from bruises or accidents. Vitamin K is also required for calcium use, so it is essential for maintaining strong bones and teeth. A 1-ounce serving of parsley juice contains 492 micrograms of vitamin K. This is well over 100 percent of the adequate intake of vitamin K for both men and women, including women who are pregnant and breastfeeding.

Benefits of Folate
Folate, a member of the B vitamin group, helps with tissue and cell function. It helps your body produce proteins and form red blood cells and DNA, and also reduces the risk of anemia, when there are low iron levels in your blood. Folate is also important for reducing the risk of birth defects. A single ounce serving of parsley juice has 46 micrograms of folate. This is 11.5 percent of the daily reference intake for adult men and women, and a little over 9 percent of the DRI for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

How to Put Together a Workout Routine

Whether you are an athlete, a stay-at-home mom, or a youth starting to train, you should divide your week so that you can train all planned days at 100 percent effort. The intensity of a workout is a very different scale than the amount of effort given. Rather than a subjective description of the workout, intensity is an objective scale in measuring the workout in relation to a one-rep maximum. For example, if your best 100-meter sprint is 10.8 seconds, that 10.8 is 100 percent intensity, putting an 11.0-seconds 100-meter at 98 percent intensity on your individual scale. If today's workout is at 90 percent intensity, tomorrow should be lower intensity or it should concentrate on different body parts if staying at over 80 percent intensity. But every workout should be at 100 percent effort, so vary the intensity, the volume of work, the movements, and the total rest within each workout to do so.

Start with a Compound Movement
Perform a compound, multi-joint strength movement at least four workouts per week. Strength is the most important base to all fitness. Yes, even for distance runners. For doubters, consider the copious findings like these: "Individual decreased his [three-mile] run time by two minutes and 53 seconds with no cardio training at all during the four-week period. He only did the weight workouts. He increased his 1RM in the deadlift from 275 to 335 during the same time frame." Short, intense strength and power workouts will benefit you more than high-volume, long-duration workouts. Splitting your weight lifting into upper and lower body days allows for daily training without overuse injuries. Plan on alternating a variation of squats and deadlifts every lower day, and alternating bench press and overhead press every upper day.

Support the Compound Strength
The muscles that carry you through the compound movements -- squats, deadlifts, presses, pulls, heavy snatches, heavy cleans and jumping -- are the same muscles that support your daily sport and life demands. Additional concentration on the muscles that drive the compound movements is necessary for gains and injury prevention. Always train your weaknesses, because if you have a weak link in the chain, that weak link will cause injury in intense circumstances. On upper-body day, you will want to perform gymnastic movements, dips, pull-ups, push-up variations, barbell or dumbbell rows and light snatch variations. Always add trunk movements to every workout, as a strong core is imperative for health and safety. Trunk movements include trunk flexion, trunk extension, lateral flexion and extension and rotational movements for the abs, obliques, lats, and lower back. On lower-body day, follow your squats or deadlifts with sprints, hills sprints, bleacher sprints, jumping variations, hip extensions, sled pulling, rows and clean variations.

Keep Your Goal in Mind
If your goals are to get big, strong and beastly, you will want to use weighted movements as the primary form of any conditioning and use relatively heavy weights, as often as possible. If your goal is to lose fat and get ripped, you will want to perform more sprinting along with higher repetition sets of body weight movements at a higher tempo than the individual just trying to add mass and strength. Don't be afraid to mix everything up now and then. Variety adds excitement and forces adaptation. On any off days, consider swimming in a relaxing matter to decompress and mobilize your joints in a low-gravity environment.

Always Train Like an Athlete
Remember that even if your goal is to just lose fat, not necessarily to gain muscle, your body will respond to athletic, intense, low-repetition weight lifting and sprinting efforts much better than any slow, long-duration, high-volume endurance training. With the shorter, intense workouts your insulin response becomes ideal for losing fat, and with the low-intensity, long-duration training you can actually make yourself less likely to lose weight. When you place regular long-duration demands on the body, you can develop an unpleasant hormonal response, resulting in increased body fat accumulation and a chronically catabolic state. This means the body never rebuilds or recovers, so it cannot afford to build muscle and burn fat for fear that it will not be able to sustain.

How to Lose 20 Pounds by Eating Soup

The diet industry is exploding with fad diets, where you might eat only one kind of food, such as soup, or limit yourself to “detox” beverages to lose weight fast. When you want to drop 20 pounds, a quick fix may look appealing, especially with all those “before” and “after” photos to wow you. But the truth is, while you may lose weight on a fad diet, the odds are good that you’ll gain it back. You might even gain back more than you originally lost. However, some foods that make up fad diets, such as soup, may be beneficial when used as part of a healthy weight-loss regimen.

Recommendations for Losing 20 Pounds
You didn’t put on 20 pounds overnight. In fact, the average American gains about a pound annually during the fall and winter seasons, and then doesn’t take it off during the spring and summer. The best way to lose 20 pounds and keep it off is to go about it methodically -- at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds a week. In this way, you could lose 20 pounds in two to five months. Making a switch to a whole-foods diet – fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, legumes and healthy fats – will not only help you shed those pounds, but will also provide the nutrition that fad diets don’t offer. Whole-foods diets, for example, tend to be rich in protein and fiber, two nutrients associated with satiety and weight management. This kind of diet – it's actually more of a lifestyle change – is also sustainable over a lifetime, meaning you’re likely to keep up with it instead of returning to unhealthy eating after you reach your goal weight.

The standard recommendation for weight loss is to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories a week to lose 1 pound and 7,000 calories to drop 2 pounds. That means if you’re currently eating 2,500 calories a day, you would reduce that number to 2,000 or 1,500. This is merely a goal to help you plan your regimen, however; weight loss will vary with the individual. Soup is a nutritious food that can help you make a daily calorie reduction.

Eating Soup for Weight Loss
Maybe you usually turn down a cup of soup before a meal, thinking it’s too much food. But in fact, some research suggests that eating low-calorie soups before your meal can assist your weight-loss efforts. In a study published in the journal Appetite in 2007, 60 normal-weight adults received a “pre-load” of low-calorie soup before lunch for five weeks. After they consumed the soup, they were served their main meal. In the group that ate their soup first, researchers found that the subjects consumed 20 percent fewer calories at that meal -- and because the soup was low-calorie, they reduced their caloric intake overall. The conclusion was that adding soup to your diet can be an effective means of curbing calories. Having soup before your meal may also force you to slow down – another technique shown to reduce overall energy intake.

Try this technique for a week – consume a serving of low-calorie soup before lunch or dinner and cut back on your main meal accordingly. For example, a cup of vegetable beef soup provides about 40 calories. If you have soup before dinner for a week and forgo a large, plain baked potato -- which is 290 calories -- you save 1,750 calories, or half a pound of body weight. Having soup instead of a serving of French fries nets you even bigger savings of 3,150 calories, or almost a full pound of weight.

Which Soups to Choose?
Not all soups offer the same benefits. In the Appetite study, participants ate low-calorie soups of broth and vegetables; chunky vegetables; chunky-pureed vegetables or pureed vegetables; all had the same calorie-reduction benefits. But in contrast, cream-based soups or those loaded with cheese or pasta can add significant calories to your regimen. A cup of broccoli cheddar soup at one popular chain, for example, has 220 calories. Instead, opt for vegetable-based soups made from clear vegetable broth or from clear chicken or beef broth. At the same restaurant chain, a cup of vegetable soup with pesto has 90 calories.

Soups can make excellent main-dish meals; try swapping out higher calorie pasta dishes or meat-and-potatoes meals for a main-dish soup one or two nights a week. When making bean soups, puree some of the cooked soup and add it back to the pot to give the dish a rich, velvety texture without the extra calories of cream or cheese. Serve your soups with a side salad instead of bread.

Other Considerations
Cutting calories by eating soup can help you shed pounds -- but unless you also incorporate regular exercise into your regimen -- you are likely to gain back the weight you lose, according to Harvard Medical School. Exercise not only helps curb your appetite, it also boosts your resting metabolism rate so you burn more calories and shed more fat. Standard guidelines suggest at least 150 minutes of endurance or aerobic exercise a week, plus strength training two or more days a week to build and maintain muscle.

Can Eating Alkaline Foods Help Fight Cancer?

The alkaline diet is based on the theory that because your blood is slightly alkaline -- the opposite of acidic -- eating foods that match the alkalinity of your blood contributes to health. Proponents claim an alkaline diet reduces the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, as well as boosts energy and promotes weight loss. To date, there is no evidence to support these claims.

Where it Came From
The idea that acidic foods can promote cancer by making the body's pH too acidic is a myth, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. This theory is based on laboratory experiments that suggest cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment and cannot survive under alkaline conditions. The problem is, this only applies to an isolated lab setting. It's impossible to alter a body's cell environment in such a way, according to the institute. Your blood may become slightly acidic after eating certain foods, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. But your body uses a complex system to ensure blood pH remains within a healthy range.

What it Involves
The alkaline diet is not based on whether the food itself is acidic but rather whether it creates an acidic environment in the body. Citrus fruit is naturally acidic, but when eaten it contributes to an alkaline environment, according to the University of California, San Diego. The alkaline diet involves eating alkaline-producing foods, such as certain fresh fruits, vegetables, roots, tubers, nuts and legumes, while limiting the amount of acid-producing foods you eat, such as meat and dairy products.

What the Science Says
Researchers examined the potential health benefits of an alkaline diet and in relation to cancer and found no scientific literature showing any benefit in consuming an alkaline diet for the prevention of cancer. They did mention that in a clinical situation, using sodium bicarbonate may improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs. Sodium bicarbonate is an acid buffer used to make blood less acidic in certain conditions. The study was published in the "Journal of Environmental and Public Health," volume 2012.

Diet and Cancer Risk
Your diet can have a strong influence on cancer risk, but the acidity or alkalinity of food is not what matters, says the American Institute for Cancer Research. The best advice is to eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Certain types of vegetables, such as the cruciferous variety, are not only nutrient-dense but contain compounds that may fight cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. This family of vegetables includes broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, turnips, arugula, bok choy, brussels sprouts and cauliflower.

The Benefits of Guava for the Skin

The skin is the largest organ in the human body and its condition speaks volumes about your health. Rashes, acne, eczema, psoriasis, and oily, dry and aged skin, may reflect stress, lack of exercise or a poor diet. Improving your skin's health is possible in a variety of ways, including adding more skin-supportive nutrients in your diet. Guava is a tropical fruit that tastes like a cross between a strawberry and a pear, and it provides several nutrients that support skin maintenance. Including it in your diet may help you make progress toward the beautiful complexion you want that is more than just skin deep.

Vitamin K
Treat skin discoloration, such as dark circles, spider veins, rosacea, acne irritation and overall splotchiness, with vitamin K. It heals because it improves blood coagulation, which is impaired in cases of skin redness and irritation. A guava provides 1.4 micrograms of vitamin K, which is about 2 percent of the 80 micrograms Food and Drug Administration daily value.

Vitamin C
The amount of vitamin C in a guava is more than twice the 60 milligrams of the FDA daily value, which is good news for skin healing because it contributes to generation of collagen, the substance that gives skin its firmness. Include more vitamin C-rich foods like guava in your diet to improve the tautness of your skin and reduce the impact of aging.

Lycopene
A guava provides 2.9 grams of lycopene, an antioxidant that protects healthy cells from toxins that accumulate in the body due to metabolism and environmental pollution. The damaging effect of toxins includes premature aging, because they damage DNA in charge of growth and development.

Water
A substance that provides health benefits, including hydrated skin, is water. While drinking water helps you meet the eight glasses each day the body requires, an additional source that provides the remaining requirement is food. A guava provides 81 percent of its composition as water. Slice the juicy fruit and serve it in a tropical fruit salad with coconut, pineapple, papaya or mango, or juice it and benefit from its nutrients served over ice.

How to Reduce Stomach Fat for Six Pack Abs

Trading stomach fat for a six-pack is more of a two-step process than just launching into a series of crunches, twists and other exercises that target the abs. Ab exercises can strengthen and tone the core, but there’s no way of spot-reducing belly fat. Instead, you must reduce your total body fat through diet and exercise if you ever hope to see that toned tummy.

Reducing Body Fat

Step 1
Eliminate excess calories from your diet by reducing portion sizes and opting for healthier foods. Because 1 pound of fat contains 3,500 calories, you can expect to lose 1 pound a week by reducing your caloric intake enough to reach a deficit of 500 calories a day. As you lose weight, you reduce body fat, which can help trim the waistline.

Step 2
Choose whole grains over refined ones. Products made from oatmeal, brown rice, barley, bulgar, wheat and other common whole grains might help you shed belly fat more effectively.

Step 3
Drink water over other beverages. Water not only quenches your thirst, but also lacks calories. Drinking soda, juice, beer or other calorie-containing beverages can sabotage your weight-loss goals by increasing your caloric intake.

Step 4
Increase your level of physical activity by getting some type of cardio exercise most days of the week. A good goal is at least 30 minutes of moderately intense cardio, such as swimming, biking, walking or dancing. You can also increase the intensity of your workout to burn more calories, helping to reach the caloric deficit needed to lose belly fat.

Step 5
Incorporate strength training into your workout routine. Lifting free weights, using weight machines or even trying resistance bands can help add muscle to your frame. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so you’re actually increasing the number of calories the body is using throughout the day. Like increasing your level of physical activity, this can help you reach that deficit in calories to shed stomach fat.

Toning Abs

Step 1
Schedule time in each workout for abdominal exercises. Double leg lifts will target your lower belly muscle, the transversus abdominis. Lie on the floor on your back. Place your hands, palms down, under your sacrum. Lift both legs at once to a 90 degree angle. Lower them slowly back down. Work your way up to 10 leg lifts over time.

Step 2
Work some pelvic lifts into your ab routine. Lie on your back with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle. Rest your arms at your sides, then tighten your abdominals. From there, lift your hips and buttocks away from the floor. Hold for a breath or two, then return to your original position. Repeat.

Step 3
Counter the lift with pelvic tilts. Lie on the floor with the knees bent at a 45-degree angle and arms to your sides. Draw your bellybutton toward your spine until your back is lying flat against the floor. At the same time, tilt your pelvis up. Hold this pose for at least two breaths and return to your original position. Repeat.

Step 4
Try using a fitness ball to vary your abdominal workout. Take a seat on a fitness ball, placing your feet about hip width apart on the floor. Straighten your back and rest your hands on your chest, much like with crunches. Squeeze the abs and slowly lean back. Hold for a breath or two and return to your original position. Repeat.

Step 5
Engage your sides by incorporating a torso twist into this routine. Though many variations exists, the standard version has you standing in an upright position with a small weight in your hands. Rotate your torso to the right, return to center, then rotate to the left. Repeat.

Olive Oil Remedies For Dandruff

The overall health benefits of consuming olive oil are widely known, but olive oil can also be applied topically to treat a number of hair-care problems, including a dry, itchy scalp and dandruff. Olive oil can be found in a number of skin and hair-care products, from soaps to conditioners and styling products. But you can just as easily reap the benefits with an olive-oil home remedy using ingredients in your kitchen. With just a few tools for hair care, you can treat dandruff with olive oil in less than an hour.

Preparing Your Hair
Wet your hair thoroughly with warm water before treating with olive oil. By wetting your hair before you treat the scalp, you ensure that the oil goes straight to the target area rather than the dry hair follicles. Although olive oil also replenishes dry, brittle and damaged hair, an olive-oil dandruff treatment should target the scalp rather than the follicles.

Preparing the Oil
Warm the olive oil on the stove before you apply it to your hair. Warm oil has a better consistency than cold oil for treatment of a dry, flaky scalp. Use a thermometer to avoid scalding your hands or scalp.

Treating the Scalp
As you massage the olive oil into your scalp, section your hair to provide better access to the lower scalp and evenly treat dandruff all over the head. You can also target specific areas where dandruff is especially prevalent, such as your part line or hairline along the forehead and temples.

FInishing the Remedy
After massaging olive oil into the scalp, wrap your head in a towel or cover with a shower cap, and allow the olive oil to sit for 30 minutes to saturate the scalp and infuse the hair follicles. After completing the treatment, shampoo thoroughly and condition. Avoid blow-drying hair after completing the treatment, and allow hair to air dry. Blow-drying can contribute to dandruff and other scalp problems, so blow-drying after olive-oil dandruff treatment undercuts the benefits of adding moisture.

Using Olive Oil
Although olive oil can be used in a range of home remedies for skin and hair care, avoid overuse of olive oil on the scalp. If your scalp develops an oily residue or if your hair feels or looks oily after the treatment, apply the treatment to the scalp only, and use a hair pick rather than your fingers for a more focused application.

Sweet-Potato Alkaline Diet

Proponents of the Acid Alkaline Diet recommend eating at least 80 percent alkaline foods, such as sweet potatoes, and no more than 20 percent acid-forming foods to help your body maintain a healthy pH level. The idea is that eating too many acid-forming foods makes your blood more acidic and causes health problems. Your body is very good at regulating its pH, however, so all that really increases is the pH of your urine. Because it's made up of mainly nutritious foods, the Acid Alkaline Diet may still have some health benefits.

Acid Vs. Alkaline Foods
Acid-forming foods include fried foods, fatty foods, processed and red meats, dairy products, wheat and yeast breads and many condiments and sauces. Fish, poultry, eggs and most cereals are also acid-forming foods, as are sugary foods, coffee, chocolate, tea, alcohol and colas. Alkaline foods include most fruits and vegetables, nuts, lentils, tofu and tempeh. Coconut water, brown rice milk, almond milk, buckwheat, oats, millet, brown rice and quinoa are also alkaline-forming foods.

A review article published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health in 2012 noted that alkaline diets may help improve bone health, cognition and memory and lower your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes. These benefits are at least partly due to the increased fruit and vegetable consumption recommended on the alkaline diet.

Sweet Potatoes -- Alkaline or Acidic?
Bake your sweet potato or boil it, and it's allowed on the alkaline diet. If you turn it into sweet potato fries, that's a different story. You'll also need to avoid sweetened or glazed canned sweet potatoes, or count them as part of your 20 percent acid-forming foods for the day.

Other Benefits of Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a nutritious food, with each cup of baked sweet potato providing 26 percent of the daily value for fiber, 769 percent of the DV for vitamin A, 65 percent of the DV for vitamin C and 50 percent of DV for manganese as well as significant amounts of copper, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and many of the B vitamins.

Serving Suggestions
Simply baking or microwaving a sweet potato is an easy way to prepare one of these vegetables. You can also use sweet potato, apple, carrot and lentils to make a nutritious soup; roast a mix of sweet potatoes and beets with a touch of garlic powder for a side dish; or mix sweet potatoes with black beans, egg, oats and spices to make veggie burgers for your main dish.

What Type of Yoga Is Best for Weight Loss?

Although weight loss is complex, its most basic tenet is that you’ll need to burn more calories than you consume in order to shed pounds. In addition to increasing your strength, flexibility and balance, yoga can help with weight loss because the physical activity involved burning calories. In general, more active types of yoga classes will be best for weight loss because the increased activity burns more calories. However, choosing the type of yoga that best fits your fitness approach will increase the chances that you will stick with the program and lose more weight over time.

Vinyasa, Ashtanga and Bikram
Choosing more active yoga styles will best support weight-loss goals. Active yoga classes include more movement, more challenging poses and more focus on strength building and cardiovascular exercise. Vinyasa, or “flow” yoga, features continuous movement from pose to pose, with yoga pushups frequently interspersed between challenging sequences. Ashtanga yoga features strength work, including arm balances and core strength development. Bikram yoga includes a series of 26 preset poses that are completed in heated rooms with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Know Your Body
Most types of yoga won’t burn as many calories as traditional exercise forms such as running or jogging. However, most yoga classes incorporate a mind-body awareness aspect that can promote weight loss. During yoga classes, you’ll be encouraged to focus on your breathing and pay attention to how you’re feeling. When eating, for example, you might learn to eat more slowly in order to savor each bite, and then stop when you feel full in order to avoid overeating. If yoga classes help you feel less stressed and more at peace, you might feel less inclined to eat or drink when you’re feeling anxious.

Make the Most of It
Opt for classes that involve 60 to 90 minutes of high-intensity movement so that muscles can strengthen, contract and lengthen. Engaging in yoga four to five times per week can help create a regular habit that will eventually contribute to overall weight loss. Yoga activity helps burn calories, but it also helps create muscle. Adding muscle can help sculpt your body, which makes you appear fitter, although you might not see lower numbers on the scale right away.

Steer Clear for Weight Loss
Some yoga classes, including gentle yoga or restorative yoga, are better suited for relaxation and stress-reduction than weight loss because of the lower number of calories burned. For example, a relaxing Hatha yoga class that focuses on simple, traditional movements will burn 189 calories in an hour compared to 351 calories in an Ashtanga class, 477 calories burned in a Bikram class or 594 calories burned in a Vinyasa class, according to Fit Sugar. Calorie counts are approximations based on individual weight, though, and some calories burned in heated yoga classes have more to do with sweating in order to cool the body than actual physical exertion. In general, though, quieter yoga classes won’t burn as many calories.