Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Ginger Root Heals Ailments

The vitamin ginger root offers you a lot of benefits, including the ability to treat headaches and common colds. One of the most common uses of ginger root is the treat an upset stomach, something we all know and hate. Normally in the form of flat ginger ale and crackers, this vitamin could fix even the most upset of stomachs - and fast to boot.

For the last few decades, ancient civilizations have used the vitamin in both cooking form and medicine form. Although the technology back then wasn’t close to what it is today, the ancient civilizations knew that ginger root would help prevent ailments ranging from motion sickness to athlete’s foot. With ginger root having anti-inflammatory properties, it can also make the pain of rheumatoid arthritis less intense. Women that drink ginger tea have said that it helps them eliminate menstrual cramps completely.

What many people don’t know, is the fact that ginger root isn’t really classified as a root, but instead an underground stem. Even though it is a very useful vitamin and supplement, it is harvested year round just like the hawthorne berry. The harvests, which are obtained roughly five months or so after being planted, are used in the creation of products such as candied ginger and ginger syrup. Harvests that are obtained later can be sold as fresh ginger. The longer the ginger remains in the ground before being harvested, the spicier and hotter it gets.

Keep in mind that not anyone can grow ginger. It takes a special type of soil, which means that it won’t grow anywhere. It is normally grown commercially, in large harvests. Ginger is always in high demand, as it serves a lot of useful purposes. From adding spice to food to healing certain ailments, ginger root is easily one of the best vitamins around.

These days, you can buy ginger in the produce department of many grocery stores. Ginger serves many useful purposes, including baking. It can be used with cookies and breads, or used to spice up your jellies and jams. When you shop for ginger root, you should ensure that the gnarly fist like bulb is smooth, the surface hard to the touch, and the weight being somewhat heavy. If the bulb is hard and light in weight, it won’t be as good.

When it comes to common ailments, ginger root can be great to have around. It can be used with hundreds of cooking recipes, you can use your creative imagination to make even more uses with it as well. Ginger is used in many fine dining restaurants as well, as it tastes great as a dressing on salads. Serving a lot of healthy purposes, ginger root is one of the best selling items on the market - and easily one of the best tasting supplements out there.

Supplements For Building Muscle

If you were to walk into your local health and nutrition store looking for supplements that build muscle, you’ll probably find yourself confused and amazed at just how many products there are to choose from. With so many supplements available, it can be a little on the tricky side to decide which ones will help you with your goals. There are a lot of supplements out there to help you build muscle, although some may not be ideal for your goals.

The first thing to keep in mind, is the fact that you don’t always need muscle building supplements to build muscle, although will help you speed up the process. These types of supplements can help you increase muscular development, providing you work out. They can aid you in both muscle growth and the recovery of your muscles. Among the many products available, the most popular are protein, creatine, and multi-vitamins.

Protein is a preferred supplement among bodybuilders and those who exercise. It contains many amino acids which help you to build muscle. No matter what type of diet you are or on or supplement you select, you should always pick one that contains a lot of protein. The ideal way to take protein, is 2 grams per pound of body weight. You can get protein in pill form, powder, or even bars. When you select your protein supplement, you should also make sure that the supplement contains whey, soy, and eggs. Whey protein is the ideal supplement, as it contains everything you need to start building muscle.

Creatine is another beneficial supplement, as it will help you increase your muscle mass and improve the recovery time for your muscles. Creatine also helps you to increase your muscle pumps as well, allowing you to do more repetitions with more weight. Normally, you will need to go through a loading period of creatine, which is usually a week. Once you have loaded it, you should use in cycles, a few weeks using it and a few weeks off. To get the most from creatine, you should always follow the instructions the manufacturer has provided on the label.

Micro-vitamins are another great supplement, as they work great for those who aren’t getting enough minerals and vitamins with their normal diet. Although you may have the best of intentions, a busy or hectic schedule can make it very hard to get a healthy meal. If you use vitamin supplements in your diet, you can get the vitamins and minerals your body needs. If you are looking to build muscle, you should always take the proper supplements, and use protein bars and shakes if you aren’t able to eat a healthy meal.

Building muscle is something we would all like to do. Even though it requires a lot of exercise and commitment on your behalf, you should also have the necessary supplements as well. If you use the right supplements, you’ll notice the muscle growth in a matter of weeks. Supplements will help you to build muscle, by speeding up the process.

There are a lot of brands and manufacturers to choose from, including Weider and MuscleTech. You can find these supplements locally or online, giving you plenty of great deals to take advantage of. If you exercise and are looking to add more muscle mass to your body, you should give muscle building supplements a try. They work extremely well, they taste great, and they will greatly assist you in your quest to build muscle and live a healthier life.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Your Thyroid and Weight loss – The Connection is Real

Your thyroid dictates much of your metabolism, any malfunction or disease afflicting this area may cause you to have problems in metabolism leading to a drastic problem with your weight – you may either gain weight, lose weight, or may find that losing weight is harder than usual.

Those that plan diets do not take into consideration how their thyroids and metabolism may affect their weight loss program. Most experts and even the media pitch in and recommend that the best way to lose weight is cut calories.

Those with a condition called hyperthyroidism suffer from an overactive thyroid leading to one having his or her metabolism skyrocket. If this is the case, then you will probably lose weight fast. This is a nice proposition for some who wish to lose weight. However, this is actually hazardous to the health.

Aside from the medical difficulties such a disease brings, one will also notice weight problems as a result. These people have trouble keeping on weight and may notice weakness and bulging of the eyes. This disease may need special treatment from doctors.

Hypothyroidism on the other hand works in the other direction – slowing metabolism until the body gains weight at an incredible rate. Like hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism causes a general weakness in the body. It too may need special treatment and may cause serious health problems if left unattended.

While cutting calories in itself can be very hard for most people – imagine, the people involved in life and death struggles at the supermarket regarding whether to buy that extra box of sweets, some have exactly the opposite problem.

Instead of eating too much calories – which is a problem in itself, they eat too little calories instead.

Problem? What Problem
The problem with some is that they believe that since the experts say that they have to cut calories, cutting calories to an inordinate amount will reap greater results. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. While cutting calories helps diets, consuming too little calories pushed the body into a hoard mode, the body’s metabolism slow to adapt to the lesser amount of available energy.

If your body enters this mode, your body will work at such slow metabolism that losing weight becomes impossible. The technique here should be to reduce calories without the body slowing its metabolism. Only then can losing weight become easier.

Another problem that can arise from decreased metabolism is that when your metabolism slows due to a drastic reduction in metabolism, and then you suddenly eat a good, hearty, calorie-filled meal, you are bound to gain more weight owing to the increased surplus of energy.

This is why an imbalanced meal is highly discouraged among those that seek to lose weight. The sudden loss and increase of calories will cause an imbalance in one’s energy consumption directly affecting fat deposit.

Here is a simple computation to help you get to the right amount of calories you will need per day so that you get your nutrients in the right balance.

First of all, multiply your weight in kilograms by 30. If you only know your weight in pounds, divide it by 2.2 to get to its English equivalent. We divide this number by 30 because that is the number of calories you need to maintain your weight per pound of weight.

For example if your weight in pounds is 150, divide it by 2.2. That will give you a figure of 68.18. This is your weight in kilograms. Multiply this by 30 and you will arrive at the amount of calories you will need per day to maintain 150 lbs.

You may consult a nutritionist to help you come lose weight. In the end it all comes down to math. If you consume more that your body needs, it stores it as fat. Now is probably a good time to start studying the back of those grocery cartons.

Try to keep your diet at a 40% protein, 25% fat, and 35% carbohydrate meals at 300 calories per meal. Spread out these meals in a day for optimum results.

While it may be simple computation to get at numbers, do not forget the earlier mentioned fact that the body adapts to its condition. Expose it to extreme ones and you may find yourself getting results you never wanted. Consult a nutritionist for more advice.

Exercise and Hypertension

It seems as though many Americans are living a life that leads to high blood pressure or hypertension. As people age, the situation gets worse. Nearly half of all older Americans have hypertension. This disease makes people five times more prone to strokes, three times more likely to have a heart attack, and two to three times more likely to experience a heart failure.

The problem with this disease is that nearly one third of the folks who have hypertension do not know it because they never feel any direct pain. But overtime the force of that pressure damages the inside surface of your blood vessels.

However, according to experts, hypertension is not predestined. Reducing salt intake, adopting a desirable dietary pattern losing weight and exercising can all help prevent hypertension.

Obviously, quitting bad habits and eating a low fat diet will help, but the most significant part that you can do is to exercise. And just as exercise strengthens and improves limb muscles, it also enhances the health of the heart muscles.

Heart and Exercise

The exercise stimulates the development of new connections between the impaired and the nearly normal blood vessels, so people who exercise had a better blood supply to all the muscle tissue of the heart.

The human heart basically, supply blood to an area of the heart damaged in a “myocardial infarction.” A heart attack is a condition, in which, the myocardium or the heart muscle does not get enough oxygen and other nutrients and so it begins to die.

For this reason and after a series of careful considerations, some researchers have observed that exercise can stimulate the development of these life saving detours in the heart. One study further showed that moderate exercise several times a week is more effective in building up these auxiliary pathways than extremely vigorous exercise done twice as often.

Such information has led some people to think of exercise as a panacea for heart disorders, a fail-safe protection against hypertension or death. That is not so. Even marathon runners that have suffered hypertension, and exercise cannot overcome combination of other risk factor.

What Causes Hypertension?

Sometimes abnormalities of the kidney are responsible. There is also a study wherein the researchers identified more common contributing factors such as heredity, obesity, and lack of physical activity. And so, what can be done to lower blood pressure and avoid the risk of developing hypertension? Again, exercise seems to be just what the doctor might order.

If you think that is what he will do, then, try to contemplate on this list and find some ways how you can incorporate these things into your lifestyle and start to live a life free from the possibilities of developing hypertension. But before you start following the systematic instructions, it would be better to review them first before getting into action.

1. See your doctor
Check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program. If you make any significant changes in your level of physical activity — particularly if those changes could make large and sudden demands on your circulatory system — check with your doctors again.

2. Take it slow

Start at a low, comfortable level of exertion and progress gradually. The program is designed in two stages to allow for a progressive increase in activity.

3. Know your limit

Determine your safety limit for exertion. Use some clues such as sleep problems or fatigue the day after a workout to check on whether you are overdoing it. Once identified, stay within it. Over-exercising is both dangerous and unnecessary.

4. Exercise regularly

You need to work out a minimum of three times a week and a maximum of five times a week to get the most benefit. Once you are in peak condition, a single workout a week can maintain the muscular benefits. However, cardiovascular fitness requires more frequent activity.

5. Exercise at a rate within your capacity

The optimum benefits for older exercisers are produced by exercise at 40% to 60% of capacity.

Indeed, weight loss through exercise is an excellent starting point if you wan tot prevent hypertension. Experts say that being overweight is linked to an increased risk of developing hypertension, and losing weight decreases the risk.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

High Fashion Pageant Evening Gowns

miss universe 2009 venezuela stefania fernandez evening gown preliminary presentation
Miss Universe 2009, Stefania Fernandez during the Evening Gown Presentation Show 2009

The Miss Universe 2010 Beauty Pageant Presentation Show / Preliminary Competition was held on August 19 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Here are their high fashion evening gowns: (Click on the picture to view full-size image; Click on the name to view candidate's details.)

miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation albania angela martini
Miss Albania
Angela Martini


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation angola jurema ferraz
Miss Angola
Jurema Ferraz


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation argentina yesica di vincenzo
Miss Argentina
Yesica di Vincenzo


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation aruba priscilla lee
Miss Aruba
Priscilla Lee


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation australia jesinta campbell
Miss Australia
Jesinta Campbell


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation bahamas braneka bassett
Miss Bahamas
Braneka Bassett


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation belgium cilou annys
Miss Belgium
Cilou Annys


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation bolivia claudia arce lemaitre
Miss Bolivia
Claudia Arce Lemaitre


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation botswana tirelo ramasedi
Miss Botswana
Tirelo Ramasedi


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation brazil debora lyra
Miss Brazil
Debora Lyra


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation british virgin islands josefina nunez
Miss British Virgin Island
Josefina Nunez


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation canada elena semikina
Miss Canada
Elena Semikina


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation china wen tang
Miss China
Wen Tang


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation colombia natalia navarro galvis
Miss Colombia
Natalia Navarro Galvis


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation costa rica marva wright
Miss Costa Rica
Marva Wright


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation croatia lana obad
Miss Croatia
Lana Obad


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation curacao safira de wit
Miss Curacao
Safira de Wit


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation cyprus demetra olymbiou
Miss Cyprus
Demetra Olymbiou


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation czech republic jitka valkova
Miss Czech Republic
Jitka Valkova


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation denmark ena sandra causevic
Miss Denmark
Ena Sandra Causevic


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation dominican republic eva arias
Miss Dominican Republic
Eva Arias


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation ecuador lady mina lastra
Miss Ecuador
Lady Mina Lastra


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation egypt donia hammed
Miss Egypt
Donia Hamed


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation el salvador sonia cruz
Miss El Salvador
Sonia Cruz


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation finland viivi pumpanen
Miss Finland
Viivi Pumpanen


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation france malika menard
Miss France
Malika Menard


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation georgia nana gogichaishvili
Miss Georgia
Nana Gogichaishvili


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation germany kristiana rohder
Miss Germany
Kristiana Rohder


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation ghana awurama simpson
Miss Ghana
Awurama Simpson


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation great britain tara vaitiere hoyos martinez
Miss Great Britain
Tara Vaitiere Hoyos-Martinez


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation greece anna prelevic
Miss Greece
Anna Prelevic


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation guam vanessa torres
Miss Guam
Vanessa Torres


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation guatemala jessica schell
Miss Guatemala
Jessica Scheel


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation guyana tamika henry
Miss Guyana
Tamika Henry


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation haiti sarodj bertin
Miss Haiti
Sarodj Bertin


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation honduras kenia martinez
Miss Honduras
Kenia Martinez


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation hungary timea babinyecz
Miss Hungary
Timea Babinyecz


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation india ushoshi sengupta
Miss India
Ushoshi Sengupta


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation indonesia qory sandioriva
Miss Indonesia
Qory Sandioriva


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation ireland rozanna purcell
Miss Ireland
Rozanna Purcell


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation israel bat el jobi
Miss Israel
Bat-el Jobi


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation italy jessica cecchini
Miss Italy
Jessica Cecchini


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation jamaica yendi phillipps
Miss Jamaica
Yendi Phillips


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation japan maiko itai
Miss Japan
Maiko Itai


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation kazakhstan assel kuchukova
Miss Kazakhstan
Assel Kuchukova


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation korea joo ri kim
Miss Korea
Kim Joo-Ri


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation kosovo keshtjella pepshi
Miss Kosovo
Keshtjella Pepshi


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation lebanon rahaf abdallah
Miss Lebanon
Rahaf Abdallah


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation malaysia nadine ann thomas
Miss Malaysia
Nadine Ann Thomas


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation mauritius dalysha doorga
Miss Mauritius
Dalysha Doorga


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation mexico jimena ximena navarrete
Miss Mexico
Ximena Navarette


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation netherlands desiree van den berg
Miss Netherlands
Desiree van den Berg


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation new zealand ria van dyke
Miss New Zealand
Ria van Dyke


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation nicaragua scharllette allen moses
Miss Nicaragua
Scharllette Allen Moses


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation nigeria ngozi odalonu
Miss Nigeria
Odalonu Ngozi


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation norway melinda victoria elvenes
Miss Norway
Melinda Victoria Elvenes


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation panama anyoli abrego
Miss Panama
Anyoli Abrego


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation paraguay yohana benitez olmedo
Miss Paraguay
Johana Benitez Olmedo


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation peru giuliana zevallos
Miss Peru
Guiliana Zevallos


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation philippines maria venus raj
Miss Philippines
Maria Venus Raj


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation poland maria nowakowska
Miss Poland
Maria Nowakowska


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation puerto rico mariana paola vicente
Miss Puerto Rico
Mariana Vicente


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation romania oana paveluc
Miss Romania
Oana Paveluc


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation russia irina antonenko
Miss Russia
Irina Antonenko


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation serbia lidija kocic
Miss Serbia
Lidija Kocic


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation singapore tania lim kim suan
Miss Singapore
Tania Lim Kim Suan


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation slovak republic anna amenova
Miss Slovak Republic
Anna Amenova


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation slovenia marika savsek
Miss Slovenia
Marika Savsek


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation south africa nicole flint
Miss South Africa
Nicole Flint


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation spain adriana reveron
Miss Spain
Adriana Reveron


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation sri lanka ishanka madurasinghe
Miss Sri Lanka
Ishanka Madurasinghe


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation sweden michaela savic
Miss Sweden
Michaela Savic


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation switzerland linda fah
Miss Switzerland
Linda Fah


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation tanzania hellen dausen
Miss Tanzania
Hellen Dausen


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation thailand fonthip watcharatrakul
Miss Thailand
Fonthip Watcharatrakul


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation trinidad and tobago la toya woods
Miss Trinidad & Tobago
La Toya Woods


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation turkey gizem memic
Miss Turkey
Gizem Memic


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation us virgin islands janeisha john
Miss US Virgin Island
Janeisha John


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation ukraine anna poslavska
Miss Ukraine
Anna Poslavska


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation uruguay stephany ortega
Miss Uruguay
Stephany Ortega


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation usa rima fakih
Miss USA
Rima Fakih


miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation venezuela marelisa gibson villegas
Miss Venezuela
Marelisa Gibson
miss universe 2010 evening gown preliminary presentation zambia alice musukwa
Miss Zambia
Alice Musukwa

* Special Thanks to www.UniversalQueen.com