MedSurfer.com » Exercise & Fitness

Laugh More! It’s Good Medicine

admin — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:41:12 +0000

A genuine voiced laughter can have a tremendous positive effect on your health. Laughter increases endorphins, strengthens immune system, burns calories and increases hope & self-esteem.

Laughter is a mini-workout
A genuine laugh can burn extra calories. According to a study published in International Journal of Obesity in May 2006 [1] showed that laughter causes a 10-20% increase in Energy Expenditure (EE) and heart rate (HR) above resting values, which means that 10-15 min of laughter per day could increase total EE by 40-170 kJ (10-40 kcal). A few calories every day translates to a few pounds a year—so keep laughing!

Stronger Immune System
According to an article recently published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine [2], laughter may reduce stress and increase natural killer cell levels, a type of white blood cell that attacks cancer cells. Laughing also promotes an oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange and clears airways. Muscles and joints are flexed and stretched, promoting muscle tone.

NOW LAUGH!

Watch this videos! I am sure it will make you laugh!

References:

Buchowski MS, Majchrzak KM et al.Energy expenditure of genuine laughter. Int J Obes (Lond). 2007 Jan;31(1):131-7. 2006 May 2
Bennett MP, Zeller JM, Rosenberg L, et al. The effect of mirthful laughter on stress and natural killer cell activity. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2003;9:38-45.

Effect of Smoking on your life span

adarshgupta — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 13:20:53 +0000

If you want to know how damaging effect smoking can have on your life span, check out this tool at Yahoo Health. This interactive tool can be used to estimate the impact smoking will have on your life span. Based on the number of cigarettes you smoked in the past or how many you will smoke in the future, this tool estimates how many years the damaging effects of smoking may take away from your life.

Check out this tool.

Count Calories for Effective Weight Loss

adarshgupta — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 21:34:03 +0000

You should count calories to effectivelyly lose weight. You need to cut down on calories intake daily. To take off one pound per week, you’ll need to reduce calories by 500 per day. (One pound of body fat equals about 3,500 calories.) Try eating 250 calories less per day and exercising enough to burn 250 calories— like walking about 2.5 miles each day. That means you need to know how many calories were in that piece of lasagna or pizza or juice or beer, etc? (You can choose from thousands of foods!) How many calories did you burn walking this afternoon? And, how many calories do you need to maintain or lose weight?

For your rescue, there are many programs available online that help you with this (counting calories):

Calorie Calculator - How many calories and fat grams are in a serving of your favorite foods? This online calculator provides quick and easy answers to help you in meal planning and managing your diet. (Calorie Control Council)
Calculate your Daily Calorie Needs - Find the number of calories you should eat each day to maintain your current weight. (American Cancer Society)
Calories burned During Exrcise - Find the calories burned in a workout or daily activity. (American Cancer Society)
Nutrition Facts and Calorie Counter - NutritionData (ND) provides a complete nutrient analysis for any food or recipe, and helps you select foods that best match your dietary needs.

Software

Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator

adarshgupta — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 16:09:49 +0000

Body mass index (BMI) is measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women.. BMI does not differentiate between body fat and muscle mass. Therefore, body builders and people who have a lot of muscle bulk will have a high BMI but are not overweight.

Fat predominantly distributed around the waist is also a risk factor for health complications such as cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. Fat predominantly deposited around the hips and buttocks doesn’t have this same risk.

Use the following BMI Calculators:

Adult BMI Calculator (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
Child and Teen BMI Calculator (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
Adult Energy Needs and BMI Calculator (Agricultural Research Service, USDA) - It not only tells you BMI but also Daily Calories needs for an individual based on his sex, age and activity level. If one can eat less then that, he will lose weight.

Reference:
Calle EE. New England Journal of Medicine 1999; 341: 1097-1105