Beetroot juice improves exercise tolerance

Drinking the juice of beetroot, known for its controversial anti-carcinogenic properties, can boost stamina and help individuals exercise for longer times.

Previous studies had reported that beetroot juice is effective in lowering blood pressure. The juice was also believed to have cleansing properties and therefore was used to clear liver and splenic obstructions.

According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, beetroot juice can improve exercise capacity by 16 percent. The effect is reported to be greater than that achieved through regular training.

Job burnout? How to reignite your health

You're at risk for job burnout if you:

* Have an unrealistic workload. Most people are willing and able to put in extra effort for a special project or an occasional tight deadline. Always facing impossible deadlines and not having the tools and resources to get your job done are major causes of job burnout.
* Are not rewarded or recognized for your work. Feeling truly appreciated and recognized is an important part of job satisfaction. This can come as public or private praise or as money in your paycheck.
* Lack of control and input. It's frustrating to be responsible but have no authority to make decisions. Feeling powerless grows from not having chances to make an impact and solve problems.
* Feel you aren't treated fairly. Unequal pay can play a big role in making you feel unappreciated. It's also important for leaders to walk the talk, be authentic and lead by example. Hypocrisy breeds resentment.
* Have no hope for change. Short-term stress is easier to handle because you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hope for change drops if there's no carrot on the stick. This often leads to burnout.

It's important to recognize the signs of burnout while you can still turn things around.

* Focus on outside work activity. Find fun, fulfilling activities not related to work. They can help you recover from work stress and avoid the downward spiral of burnout. Nurture outside work friendships. Supportive friends "on the outside" can often give you a fresh point of view. Outside activities and friends can also help you distance yourself from your work, build your confidence and broaden your identity.
* Talk to your boss. If you are overwhelmed, ask your boss what he or she expects of you. Ask for the authority or resources you need to get your job done. If you can't get what you need, think about moving to another department.
* Counseling, coaching and mentors. If you feel you need help, get it. Counselors and employment coaches can often help assess your skills and see whether you're in the right job or the right environment. Coaches can also help you find new avenues to apply your skills if a change is in order. Many companies have Employee Assistance Programs or EAP to teach you skills to manage stress and learn ways to combat burnout.
* Sleep, diet and exercise. These are the tried-and-true building blocks for good health. Get enough good sleep. Eat a healthy diet. Get some daily physical activity. Always check with your doctor before you increase your activity level.

Study IDs four ways to cut disease risks

Want to take health care reform into your own hands? Don't smoke, lose weight, get exercise, and stick to a good diet, says a new study. The advice may sound familiar, but people with those four habits have a dramatically lower risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

"Living a healthy lifestyle -- never smoking, maintaining a recommended (weight), performing adequate amounts of physical activity, and adhering to healthy dietary principles -- has a tremendous beneficial impact in preventing or delaying major chronic diseases," said Dr. Earl Ford, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in an email interview with Reuters Health.

7 reasons to get more vitamin B12 in diet

Vitamin B12 is something that is found only in animal products, unless foods are fortified with it, and so if for instance we've been on vegetarian diets for some time or vegan diets, if we've excluded a lot of animal products, we could be running low.

You might not know your deficient, but it's important to get enough because B12 works together with other nutrients for many functions.

One of the primary things that vitamin B12 does is it really supports nervous system function, and so it kind of has far reaching effects.

B12 supports protecting brain clarity and memory as we age, and also helps to deter depression in women.

Calcium, magnesium and vitamin D work with B12 to boost bone mineral density as well.

Some studies show B12 supplementation can help to fight cancer, lower risk of age related macular degeneration, along with reducing hearing loss and anemia.

Even though we need B12, as we age, the ability to utilize it decreases.

The synthetic kind of B12 found in supplements and fortified foods do not require stomach acid for absorption, so as we age, they are the best bet for your diet.

Battling inflammation, disease through food

If you want to live longer -- avoid heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and cancer -- then pick and choose your foods with care to quiet down parts of your immune system.

That's the principle promoted by the founders and followers of anti-inflammatory diets, designed to reduce chronic inflammation in the body.

There's still a lot of science to be done. And should you try such a diet, you probably shouldn't expect any 30-day miracles. But there may be something to eating in an anti-inflammatory way.

Foods that promote inflammation -- saturated fats, trans fats, corn and soybean oil, refined carbohydrates, sugars, red meat and dairy -- are reduced or eliminated.

Resveratrol, found in grape skin and red wine, has been shown to improve blood vessel function and slow aging in rats.

Pomegranate juice decreases atherosclerosis development in mice with high cholesterol. Garlic improves blood vessel functioning in the hearts of rats with high blood pressure.

Curcumin (an antioxidant chemical found in turmeric) improves ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and pancreatitis in mice and has anti-cancer effects in the animals too.

Fish oil, rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids and derived from oily fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel -- is already recommended by the American Heart Assn. to help prevent cardiovascular disease. It has been shown to reduce blood triglyceride levels and slightly lower blood pressure, lowering the risk for heart attacks and strokes.

Simple strategies for sound nutrition

* Don't have it around. This is so simple, but so true. Are potato chips your weakness? Don't have them in the house.

Fill the house with healthy choices, then you have no choice but to eat healthy.

* Don't wait to get hungry. Don't wait until your stomach is growling to feed it. The result usually is overeating.

Eat frequently to keep the hunger pangs at bay.

And, on that same note, don't eat until you're stuffed. We often keep eating past the point of being full, which means extra calories and discomfort, and sometimes even guilt.

* Out of sight, out of mind. When you fix a meal, put everything away before you sit down to eat.

Leaving the ice cream on the table while you eat your serving is an open invitation for seconds. It's an invitation that usually is accepted more times than not.

* Be prepared. Think about your nutrition from the start. If you forget to thaw the chicken breast, it usually means you'll be ordering pizza or hitting the drive-through that night.

Plan your meals for the week, and don't get caught off guard.

If you're leaving the house for an extended period of time, make sure to bring healthy snacks. If you're heading to an event and you're unsure of the menu, eat before you arrive.

* Exercise. Activity equals burned calories. Not to condone poor eating habits, but the more you exercise the more you can get away with in your diet.

* What will this do for me? This is my fail-safe tactic. Before eating something, ask yourself "What is this going to do for me?"

* One step at a time. Don't try to overhaul all your bad habits in one shot. Focus on one behavior at a time and it will feel less daunting.

Start by drinking more water, eliminating fried food or substituting regular food choices for lighter versions.

Trying to make mass changes can be overwhelming.

* Don't be too strict. Go ahead and have what you want, but don't go overboard.

A treat's not a treat if you have it all the time. Practice moderation.

Tips for preventing yoga injuries

* Talk to your doctor before you start yoga classes, especially if you have any medical conditions or injuries.
* Work with a qualified yoga instructor. Ask about his or her experience and credentials.
* Warm up before a yoga session. Cold muscles, tendons and ligaments can be easily injured.
* If you are a beginner, start slowly. First learn the basics - such as proper breathing - instead of trying to stretch too far. If you are unsure of a pose or movement, ask questions.
* Know your limits. Do not try positions that are out of your comfort level.
* Learn what type of yoga you are doing. There are hundreds of different forms, some more strenuous than others. It is important to research a class before you start.
* Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids.
* Listen to your body. If you feel pain or exhaustion while doing yoga, stop or take a break. If the pain doesn't go away, call your doctor.

Binge eating: Find relief through yoga therapy

Yoga could offer tremendous therapeutic comfort for victims of this disorder. The connection lies in the fact that yoga could help heal the mind by directing awareness towards the body. Therefore, the behavioral patterns associated with an unhealthy psychological state of being could get minimized to a great extent.

So how does one know if one is a victim of binge eating disorder? Doctors are still undecided about the symptoms that exactly define this condition. However, there are some behavioral signs which could be symptomatic of binge eating. They are:

Frequent consumption of abnormally huge quantities of food
Eating too fast and until one is too full
Eating excessively even when not necessarily hungry
Tendency to eat alone due to embarrassment of over-eating too much
Self-loathing, guilt and depression afterwards, for having eaten too much

Yoga could help

According to research conducted at the University of The Rockies, binge eaters were encouraged to take part in a 10-week yoga therapy program. These participants saw a dramatic drop in their binge-eating episodes towards the end of the program. Every week, the program included an hour of yoga and group discussion afterwards that lasted half an hour.

The rationale behind this phenomenon is the fact that yoga offers a way to reconnect the mind with the body. According to researchers, binge eating is characterized by the inability to face one`s negative emotions. Food offers comfort where nothing else will and so eating works as a cathartic mechanism.

Sun salutations provide the practitioner with a cardio workout, while static poses involving a bit of balancing makes one feel more grounded. Pranayama or breathing techniques have benefits that directly impact the body. Some of the known benefits include improved immune functioning, deep cleansing of the blood and digestive system and a fresh supply of oxygenated blood. Pranayama balances the endocrine system and rejuvenates from the inside out. Overall, these practices relax the mind and increase conscious awareness of the body, a key component in healing. One pranayama in particular, Bhastrika or the bellows breath can be practiced every day. This practice increases vitality, reduces abdominal fat and keeps the digestive system in top shape, while increasing metabolic activity.

Study says yoga affects eating discipline

A new study shows yoga can affect your eating discipline.Researchers at the Seattle Hutchinson Center found yoga can help people be more mindful when they eat.That means knowing why you're eating, and stopping when you're full.A follow-up study from one done four years ago shows people who practice yoga gained less weight over a ten-year period and weighed less than those who didn't.The study says they became more mindful eaters -- either directly or indirectly through yoga.You can find the study in this month's issue of the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association".

Yoga - Mindfulness of breathing

One of the key elements in yoga is breathing. The main premise behind it is to coordinate your movements with your breathing, creating fluid meditation.

Yoga breathing helps to relax and balance your body and mind, while providing a steady rhythm for movement. Focusing on the rhythm of your breathing and how your body feels with each movement helps you make a connection between your mind and body.

Each posture has a specific flow of breathing. Lengthening or expansion movements are done with inhalation. Shortening, folding, or compressing movements are done with exhalation.

Using proper yoga breathing while practicing yoga will result in inspirational movement, longer and deeper poses, a fully concious experience, and better health.

Happiness: Staying positive in negative territory

Although past studies have found those who live in countries with higher per capita incomes report many measures of greater well-being, it's psychological wealth that helps people get through tough times, say researchers Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener, who will present new findings at the four-day annual meeting of the American Psychological Association.

Though money helps people lead more comfortable lives, it doesn't necessarily contribute to the moments in life that bring happiness — which tend to come from social interactions and activities, not from accumulating material goods.

Psychologists also have found that being highly materialistic affects happiness, with those who are most concerned about money and possessions actually being less happy.

But what about what money can buy? Previous research has found that using money to pay for something novel, social or experiential brings more happiness than buying things. Because experiences can provide happy memories, they don't wear away as fast as the rush of buying a new possession.

Six steps on the easy road to unlimited happiness

1) If you want to be healthy, wash your hands

While the number of illnesses and diseases that can be prevented by this simple activity cannot be quantified, washing hands has been proven to prevent transfer of the common cold virus, influenza, and foodborne pathogens. After all, infectious disease is the largest cause of death globally and third in the U.S.

2) Hug your spouse or significant other for at least a minute every day

Medical research is now realizing a greater understanding of how important this show of affection is to our health and our relationships.

Warm contact aided in the production of the hormone oxytocin, which appeared to have a positive effect in the lowering of stress and blood pressure. In a study, couples committed to a "brief episode of warm contact," and embrace, had higher levels of oxytocin.

3) Put your household budget on paper and get into the black

The overall process of reaching financial health is quite involved, but the simple thing that you can do is to compile your data and put your household budget on paper.
The exercise of committing things to paper is the first step to being aware, and awareness is the first step to making good financial decisions that lead to fiscal health.

4) Take a stroll after dinner

Creating the ritual of a short walk after dinner carries remarkable benefits for your health and your mind and breaks the habit of dinner-to-couch. So take a short stroll after dinner -- the impact will improve your physical and mental health, and help to break sedentary habits.

5) Stretch at home, in your office, even in the elevator!

The effects of stretching extend beyond increased flexibility -- stretching increases blood flow, reduces the risk of injury, enhances muscle relaxation, and much more.

Some organics worth buying, experts say

Some say consumers can decrease their risk of pesticide exposure by 80 percent. Other do not believe the chemicals are harmful.

Nonetheless, the Good Housekeeping Institute recommended those buying organic stick to the following produce: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, grapes, pears and tomatoes, celery, kale, leafy greens and carrots.

Produce with thin skins, like these peaches, don't have the physical barrier to the pesticides that produce with thicker skins have.

The conventional fruits and vegetables shown to have the least amount of pesticide are onions, avocados, pineapple, mango, asparagus, peas, kiwi, eggplant, papaya, watermelon, broccoli and sweet potato.

Some organic produce has a shorter lifespan than conventional produce, so buy less and buy often, experts said.

The type of produce is less important than the amount, the institute's experts said.

Are organic beauty products really organic?

The organic health and beauty industry is one such area that warrants closer inspection. Unlike food and drink items that must be certified before they can be labelled organic and sold as such, non-food items, including personal care products and cosmetics, are not subject to the same legislation. As a result the actual organic content of beauty products can vary enormously, sometimes making up less than 1 per cent of an item’s total formulation. The message to consumers is clear: do your homework, read the ingredients list and don’t assume a product labelled organic is necessarily free from synthetic chemicals.

Even the often-quoted studies that link certain chemicals to specific health concerns, such as parabens to breast cancer and sodium lauryl sulphate to eye damage in children, have yet to be proved conclusively — although this may be due to a lack of fundingfor research.

But for the organic convert the scientific specifics are almost by the by. That there is any possible risk to our individual health or the environment from commonly used chemicals in cosmetics is enough of a reason to cut them out of their lives.

Meditation can often mask a downside

A recent Vancouver Sun poll conducted by the Mustel Group found one out of three British Columbians, roughly 1.4 million people, have practised meditation. That doesn't include many more who practise prayer in a contemplative way.

But can meditation, contemplation and related practices encourage people to detach too effectively from their so-called negative thoughts, leading them to actually detach from life itself?

The meditators did not integrate life's inevitable suffering and limitations into their own being. Focussing on their inner lives, neither allowed themselves to be "transformed" by others.

Many middle-aged baby boomers who meditate bring to it an over-simplified commitment to pluralism and relativism and the notion that, "You do your thing and I'll do mine." Meditation for many "becomes a process of transcend and deny ... rather than transcend and include.

The trouble is many meditators believe that means having no viewpoints at all, even on important issues. Many meditators don't believe in anything. People can through meditation reach elevated states of consciousness that can help them become more mature. But there is no guarantee mediation will free men or women from their own narcissism.

5 common fitness myths

1. Exercise is a waste of time unless you work out hard and often. A study by the National Institutes of Health found that moderate physical activity works just as well as intense exercise for losing weight. Walking, bicycling and swimming are all good ways to exercise at a modest pace. Walking for as little as an hour a week can lower the risk of heart disease.

2. Yoga is a completely gentle and safe workout. Some forms of yoga are physically and mentally difficult. Although injuries are rare, staying in certain positions can cause nerve damage or back pain. As with any exercise, proper instruction is necessary for a safe workout. If you have a health condition, talk with your doctor before you try yoga.

3. You can lose all the weight you want just by exercising. Increasing physical activity is just one part of a successful weight-loss plan. Most people also need to cut calories. How many pounds you lose may also depend on your genes. What works for one person may not work for another. Exercise, though, is an important component of just about any weight loss program - and it offers many other health benefits.

4. Water-fitness programs are mainly for older adults or people with injuries. Research has shown that exercising in water can be a challenging and effective way to get fit and lose weight. It's good for just about anyone.

5. If you want to lose weight, don't strength-train. It will make you "bulk up." Experts recommend both cardiovascular and strength training exercises to maintain a healthy weight. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn - even when you're not working out. As a rule, lifting heavier weights fewer times during a workout will make you stronger - and build larger muscles. Doing more repetitions with lighter weights will improve your muscular endurance. A fitness professional can help you create a strength-training routine that works for you.