Author: hyftechnologies

With today’s technology there really is no good excuse not to stretch and exercise properly. You can check out exercise videos for free at the local library, rent them from video stores or access free information online. You can even purchase exercise, yoga and pilates programs to download onto your iPod.

If you are a gadget junkie, a professional athlete or just like to have the most advanced new technology, you’ll want the Suunto t6. It is a wristwatch that calculates your heart rate, energy consumption, ventilation, oxygen consumption (VO2), respiratory rate, Training Effect and EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption). You can then wirelessly upload your data to your computer to track your progress. They even have programs that will correlate your data with sport specific training programs. They have programs for novices through professional athletes. You have to check this out, it’s cutting edge technology that can help you get better results, faster.

The basics of a healthy ergonomic workstation include a bio-mechanically correct chair to sit in. It is best if it’s adjustable to support your unique height and curves. Humanscale offers a variety of seating options designed to keep you healthy and well while you are working. These products are an investment in your health if you sit at your desk often.

A great new cost effective desk chair is an exercise ball that sits on a stand. These are terrific and very affordable. These chairs actually help you strengthen your core muscles while sitting on them. It’s like a workout while you’re working.

If you talk on the phone regularly and for long periods of time, a headset is a great tool to prevent headaches, stiff necks and sore shoulders. If you really want a new and healthy experience, invest in a cordless headset. Being able to stand up, walk around and use your hands while talking on the phone is not only healthier, it helps you be even more productive.

Many computer keyboards now include wrist pads as standard accessories. There are, however, ways to upgrade and enjoy the benefits of a liquid filled or foam pad designed to comfortably support your wrists while typing and using your mouse. If you are using a computer regularly, these are worth the investment.

A support for your low back is essential to have in the chairs in which you will spend most of your time. Most furniture companies do not manufacture chairs that are actually healthy for you. Often they are hard rather than offering a cushioned seat, and the position of your spine is often very poor and sometimes even damaging. Think of having a lumbar support for your office chair, your car seat and your favorite reading chair at home. Another great idea is to have one that you can take with you when you travel on long flights or trips.

You can also find products that offer support while sitting in various positions on the floor so you can read, do homework, relax, meditate and more. There are some products that can be arranged in many different ways so that you can change your positions often and still feel comfortable and supported on the floor.

Another tool to help keep healthy alignment includes a special shaped support pillow that rests between your legs while you’re lying on your side. Such support pillows are designed to align your lower extremities in order to relieve pressure on your low back, hips and knees. It is very comfortable to sleep with and once again helps not only reduce pressure on your low back, it helps you get a better night sleep.

Another helpful item is a rectangular air filled low back pillow that you can use either behind your low back or you can sit on it. The pillow helps enhance the hydration of spinal discs, improves muscle blood circulation and helps to reduce pain while your sitting. It also simulates the effect of sitting on an exercise ball in that it activates your core muscles in order to stabilize your pelvis on the air pocket. Because of its simple design you can use it at work, at home, take it to sporting events, use it in your car and bring it on an airplane.

First it was great when computer monitors went from taking up so much desk space to the new flat panels but they are still on the desk taking up space and don’t have too many ways to adjust their position to best fit a person’s work station. Humanscale, a leader in ergonomic office furniture, offers a variety of computer monitor arms that can get your monitor off your desk. It is completely adjustable so you can move it around where you want to, when you want to. It’s a brilliant idea whose time has come.

Most people spend approximately one-third of their entire life lying in bed. The quality of your mattress can make a huge difference between waking up feeling refreshed and waking up in pain. In fact, old worn-out mattresses are an extremely common contributor to chronic back and neck pain. Good health and sleep are closely linked. Just as we improve our eating habits for better health, we should also improve our sleep habits. Good sleep not only reduces back problems, it also helps to prepare us for a more productive day. If you think that your mattress may be past its prime, here are some tips to help you select the right mattress for you:

• There is no single mattress that works well for all people. Look for a mattress that is adjustable in firmness and support for you.
• Find a mattress that has proper support for good sleep posture. Good sleep posture is nearly the same as good standing posture, with the ear, shoulder, hip and ankle all in alignment. This will require different levels of support for different parts of the body.
• Mattress firmness and support are not the same. Mattress firmness describes comfort and conformability. Look for a mattress that is comfortable.
• Look for a mattress that manages temperature and moisture.

There are a variety of different types of pillows that are made of different grades of foam and have custom curves designed into them to support your neck. If you are like most people, you sleep on your pillow for six to nine hours every night. Shouldn’t you sleep on something that will help you maintain your good health, not something that will slowly continue to allow your posture to get worse and worse over the years?

Sugar

When you eat or drink sugar the sudden energy surge your body experiences is followed by an insulin surge that rapidly drops the blood sugar level-so two hours later, you feel famished and tired. To keep an even keel, replace simple carbohydrates with complex ones so the absorption is more controlled and you experience long-term satiety. While sugar should be eaten, it should come together with fat or some element like fiber-as you would find in fruit-so you can absorb it a bit more slowly.

In a recent study done by the USDA, it was reported that the average American consumes 134 pounds of refined sugar every year, or approximately 20 teaspoons of sugar per day. As hard as this may be to believe, consider the following facts:

A 12 oz. can of Pepsi’ contains 10 teaspoons of sugar A 2 oz. package of candy contains 11 teaspoons of sugar A 16 oz. cup of lemonade contains 13 teaspoons of sugar A cup of Frosted Flakes’ contains 4 teaspoons of sugar

This high level of sugar intake is very unhealthy and contributes to obesity, Type II diabetes, heart disease due to elevated triglycerides, kidney stones, dental caries, chronic tiredness and reactive hypoglycemia. Decreasing your sugar intake is as simple as avoiding foods that are high in refined sugars, such as soft drinks, candy, cake and donuts, as well as most condiments. When you purchase sweetened food, look for products that are sweetened with apple juice or stevia, rather than sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Although they taste sweet food products that contain high fructose corn syrup should be avoided. The body processes the sugar in high-fructose corn syrup differently than it does old-fashioned cane or beet sugar, which in turn alters your body’s natural ability to regulate appetite. High fructose corn syrup blocks the ability of a chemical called leptin, which is the way your fat tells your brain it’s there. It’s not so much the 150 calories in the soda pop-it’s the fact at that same meal you will normally consume an extra hundred calories of food than you would have.

Enriched Wheat Flour (White Flour)

Contrary to what its name suggests, enriched flour is actually poor in nutrition because most of the grain’s nutrients are destroyed in the refining process. The reason they enrich it is because they already stripped out anything that was nutritious, and they add a little bit back so it doesn’t look so bad.

Instead, look for whole grains and whole grain flours. It has its kernels, it has its B vitamins-all the things you want to be in there.

Saturated Fat

Found mainly in animal products, avoid saturated fats that are solid at room temperature, like lard. You can actually use this kind of material for furniture polish-lots of fun things-but don’t put it in you.

Hydrogenated Oil

To increase their shelf life, certain oils are hydrogenated. This process turns the oil into a solid at room temperature, but it also makes the oil unhealthy. This stuff is great because it doesn’t go bad, but it’s very bad for you. Avoid food products that contain hydrogenated oil, often labeled as trans fats.