9 Easy Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally

So your blood pressure is high, but you dont want to take prescription drugs? Can't say I blame you, with what we've learned about some very popular pharmaceuticals over the last year or so. Well, you're in luck. There are some simple modifications you can incorporate into your lifestyle that can make a big difference when it comes to hypertension, and here are the top 9:

1. Eliminate salt from your diet. This is probably the most important change you can make. The main reason why you will hear people say "I tried cutting back on salt and it didn't do anything for my high blood pressure" is because they forgot about prepared convenience foods. If you start reading labels, you'll find that just about all these items (not just salty foods like chips and crackers) have added sodium. Really, if you want to cut way back on salt, the best way is just to eliminate anything that comes in a box or bag from your diet. Eat natural foods, which will help your health in many ways in addition to lowering your blood pressure.

2. Cut out white sugar. While scientists arent yet sure exactly why, many studies have shown that eating processed sugars elevates blood pressure. Also eliminate high fructose corn syrup, an ubiquitous sweetener that has even more detrimental effects on health than white sugar. If you need a sweet taste, try adding some stevia, an herbal sweetener that comes in powder and liquid form, or xylitol, a low-carb sugar alcohol, to your foods.

3. Get regular aerobic exercise. Anything that gets you moving and your heart rate comfortably elevated has a beneficial effect on hypertension. Your physician may be able to give you an exercise plan that suits your condition and current fitness levels. It's important not to do too much too soon. There are some Eastern forms of exercise, such as yoga and Tai chi, that seem to have good effects on blood pressure. The emphasis on full, rhymthic breathing integral to these disciplines may be as important as the actual physical movement.

4. Increase the amount of fiber in your diet. This has been shown to have many benefits other than its effects on blood pressure. You can add fiber supplements to your diet, or eat more foods such as whole grains and vegetables, which brings me to the next tip....

5. Eat those veggies. There are myriad other benefits besides the increase in fiber associated with an increased intake of vegetables. These provide important vitamins and minerals, and other more recently discovered substances such as phytonutrients and antioxidants, which all help to keep your body functioning at an optimal level. One valuable nutrient contained in vegetables is potassium, and so our next tip is to....

6. Eat lots of bananas. Everyone knows that bananas are high in potassium, and it turns out that increasing the amount of potassium in our diet is almost as important as reducing one's salt intake with respect to normalizing blood pressure. As a matter of fact, some authorities think it's actually less about the amount of salt and more about increasing the ratio of potassium to sodium. We've mentioned bananas because they're the most popular fruit in the USA and are widely available, but if you want some high potassium alternatives, try dried apricots, figs, avocados, cantaloupe, raisins, carrot juice, prune juice, peanuts, and almonds.

7. Get that folic acid. This nutrient's been found to have a number of health benefits for women, and protecting against high blood pressure now seems to be another one. Harvard medical school did a study which indicated that women could lower their risk of hypertension anywhere from 18% to 46%, depending on their age, by taking 1 mg (milligram) of folic acid per day.

8. Eat chocolate, but not too much. Some recent studies have indicated that 100 grams per day of dark chocolate can have blood pressure lowering effects. The researchers postulate that a component of dark chocolate known as flavinols is responsible. But remember, only 100 grams (around three or four ounces), and it needs to be dark chocolate. You'll need to read labels, because most chocolate candy these days uses light chocolate. And of course, chocolate always contains sugar. So if you can't stop at 100 grams, or you need to lose weight (100 grams of chocolate is usually around 500 calories) you'd probably be better off not to take that first bite.

9. And finally, dump those diet pills. You know they're no good for you. While losing weight is usually beneficial for blood pressure levels, doing it by speeding up your heartrate is not. Do it by eating the healthy foods mentioned above and you'll have lower blood pressure and a nutritious diet you can continue with for life.

Of course, if you're already taking any medications, do NOT stop them without consulting with your doctor first. He should be willing to work with you as you try natural options. If not, you may need a new doctor. Give these tips a try one at a time. keep the ones that help, and when you're done, you'll have a healthier lifestyle for sure!

Joe Serpico is not a doctor, nor does he play one on TV, but he's been interested in health and fitness for over twenty-five years. Click on over to http://www.thehealthandfitnessguide.com for lots more great info.

Align Pilates And Yoga Studio Tarzana

Controlled Body Movement The Key Essential For Your Golf Game

Basic body movement is essential in any sport. Of course it is also essential for any type of physical activity we do.

As parents, we teach little children how to do the simplest of things. This includes how to move and how to control movements for precision and safety.

Basic body movement also means limiting movement to the essential movement for what you want to do. We control the desired movement. And, we prevent unwanted movement. We learn to keep our movements just firm enough to be coordinated. We also learn to allow just enough relaxation so the movements can flow through their proper range with the most comfort.

For many golfers, if you think about your hands doing something or even have much of your focus on your hands then, usually, you will do something incorrect with your hands.

Basic body movement, under control, is to be your main focus. When you become good at this part of your golf swing then can you try advanced hand movements. But, any of these hand movements should only be done in harmony with the dominant body and upper arm movements.

Even your arm movements need more focus in the early learning stages than any perceived hand movements. And, these arm movements should focus on movements generated in the upper arms which are as close to your body as possible.

A Special Lesson With A Good Golfer

A few years ago I did 2 golf lessons with a man who stood a little over 6 feet tall. He was having trouble spraying his hits with his mid-irons to his woods. I asked him to hit a ball with a wedge. He chose his 64 degree lob wedge and promptly hit a high, 95 yard hit.

What was he doing wanting a lesson from anyone? Answer: He had one wrong move that he wasn't aware he was doing.

I used my interpretation of Fred Couples' looping swing to guide him to the correct arm movement. When he tried my idea of Fred's swing Andy hit the ball higher and 15 yards farther.

He did not want to develop that move but he understood how to correct his error with the proper movement. He hit a lot of good golf balls afterwards and knew why he did so.

Andy's other problem involved chipping. He had a good hand movement in his chipping effort. He had no idea how to use that good movement with the movements of his body. As well, he had no idea of the importance of his body activity during his chipping.

A few minutes into the 2nd lesson he had learned how to time his hand movements with his body movements. He also learned where his hands should be in relation to his spine as he did the hand movements that he wanted.

His chipping improved dramatically within the lesson. His confidence was as high as possible that he could land a golf ball where he wanted. And, all it took was understanding how his arms and hands were to move in harmony with his body and also in relationship to his body position.

How I Developed My Understanding Of Basic Body Movement

I taught physical education from Grades 1 to 9. In one short span of time I could see the development of movement in all stages of growth. I could also see the physical and mental effort carried out by these children as they learned the skills and the games which I taught.

I used to teach the various Grades a level of a game which they could handle. I taught positional play in slow motion and then introduced body movements which enabled the students to move fluently up and down the playing surface. They quickly learned this and asked for more. That is when I taught the various skills. The game was taught first; and then came the skills.

In golf, there are a number of games played during a round.

• We try to get a better score than someone else.

• We try to get a personal best score during a round.

• We try to play against the golf course to get a par round or better.

• We try to get a better score than par on each hole.

BUT, usually forgotten is the game of playing each golf shot as good as we possibly can. It is this last "game" which I teach in my golf lessons.

The free articles combined with the instruction modules will teach you how to win "the game" of playing each hit during your round of golf.

Relating this to teaching golf swing skills I emphasize basic posture, alignment, control, and body movement. Arm and hand activity do not get taught until my students learn basic movements. Because of this, beginners and students who had never hit the ball in the air soon hit draws with even their short irons when they hit the ball over a fence.

You, The Ground, And The golf Ball

We stand on the ground. The golf ball rests on the ground (er, usually). Before we try to dislodge that golf ball from its place on the ground we should learn a good method of relating what we do from our "perch" on the ground.

Between our connection to the ground and the ball's position on the ground we have a lot of body mass and joints along with that "stick" thing. We need movement to make the golf ball move. Therefore, we swing back and forth to make the golf club move the ball. But, those joints want to do all sorts of contortions during our golf swing efforts.

We need to develop an understanding of how to move at the fewest possible joints and how to control or prevent movements of the rest of our joints. This is basic to anything we do. It is very important to this "confusing" skill called the golf swing.

About The Author

Glen teaches his golf program for Ladysmith, BC Parks & Rec.

http://basicbodymovementforanygolfswing.com

golflesson@basicbodymovementforanygolfswing.com

gleno@basicbodymovementforanygolfswing.com

Prenatal Yoga Pilates And Aerocs In Stamford Connecticut

Which VoIP Router Should I Get?

If you are interested in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services and do not want to buy a new IP phone, you will need a piece of hardware called a router to change the analog signal from your traditional phone over to a digital signal carried over the Internet.

A VoIP router blends the abilities of a high-speed Internet router and an Analog Telephone adapter (ATA) so that you have both services in one piece of hardware. If you have DSL or high-speed cable Internet service then you most likely you have connection through a modem or router. A VoIP router has features that are similar to the DSL modem the only difference is there is also a connection for the ATA port. Currently, there are two types of VoIP routers available.

The first type of router is one you purchase that comes connected with a particular service provider. If you subscribe to VoIP service over the Internet, many providers offer the router free of charge. You may choose to purchase the router from a store. In this case, the router comes with a pre-selected provider and all the software you need to install and download onto your computer. This software is usually limited to a trial period at the end of which you will need to subscribe with a VoIP provider of your choosing. The important thing to remember is to purchase a router that is compatible with your provider. Research what you want before you buy.

The second type of router is more of a generic VoIP router. If you purchase this, you can configure it yourself to your web browser. They work with a majority of VoIP service providers. This is a better purchase if you are not sure whom you want as a VoIP provider. Choosing this router allows you the flexibility to change VoIP providers without having to change your hardware. A word of caution here, if your strengths do not consist of configuring computers, it will be important to ask for assistance from your VoIP service provider to help configure the hardware.

Regardless, of the type of router you purchase they generally come with firewall protection. Everyone knows that protection while using the Internet is very important. The advantages of using a VoIP router are that you will save space by not having a lot of equipment to manage as well as money. Many times the cost of a VoIP router is less than what you are paying for an ATA or DSL router.

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