Top foods that will help you build your lung capacity

Capacity is a word, which we all need in our hectic lifestyle and culture. Sometimes, we drain off faster than the tea strained through a strainer. Building lung capacity is very important not to stay fit but also to prevent the increased risk of diseases in this fast paced life. One way to improve lung functioning is to give up the butt. Smoking is definitely a hindrance to fitness.

A research was conducted at the University of Glasgow, which showed that giving up on smoking improved lung function test scores over 15%, that too in less than 8 weeks. Another way is to eat. Yes, you read it right. Eating certain foods can help you turn your lung hale and hearty. Let’s look through the food basket:

# Apples

Apples make a difference. The body conveys these differences. A research was held at London’s St. George’s Hospital Medical School, which showed that people who ate five or more apples per week, had a lung capacity of at least 138 millilitres as opposed to lower lung functioning in non-apple consumers.

Hence, you can see that it is time to take the ‘an apple a day’ proverb seriously. Apples have been acclaimed to reduce lung/colon cancer risk as stated in one of the ‘Planta Medica’ studies.

# Pomegranates & Grapefruit

The growth of lung tumors can be slowed down with the help of pomegranate juice. It contains antioxidants like ellagic acid, which helps improve lung capacity and health. Mixing this juice along with grapefruit juice is the best combo.

Grapefruit contains naringin, which inhibits the activation of cancerous enzymes. Also, grapefruit acts a good cleanser for the lungs after smoking. But this doesn’t mean the damage due to smoking won’t take place!

# Bell Peppers- Red

Red Bell Peppers are eye catchy. This is not only due to the red glaze they flaunt but also because they reduce the risk of lung cancer. These are rich in beta-cryptoxanthin. This is an orange-red component known to lower the risk of lung cancer.

Red bell peppers houses Vitamin A in rich amounts. Vitamin A helps counter emphysema, a lung disease.

# Fish

Fish helps in increased functionary of pulmonary regions. This is mainly because fish oil helps to suppress the harmful levels of arachidonic acid in the body. Arachidonic acid causes inflammation in the body.

The Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil help deliver desired pulmonary functioning levels.

# Nuts & seeds

Nuts like almonds, hazel and cashew; and seeds like dried melon, muskmelon seeds contains huge amounts of the mineral- magnesium. Magnesium helps maintain a healthy lung functioning. Nuts also contain fatty acids (the beneficial ones), which are good for the cardiovascular functioning.

# Garlic, Onion & Ginger

Add these pungent foods in all your meals. With their pungent properties, these combat inflammation, infections and help eliminate pollutants from the lungs. These foods also help in lowering cholesterol levels.

Be sure that you drink plenty of water daily. This not only cleanses the lungs but also keeps them hydrated. It also ensures that the mucus flow is smooth. Mucus in lungs? Yes. This mucus helps shoo the pollutants and other toxins out from the lungs. Hence, keep your lungs young and healthy.

Say no to butts that are a pain in the butt, and say yes to healthy living with a healthy diet.

About the Author: Vani Chugh is a qualified blogger, with interests in the health and tech niche areas. She currently writes blogs for Ecigarette reviewed.

Reference Links:

http://www.docguide.com/quitting-smoking-improves-lung-function-test-scores-more-15-less-2-months

http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/foods-for-lung-health/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/464897-foods-that-help-lung-capacity-breathing/

Personal Training / Fitness Enthusiasts Experience Better Fitness Results by Chelsea Sawyer

Weight loss, especially when you’re over 30, can be a difficult battle even if you’re merely struggling with a handful of pounds. Definitely, the challenge is much steeper if you’re more than just a little overweight. If you are deliberating over which fitness regime to adopt this time around, the best recommendation for you is to go for personal training. Fitness experts endorse this option as one of the best ways to guarantee success in your weight loss efforts.

Going to the gym can be hit or miss. If you don’t know which exercises to perform and which pieces of equipment to use to work toward your fitness goal, then you could very well end up frustrated with your efforts, no matter how diligent they are; this is why it really pays to work with a personal trainer. Physical fitness buffs recognise the value of personal training services; not only will you be carrying out a personalised fitness plan that’s designed to specifically cater to your unique needs and particularly address your issues, you’ll also have the specialist support, physical presence, and vocal motivation of a personal trainer driven to have your workout deliver optimum results.

Personal Training – Good For All Goals

Whether you aim to lose weight, maintain physical fitness, tone specific body parts, or gain muscle, working with a personal training specialist can ensure that you achieve your goal in the safest and most efficient way possible. It’s a real advantage to have a personal trainer’s guidance every step of the way; you are not only assured of expert instruction and correction, you’re also showered with much-needed encouragement as you actively work toward making a change in your life.

A personal trainer will work hard to engage your interest. If you’re not a fan of the gym environment, your trainer can come up with an outdoor workout or a workout that does not necessitate the use of gym equipment. If you find that your attention wanders while performing slow and boring cardio that drags on forever, then your trainer can set you up in a boot camp. Fitness trainers recommend the fun and motivating conditions of a military-type workout. Those who opt for this extreme setup love the pumped up energy levels and the boost in their confidence.

Weight loss should be attacked with single-minded determination. There’s just so much better quality to your life when you enjoy a fit and healthy body, so it’s imperative that you do not let another day go by without taking an active step toward your fitness goal.

About the author:

Chelsea Sawyer is a health care professional and a freelance writer who loves to write informative articles related to the health and fitness industry. She visited and made http://www.bodsquadtraining.com as her reference for this article and recommends her readers to visit the website.

Beat Unhealthy Food Cravings & Build Better Habits

If you are on any kind of healthy eating plan and have recently made a change to your diet, it is inevitable that you will experience cravings for the types of food your body has become accustomed to.

Eliminating sweet, starchy foods and replacing them with more vegetables, fruit and healthy grains is a fantastic step towards better health and both feeling and looking better. It is, however, quite an adjustment for your taste buds.

Fortunately, there are ways to train yourself to truly love healthy foods, replace naughty treats with healthier versions, beat the cravings and form better diet habits.  Here are some helpful tips to keep you on track with a healthy diet.

Make Your Breakfast A Healthy One

There is little time to be very imaginative at breakfast and we often fall into a rut, eating the same thing every morning. Repeating a routine of eating cereals laden with sugar or white toast smothered in butter means we are regularly feeding our bodies unhealthy foods.

Changing up your breakfast is a really easy way
to make a sustained change to your eating habits

Porridge is high in protein and will keep you full all morning. To lower the fat content, (although we do need some healthy fats) substitute full fat milk for almond milk.

For an easy and delicious way to get one or two of your five a day, add a handful of blueberries and chopped banana and you will have ticked off two of your five a day before you even leave the house. This is an easy habit to get in to.

Fruit does still contain a lot of sugar, but it is also full of nutrition and a much better alternative processed sugars like syrup, bread and of course granulated sugar.

Satisfy Cravings With Healthy Substitutes

Eating healthier versions of what you love to eat but know is unhealthy will help you to feel as though you aren’t completely depriving yourself and will keep you on track.

• Egg fried rice can be made with a recipe which uses grated cauliflower instead of rice
• Chocolate ice cream can be made by whizzing up frozen banana with cocoa powder and a little peanut butter in the blender

Allow yourself a little of what you fancy now and then
to avoid spectacularly falling off the wagon at a later date

Drink Lots Of Water

Sometimes hunger signals can get confused with thirst. When you start to feel hungry, drink a glass of water and wait twenty minutes to see if your craving have disappeared. At the very least you may eat less / plus most people don’t drink enough water anyway.

Once you acquire a taste for plain water you will be much less likely to over-consume on fizzy drinks, soda and fruit juices, which are all full of sugar.

Find Healthy Foods That You Love

Eating healthily doesn’t need to be a chore. Where previously you would have reached for chocolate, reach instead for blueberries drizzled in honey or strawberries and Greek yogurt.

Once you’ve been eating well for a little while, the sugar and fat cravings will die down and your taste buds will be more sensitive to the delicious taste of juicy fruits and vibrant vegetables. Eventually, you’ll start to crave these instead!

Be aware of the way you cook food

The difference in calorie and fat intake depending
on the cooking method you choose can vary dramatically

Being aware of this can help you to make better choices on a daily basis. Be mindful of the way you prepare food. Implementing small changes to your routine will really make a difference over time and will lead to you forming good habits.

For example:

• Use a small amount of a healthy nut oil for frying
• Grill bacon and chicken instead of frying it
• Steam vegetables instead of roasting them with oil
• Use a griddle pan which siphons away fat to cook meat
• Poach chicken breasts- this is the healthiest way to cook them

Opt For Wholegrain

Avoiding all of the white/beige foods in favour of their brown versions is a simple substitution to make and a healthy habit to get into. Whenever you would usually use white pasta, which is calorific and high in carbohydrates, opt instead for wholegrain which will give you slow release energy and doesn’t spike your blood sugar levels. The same goes for bread and rice.

These foods generally contain a much higher proportion of fibre and nutrients with a slightly lower calorie value and as a result you are likely to eat less and still get an increased nutritional benefit.

Don’t Get Ravenous

You may think that you are doing really well by eating tiny portions during the day but allowing yourself to get really hungry only makes you more likely to crave all the bad stuff that will satisfy you instantly.

Eating well doesn’t ever need to mean feeling hungry. If you ever feel a bit peckish before a meal, simply fill up on the good stuff. A handful of cashew nuts, a few cherry tomatoes, a piece of fruit or some crudités with a little low fat hummus will curb your cravings, with the added bonus of tasting delicious!

The risk with getting very hungry is that you will lose the ability to make good food decisions. Instead, keep yourself full with healthy veg and you will not find yourself craving bread, pasta and sweets!

About The Author

Jesse Andrews is a fitness expert who works for Seven Seas. When he’s not out and about he spends his time writing about nutrition and enjoying healthy food. He loves action sports like rock climbing and going to the gym. Click here to learn more about Seven Seas.