Healthy nuggets of news to keep your motor humming

Welcome to the 16th issue of our newsletter:

Healthy World Digest

In this issue:

* Exercise & dehydration in the summer

* Vitamins & supplements for teens

* The yummiest herbal remedy? Hershey's Kisses!

* Plants and pesticides

* Weight loss and alcohol

* Interval exercise, revisited, again

Oh, and we wont harass you with numerous mailings or with articles that are longer than the Bible.

Just a few important, interesting, up to date, super beneficial health items that you could easily apply to you life or pass along to loved ones.

As we go into the summer months, be reminded to drink more water. (The other season to drink more water is in the winter.) The reason for drinking more water should be obvious. You'll sweat more, so be sure to drink more.

But here's something else to be mindful of. If you sweat a lot during intense warm weather exercise, be sure to add a little something to your water or you could experience serious health issues.

Namely, try to have a sports drink after an hour of exercise. That'll help replace the electrolytes and minerals lost while sweating. Simple water wont do and could make the situation worse.

Want to make your own sports drink? Here's a recipe.

1 pckg Kool Aid, any flavor

2 qts water

1/4 - 1/2 cups sugar (To taste)

1/4 - 1/2 tsp sea salt (A must)

1/2 cup orange juice (or another potassium filled juice)

Refrigerate leftover.

* Vitamins & supplements for teens

If you are a teenager just about to start your growth spurt or in your spurt and you have a wonderful diet, skip the rest of this section. The odds of that? Fat chance.

Remember that proper nutrition, which includes the necessary nutrients and vitamins, is particularly vital during two separate life phases.

In the first year of life, diet & nutrition intake sets the course for health and vitality, for proper growth and cognitive development during childhood.

Then, during adolescence, diet and nutrition help determine how positive the growth spurt is. This phase lays down the tracks for what you'll probably be as you wing on into adulthood and onward.

So, be sure to take a quality multi-mineral and multi-vitamin supplement during your teen years. Make sure it contains vitamins A, B, C, D, E. Along with these vitamins, make sure certain important minerals are present. Calcium, magnesium, zinc, et al.

Along with needed vitamins, a protein supplement, especially after a workout and/or before bedtime could really help ensure proper intake of protein, vital for muscular growth. Any quality protein shake should do.

Of course you should be eating real foods for protein and vitamins. For example, whole eggs are a terrific source of protein.

For natural vitamins, a mixed salad made up of many colors, green lettuce & spinach, red tomatoes, orange carrots, yellow peppers, black olives provides various vitamins and living matter, such as enzymes. Of course, delicious fruits also provide needed vitamins and minerals. Bananas, oranges, apples, strawberries, mango, melons all provide what growing bodies need.

* The yummiest herbal remedy? Gotta be Hershey's Kisses!

That's right. Hershey's Kisses are a truly powerful herbal remedy. Just a couple of these babies have all sorts of happy health benefits due to their antioxidant content.

Here's another health benefit. Chocolate decreases blood vessel inflammation which reduces the chances of artherosclerosis which lowers the chances of heart disease and high blood pressure.

So, pop two and call me in the morning.

Or do as I do. Enjoy that cup of cocoa made from a tablespoon of powdered, unsweetened dark chocolate powder. I use Hershey's, a little stevia for sweetness and some creamer. My creamer is blend of 1/3 heavy cream to 2/3 unsweetened, organic, whole soymilk in a large jar and use over a week or so. Good and healthy.

Another alternative is to have a bit of a good, dark, sweetened chocolate bar before a workout for a little boost of caffeine, sugar and antioxidants.

I love this topic so much that there will be much more on chocolate in the coming issues.

P.S. Make sure to avoid the diluted, over sugared, milk chocolate.

* Plants and pesticides

Unless you go completely organic, pesticides in our fruits and vegetables are just a fact of life. If you have access and extra money to buy organic products, do it. At least you should know which foods contain the highest concentration of contaminants.

So, from least to most:

10) grapes

9) lettuce

8) kale

7) strawberries

6) cherries

5) nectarines

4) celery

3) peppers

2) apples

1) peaches

* Weight loss and alcohol

So, a drink or two of alcohol daily has been touted as helpful for your health. Especially if you have a glass or two of red wine with lunch or dinner.

But here's an important caveat. Don't have that drink right before bedtime. Alcohol before bed reduces growth hormone release. Growth hormone renews cells and build & maintains muscle. That regenerating, building action keeps you looking young and fit and discourages fat storage.

* Interval exercise, revisited, again

Are you still doing the same old exercises? You know, the light weights, 45 minutes of cardio, a little stretching and you're off. Every day, year after year. And you wonder why you just don't get anywhere.

Well, your body long ago adapted to the routine and so nothing much is happening to it. But as we've outlined before, the way out of this mess is to do interval training.

Interval exercise has been shown to beat traditional cardio fitness routines for increasing aerobic health. It has been shown to increase growth hormone release after age 30, which is really the youth hormone. It is great for normalizing blood sugar. It helps with weight and fat loss in ways traditional cardio can not.

A good 20 minute session of interval exercise beats a 60 minute session of cardio any day. Just make sure to include 8 peak 30 second long "hard" intervals, resting 90 seconds between hard intervals. What is "hard" and "rest"? Well that all depends on your fitness level. Hard could be sprint to a soft jog. Hard could be jog to soft walk. Hard could be walk to soft standing still. Get it?

For more, visit our page on http://www.healthyexerciseworld.com/high-intensity-interval-training.html">high intensity interval exercise

Have to run now. It's July you know. Gotta get some sun and some park time. You should too. Go out. Have fun.

See you next month!

Sal

Healthy Water