Pets have been long a companion of humans in hunting and in solitude. However, little we expect that pets can become partners in gaining a windfall of health benefits. Your dog may be more useful to you than just fetching your slippers or your cat being just downright adorable. New researches found out that owning a pet may help you win the battle against chronic diseases such as stress and anxiety. Perhaps you are unaware, that keeping a pet may be the best defense you can have against the common cold. If you are interested to know how your pet can improve your health then read on.

Pets and Cardiovascular Health

Pets can help get your heart in tip-top shape. This link may have something to do with the fact that walking or playing with your pet can help you get some degree of exercise to burn calories. A recent study revealed that owning a pet, a dog in particular, may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, lower blood pressure levels and even bring down your bad cholesterol levels. In fact, a related study also showed that male dog owners have lesser risks of dying after a year of suffering from a heart attack compared to males that never owned a pet.

Pets Can Ease Stress and Anxiety

Research has shown that owning a pet can lower blood pressure and reduce the levels of stress hormones in the body. Also, having a pet around can help the brain produce more feel-good chemicals that melt the abundance of cortisol and adrenaline floating in the body. A study involving Chinese women saw that pet ownership encouraged exercise, allowed them to sleep better and had overall better fitness levels compared to non-pet owners. Pet owners according to the study saw their doctors less compared to those who don’t like having pets around. Also be sure to check out these Stress-Busting Exercise Moves to help ease your stress!

Pets Can Help Ease Allergies

Researchers have found out that people who are exposed to pet dander and other pet-related allergens at a young age are less likely to develop allergies. Just take a look at kids that grew on farms as they have developed a sort of immunity from allergies. It seems that those children who had been exposed to potential animal-based allergens gave the immune system a great dress rehearsal which actually made it more stronger and keep the body healthier as they grow older.

Pets Encourage People to Exercise

Pets encourage you to get more movement. Stress and anxiety can easily be busted through movements. While the direct links of movement and stress are not well established, it is known that increased physical activity is beneficial not only for the body but for the mind as well.

Pets Can Help Against Depression

Therapists have long recommended having pets as part of the therapy against depression. No creature can love you unconditionally than your pet. A pet may listen to you and give you comfort in your moments of despair. Petting or touching a pet such as a dog or a cat provides a calming effect. Touch therapy is known to help people ease the pain of depression by increasing the levels of feel-good chemicals in the brain. On the contrary, having low levels of feel-good chemicals are known to cause depression.

Pets Can Help Avoid Strokes

Pet owning can drastically lower your risk of having strokes. It can partly be explained that pet owners get better circulation compared to non-pet owners. Still, the relation on lowered stroke risks and pets is yet to be clearly established. Other than that, scientists could only speculate that lowered stroke risks can also be attributed to the fact that owning a pet has a calming effect which lowers the blood pressure and lessens the possibility of having a vein being ruptured causing strokes.

Animals can make people feel good and that could be the single best reason why owning a pet is healthy. It is surprising to know how pets can actually make people healthy. Just feel glad that you have your pet around because they may be actually keeping you alive.

About the Author: Ryan Rivera writes about panic attacks, depression, stress and anxiety. You may reach him through his Calm Clinic Twitter account.

]]> http://www.healthymaniswhatiam.com/health/6-reasons-your-pet-improves-health/feed/ 0 http://www.healthymaniswhatiam.com/nutrition/healthy-man-approved-recipe/ http://www.healthymaniswhatiam.com/nutrition/healthy-man-approved-recipe/#comments Fri, 28 Sep 2012 18:57:57 +0000 admin http://www.healthymaniswhatiam.com/?p=654 Do any of the other REAL MEN out there feel like most weight loss foods and healthy eating habits are directed towards women? I know I do. I mean what man really wants to eat a sweet potato veggie burger? We need our man food!

You can still enjoy breaded foods! Don’t give up on chicken fingers! You will just have to make a few small adjustments, but don’t worry, they will still taste wonderful! Here is an easy recipe that you can use to impress the guys, while staying <relatively> healthy.

Step #1: Rather than using dried bread crumbs, blend up some bran flakes or almonds (or both) to use as the breading! What? You can get your fiber while enjoying that crunch? You sure can. Bran is a super food! And the amazing thing is that after they are done, you will barely even be able to tell the difference. You can add a little of your favorite seasonings (garlic powder or italian seasonings work well) to the bran or almond crumb mixture to kick up the flavor. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Step #2: Crack however many eggs you will need into a bowl. Here’s the thing – discard the yolks with the shells. So you should just have a bowl with the egg whites in it. Whisk it lightly with a fork. Then dip whatever it is you are wanting to bread (hopefully something relatively low in fat, like strips of raw chicken breast, or a low fat mozzarella) into the egg white mixture. If you are out of eggs, you can always dip into a bowl of skim milk.

Step #3: After dunking your food items into  the egg whites or milk, dip them into the bowl of bran/almond crumbs. Coat them evenly, then place onto a baking sheet greased with cooking spray. Lightly spray the tops of the food items with the cooking spray as well. This will help them to be even more crunchy.

Step #4: Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake. For cheese sticks,  8-10 minutes should be enough. For raw chicken or meat, you will want to cook for about 20 minutes, or longer if the insides are still pink when you pull them out. Once during cooking flip the food over so that it cooks evenly.

For dipping sauce, forget the ranch or any sauce with a mayonnaise base. Instead, use marinara, ketchup, or barbecue sauce. Enjoy! Your end result should look a little something like this:

Look for more healthy meal planning tips in the future!

What is emphasized here is that because of several unhealthy choices that are easily and readily available, it’s high time to get smarter and prepare a cooking plan. Let such a plan include healthy choices and then get them approved by kids and other adults in your family by telling them about the good tastes and health benefits. But no planning can be successful without applying some tips. So, here are some Healthy Meals planning tips that can be helpful to you.

Plan on Sunday

Sunday is the best day to plan the cooking menu of the entire week. Take the help of Internet or go through some cookbooks or magazines to choose seven healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus that offer adequate calories. Ensure that you add sources of lean protein (beans or lentils), fibers (vegetables and whole grains), vitamins (fruits), and minerals (vegetables and fruits). It is better to choose the most liked items by your family.

Include family members while planning

Do not sit back alone and plan for healthy eating, as that carries a risk of rejection from your kids or other family members. Therefore, consider involving your kids, partner, and other family members while you plan. Ask them what they would like to eat but set some rules or guidelines so that they do not pressurize you to choose those tempting, unhealthy foods such as white pastas, white breads, burgers, and pizzas.

Announce your menu

A small white board is enough whereon you can write with a marker pen about the menu just like you would see in some restaurants where the boards reveal special menu of the day. Write your menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner of the day and let everyone see what they will be getting to eat.

Always keep a grocery list

To be specific, take a blank paper and write down all that you will need to cook the chosen dishes for the next week. Once you decide with your family about the meals, it becomes easy to identify the ingredients that are required to cook the chosen dishes. Take it to the grocery store and buy only what is written in it. And yes, do not throw away the list. Keep it for your next Sunday planning! Most of the times, the ingredients will be the same, only the dishes and cooking methods will vary. Furthermore, a readymade list will also save much of your planning time.

Author Bio: Marguerite being a fitness enthusiast loves to blog on fitness and topics related to fitness also enjoys writing recipes and healthy eating tips. You can check out her latest post on how to lose lower belly fat on her website.

Well, this does not mean that you should ignore your lower part of the body. You should be balanced, and require strong legs and cores to hold up the rest of the body. Cardio workouts can be considered, however they are not as effective as upper body exercises in order to affect the manner in which your gender is read. Some of the good upper body workouts to make men look more masculine have been discussed below.

Shoulder Press or Overhead Press: The bar overhead needs to be pressed in a straight line. Since your head will come in the way, you need to move your torso and head during the overhead press. Tilt your head back quickly so that the bar passes your nose or chin without hitting them. Look forward and once the bar is in the forehead level, your torso needs to be shifted forward. Keep the weight overhead pressed. When your chin almost touches your chest, do not look down but forward. Squeeze traps and back, shoulders and lock your elbows.

Dumbbell Shrug: Stand straight holding a dumbbell on each hand, your palms should face your torso, and arms to be stretched on the sides. Lift dumbbells by raising your shoulders to the maximum height while you exhale. Try and hold the contraction for a second at the top. Lower dumbbells in its original position and repeat.

Pushups: Lie with your face down on the floor. Place your palms at shoulder level, and point your fingers forward. Push yourself upwards until the entire weight of your body rests on your toes and palms. Lower your position and repeat. To accent your chest, place the hands broader than shoulder width. In order to target the triceps and back, bring your hands together with index fingers and thumbs touching one another. This workout helps you cut back that belly fat.

Bicep Curls: Stand up straight holding dumbbells in each hand, keeping your elbows near to your torso and twirl the palms until they face forward. Keep your upper arms in a still position, exhale as well as curl the weight while you contract your biceps. Continue raising weights until biceps are completely contracted, and your dumbbells are halted at the shoulder level. Remain in the contracted position for a few seconds as you squeeze the biceps. Thereafter, inhale and gradually start lowering the dumbbells in its initial position and repeat.

In addition to these workouts, testosterone has a vital role to play in the maintenance and development of various male characteristics and is useful for vitality and good health too. Testosterone contributes towards healthy bone density, red blood cells, and muscle mass. The hormone is responsible for typical masculine behavior in a man. Thus, the main characteristic of a man is the masculinity.

Author Bio: Marguerite being a fitness enthusiast loves to blog on fitness and topics related to fitness. You can check out her latest post on How To Lose Belly Fat on her website.

You will love to learn that feeling of pressure against you.  Most people who are not totally fit will look at  those who spend their lives in the gym or on the trail constantly running or working out, and they will see them as fanatical.  It is no less fanatical then spending the same amount of time sitting.  The only difference is one is healthy, feels great, and looks great too.  Between the fanatical couch potato and the fanatical gym rat which would you rather be.  I know when you put it like that they both sound bad. Quick interjection if I may, once I had a bet rat, he was adorable. What that isn’t girly, pet rats are for men. Dang it I am a man. I knew I shouldn’t have told you that. Anyway the point is rats aren’t bad, but no body likes potatoes. Besides they are both just two expressions.

There are three reasons to exercise:  Improve muscular strength , lose weight like 50 cent did, or for general health.  Most people will start to exercise to lose weight, second highest demographic will exercise to improve strength. Seriously most people just want to look sexy as hell with their shirts off. Luckily for them, their overall health is being maintained and strengthened with the exercise.  The funny thing is you start to notice change in health much before you actually start to see weight drop or muscle gain. Just after one day of exercise your chances of dying actually decrease… well depending on the exercise.

When you start exercising the first few routines are going to seem a bit pathetic.  It is your first time, most likely you are a little bit pathetic. It is nothing against you, I was too my first time.  Within a week of exercising though you will start to really feel a change in the internal fir that drives you. Truthfully, you will be able to push your self so much harder after just a while of exercising.

Source: http://www.howtogetsixpackabs101.net

Two things you should try to avoid while exercising in the gym are overtraining and training incorrectly.  These are the cause of many of the common injuries in gym.  Training with poor technique is the quickest way to sustain an injury and the most easily avoidable.  So, if it has been awhile since you last went to the gym or you are starting at a new one, sign up for an introductory course.  This will allow you to brush up on your technique, meet the qualified staff and perhaps get a few tips and acquaint you with the equipment.

Even if you are a regular gym-goer, and you already know what type of shoes to wear etc,  you may not be familiar with the newest equipment in your gym.  All those seemingly simple machines can be deceptively tricky.  Rather than trying to figure it out on your own and risking an injury ask how they work.  For those of us who do not frequent gyms even the treadmills pose problems.  No two treadmills are alike.  The buttons seem to be arranged in the least sensible manner possible and they it seems that the machine speeds up and slows down at will rather than as you command.  Instead of hopping on the treadmill assuming you know how it works and then searching blindly for the stop button ask how it works.  You don’t want to risk a sprained ankle or head injury because you can’t find the stop button and you are too tired and wobbly legged to continue running, forcing you to jump off the terrifying machine.  Stay safe; ask how to use the equipment.

The risk of overtraining may be greater than that posed by gym equipment.  It is important to remember that fitness is not a race or a competition.  Start with the lowest weights and work up to higher ones.  There is no sense in using weights too heavy for you and risking an injury at the start of your new exercise program. If an exercise is too easy for you it is always possible to add more weight.  But once you have strained a muscle you will need to spend weeks letting it heal.  The last thing you want to do is damage your tendons because you were a bit overzealous at the start.  Before you begin exercising remember to stretch.  Stretching is an easy way to loosen your muscles, get them used to the range of motion you will put them through during your exercises and lastly help prevent injury.  Well stretched muscles will be less likely to strain or tear.

Paying attention to your form, especially for new and unfamiliar exercises will also help prevent injury.  Many of the most common injuries can be avoided by using the proper form.  Even simple exercises such as squats and lunges require the right form.  Making sure your knees never pass your toes will prevent stress and damage to your knees.  Another easy way to prevent injury is to take each exercise slowly.  It will be easier to pay attention to form if you take it slow and you will be less likely to strain a muscle in a rapid unfamiliar movement.  Be cautious when you do free weight exercises.  Only use weights you can handle easily.  If you must lock out your elbows to do a front or lateral raise then the weight is too heavy for you.  Locking out your elbows is improper form and deciding to push through the exercise anyway will only put you at risk of a micro tear in your tendon.  It will not make you stronger.  Listen to your body and your muscles.  If an exercise hurts or begins to hurt do not continue doing it.  Your body knows what it needs and ignoring it will only cause you suffering later.

If you are in a rush or on a tight schedule take your exercises at the same slow pace and do less of them. Getting in more repetitions in less time stresses your joints and risks poor technique.  Plus you are in the gym to have a good workout.  Slow down, enjoy that burn.  Even if you are in a hurry your muscles still need to be stretched and treated with care.  Skipping these important steps and ignoring form will very likely be the cause of an injury and that would be an unfortunate start to your routine.

An introductory session would be a great time to be reminded of these little tips by qualified gym staff.  Ask whether any of the staff members are trained in first aid.  You can also check on the qualifications of various instructors in case you are thinking about taking a class.  The same safety rules apply in classes.  Take things slow and listen to your body.  Just because yoga looks easy does not mean you can bend like that at first.  If you are a beginner then you should stick with the basics.  If you decide to try out complicated poses and headstands on your first day you just might need the person trained in first aid to save you or untangle you.  Asking the right questions and taking things slowly is the easiest way to stay injury free during your gym experience.

Running

Running is probably the most common form of exercise, which is everybody’s “go to” exercise when they want to lose weight and it is rightfully so. Running is a cardio exercise that can help you burn a lot of calories. The amount of calories you burn while running can increase by increasing the incline that you run on. Some home treadmills make this an easier thing to do since most of them now days come with incline training built in.

Swimming

I am a big advocate of swimming. It is one of my favorite things to do; and not only is it fun to do, it is arguably the best cardio, calorie-burning exercise out there. Unlike running, this exercise is low-impact, meaning that there is less impact and strain on your joints when you exercise. It is a perfect exercise that you can do no matter what your weight is, and if your weight is a little high it can help you keep it under control. It really is the ultimate exercise, just make sure you know what you are doing! To learn how to do a proper stroke, click here.

Biking

This, too, is a very effective cardio exercise. One of the main benefits of cycling is that it is low-impact as well. One thing that should be noted is that spending the same amount of exercise on cycling as running will not get you the same results. Because cycling doesn’t require as much effort, you will have to exercise for a longer period of time to burn the same amount of calories.

Well, there ya have it. Those are my favorite exercises that burn a lot of calories.

Jordan works and goes to school full time. He enjoys the outdoors, healthy living, music, and just about all sports and loves blogging about all of them. Follow him on Twitter at, and you can also find him on Google+.

He isn't skinny, but the people who listen to him are.

I give you a crash course on Buddhist philosophy.

• 1. Follow the three R’s

1. Respect yourself
2. Respect others
3. Responsibility for your actions

If you are respecting yourself then you wouldn’t ever do anything disrespectful right.  You would give a kid a cigarette because that is terribly unhealthy and disrespectful.  So why should you allow yourself to smoke, drink, eat garbage (not actual garbage, but like fast food and stuff).  And if you are going to disregard all self-respect then you had better be willing to take responsibility for your actions, whether it be cancer, belligerence or diabetes.

• Learn the rules so that you know how to break them properly

Oh Buddha, you sneaky man you.  Now remember we are not going to disrespect anyone, not even ourselves,  so “breaking rules” could be better put “finding effective strategies towards our goals”.  The key to this one is learn.  You need to understand the situations around you if you want to beat them.

• Judge your success by what you had to give up to get it.

Ok, this one to me seems pretty clear.  He is obviously talking about weight loss.  Even though he doesn’t look very fit and skinny in that statue he is still much healthier than he was a few years before that was carved.

I hope all this motivation was ambiguous enough to allow you to misconstrue some sort of meaning.  Seriously though, the Buddhists have some hard core philosophies.

Let’s level for a second, there is a large number of people nowadays who don’t consider themselves physically fit (whether that is true or perceived is a different discussion), and would consent to saying that losing a little bit of weight might actually be a good thing.  In fact, studies have said that as of 2010 in 1/4 of the states in America the obesity rate is over 30%, which only goes to show, that for many of it wouldn’t be a bad thing for us to not only consider shaking things up a bit, but also consider changing our eating habits and lifestyle as well.

Thus in the midst of striving for the right combination of diet and exercising, many diets have come forth out of obscurity and the imaginations of many “scientists.”  One such diet is the Atkins diet.

Now, I’ll be honest, when I first heard what the Atkins diet is I was a little blown away and pretty skeptical.  I mean seriously, a diet on meat and butter?  Haven’t we been raised our who lives to believe that we need a balanced diet of meat, fruit, and grains?  Well the Atkin’s diet would argue otherwise.

Before we dive in, I hope that you would consider thinking about this objectively.  Draw on all the common sense that you possess and think about the nutrition facts that we have known to be true.

Yes my friends, this is a ridiculous diet.

There has been literature that has suggested that this diet works, but as with much literature it leaves out much of the facts.  I would like to take the liberty to share just a few things that some literature has proposed is true, but has been misconstrued to fit the idea that Atkins diet is actually a worthwhile and healthy diet.

1) Experts recommend the Atkins diet.

- The truth is they don’t, in fact,  the Atkins diet is opposed by The American Medical Association, The National Academy of Sciences, The American Cancer Society, The American Hearth Association, and The National Institutes of Health.

2) Saturated fats don’t promote hearth disease.

- Yes they do.  “Fifty years of research shows that saturated fat and cholesterol raise LDL [‘bad’] cholesterol, and the higher your LDL, the higher your risk of coronary heart disease.” - John Farquhar, Stanford University

3) Carbs, not fats, cause obesity.

- Actually there is very little evidence to support this claim, this is not a well established fact.  It has been purported by Atkins diet supporters that high-glycemic-index carbohydrates which are found in many sugars and starches like potatoes and rice, or anything made from flower, actually feeds your hunger and causes you to crave carbohydrates.  However,  according to Penn State’s Barbara Rolls, “It’s not proven at all.”  In fact, “we have no firm data that glycemic index affects body weight or how full people feel after eating.”

And there’s plenty more where that came from.  The bottom line is, be objective in your accepting what people say.  Don’t take things for face value, but instead consider what your brain is telling you.  I mean really, the Atkins diet?  As much as I’d like to be on a diet of steak with butter drizzled all over it, I think I’ll stick to something a little more sensible.

For more info, check this site out or this one

Carlos Morgan is a 22 year old Communications Major hoping to get into Law School one day and make a difference. If you feel you want to know more, check out his Google+