Natural Health and Fitness Info

Herbal Tea Health Benefits

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:18:42 +0000

Have a look at this Herbal Tea Health Benefits page. It lists many herbal teas and their suggested benefits. Herbal teas have been used for centuries to cure minor ailments. Whether or not you believe that they do have specific medicinal benefits, one thing the teas do have is a high vitamin content. Why not substitute your fizzy soda drink or your high caffeine jet fuel for a delicious fruity tea instead. Who knows, they may have those hidden health benefits after all.

For a fantastic range of organic herbal teas, including green tea and fruit flavoured teas visit the natural matter herbal tea page.

Horsetail Herbal Tea

admin — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:18:13 +0000

The Horsetail herb has a mild diuretic effect and increases the activity of the kidneys and bladder. It has the ability to rid the body of water. Therefore, it is often found to be an ingredient in many weight loss products.

Other studies have suggested that horsetail has antioxidant properties. Therefore, Horsetail could help the body neutralise harmful free radicals.

The horsetail herb has been used in herbal medicine for centuries . The herb dates back to ancient Greece or Rome when it was used to stop bleeding and heal wounds.

Horsetail contains silicon which is important for bone strengthening. The Silicon helps the body process more Calcium.Therefore, the herb has been linked with the treatment of Osteoporosis.

To enjoy this drink it is recommended that you pour fresh boiling water over the bag. Brew the Horsetail for up to 10 minutes. You do not need to remove the bag from the cup. You can sweeten the drink if required.

We also have Horsetail Plant Juice 200ml.

An alternative is to drink horsetail in a delicious juice. This horsetail juice may help support the urinary system. Horsetail contains plant complexes including many minerals and trace elements. Together these nutrients help strengthen, the skin, hair and nails. However, a more pronounced feature of their interaction is the natural diuretic and anti inflamatory effect it has on the urinary tract system.
Please see more in the Natural Matter health and fitness shop for the entire Floradix range.

Warming Up and Cooling Down

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:08:32 +0000

Warming Up

You need to warm up for at least 10 minutes. Your aim is to increase your heart rate slightly and then move onto gaining flexibility. It is good to start with exercises that increase the heart rate so you are slightly warmer when you start your stretches. You are less likely to damage muscles this way.

Exercises that increase the heart rate slightly are gentle jogging, fast walking or jumping. You should feel that your heart rate is slightly raised as you begin your routine.

Exercises which increase flexibility include knee lifting, placing your hands on your hips and making a circular movement, raising and lowering your shoulders, gently tilting your head from side to side to stretch the neck and also gently stretching the back.

stretch mat fitness mat yoga mat

Cooling Down

Cooling down is also a vital part of your exercise routine. You want to return your cardiovascular system to its former level. When you are exercising your body is delivering a high level of blood to muscles. If you stop suddenly this flow continues when it is not needed, this could cause dizziness or even fainting.

Your aim is to cool down slowly and let the muscles cool down at the same pace. If you are running it is good to slow the pace to a walk, if you are weight training it is good to perform stretches of the muscles you have been using. Cool down should last for at least 5-10 minutes. Try to hold the stretches for a longer time than you did when you were warming up. Stretching the muscles you have worked also reduces post workout aches.

Back and Muscle Support during weight training

If you are weight lifting, it may help to wear a back support belt. This helps improve body mechanics and posture, ensuring that the back is supported when lifting heavy weights. Do not wear the belt expecting it to stop injury. It is a support. All support socks and knee braces are meant to support the body. They cannot prevent further injury. Make sure you do not exercise when your body is not 100%

lifting belt weight lifting belt reebok weight lifting belt

For fitness equipment visit www.naturalmatter.co.uk

Exercise can be hazardous. If you use any of the ideas, techniques or suggestions discussed in these documents, all are undertaken at the reader’s sole discretion and risk.

Calipers can help you on your way to a beautiful body.

admin — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 12:31:49 +0000

Do you want to change your body shape? Maybe you want to lose weight or develop more muscle mass? Maybe you’d like both. Whatever your goal, all bodybuilding or weight loss programs are going to take time, so a great way to start is by drawing up a fitness plan.

1. Set a healthy and achievable target weight with a shape up routine that can be easily maintained.

Don’t aim for an unrealistic or unhealthy body shape. Severely underweight people are certainly not healthy. At the other end of the scale, even the most shredded muscular physique cannot be maintained indefinitely.

2. Use body fat calipers to work out your fat and lean body mass ratio or perhaps ask your gym to measure you.

A great way to get your exercise program off on the right foot is to get a set of body fat calipers. This instrument measures your body fat and lean muscle mass ratio. It is important to have an accurate measurement of your fat / lean muscle ratio from the very beginning of your program, rather than relying on the bathroom scales.

Scales are inaccurate because they do not let you know if you have replaced body fat with lean muscle. They give you the same reading regardless of dramatic changes in your body. You may have reduced body fat but replaced that weight with lean muscle. Unfortunately, your bathroom scales are unable to detect that difference. If you attend a gym you could ask them to do this measurement for you, as they will have the correct instruments. When you are training you need motivators to keep you on course. body fat calipers allow you to see any results immediately helping you stay on track.

Check your progress on a monthly basis. This will allow you to see any changes and plot progress. Don’t check yourself any more than this as there are natural changes in the body throughout a period of a month, depending on whether you are retaining water, perhaps from food you have eaten. It is best for females to check themselves after their period has finished due to water retention. Try to stick to the same part of the month when you record your fat/lean muscle mass ratio.

3. Measure four folds of skin with your body fat calipers and work out your body fat/lean muscle percentage by using the table provided with them.

Body fat calipers measure the thickness of a fold of skin. There are 4 places on the body where a measurement should be taken, because of where these places are someone else can help you do this. They are,

· Centre of the back of arm (the triceps)

· Centre of the front of arm (the bicep)

· The back, just below the shoulder blade at a 45% angle.

· The waistline between the hipbone and the naval horizontally.

By recording your fat/lean muscle ratio regularly you can see positive changes in your body that you wouldn’t normally be seen with a set of weighing scales. 4. Work out a diet plan. Remember, you don’t have to starve, just eat the right foods.

5. Work out an exercise routine incorporating stretches, a cardiovascular routine and weight training for all the muscles.

6. Check your improvements on a monthly basis, no more than this. It will encourage you on when you start to lose heart or waver.

7. Stick to it, even if you have a bad few days just start again and you’ll soon be looking and feeling fantastic.

The Health Benefits of Cacao Powder

admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:27:27 +0000

The seed of the cacao tree, the cacao bean, has had a lot of attention recently due to its apparent health benefits. This sweet tooth alternative is the new super-super food of choice, as it is a fantastic alternative for chocolate lovers and health advocates alike.

Cacao beans are grown and cold pressed. The cacao butter oil is removed after pressing and the cacao cake-like residue is ground into a fine powder.

The powdering process is ‘undertaken in a controlled environment ensuring the temperature remains low, therefore maintaining the nutritional potency. In fact processing Cacao in this way actually increases the health benefits up to 33%.’ - Creative Nature.

Cacao powder is packed with nutrients. The powder has a higher amount of antioxidants than green tea, raw blueberries or any other nutritionally dense food. This has been measured using the ORAC test. ORAC stands for oxygen radical absorbance capacity. This test measures how a food can combat the harmful effects of free radicals. (Free radicals are responsible for disease and the aging process). Therefore, cacao beans really are a true super food as they outperform even the top foods on this scale. As well as having an abundance of antioxidants, the Cacao beans have a high amount of Magnesium. Magnesium plays many roles within the body but one important role is to help with the formation of bones and teeth. In addition to this, it assists in the control of blood pressure.

When mixed with fruit or anything with a natural sweetness the chocolaty flavour of the cocoa bean is released. Why not mix it into ice cream to make a truly delicious dessert? Smoothies and shakes taste delicious with the addition of cacao powder. The mouth-watering alternatives are endless. Just use your imagination.

Adding the Cacao powder to diary products does however inhibit the body’s ability to absorb the nutrients in the Cacao powder. So for best results the powder is best uncooked and not added to any diary products.

Try our extensive range of cacao nibs, cacao powder and many more healthier alternatives at www.naturalmatter.co.uk

Your Heart Health Tips

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:21:13 +0000

vitamin e Vitamin e is excellent if you want to prevent your arteries from thickening and can also increase the levels of ‘high density lipoprotein’ – which is good cholesterol. But if you have high blood pressure already, vitamin e can increase these levels so always check with your doctor before increasing your intake.		aspirin Extensive research has been conducted into aspirin and significant benefits have been discovered concerning heart disease. It is a good idea to discuss with your doctor the benefits of taking aspirin, as it has been shown to be able to reduce the formation of blood clots.
garlic Another great food for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol is garlic. It is recommended that you eat a whole clove a day. It is also possible to supplement your diet with garlic tablets.		ginger This root vegetable is an excellent addition to any meal. Not only does it taste good but it is able to prevent heart disease and strokes. It does this by reducing internal blood clotting. It is possible to take the ginger in tablet, capsule or liquid form.
blood pressure You can watch your blood pressure closely by getting a home blood pressure monitoring kit, this will let you know if the actions you are taking to lower your levels are being effective or not.		vegetarianism Vegetarianism is particularly advantageous if you suffer with a heart problem or want to reduce your risk of heart disease altogether. There are fewer reported cases of heart disease among Vegetarians and Vegans (exclusion of dairy products, eggs and meat) because their diets contain less fat and cholesterol.
isoflavones Isoflavones can be found in soya beans, these have been shown to lower cholesterol levels and in turn heart disease. It is also possible to your supplement diet with Isoflavones in the form of tablets.		folic acid Research has been conducted into Folic Acid and it has emerged that individuals who have good levels of folic acid are less likely to die of heart disease than those whose diets did not have enough.
sodium Too much salt or sodium in your diet can cause high blood pressure. Try reducing the amount of salt you put into your food. It may also help to keep an eye on sodium levels in the food you are eating. The lower the levels the better.		workout Regular aerobic exercise is really important as it strengthens the heart and lungs. It also keeps blood vessels working properly. People who do not take part in any exercise are twice as likely to develop heart disease than people who work out regularly.
relax Learning how to relax is vitally important. Stress may be a contributing factor in heart disease and learning how to cope in stressful situations is essential. Relaxation techniques like meditation and yoga and have proved beneficial in coping with such situations.		fat It is a fact that our daily fat consumption is over 35% of our daily calorie intake and this is a serious problem. It is recommended that we aim for around the 20% level. If you restrict your fat intake to about 10% of your daily calorie intake then there is significant research which suggests that, with the addition of exercise and relaxation techniques, an individual can significantly reduce their risk of heart disease. It may even be possible to unclog existing arteries.
family Check if any members of your family have a history of heart disease of have died at an early age due to heart problems. Knowing your family history will enable you to be more aware of your own health and allow you to make health changes to combat a hereditary heart problem. Exercise can be hazardous. If you use any of the ideas, techniques or suggestions discussed in these documents, all are undertaken at the reader’s sole discretion and risk.		hawthorn This is a great herb which strengthens the arteries and tones the heart muscle. It is possible to drink the herb as a tea, take it in extract, tincture or tablet form. Warning:- The information contained on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, cure or treat any medical condition. Should you have any medical condition, always consult your doctor, before undertaking any change in exercise or dietary advice.

The Bicep Curl - The Key to Beautiful Biceps

admin — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:37:55 +0000

Visit www.naturalmatter.co.uk for dumbbells, weight training accessories and supplements.

1. This move can be done with a barbell or dumbbells.

2. Make sure when you start the move your feet are placed about hip width apart and that your knees are bent slightly.

3. If you are using a barbell make sure your hands aren’t too wide apart.

4. Keep your hands and wrists in a straight line. Don’t bend them.

5. Slowly bring the weight up. Your hands should make it to your shoulders but no higher.

6. Don’t let your elbows come out too far in this exercise.

7. Lower the dumbbells slowly and with maximum control.

8. When they reach your lower sides again rest for a second, and then slowly repeat the exercise.

9. It is possible to do this move standing or seated with dumbbells.

10. When seated make sure the back is supported at all times.

muscle growth weight gain muscle repair fitness equipment

Warning:- The information contained on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, cure or treat any medical condition.
Should you have any medical condition, always consult your doctor,
before undertaking any change in exercise or dietary advice.Exercise can be hazardous. If you use any of the ideas, techniques or suggestions discussed in these documents, all are undertaken at the reader’s sole discretion and risk.

Total Body Fitness – endurance, movement and strength.

admin — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:28:27 +0000

For more info please visit www.naturalmatter.co.uk

Total body fitness is an equal ability in three different areas. The three areas are endurance, movement, and strength. The area you concentrate on most depends on what goals you wish to achieve. However, all three areas should be considered when training.

A marathon runner for example, is going to concentrate on endurance training, but still needs to work on their flexibility and strength. Their focus will be on endurance because they are looking to increase the amount of oxygen their body can supply to their muscles.

All oxygen requirements are supplied via the heart and lungs. Endurance training of any kind (like cardiovascular or endurance aerobic work) increases the productivity of the heart by making it a larger and stronger muscle. It also increases the capacity of the lungs and in doing so increases the amount of oxygen that is supplied to the muscles.

Once the oxygen has been delivered it can be used to release energy from stored reserves of fat and carbohydrates. As training continues the heart becomes much stronger and there is an increase in endurance levels for sustained periods of activity.

A weight lifter needs to focus on different areas of exercise. Their focus will be mainly on their strength training and this is achieved by weight resistance work. Muscles must be worked beyond their capacity in order for them to grow.

Weight training is an excellent form of exercise as it can be aerobic or anaerobic. Using a lower weight and repeating the move many times can improve muscular endurance. Using a heavier weight and completing a shorter amount of repetitions can improve strength.

The very least you can achieve from strength training is a more productive life with regards to lifting, correcting lazy posture, tiredness and being easily injured. Strength training increases your metabolic rate and the muscle fat ratio within your body.

Muscle is living tissue and requires energy to be sustained or grow larger. The stronger your body is the better chance it has to fight off injuries as you progress into old age. Weight training has been shown to develop bone density, which can help prevent Osteoporosis, (a degenerative bone disease particularly prone to target older men and women.)

Do not start high intensity weight training if you have a history of high blood pressure or heart problems, as high intensity training has been known to increase blood pressure levels. Always consult a doctor if you are unsure about your state of health and its impact on your fitness regime.

Remaining flexible is another very important feature of any exercise programme. By regular correct stretching it is possible to avoid injury and post work out muscle ache or stiffness. Stretching also enables you to keep full mobility and speeds up any recovery from injury.

It is always important to stretch when working out but it is vital to remember not to stretch until you are fully warmed up. It is best to do approximately 10-15 minutes of cardiovascular activity before attempting a stretching routine.

When warmed up the muscles are more flexible and can be extended much more easily avoiding unnecessary strains. A great way to incorporate stretching and strength is to take up yoga. Not only does yoga develop balance, posture, strength and great flexibility but also calmness and inner balance. This, of course, is another important requisite for the other side of fitness - mental fitness.

Find all our fitness equipment, weights, dumbbells, yoga mats and supplements at www.naturalmatter.co.uk

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admin — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:13:19 +0000

The Calf Raise

admin — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:10:25 +0000

For all our dumbbell and fitness equipment www.naturalmatter.co.uk 1. The calf raise can be done using the calf machine in the gym or by using a dumbbell. You must remember to hold the dumbbell on the same side you are doing the raise.
2. If you are using a dumbbell you will need to steady yourself while you do the raise. Make sure you are supporting yourself with your other hand. 3. Find a raised platform like a step.
4. Place the right foot on the step.
5. In the right hand hold the desired weight.
6. Curl the left foot around the back of the right heel.
7. Support yourself with your left hand, holding onto something about shoulder height.
8. Lift onto the ball of the right foot. You will feel the pull in the right calf muscle.
9. Repeat the move slowly lowering and raising the right foot.
10. Make sure you repeat the same exercise for the other calf. For dumbbells visit www.naturalmatter.co.uk Warning:- The information contained on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, cure or treat any medical condition. Should you have any medical condition, always consult your doctor, before undertaking any change in exercise or dietary advice. Exercise can be hazardous. If you use any of the ideas, techniques or suggestions discussed in these documents, all are undertaken at the reader’s sole discretion and risk.