Communication Between Doctors and Patients ñ A Key to Better Health

People around the world would be a little healthier if they would simply follow the advice of health professionals about having a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise, proper nutrition, regular medical check-ups, and taking medicines are important elements of a healthy lifestyle.

However, in reality, a lot of things hinder the way towards better health. Most people do not have the time and the will to perform simple resistance and cardiovascular exercises. These individuals may not have the time to prepare healthy food and, as a result, often end up eating at fast food joints that usually offer products that lack essential nutrients. Worse, many of these establishments sell foods that are high in fat and other unhealthy substances. Fast food and instant meals usually contain lots of calories, sodium, and fat. These items lack the important vitamins and minerals that the human body needs.

In addition, many people do not have the financial resources to get regular medical checkups and buy cheap medicines. Even individuals who have a health plan may not necessarily understand what needs to be done to be healthy. It takes individual responsibility to be informed about health issues. It also takes will and determination to overcome obstacles to healthy living. Making the right food choices, having regular exercise, and taking appropriate medicines for oneís medical condition are some of the crucial steps to becoming healthy. 

One of the most important steps that should be done to have good health is to develop clear and open communication lines between patients and doctors. This communication line will help the doctor and patient to know more about each other and how they can work together to cure an illness or improve the patientís sense of well-being. The doctor is the best person to give proper advice about a certain illness, medication, exercise, and most anything that has to do about health. A doctor and the patient should work as a team and understand each other. Even simple issues like taking medicines should be first be consulted with a doctor because certain medications may interact with other drugs and produce unwanted side effects. Oftentimes, the words and symbols on prescription bottles and the package inserts are hard to understand. Recent medical studies suggest that a large number of individuals who purchase medicines have trouble understanding health information, including those in their prescription. People who have a hard time understanding the instructions on their drug packages or prescription should not be ashamed and ask their doctors to help them. Taking the right medicines properly are essential factors in improving one's health.


Seeking the approval of doctors in taking the right medication is important because taking these drugs improperly may hamper the development of one's health. Many people tend to self-medicate because of the proliferation of cheap medicines, but this practice is not encouraged by doctors because of the harm that it may bring. Some drugs may work well with other individuals and others may not because there are factors to be determined before taking certain drugs. People want to improve their health can achieve this by making simple adjustments in their lifestyles. Regular visits to one's doctor and developing communication with them is essential to achieving one's health goals.

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The Truth About Cardio And Muscle Building

Cardio training is a form of aerobic exercise, and it entails any activity that uses large muscle groups in an unbroken, rhythmic manner for sustained periods of time. Frequent cardio training helps avert an assortment of illnesses including heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity. Something you should know is that  the goals of cardio for muscle building differs from the goals for fat loss. Cardiovascular exercise should be kept to minimum as overuse may inhibit muscle gains by burning too much calories needed for muscle building. However, it should not be taken out of the program completely as it burns excess fat, increases recovery between weight lifting workouts, increases appetite and keeps you healthy. In addition, it improves the cardiovascular system and thus the quality of the weight training workout (better stamina). 

Muscle building programs should include four weekly sessions of 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio. 

However, for people who have trouble gaining weight, especially those with high metabolism rate, 2 cardio sessions per week will suffice. It can be done before/after strength training or on non-weight training days. Doing in on off days is usually a better option as it serves as an active revovery activity and burns some calories on those days. This will not inhibit size or strength gains in the least but may actually enhance them. You should vary your activities and intensities as much as possible. A few good options include swimming (whole body workout) and bicycling to limit the amount of stress or pounding on the joints. Work hard during these cardio sessions. Always try to get better and perform better every cardio session. Your performance should improve due to the increased amount of carbs and calories you'll be taking in during muscle building cycles.

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Great Home Workout Exercises For Fast Muscle

Recommended muscle building at home involves total body workout targeting the entire body; chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs and abs. One should note that people with co-existing injuries, illnesses or other condition, a doctor should be consulted beforehand to avoid further aggravation of the condition.

Equipment Needed
A barbell, dumbbells of various weights, an exercise ball, a weight bench, and an exercise mat.

Few examples of workouts to try at home:

Before starting, do a warm-up session of 5 minutes of light cardio. For beginners, start with no weight for 1 set of 14 -16 reps and upgrade to 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps with enough weights as you progress

1. Bench press (chest)

   Lie on a bench, step or floor, and hold a medium-heavy barbell straight up over your chest. Bend your elbows and lower the weight until elbows are at 90 degrees.  Press back up and repeat. 

1.    Lateral raise (shoulders)

Hold light-medium dumbbells and, keeping elbows slightly bent, lift arms out to the sides to shoulder level. Lower and repeat.

2.    Barbell row (back)

Hold a medium-heavy barbell and tip forward to 45 degrees, keeping your back flat.  Squeeze back to pull the weight in towards the belly.  Lower and repeat.

3.    Back entension (lower back)

Lie face down and squeeze the lower back to lift your chest a few inches off the floor.  Lower and repeat.

4.    Hammer Curls (Biseps)

Holding medium-heavy dumbbells, perform hammer curls with your palms facing each other.  For added intensity, stand on one leg for a balance challenge, switching legs with each set.

5.    Kickbacks (Triceps)

Bend forward, keeping back flat and abs in, and hold light-medium weights, elbows bent.  Straighten the elbows to engage the triceps.  Lower and repeat.

6.    Deadlifts (Glutes, hamstrings and back)

Stand with feet hip-width apart, and hold weights in front of your thighs. Tip from the hips and lower weights towards the floor, keeipng your back flat and shoulders back.   Return to start and repeat.

7.    Static lunge (quads, hamstrings, glutes)

Stand in split stance and bend both knees, lowering into a lunge while keeping your front knee behind the toe.  Lift back up and repeat before switching sides.

8.    Squats (quads, hamstring, glutes)

Place a medium-heavy barbell on the upper back/shoulders or hold dumbbells in either hand.  Bend the knees and lower into a squat, knees behind the toes. Push back to start and repeat.

9.    Bicycle (abs)

Lie on the floor and bring the knees into the chest.  Straighten the right leg as you twist the body, bringing the right e

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Dieting for Health

There is no greater reason to diet than for your personal health and well being. Those of us who are overweight know better than most the risks and possible consequences that may result because of our weight. Much like smokers however, the risks do not always seem quite so cut and dry until we reach our very own turning point. Whether your eating habits are born of an addiction to certain foods, an emotional need, or years of learned behavior and conditioning things will not change until you completely adjust your eating habits and your lifestyle choices.

Dieting for many has become a lifestyle in and of itself with people rapidly flip-flopping or yo-yoing from one diet to another with little success and growing despair over a sheer lack of results. The truth is that until you decide to forgive yourself for your failures and get right back on the wagon, so to speak, after falling off no diet is going to be successful. A simple diet isn't going to magically make the pounds disappear and constantly depriving yourself of those things you enjoy most may have a more detrimental effect than a positive effect.

The number one thing most people need to learn is that dieting isn't always a good thing. What most people who are overweight need more than anything else is to incorporate positive lifestyle changes into their daily routines. People scoff at the notion of taking the stairs or parking farther away and yet those are perfectly plausible methods of working a little more physical activity into your day. If those do not work for you how about learning to dance? Seriously, there are beginner dance classes in most communities that will welcome and invite dances of all ages, sizes, and fitness levels if you are willing to make the effort. What a great way to get fit, learn something new, and have fun without filling deprived.

Another great thing about an activity such as a dance class (consider ballroom dancing with your significant other) is that you are not eating or tempted to eat during the time that you are dancing in most cases. Another great thing is that you are burning those calories you didn't eat. If dancing isn't you thing, try joining a walking club or finding another hobby. Anything that gets you on your feet and away from the temptation of your refrigerator is a good thing when it comes to dieting and weight loss. You cannot lose a significant amount of weight by dieting alone. You must incorporate physical fitness into your daily routine in order to achieve those immediate and visually stunning results that many dieters are hoping to achieve.

Another pitfall when it comes to dieting is that people give up far too quickly. Just as the results are beginning and progressing people get tired of the process or frustrated that they aren't accomplishing enough dramatic weight loss as quickly as they had hoped and give up all together marking off yet another failure when they could have achieved greater success than ever before if they had stuck with their original diet plan a little longer.

One more thing you should remember when it comes to dieting is that the scale can be your best friend or your worst enemy when dieting. If you are weighing yourself every day in hopes of watching the scale tick off yet another pound you are dooming yourself to failure. You will never achieve the results you are hoping for you if you are going into depressive bouts of Rocky Road or Chunky Monkey every night because you didn't lose 10 pounds overnight.

When it comes to dieting there are very few diets that work. There are however, many lifestyle changes that when practiced consistently and aggressively will work. The thing to remember is that you are the one who must work because it is quite unlikely that any diet will.

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