Pets help your health!

Many of the benefits of pets — companionship, affection and so on — have been well known for centuries — even numerous ancient Egyptians cherished their companion animals. However, data gathered during only the last few years have shown just how significantly our health is improved if we share our lives with animals.

A study undertaken in 2002 by the Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition and United States Food and Drug Administration revealed that the heart rates and blood pressures of pet owners increased less when the individuals were presented with math problems to solve if their companion animals were present.

Another study, one conducted by the United States National Institutes of Health during 2001, showed that people who have pets not only "make fewer doctor visits, especially for non-serious medical conditions," but are more likely to be alive one year after being treated for a coronary condition.

Several recent surveys of individuals sharing their lives with pets have revealed that most of them are convinced their health is improved by having animals around.

Ninety-two percent of the respondents to a survey conducted by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) during 2002 indicated that they derive significant health benefits from their pets.

In addition, of the respondents:

• 76 percent stated their stress levels are reduced by their companion animals
• 65 percent indicated their mental health is improved by their pets
• 31 percent stated their physical fitness has been improved by their providing of exercise for their companion animals

A survey undertaken by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) in 2000 yielded results very similar to those obtained by the AAHA.

  

	Mixed Breed Cat

Eighty-eight percent of the senior citizens who responded to the APPMA survey indicated that "pets make their family or home life healthier, either emotionally or physically." In addition, 79 percent of all of the respondents stated they believe "pets help to create a healthier balance…with the increasing presence of technology" in homes.

"People feel that having a pet — a real being to care for and be with — helps balance the cold influence technology can have on a home," according to APPMA Communications Director Funda Alp.

"Pets are...more than just a member of the family — they are central to a healthy lifestyle," according to AAHA President Link Wellborn.

I couldn't agree more.

Health Benefits of Pet Ownership

The unique bond we share with our pets dramatically enriches our lives, our physical health and our emotional well-being. Many studies have shown that while we are taking care of our pets, our pets are taking care of us.

In fact…

• Pets Help to Lower Blood Pressure. A recent study at the State University of New York at Buffalo found that people with hypertension who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than did those who did not own a pet. (Dr. Karen Allen, State University of New York at Buffalo)
• Pets Help to Reduce Stress. Walking with a pet helps to sooth nerves and offers instant relaxation. Studies conducted worldwide have shown that the impact of a stressful situation is lesser on pet owners, especially males, than on those who do not own a pet. (Josephine M. Wills, Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, United Kingdom)
• Pets Help to Prevent Heart Disease. Because pets provide people with faithful companionship, research shows they may also provide their owners with greater psychological stability, thus a measure of protection from heart disease.(National Institute of Health Technology Assessment Workshop: Health Benefits of Pets)
• Pets Help to Lower Health Care Costs. People with pets actually make fewer doctor visits, especially for non-serious medical conditions. (National Institute of Health Technology Assessment Workshop: Health Benefits of Pets)
• Pets Help to Fight Depression. Pets help fight depression and loneliness, promoting an interest in life. When seniors face adversity or trauma, affection from pets takes on great meaning. Their bonding behavior can foster a sense of security. (Between Pets and People: The Importance of Animal Companionship)

Reading

Reading is beneficial for both children and adults. It can help you to cope with stress and anxiety, and provide a form of relaxation and escapism.

It is also a great ' brain tool', helping people of all ages to learn and develop important life skills, in terms of education, self improvement, positive life choices and all round well-being.

Children and adults can read to develop their language, vocabulary, and all round comprehension skills. Spelling and writing skills are also improved by regular reading.

If you have sight or reading difficulties such as visual impairment or dyslexia you can still enjoy the wonderful world of story telling and literature. If your child is unable to read themselves, you can read to them. If you have difficulties, ask others to read to you. Many books are available as audio CDs. And, you will be able to buy Braille versions of some books. Ask at your local bookshop for advice and information.

Never stop learning

As well as academic learning, reading also offers a wide range of other life skills. Books can help children learn more about the world around them. They can read and learn about morals, friendship, love and family.

If your child is going through a difficult time in their life, such as the separation of parents, starting a new school, the death of a loved one, bullying, or puberty, books can be a great source of information and comfort. There may be books that your child can read at these times to help them understand what they are going through. This may help to relieve any anxiety and stress your child may feel.

Reading can give your child the tools to make good choices in life, whether it be about positive relationships, education, health and lifestyle.

Children can learn about their bodies, healthy lifestyles, diet and exercise through reading books and magazines.

Reading is a more interactive activity than watching television. When children read they are involved with the book, imagining the characters and scenes, and painting images in their minds, rather than just staring blankly at a television screen. This encourages your child to be creative and think for themselves.

Bonding time

Reading is a great activity that you and your child can enjoy together. You could read to your child, or they could read to you while you enjoy the stories together. This is a fantastic way to spend quality time with your child, and can be a very bonding experience. Many people recall fond childhood memories of a parent reading to them at bedtime. Why not do the same for your child?

Reading with your child is also a great conversation starter. You can talk to your child about the ideas and messages conveyed in a story, and ask them what they feel about them. This will encourage your child to analyze what they have read and learned about, and form opinions which they can then confidently share with you, and others.

All about you

Reading is great for adults too! Settling down with a good book or a favorite magazine is a great way to ungas at the end of a stressful day, and enjoy some 'you' time. It can take your mind of your worries and woes, and often a bit of time out helps you to put things in perspective and cope better.

But don't think that the benefits of reading for adults are limited to relaxation!

Adults can also develop their vocabulary and improve their spelling, literacy and comprehension skills in the same way that children do. Life is a learning curve - it's never too late to learn.

There is a huge choice of books available to you. Novels, fiction, non-fiction, biographies - the list is endless, you are bound to find something you enjoy.

Self-help, self-improvement, health, motivational and educational books will give you a greater awareness and general knowledge.

Reading is a great way to expand your own horizons; you can learn about pretty much anything you choose!

Healthy lifestyle

Now that you're bolstering your brainpower and working on your wellbeing, you may as well fit in time for the physical as well!

If you do like to read, make sure you also take the time to do some exercise. You need at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day. You could go for a walk, a jog, go to the gym or go swimming. Stay active to keep fit and healthy. If you are at a good part in your book - when you can't put it down! - you could take a walk to a local park or café and read the book there.

Also make sure that you eat healthily. Don't gorge on unhealthy junk food, particularly if you do like to read and spend a lot of time sitting still. Try to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Munching on fruits, nuts and seeds will keep your body fit and healthy

"cheat" meals

One of the most favorite things of anyone who's dieting or following a carefully regulated nutritional program is the so called 'scheduled cheats'.

These are basically meals or days planned into your schedule that allow you some leeway to eat the foods you are craving and relax your willpower for a while.

There are many different ways to incorporate cheats into your program as there are also both positive and negative aspects that go along with cheats.One of the common ways to incorporate a cheat into your plan is to have a cheat day. This is basically a day where you can eat whatever you want, not following a schedule.

How 'intensely' you choose to do this is an individual preference. Some people choose to just go all out and eat anything and everything they can get their hands on, often eating thousands of calories at a time

Another way to incorporate a cheat is to just have a cheat meal rather than a day. In this case the person would just eat whatever it was that they had been craving at one meal and follow their regular meal plan as scheduled.

Usually with these types of cheats, the focus is on eating 'forbidden' foods since they will be eating as normal for the rest of the day.

Physiologically, cheats can offer many benefits. If you have been dieting pretty hardcore, it's likely that you have low muscle glycogen levels. Along with this often comes a sluggish feeling during your workouts and less than optimal strength.

You may also find that you are fatiguing faster than normal and are not able to keep up with your previous performance.

A cheat meal or day, since it often means an excess of calories and carbohydrates taken in, will serve to replenish some of these stores, which will help give you more energy and train harder at your next workouts.

Along with decreased muscle glycogen that goes with dieting, there is also a slowing of the metabolism effect. The body senses starvation and tries to lower the amount of energy it needs to continue to function on a daily basis.

This means you will be burning less calories just sitting there than if you hadn't been dieting, which makes weight loss even harder.

When you shock your system with a high influx of calories at one time, the body's metabolism will show an increase and you'll kick start your 'furnace' into high gear once again.

This will help you body to get less accustomed to running on a lower caloric level and make getting lean easier.

Generally, the leaner you get, the more cheat days or meals will be needed to get this 'high gear' effect.

Note, however, that a better approach to dealing with this subject is more of a reefed approach where you will intake a large amount of carbohydrates, which are the body's main source of fuel, rather than just eating vast quantities of junk.Often however, with many bodybuilders or fitness elites, foods that they choose to cheat with are high in carbohydrates (such as pasta and bread) so they would serve this purpose as well.The next reason to consider whether or not you should cheat is how it will affect you psychologically. Many people feel that cheat meals help them deal with the feelings of restriction they endure while on a diet.

They find that by looking forward to splurging on their favorite foods they have an easier time sticking with their diet the rest of the time.On the flip side of the coin, though, cheating may turn into a negative psychological thing for some people.

Those people who decide to have a cheat day and eat so much in one period that they physically become ill or find themselves fantasizing about their cheat day for many days ahead of time may want to look at the possibility that they are becoming obsessed with food.It's almost like an all or none thing with these people, either they are 100% perfect all the time, or else detour and just go crazy and all out binge.

I feel that this practice may be setting them up for a more serious issue of developing an eating disorder or unhealthy views about food that may last a lifetime.

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Sports

So today I played 2 games of basketball at the gym. Which got me to wondering what sports do you guys play?

Do video games help kids with problem solving skills?

When many adults think of video games, they envision bombs, bangs and blood. As a result, many parents try to restrict their children's gaming time. But according to new research, they might be missing some redeeming qualities.

"All these things that that have long been assumed to be rotting our brains, there might be this hidden benefit," said social critic Steven Johnson, author of the controversial new book, "Everything Bad Is Good for You."

Americans bought about 248 million games last year, enough for two in every household, according to a study by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

Johnson argues that video games -- violent or not -- are making children smarter.

"You have to manage multiple objectives at the same time," he said. "You have to manage all these different resources, and you have to make decisions every second of the game."

Video games typically require the player to complete a number of specific tasks to win.

"Well we have to get the Jeep, we have to ride up a hill, kill the snipers, drive past the mountainside, go into another giant palace and activate the remote," said one 10-year-old interviewed by ABC News while playing the Halo 2 video game, designed for the Microsoft Xbox gaming system.

Developing Problem Solving Skills

Children who play such video games exhibit what experts call "fluid intelligence," or problem solving.

"They have to discover the rules of the game and how to think strategically," said James Paul Gee, a University of Wisconsin-Madison curriculum and instruction professor. "Like any problem solving that is good for your head, it makes you smarter."

Intelligence test scores in the United States are rising faster than ever, experts say. One possible reason: Studies show video games make people more perceptive, training their brains to analyze things faster.

In a recent study by the University of Rochester, participants were asked to count the number of squares which were flashed on a screen for a 20th of a second. Gamers picked the right number 13 percent more often than non-gamers.

In the modern world of fast decision-making, e-mail and e-trade, games might be helping develop the kinds of skills kids need to succeed.

"They're out learning how to think in ways that will be absolutely useful to them when they go out in the world and do the same kind of thinking in an office," Johnson said.

Johnson says he would rather see kids playing non-violent games: and doesn't want his own young children playing violent ones. But even in the worst cases, he wants parents to recognize the potential benefits.

source: ABCnews.com

Liftin'

It's spring break right now and I feel as if I have been slacking at the gym lately. So I went to the gym and pushed myself super hard. Every part of my body is  exhausted and will probably be sore tomorrow. 

What are your guys' favorite workouts?

I feel kind of guilty..

My friends left for a week and told me to watch their dogs. I forgot it and when they came back they payed me $20 for taking so good care of their dogs.......... fuck