Walking is a great low-impact aerobic exercise. When combined with a healthy diet and enough rest, it can really improve both your body and your mind and make you healthier than you already are.

Here’s what happens to your body when you start taking the longer route on foot (and why you should start doing it more often):

• Five minutes – Your heart rate starts to increase. You start to feel less tense since your joints release their own lubricant to help you move more easily.

• Ten minutes – Your heart rate continues to increase as you burn up to six calories a minute. Your body starts to burn stored carbohydrates and fat for energy.

• Twenty minutes – Your blood vessels near the skin expand to release heat, and you burn up to seven calories a minute and breathe harder.

• Forty-five minutes – You start feeling less tired thanks to your brain releasing endorphins. Your insulin level drops as more fat is burned, which is great news in getting rid of excess weight or beating diabetes

• One hour – Your body starts to adjust to burn fewer calories and your heart rate decreases when you slow down.

While these effects won’t always be obvious at first, you will start to notice the following once you make it a habit to walk regularly, or even ten thousand steps a day:

• Positive brain changes – Low-impact aerobic exercises prevent early dementia and greatly decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and reduces a lot of mental stress.

• Prevents heart disease – Exercise burns fat, and walking is just as effective as running when it comes to minimizing the risk of cardiovascular disease later on in life

• Increased lung volume – Walking as an exercises increases the flow of oxygen and helps get rid of toxins and waste in your body, and some symptoms linked to lung disease also improve.

• Better digestion – Even something as simple as thirty minutes of walking every day not only lowers the risk of colon cancer, but also helps to regulate bowel movements.

• Tones muscles – Walking ten thousand steps a day counts as an actual workout, and because there’s no recovery time needed, it also means you don’t feel sore afterwards

• Back pain relief – Whether you sit in an office desk for several hours a day or do high-impact exercises, walking helps to stretch out those muscles and joints.

But most importantly, walking helps you calm your mind. Since this activity prompts the brain to release endorphins, one way to lift your mood when you’re feeling down or feeling sleepy is to go on a walk.

Dizziness is the feeling that weakness, unsteadiness or wooziness. Sometimes you feel as if you are about to pass out and it can sometimes be associated with vertigo or the feeling that your surroundings are spinning.

While dizziness is not something you should worry about if it happens once, you need to pay better attention to other signs if it happens more often than usual.

It could be a symptom of any of the following conditions:

Motion sickness – This condition is caused by a mix-up of the messages to the brain. Unfortunately, there is no permanent solution to motion sickness except to stay away from the triggers.

Heart diseases – Any change in the blood circulation can cause dizziness because it can lead to poor blood flow to the brain or the ear. If you have conditions such as arrhythmia, ischemia, and others you will most likely have several episodes of dizziness if the condition is not controlled.

Anemia – If you have low iron levels in your blood, you will have episodes of lightheadedness. Other symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia include fatigue, pale skin, and weakness.

Anxiety disorder – If you have anxiety disorder, you might experience lightheadedness especially during attacks. However, you should not panic because this is not a life-threatening symptom.

Low blood pressure – A drop in the blood pressure can result in dizziness. People who have a condition called orthostatic hypotension experience lightheadedness when they stand or sit up suddenly.

Heat stroke and dehydration – These are two life-threatening conditions that are considered an emergency. Avoid dehydration and heat stroke especially during the hottest months of the year.

Vertigo – A condition called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo afflicts a lot of people, but this is usually caused by sudden movement and not a life-threatening condition. However, if you have recent suffered a head injury, you should contact your doctor if the dizziness is accompanied by other symptoms.

Ear infection or other problems – Healthy hearing is a key to the body’s sense of balance because it is a combination of different inputs, which is why if you have ear problems, it will most likely result in dizziness. After all, it is in the inner ear sensors that the detection of gravity and motion takes place.

Hypoglycemia – If you have diabetes, you should take care to monitor your blood sugar levels because even have low blood sugar or hypoglycemia is bad. This is usually accompanied by excessive sweating.

Multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders – Loss of balance especially if the disease is progressive can lead to spells of dizziness.

Migraine – Some migraineurs feel dizzy during an attack. In rare cases, they do not even feel a headache but they feel lightheaded. If you feel a migraine attack incoming, take steps to stay away from possible triggers and to rest in a quiet corner until you feel better.

Most infants in Singapore are given a vaccination against measles that is why getting the infection is unusual nowadays. However, there are a lot of misconceptions about measles and the complications can still be fatal for children because of such myths.

To understand what measles are, let’s dispel some misconceptions about it.

How the Infection Occurs

Measles is a highly-contagious disease, but you don’t see outbreaks anymore since the vaccine was introduced in 1963. Before the vaccine, the most affected were children younger than 5 years. The virus can be passed through air as well as direct contact with an infected person. It primarily affects the respiratory tract and will spread throughout the body.

When a person is infected, an incubation period between 10 to 14 days happens. No symptoms will show up during the incubation period. One common misconception is that chicken pox and measles are caused by the same virus, but they are not despite having the nearly the same symptoms.

Symptoms of Infection

The first symptom is a high fever which can last for up to 7 days and is often accompanied by sore throat, inflamed eyes, cough, and runny nose. Some parents might mistake these signs for flu, but small red spots or rashes will also show up. Fever can run as high as 105°F in some patients. Four days after the rash appears, the infected person has the highest chance of passing on the virus to other family members.

Complications of Measles

Parents should worry about complications in children younger than 5 years or family members who have weak immune systems or are malnourished. Complications include dehydration, diarrhea, encephalitis, ear infections, respiratory infections, and blindness. Unvaccinated children have higher risk of developing complications, and if there are other children in the family, there is also a high risk of transmission.

Avoiding Transmission

Another member of the family can be infected through sneezing, coughing, personal contact, or contact with the nasal or throat sections. The virus is most active 4 days before the rashes erupt. Some people who have been vaccinated against measles but have not developed the immunity for it can still get measles, but routine vaccinations give everyone a better chance of avoiding complications.

The vaccine is usually given with the mumps and or rubella vaccines and is usually given before the first birthday of the child. In total, two doses of the measles vaccine are given to give a higher chance of protection against the virus. Family members who love to travel and have not been vaccinated should be encouraged to update their vaccinations to prevent transmission of infections to other family members.

Treatment of Measles

Measles cannot be treated you are already infected, but the best that can be done is to try to avoid complications from the infection. This means preventing dehydration, using antibiotics to treat eye/ear/respiratory infections, and maintaining good nutrition. Some children are given vitamin A supplements to reduce the chances of blindness or damage to the eyes.

Accidents can happen at any time, and when they do, being ready to respond to them can sometimes spell the difference to quick treatment or a more complicated situation, which is why every home should have a first-aid kit in order for medical care to be given as quickly as possible.

Being prepared starts with having the right supplies in a part of your home that you can easily access, as well as knowing how to use them to handle and treat minor injuries.

Why Make a First Aid Kit?

While there are many pre-made first aid kits you can easily buy, there’s a good chance they won’t have everything you need for your emergencies at home. But you can easily supplement what your first-aid kit is missing by heading to the local pharmacy.

To start, these are the primary items you will need when building your first-aid kit:

• Antibiotic ointment
• Plasters/Band-Aids
• Sterile dressings/dressing pads
• Latex gloves
• Thermometer
• Eye wash
• Bandages

Other miscellaneous items that would be great to have in your first-aid kit include the following:

• A list of family members’ drug allergies or conditions
• Phone numbers of physicians
• Safety pins
• Tweezers/scissors
• Cotton/cotton balls

Medicines

Another important part of the first-aid kit is the over-the-counter medications. While you don’t always need to travel far to get to the nearest pharmacy, it’s still good to have something in your medicine cabinet or first-aid kit for when you have a fever or a really bad headache.

If you plan on adding medicines to your first-aid kit, get started with the following:

• Aspirin
• Ibuprofen
• Anti-diarrhea medication
• Aloe vera gel
• Antacids

The following medicines listed can easily be bought at the nearest pharmacy. Even if no one in your home is experiencing any problems, having these in handy in your first-aid kit can do a lot in terms of preparedness.

However, if you’re unsure about any emergencies or those that are life-threatening, it’s crucial that you call the emergency number for medical emergencies. Having the emergency number written down also helps.

Containers

Pretty much any container will do when you’re making your own first-aid kit. You can choose a plastic container with a snap-top lid, a standard first aid kit with handles, or even a small backpack at home.

What is important is that you label your containers clearly so everyone will know that these containers are dedicated for your first-aid kits and medications.

Placement

Every home should have their first-aid kit placed in an area that’s out of reach for small children while being easily accessible to adults. A central location in the house that gets high traffic would be a good idea for this.

Increase your workout energy and fat-burning potential by sipping on some caffeine before your next gym session. Drinking caffeinated drinks can help boost the effectiveness of a workout, as well as help relieve pain caused by intense exercise.

However, when choosing which caffeine to take, tea is said to be more effective than coffee. Read on to find out why your favorite green tea is the best substance to drink before hitting the gym.

1. It Enhances Memory to Remember Routine Moves
Unlike coffee, green tea is great for enhancing your memory—so great that some studies say it can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Make sipping green tea a habit by having a cup before your next workout class. You’ll not only get yourself alert, but you’re also investing for better memory in the future.

2. It Improves Your Focus
Sure, anything caffeinated will give you an instant boost. However, even if a cup of tea and coffee have the same amount of caffeine, studies suggest that the former gives you a clearer and more focused kind of alertness, which is something you need when you have, say, a hundred pound of weight to lift.

3. It Keeps Your Bones Strong
Green tea helps strengthen and improves the quality of the bones, therefore protecting you against possible injuries with continuous workout. Consume a cup of it before every going to the gym and you’re doing your bones and joints a big favor for their future.

4. It Has More Antioxidants
A major reason why green tea is great is because of the compound called polyphenols—an antioxidant that fights free radicals in the body. What does free radicals do to you internally, you ask? Well, they’ll simply increase your cholesterol level, alter your DNA and change the course of your cell membranes in a bad way. Green tea is here to help reverse the effects of these harmful chemicals.

5. It Aids Healthy Blood Flow
Just in case you’re not aware yet, you need a good amount of oxygen in your bloodstream when executing exercises. Green tea helps lower cholesterol level, improve blood pressure and increase blood flow while you’re doing strenuous activities in the gym.

6. It Promotes Better Sleep
If you want to have the energy for a workout session the next morning, then sip on some tea before hitting the sack the night before. As a known fact, coffee drinkers experience more difficulty in falling asleep than tea drinkers. Opting for a refreshing cup of tea over coffee means better sleep and waking up to more energy the next day, right?

Working out is healthy for you. Boost the health benefits even more by consuming the right kind of food and drink.

You are inclined to clean your ears almost every day because you think leaving it as it is may be a sign of uncleanliness or bad hygiene. You have to know that cleaning the ears every day and shoving things inside it can lead to risky ear health habits. There is a new guideline released by The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS).

Many Singaporeans think that earwax is dirty. You have to be thankful because it acts as your self-cleaning agent. This means it is not a nuisance or nonsense. It has the power to keep the ears healthy and provides protection against bugs, bacteria, dirt and dust. Going back to the new guidelines released by AAO-NHS, here are some don’ts for healthy ear care:

1. Don’t overdo it. Many people think that over cleaning is safe and sign of good hygiene but not in this case. You have to be cautious about over cleaning your ears because it can cause more damage than good at the end of the day. Too much cleaning will surely irritate your ear canal which will lead to infection. The worse thing that could happen is the increase of cerumen impaction.

2. Don’t put anything that is smaller than the elbow. The general rule is not to put anything inside the ear which is smaller than your elbow. You hear this always from your mother. She knows what she is talking about because cotton swabs and hairpins can hurt your ears. It can cause laceration or dislocation.

3. Don’t use ear candles. Some try ear candles because they believe that it can remove impacted cerumen. Do not try ear candles as it can damage the ear canal as well as the eardrum. If you suffer loss of hearing, dizziness and other symptoms of ear injury, do not take it on yourself. You have to go to your doctor. Wait for them to prescribe something and not put anything inside the year as it can lead to damage.

The bottom line of AAO-HNS is to stop obsessing over your ears. It is important that you clean it but not to the point of always doing it and worse, shoving anything inside it. If you want to know more about healthy ear care, you have to go and see your doctor. If you noticed something odd about your ears, do not wait for it to worsen before seeing the doctor. Be serious about this.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or commonly known as PCOS, is a common hormone disorder among women, affecting an estimated of one in every five women. Surprisingly, despite of how common it is, many women don’t know its existence and there’s a lack of information about the condition.

Here are five important things about PCOS that every woman should know.

1. One test may not be enough to detect PCOS

As of the moment, there’s no single test that can diagnose PCOS. Evidently, this is one of the reasons so many women are suffering without realizing they have it. However, according to experts, doctors should confirm the condition if you show two or more of these signs: high androgen levels, ovarian cysts and/or disrupted ovulation. The best you can do is to get an ultrasound and a blood test. If you have any of the mentioned indicators, the more you need further examinations.

2. It affects not only your skin

If left untreated, PCOS can cause more health problems, from diabetes to heart disease and even cancer. We’re not saying this to worry you if you’re diagnosed; we’re saying this so that you’ll seek medical support as early as possible. Go to your gynaecologist and get checked. If PCOS is confirmed, know your treatment options and follow your doctor’s advice.

3. You can still get pregnant

Many patients with PCOS think that it’s impossible for them to get pregnant, but that’s not true. In fact, researches about fertility and health issues associated with PCOS unlock more and more solutions to help PCOS-diagnosed women to conceive. Just remember that having this condition doesn’t mean you cannot get pregnant.

4. Keeping a healthy weight is imperative

The most effective treatment for PCOS is not clomid, birth control pills, metformin or spironolactone, but attaining and keeping a normal weight through regular exercise and healthy low-glycemic diet. Maintaining a healthy weight will lower the risk for cancer and make your body more responsive to treatments.

5. The symptoms are varied

Signs and symptoms of PCOS vary significantly from person to person. Some of the most common signs include recurring acne, very oily skin, irregular periods, weight gain and excessive facial and body hair growth. But there are also other signs and symptoms that are more surprising than those mentioned, such as higher levels of depression, skin tags especially around the armpits and neck, getting dandruff more frequently and even deeper voice—all of which will clearly give you an idea of how much human body is regulated by hormones.

Considering the limited information of PCOS, it’s important to know as much as you can about the condition. If you exhibit any of these symptoms, make sure to get yourself checked. Up to 10% of women in the world have PCOS, so you are definitely not alone.

You should do your best to live healthy if you want to enjoy what life has to offer. Being healthy takes time and whole lot of effort but you will eventually realize that it is all worth it. You can start by carrying our healthy practices.

The good thing here in Singapore is that many people are getting more interested of healthy practices. It is just a matter of dissemination. Here are some healthy practices that you should carry out for this year and the coming years:

• Submit yourself for check-up: Before submitting yourself for healthy practices, you have to go and see the doctor. Submitting for check-ups can help the doctor determine the right healthy practice for you. Get a thorough check-up from blood work to bones. It is important that you do this at least once a year because it will serve as your preventive practice. You have to know that it is easier to treat an issue if caught early.

• Ignore and avoid processed foods: Sometimes meats are too attractive that you cannot let it go. If you want to be healthy as a bull, you have to ignore and avoid processed foods especially those that comes in packages. Do this for at least a month and you will see the difference. You will surely feel better after a few weeks.

• Stop eating five hours before bed: Not eating five hours before bed can be a bit challenging especially if you are the type that gets hungry all the time. This is important because it can help with your digestion, weight loss and especially sleep. If you eat, make sure that you have balanced dinner and finish it off with herbal tea.

• Walk at least 10,000 steps everyday: You do not monitor your steps in the past. Now is the time that you monitor it and know that it can make a difference at the end of the day. Walking at least 10,000 steps everyday will help your body realize how active you are. If you cannot do this, you should improve on physical activities.

• Change exercise routine: If you are a runner, it is time that you let your body adapt to other changes. It is always nice to try something new and continuously challenge yourself for higher things.

Remember though that what might work for the other does not automatically mean it will work for you. You have to try new and different things so you can find something that will fit your lifestyle. Here’s to healthy living!