Healthy Living

Aerobic exercise — a type of movement such as walking or bicycling that gets your heart pumping and increases your oxygen intake — can help you live longer and healthier and can help you prevent and manage chronic health conditions.

 

Take a look at the many benefits associated with aerobic exercise. Get motivated to reap the rewards.

 

How your body responds to aerobic exercise
During aerobic exercise, you repeatedly move large muscles in your arms, legs and hips. Aerobic fitness, also called cardiovascular fitness, refers to the ability of your heart, blood vessels and lungs (cardiovascular system) to supply fuel during sustained physical activity.

 

When you're aerobically fit, your body more efficiently takes in and uses oxygen to sustain movement more efficiently. To sustain repetitive muscle movement, your body:

 

• Takes in more oxygen. You breathe faster and more deeply to maximize the amount of oxygen in your blood stream.
   
• Pumps blood faster and more forcefully. To produce energy and deliver oxygen more effectively to the rest of your body, your heart beats faster. The force of each beat of your heart increases to maximize blood flow to your muscles and back to your lungs.
   
• Increases the diameter and number of small blood vessels. To get more oxygen to your muscles, small blood vessels (capillaries) dilate and carry away waste products, such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid. Over time, more capillaries will actually develop in the muscle to provide for more efficient oxygen delivery and waste removal.
   
• Avoids overheating. Your body warms up when you repeatedly move your muscles. To compensate for the rise in temperature, your body releases heat into the air as you breathe out. You also lose heat, water and minerals as you sweat.
   
• Releases endorphins. Regular aerobic exercise releases endorphins, your body's natural painkillers.

 

Your body is a complex machine that will get stronger and more efficient as it adapts to a regular program of aerobic exercise.

 

Ways to Achieve aerobic fitness
Achieving a higher level of aerobic fitness can be fun because there are many activities from which to choose. Among the many options are:

 

• Walking
• Aerobic dance
• Swimming
• Bicycling
• Cross-country skiing
• Running
• Jogging
• Aquatic exercise
• Dancing
• Stair climbing
• Elliptical training
• Rowing

How much water we should drink every day? Water is essential to good health, yet needs vary by individual. These guidelines can help ensure you drink enough fluids. How much water should you drink each day? — a simple question with no easy answers. Studies have produced varying recommendations over the years, but in truth, your water needs depend on many factors, including your health, how active you are and where you live.

    Though no single formula fits everyone, knowing more about your body's need for fluids will help you estimate how much water to drink each day.

Health benefits of water
Water is your body's principal chemical component, comprising, on average, 60 percent of your weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.

 

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. How much water do you need?
Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.

 

A couple of approaches attempt to approximate water needs for the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate.

 

• Replacement approach.The average urine output for adults is
  • is 1.5 liters a day. You lose close to an additional liter of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace the lost fluids.
     
  • Dietary recommendations. The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3.0 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.
     

  • Even apart from the above approaches, it is generally the case that if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce between one and two liters of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate.

  •  

    Factors that influence water needs
    You may need to modify your total fluid intake depending on how active you are, the climate you live in, your health status, and if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.
    
    
    

    • Exercise. The more you exercise, the more fluid you'll need to keep your body hydrated. An extra 1 or 2 cups of water should suffice for short bouts of exercise, but intense exercise lasting more than an hour (for example, running a marathon) requires additional fluid. How much additional fluid is needed depends on how much you sweat during the exercise, but 13 to26 ounces (or about 2 to 3 cups) an hour will generally be adequate, unless the weather is exceptionally warm.

      
      

      During long bouts of intense exercise, it's best to use a sports drink that contains sodium, as this will help replace sodium lost in sweat and reduce the chances of developing hyponatremia, which can be life-threatening. Fluid also should be replaced after exercise. Drinking 16 ounces of fluid per pound of body weight lost during exercise is recommended.

      
       
    • Environment. Hot or humid weather can make you sweat and requires additional intake of fluid. Heated indoor air also can cause your skin to lose moisture during wintertime. Further, altitudes greater than 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) may trigger increased urination and more rapid breathing, which use up more of your fluid reserves.
       
    • Illnesses or health conditions. Signs of illnesses, such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea, cause your body to lose additional fluids. In these cases you should drink more water and may even need oral rehydration solutions, such as Gatorade, Powerade or Ceralyte. Certain conditions, including bladder infections or urinary tract stones, also require increased water intake. On the other hand, certain conditions such as heart failure and some types of kidney, liver and adrenal diseases may impair excretion of water and even require that you limit your fluid intake.
       
    • Pregnancy or breast-feeding. Women who are expecting or breast-feeding need additional fluids to stay hydrated. Large amounts of fluid are lost especially when nursing. The Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women drink 2.4 liters (about 10 cups) of fluids daily and women who breast-feed consume 3.0 liters (about 12.5 cups) of fluids a day.For example, many fruits and vegetables — such as watermelon and cucumbers — are nearly 100 percent water by weight. Beverages such as milk and juice are also comprised mostly of water. Even beer, wine and caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea or soda can contribute, but these should not be a major portion of your daily total fluid intake. Water is one of your best bets because it's calorie-free, inexpensive and readily available.
      
      
      Dehydration and complications
      Failing to take in more water than your body uses can lead to dehydration. Even mild dehydration — as little as a 1 percent to 2 percent loss of your body weight — can sap your energy and make you tired. Common causes of dehydration include strenuous activity, excessive sweating, vomiting and diarrhea.Signs and symptoms of dehydration include:
    
    
    Beyond the tap: Other sources of water
    Although it's a great idea to keep water within reach at all times, you don't need to rely only on what you drink to satisfy your fluid needs. What you eat also provides a significant portion of your fluid needs. On average, food provides about 20 percent of total water intake, while the remaining 80 percent comes from water and beverages of all kinds.

     

  • • Mild to excessive thirst
    • Fatigue
    • Headache
    • Dry mouth
    • Little or no urination
    • Muscle weakness
    • Dizziness
    • Lightheadedness
    •  
    Mild dehydration rarely results in complications — as long as the fluid is replaced quickly — but more-severe cases can be life-threatening, especially in the very young and the elderly. In extreme situations, fluids or electrolytes may need to be delivered intravenously.

     

    Read more about healthy
    living at : http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283