Heart patients to avoid energy drinks, says study

PEOPLE with high blood pressure or heart disease should not consume energy drinks, advise doctors from Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, United States.

In a study published in Annals of Pharmacotherapy, Dr. James S. Kalus and colleagues found that healthy adults who drank two cans of a popular energy drink experienced an increase in blood pressure and heart rate.

The increases in blood pressure and heart rate were insignificant for healthy adults, but could prove a problem for people with a heart-related condition, the researchers warn.

Energy drinks, marketed to enhance brain function and stamina, usually contain caffeine, taurine, sugars, vitamins, and other nutritional supplements, the investigators point out. The potential effects of energy drinks on blood pressure and the heart have not been well studied.

To look into this, the researchers studied 15 healthy volunteers, 20 to 39 years old, who abstained from other forms of caffeine for two days prior to and throughout the study.

On the first day after baseline blood pressure and heart rate measurements were taken, the adults consumed two cans of an energy drink. The researchers then measured the participants' blood pressure and heart rate again at different time points.

Tests showed that the subjects' average heart rate increased 7.8 per cent the first day and 11 per cent the seventh day. Blood pressure increased at least seven per cent the first and seventh days.

"Increases in blood pressure and heart rate of the magnitude observed in our study could be significant in persons with known cardiovascular disease," Kalus and his associates maintain. Young individuals with undiagnosed, premature cardiovascular disease could also be at risk.

The researchers say consumption of energy drinks, which should not be confused with sports drinks, which aim to replenish carbohydrates and electrolytes that a body needs, "could, theoretically, be a frequently overlooked cause of altered medication effectiveness or even hospital admissions or emergency department visits."
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When Workouts Go Wrong: Aerobics and Injuries

Aerobics are great exercises to do to get your heart pumping and your body sweating. You can use aerobic exercises in order to lose weight, build endurance, and stay heart healthy. However, there is also a downside to aerobic exercising for some people. If you are not careful, you could get injured due to aerobic exercise. Therefore, it is important to follow these tips to making sure you are exercising and using aerobics in a fun and healthy way for your body.

First and foremost, when you are doing aerobics consider your dress. Wearing good shoes is important. Aerobics require lots of movement, so when you have worn shoes or laces that come untied often, there is a good chance you may slip and fall. You should also consider the other articles of clothing you’re wearing. If they are too constricting or too heavy, you may become more easily overheated. Your clothing should breathe well and not be too tight in order to prevent you from injury.

Also consider your workout area, especially if you are working out at home. When you’re at home, you’ll need to make sure that you area is large enough for you to move and not bang into anything. It is also crucial that you service your workout equipment to make sure that it is in the best shape possible and will not cause injury. Your workout area at home should also be clean. When you workout, you sweat a lot and breathe heavily, so if you’re doing that in a dirty environment, you could pick up some nasty bacteria or viral infections.

Another tip to staying safe is to not push yourself too much. While it is important to push yourself in order to have the best and most intense workout possible. When you push yourself too hard, however, you put may find yourself pulling muscles, experiencing cramps, or otherwise injuring your body.

Your doctor can tell you more about how to stay safe while exercising. Remembering to warm up and cool down is necessary, as is doing the right exercises for your body, age, and gender. When you work out, you should feel your best, not be worried about injury.

Staying safe is important. If you are hurt, you won’t be able to do aerobics while you recover, and you will miss out on days or even weeks of training. If your health is important to you, that should include your safety, so take measures to being safe whenever you hit the gym to do your aerobics workout.

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Popular Aerobics Machines

When it comes to aerobics, you might find that you get a better workout on a machine rather than actually running or jumping rope. Remember that like every part of a healthy workout routine, aerobics are exercises that have to be tailored to your body and what is best for your health. You have to work together with your doctor and your personal trainer if you have one to develop a system for working out that works for you, and to make sure that whatever you are doing it is the best for your body and your mind as well.

Machines have become very popular when it comes to working out because sometimes they are easier to use and easier to get used to. You don’t have to worry about running outside when it is cold out or finding a way to get your workout when you don’t’ have time if you have a machine in your home that you can use. The point of aerobic workout is that you are getting your heart rate up and you are getting into shape. You can do this on a machine as well as running or jumping rope.

There are several different machines that you might want to try. The two easiest and most popular would be tread mills and bikes. On both of these, you can find that you can get a great work out. The point of an aerobic work out is to get your heart rate going, so if you are riding a bike or walking or running on a treadmill, you are going to be having your aerobic exercise.

The reason that these two machines are so popular is that they are handy. Riding an exercise bike can be something that you do in your living room no matter what time of day or temperature it is when you finally get around to working. Treadmills are the same too, you can get all of the exercise that you need while you are at home.

Having machines to use for your aerobic exercise is something that you should be able to do quite easily no matter where you decide to work out. As long as you are sure that you are still getting the same amount of exercise, you’ll be able to see the benefits of working on an exercise machine right away. It can be the best way that you have to get your work out completed and to get healthier!


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Intense! How Tough should your Aerobics Workout be?

Aerobics are great for losing weight and staying healthy because they strengthen your breathing and heart as well as help you burn fat. However, many people don’t know or understand how to do an aerobics workout in order to best maximize the results. Intensity is a very important aspect of any aerobics workout, so if you want to get the most out of your aerobics, make sure that you’re following these three rules.

First, find that intensity that is your sweet spot. If you work out too intensely, you may injure yourself or will not see results. However, if you don’t work out intensely enough, you will lose any weight or grow stronger. Therefore, you have to work with a program that has just the right intensity for your. When trying new exercises, try to make sure that they include enough weights or speed to make the workout hard, but not impossible. Remember also that you will need to re-work the intensity of your workout as your tolerance and endurance increases, so take a look at your routine every week or two and make necessary changes.

The second rule is to intensity and your workout is to be safe. Over training is a huge problem because it puts you and those around you in danger. When you under train, you see no results, which may push you intensify. That’s good, but too much and you’ll be vomiting before the workout is over and possibly injuring yourself. If you are training properly, your muscles should be sore, but your joints should not. Never do an intense exercise in which you cannot control your form or breathing. Instead, take breaks and use lower weights or speed to get back on track. This method will help you get more out of your workout anyway. In any case, if you are injured during a workout, call for help immediately from those around you. It is a good idea to workout with a partner or to at least let someone know that you’re working out in case anything happens to you.

Lastly, build intensity instead of jumping into the deep end. When you are starting to exercise, you won’t be able to suddenly run the Boston marathon! Building up slowly will help prevent injury, as talking about in the second step, but it can also help you to not get frustrated. If you slowly build up your aerobics routine, you’ll be able to find success more readily.  

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Happy, Healthy Hearts

Happy, Healthy Hearts

Everyone knows that working out is good for your body. However, do you really understand the correlation between aerobics and heart health? There are many people who swear that doing aerobics is the best way for them to feel healthy and to be better in every aspect of their life. When it comes right down to it, aerobics and heart health is something that you want to keep an eye on because it is something that you can really focus on to get more healthy.

There are simply more benefits to aerobics than you can talk about in an article. However, the correlation between aerobics and heart health is something that you simply cannot deny because it is something that is going to stay with you and with your health forever. When you look at aerobics and heart health you are going to see that the more aerobics you can do, the healthier your heart is going to become. This might seem like a general idea, and yes, it is very general in that the more you work, the better your heart will work for you. However, there are specific reasons that this is the case.

When it comes to the relationship between aerobics and heart health the basic point is that by doing aerobics you are giving yourself a work out where your heart and lungs are constantly moving faster than they are when you are resting. This means that as you work out, your heart and lungs are forced to work harder. The more that you do, the more your heart has to do for you. By making aerobics part of your routine, you are forcing your heart to work each day, and this is going to make it stronger.

Basically, when it comes to aerobics and heart health the point is that they are connected. The better your heart is doing, the more aerobics you are going to be able to do without stopping. And the more aerobics you can do, the healthier your heart is going to be.

Like anything, when it comes to aerobics and heart health you are going to have to work your way up. If you haven’t done much working out, your heart isn’t going to be able to take very much right away. Aerobics and heart health are something that you have to work up to, so take your time and talk to your doctor in order to develop a great aerobics routine that is going to clearly benefit you.


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Burning the Fat: Aerobics and Your Body

There are many great things about starting an aerobics program for your body. One of the greatest things about aerobics is that you can use it to burn fat in ways that are easier on your body than dieting. It is very simple to burn fat using aerobics as exercise, because there are many ways that you can train your body to do the work that it is supposed to in order to really get the most out of the aerobics that you are doing.

While you are building up a sweat and working on your heart rate, all of your muscles are also getting great things out of the aerobics work that you are doing. As you bring new blood and oxygen to all of your body systems, you are going to find that you are giving yourself the best chance to really get rid of all that unwanted fat as you go along. Working hard to burn fat is something that you can finally take control of when you are doing aerobics on a regular basis.

When you body is in constant motion, all of the body systems are working hard to maintain body functions at a normal rate. Because your muscles need to be moving more, your heart is going to have to work harder because the only way to get your muscles to move faster is to supply them with more blood and therefore more oxygen. Because your heart has to work harder your lungs need to work harder to provide your heart with the oxygen that it needs to keep pumping.

All of these things are going to work in tandem with each other to make a situation in which you are really getting the most out of your entire work out. When all of these systems are working together, you are going to find that you are much stronger than you think you would be. As your entire body fights to work harder, you are going to find that actually you are burning fat because your body needs energy to keep moving and to stay moving at a certain rate. It will find this energy in the stored pockets of fat that you have in your body. All of these things are going to happen quickly, and you will find that you are going to be much better off as you start to work out using aerobics more often.


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Before You Leave The chuch by Dan Reiland

Thousands of people leave their churches everyday. Your church is no exception. Right now, someone is thinking about leaving. The curious thing is that the majority of those who leave, and go to another church, discover that it, too, falls short of perfection.

In part one of this article, I talked to the pastors who are considering leaving their church. I'd like to talk to you who are not pastors but are members, regular attenders, or active at some level in your church. I want to talk with those of you who are considering leaving your church. If you are in anyway unhappy, unfulfilled, questioning and or considering leaving your church please keep reading. Or if you know someone like this, forward this article.

Stories abound of people who leave their churches. Some are devastating stories of deep hurt and pain. If you heard them you would struggle to believe that Christians were involved. There are always two sides to the story, and in all cases both sides believe they are right. This isn't something new. It's just a smaller and slightly more civil version of The Holy Wars fought long ago. They may have been long ago, but the word crusade still fits. When people add religion and righteousness to their own agendas we end up with a dangerous combination. Each side believes they are right and God is backing them. Even when they know they are behaving like a two-year-old, or something closer to the devil, the "cause" justifies the actions. The topics are clear enough, such as church finances, decision-making, ministry-programming, vision, and issues of confidentiality. It's when it gets personal that things go ballistic.

Not all topics are so serious, in fact some seem comical. Once again you wouldn't believe that sincere Christ-followers are involved. But they are and they leave their church over such issues. I could write for pages on these stories. I love The Church so when I tell you some of this, it only fuels me to dig in, fight harder, and lead better! How about you? Do you want to leave or make your church better?

It's a true story, several people left their church in Texas over the choice (brand) of (free) coffee served. A number of people left a beautiful new church in the Southeast because they opened a coffee shop in the church and charged for coffee! (Everyone knows that coffee should be free for all Christians everywhere, all the time!) Let's move off the coffee theme. People left a large and well known church because parking lot attendants told them where to park. I would love to be one of those guys for just one Sunday so I could tell a couple people where to park it! Another church actually fired the pastor over a fight about whether to put chairs or pews in their new building. I was in a small church that fought over what kind of plants to put out in front of the church. And they used Bible verses to back their opinions! We smile in disbelief, but quietly our hearts break. Here's the thing, these stories seem stupid until you are the one in them. Then its real and its personal and you get mad and you consider leaving your church.

I would like you to consider these following questions before you leave your church. I have already admitted that I love the local church, so you know my bias. I believe in the church. I'd rather you not leave. Ultimately you will make your own decision. But trust me, why you leave (and the way you leave if you do) makes a big difference. And here's the key, the difference it makes in your life is bigger than the difference it makes in your local church.

My goal with these questions is not to tell you what to do. I want to get you thinking and praying as much as possible because your church matters.

Is your church meeting your spiritual needs?

Are you growing in your faith? How do you assess that? Ultimately who do you consider responsible for your spiritual maturity, you or your church? If you are a young Christian (new to your faith) your church needs to take great effort to invest in you deeply. If, however, you have been a Christian for some time, you need to mature to a level of "self-feeding" and begin to serve others. At this point your church meets your spiritual needs by helping you find a place of meaningful ministry and training you for that ministry.

Do you have warm and vibrant friendships in your church?

Christianity is not a social club, but it is relational in nature. Friendships are important. Not so much for "parties and socials" (though they are fun!) but for community and an opportunity to express authentic faith. Are you reaching out to meet new people? Are you making invitations for others to be part of your life? Do you sense a healthy give and take with your relationships?

Do you sense a heart within you that is quick to worship?

When you attend church are you excited to worship? Do you quietly prepare yourself to give your heart to God in those moments or is it just part of "doing church"? What motivates you to worship? Do you arrive on time? Do you consider it the worship team's "job" to get things going or your opportunity to jump into worship with your whole heart?

Are you on purpose or are you on personal?

This is an important question. If you have concerns about your church, do your concerns involve issues that are core to the purpose or mission of the church? Are your concerns at the epicenter of reaching people for Jesus and raising them up in their faith? Or is it more about something personal that you are passionate about? It is more about style and method than actual ministry purpose and the big picture vision of the church?

Have you used water or gasoline?

If you are frustrated about something, have you poured water or gasoline on the issue? In other words, if you were to see the issue that bothers you as a fire, and you can either make it better by throwing water on it, or make it worse by throwing gasoline on it, which are you doing?

Have you spoken with the appropriate leaders?

If you are convinced there is an issue that is core to the mission of the church -- are you a water-carrier or a gasoline-thrower in relationship to your leaders? Have you talked to the appropriate leader? Talking with anyone who will listen to complain or gossip doesn't help anything. If you have a concern, go to a pastor and talk about it directly. This conversation doesn't commit your pastor to any certain path of action, but if nothing else, you can keep your relationship right.

What is your track record as a church member?

When you look back at previous churches you have attended, what is your pattern? Were you at each church for a long time? Were you giving and serving? Did you make good friends? Did you leave for "natural" reasons such as a relocation, or did you leave upset about something?

Do you see your church as primarily a place to give or a place to get?

Ultimately a good church is a place for both giving and receiving. However, where you place the emphasis really matters. I typically encourage Christians to see the church as a place that 51% or more is about giving. As in all relationships, expectations make a difference. If you expect the church to do the majority of the giving, you will undoubtedly be let down, and for good reason, that is not a biblical pattern.

If you leave, what do you want in your next church?

We all know that there is no reality in the greener grass syndrome, except in our minds. The church is certainly included in that principle. There is no perfect church. So, before you leave think about what you hope to experience in your next church, that you are not experiencing in your current church.

Perhaps you have excellent reasons to leave and in fact the Lord has prompted you to go. But make sure you know what you believe will be better and why. What is it about your new church that will be so different? And if in a certain area(s) the new church is better to you, what about the areas that will not be better? Did you make a wise decision, or did you just trade problems from one church to another? What if you were to stay at your church and become part of the solution?

I know there are times when leaving is the right answer. But far more often staying is a better answer. Not with hopes of getting your way, but to become a team player who cares deeply about the mission and is willing to sacrifice personal rights and privileges for the greater cause.

This is a sensitive topic and I don't presume to specifically know what God wants you to do. But I do know He wants you and all of us to protect the church and do all we can to make it healthy and strong.