The level of exercise is linked with the reduction of hospitalization and death in patients with chronic heart failure, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study. Researchers measured the duration and intensity of exercise and found that increasing these parameters improved patients’ quality of life and exercise capacity, and lessened their risk for hospitalization and death.

For example, patients who walk at 2 mph for 25 minutes two days a week likely lowers their estimated risk of hospitalization or death by about 10 percent, while patients who walks at 2.5 mph for 25 minutes five days a week likely lowers their estimated risk of hospitalization or death by about 25 percent.

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Photo courtesy of beetlechickster

I have a lot of friends and family members who smoke cigarettes.  Many times in my life I have tried to convince people that they should give up smoking, and almost everytime my message to quit smoking goes up in smoke.  Typically people ignore me and respond by saying that they “only smoke when they drink” or that they “plan on quitting next year.”  Is a quick buzz worth the risk of dying prematurely?  Do you smoke and think that you are invincible?  Click on following links to see what it looks like to have mouth or throat & lung cancer.
Mouth Cancer Video
Throat and Lung Cancer Video

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for them.  But have you ever looked at the ingredients of a cigarette?   Cigarettes contain many harmful ingredients including ammonia, arsenic, lead, nickel, and turpentine to name a few.  Do you know all of the negative side effects that smoking?  Smoking has been found to permanently alter genes which are associated with cancer and tumors; these effects are irreversible and can occur even if you have only smoked for a short time.  Smoking causes wrinkles, erectile dysfunction, and low sperm count. Smoking also increases blood pressure which in turn increases your chances of having a heart attack or a stroke.  After reading all of these depressing side effects, is anyone ready for a smoke break?

Helping people lose weight is the main goal of this website, but Beer Belly Blog also promotes maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Please read the click on the following link and read more about the negative side effects of smoking.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/digest-a-cigarette.htm

Popularity: 25% [?]

Courtesy of Steven Wilke

A lot of nutritionists will tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but a couple of recent studies have shown that eating cold cereal can help you maintain a healthy weight.  One study found that teenage girls who skipped breakfast tended to weigh the most.  Meanwhile, girls who ate cold cereal weighed the least. 

To read the entire article, click on the link below:
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20050901/breakfast-cereal-helps-maintain-healthy-weight

Popularity: 11% [?]

Drinking sufficient amounts of water is one of the best ways to help you lose weight.  You should drink at least 64 ounces of water each day.  If you are trying to lose weight, increase your water intake by 8 ounces each day for every 25 pounds you are overweight.  Drinking water has multiple benefits from suppressing your appetite to reducing headaches to lowering blood pressure.  For more benefits of drinking water, click on the link below.

http://www.dietinfo.us/Water1/water1.html

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Having a large Beer Belly in your middle ages can lead to dementia when you get older.  A recent study that involved over 6,000 people revealed that people with excessive abdominal fat in their early 40’s were approximately three times as likely to develop dementia in their 70’s as compared to people with the least amount of abdominal fat.  This is yet another negative side effect from being overweight.  I don’t know about you, but the more I read about the health risks of being overweight, the more I exercise to prevent myself from becoming part of those negative statistics.  Click on the following link to read the entire article. 

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/17036876.html

Popularity: 11% [?]