13 Amazing Benefits of Walking

You don’t need to train for a marathon, spend hours on an elliptical, or turn your guest room into a gym to get fitter, healthier and happier. Keep reading to find out how a brisk walk can make major improvements to your physically and mental health.

WALKING REVERSES DAMAGE FROM PROLONGED SITTING.

If you go from sitting at your desk at work to sitting on your couch at home, a short walk could mean some big health benefits. A Indiana University study found that the muscle activity and blood flow from even three five-minute walks a day could reverse the damage caused to leg arteries from three hours of sitting. The lesson? If you’re sitting all day during work, take frequent breaks (at least once an hour) for a short stroll around the building.

WALKING IMPROVES CREATIVITY.

Waiting for inspiration to hit? Take a walk—Stanford researchers found that walking increases creativity levels during the walk and shortly after, producing twice as many creative responses as when you’re sitting. You get the benefits whether you’re walking outside or inside, so if it’s too chilly for a stroll, hit the treadmill or an indoor track.

WALKING LOWERS STRESS.

A University of Michigan study found that group nature walks lower stress, particularly in people who dealt with an emotionally traumatic event. Research at Heriot-Watt University even found that the brain enters a meditative state when going through green spaces—all the more reason to take a walk through the park after brunch with friends. 

WALKING LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE.

Just 30 minutes of brisk walking lowers blood pressure—and that holds true whether you walk for 30 minutes at a time or break it up into 10 three-minute walks, a totally do-able goal even for those of us stuck sitting in an office all day.

WALKING ENERGIZES YOU.

If you regularly experience fatigue, don’t shy away from lacing up—low intensity exercise won’t wipe you out, says a study from the University of Georgia. In fact, it can increase your energy level by 20 percent and decrease fatigue by 65 percent.

WALKING CHEERS YOU UP WHEN IT’S PART (OR ALL) OF YOUR COMMUTE.

One study found that the longer people spend commuting via car, the worse their psychological well-being. And just adding 10 minutes of walking to that commute can actually improve well being. “A more active commute to work can be associated with the same psychological benefits as things like a raise in income or starting a new relationship,” study author Adam Martin says.

WALKING HELPS YOU AT WORK.

A walking work station at the office isn’t in reach for everyone—but if your employer is open to it, the benefits could be huge. Researchers found that people who used walking workstations were less bored and stressed, and more satisfied than those who stood or sat at their desks.

WALKING BOOSTS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM.

A walk a day keeps the doctor away? Perhaps—a daily 30-45 minute walk at a brisk pace can boost the immune system and keep colds at bay, according to research from Appalachian State University. And not only do regular exercisers get sick less often, their colds are all shorter and less severe.

WALKING CAN REDUCE RISK OF IMPOTENCE IN MEN.

Some time spent in sneakers can lead to a better time between the sheets, according to a nine-year study. Researchers found that a brisk two-mile walk each day can reduce men’s risk of impotence, improving blood flow throughout the body (yep, we mean everywhere).

WALKING LOWERS BLOOD SUGAR.

A 15-minute walk after each meal reduces your blood sugar for over 24 hours, a study published in Diabetes Care found—a good reason to skip dessert and step outside instead.

WALKING KEEPS OLDER ADULTS SHARP.

Living in a walkable neighborhood can be great for older adults, researchers say, resulting in not only physical benefits like lower body mass and blood pressure, but better memory and cognition too.

WALKING MAY LOWER BREAST CANCER RISK.

Spend two and a half hours walking briskly each week and you may cut your risk of breast cancer by 42 percent, a study of over 79,000 women found. According to research in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, exercise alters how the body breaks down the hormone estrogen into either benign or harmful byproducts. It also reduces fatty tissue in women’s bodies, which secretes estrogen.

WALKING CAN EASE FIBROMYALGIA PAIN.

Light exercise like walking—even walking in a pool, for a lower-impact option—has been shown to significantly improve physical function, fatigue, and depression in women with fibromyalgia.

Pine Nuts: Are Their Health Benefits Worth The Cost?

Tasty, buttery pine nuts are considered one of the fanciest of all nuts. They are actually the seeds of pine trees and not really nuts. They are found in the pine cones but only 18 types of pine trees create pine nuts that are large enough to eat. Like most nuts, they are packed full of nutrition and health benefits.

Health Benefits

In numerous studies, the consumption of nuts was found to lower waist circumference, blood pressure, insulin resistance and increase high cholesterol.

Healthier Weight

Those who eat nuts regularly have been found to maintain a healthy weight, according to research. The thought is that those eating nuts regularly have a considerably healthy diet because they are getting more fiber, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and potassium, according to statistics.

Bad Cholesterol Lowered

Mixed nuts (walnuts, peanuts and pine nuts), when included in a healthy diet for six weeks, showed an improvement in cholesterol levels.

Suppresses Appetite

The fatty acids in pine nuts help release an appetite-suppressing hormone (cholecystokinin). When women in a study consumed fatty acid (pinolenic acid from the pine nut) before breakfast it was found to lower the amount of food eaten throughout the day by 37 percent. Pine nut oil was found to help overweight, post-menopausal women suppress their appetite in this study.

Decreases Heart Disease Risk

There was a decrease in cardiovascular disease in participants that ate one-quarter ounce of nuts per day in a 1999-2004 study. 

Please Note: As with all nuts, they have been known to cause allergic reactions. There is a rare allergic reaction to pine nuts known as Pine Mouth Syndrome which can last a few weeks but it is not dangerous. This causes a bitter or metallic taste after eating pine nuts.

  

Growing and Harvesting Pine Nuts is An Expensive Process

There are about 18 pine trees that produce nuts worthy of harvesting. These trees are found in Europe, Russia, Mongolia, Eastern Siberia, North Korea and North America. There are eight varieties that grow in cold climates such as Canada.

It can take at least 10 years to get pine nuts from a tree; first, it takes between 6-8 years for the tree to mature fully and then 2-3 more years to develop the pine nuts. They ripen in late summer or early fall.

Next is the drying process: they are placed in a burlap bag and exposed to heat to dry out the cone for about 20 days. The outer shell must be removed, the cones are broken apart and the seeds are taken out. This time-consuming process makes it an expensive nut. Learn more reasons why pine nuts are so expensive.

Nutrient Dense

One ounce serving (165 pine nuts) contains a wide variety of nutrients (potassium, protein, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, niacin, vitamin E, vitamin K and more) Go here for more nutrition details.

History

Pine nuts have been consumed since Stone Age times; remains have been found in caves in southern France. The pine nut tree has been cultivated since about 4000 BCE according to Archaeologists.

They have been harvested for over 8,000 years. There is proof of them being found in excavations at Gatecliff Shelter, Nevada, 6,000 years BCE. 

How to Select

Shelled nuts are best in air-tight plastic bags in the stores. Make sure they are fresh, have not lost their light color and are not brown.

How to Store

Their high-fat content makes it important to store them in the refrigerator for 1 – 3 months or kept in an airtight container or in the freezer for up to 9 months.  At room temperature, they will only last for a week before going rancid.

Tips for eating or cooking

They are delicious raw, but you can also eat them roasted, adding a sweet nutty flavor and crunch to vegetable dishes and salads. And of course, there is delicious pesto.

The Hidden Food Ingredient Linked to Pain and Inflammation

There’s a food additive so ubiquitous in the food industry it is found in most packaged foods, restaurant sauces and even many foods that have been “certified organic.” That ingredient is carrageenan. While the additive starts out harmless enough (it comes from the seaweed known as Irish moss) it is then processed to extract the ingredient known as carrageenan, which acts as a thickener or emulsifier for many prepared foods.

Like most people, I originally thought that carrageenan was a harmless extract from seaweed, so I didn’t give it much consideration. Then I heard that researchers were giving animals carrageenan to induce pain and inflammation as a way to prepare the animals for scientific studies exploring anti-pain drugs. That was the first I’d heard of carrageenan being used for harm. So I began to investigate.

Dr. Joanne Tobacman has conducted many studies on the effects of carrageenan consumption, including one in the Journal of Diabetes Research. After eating carrageenan for only six days, animals fed carrageenan developed glucose intolerance, an umbrella term used to describe impaired metabolism involving excessively high blood sugar levels. Dr. Tobacman found that the food additive caused blood sugar levels to skyrocket, indicating that it may lead to the development of diabetes. She indicates that carrageenan used in animals’ diets so commonly cause diabetes that the additive could be used for mouse models of the study of diabetes. 

She also found that carrageenan causes intestinal and systemic inflammation in animal studies. Considering that inflammation is a well-established factor in most chronic disease, including: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, pain disorders and many others, any food additive in common use is a serious concern. Dr. Tobacman also indicates that the amount of carrageenan found in most peoples’ diets is sufficient to cause inflammation.

Sources of Carrageenan

Carrageenan is found in common foods, including:

infant formula
ice cream
cream
butter
soy milk
almond milk
rice milk
cottage cheese
sour cream
yogurt
coffee creamers
vegan cheese alternatives
egg nog
protein supplements
aloe vera gel
deli meats
juices
puddings
pizzas
chocolate bars
coffee beverages
many packaged foods

Additionally, some supplements, particularly those involving gel caps, commonly contain carrageenan. And, most grocery store rotisserie chickens typically contain the additive.

The Cornucopia Institute has compiled a comprehensive list of organic foods that contain carrageenan, since the ingredient is legally allowed in foods bearing the label “organic” or “certified organic.”

31 Clever Uses for a Lemon

Don’t throw that lemon half away! Lemons may be small and sour, but they’re a powerful cleaning, beauty, cooking and healing tool. Let the infographic below be your guide to citrus success!

The Only Pesticides You Should Be Using This Summer

The best way to ensure you and your family are eating healthy, organic foods is to take control of your food chain yourself!  The organic food supply in the U.S. is simply just better than the other alternatives.  The organic food industry has become a multi-billion dollar industry that no doubt has its share of cheaters.  Besides, if you think that organic farmers don’t use pesticides you are wrong.  They do!  The difference is they use mostly naturally derived pesticides as opposed to synthetic ones.

  

I say mostly because tragically, some synthetic products are approved for organic farming.  With so much uncertainty about just how organic our organic foods are, the best way is to grow your own!  Whether you grow in the ground or in containers, you will eventually be faced with the dilemma of needing a pesticide or face loosing your crop.  Luckily there are safe and natural ways to fight back against unwanted garden pests. 

 

Prevention:  The best pesticide is to avoid pests to begin with.

• Clear away unwanted weeds and weak plants:  These can be breeding grounds for garden pests.  They can also attract certain pests that would otherwise not be attracted to your garden.
• Seaweed mulch or spray:  Seaweed contains elements such as zinc, iron, calcium, sulfur and magnesium.  All help plants grow strong and fight off disease and unwanted pests.  It also repels slugs.
• Build healthy organic soil:  Natural composting methods and top dressing your soil with natural fertilizers and mulch will create a healthy growing environment for your plants.
• Water in the morning:  Most insects and garden pests need damp environments to breed.  By watering in the morning, the foliage will be dry for most of the day as opposed to allowing it to be moist all night long.
• Inter-plant and rotate your crops:  Most pests are plant specific.  By inter-planting, you will discourage the spreading of disease or pests.

Make your own Pesticides:

1. Garlic Spray:  There is a reason garlic has been used for centuries for all types of antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral purposes, it works!  This general all purpose pesticide is made by adding 5 crushed bulbs of garlic to 17 oz. of water and allowing it to sit for 6-8 hours.  Then dilute with an additional gallon of water and strain into a spray bottle.  Spray the tops and bottoms of leaves and foliage bi-weekly.  Discontinue 2-4 weeks before harvesting vegetables or herbs as it can alter their taste.
2. Salt Spray:  Works especially well for Spider Mites.  Simply add 2 tbs of Himalayan salt crystals to one gallon of warm water and spray onto leafs and foliage.
3. Citrus Oil and Cayenne pepper: For ants, mix 10 drops of citrus essential oil with 1 tsp of Cayenne pepper and add to 1 cup of water.  Spray on ants and ant trails.
4. Eucalyptus oil:  Add a few drops of Eucalyptus oil to anywhere flies, bees or wasps are.
5. Essential Oil General Pesticide:  Mix 1 tsp vodka, with 10 drops of lemon essential oil, 10 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil and 10 drops of cedar-wood essential oil with 1 oz of water.  Add to a spray bottle and its ready to repel any flying or crawling insect.

SpaceX postpones 'secretive' US military launch for 24 hours

Due to a sensor issue, SpaceX on Sunday has postponed the launch of a secretive US governmnent payload untill Monday.

"Out of an abundance of caution we have decided to scrub today`s launch," a SpaceX spokesman said, describing the issue as relating to the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket.

Another opportunity for launch opens Monday at 7:00 am (1100 GMT).

The payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, which makes and operates spy satellites for the United States, will be the first military launch for the California-based aerospace company headed by billionaire tycoon Elon Musk.

"As a matter of policy and because of classification, NRO does not provide information about our contracts," a spokeswoman told AFP.

Until now, the US military has spent billions per year exclusively with United Launch Alliance, a joint operation of aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin, to launch government satellites.

SpaceX in 2014 protested the US Air Force`s practice of using only ULA, saying it unfairly awarded billions of dollars to a single company for national security launches.

SpaceX was selected to launch NROL-76 "after a competition," said the NRO spokeswoman.

She said she did not know when the contract was awarded. It was first announced last year.

China 'putting pressure' on North Korea, says Donald Trump

Donald Trump thinks Chinese President Xi Jinping is "putting pressure" on North Korea, the US president said in an interview to air on Sunday, as tensions mount over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.

 Donald Trump thinks Chinese President Xi Jinping is "putting pressure" on North Korea, the US president said in an interview to air on Sunday, as tensions mount over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.

If North Korea carries out a nuclear test "I would not be happy," Trump told the CBS television network's "Face the Nation" programme.

"And I can tell you also, I don't believe that the president of China, who is a very respected man, will be happy either," Trump said in excerpts of the interview released yesterday.

Asked if "not happy" signified "military action," Trump answered: "I don't know. I mean, we'll see."

North Korea test-fired a missile over the weekend in apparent defiance of a concerted US push for tougher international sanctions to curb Pyongyang's nuclear weapons ambitions.

The latest launch, which South Korea said was a failure, came just hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned the UN Security Council of "catastrophic consequences" if the international community -- most notably China -- failed to pressure the North into abandoning its weapons program.

Trump assailed the failed launch as a show of disrespect toward its ally China.

"North Korea disrespected the wishes of China & its highly respected President when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

North Korea is seeking to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead.

China, Pyongyang's number one trade partner, has repeatedly called for a return to talks on denuclearization but has been reluctant to use economic pressure that could destabilise North Korea.