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Aristotle helped define the standards of fitness 2,500 years ago when he taught that a thing that suits its purpose well is fit. Fortunately for us, the cardiovascular system, lungs, skeleton, muscles, endocrine system and all the other amazing components of the body function for our purpose: to live well.

Exercising aids fitness in numerous ways, each involving one or more of those systems.

Increased physical activity causes the heart to work harder than at rest. That increases blood flow, floods tissues with fresh oxygen and removes cellular waste products.

Exercise causes the lungs to draw in extra oxygen to bathe the tissues and help power the heart. Exhalation removes carbon dioxide, a waste product of certain biochemical reactions.

Regular, moderate exercise helps raise HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol (the ‘good’ type). It helps regulate blood sugar levels and converts stored fat into sugars that are used to provide energy. That process also prevents obesity.

The other benefits of a regular fitness program are more obvious and usually among the more direct goals of most people who make the effort: increased muscle mass, toned legs, buttocks, arms, stomach and healthier looking skin. Along the way, the individual receives the added value of greater strength, improved balance, higher endurance and (often) a better frame of mind.

Different types of routines will emphasize one area more than another. Aerobic routines help the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, weight lifting focuses on building muscle tone and mass, yoga and pilates helps balance, flexibility and muscular control. But each of these, and several more, help more than just the intended focus group. The body is an integrated system and improving one area almost always has beneficial consequences for others.

All those benefits, at least to a moderate degree, can be had for minimal daily effort. Moderate intensity activity for 30 minutes per day, at least five days per week, will go a long way toward optimizing fitness.

A brisk walk, taking the stairs up one or two flights, a short daily jog, jumping rope and many other simple activities can be carried out with no special equipment or training.

More intense activity, done properly, can raise that level even further. A vigorous tennis game, a few laps in the swimming pool, an hour on the treadmill or exercise bike, or any of a dozen others, can raise your fitness to a peak with only a moderate investment of time and money.

For the truly committed there are, of course, a thousand and one classes at the gym, and every conceivable kind of home fitness equipment to fit a variety of budgets. A daily routine using free weights, followed by a good jog around the park will keep all systems functioning well.

And, as Aristotle taught all those centuries ago, to function well is to live well.

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To most people ‘stress’ brings to mind something unpleasant. But many psychologists write about stress as something that can have positive effects. Why the confusion? The reasons lie in how an individual evaluates his or her own mental and physical state.

Some examples may help to make the point clear. Imagine two people, one a champion skier in the Olympics, the other a college senior about to take a final math test. The skier has been training most of his life for the contest, the senior has hardly studied at all.

From a purely physiological perspective both are going to be experiencing similar effects – rapid heartbeat and breathing, higher metabolism, active sweat glands and so forth. Psychologically, there are also similarities – higher concentration on the present and thoughts about the next few minutes, vivid images and heightened sensitivity to feelings.

But there are key differences, at least psychologically. The skier is exhilarated, ready for the challenge, and eager to show his prowess and win the contest. The senior feels doubt and fear.

In both cases it’s reasonable to say that the two young men are under stress. You could also say they are feeling stressful. But the differences are important. The skier evaluates his situation as presenting a challenge he wants to take on and believes himself ready to tackle. The senior knows he is inadequately prepared and projects the consequences of his likely failure, a lowered grade and maybe the need to retake the class.

In both cases the young men are uncertain about the outcome, but each evaluates the odds of success differently. Each might also judge the outcome of failure differently.

The skier may wind up with only a Silver medal. That might be disappointing but in the Olympics, the number two spot can still lead to lucrative endorsements and a good future. The senior may see his chances for getting into a good graduate school diminishing. He may have to retake the class before he can even graduate.

Of course, the examples are very oversimplified. But the pattern is roughly right. Whether you feel stress or elation can often turn on how you evaluate external circumstances and your own inner state.

So there are actually two meanings of the word ‘stress’ that sometimes get mixed together. One refers simply to the heightened awareness and the physiological symptoms described above. The other is essentially equivalent to the combination of worry and those symptoms. The latter can have negative health consequences, since those symptoms can be physically harmful. But since humans are both mind and body and the two aspects affect one another, the psychological part is just as important.

Try these self-test pictures below

The slower the pictures rotate, the better your ability of handling stress:

bookmark this Page and come back here in a state of rage or anxiety and test the pictures again, you’ll be surprised by what you see!

"Flowers" rotate in opposite direction of a flower next to it.

Clearly, three rotating cylinders in this picture.

An odd wave effect is in the picture below.

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Though the underlying causes are not fully understood, diabetes results from either too little insulin being produced or ineffective use of it by the body. In Type 1 diabetes, for example, the islet cells of the pancreas fail to produce an amount of insulin adequate to allow blood glucose to enter cells where it’s used for energy. In Type 2, the cells may resist insulin’s action, once again leaving too much glucose in the blood.

But though they’re not completely known, experts agree that the causes of the different types of diabetes are generally a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental or lifestyle factors. In some cases, one or the other may dominate. Gestational diabetes, for example, affects about 3% of pregnant women usually from around 24-28 weeks into term. But it goes away after birth. Type 1, on the other hand, affects mostly juveniles and is largely genetic.

In all cases, the symptoms are usually roughly the same: excessively frequent urination, unquenchable thirst, sometimes accompanied by dizziness or stomach pains. Naturally, these common symptoms can have a number of causes. Anyone suspecting he or she has diabetes should be tested by a physician.

Those tests are simple and relatively painless, only requiring a small blood sample. Blood glucose level is measured, with normal running around 99 mg/dL, while diabetics have a level of 126 mg/dL or above. It may require more than one test to confirm the disease.

Once confirmed, regular blood glucose monitoring is a must. Fortunately, there are today many convenient ways to do that. Testing devices the size of a cell phone are common. A small sample of blood is smeared on a strip fed into the instrument, which delivers a number within seconds. Some recent devices measure glucose level through the skin using an infrared beam.

Treatments are equally easy for most diabetics. In some cases careful diet and appropriate exercise may be enough to keep the right glucose-insulin balance. In the usual case, insulin delivery is called for. But that too is much easier than in generations past. Small insulin-containing pens can deliver the exact right dose painlessly. Newer oral inhalers are on the market that have met with success.

Though no one wants to have to deal with diabetes, managing the disease is now easier than ever. The possible long term complications of untreated diabetes remain what they always were. By keeping them at bay with simple techniques, most diabetics can enjoy an active fulfilling life just as anyone else.

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According to most sources, breast cancer is ‘cancer of the breast tissue’. Not very helpful. But digging a little deeper makes the answer clear. Cancer is a malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal or uncontrolled cell division. Normal cells become misshapen and grow too rapidly. The result is a mass or lump that continues to grow and may spread.

Not all lumps are cancerous. Most are benign. They reach a certain size and level off. They may be soft and fluid filled, like cysts. Or they may be firm like fibroadenomas, which also are benign since they don’t grow and spread. Or, they may simply be scar tissue or hardened fat.

But a true cancer in breast tissues is malignant and serious. Nearly 90% are a type known as ductal carcinoma (sometimes called DCIS, ductal carcinoma in situ). Somewhat less than 10% of the rest are lobular carcinomas (LCIS). In both cases lumps may appear as a thickening in some part of the breast, or even in the armpit. Lymph nodes are located there and sometimes play a role in the development of the disease.

The American College of Physicians recommends self-examination beginning around age 20 and regular mammograms after age 40.

Though one shouldn’t become alarmed at every possible change, an alteration of the size or shape of the breast after maturity is one sign to look for. Fluid may leak from the nipple that doesn’t resemble milk. In cases of cancer, it’s typically a type of pus, indicating infection.

The nipple or areola (the darkened skin around the nipple) can also change size or shape.

Breast cancer develops through identifiable stages which mark out the progression of the disease.

Stage 0 is when the condition first occurs, Stage I exists when the tumor is less than 2cm thick and hasn’t spread. By Stage II the tumor is between 2-5cm thick and there may be other areas affected. Once the disease reaches Stage III it has penetrated the chest wall. By that level, treatment becomes very difficult and the survival rate is correspondingly low.

Stage IV is the most serious. At this point the cancer has, as it’s called, metastasized. That means the cancer has spread and that it has formed secondary tumors which resemble the initial growth. Such cancers are very often fatal.

Because of these stages, and the increasing health consequences at each level, seeking diagnosis and treatment early is imperative. A simple lumpectomy may well cure the condition completely. If it progresses to the point that chemotherapy or radiation treatments are called for, the odds of recover are much lower and the cure is often as bad as the disease.

Fortunately, enormous progress has been made over the past 40 years. The latest equipment allows for much better diagnosis. Treatments have evolved to make the cure less painful and more certain.

Though any stage is a concern, there is an over 95% five-year survival rate for those that are identified and treated by Stage I. Improve your odds by careful monitoring and seeking early diagnosis.

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Dieting to achieve weight loss is difficult enough. Doing it right is another matter. Of course, what is ‘right’ for one may not work well for another. Creating a natural weight loss from a balanced, healthy diet takes a little research.

You could just stop eating for a while, at least. But the cravings could drive you crazy and the health consequences are grim. Not a good approach. You might try diet pills, and some do work to a degree at least for a while. But the side effects are something to look out for. They can outweigh the benefits for some.

Others will naturally gravitate toward one of the popular ‘name’ diets, such as the Zone Diet or South Beach Diet. Certainly, they have their positives and the approach they take may work well for some, less well for others. One could say the same about many low fat or low carb diets. There’s a bit of truth in all of them.

Some prefer a traditional approach, guided by the USDA Food Pyramid, old or refurbished. It does contain a lot of sound advice about the types and amounts of different foods to eat or avoid. It can be confusing, but those who persist will find a lot of useful information there.

Those and other guidelines contain information on fiber, fat, carbohydrates and other foods to consume. They give good advice on which are the essential vitamins and minerals. They make it easy to understand why cholesterol and fat isn’t always bad, and how to keep the bad type down and the good type up.

Traditionalists and those on the leading edge alike will pay similar close attention to fluid intake. Dehydration can do more than just reduce maximum workout performance. It can cause health problems long before you feel thirsty.

Many will, naturally, be excited about the potential benefits of organic foods. From a good supplier, they can offer nutritional value that is less often contained in the average major grocery store product.

Those who do will also be interested in the promise of phytonutrients. These compounds, found in highly colored fruits and vegetables, promise to optimize nutrition and lower the odds of disease. Such people also have a natural interest in finding out all about omega-3 fatty acids available in fish or supplements.

Cutting across all these different groups of individuals are those who just plain find it difficult to diet. Diet programs and weight loss clinics like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers can help. Their programs encapsulate a simple to follow set of recommended diets or prepackaged meals and support for sticking to one’s diet goals. They’ll help adjust the dieter’s attitude in a way that can prop up the commitment to long-term lifestyle change.

There are definite health advantages (and a few precautions) to dieting. But whatever type of dieter you are there is ample information available to assist you in getting the pros and avoiding the cons. After all, dieting is hard enough. Knowing how to diet doesn’t have to be.

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