Triathlons

Have you wanted to try a triathlon however found yourself scared of doing those distances? The iron man can be incredibly painful, but isn't the only one you should look at. There are a number of shorter triathlons geared towards your level of expertise. 

There are three different main levels or distances of triathlons (though there are other distances these are the typical ones you will see). The most brutal and largest of them is the Iron Man which touts a 2.4 mile swim follwed by a 112 mile bike ride, and a full marathon at 26.2 miles. The traditional size is the Olympic triathlon which is a .93 mile swim with a 24.8 mile bike ride finished with a 6.2 mile run. The smallest of the three is called a sprint which consists of a .47 mile swim, followed by a 12.4 mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run. In the United States sprints have begun to become incredibly popular.

The Triathletes Training Bible is a great way to start getting yourself geared up towards training for one. This book is considered one of the best books for this sport. It breaks things down into wonderful details like what workout plans you should be completing each week. This is a great self coaching book to get you on the way to doing your first triathlon or fine tuning your routine if you are a triathlon veteran. Furthermore you can learn tips about the race day itself.

After you finish one triathlon you might just decide you want to try another or move up to a longer one. It might just end up you become an amazing athlete yourself.

How To Keep Yourself Awake In A Healthier Manner

Mind is All

One of the toughest things for many people is trying to stay awake throughout the day, regardless of whether you are an adult going to work each day or a college student slogging through classes, as it is easy for the days to catch up to you and for you to want to simply stay in bed; when this happens, many people drink or eat different things that help them stay awake, but if you are one such person, you will want to make sure that whatever you are doing to stay awake is also healthy for you.

Simply getting enough sleep and making sure you are waking up at the top of your sleep cycle is one of the best ways to stay awake throughout the day; most people sleep in sleep cycles of around an hour and a half apiece, and you will feel much more awake when you wake up at the end of a sleep cycle instead of in the middle of one, so figure out how long your sleep cycle is, and aim to always wake up when one sleep cycle is ending and the next one is beginning.

On top of making sure you get enough sleep and that you are waking up at the right point in your sleep cycle, you will want to start your day the right way; if you start out your day in a sluggish manner, this will carry over into the remainder of your day, but when you are able to start out with a walk, a healthy breakfast, and a bit of relaxing, you will feel much more awake - and much more ready to attack the day!

And make sure you avoid sugars and carbonated beverages when you reach a place where it is necessary to put something in your body to keep yourself awake; instead, try for some fruit (apples are especially good at keeping the mind and body awake!), and drink tea and coffee (with no cream or sugar!).

When you adhere to these methods, you will be able to avoid that tiredness that plagues so many people and gives them constant problems, and will instead be able to stay awake throughout the day - in a healthy manner.

How To Take Care Of Excess Ear Wax

Some people see ear wax as something that is "gross," or that is not a fun topic to discuss, but whether you want to discuss it or not, it is still important for you to make sure you know how to deal with ear wax (especially because most people deal with it the wrong way!).

First of all, you need to realize that your body produces ear wax as protection for your ear drum and ear canal, and if you had never touched the insides of your ears all your life, you would never have to worry about ear wax at all, as the body naturally regulates the amount of ear wax you have. Of course, the problem is that most people have messed around with the insides of their ears, and in so doing many of them have created blockages with their ear wax, and not only are these blockages uncomfortable, but they can also impair hearing and can increase the likelihood of ear aches and ear infections.

One of the best ways to get rid of this buildup of excess ear wax is to heat up either oil or hydrogen peroxide, and to lay on your side as you drip this heated-up solution into your ear; after you have let the solution sit in your ear for about fifteen minutes, roll onto your other side to let it drain out of your ear.

Another great way to get rid of excess ear wax is to use an ear candle; by putting an ear candle into your ear and lighting it, the candle will send warmth and small amounts of smoke into your ear, which will help to "melt" the extra wax that has built up.

If there is a lot of extra ear wax built up inside your ear, it can take a number of times of doing one or the other of these things before you finally solve the problem - and flushing your ear with hot water afterward will also be a necessary part of either procedure - but when you use one of these two methods and have a bit of patience, you can keep yourself from ever having to worry about ear wax again!

Creating Healthy Alternatives To Fast Food

Mind is All

Everyone eats fast food out of necessity every once in a while, but if you also enjoy fast food, you might be looking for a way to eat this same food (or something very similar) without getting all the unhealthy components of this same fast food. If you find yourself in this position, the good news is that you can make just about any fast food menu item at home - and just about anything you make at home will be a lot healthier (and probably a lot tastier as well!) than anything you could get at a fast food restaurant!

Once you have decided upon the meal you want to create at home, figure out what you need to buy for it; for instance, if you are wanting to replicate a meal with hamburgers and fries, you can buy organic hamburger beef and french fries at a store such as Whole Foods, and can buy fresh-baked buns, fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, and healthy sauces to go with the burger.

Instead of getting soda to go with your meal, as you might usually do, you should consider switching to a sparkling fruit juice, or to homemade iced tea; even though water is always the best thing for you to drink, either of these options go great with hamburgers, and each will be much healthier than soda!

You also need to make sure that you are cooking your food in the right way; instead of frying your fries, try baking them, and instead of frying your burgers, try making them in a George Foreman Grill or on a regular grill outside. Not only will you have a much healthier option when you cook the food this way, but you will also have something that tastes a whole lot better than anything you could get at a fast food restaurant!

You might think that you do not "have the time" to do all this, but actually, you can make several burgers (and a whole batch of french fries) at once, and you can store these in your fridge and have "fast food" waiting for you whenever you want it!

Exploring Some Good Lunch Food Options

You have surely heard before that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day," but if you work full-time, lunch is definitely a close second, as lunch will be your "midway meal." You can end up going into the stretch run of the day feeling sluggish and tired if you do not eat the right foods at lunch; if, on the other hand, you are eating the right foods, you can experience an energy boost that will set you up nicely for the stretch run.

Firstly, there are two specific things to make sure you avoid during lunchtime: foods that have a lot of sugar in them, as these will give you a "crash" during the afternoon, and foods that are really heavy, as these will make you sleepy as your body works to digest them.

Fruit is a great option for lunch, as it is full of natural energy and other nutrients your body needs, and it is easy to digest without making you tired; in addition to fruit, you can try getting a smoothie for lunch, as this will pack your body full of natual energy while providing you with a meal that is easy to consume.

Nuts are another excellent source of natural energy; you can bring a baggie of mixed nuts with you, or you can pack some trail mix that will be tasty and easy to eat while giving you the energy you need!

If you are looking for something more "substantial," you can eat the sandwich you are used to eating at lunch, but consider eating only half of it, instead of eating the whole thing; the main thing is that you should eat until you are "content," but not until you are "full," as eating until you are "full" will make you more tired!

The afternoon might still bring that "2:30 feeling" your way, but when you make sure you are eating the right foods at lunch, that feeling will be a lot easier to deal with!

Should You Take Calcium Supplements?

Mind is All

Most of us are aware that calcium builds bones and teeth, but are calcium supplements important? This health guide will tell you if you're consuming enough calcium so you'll know if you need a supplement or not.

Why do you need calcium? Calcium facilatates proper muscle and heart function, and it builds strong bones and teeth. Every day your body takes calcium from its stores – which happen to be your bones and teeth—and then replaces the calcium in those stores with the calcium you eat. If your calcium intake is low, your bones and teeth get weaker and weaker as time goes by, since the body keeps making withdrawals from your bones and teeth, regardless of how much or little calcium you are restoring. This is why your daily calcium intake matters.

What should you do to get enough calcium? You can get plenty of calcium from milk products and shrimp, salmon, and sardines. There is a lot of calcium available in leafy greens and soybean products, but some people are wary of these two sources because of the presence of oxalate, which might drain calcium from the body.

How much calcium do you need in a day? Kids need at least 400 mg, teens and adults need at least 800 mg, and pregant and lactating moms need at least 1200 mg a day. If you are an adult female, you will benefit from taking 1500 mg a day.

Should you take calcium supplements? Most women don't eat enough calcium and would benefit from supplements to protect them from osteoporosis. If you eat a vegan diet, you’ll want to take calcium supplements since you aren’t eating dairy. Buy calcium supplements made from calcium citrate (for best absorption). Try taking one 500 mg supplement with your breakfast, one with lunch, and one with dinner--this will maximize absorption. You need vitamin D to adequately absorb the calcium, so take a vitamin D supplement as well.

Calcium supplements build strong bones and teeth, which makes you stronger!

How To Stop A Flesh Wound From Bleeding

Even though people tend to not think about things such as "how to stop a flesh wound from bleeding" until they end up in a situation where this information is crucial, you never know when this information will come in handy, and it is certainly better to know what to do before the situation arises than to scramble once you are in the situation! Particularly for people who have children, it is important that you know how to stop a flesh wound from bleeding in order to prevent infection and scarring.

Before you do anything at all with an open wound, you should make sure your hands are clean, as you will be working with your hands and will not want to get dirt or germs into the open cut. Once your hands are completely clean, your main focus should be on stopping the bleeding; use sterile gauze (or something similar) to stopper the wound, and then keep pressure applied to the wound while also keeping the area of the wound raised so that it is held above the level of the heart.

If the bleeding does not slow down much, you can also apply an ice pack to the area, as this should slow the bleeding further; it can take up to ten or fifteen minutes for the bleeding to stop completely, so be patient - as long as the situation is continuing to improve, you have no reason to be worried!

Once you have gotten the bleeding to stop (either completely or close to completely), you should clean out the cut with antibacterial soap, and then you should apply an antibacterial cream to a bandage and apply the bandage to the wound.

By taking these easy steps, you should not have any problems solving most flesh wounds, but if you have followed these steps and the situation has not improved, you can deem it to be a medical emergency, and you should immediately get in touch with an emergency medical technician to assist you.