Only water??  You must be kidding.It is we who think that pure water is boring.  This has spond the million dollar industry of flavored water or sport water with added vitamins.  Or you can buy natural mixers to add to your own bottled water.  Flavored water encourages people to drink more water.But aren’t we becoming a little spoiled here?

In contrast to enhanced or vitamin waters flavored waters are just that, flavor and water and a sweetener if you must. We have divided the flavored waters into two subsets: unsweetened and sweetened with various natural or artificial sweeteners.

Currently on the market are unsweetened bottled water, this is water with just a hint of a flavor to make the water not so boring.  Then there are the sweetened bottled water sweetened with sucralose or carbonated sweetened bottled water.There are many on the market that are claiming for zero calories.

Before you throw out your regular vitamins, you might want to read the label on one of these vitamin drinks very carefully. Take Glacéau Vitaminwater Essential Orange Carrot. The label claims that it packs a “megadose of vitamins and minerals from A all the way through zinc.” A closer look reveals that the $1.49 bottle delivers 100 calories but only between 2 percent and 50 percent of the daily value of 12 vitamins and minerals. Essentials, like folic acid and vitamin Bi and D, are also missing.

Oxygenated water (also known as “superoxygenated” water) is offered at hundreds of Web sites and from many companies representing multiple brands. Oxygenated water is highly recommended it if you happen to be a trout or salmon and you have gills to breathe.  If you have lungs to breathe, forget about it!
All  water that has been exposed to the air is “oxygenated” to a small extent– about 8 milligrams of O2 per liter of water at room temperature– and this can be increased by pressurizing the water with oxygen gas; each additional atmosphere of oxygen pressure pumps an additional 40 mg into each liter. But what happens when you open the bottle?  That’s right, the extra oxygen goes right back out— but not immediately, so by drinking oxygenated water, you can still take in a bit more oxygen. But can any oxygen molecules that don’t get burped back out actually find their way into your bloodstream through absorption in the stomach or intestine?

The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s nonprofit fitness advocate, announced results of an ACE commissioned study of super oxygenated waters that promise higher energy, greater mental awareness and concentration and more energy to all athletes who are “looking for a competitive edge or anyone who wants to be truly healthy.The study tested the claims and compared the physical performance effects of several oxygenated water products to regular tap water.

Researchers found that drinking super oxygenated water had no measurable effect on the subjects’ resting heart rate, blood pressure or blood lactate values. The results were not surprising to researchers. Porcari said, that there are only two ways possible to carry oxygen in the blood, either dissolved in the plasma or bound to hemoglobin. In normal healthy exercisers, hemoglobin is already 97 to 98 percent saturated with oxygen. No points for guessing that, there is a little room to improve up on this factor.”

“At this time, there is no scientific evidence or logical rationale to suggest that drinking super oxygenated water can in any way increase the amount of oxygen in the blood stream,” said Porcari. “Therefore, any potential benefits of super oxygenated water would undoubtedly be attributed to the placebo effect.”

Researchers conducted a dissolved oxygen analysis on three bottles of Aqua Rush and three bottles of SerVenRich. The tests disclosed that the oxygenated waters have three times less than the amount of oxygen found in tap water-markedly lower than its advertised claims.
The study results confirm ACE’s opinion that these types of products do not live up to their claims, but water is one of the most essential components of the human body. The American Council on Exercise has always and continues to promote healthy hydration. Water regulates the body’s temperature, cushions and protects vital organs, and aids the digestive system.  And you can get that from just plain water!

Tags: bottled water, carbonated bottled water, drinking oxygenated water, New Drinks

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or state, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor. About 1.460 petatonnes (Pt) of water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface, mostly in oceans and other large water bodies, with 1.6% of water below ground in aquifers and 0.001% in the air as vapor, clouds (formed of solid and liquid water particles suspended in air), and precipitation.  Saltwater oceans hold 97% of surface water, glaciers and polar ice caps 2.4%, and other land surface water such as rivers, lakes and ponds 0.6%. Some of the Earth’s water is contained within water towers, biological bodies, manufactured products, and food stores. Other water is trapped in ice caps, glaciers, aquifers, or in lakes, sometimes providing fresh water for life on land.

Sometimes plain old water gets boring, and adding some flavoring can help you drink more. You can buy flavored water, of course, but I think it’s one of the most overpriced things in the store. Here are some ideas for drinking fluids that don’t include adding a bunch of sugar, or cost a bunch of money.

If you wish to stay far from the artificial additives and caffeine, you can mix some flavor to your water using the natural way:
• A twist of lemon or lime (or a little juice)
• A small piece of fruit
• A little unsweetened cranberry concentrate (look in health food stores)
• A slice of cucumber (subtle, but refreshing)
• A mint leaf or two (”bruise” them a little to release the flavor
If you don’t mind some artificial sweetener or other additives, try adding:
• A little diet cranberry juice (not “light”, but “diet” — the light kind has more sugar)
• Crystal Light, Unsweetened Kool-Aid, or other sugar-free drink mix (but check carefully for hidden carbs in some)
• Make a lemonade or limeade by adding some juice (1 gram of carb per tablespoon) and a suitable sweetening agent
• Any of the above flavorings can be added to plain club soda, seltzer water, or diet tonic water.
• Buy flavored sparkling waters at the store.

You should replace milk and soda with water to drink when you are thirsty, but do not force yourself to drink water. Overhydration can cause cramps while exercising!

Buy a Pur filter for your tap water if you don’t like regular! It cleans out germs & makes it taste more fresh. You can buy flavors too for them like strawberry, peach, or raspberry to make your tap water fruity whenever required.

Aquafina has a product called FlavorSplash. FlavorSplash is a product that makes water fruit-flavored. Try this if you don’t like tap water!

One original way to making water more thirst-quenching is by mixing a teaspoon of honey with a Tablespoon of apple-cider vinegar to luke warm water in order to melt the honey. Stir well and add enough water to make a gallon. Chill it and enjoy after that! (There are many experts who recommend apple-cider vinegar for over-all health.)

Tags: flavored waters, Seltzer Water, soda, sparkling waters, Tap Water

Dynaflex Powerball

For more information about easy ways to lose weight and an updated version about fast weight loss tips go to Health and Fitness Tips.

Many people need to lose some weight, that’s a fact. Walk around where people gather, you’ll see it. Don’t laugh. Unfortunately you’re likely to see it in the mirror too. If you’ve made fast weight loss your goal, keep these simple things in mind to lose the pounds quickly and safely.

When people want to lose weight one of the most common things they do is to skip meals. It makes sense, right, cut out the calories by eating one less meal. Fewer calories means losing weight, right? Yes, but skipping meals is a mistake, not the right way to reduce calories. When you skip meals your body goes into starvation mode. It starts to retain fat to counteract what it perceives as a food shortage. Another problem with skipping meals is that when you finally eat you’ll be a lot more hungry. This could lead to binge eating. Skipping meals is the worst of both worlds that results in gaining even more weight. Don’t do it.

Have a plan on how much to eat. Portion control is just as important as eating the right food. Too much of even a healthy food will still result in weight gain. It’s hard to do when large portions are so common. Restaurants and even most people in home cooking serve portions far larger than needed. The FDA and other sources list recommended daily allowances. If you must eat out, keep portion size in mind. You’ll likely have to cut down on what a restaurant serves.

Eat more whole grain foods, skip the white grains such as white bread, sugar and white rice. Whole grains are lower in fat and higher in nutrients. The fiber in whole grains helps you become full faster, and feel fuller longer. Also whole grains contain many nutrients that are often lacking in people’s diets.

Consume more water. Drink it instead of juices and sodas which add about 90,000 calories to the average person’s diet each year. Drink it between meals too. The goal is 8 glasses of water each day. It seems like a lot, but it’s not. Drinking water also promotes health in general by keeping you well hydrated and cool.

Eat healthy snacks between meals. The body needs food every three to four hours to maintain proper blood sugar. Healthy snacks also help control eating at meal times.

With some knowledge and planning, fast weight loss is easily possible. Keep these things in mind and pretty soon you’ll see a slimmer you when you look into a mirror.

Tags: burn fat, fast weight loss, lose weight

Who among us has not had an experience with overeating? Stomach ache, and other digestion problems, is something we all want to avoid. But, if we cannot prevent it, we will welcome anything that offers fast relief!

Carbonated water eases the symptoms of some forms of stomach ailments as well as easing constipation. I learned this the hard way; unfortunately, this is usually how my lessons are learned.

My main symptom of stomach problems is feeling bloated or fullness in the upper abdominal region after overeating; overeating is something I do a lot. Normally, I just suffered; then I went to work for a man who would always take water and baking soda whenever he had these symptoms. One day, really miserable, I tried his remedy; after a short while, I felt markedly better.

As a result, I did some research to learn why this works so well. This was long before antacid medications were sold over the counter (OTC) and long before people became accustomed to run to the doctor with every ache, pain or stomach problem. Basically adding baking soda with water produces carbon dioxide gas with bubbles and somehow the bubbles and the ingredients form a solution that aids the movement of the digestive tract, relieving some of the unpleasantness from overeating – that bloated feeling goes away.

This adding baking soda and water actually forms carbonated water which has been used for years to treat digestive complaints, yet no research exists if it is effective or how it works. I did find some information about studies showing that both the bubbles of carbon dioxide and the presence of high minerals can make a positive difference to the digestive process. This is basically what I was making with baking soda and water. I discovered no information on whether the mineral-rich carbonated water or the bubbles are more effective.

I found some suggestions for stopping these problems before they develop, such as avoiding foods that cause your stomach problems, eating smaller meals, reduce eating a lot of fat, and if you smoke, stopping as soon as possible. Everyone should drink a healthy amount of fluids to maintain movement of the Gastrointestinal tract and preclude constipation.

I read about some devices to make homemade carbonated water, which you can use for drinking. By adding a number of flavors, a great option to regular soda pop is created, especially if you want to avoid the calories. If you make this homemade drink with water rich in minerals, you have concocted a very healthy and low calorie drink, called sparkling water, which is good for your whole family. A large assortment of calorie free flavors to flavor sparkling water to great taste is sold at allfreight.com.

My personal experience proves this: if you have overeaten but feel absolutely miserable and must work for the rest of the day, carbonated water does help.

Tags: carbonated water, digestion, indigestion, Overeating, soda water, stomach ache

There are many women who suddenly develop uncomfortable heartburn symptoms while they’re pregnant. One of the reasons for this is the elevated hormone levels in a pregnant woman’s body. This leads to softening of the ligaments which normally keep the lower esophageal sphincter tightly closed. Therefore, stomach acids are largely unhindered in travelling up to the throat and esophagus.

Another reason why pregnant women experience heartburn is because of increased pressure in the abdominal region due to the growth of the baby. Frequently this can force the contents of the stomach up to the esophagus.

There are various methods by which a pregnant woman can reduce the discomfort caused by heartburn. The following tips should give you some guidance in your search for heartburn relief.

* Stay away from foods that are known to cause heartburn. Included in this list are spicy foods, tomato products, chocolate, fried and fatty foods, and citrus.

* Don’t drink beverages that are high in caffeine like tea, coffee and cola.

* Avoid alcohol, which you should anyway for the health of your baby.

* Consume smaller portions of food. Eating mini meals spaced throughout the day will ease the pressure on the stomach.

* Don’t eat too fast.

* Don’t lie down to sleep until it’s been three hours since your last meal. This will help you avoid nighttime heartburn.

* Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. However, don’t drink too much while you’re eating. This leads to excess stomach expansion which helps to push out the gastric acids in your stomach.

* While sleeping keep your head elevated approximately six to eight inches. You might find a wedge shaped pillow to be helpful. This will assist gravity to keep the acids in your stomach from making their way up the esophagus.

* Avoid restrictive clothing. Tightness around the waist and stomach will trigger heartburn.

* Bend at the knees, not at the waist. This keeps pressure off the stomach.

* Watch your posture. Sit erect in a comfortable chair.

* Don’t gain an excessive amount of weight. All that surplus fat puts added pressure on the stomach.

* Stop smoking. Not only is it unhealthy for your baby, it contributes to heartburn symptoms.

Tags: acid reflux, heartburn, pregnancy heartburn

Are you purchasing bottled drinking water? If you do you’re not the only one. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), more than half of all people at large buy bottled H2O, to the tune of $4,000,000,000 each year.

Thespectacular snow capped mountains and glaciers leave us to consider that bottled water is pristine and more dependable to drink than municipal tap water, but this may not always the case as shown on NRDC’s site at www.nrdc.org.

Another prestigious source on bottled drinking water is the World Health Organization, and you can visit this site at www.who.int for more information from different point of view.

Not all bottled H2O is under examination, but not all is healthy and pure either. You may just be buying city water from the tap that has been bottled and then sold at thousands of times the cost of what you pay for city water from the tap.

Why do people pay so much for bottled water you inquire? Some city city water from the tap is less than desired; it smells bad and tastes gross. That would be sufficient for me right there. But those aren’t the only reasons why people prefer to buy bottled H2O.

It’s convenient too. Not everyone feels like taking around a Nalgene bottle everyday. It’s just another thing to keep track of throughout the day. Bottled drinking water is always an option to soda pop or other sugary beverages, and probably healthier for you even if some of it is just tap water.

There has been much discussion the last few years about the chemicals present in common water supplies, which is why companies that market bottled H2O are making a killing. Bottled H2O just has the image of being healthier and more pristine than what comes out of our tap. In all reality, we just shouldn’t have to choose bottled water over municipal tap water, even if it is trendier.

Before you start making regular outlays for bottled H2O you may want to check up on the brand you want to consider consuming great quantities of. Arrowhead Mountain Spring for instance, has a very customer friendly website at www.arrowheadwater.com where you will find answers to most if not all of your inquiries about this popular brand of bottled water.

Just check out the label of the next bottle you pick up to see if they have a internet site and what type of data they provide to individuals. If they don’t supply what you want to know, then you should be finding out about another brand, or just sticking with the water from the tap. It’s a lot less expensive.

Tags: Bottled Drinking Water, bottled water, bottled water safety

Oxygen is the most important substance to human life, and close behind is drinking clean, pure water to stay healthy.

The human body is able to survive for 30 days without food, but can only survibe up to three days without drinking water. This is because our bodies are made up of 80% water and without this vital substance, we would poison ourselves to death.

Drinking pure water helps the body to digest food and keeps our temperature consistent. It also distributes life giving oxygen to the body and removes waste and buidl up of toxins. You may be now understanding what can occur when our bodies do not have pure drinking water in the quantities we require for healthy living. We can start to suffer from dehydration and the symtoms it brings. Some of the effects of this are:

• Stomach Pain
• Lack of Energy
• Dry “Cotton” Mouth
• Dizziness and Headaches

Long term, the effects of dehydration can cause issues such as weight gain, high stress levels, kidney stones and other urinary problems and even asthma.

Converslely, the health benefits of drinking water include increased concentration, healthy skin, protection against colds and flu and detox of your body’s natural build up of toxins and waste.

It is well known that 8 glasses of water per day is about the right amount of water to drink to stay healthy, vital and active. If the weather is warm or you are exercising a lot, you will need to increase the amount of pure water you drink to benefit fully from the healthy effects water provides.

8 glasses of water per day is enough to cover the body’s natural loss of around 2.4 litres of water per day. This is lost through perspiration, urine, sweat and faeces on a daily basis, and an increase in the loss from any of these areas will require an increase in the intake of drinking water to make up for this loss.

Be sure to benefit your health from drinking pure water.

Tags: Drinking Water, health benefits of drinking water, pure drinking water, pure water

A famine is severe scarcity of food for a long time. It may be caused by lack of rain, excessive rain, flood, pests like locusts, over-population or disruption of food supply due to some natural disaster like earthquake or man-made disasters like riots, disturbances or prolonged strike in essential services.

The most common cause of famine in an agricultural country like India is failure of rain called drought. There is the dry weather for two or three successive years without rain. There is acute scarcity of food and other agricultural products, milk and water.

Wells, tanks and rivers dry up. There is no greenery seen anywhere. Scarcity of food and water hit people very hard. Prices of food, agricultural products and all essential things soar Cattle and sheep perish for want of fodder and drinking water. People face starvation and find it difficult to get even enough drinking water.

Government and voluntary charitable agencies start relief work. The government starts fair price shops, provides water and even distributes food and essential commodities free, h starts public works like building of roads to provide employment to the unemployed so that they can get money to buy the essential commodities. Government exempts farmers from land revenue, to provide relief to them.

Voluntary agencies collect funds and distribute foodgrains, clothes and other essential commodities free to the famine-stricken people. They provide grass and fodder to the cattle. They even provide free meals to the needy.

Thus through the combined efforts of the government and charitable institutions people are saved from starvation. Cattle are saved from death.

Thus generosity of people and the timely aid from the government help people to survive this natural calamity. But this is not sufficient. Government must take steps to prevent the recurrence of famine by increasing irrigation facilities so that farmers no longer have to depend upon rain. Government must also prevent felling of trees, pollution, etc., to prevent the weather getting dry and to prevent the failure of rainfall. Then only will people be saved from the calamity of famine.

Tags: FAMINE

Health has been one of the big issues being addressed nowadays. And with the most important commodities’ prices soaring up so high, there should really be no chances of getting sick. But then, budget belt is beginning to tighten up and more things are better spent with rather than with all medicines and hospitalizations!

Worry no more, simple yet effective means of protecting the family is brought closer to homes by means of water cleansing and purification. Of all the utilities and things we consider allotting a part of our budget, water is one thing we can never let go of. With the tap water available at your own convenience, plus a one time purchase of a reverse osmosis water purifier, not only health will be secured but your savings as well.

Here are some points you might want to go through to help you out about the reverse osmosis system:

• A choice for home and commercial facilities

Tap water is something anybody can use, anywhere and anytime. Though people might consider being just careful about what they drink or intake; little do we know that there is equal importance to have the same water be clean enough for external activities such as dish washing, laundry, bathing or cleansing. So to keep away your members from getting contact with contamination, installation of a reverse osmosis system will contribute more convenience in securing protection. For an ample amount to be spent once, you will get a hundredfold back of healthy assurance for all who uses the utility.

• Step to sanitization

In a complete cycle of sanitation process, reverse osmosis water purifiers are just one of the steps. For facilities using this system, sediment filters, activated carbon filter, ultra-violet lamp and chlorine are sometimes added to further keep contaminating chemicals, algae and other bacteria from growing into the pipes where the water flows.

Similar to the home version products, companies have started using additional processes in the reverse osmosis system for the natural water formations. In the less urban areas, such as the provinces, rivers, seas or ocean waters are being cleaned and maintained by means of reverse osmosis water purifiers.

• Other health benefits

Reverse osmosis water purifiers can be an alternative for food or diet supplements. This system is ideal for people owning a personal or water well supplied. Good for people on sodium-restricted diets, a reverse osmosis system provide effective fluoride reduction as well.

Now you have an idea how well reverse osmosis works. So the next time you stop by an offer to a cleaner and safer lifestyle, think about it again and consider spending, just for once, to get back more of the value not just for you but for everybody close to you.

Tags: reverse osmosis system, reverse osmosis water purifiers

Reverse osmosis water filter systems is a treatment process for water. It removes dissolved minerals, bacteria, impurities or harmful chlorine though a membrane which water are forced through it and it is usually installed under the kitchen sink or near the house water system.  Through this treatment process, the water is purer and improves the water taste. This system has existed over 40 years ago where it was designed to remove the minerals from water for the photography and printing industry.

Unfortunately, reverse osmosis treatment has various drawbacks. The main function of the treatment is forcing water through the membrane to eliminate the bad minerals however, at the same time; it also eliminates the good minerals such as trace mineral e.g. sodium, calcium or potassium which is good for our health. This would also changed the water pH level and develops it from alkaline to acidic due to higher hydrogen level. As water are consumed in heavy consumption in  our daily life, it is dangerous to drink acidic water as it will develop our body system to be weak making it a perfect situation for diseases to develop in our body system, for example, cancer.  

Elements that are lighter than water cannot be filtered out through reverse osmosis water treatment hence pesticides that are lighter than water could travel pass the filter system. Furthermore, as the treatment uses water to pushes through the membrane, water wastage is very high as for every clean gallon uses almost four gallons of water hence making it quite environment unfriendly. The process is also time-consuming as every clean gallon of water can takes up to 3 to 4 hours through reverse osmosis treatment and thus, resulting the water bill to an escalating high cost due to the extra water wastage.

As reverse osmosis water filter systems are often installed for kitchen usage only, the benefits (or not) would not be sufficient because we will come in contact which untreated water from other sources, for example, our showers or other basins at home.

This article is not suggesting that reverse osmosis water filter systems is bad, as like other water treatment processes, it has its own pros and cons. However, the bottom-line are reverse osmosis treatment although produces purer and odorless water but it also promote too much of water wastage, environmental unfriendly, eliminates the good minerals and costly.

Tags: reverse osmosis treatment, reverse osmosis water filter systems