What to Think About Before Purchasing a Water Cooler

Water coolers are now more abundantly available and affordably priced than every before. Investing in such an item is definitely worthwhile. You just need to consider your individual needs and requirements in order to get the best model for you.

Do you need purified as well as cool water? Many water coolers offer filtration as well as water cooling. In general, this is a great advantage to have. Your water will be clear from any harmful chemicals and pathogens. This is important for protecting your family members or employees. It should be pointed out that coolers with filters are not much more expensive than their standard counterparts. They require only little extra maintenance which you can handle yourself or leave to the manufacturer.

Do you need warm water also? Many water coolers produce warm water as well. These eliminate the need of kettles. This is a huge advantage in busy offices especially considering the fact that employees will not have to wait to get warm water for making tea or hot chocolate. Again, models producing warm water do not cost a lot more than the standard ones so you can readily consider investing in them.

How much is your water consumption? You have to answer this question in order to decide on the capacity of the cooler. Most models work with 2, 4 or 5-gallon bottles. It is best to opt for a model with a larger capacity if there are a lot of people that will be using the cooler. On the other hand, a small household should be perfectly fine with a model that works with 2-gallon bottles. Just keep in mind that you have to consider the weight of the bottles and how you will install them when deciding on the capacity.

How much space do you have for the water cooler? It is always a good idea to go for a model that is as compact as possible provided that size does not affect capacity adversely. Still, in order to be on the safe side, you should measure the amount of space available in the area where you will place the item. You have to be certain that you will be able to fit the cooler.

How much are you willing to spend on a water cooler? It is a good idea to set a budget, especially if you are going to buy more than one item. At the same time, you should shop around to find the most affordable cooler. Do not miss to ask for discounts and on sale items.

Swim Your Way To Great Health

This fitness and training article shares with you how swimming can be a great way to improve stamina, increase energy and fight workplace fatigue.

Swimming is a great all round activity for increasing your endurance and fitness. It is also non-impact which makes it an ideal activity for people of all ages and abilities. The fitter your body becomes the more tolerant you are against fatigue and illness. You are able to work better and focus more intently in your day to day activities,

With any exercise program, one must always consult their doctor or health practitioner before even commencing any movements or new routines, The following is provided for educational purposes only and does not take into account anyone's individual circumstances or levels of ability. It is best to seek a coach or a health professional for your own specific program.

Consider the type of equipment that you may want to use when going to swimming training. There are various aids used that will help identify technical problems and will self correct some technique issues.

Essential equipment that would recommend include the following: Swim Fins for your feet - used for drills and sprints to develop technique and power Swim Paddles - used for drills and upper body work to develop skills and upper body strength Goggles - keeps the water out of your eyes allowing you to be more comfortable Swim Cap - helps keep a little bit of water out of your ears, and also helps your goggles stay on Towel - obviously for drying your body down when you are finished your session. Kickboard - used for kicking drills to develop and condition the muscles in your legs. Great for toning the butt muscles. Pull-Bouy to go between your legs and allow you to focus on arm strokes only, used in conjunction with your hand paddles

Also consider the type of environment that you train in, the water temperature for swimming training should ideally be around 24 to 26 degrees. If the water is ideal you won't have to worry about being too cold or becoming overheated from the water being too hot.

The following "educational" swim program and workout would suit a beginner to intermediate level.

Week 1: swim 3 times per week for 30mins to 45mins Week 2: swim 4 times per week for 30mins to 45mins Week 3: swim 4 times per week. 2 times for 30mins, 1 time for 45mins and 1 time for 60min Week 4: swim 2 times for 45mins and 2 times for 60mins.

Sample Swim workout 1: warmup with 200m as 1 lap kick and 1 lap swim pre-set: 8x50m FREE as 20m fast 30m easy rest 15sec after each main: 4x100 FREE rest 30sec + 2 x 200 Breast or Back with Fins rest 45sec drills: 8x25 kick on side cooldown: 200m walk/swim

Sample Swim workout 2: warmup with 200m as 1 lap backstroke kick and 1 lap swim breast pre-set: 8x50m FREE as 1=50m Easy, 2=25m easy, 25m fast, 3=25m fast 25m easy, 4=50m Fast main: 2x 400m as 300m Free + 100m backstroke or breaststroke drills: 16x25 kick on board rest 10 secs cooldown: 200m walk/swim

For more detailed coaching and programs join a local swim training program and seek a good coach to help you with your swimming technique.

Keeping Young With Exercise

New research has shown that routine exercise can boost brain functions. This can help combat depression, alleviate stress, increase your memory, and even help fight the aging process. Regardless of age, exercise has been proven to help sharpen your brain's abilities. This is perhaps nowhere as important as it is with the elderly. Whether it is a half hour jog or something as light as a few minutes of playing Nintendo Wii, your body and mind will benefit from the stimulation.

The way it works is quite complicated, but a new book titled Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, lays it out quite clearly. Written by John J. Ratey, MD, and Eric Hagerman, the book explains in simple terms how exercise can turn your life around.

Your brain works on a system of on and off impulses. Glutamate signals action to begin in the brain, while gamma-aminobutyric acid ceases action. These chemicals are transmitted between brain cells, called neurons, and account for about 80 percent of brain activity. Your brain also has other chemicals which facilitate this transmittal process: serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. These chemicals affect the speed and efficiency of the signals sent between neurons. Known as neurotransmitters, these chemicals are extremely important.

Brain signals begin by the electrical impulses that take place within neurons. Chemicals are then emitted by the synapses which are received by other nearby brain cells. The neurotransmitters can be vital in how quickly your brain responds to the electrical and chemical impulses that your neurons create. Mood and memory are just two of the many important functions that these neurotransmitters affect.

There are a few things that can influence your brain's chemistry. The most primary is just how you are hard-wired. Some people just have different compositions. Medication is another influencer. A drug like Prozac will increase levels of serotonin within your brain. Exercise is a third influence. Going for a run will also help build up neurotransmitter levels.

This is not all that exercise does. Your brain learns through repetition. Exercise helps strengthen the attraction between neurons, thus helping to build longer term communication between these brain cells. Age deteriorates these connections-exercise helps prevent and reverse this. As you can see, not only is exercise going to keep you looking younger, it will help you to think younger as well. When the glutamate is fired off between neurons, it becomes easier and quicker for a brain that has been receiving physical exercise to receive and interpret the signals. An increase in memory is just one of the byproducts that can occur because of such a modification to your everyday routine. By simply adding exercise to your lifestyle you can keep yourself acting and thinking younger.

Maintaining a Healthy Diet And Working Out

Exercising is hardly about strength training and exercising regularly, there are so many other things that you also have to cater to. Let me assure you that exercising regularly is no joke. If you desire for your muscles to build up rapidly and in a proper manner, one of the most important things that you have to take care of is your diet. To allow them to grow properly, your muscles need energy which is obtained from food.

Although diet is vital, many people don't know what type of diet plan to implement with their workout routine. Plenty of information is available on the internet and other sources. Perhaps the biggest issue is that these sources supply you with large amounts of diverse information. Therefore, in the following paragraphs, you'll read up on some common muscle building tips that will enable you to grow your muscles properly. But the fact is that there is no perfect solution to muscle development given that the two most important items that you need to have are patience and the will to keep at it.

Basically, a muscle building diet contains 3 fundamental elements. These three elements are carbohydrates, fats plus proteins.

After water, the chief constituent of the human body is protein. Protein helps your system to recuperate from muscular injuries by repairing muscular tissues, growing brand new ones and maintaining them as well. Hence, once you start training you need plenty of proteins because the muscles that you break while working out have to be replaced by stronger muscles that can only be built by your body if you consume proteins. Thus, the first thing that you need to do is eat more proteins.

The strength that your body needs is primarily derived from carbohydrates which can be either simple or complex. Simple carbs can be taken from items such as fruits which supply a temporary burst of energy. On the other hand, the vitality that our body needs over time and that which is important for exercising arises from complex carbohydrate food items which can be received from brown bread along with rice.

One last thing to keep in mind would be to eat moderate amounts of fats as well since that is the goal of every successful muscle building diet. But you do need good fats for optimal functionality and this is why you should certainly consume things like olive oil and nuts although reduction of trans and fatty foods is best avoided.

Exercising And Eating

When people start exercising, they start exercising to stay in good health. You should know that if you exercise you have to eat healthy as well, for your body to have the energy it needs to exercise and keep energy to finish every day task. So what you eat before and after you exercise is very important.

It is best for you to make sure you eat a balanced mix of carbohydrates and protein, no matter if you are doing a resistance workout or a cardio routine, make sure you eat a balanced meal before and after you exercises.

The best time to eat your balanced pre workout meal is an hour before you start exercising. If your exercise routine is a high intensity workout you going to need to eat a meal with at least 4,000 to 5,000 calories. If your exercise routine is a low intensity workout like cardio your pre workout meal is be at least 200 calories.

Cardio Workouts

If you are doing cardio workouts, you should consume at least 2/3 of card and 1/3 protein. This will give you more and longer energy to keep your muscles from tearing down while working out.

Resistance Exercises

If your choice of exercising is a resistance workout routine, you should eat a balanced 1/3 carbs and 2/3 protein, this will give you plenty of energy for you to perform each set and muscle tear down to a minimum while exercising.

Eating After A Cardio Workout

When you finish doing a cardio workout, you need to get some carbohydrates, with high fiber. Whole wheat, rice, pasta and oatmeal are some good choices. Also eat 30 - 50 grams of carbs after you do a cardio workout. It's ok to eat 5 to 10 minutes after you exercise.

What To Eat After A Resistance Workout

After you finish a resistance workout routine, your muscles will break down and will create micro tears. This means, that after you finish your workout, your muscles will start to repair their self. So protein is the key for repairing your muscles, and what you will need to build up and repair these micro tears so your muscles can increase in strength and size.

You will need to consume carbs and protein after a resistance workout. Unlike a cardio routine, a resistance routine will tear down your muscles and create micro tears.

You should wait at least 30 minutes after doing a resistance exercise, so the blood won't leave away from your muscles to quick. This will remove the metabolic waste products and the blood in your muscles will help repair them.

In addition, it is very important to drink after you exercise for instance for each pound you lose, you should drink 2 cups of water. Because your body will lose a lot of water. If you wait to be thirsty you done already lost two cups of water in your body. So you should drink water on the regular while you are exercising and after you exercise.