It is common sense that a healthy lifestyle will make you feel better and simply live longer, but why does a healthy lifestyle make you healthier?

How to live a healthy lifestyle so you can enjoy all it’s benefits?This article speaks about that!

Your body is a complex set of systems that strive for balance. When your body is in balance you feel good and are healthy. Each system must work in harmony for you to be at your optimum health. When your body is out of balance you not only feel bad, but you are more susceptible to illness and disease. One of the biggest benefits of a healthy lifestyle is maintaining this balance and following good habits.

WHAT IS A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE?

A healthy lifestyle is all about balance. Eating the right foods, getting plenty of exercise and having a positive attitude are the cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle. Include plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, low fat protein sources, and whole wheat bread and pasta, and drink at least 8 glasses of water to have a healthy diet.

The American Heart Association recommends you get 30 minutes of exercise at least three times a week. Of course you should not smoke, take illegal drugs or abuse alcohol. Find enjoyable hobbies and try to look on the positive side of life. You will get down in the dumps once in a while, but try not to stay there. All of these things will add up to a healthy lifestyle and you will reap the benefits.

Healthy Mind/Healthy Body
You are more than just a collection of bodily systems. Your personality and mind play an important part of your overall health. Studies by leading universities have found a correlation between a positive attitude and your overall heal and how fast you heal from injury and disease. Another interesting finding is that people who are engaged in a spiritual life heal faster and can handle stress better than non-spiritual people.

Anyone can benefit from meditation. Meditation helps you to find your center and quiet your mind. A positive attitude is also very beneficial to your health. It can boost your immune system and protect you from catching every bug that comes along. The American Heart Association recommends regular exercise to boost your mental abilities. The reasons for this include an increased blood flow to the brain and release of the “feel good” hormones from exercise.

Keep Your Blood Flowing
Your circulatory system will benefit from a healthy lifestyle in many ways. When you eat right and get exercise your oxygen levels increase. This gives your body’s cells the energy they need to perform at their peak level. A healthy lifestyle prevents heart disease by keeping your arteries and blood vessels strong and elastic. Regular exercise strengthens your heart and lungs keeping your body fit.

A healthy diet low in fat and sugar can prevent the build up of plaque in your blood vessels and reduce your risk for heart attacks and strokes. It also keeps your cholesterol and triglyceride levels normal, another important preventative measure to prevent heart disease.

Strengthen Your Bones
Strong bones support your body and prevent osteoporosis. Your bones are the framework of your body and keeping them strong is important. When you lead a healthy lifestyle a good diet and exercise will strengthen your bones.

Getting enough calcium and minerals is important to build and maintain your bones. The Mayo Clinic reports that regular exercise not only builds muscle, but strengthens bones.

Breathe Easier
People who do not smoke have a much lower incidence of asthma and respiratory conditions. Men have a 23 times greater risk for lung cancer and women have a 13 times greater risk if they smoke than non-smokers. Smoking increases your risk for heart disease by 200 to 400 percent. Not smoking is just part of a health lifestyle, check some reasons to quit smoking.

Regular exercise increases your lung capacity and strengthens your lungs. It keeps your airways clear and helps prevent respiratory issues. When your lungs work better you bring in more oxygen which increases your overall health throughout your entire body.

Better Digestion
A diet high in fiber, low in fat and low in sugar helps your digestive system work well. An adequate amount of water also helps waste travel through your digestive system. Exercise increases the action of your digestive system because much of the action of your intestines depends upon the action of the surrounding muscles. When you exercise regularly your body burns the calories you consumes and gets rid of waste more efficiently.

It’s Never Too Late
It’s never too late to start a healthy lifestyle. It is not hard to develop healthy habits. It just takes commitment and education. Research your options to start living a healthy lifestyle and develop a plan to get your body in its peak condition. You will feel better, look better and have a better quality of life.

If you are pregnant your eating plan needs to change because you have nutritional needs that you do not have when you are not expecting. Remember everything you eat, drink and are exposed to also affect your baby. Your unborn child gets all of its nutrients from the things you eat and if you do not have enough of a nutrient, your body may begin to supply it from its reserves. Enjoy reading our healthy food guide for pregnant women.

One example of this is calcium. If you do not consume enough calcium in your diet or through supplements, your body will supply it to your unborn child from the reserves in your body. This can make your bones and teeth weak as well as affect your nails and skin. Get the nutrients you and your unborn baby need through a diet plan that is formulated especially for pregnant women.

IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS FOR PREGNANT WOMAN

Vitamins A and E, iron, potassium and folic acid are all essential for pregnant women. While your prenatal vitamins prescribed by your doctor give you an extra boost of essential vitamins and minerals, you can not rely on them to give you complete nutrition. Nothing replaces a healthy diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables as well as lean protein sources and whole grains. Take your prenatal vitamins, but also eat a balanced healthy diet to give you and your baby the nutrition you both need to be healthy.

Two of the most important nutrients for pregnant women are folic acid and iron. Folic acidhas been proven to help prevent neural tube defects. These are defects in your baby’s spinal cord and brain. Folic acid also helps prevent cleft lip and congenital heart disease. Iron protects you from developing anemia, a lack of red blood cells.
Iron also helps increase the oxygen transference in your bloodstream and builds red blood cells for the increased amount of blood you need in your body. Your baby also needs to store red blood cells to be used in the first few months of life.

Do not take large amounts of vitamins and minerals thinking more is better. Too much Vitamin A can cause birth defects, and be wary of herbal supplements. Herbal supplements have not been studied for their effects on unborn babies so don’t take chances. Take your prenatal vitamins as prescribed by your doctor. If you find they upset your stomach, try taking them at night or with meals.

DIETARY RECOMMENDATIONS

When you are pregnant you will give your baby a good start by eating a healthy and balanced diet. Some of the foods to include in your diet include the following which are high in the vitamins and minerals you and your baby need:

1. Fortified cereals and fortified whole wheat bread and pasta
2. Wheat germ
3. Orange vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkin
4. Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, collards, beet greens and turnip greens
5. Winter squash
6. Tomatoes and tomato sauces
7. Sweet red peppers
8. Melons like cantaloupe and honeydew
9. Citrus fruits and juices such as oranges and red or pink grapefruit
10. Orange fruits like mangoes and apricots
11. Bananas
12. Avocado
13. Fat-free dairy products
14. Dried beans and peas are excellent sources of protein. When served with a carbohydrate like rice they form a complete protein
15. Lean beef, pork and chicken
16. Shrimp, oysters, crab and clams
17. Halibut, rainbow trout, cod, herring, rockfish, sardines and yellow fin tuna

Foods to avoid include excess sugar, caffeinated coffee and tea, soda, diet soda, alcohol and foods high in fat and cholesterol. Drink plenty of water to keep your system clean and aid in digestion and bowel movements. If you experience indigestion, consult with your doctor about the use of antacids, or try a cup of peppermint tea to settle your stomach.

PORTION CONTROL

Your doctor will more than likely tell you not to gain much weight during your pregnancy. This can be hard because you may feel hungry most of the time. Snack on healthy foods like carrot sticks and some ranch dressing, celery and peanut butter, or an apple with cream cheese or peanut butter. Pay close attention to the serving sizes of your meals. One half cup is generally the serving size of starchy vegetables and high sugar fruits. Three ounces of meat is a usually a serving, but your doctor will give you guidance about your particular caloric allowance.

Although you want to eat healthy, don’t deprive yourself of a treat now and then. A piece of cake or pie is fine as long as you stop at one piece. Many times you can have up to 300 extra calories per day. This means you can have a treat once in a while so you don’t feel like you are missing out on your favorite treats.

Eat healthy, get plenty of rest and take your prenatal vitamins and you can give your baby a healthy start to life.

When most people think of coconut oil, they merely consider its ability to flavor food. But the truth is that flavoring food only scratches the surface of what coconut oil can do since it’s a useful beauty product, offers healing powers, helps with weight loss and does much, much more. Seeing as how coconut oil has so many all-purpose benefits, it’s worth looking at this product more in-depth.              

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXPELLED AND VIRGIN COCONUT OIL

There are different types of coconut oil that will provide the desired result you’re looking for. If you don’t want to add a coconut flavor or smell to a recipe, expeller pressed (refined) coconut oil is the perfect choice for you; it can be used for cooking and beauty treatments.

The most common type found in health food stores is virgin (unrefined) coconut oil. You can add the coconut oil to recipes in place of butter and other oils, and you’re also able to use this type of coconut oil as a beauty treatment on both skin and hair. Extra virgin coconut oil is the best oil to have for beauty-related treatments and can be used in the same way as the other oils mentioned.

THE HEALING POWERS OF COCONUT OIL

There is little that coconut can’t cure or treat, and it’s a one-of-a-kind oil that has become increasingly popular. Furthermore, coconut oil is great for fighting off various illnesses and can be applied topically or swallowed.

People who suffer from ulcers, urinary tract infections, yeast infections, gum diseases, and throat infections will benefit from taking coconut oil orally because it has anti-bacterial capabilities. You can also use coconut oil to promote a healthy immune system since it’s anti-carcinogenic, which means it prevents the spread of cancer cells.

As if those reasons aren’t enough, coconut oil can kill viruses that cause influenza, among other viruses, with its anti-viral capabilities. This oil is also a great antioxidant, so you can use it to keep free-radicals from damaging your skin.

If you’re looking for an inflammatory suppressant, then look no further: coconut oil is also anti-parasitic and can help your body absorb minerals and vitamins more efficiently. You can feed coconut oil to your animals to help keep fleas off of them, and children can eat small amounts with no discomforting side effects.

Here are just a few health problems that coconut oil will help relieve when it is taken internally:

• Acid reflux and indigestion (consume coconut oil after meals)
• Asthma (even in children)
• Bowel function
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Kidney Stones (helps to dissolve them)
• Migraines (if taken regularly)

HOW TO USE COCONUT OIL FOR HEALTH & BEAUTY PURPOSES

Coconut oil has been used in various beauty treatments for skin and hair. Taking coconut oil orally can improve the appearance of skin, boost your immune system, and help your hair look shinier. You can also apply it topically to reduce a lot of skin issues, as well as combat dry and damaged hair. Here is a list of ways to use coconut oil to enhance your natural beauty and health of your body.

Decrease Discoloration on Skin
A small amount of coconut oil applied to age spots (liver spots) will help to fade them gradually. It does require dedication and regular use of coconut oil though. If you have bruises, you can use this same method to encourage a speedy healing process while minimizing swelling. You’ll also be glad to learn that coconut oil is great to apply on small burns; it has a natural cooling sensation and helps to alleviate pain.

Soothe Skin Irritations
Skin goes hand-in-hand with coconut oil; they’re best friends because psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, stretch marks, and sunburn can all be treated using coconut oil. It’s great for damaged skin, and it helps even-out discolorations as well.

Use coconut oil as an aftershave because it won’t clog your pores, yet will alleviate pain associated with razor burn. Rub the oil onto your legs or face before shaving to help nourish and protect from possible cuts or razor burn. Bug bites are itchy and can be painful, but using the oil will soothe the uncomfortable sensation and helps to heal the bite faster. You can also use coconut oil on small cuts and scrapes to both protect from infection and speed up the healing time.

Prevent or Slow Hair Loss

If you’re worried about hair loss, start using coconut oil to keep your cells happy. Apply coconut oil to the areas of your scalp you are most concerned about three times a day. This oil is also great to use as a hair conditioner by applying the coconut oil to the ends of your hair. You can also apply it to your scalp to relieve dandruff and dry scalp.

Tone Down Frizzy Hair
Apply coconut oil to your hair before shampooing since it cuts down on the frizz and promotes shiny hair. It will also help reduce split ends and damage caused by hot hair tools. Make it a hot oil treatment by soaking a towel in hot water, then, with a shower cap on your coconut covered strands, wrap the towel around your head and leave it on for 15 or more minutes.

Soothe Diaper Rash
For babies with sore bottoms, coconut oil is an organic way of relieving the pain and discomfort, and this method is compatible with cloth diapers. For babies with a dry scalp, rub coconut oil on the scalp to moisturize the dry skin. When you’re between feedings, your nipples can become dry, so put coconut oil on a cotton ball or cotton round and leave it on your nipples between feedings.

Moisturizing Lip Balm
Coconut oil is a great natural moisturizer for skin all over your body. Your lips become dry and chapped, so using coconut oil as a moisturizing lip balm helps to soothe your lips and prevents other issues with them. Put some coconut oil in a small container to keep in your purse; even if you don’t use it every day, you’ll have it with you in case of emergencies.


Antiperspirant

It may be surprising to learn that coconut oil is a great deodorant, and the power of it increases with the help of cornstarch and baking soda. This is a great all-natural deodorant to try for sensitive skin.


Brown Sugar and Coconut Exfoliate

Using coconut oil as a moisturizer is not a big secret, but it can also be used as an aid to exfoliate your skin. Combine coconut oil with brown sugar for an effective body scrub and exfoliate. Sea salt can also be used, but isn’t as gentle as sugar. 


Heal Skin around Eyes

To take care of puffy eyes, under-eye bags and wrinkles, dab coconut oil below your eyes as you would with an eye cream. It’s also gentle enough to apply to the eyelids before bed. Applying coconut oil to your skin will help strengthen connective tissue in your skin, which prevents wrinkles from forming and reduces the appearance of wrinkles that you already have.

Face Wash
Coconut oil is an all-around beauty miracle product because it not only acts as a moisturizer and exfoliates, but it can also be used as a face wash too. Mix together a half teaspoon of coconut oil with a half teaspoon of olive oil or castor oil, and use this instead of other face washes to wash your face. It’s best used on those with dry skin, but it is healthy for all skin types. Rinse the oils off of your face after letting it sit for a minute or two; pat your face dry and continue with the rest of your routine. 


Tame Frizz, Promote Curls

A little goes a long way, but you can also use coconut oil as a curl booster in your curly or wavy hair. Get a small amount and melt the oil in by rubbing it between your hands. Scrunch your hair to de-frizz your curls and add shine (stay away from your roots); this works for all hair types.


Makeup Remover
The best makeup remover is one that requires little-to-no rubbing at all, breaks up oils in the makeup, and leaves your skin feeling hydrated, rather than bone dry. Interestingly enough, coconut oil can do all of these things. Hold a cotton ball with coconut oil over your eyes for a few seconds before swiping the product off of your lids and lashes. Then continue using the oil to remove the makeup from the rest of your face.

Nourishing Massage Oil
Coconut oil proves to be great massage oil because it nourishes skin while allowing your hands to move around easily. A lot of massage oils sold today have no nourishing benefits to them, and tend to be sticky; however, coconut oil feels, tastes and smells great, and gives your skin a boost of nourishing moisture to boot. 


Tame Oily Skin

Although there are a lot of skeptics surrounding the use of coconut oil on oily and acne-prone skin, it’s truly nothing to worry about. Use a pea-sized dollop of coconut oil as a foundation makeup primer because this is said to reduce oily appearances.


Mild Sun Block
Coconut oil even has small amounts of SPF, which makes it great to use if you’re going to be outdoors for a short while – although it is still suggested that you use a sunscreen lotion with an SPF of no less than 15. Coconut oil applied to your hair before leaving the house in the summer can help protect your hair from the sun’s damaging rays.

Heal Tattoos
Body art is becoming more and more popular, and not too many people know that coconut oil is a great moisturizing tattoo healer. It will lessen the chances of infection, and moisturize your tattoo to a speedy healing process.


Make Toothpaste
If you’re out of your favorite toothpaste, you can mix baking soda and coconut oil to create one from scratch. Put the mixture on your brush and you’ll have clean teeth in no time at all.

Prevent Nosebleeds
Changes in weather can create nosebleeds, but using a Q-tip to apply coconut oil to coat the inside of your nostrils helps prevent them from happening.

REASONS TO EAT COCONUT OIL

There are plenty of reasons to apply coconut oil to your skin and hair topically, but the benefits of eating coconut oil are abundant too! Eating coconut oil regularly will help boost immunity among other things. Here is a list of ways coconut oil will help you. And note that you can add coconut oil to various foods or just eat it out of the jar. Before feeding coconut oil to children under 12, it’s best to consult their physician – although a lot of mothers who make their own baby food add small amounts of coconut oil to their food for the added nutrition.

TIPS FOR COOKING WITH COCONUT OIL

Coconut oil can be a great substitute for margarine and butter; just replace the amount of butter or margarine your recipe calls for with coconut oil. If you’re used to using butter, lard, Crisco, or Pam to grease your pans, you can try using coconut oil in its solid form to make your recipe a little healthier.

Also use coconut oil to sauté vegetables, add it to smoothies, put it on baked potatoes, or add it to almond butter or other nut jars of butter to make them creamier.

Mothers who Breastfeed

For mothers who are breastfeeding, eating three tablespoons of coconut oil a day will enhance the nutrients in the breast milk.

Healthy Bones and Teeth

Coconut oil can help your body absorb magnesium, calcium, amino acids, and other vitamins and minerals, which are very beneficial to your bones and teeth. The absorption of essential nutrients will also help your digestion, and coconut oil has saturated fats which keep indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, and other digestion-related issues in check.

HELPS WITH WEIGHT LOSS

When you eat coconut oil, you will see an increase of energy because it triggers your metabolism, betters your thyroid function, and increases your endurance. Coconut oil also helps to maintain cravings while increasing your metabolic rate.

Using Coconut Oil with Animals

As with humans, animals will benefit from eating coconut oil too, and most of the benefits we have with using coconut oil also apply to your animals. It’s best to ask your veterinarian for how much coconut oil you should give your pets; the basic formula for figuring out the dosage for your animals is to give them one-fourth of a teaspoon for every 10 pounds their bodyweight.

Feeding Coconut Oil to Animals

Feed your animals coconut oil by adding it to their food, water, or just giving it to them directly from a spoon to help maintain healthy digestive tract, relieve arthritis and ligament pain, and reduce hairballs and coughing.

You’ll be happy to know that coconut oil helps heal your pet’s dry skin, flea bites, eczema, itchy skin, cuts, and stings when applied topically. Applying coconut oil topically will disinfect cuts, bites, and other wounds that occur. Coconut oil is also used for the prevention and control of animal diabetes, weight loss, brain energy and reducing odors.

OTHER CLEVER USES FOR COCONUT OIL

The use of coconut oil for your health and beauty are abundant, but there are other reasons to keep coconut oil on hand. Use coconut oil to remove chewing gum from your hair by massaging the oil onto the gum stuck in your hair; this saturates the gum and hair around it. Leave the oil on your hair for half of an hour, and then use your fingers to roll the gum out of your hair.

Remove Glue and Make Soap

For arts and crafts, coconut oil and baking soda come in handy to remove leftover residue on jars and bottles from labels and tape. Mix together equal parts oil to baking soda, apply the paste to the sticky area, leave on for a minute or two, and then scrub off with a ball of foil, scrub brush or toothbrush. If you enjoy making homemade soap, try using coconut oil as a fat in the soap!

Polish Furniture and Kitchen Utensils

Polish and clean wood furniture and leather items with coconut oil; mix coconut oil with a small amount of lemon to polish and clean wood furniture, cabinets and shelves. But before using the mixture on your items, test it on a small area to be sure you like the results of using the mixture.

When you’re polishing leather, just using coconut oil will due. You can also use coconut oil and lemon to cleanse and polish wood cutting boards, spoons, and bowls in your kitchen. If you happen to have a bronze statue, then you can use coconut oil to keep the statue shiny and deepen the bronze color.

Insect Repellent

If you’re prone to attracting insects and suffer from itchy bites, use coconut oil and peppermint oil extract to massage onto the exposed skin. This mixture will keep insects away more effectively than store-bought repellants with fewer chemicals.

With so many uses for coconut oil, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be using it! Don’t forget to share “Health Benefits of Coconut Oil & Beauty Uses” article with your friends!

After a major life event like bypass surgery, it’s understandable that you’d be in a hurry to buy life insurance as soon as possible. This is often a mistake. Life insurance companies will see your past surgery and this could prevent you from receiving a policy.

To qualify for insurance after a bypass, you need to plan right and fill out a good application. To get you ready, here is a review of the insurance guidelines for after bypass surgery as well as some tips to help you with your application.

When you’re shopping for life insurance protection, there are dozens of different factors that you’ll need to consider. It can be a confusing and difficult process, especially if you’ve had a bypass surgery in the past. Life insurance is one of the most important purchases that you’ll ever make for your loved ones, and your health shouldn’t keep you from getting the protection that your family deserves.

Life Insurance Underwriting after Bypass Surgery

When you apply for life insurance, you’ll need to answer several questions about your bypass surgery for your application. You’ll need to answer:

• What did you have your bypass surgery?
• Why did you need to have bypass surgery? Was it an elective or emergency procedure?
• Have you ever had any other types of heart surgeries like a heart valve replacement?
• Were there any complications after the surgery like internal bleeding, cardiac tamponade, or a stroke?
• Do you have any other high risk factors for heart disease like smoking, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure?
• Do you have a history of heart disease?
• What medications are you taking because of the bypass surgery?

Common medications for after a stroke include: Clopidogrel, Beta blockers, Nitrates, ACE inhibitors, and Lipids.  All of these medications for a stroke could be insurable depending on your health after the surgery.

Be sure to answer all these questions in detail for your application. For life insurance underwriting, more information is better. If an underwriter felt your application was incomplete, especially after something major like bypass surgery, there’s a good chance you’d get a poor rating or a denial.

Life Insurance Quotes after Bypass Surgery

If you’ve had bypass surgery, it’s very important to delay your life insurance application for some time after your surgery. This is because life insurance companies typically deny applicants that just had bypass surgery; there are too many complications that can come up. It’s best to wait at least 6 months to a year before applying.

When you apply, insurance companies will review the details of your bypass surgery as well as your overall health to make a decision. Your rating would depend on how well the surgery went as well as whether you are taking steps to avoid future heart problems. While each insurance company uses slightly different underwriting standards, here are some general guidelines to help you estimate what rating you’ll get for your life insurance.

• Preferred Plus: It’s not possible to get a preferred plus rating after bypass surgery, even if you are healthy and the procedure went well. There is just too high a chance of future heart problems for insurance companies to be willing to give the best rating.
• Preferred:  Also usually impossible for applicants that have had bypass surgery. In very rare cases, someone that had an elective bypass and was otherwise in perfect health might qualify for a preferred rating, but this is not something you should expect.
• Standard:  The best possible rating for most applicants after a bypass surgery. Applicants need to have waited at least a year after the surgery and be in perfect health otherwise. The bypass surgery also must have been a minor procedure, like elective surgery to get around a blockage early.
• Table Rating (substandard):  A table rating is the most likely rating for applicants that have had bypass surgery. Applicants should have waited at least 6 months after their surgery to qualify. Rating will depend on the severity of the bypass surgery, whether there were any complications, whether the applicant had other procedures like a heart valve replacement, and the applicant’s general health and family history.
• Declines: Applicants that apply within 6 months of their bypass surgery. Also, applicants that aren’t regularly seeing their doctor, have a history of serious heart problems, and/or have heart risk factors like smoking or high cholesterol could also be denied.

Bypass Surgery Case Studies

If you’ve had bypass surgery, it’s very important that you plan your application right. Here are a couple real life examples that show the difference your application can make.

Case Study #1: Female, 63 y/o, non-smoker, had bypass surgery for a small blockage at 61, tried applying right away and was denied, otherwise in good health.

This client has a small valve blockage a few years ago that she decided to have removed through elective bypass surgery. Immediately after the procedure, she tried to buy more life insurance. Since she didn’t give anytime between her procedure and her application, the insurance company denied her application. At this point, the client thought she couldn’t get coverage. After contacting us, we recommended she try again. Since she had waited the appropriate amount of time, she qualified for a standard policy this time around.

Case Study #2:  Male, 57 y/o, needed bypass surgery at 54, former smoker, recently lost weight and reduced cholesterol levels, taking lipids for cholesterol.

This applicant had an unhealthy lifestyle. He smoked, had a poor diet, and didn’t exercise. This lifestyle eventually forced him to have bypass surgery. After the surgery, this client started living a much healthier life. He also started taking lipids for his cholesterol, as this was a big part of why he had heart problems.

Despite these improvements, this applicant still had trouble getting life insurance. We believed this was because insurance companies were too focused on his past history. We recommended this applicant meet with his doctor and get a note vouching for his improved health. By reapplying with this note, the applicant got a Table Level 2 Policy, a decent rating for someone in his condition.

As you can see from the examples, there are dozens of different factors that the insurance company is going to look at, and every applicant is going to be different. There are no two applications that are the same, and every company is going to view your application differently. Some insurance companies are going to view a history with a bypass survey more favorably than other companies are going to. Finding the right company could be the difference in getting approved for affordable coverage or getting a plan that’s going to break your bank every month.

Getting Affordable Life Insurance Coverage After Bypass Surgery

As an applicant with a bypass surgery in the past, you’re going to be facing higher premiums, but that doesn’t mean that you have to purchase a policy that is going to break your bank every month. There are several ways that you can get lower insurance rates for your coverage.

The first thing that you should do is cut out any tobacco. Using tobacco is hands-down one of the worst things that you can do for your life insurance premiums. In fact, anyone that uses tobacco is going to pay twice as much for their plan versus what a non-user is going to pay for the same sized plan.

Another way to save money on your life insurance protection is to improve your health. As a person with a bypass surgery, you’ve already have one red flag on your application, which means it’s important that you improve the rest of your overall health. Starting a healthy diet and getting regular exercise can help you lose weight, lower your cholesterol, and a whole host of other health benefits. All of these are going to translate into lower rates for your insurance coverage. If you want to save money every month on your coverage, it’s time to lace up your running shoes.

Comparing different policies is always going to be the best way to save money. As we mentioned, every company is different, and all of them are going to give you different premiums. You’ll get drastically varying rates based on the company that you get the quote from.

We spend a lot of time talking about how couples, families and businesses can protect their financial futures with life insurance. But what about if you are single—do you need life insurance, too?

There are those people who have no children, no one depending on their income, no ongoing financial obligations and sufficient cash to cover their final expenses. But how many of those people do you really know? And, more importantly, are you one of them?

I think it’s important, then, to illustrate how a life insurance purchase can be a smart financial move for someone who is single with no children. Asking yourself these three questions can help you get at the heart of the matter:

• Do you provide financial support for aging parents or siblings?
• Do you have substantial debt you wouldn’t want to pass on to surviving family members if you were to die prematurely?
• Did family members pay for your education?

Don’t Take My Word for It

Life insurance is an excellent way to address these obligations, and in the case of tuition, reimburse family members for their support. But don’t just take my word for it. Instead, “do your own math.” This life Insurance Needs Calculator can help you quickly understand if there is a need—a need you might not be aware of—that could be easily addressed with life insurance.

The most important reason for you to consider life insurance may be the peace of mind you’ll have.

In addition to addressing any financial obligations you might have, the current economic climate has made permanent life insurance an attractive means to help you build a secure long-term rate of return for safe money assets. The cash value in traditional life insurance can provide you with money for opportunities, emergencies and even retirement.

For young singles, keep in mind that you have youth on your side. I don’t mean to sound trite. Instead, I’d like you to think about the fact that purchasing life insurance is very affordable when you’re young and allows you to protect your insurability for when there is a future need—perhaps, in time, a spouse and children.

While all of these reasons are valid, the most important reason for you to consider life insurance may be the peace of mind you’ll have knowing that your financial obligations will be taken care of should anything happen.

The life insurance market is characterized not only by an absence of reliable price information, but also by the presence of deceptive price information...the deceptive sales practices found in the life insurance industry constitute a national scandal.” So testified Professor Joseph Belth, an expert on the life insurance industry, before Congress in 1973. Can this statement, from more than 40 years ago, still be as true today?  And is it possible for such deplorable industry practices to be occurring without being in the spotlight of public attention?

The short answers are yes. To this day the life insurance industry too often relies on inadequate product disclosure, misinformation, and fraudulent practices, thereby costing consumers billions of dollars annually. Industry executives have for years acknowledged that no one would buy many of their companies' products if they were appropriately informed.

The free market economic system is built upon informed buyers making educated decisions. Yet so many life insurance industry chieftains who regularly sing the praise of our economic system fail to acknowledge that their businesses haven't satisfied the system’s prerequisites or played by its rules.

Empirical proof of the life insurance market’s dysfunction is readily apparent by examining the very products life insurers and their agents sell. While a select few cash-value life insurance policies can provide excellent competitive value, perhaps 95% of such policies sold provide value no informed consumer would accept. This marketplace’s dearth of information also afflicts tens of millions of policyholders at annual renewal; if properly informed, millions of them currently could readily obtain much better value. Consumers of the industry’s other main products, annuities and long term care insurance, also face enormous disclosure-related problems.

The root of the age-old problem is the inadequate disclosure of information surrounding cash-value policies, such as whole life policies, where the annual cost is not the annual premium. Professor Belth and I have both long recommended disclosure about a policy’s annual costs and rate of return on its cash-values.  

The attached table of an actual insurance policy’s historical performance (see below) shows how this information on a policy’s annual costs and rates of return on its cash-values can be presented on a year-by-year basis and summarized over the duration with average or aggregate measures. Similar cost and rate information can be calculated on any and all prospective new and in-force policies via online consumer-friendly analytical tools. Understanding policies from this framework, and with solid knowledge of the differences between illustrated future values and actual future performance, enables consumers to assess the competitiveness of a policy’s costs and rates. For example, a healthy 40 year-old male can  compare his policy's costs with benchmarks that are available in the marketplace and its rates of return with suitable alternative investments. 

A cash-value life insurance policy’s unique intrinsic economic advantages arise from its Congressionally-granted tax privileges, not its highly touted permanence; after all, a term policy can be converted or exchanged into a policy providing lifelong, permanent coverage. These tax privileges, which are given directly to policyholders, however, are not a basis for which insurers can charge consumers; no one pays thousands of dollars to set-up an individual retirement account (IRA). Consequently, when selling such cash-value policies as whole life agents routinely make assorted misrepresentations. Agents often misleadingly state: 1) that a whole life policyholder pays for a lifetime of costs upfront, and that doing such and owning his/her coverage is better than endlessly renting it; 2) that buying a whole life policy at a younger age locks in a lower level cost for life; and 3) that the annual costs of a whole life policy can actually decline as the insured ages because these policies can pay dividends. These three common agent statements, and myriad variations of such, are deceptive.

Regulations prohibit such misrepresentations, but they have never been enforced. These and other misrepresentations are all designed to distort a cash value policy’s fundamental difference. For agents, the essential difference between whole life and term insurance is the quantum difference in the sales commissions – up to 5-9 times larger on whole life policies than on term policies. No one familiar with the paramount role that compensation incentives tied to the origination of subprime mortgages and the repackaging of such default-inevitable, toxic securities played in creating the Great Recession can doubt the perniciousness of the life insurance industry’s age-old problematic sales practices.

A successful consumer-agent relationship can only be built on trust, so predicating it upon inadequate disclosure is inherently counter-productive to all. While inadequate disclosure appears to be in the insurers’ and agents’ interest, it actually has made consumers so leery of agents that the age-old distribution process is so terribly inefficient and ineffective. Americans’ under-insurance – having woefully less life insurance than needed or appropriate - reaches new records every year. Some insurers’ policy lapse rates raise fundamental questions regarding the products’ suitability that regulators have never examined. And, the facts that the typical life insurance agent sells less than one policy per week and that four out of five new sales recruits fail out of the business within a few years are further proof of this industry's failed business approaches.

Given the nature of the problem, improved disclosure and publicity of such have always been known to be two indispensable parts of the inevitable solution. Contrary to general opinion, however, there is no need to wait to for this industry’s state regulators to act and mandate disclosure. The necessary disclosures, after all, are not proprietary or esoteric. As is shown in the table, life insurance policies, like an automobiles’ horsepower or MPG, can be disclosed, not only by the manufacturer, but by anyone with the necessary expertise and this information is now available online.

Without publicity though, this public good of disclosure remains undiscovered. Reform of the life insurance industry has always merely been a battle of wills. Reformers have had to confront industry, an uninterested or uninformed media, regulators not understanding their jobs or unwilling or unable to do them, and/or reformers’ own doubts about ever succeeding. Financial markets can be fixed when appropriate policy disclosure for consumers is heralded and becomes pervasive.

When will this information be publicly disseminated, so that everyone knows about it and can use it, thereby initiating the long-overdue repair of the life insurance marketplace? This disclosure-driven transformation will produce the myriad and well-documented benefits of genuine economic competition: consumers will obtain better value; insurers will improve the efficiency of their production processes; and agents will act and be seen as trustworthy professionals. Clearly, the sooner this time comes, the sooner Americans can start saving billions of dollars per year, the better for everyone.

Actual Historical Performance of a Whole Life Policy
$250,000 issued 20+ Years ago (in 1989) to a 45 Year Old Male, Best Health
*Annual Premium $5815 Paid All Years
** Notes below provide additional information

**Insurance Death Benefit shows the amount the policyholder’s beneficiary would receive after his death
Cash-Value is the cash amount the insurer gives to the policyholder if he cancels his contract
Total Annual Costs show the amount expensed from policy premiums (and policy cash values if and when necessary) to pay for sales, claim, administrative, capital charges and any other miscellaneous costs, such as premium taxes.
Annual Dividend Rate is the rate earned by policyholder, net of investment management costs, on policy cash values, that is, values after costs.        

You are on a fat loss mission. With intense workouts and a strict diet, you lose fat from most parts of your body except your tummy. Sounds familiar? Join the club. Most people wanting to lose weight face the same problem. Burning fat from any part of the body is much easier when compared to the belly region. No wonder it’s called ‘stubborn’ fat. But, don’t give up yet as we have found a possible solution to flatten your stomach quickly. Curious much? Read on to know more.

Before we tell you about the magical drink that can burn your belly fat, first let’s understand why exactly it is difficult to lose weight.

WHY IS IT HARD TO BURN BELLY FAT?

When you binge eat, the first area that shows signs of weight gain is definitely your stomach. Not just poor eating habits, having a desk job can also easily add a few inches around your waist. Inactivity leads to muscle loss, which lowers your body’s capacity to burn calories. This is why you will notice the fat getting accumulated around your abdominal region. You might even start eating less and exercising more but to no avail.

A bulging stomach is not only an ugly sight but also spells danger as it could be a sign of heart disease.

Here are the reasons your belly is refusing to budge.

• BOOZE

Drinking alcohol could be adding more calories than you can imagine. It widens your waistline. Now you understand why your stomach is called ‘beer’ belly?

• AGE

A girl in her teens is more likely to lose weight quicker than a woman who has reached 30. The reason is simple. As you age, your metabolic rate goes down, and so does the body’s ability to burn fat. Hormonal imbalance and menopause translate to more fat around your tummy. So, if you are in a relaxed mode thinking you have a lifetime ahead of you to lose weight, this is a wake-up call.

• EXERCISE

When you make a plan to workout, make sure you consult a fitness instructor. What worked for your friend need not necessarily work for you. Speak to a trainer who will recommend activities/exercises depending on your body type and its capacity. For example, a person with low hemoglobin cannot run as the heart takes double the effort to pump blood due to lack of iron in the body. So, it helps to know your body’s strength and weaknesses before starting any exercise. You don’t want to end up with another health issue, do you?

• WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE?

When you talk of belly fat, it’s more often than not linked to inflammation. If you are having too much of outside food or what’s called junk food like chips, aerated drinks, processed foods, it can thwart your body’s ability to burn fat around your belly. Always stick to natural foods as they have anti-inflammatory properties.

• STRESS

One of the leading contributing factors to weight gain these days is the rising levels of stress. Hectic work schedules, increased domestic responsibilities, the environment at home and work – all these can lead to an increased level of stress. How many times haven’t you reached out for a bottle of beer or a pack of French fries to get over your pressures? The comfort that these foods give will increase your emotional eating indulgences. Besides, the stress hormone cortisol is linked to visceral fat. The bottom line is to stay calm. Meditate, take up a hobby or your favorite sport to bring down your stress levels.

• LACK OF SLEEP

The best way to lose weight is to get enough sleep. Lack of sleep leads to low energy levels that make you reach out for sugary stuff, which ultimately leads to weight gain.

• ARE YOU HEALTHY?

When was the last time you did a complete body check up? Every person must get a full body examination done at least once a year. Your body’s requirement, ability, and condition change depending on what you eat and the environment. So, keep a check on the changes in your body. People with thyroid issues and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) are more likely to face difficulty in losing weight as compared to their healthy counterparts.

Now that you know why you are not losing weight, let’s take a look at the magical cure to lose belly fat. This is a simple solution that will drive all your weight loss worries away. So, all set to know what it is? Here you go…

Caffeine-free teas can be as tasty and effective as coffee, honest, our writer Giulia Mele (an Italian caffeine addict) discovered after testing out the 10 best caffeine-free teas for morning energy

The scent of coffee is a delightful ritual of my mornings that cheers me up even in those wintery blue London days, and by the way it’s THE thing that can wake me up.  I’m Italian you see and I drink single espresso without sugar, bring a mocha wherever I go, and I have never considered the idea of living without caffeine. What a test this was!

WHY CAFFEINE FREE?

• Caffeine-free and herbal teas keep you hydrated, which helps your body and mind function on a higher level, boosting your performance and concentration at work

• Decaffeinated tea allows to reduce some of the potential problems associated with caffeine, especially risks of cardiovascular disease, like stroke
• Both decaffeinated and regular teas are rich in natural phytonutrients called flavonoids, powerful antioxidants with anti-inflammatory and immune system benefits
• Consumption of this tea results in good digestion, keeping your stomach healthy and giving you softer skin
• Tea and especially coffee contain high levels of caffeine that can contribute to some negative effects such as insomnia.

• Modulating coffee intake helps minimise symptoms of having had too much such as jitters, irregular heartbeat, anxiety and adrenal fatigue
• Herbal teas can be found in so many variations and flavors and most of them contain traces of nutrients that support overall health.

So it happened, I had two tough weeks, crossing my fingers every morning and wondering if the tea of the day would work, and I had lots of fun tasting such a huge variety to find the ones I loved.

At the end of the two weeks I made it, sans caffeine. Here they are the 10 best caffeine-free teas for morning energy, you you want to skip the caffeine (or have less)

The mountain pose is one of the foundational asanas in yoga. An asana is a Sanskrit term for posture.

You’ll see it as a warm-up pose and part of a Sun Salutation Series or Surya Namaskara in Sanskrit. It is a sequence of 12 poses or asanas that is traditionally done in the morning, facing the rising sun, explains author, Krishan Kumar Suman, in the 2006 book.

This pose is deceptively easy. You begin by standing tall with a straight spine.  Your big toes should touch. But if you find it difficult, you can keep your feet apart slightly.

Keep your arms at your side with your palms facing outward. Hold the pose for at least 30 seconds, working your way up to a full minute.

The mountain pose will improve your posture and balance while strengthening the muscles in your lower body.