Wu Long or Wu Yi Tea for Beautiful Skin?

Posted By Caitlin Ryan
Categoirzed Under: Weight loss
Comments (0)
by Caitlin Ryan

Maybe you have been searching for the fountain of youth to restore your gorgeous looks and prevent any further damage from aging. Actually, the Chinese have known about a potential fountain for centuries. Oolong tea has some wonderful age-fighting abilities, and a few lovely mugs a day may help you maintain your youth or undo the damage already done!

Though both wu long and wu yi tea have become popular for both weight loss and age fighting, some proponents would have you believe that one is better than the other. Is this true? Let us look at the background on both teas.

Tea begins as a plant called camellia sinensis. The tea leaves are picked at different times and then prepared in different ways. The four major teas are black tea, green tea, white tea and oolong tea and they are fermented in different ways or harvested at different times.

Green tea and white tea are highly nutritious because they are not fermented and none of their natural properties are destroyed. However, they are both pretty grassy tasting and not a lot of people enjoy their flavor. White tea is slightly more delicate merely because it is picked earlier than green tea. Though black tea is the most popular in the Western world because of its mild flavor, it is not as nutritious because it has been fermented for too long to maintain the same nutritional values.

Oolong tea, on the other hand, is both pleasant tasting and highly nutritious. This is because they are fermented for a short time. There are two main varietals of oolong tea: wu long and wu yi. The wu long tealeaves are picked during the first growth cycle of the tea plant, which is then allowed to go through several more growth cycles.

Tea salespeople would have you believe that this makes a huge impact on the flavor and quality of the tea, but wu yi and wu long tea are similarly flavored AND they both are capable of promoting youthful, healthy looking, radiant skin! The main difference? Price! Wu long is more expensive.

In a way, choosing between wu yi and wu long tea is like choosing between a $20 bottle of red wine and a $50 bottle. Will the $50 be so good that it is worth the extra $30? Probably not. Personally, I would rather save the money by buying wu yi tea because the taste differences are not that remarkable. At the same time, you are not likely to find wu yi tea next to the cheap, econo-sized teas at the market. These could be compared to the $5 bottles of Shiraz.

Oolong tea, whether it is wu yi or wu long, contains powerful antioxidants that fight free radical damage and thus help slow down the process of aging. The signs of aging can be seen in your face when free radicals take their toll on skin health at the cellular level. Collagen breaks down and soon, fine lines begin to appear as well as sagging, fragile skin. Wu yi tea can reverse this and help create more youthful, glowing skin!

As well, the antioxidants in wu yi tea can help restore a healthy complexion because they are key in skin cell regeneration and repair of damaged cells. A lovely mug of wu yi tea can also calm your body, mind and spirit and reduce stress.

About the Author:

Fitness - Exercise and the Immune System

Posted By Andrew Arnold
Categoirzed Under: Fitness
Comments (0)
by Kat Wendersen

Topics involving health and fitness, as well as dieting and nutrition, are always discussed and argued about. Facts about it change all the time with changing trends and new breakthroughs in medical research. The relationship between exercise and the immune system is one of these issues.

No sane medical researcher will claim outright that physical exercise can repair a damaged immune system. However, it is true that exercise can help maintain and even enhance the immune system, both directly and indirectly.

Much research has gone into the stress reduction benefits of exercise, and how this, in turn, creates a long-term set of benefits for the body. While the details may contradict one another, the broad conclusion is similar: regular exercise has the ability to moderate stress, which in turn builds a much stronger immune system.

Research done from at least the last 30 years show that continued exposure to a lot of stress can harm the body. For instance, stressed individuals are likelier to suffer from colds, digestive problems, and may frequently feel fatigue. Fatigue may be a result of both direct and indirect exposure to stress. The impact of the absence of restful sleep due to stress, for instance, can indirectly cause fatigue.

Since it lets you have an outlet to focus on, exercise relieves stress like no other. It keeps your mind away from what is giving you stress in the first place and lets you exert your energy in a more productive way.

In particular, the cardiovascular system improves as a result of exercise. This, in turn, improves the smooth flow of blood in the body, facilitating the process through which toxins are carried farther away from the rest of the organs. This entire process clearly contributes in help ensuring that the kidneys and the endocrine system all work in tiptop shape.

All those promote a healthy immune system by lessening the body’s susceptibility to disease, while increasing the robustness of the immune system itself.

The body temperature increases during exercise. This, in turn, acts to kill infectious organisms in the body, in the same manner that fever is an attempt of the body to kill off bacteria and other harmful organisms.

The University of Colorado in Boulder found out that exercise also helps ease and prevent colds, and can even help reduce the likelihood for frequently exercising individuals to contract sickness after a bout with stress. Those who did not exercise for as long did not reap these same benefits.

These scientific studies were carried out on rats, which are one of the mammals proven to have similar physical responses and framework as humans, making them the perfect test subjects.

Exercise regimens that are taken into heart can help improve how a person sees his or her self. A boost in confidence makes a person much more comfortable in social situations, reducing the stress inherent in these social interactions.

Whether the effects are direct or indirect, exercising can help you support and enhance your immune system. That leads directly to better overall health.

About the Author:

3 Proven Ways To Make Yourself Look Or Appear Taller

Posted By Rodney Williams
Categoirzed Under: Fitness
Comments (0)
by Rodney Williams

For some, growing taller through natural means may not be as easily accomplished as it is for others. Depending on your physical condition and/or age, exercises or other procedures used to help gain natural height may not be feasible. Or perhaps you′re only looking for a temporary solution to make yourself look taller, without actually gaining any height.

No matter the circumstances, there are three methods in particular that can quickly and easily give the appearance to others that you′re taller than you actually are.

1) The first, and probably most obvious way to look taller is through the use of footwear, be it insoles inside your currently existing footwear, or a new set of footwear designed to leave you higher off the ground.

There are plenty of specially designed shoes on the market which can give you a height gain of two inches, while still being completely discreet. Insoles on the other hand are generally limited to a height gain of one inch, lest they not properly fit within the desired footwear.

2) Next is clothes, and not only can clothes make the man or woman, they can also make the man or woman appear taller. Unlike footwear, which will actually make you taller while wearing them, proper attire will not make you physically taller in any way, but can give off the appearance that you are.

Wearing tighter fitter clothing should be your first priority, as loose or baggy clothes give you a more squat appearance. Vertical lines on shirts are another great way to give off the illusion of being taller. Women should wear compact dresses or skirts, and no-waste pants. Men should also stick to wearing their pants as low as possible (within reason), and wearing cuff-less pants is also advised.

3) Climbing to the top of the ladder, we reach your hair, which also plays a role in how tall you look. This may require slight adjustments in your hair length and style to implement, but can have great effects when used properly.

We’re not talking about going out and getting a Mohawk or anything, but tricks that can be used include spiking your hair at the front for men, and women wearing their hair up.

Using one or more of these techniques, you can easily give the appearance of being a few inches taller than you actually are, no long workout regime required.

About the Author:

Relieve Pressure and Panic with Meditation

Posted By Stephen Jablonski
Categoirzed Under: Depression
Comments (0)
by Stephen Jablonski

A simple description of meditation would be to say it’s a technique we can use to focus our attention away from the random thoughts that fill our daily lives and onto the truly meaningful parts of our lives. Through meditation, one can achieve great tranquility. This tranquility is very useful to us as we fight against the stress, anxiety, and panic that face us every day.

Yet while most people have heard about meditation, a relative few have really tried it. This is mostly because meditation is perceived as a mysterious art. One that takes a great deal of time and dedication to master. So people are intimidated and never really try it because they think it’s too difficult. This is wrong thinking.

Meditation is actually a simple art to learn. To practice it you only need some time and a relatively quiet space. It requires nothing else really except your presence and attention. And after only one or two sessions, you can actually begin to experience its calming benefits.

To start out, I think it’s best to try to find some competent instruction somewhere. Look for an organized class. It’s always better to have a teacher who′s “been there″ to help you avoid the wrong turns. Local community organizations like community colleges, churches, or organizations like the YMCA are great, low cost places to find some beginning instruction.

And don’t forget your library. You’ll find many titles about meditation at any well-stocked library. Books have the advantage of giving you great depth on the subject and they can also get you going rather fast. But their disadvantage is that they can only guide you so far and they can’t help you make corrections or changes.

Audio CDs and DVDs are an excellent way to get started with meditation. They provide more guidance by actually leading you into and through each meditation session. This gives you a more “full-bodied” experience and leads to a deeper practice and understanding which leads to more anxiety relief benefits.

Breathing meditations are the usual first meditations learned by beginners. These are easy to learn and they give you a quick understanding of what meditation feels like. Depending on your desire, you can move into more advanced forms of meditating like full-body meditations or conceptual or emotional meditations. The more time you spend in meditation, the more tranquility you feel.

The practice of meditation is a very old and studied art. It’s been around for 1,000′s of years because it yields real benefits. It’s a truly effective method for dealing with stress, anxiety, and even panic attacks. So I’d recommend that you give it a try. After all, it’s easy to do, doesn’t cost much, and it could mean a great difference in your life.

About the Author:

Is Oolong the Secret Behind Youthful Skin?

Posted By Caitlin Ryan
Categoirzed Under: Weight loss
Comments (0)
by Caitlin Ryan

Women in Asia seem to have more beautiful, flawless skin well beyond their youthful years. It seems as though time stood still and allowed them to maintain this gorgeous look for many years. What do you suppose their secret is? Could it be oolong tea?

Asian women tend to live cleaner lives. They consume better diets and are generally exposed to less environmental toxins. These are few of the reasons behind their gorgeous, youthful skin.

We should all strive for a better diet full of fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean proteins; however, we cannot do much to escape environmental toxins from industrial facilities, car exhaust and chemicals. This is where oolong tea can help fight the damage, prevent premature aging and improve the youthful appearance of your skin!

All tea is from a plant called Camellia Sinensis. The difference among different teas is due to when the leaves are harvested and the fermentation process that they undergo afterwards.

Fermenting is the oxidation process that turns the leaves a darker shade. Whether tealeaves are fermented or not and for what length of time lends to the different flavors, aromas and coloring of the tea. Black tea is fermented the most whereas green tea is not fermented at all. Oolong tea is in between and has an interesting background.

Legend tells that oolong tea was created purely by accident. A man named Wu Liang was harvesting tea leaves and was interrupted by a passing deer. Wanting the deer for his family, he abandoned his freshly picked tea leaves to hunt the deer.

He returned a few days later and found the tea leaves partially oxidized by the sun. He proceeded to prepare the tea anyway and found that this oxidation process had made the tea more delicate than green tea. It no longer had a bitter grassy taste!

Oolong tea, green tea and white tea are the most beneficial teas to fight the signs of aging, but oolong tea has a nicer flavor because of the semi-fermentation process. Tea is capable of fighting aging and restoring more youthful skin due to its phytochemicals, which is a fancy name for antioxidants.

At the heart of aging lie free radicals. We are exposed to free radicals on a daily basis through UV rays and all of the chemicals and pollutants previously mentioned. Free radical molecules damage our skin (and all tissue) at the cellular level.

They destroy cellular membranes and alter genetic material. As we age, it becomes more and more difficult to fight free radicals and repair the damage. As well, we stop regenerating cells as much as we did when we were younger.

This has many affects on the body such as decreased cardiovascular health. In terms of our skin health, this is exactly why we end up with wrinkled, sagging, fragile skin.

As mentioned oolong tea contains strong antioxidants. When free radicals damage cells, the process is called oxidation. ANTIoxidants fight this process. They can also repair the damage done AND they are important components of cellular regeneration. This is why drinking oolong tea regularly can improve the health of your skin and restores a more vibrant, healthy appearance to your skin!

Moderately priced and wonderful in flavor, oolong tea is one of the best!

About the Author: