December 24, 2012

10 Way to Healthy Life


            Choosing to follow a healthier lifestyle can promote a life full of quality and longevity. A variety of factors to implement into a healthier lifestyle include proper diet and exercise, stress reduction and consistent sleep patterns. By practicing these 10 methods to better health, you can reduce your health risks and enjoy a life full of value.
1. Build Strength
Resistance training is another healthy lifestyle method that will potentially increase metabolism. Since muscle tissue requires calories to survive, the adaptation of new muscle creates a demand for greater calorie burn. The ACSM also recommends sticking to a twice-weekly resistance program consisting of eight to 10 exercises, keeping repetitions around eight to 12.
2. Play Sports
A way to get moving again can come from enjoying your favorite sport. Games or leagues in your area provide a way to receive adequate exercise.
3. Exercise Your Heart
Performing cardiovascular exercise strengthens the cardiovascular system and over time lowers your resting heart rate. Forms of cardiovascular workouts include running, swimming, biking or using machines such as an elliptical or an indoor rower. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests performing a moderate intensity cardio workout 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or a vigorous cardio session for 20 minutes daily, three days a week.
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4. Involve the Family
Involving the whole family is another method to create group support and quality time with loved ones. Create games that include the entire family for a workout filled with fun.
5. Control Your Weight
Reducing calories in your diet creates a way to increase overall health and lower body weight. Understand your daily caloric needs by using the basal metabolic rate formula. Basal metabolic rate refers to the amount of calories burned at resting levels. An average BMR for women is typically around 2,000 to 2,100 calories a day, and for men, 2,700 to 2,900 calories daily.
6. Avoid Processed Foods
Avoiding processed foods can increase overall health and prevent unwanted weight gain and illness. Processed foods have been blamed for behavioral problems such as hyperactivity, weight gain and certain cancers, reports the Puristat Digestive Wellness Center.
7. Control Cravings
Eliminating nighttime eating will also assist in weight reduction and health improvement. Keep yourself occupied and be aware of times when cravings are highest.
8. Sleep
Getting adequate sleep is crucial for weight reduction and health. According to the University of Chicago Medical Center, "Sleep deprivation triggers the release of unwanted hormones such as cortisol, which alters glucose metabolism resulting in fat storage." Sleeping at least eight hours a night will help promote regular glucose metabolism and limit weight gain.
9. Reduce Stress
Controlling stress is another method of creating a healthy lifestyle. Like sleep deprivation, high levels of stress activate hormone release, including cortisol, which modifies glucose metabolism. Unwanted food cravings typically occur during high levels of stress. Control your daily stress by first identifying certain causes and create steps to reduce stress levels. One method could be performing deep-breathing techniques for five to 10 minutes when stress levels are heightened. Yoga can be an outlet for levels of stress and relaxation from your stress-filled life.
10. Take Gradual Steps
Make gradual and progressive strides toward improving your health. An overall lifestyle change takes time to create. Set small, time-oriented goals and track your success to achieve the big picture that is total wellness

December 23, 2012

Replace Worn Brake Pads

Don't wait for that metal-on-metal scraping sound 
ByJim Langley
NEED
  • 
    Hex wrenches
    Hex wrenches                 
  • Flat screwdriver
  • Pliers
  • Water-pump pliers (optional)
  • Isopropyl alcohol
  • Replacement brake pads
Time: 30 minutes
Shop Cost: $20-$40 (labor only)
DIY difficulty: 2 out of 5
LOOSEN the set screw with a screwdriver or the fixing bolt with a hex wrench, then push the pad to slide it out of its holder. no screw or bolt? Pull out the pad with pliers or pry it out with a flat screwdriver. For direct-pull brakes, remove the pins with pliers, then slide out the pads.  TURN your brake-cable adjustment barrel clockwise until it's fully screwed in.
  SLIDE the new pad on, according to the directional marks. replace any screw, bolt, or pin you removed, or use water-pump pliers to push the pad into the holder. to ease a tight fit, wet the pad with isopropyl alcohol--it reduces friction and evaporates quickly.
Signs Your Pads Are Worn
You Hear: A gritty, scraping sound. The metal of the brake shoe is hitting the rim.
You See: The grooves in the pad have all but disappeared.
You Feel: A stickiness when you brake. Your pad is worn unevenly and may be catching under the rim.
5 Reasons. . .Your Brake Pads Wear Quickly
1. Wet and muddy conditions invite grit to become embedded in your pads. Use a pointy object to pick debris from the rubber.
2. Your rims are dirty. Clean them with alcohol and a mildly abrasive kitchen sponge.
3. You ride the brakes on descents. Chill out and ease up.
4. Your rim is damaged or your wheel is out of true.
5. They grip better when slightly worn, thus reducing wear on rims, which cost more to replace.

December 22, 2012

Washing bike


"Cut off the top of a plastic water bottle. Fill it with a water-based degreaser, like Simple Green, and place it in your seat-tube bottle cage (for easy access). Use a paintbrush to apply the degreaser to the chain. Finish by holding a soapy sponge around the chain and turning the cranks. Hose off the excess and let it dry." —Adrian Hedderman, head mechanic, Colavita/Forno D'Asolo pro cycling team
"Every third or fourth wash, give your frame and fork a layer of car wax. I like Meguiar's Cleaner Wax. It restores the paint's luster and keeps road tar and bugs from sticking." —Steven Sperling, head mechanic, United-Healthcare pro cycling team

"Clean a grimy cassette or freewheel: Remove the wheel, and lay it flat with cogs up. Dampen the edge of a rag with solvent and pull it back and forth between each cog. No need to rotate the wheel; the freewheel keeps the cogs moving." —Jim Langley, author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop

"Braking causes aluminum rims to oxidize, leaving a layer of grit that can contaminate brake pads. Every 100 miles, more often if you ride in wet conditions, wipe your rims with a dry cloth." —Tori Bortman, owner of Gracie's Wrench in Portland, Oregon


"I prefer natural Tampico bristle brushes. Unlike nylon ones, they don't hold dirt, grease, or oil. Rinse the grime out of the bristles before moving on to the next part, and you can attack a filthy drivetrain and a mud-spattered frame with the same brush." —Bernard Kocis, team mechanic, UnitedHealthcare pro cycling team