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Monday, July 6, 2009

Aging Infertility in Men and Women

Fertility, the natural capability of creating life decreases as men and women age though it does not imply that men and women become absolutely sterile. There have been instances where a 90 year old man has been able to father a child by natural means and similarly women well past their middle ages are giving birth to healthy babies. Also with sophisticated medical treatment and a balanced diet older men and women have found it easier to conceive and deliver healthy babies.

Aging males and gene mutation

As men age, in general they experience erectile dysfunction, reduction in the volume, concentration, count and motility of the sperm. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has suggested that the age limit for sperm donors should be under-40 as the quality of sperm decreases with age. However this age limit is not based on scientific evidence as the effect of aging on fertility in men is still not conclusively proved.

Men continue to produce sperm all their life. But the fact remains that aging does affect the quality of the sperm. A research done in 2006 found that low sperm motility was affected by DNA fragmentation which increased with age. Therefore older men were most likely to pass on any mutation in the genes to their progenies. The Aging Male Syndrome is characterized by a number of symptoms like loss of libido, decrease in the levels of the male hormone testosterone, erectile dysfunction, and other physical symptoms like bone loss, hair loss, weight gain, memory problems, muscle loss, low stamina and increased urination.

Older women and fertility

Infertility is more pronounced in women than in men. Fertility in women starts declining even years before menopause sets in. Research on the incidence of pregnancy in various age groups has shown that the rate of infertility is higher in older women. Women are born with all the eggs they will have in a lifetime. As women age, the eggs in the ovaries also age making it more difficult to conceive and increasing the risk of miscarriage and chromosomal abnormalities. Also older women are more likely to develop age related diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart conditions and gynecological problems like fibroids, endometriosis and menopause. These may result in poor quality of eggs, weight gain and disturbances in the estrogen metabolism. Although these conditions may affect a woman’s ability to conceive, current emerging technologies make it possible for older women to successfully deliver a healthy baby.

Staying healthy by remaining active and following a balanced diet, as well as reducing stress and negativity are still keys to increasing the likelihood of conception, for both men and women. It is important to seek medical advice and treatment for any conditions or problems to increase chances of conception.

Female Infertility

As we mentioned in previous articles, infertility is defined as inability of a couple to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse or can not carry the pregnancy to term. It effects over 5 millions couple alone in the U. S. and many times more in the world. Because of unawareness of treatments, only 10% seeks help from professional specialist. the unexplained causes of infertility is defined as if the woman and men reproductive system are function normally but the present-day medical technology and medical doctors can not give a reason why the couple can not conceive .In this article, we will discuss diagnosis or test from Conventional Perspective in treating female infertility


I. Definition
Infertility is defined as inability of a couple to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse or can not carry the pregnancy to full term. It effects over 5 millions couple alone in the U. S. and many times more in the world, because of unawareness of treatments, only 10% seeks help from professional specialist. In fact, More than 40% of infertility of a couple is caused by female inability to fertilize. Diagnosis is a analytics approach, after initial consultation and medical history and personal information have been taken from a patient or couple. The main objective conventional diagnosis is to find the causes of infertility, but unfortunately, it has less than 1% successful rate. We will try to give you the definitions of type of female diagnosis in alphabet order.
II. Personal history and physical exams
Female exam
a) reproductive organs infection
b) Any previous reproductive organ surgery
c) Pelvic exam
d) Question related to genetic defect.
e) vagina exam
f) Uterus and cervix
g) Fallopian tube
h) Ovaries
i) Bladder
k) Rectum
l) Other general exam depending to your specialist (herbalist or others
III. Female infertility diagnosis
1. Antisperm antibody test
The antisperm antibody test is one of procedure which helps to see how antigens and immune system function react toward sperm invasion through blood test. If the immune system recognizes the sperm as the foreign objects, it will produce white blood cells to kill them.

2. Blood test
Routine blood test is not necessary for infertility women, but sometimes blood test is ordered to check for anaemia, blood type and antibody. Or sometimes to check estradiol, LH, FSH and progesterone.

3. Cervical test
Cervical test is the study of the cervical mucus thoughtout menstrual ccycles and to see the mucus is friendly to sperm invasion or not, there are 2 types of cervical test
a) Spinnbarkeit
With the Spinnbarkit is a self help kit, it can be done by the women at comfort at her own home to exam the mucus characteristics, because the mucus consistently change throughout menstrual cycle.
b) Postcoital test
This test is done just before ovulation to see the cervical mucus is friendly to sperm invasion.

4. Endometrial biopsy
Endometrial biopsy removes some tissue from the infertile women uterine lining to chech for any endometrial adhesion and implants.

5. Hysteroscopy
It is a study of infertile women uterine abnormality by placing a small, thin with small telescope through the cervical canal to check the inside of uterus.

6. Ovulation test
Since failure of ovulation is account for over 25% of female infertility, your doctor may order ovulation test right after first visit. It helps to determine" Are the eggs produced each month?".

7. Progesterone test
Since progesterone is produced with high amount a few days after the eggs has emerged. Low levels of progesterone interferes with the ovulation of women menstrual cycle, causing infertility. Blood test is done at the 4 -9 days after predicted ovulation for women with 28 days cycle.

8. Radioimmunoassays (RIAs)
Radioimmunoassay (RIAs) is a very sensitive technique used to measure concentrations of antigens including levels of testosterone, LH, FSH, prolactin. It helps your doctor to determine that the infertility is caused by hormone imbalance of certain hormones or not during menstrual cycle.

9.Tubub patency test
It is the test to check the health of Fallopian tube and make sure there is no blockage in the tube with X ray examination. Normally, dye is injected through the cervix, it then fills the uterus and flows into the Fallopian tube, if there is blockage, the pressure may build up causing pain.

10. Ultrasound
The use of high frequency in ultrasound exam is to check for any abnormality in the abdominal region including the ovulation scan which is used to see when the egg mature and when a women ovulates and the thickness of the uterine lining, etc.

11.Urinaryluteinizing hormone ( LH) test
An urinary test is used to identify the surge of LH just before ovulation. It usually use to determine the best time for a couple to have sex and for the female partner to get pregnant.

Sun Protection Tips

You probably have known how important sun protection is to prevent skin cancer. Enjoy your time outdoor if you follow our tips here:

Don’t be afraid of wasting sunscreen; apply it to allover your exposed skin.
Choose a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 and broad- spectrum. Reapply every two hours during daytime, even on cloudy days, and after swimming or perspiring.
Better wear protective clothing e.g. a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses to cover as much skin as possible for those have a higher risk of developing skin cancer.
Seek shade between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., cause the sun’s rays are strongest during that period of the day.
Use higher SPF protections when on activities on water, snow, and sand since these situations reflect the damaging rays of the sun to your skin.
Applying sunscreen on children is particularly important.
Instead of the sun, intake vitamin D safely from a healthy diet that includes vitamin supplements. Vitamin D is found in the following foods:
o Dairy products
o Fish
o Oysters
o Fortified cereals
Get tan by using a self-tanning product instead of tanning beds. UV light of tanning beds causes skin cancer and wrinkling as much as that from the sun. Don’t forget using sunscreen everyday.
Go to a dermatologist whenever there is situation on your skin. Skin cancer is very treatable when caught early.

Male Infertility

I. Definition
Infertility is defined as inability of a couple to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse or can not carry the pregnancy to full term. It effects over 5 millions couple alone in the U. S. and many times more in the world, because of unawareness of treatments, only 10% seeks help from professional specialist. In fact, More than 40% of infertility of a couple is caused by male inability to fertilize. Diagnosis is a analytics approach, after initial consultation and medical history and personal information have been taken from a patient or couple. The main objective conventional diagnosis is to find the causes of infertility, but unfortunately, it has less than 1% successful rate. We will try to give you the definitions of type of diagnosis used .

I. Medical history and physical exams
Before reading the definition of types of diagnosis, you may want to know briefly what information is recorded on your personal file
I. General medical history
1. Any miscarriage, previous pregnancies and abortion.
2. Any ectopic pregnancy
3. Any previous surgery
4. Have you now on HRT.
5. Use of conceptive method, type of use
6. Any reproductive chronic pain including STD. urinary tract infection ad chronic diseases.
7. Medication you are taking now
8. Any medication of your mother during pregnancy to rule out infertility caused by birth defect
9. Your lifestyle.

II. Physical Exam
a) Testicle related including injure, childhood testicle illness and abnormal in birth
b) Age of puberty
c) Number of previous sexual partners
d) Question related to ejaculation and impotence
e) Do you have child with other women
f) Have you ever contacted and treated with sexual transmitted diseases
g) Hot bath
h) Smoking and drugs abuse
i) Expose to radiation
j) workplace hazard
k) Medication may influence your sexual organs.
l) Other general exam depending to your specialist (herbalist or others)

III. Male Infertility Diagnosis
1. Acrosome reaction test
After the sample is taken your fertility specialist exam the acrosome reaction of your sperms to see how your sperm penetrate the female egg, how the enzymes (acrosome then acrosin released from the sperm head ) in sperm work through tough coating of the eggs and fgertilized it. The purpose of this test is to diagnosis the sperm acrosome then acrosin to see hoe these enzyme help to break tough surface of the egg. If not it may be the cause of infertility and specific treatment is required. It happens only 5% of infertility male population.

2. Antisperm antibody
An antisperm antibody test as defined as a test to look for abnormal function of immune system antibodies that fight against a male's sperm in blood, vaginal fluids, or semen. With a substance added to the sample sperm, the test will tell whether the sperm is affected by proteins of the immune system or not.

3. Biochemical analysis
The study of the chemical substances and vital processes occur in male testicle such as the concentration of white blood cells, the level of fructose in the semen, and the volume, pH, and liquefaction.

4. Computer-Assist semen analysis
The sample of sperm is scanned in to the computer pre store program to show how the sperm quality, quantity, shape and movement. Since any small change of the computer may produce a significant change in sperm calculation, therefore any abnormal sperm count should be confirmed by manual count.

5. Hemizona assay
Hemizona assay is the analysis to compare sample sperm of the male to the sperm of the fertilized male by splitting the mature and normal egg into 2 half. 1/2 is tested by sample sperm and the other half is tested by fertilized male sperm.

6. Hormone evaluation
Hormonal evaluation is a study to measure the levels of certain hormones produced by your body such as levels of FSH and testosterone which are involved directly in sperm production. The test will only be used if the semen of sperm analysis comes back with low density of sperm or your specialist suspects that hormone imbalance is the cause of infertility.

7. Human zona pellucida binding test
The testes help to exam how the sperm bind to outer layer of the egg including hemizona assay.

8. Hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST)
hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST) is the test used to identify sperm membrane for structure integrity by examining how the sperm tails react to special sugar and salt. Only healthy sperm can react in that circumstance.

9. Pene trak
Pene trak is the test for 90 minutes to check the movement of sperm through a normal and friendly mucus in the test tube.

10. Peroxidase staining
It is a test to check for infection by differentiating white blood cell from the immature sperm.

11.Post-coital/cervical mucus test
It is a test to see how friendly the mucus of the cervix toward the sperm invasion a few days before and after ovulation. The result can be determined after
a) Male partner sperm with female partner cervical mucus
b) Male partner sperm with healthy mucus
c) Known healthy sperm with female partner mucus
d) Known healthy sperm with known healthy muscle

12. Sperm penetration assay (hamster test)
Sperm penetration test only is needed if the normal semen test can not determine the sperm penetration ability then hamster eggs with the ouster membrane has been stripped off are used in place of female eggs because of it's structural similarity to human eggs. After the sperm and hamster eggs have incubated for three hours, the eggs are checked for sperm penetration. Any percentage over 10 % is considered normal and potential for fertilization. Since it is used eggs other than human being, good sperm penetration rate in hamster test does not guarantee 100% of positive result in human.

13.Sperm-Ubiquitin tag immunoassay (SUTI)
Sperm-Ubiquitin tag immunoassay ignores other sperm attributes and focus solely on sperm's ubiquitin because ubiquitin is considered as a universal marker of any sperm abnormalities including sperm damage and sperm defective, thereby reducing some unnecessary treatments.

14. Semen analysis
A semen analysis is usually the first test for all infertility male , it helps to measure the amount of semen a man produces and determines the quantity and quality of sperm such as size, shape. movement and PH level in the sample.
a) Normal form sperm
Ovary head, single tail with intact midsection and an uncoiled.
b) Abnormal heads
Head of sperm if too big or too small and other than ovary head.
c) Abnormal tails
Coil, broken, bent tail and other than single tail.
d) Immature gen cells
Since white blood cells and white gen cells have a very similar appearance and structure, it is up to the specialist to make sure that the present is immature gen cells and not white blood cells.
e) Vital staining
It is the analysis to see the percentage of dead sperm compare to lice one.


15. Scrotal sonography
Scotal sonography is used to evaluate the testicle disorder and surrounding organs including prostate gland, epididymis, an absent or undescended testicle and any testicle abnormality.

16. Testicle biopsy
A small sample is taken and tested for the ability of sperm producing cellsl in normal cells production. This test is necessary if the infertility male is found to have no sperm in semen, normal sex levels of hormone and abnormal sperm with unknown cause. The risk of the test may cause testicle damage.

17. Vasography
Vasography is a Radiographic study of the vas deferens. It helps to determine if the vas deferens is blocked or not and the reason of such blockage. In this study, if there is large amount of sperm containing fluid presented when the vas deferens is open, it indicates there is a block appeared in the vesicle end of the vas deferens. If there is no fluid presented, the procedure continue until the cause of blockage is found, if there is one.

Men's Hair Care

WHETHER it’s curly or straight, full or thinning, a short hairstyle or a long, flowing mane, hair plays a major part in a man’s appearance. So understanding basic hair care and hairstyles is an important step in the grooming process. Luckily, good hair care comes down to four simple areas: washing, conditioning, styling and protecting. Follow these simple guidelines of men’s grooming and hair care and look forward to maintaining a stronger, healthier head of hair over time.

Washing

Regularly wash hair with a shampoo that is gentle enough for everyday use. Look for shampoos like MenScience Daily Shampoo that contain ingredients such as Panthenol and Vitamin E to strengthen and condition hair follicles.

Don’t overwash hair. Washing more than once a day, even with a gentle cleanser, can often stress hair follicles, causing them to weaken and break. It can also provoke an oilier scalp as your skin tries to compensate for moisture being washed away.

If your hair is very fine, or thinning, you may want to shampoo every other day to prevent stressing hair. The key is to keep hair clean and free of buildup, without damaging it.
Make sure to firmly massage shampoo into the scalp. In addition to working grime free, this also stimulates blood circulation.

After washing, rinse all traces of shampoo away with clean, cool water. A buildup of shampoo can not only cause your scalp to itch, but can also dull hair and damage it.

Conditioning

Although not for every type of hair, adding a conditioner to your hair regimen can help if your hair is very dry or brittle. Conditioning helps replenish lost moisture levels and makes hair more manageable.

However, most men should not need to condition hair if they treat it gently and use effective hair products.

Too much conditioning or not rinsing conditioner completely away can create buildup and oiliness.

Styling

You might not think you need it, but regular haircuts remove dead ends and stimulate healthy hair growth. And although it’s different for every hairstyle, opt to see a barber or stylist at least once a month.

Use products appropriate for your type of hair: oily, dry, thick, thin, thinning or curly. Ask your barber or stylist for some recommendations based on your specific hair type.

If you suffer from oily hair, the best haircut for oily hair is one that keeps hair off the forehead and back. Oily hair follicles rubbing against skin can cause acne outbreaks and irritations. For a good acne prevention treatment, try MenScience’s Acne Treatment System.

Change your hairstyle from time to time. What looked good on you a few years ago might not be making the cut these days. And something as simple as a different part or trim can give you a more youthful or polished appearance instantly.

Keep any hair tools (brushes, combs, etc.) clean and replace them from time to time. Did you know that the simple act of brushing hair from forward to back can redistribute oils of the scalp and cut down on oiliness and dryness at the same time?

Men’s hair styles constantly change, but for men with thinning hair or dealing with hair loss, a short hairstyle might be the best bet. If you wear your hair long, be sure to keep it well-trimmed and groomed. Even if you’re going for an “unkempt” look, hair needs to be trimmed and styled on a regular basis to look good.

Protecting

Protect your scalp and hair from harsh chemicals and drying agents by rinsing your hair with cool, clean water immediately after taking a dip in the pool or ocean. This will prevent follicles from becoming dehydrated and damaged.

Make Men's Skin Healthy

How to Make Men's Skin Healthy

If the effects of late nights, smoking, poor diet or stress are showing on your skin, now's your chance to kick start a regime to get it back in shape. For skin that's supple, fit and glowing with health follow our skin detox regime.

Firstly the difficult bit:
Cut down, or better still give up alcohol for at least a week if not a month.

Increase your water intake to flush out toxins and improve kidney function. Keep a bottle of mineral water close by to regularly top up. Keeping hydrated makes a huge difference to your skin.

Check your diet and make sure you are getting 5 pieces of fruit or veg a day. A short cut is to stick some favourite fruits such as banana, pear, strawberries, blueberries etc with some yoghurt and honey into a blender and make a smoothie for breakfast. Also try to cut down on salt and saturated fat where you can.

Try to get some early nights - sleep does your whole body the power of good.

If you're a couch potato introduce some exercise into your life. (Put the TV in another room for a week - it works!). Exercise improves the circulation to help bring oxygen and nutrients to the skin cells. It also reduces stress a major cause of wrinkles.

If you smoke STOP. Everyone knows that smoking harms the body but it also make the skin age much earlier than it biologically should.

Now the easy bit:
Give yourself a detox facial treatment once a week:

On clean shaven skin apply a little facial wash to suit your skin type. For oily or combination skin try Ahava Deep Cleansing Gel For Men 3.4 oz.. For skin with acne pronlem try Hydroviton.CR Liquid Normalizing Facial Soap and for sensitive skin try Truefitt & Hill Skin Control Daily Facial Cleanser. Massage it into the skin firmly. This will increase the circulation and bring nutrients to the skin cells. Rinse it off thoroughly with running water.

Apply a little facial scrub and massage over the entire face but do not rub too hard. For oily or combination skin try Robanda Exfoliating Facial Wash or Anthony Sport Face Scrub 6 oz.. Rinse off with running water. Blot the skin dry and apply a face mask over the face and neck avoiding the eyes and lips. Add a gel eye mask such as Gel Filled Eye Mask over the eye lids to reduce puffiness and drain toxins from under the eyes. Leave for 10 minutes and rinse the face mask off with running water.

Blot the skin dry and apply a little moisturiser. Massage this well into the skin using firm movements to increase the circulation.

Daily care to keep up the good work:

Use a high quality facial wash to clean your skin and remove impurities both in the morning and the night.

Use a protective moisturiser after shaving to keep your skin supple and fit.
Shave with a cream or gel that moisturises your skin and doesn't dry it out.
Use an eye cream or gel to protect the skin around the eyes.

Daily Skin Care for Men

A simple and basic regimen for skin that looks and feels great everyday:
1. Cleanse

Cleanse once a day to remove impurities, sweat and oily deposits. Repeat at night for oily or acne-prone skin.

Avoid soaps and harsh cleansers with added fragrance or color.

Choose a cleanser with glycolic and salicylic acid to remove dead skin cells and organic debris that cannot be removed by regular cleansers.

Exfoliate
This step should become part of your basic routine. It is the fastest way to revitalize your appearance and deep-cleanse your skin.

It is an excellent way to prepare for shaving, as it raises stubs and opens pores for a closer shave. It can help treat and prevent ingrown hairs and other problems.

Don't overdo the intensity of the scrubbing. Avoid exfoliating after exposure to the sun.

Exfoliating your entire body will give your skin and muscles a healthy, buffed appearance.

Shave
Be very picky about your shaving products-most products are just foam and don't provide sufficient lubrication.

For best results, shave while in the shower or immediately thereafter.

Don't skip using a serious post-shave treatment with anti-inflammatory ingredients. It accelerates healing, softens, and prevents infection, ingrown hairs and acne.

Moisturize
An oil-free or light moisturizer is best. Apply after showering to lock in moisture.

It is a good idea to reapply moisturizer at bedtime, especially in winter ordrier climates.
Look for "true" moisturizing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid or glycerin. These substances absorb water from the atmosphere and transfer it to the skin.

The skin around your eyes is the thinnest and most delicate and requires special attention. Use a product specially designed for this area.

Repair
Be realistic. Resolving skin problems requires patience and discipline.

Make sure you use products with proven efficacy.

It is easier to prevent than to repair. Avoid irritating ingredients, as these will debilitate your skin and its ability to renew itself.

CHICKEN LAHORI CHURGHA

today i will teach u cooking of chicken lahori churgha.........

thing u need to cook..........

Max 1 1/2 - 2 kg whole chicken
3/4 cup yogurt
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp lal mirch powder
1 tsp safid zeera
1 tsp pisa hoa garam masala
2 tsp chat masala
1tsp black pepper
2tbsp lemon juice
1tbsp ginger garlic paste
1tbsp butter
1 pinch yellow food colour
1/2 egg
1/2 cup water
oil for deep frying

METHOD:

-saab se pehlay chicken mai deep cuts lagaien aur uski dono legs ko thread ki madad se achii tarha tie kar dien
- 3/4 cup yogurt mai salt+lal mirch+safaid zeera+garam masala+chat masala+lemon juice+food colour+butter+ginger garlic paste+black peprdaal kar usko over night marinate kardien (or atleast 2 1/2 hr)
- abb chicken ko steam karna hai agar apkay pass steamer na ho tu aik pan mai 1/2 cup water daal kar usmai chciken daal dien aur slow heat par cook karien
- pani dry ho janay par usmai 1./2 egg shamil karien aur achi trha se poori chicken mai brush kardien takay frying k waqt masala chicken se alag na ho
- abb chicken ko deep fry karien
- colour aajanay par dahi ki chutney k saat serve karien

Good Health Care Tips

It's possible to save on health care, but skipping regular checkups and screenings to avoid an insurance co-pay isn't one of them, said Dr. Thomas J. Weida, professor in the Penn State College of Medicine's Department of Family and Community Medicine.

Those checkups and screenings are meant to look for health problems that, if nipped in the bud, will cost a lot less to treat than if they're allowed to get worse. "It's almost like a leak in a pipe," Weida said. "It usually doesn't go away by itself, and it can only get bigger. It's a lot easier to treat things earlier than later."

Strategies that Weida suggests for cutting health-care costs include:

Discuss switching to cheaper medications. "If they're on chronic medicines, they should have a talk with their doctor about switching to cheaper alternatives or cutting back on dosage or number of pills," he said. "I'll often try to work with patients to see what I can get for them on these $4 prescription lists that some chains offer."
Stay out of the emergency department. "That chews up a lot of money," Weida said. "Having an established family doc is critical to doing that. If you go into the emergency room with a cough, bringing up yellow mucus, you're almost always going to get a chest X-ray. I may treat you but say, 'Hey, if you're not getting better in a few days, give me a call and maybe we need an X-ray.' That's because I have the benefit of follow-up."

Treat colds and flu at home. "A lot of what we see are colds and viruses and flu and things like that," Weida said. "If that is following its usual course with you, then you probably don't need to see the doc on that. Come see your doc if you are experiencing worse symptoms or different symptoms."
Call for advice. "Sometimes just a phone call asking the doc handles the question," Weida said. "We do a lot of advice over the phone."

Diet

Cutbacks can be made in the food arena, too. "You can eat healthy and still stay on a budget," said Bethany Thayer, a registered dietician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "It just takes a little bit of extra planning and a little bit of extra thought."

Thayer's advice includes:

Prepare more of your own food. "Make as much as you can from scratch because the prepackaged foods are often the most expensive," she said.
Have a plan at the supermarket. "Don't go to the grocery story hungry, and go with a list," she said. "These things can help you stay on track."
Take advantage of seasonal produce. "Produce that's in-season is going to be a little bit cheaper than off-season produce," Thayer said. "Also, when buying perishables, make sure you're only buying what you're going to consume. If it's on special but you buy more than you'll consume, you haven't really saved any money."
Stockpile non-perishables. Thayer suggests stocking up on canned foods when they're on sale. "Fruits and vegetables can sometimes be cheaper because they'll last longer than the fresh," she said. "Buying food in bulk is good if it doesn't spoil before you use it."
Buy inexpensive sources of needed nutrients. "Beans are a very inexpensive source of protein and fiber, and very versatile," Thayer said. "There are many varieties of beans, and you can do many things with them." Popcorn and oatmeal are inexpensive grain options, and nonfat dry milk is a cheap source of dairy and "a great thing to have on hand," Thayer said. "It's inexpensive, and it's got shelf life. You just mix it up when you need it."
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Exercise

You don't need a pricey gym membership to keep fit, said Michael Esco, an exercise physiology instructor at Auburn University Montgomery in Alabama.

"The thing people need to realize is for general health, physical activity is what's recommended," Esco said. "That's any bodily movement that results in energy expenditure. For health, we don't really have to go to the gym."

To keep physically fit on the cheap, Esco recommends that people:

Buy a pedometer. A simple device, which can be bought for less than $20, can spur more activity. "Studies find that just by wearing the pedometer, people walk an extra mile to two miles a day," Esco said.
Get a jump-rope. "It's a less-expensive device that can really get your heart rate up," he said. "You can achieve a comparable workout to what a gym would give you."
Buy a bicycle trainer. The equipment turns a regular bike into a stationary bike and can be tucked away when not in use. "For $100 or less, you can have a stationary bike with a bike you've just got laying around," Esco said.
Use your own body weight, or cheap alternatives, as resistance. "People can go a long way doing push-ups, sit-ups and body weight squats," Esco said. Heavy cans of vegetables, bottles filled with water or sand and inexpensive elastic bands also can provide weight resistance.
Purchase a physioball. "You can do all sorts of exercises with these balls: push-ups, crunches, squats," Esco said. "Those are also cheap, less than $40."