Health and Fitness Center

An Introductory Guide to the Health Savings Account
By Barry Waxler

The United States is unique in that we may be the richest country on the planet, but have a system that fails to provide health care to many of our citizens. The Health Savings Account is one of many efforts to solve this problem.

Ah, the great healthcare debate. The medical profession has seen some absolutely stunning advances over the years. The advances have wiped out certain diseases that used to be catastrophic and a come up with solutions that mean formerly terminal health problems no longer are.

Unfortunately, these advancements have led to a catch-22 situation. The research and care costs money, so much so that many people cannot afford the cost of health care. Of the 300 million plus people in the country, some 240 million have some form of health care. Many of these forms are lacking and it still leaves us with 60 million or so people who have no coverage. That is pretty discouraging given the economic state of the country.

Both federal and state governments have had a go at the healthcare coverage issue. There has been no universal solution that has worked. Instead, the problem is now approached with a variety of programs in an effort to take chunks out of the problem. The Health Savings Account represents one such effort.

The Health Savings Account is an interesting approach to the problem. In simple terms, it works as follows. You contribute cash to a health savings account. At the same time, you buy a high deductible health insurance policy. The account can then be used to pay most of your health costs. If you run into something significant that is going to be expensive such as surgery or an extended hospital stay, the high deductible insurance policy kicks in.

There are a couple of advantages to the Health Savings Account. First, you cut the cost of insurance as the premiums for the high deductible policy will be significantly lower than a regular health insurance policy. Second, the money you contribute to the Health Savings Account is tax free. It also rolls over to the next calendar year without any tax consequences.

So, what can you contribute to your account? The numbers seem to change each year. For 2007, an individual can contribute up to $2,850. For families, the number is $5,650. The numbers change constantly, so make sure to speak with your financial advisor if you are interested in the program.

Is the Health Savings Account the answer to the healthcare coverage problems in the country? Unfortunately, no. It does, however, act as a small part of the solution and every little step helps.

Get California health insurance plans and quotes at UFCAmerica.com.

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Back Fitness for Senior Golfers
By Susan Hill

Back injuries are prevalent among golfers of all ages and especially for senior golfers. Age has a way of letting us know subtly that our bodies no longer react like the good old days of 20 something. The back is one area of our body we can’t afford to take for granted. Whether you suffer from minor aches and pains, mild discomfort or even general tightness, your back could be at risk as well as your game.

So how can we protect our backs from the wear and tear of age while creating longevity in golf?

The first thing to check is your posture. If you don t know the right way to sit, stand or lift weight, then you are far from learning the complexities of swing mechanics!

The “perfect swing” is something many attempt to learn by watching or reading a book. Yet, it s a motor skill, which also draws upon your feel for things.

When you first learned to swing a golf club, you might think you were learning things from scratch . But were you?

You already knew how to stand. If you tend to slouch while standing, or if your back muscles were poorly developed, you probably ended up trying to create the “perfect swing” by sight rather than by the feel of things.

Maybe your upper back is making up for your lack of lower back flexibility. Perhaps your lumbar pain results from underdeveloped hips or abs. It doesn t matter where your weak link lies. It always kicks in a series of “compensatory” moves.

These wrong moves are not only an open invitation to injury- they can take you years to correct and refine - if you are blind to the underlying postural flaw.

Experts agree that an erect posture with neural spinal alignment can give you an added rotation of up to 30?. Imagine the extra momentum that would lend to your club head!

Three simple ways to Improve your Swing with Better Posture:

1.Stand Tall!
When you slouch, you compromise the normal curvature of the back, which is important for proper joint movement.

Try this simple experiment:
Sit on a chair in the bent-over posture. Your shoulders are slouched and the neck protrudes outwards. Try to swing your arms. Most of the movement will come from your elbows, rather than your shoulder joint (which has a bigger range of motion).

Next, sit up straight, with your shoulders squared and your neck in proper alignment with the spine. Your arms will swing freely from the shoulder and rotate freely in any direction.

More importantly, the right posture will keep your back healthy and minimize the sheer forces on the spine - which form the root cause of pain.

2.Bend at the Hips (not at the Back!)

When you bend, make sure your back is in a neutral position. That can only happen if you bend from your hips.

To facilitate this position, make sure your lower abs are properly engaged. Strong abs are the very foundation of a powerful, fluid stroke!

3.Improve Stability

Better balance and coordination help to effectively transfer the momentum of your swing to the ball.

Stabilize your torso by keeping your feet shoulder width apart- having them too close or too far apart will affect your balance.

Learn to shift your weight smoothly from one foot to the other. It will greatly reduce the impact on your lower back.

Finally, do not lean on the toes or roll at the heels. A shaky foundation can kill momentum before your club head strikes the ball.

It may take some time to get accustomed to the new posture. But these simple changes will help you play better golf longer.

Doesn t that make it worthwhile?

Susan Hill is a fitness trainer, CHEK golf biomechanic and sports nutrition specialist. Her work has been featured in Golf Illustrated, Travel Golf, Resort Living and SELF magazine. For on-line golf specific exercises and stretches, visit http://www.fitnessforgolf.com

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Best Health Insurance Providers: Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers
By Dave Poon

Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers are the leading suppliers of technical supports, business strategies, consulting expertise, and health care assistance for their business partners.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers act as Brand managers. They are responsible in setting the standards of a company’s quality control. Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers also serve as the trade association in which Blue Plans are represented.

It is their duty to provide Blue Plans among government officials, industry colleagues, media and public. In case of conflicts regarding Blue Plan’s business objectives, priorities, and corporate culture arise Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers are tasked to help these companies to come up with a united strategy and vision. It is also the Association’s responsibility to assist these Plans with agendas that will permit all members to benefit from member plan’s local strength.

During the 1929, the birth of Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers came out of a need. On those times, a businessman named Justin F. Kimball thought of offering a way, for school teachers based in Dallas, to finance a 21 day of health care in exchange of paying small monthly amount at Baylor University Hospital.

The growth of this concept started when employers of mining and lumber companies saw the need of their employees for health care. Because their workers are exposed to hazardous environment, they are much prone to chronic illnesses and serious injuries.

Nowadays, these Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers is leading its way of ensuring their business associates with hospital care affordability and full coverage of innovative product designing, research, and consumer commitment. They also aim in lessening the population of uninsured citizens.

Government Programs Offered by Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers

1. FEP (Federal Employee Program) - this aims to provide leadership in partnership with OPM and Blue Plans for the assistance and simplification of the delivery of health care services to government applicants.

2. SGI (Strategic Government Initiatives) - this aims to manage the association’s contracts with CMS to direct the “Part A” of the medical care program. Together with HRSA (Health Resources &amp Services Administration) they aim to support the CHGME (Children Hospital Graduate Medical Education) program.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers is a trade association for locally, independent functioning for Blue Cross &amp Blue Shield Plan. They have proven themselves as health advocates of consumers. They always think first the interest of the public.

Currently, there are 39 companies who are members of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers locally. Over 70 years, they have provided thousands or even millions of individuals with affordable, top-quality health insurance.

As years go by, medical discoveries arise. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers stick with their oath that through continuous innovations, the association will take it step to changes assuring its members to provide them with the finest quality of service.

Their medical coverage gives you peace and protection from high cost of medical care. They provide you the type of medical care you will need in preparation for the 21st century. It offers you customer-focused, affordable, high quality, and innovative.

Dave Poon is an accomplished writer who specializes in
the latest in Insurance. For more information
regarding
Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers
please drop by at http://www.bestinsuranceworld.com

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Advanced Abs Exercises
By John Gibb

Once you get more experienced in ab exercise, you might want to move on beyond the basic exercises to do some more advanced ones. While these exercises are often complicated, they are much more effective for focusing on specific muscles. Be warned, though, that you shouldn’t try them until you know what you’re doing, as you might hurt yourself or others around you.

The first two to try both use an exercise ball. In the first exercise, you lie on your side, and then put the ball between your legs. Then tighten your abs and use your hip muscles to gently lift the ball.

A second exercise to do with the ball is the plank, which is when you do what are basically push-ups, only with your legs balanced on the ball and your arms stretched a long way off the ground.

If you have two people, a good advanced exercise is for one of you to lie on your back and put their legs in the air. Then, the other holds the legs around the ankles, and tries to bend them back towards the head. The idea is for the person lying down to try and force their legs up again against the downward pressure.

If you’ve got a metal bar or something else that you can hang from, you can do hanging ab exercises. Simply hold on to the bar, and then try to raise your legs up as close as you can get them to your chest.

However, whichever exercises you do, you still need to exercise all your ab muscles equally. It’s no good trying to ’spot reduce’ to get rid of fat on one particular kind of your body - the only way to do it is to get fit all over. So you’d better get started!

John Gibb is the owner of ab-exercise guidance For more information on ab exercises check out http://www.ab-exercise-guidance.info

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Be Healthy - Drink Wine!
By Kathy Howe

Is wine good for you? The answer is, “Yes!” There’s lots of research providing proof that there really are health benefits from drinking wine.

Flavonoids from the skins and seeks of red grapes are the key to wine being good for you. These flavonoids lower your risk of coronary heart disease by reducing your LDL or bad cholesterol levels. At the same time these flavonoids actually increase your HDL or good cholesterol levels and decrease the likelihood of blood clotting.

Scientists believe that there may be other health benefits from red wine. A recent study discovered that an antioxidant in the skins of red grapes, called resveratrol, may inhibit the growth of tumors in some cancers. It’s possible that resveratrol can help treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s as well and new studies are on the way.

Are some wines better for you than others? Again, the answer is, “Yes!” Researchers at University of California at Davis have concluded that full-bodied dry red wines contain the highest levels of flavonoids and provide the greatest benefits. The number one wine for supplying the most flavonoids is Cabernet Sauvignon with Petit Syrah and Pinot Noir also ranking highly. Sweeter wines and white wines have less flavonoids and are less beneficial.

How much should you drink? Moderation is the key. Women should drink 4 ounces of red wine daily with a meal and men 4-8 ounces.

Pour yourself a glass of red wine and drink to your health. Cheers!

Kathy Howe and her husband, Steve, spend much of their free time tasting and enjoying wine. Their interest in wine is reflected in their Web Site, http://www.cheers2wine.com - a Comprehensive Guide to the California Wine Country.

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