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2006/08/27, 10:21 AM
I keep a bulletin board in my studio for posting little health and fitness info-bites that I find in magazines and online. I thought that would be a cool idea here - so here is the first bite:
10 Ways To Get More Steps in Your Life
1) At home and at work, pace while you talk on the phone.
2) Park in the farthest corner of the parking lot at the office, the mall, the baseball stadium, anywhere.
3) Walk up the stairs to your office (or at least five flights).
4) Instead of e-mailing coworkers, walk down the hall to talk to them.
5) Walk around the airport while you're waiting for your flight.
6) Get off the bus or subway a stop or two earlier.
7) Always return your grocery cart to the storage area.
8) During TV commercials, walk around the house (you can get 1,000 steps per one hour show).
9) Find a walking partner and commit to 30 minutes a day.
10) Vacuum the living room - or the whole house while you're at it.
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Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.
-Abraham Lincoln
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2006/08/27, 09:23 PM
One thing I was told was instead of loading up all the grocery bags in one or two trips, make multiple trips instead...
t
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I am training for birthdays.
Be here. Live. Love. Hope. Now. Faith. Believe. You. - Keith Urban
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2006/08/28, 07:11 AM
Preserve Your Memory
Growing old and developing Alzheimer's is a thought we all dread. According to a University of California study, exercise may prevent Alzheimer's and slow its development. A five-month test on mice placed in cages, with or without exercise wheels, revealed mice that exercised nearly every day had decreased levels of plaque-forming beta-amyloid protein particles, which are characteristic of Alzheimer's.
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Dont ever give up on a dream due to the amount of time it will take to achieve it. The time will pass anyway.
- Russ Ebsen
Aim high, time flies (fortune cookie saying)
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2006/08/29, 08:06 AM
Asthma Sufferers Should Exercise
Yes, exercise can set off asthma symptoms, but a new study says asthmatics should't avoid exercise - they should actually train more often because it helps.
People with asthma benefit from exercise just like the rest of us. Asthmatics whoe exercise have better cardiopulmonary fitness, meaning they can take in more oxygen and transfer more air in and out of their lungs. Dr. Clifford Bassett, a spokesman for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, said 17 percent of athletes from the 2000 Olympics Summer gmaes had a history of asthma. Even today, physicians who may noy fully understand asthma may tell thier patients to limit exercise, but "when asthma is well controlled, exercise isn't a problem," Dr. Bassett says. "The key is keeping it under control."
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Dont ever give up on a dream due to the amount of time it will take to achieve it. The time will pass anyway.
- Russ Ebsen
Aim high, time flies (fortune cookie saying)
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2006/08/30, 07:10 AM
Bean Scene
Been eating lots of soy for its isoflavines, genistein and diadzein, which researchers say help protect against cancer and heart disease? Don't forget that other beans also contain good amounts of isoflavones - including pinto and kidney beans, split peas and lentils. beans are also a good source of fiber, which protects our health in many ways. Sprouts have the highest amounts of isoflavones, but the Food and Drug Administartion advises against eating them raw.
- Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine.
Beans for Boobs
No, they won't boost your bosoms to a full C-cup, but eating beans may just stave off breast cancer. A recent long-term Harvard study concluded that women who consume beans or lentils at least twice a week are 24 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who eat them less than once a month. search the web for endlesss bean recipes such as delicious chili, soups, fajitas, dips and salads. (Oxygen magazine)
Also check the nutrition forum here at freetrainers for great recipes that have beans in them!
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Dont ever give up on a dream due to the amount of time it will take to achieve it. The time will pass anyway.
- Russ Ebsen
Aim high, time flies (fortune cookie saying)
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2006/08/31, 07:20 AM
The Power of Prayer
Yoga mantras and rosary prayer may be good for the heart, a study published in the British Medical Journal reports. During recitation of the Ave Maria and yoga mantra "om-mani-padme-om, " subjects' breathing slowed to a rate of about six breaths per minute compared to spontaneous breathing and random talking. This appears to synchronize breathing with cardiovascular rhythms that also have a six-per minute cycle, say University of Pavia (Italy) researchers. the results are enhanced heart-rate variability and arterial baroflex sensitivity, both powerful and independent predictors of improved long-term outcome in heart disease.
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Dont ever give up on a dream due to the amount of time it will take to achieve it. The time will pass anyway.
- Russ Ebsen
Aim high, time flies (fortune cookie saying)
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2006/09/01, 07:13 AM
Laugh Your Butt Off (literally)
A good giggle can do more than just improve your mood. One study, conducted at Vanderbilt University Medical center in Nashville, found that laughing out loud increased metabolism by 20 percent, and 10-15 minutes of laughter burned 10 to 40 calories, about the equivalent of one Hershey's Kisses chocolate. And while this doesn't mean that it's okay to ditch your kickboxing class in favor of putting your feet up and watching an I Love Lucy marathon, it's the most fun way (other than sex)we can think of to blast a few extra calories.
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2006/09/02, 09:03 AM
Nap to Lose Weight
Want to lose weight? Turn off the TV and take a nap. That's what the University of Michigan's Micheal Sivak found when he studied the relationship between sleeping, eating and obesity.
Sivak said a person who sleeps seven hours a night and consumes 2,500 calories during the rest of the day can trim 147 calories simply by replacing an hour of 'inactive wakefulness' with an hour of sleep - or about 14 pounds a year.
Sivak found that people tend to chow down during these periods of wakeful inactivity. Each additional hour of sack time reduces caloric intake by about 6 percent, he reported in the latest issue of Obesity Reviews.
- Washington Post
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2006/09/03, 10:20 AM
A Flat Stomach - Do's and Dont's
Do:
- try ab exercises on a stability ball. Using one of those oversized balls you see at your gym requires balance, helps you to use more muscles and allows you to use a full range of motion to build your muscles.
- change your diet. Diet is 85 percent of weight-loss results. Without it, your stomach will never be flat. Clean out your pantry, and include cardio and abdominal work.
- add variety to avoid hitting a plateau. Run outside one week and try the treadmill the next. use an ab roller today and do hanging leg raises tomorrow.
Don't:
- Think you can achieve a washboard stomach by doing 1,000 crunches a day. Remember? there is no such thing as spot training.
- Stick to machines only. "I'm not a big machine person," says fitness expert Alan Degennaro. "The same muscle fibers are working in the same sequence every single time and you can develop pattern overload." Your body becomes accustomed to that pattern and you are no longer accomplishing anything.
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2006/09/06, 07:43 AM
Wish You Had To Be Dragged Out of the Gym?
Are you out the goor before you even break a sweat? Is it too easy for you to call it a day at the gym, grab your bag and head for the door? Perhaps your gym habits just need a little spicing up.
- space out your workouts to avoid bringing tired and sore muscles back to the gym too soon.
- If you've been using a flat route or a quick start option, try a preprogrammed route on the treadmill or a climber.
- Instead of doing a full session of biceps, try a full body workout every now and again.
- Revamp your iPod playlist for the latest, most upbeat tracks.
- Find a workout partner or join a class once a week.
- Try two 30-minute workouts instead of one hour long session.
- Remember to change your entire routine every few weeks to keep your muscles guessing.
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2006/09/07, 08:52 AM
You Are What You Eat
These guidelines will put you on the path to healthful eating and optimal gains
- Feed frequently. The best way to get used to this is to take your existing daily calories and split them into 4-6 smaller meals spread evenly throughout the day. Eating more often will keep your metabolism running in high gear while continually supplying your body with the nutrients it needs to recover and grow.
- Have protein with every meal. This increases the satiety value of your meal (i.e. making you feel full longer) while helping rebuild and repair muscle. The best options include lean beef, skinless chicken breasts, lean turkey, egg whites, salmon, and orange roughy. Shoot for 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily.
- Eat complex carbs. Contrary to current trends, carbs help you function better. Choose whole-grain, unprocessed products, such as oatmeal, brown rice and yams instead of refined bread, pasta and sugar.
- Eat your veggies. They aid digestion and provide vitamins, minerals and phyto-chemicals needed to build quality muscles.
- Fat is phat. Dietary fats can work in y our favor when you're trying to build lean tissue, aiding in the transport of fat-soluble vitamins, providing sustained energy and supporting hormone production. Opt for healthful, unsaturated fats like olive oil, avocados, peanut butter and flaxseed oil, and avoid all things deep-fried and over-sauced.
- Control portions. At each meal, your protein should be the size of a deck of cards, your starchy carbs as big as a small orange, and your fats no more than a teaspoon of olive oil or a pat of butter (this can vary from person to person, some people require larger portion sizes).
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2006/09/08, 08:00 AM
Miracle Food of the Month - Asparagus
This treelike vegetable is one of the most antioxidant-rich foods you can find at your local supermarket. It's chock-full of vitamin C, which helps fight infection, and potassium, which is great for your muscles. Besides being extremely low in fat and calories, asparagus is high in glutathione, which helps prevent cancer. it also contains rutin, which guards small blood vessels from breaking. Just five spears equal one of your five recommended daily servings of vegetables. Try asparagus as an appetizer, in salads, in pastas or on its own.
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2006/09/10, 03:38 PM
Double Double
A new Boston study has managed to find yet another benefit to caffiene. According to the report, coffee can lower a woman's risk of developing type 2 diabetes. You can reduce your risk by up to 13 percent with just one cup of coffee a day, and you can cut it back by 47 percent with four or more cups. Please be advised, though, that experts aren't suggesting you drink coffee all day to prevent type 2 diabetes. - Oxygen magazine, July 2006
And remember to track the things you add to your coffee - cream and sugar add lot of empty calories and fat. try splenda, cinnamon, or any type of sugar-free flavorig syrup. i like Torani's different ones, caramel, chocolate, hazelnut. MMMM.
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Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms - to choose ones attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose ones own way.
- Victor E. Frankl
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2006/09/11, 07:20 AM
Vamp it up
Garlic and onions may give you bad breath, but they might also protect you from disease. A recent European study found that adding just 10 grams of garlic and onions to your daily diet can reduce the risk of stomach cancer by 30%. In related news, U.S. researchers have found that onion extract may inhibit the growth of liver and colon cancers.
- Muscle&Fitness Hers, Sept/Oct 2006
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2006/09/15, 12:45 PM
Head Games for Your Body
Bob Harper shows you how to get your brain in shape
Changing mentally is the first step towards changing physically. We all know this. And yet, when it comes to making that crucial change, many of us falter.
Biggest Loser Club trainer Bob Harper says, "I think that the main thing that my contestants don't realize at first are their capabilities and strengths, that they can do this."
"They've got to overcome the mentality that got them there in the first place. Then later, I start to hear them say, 'I cannot believe what I'm capable of now. I can't believe what you've shown me," he says.
How to do it Bob's way:
1. Just do it
Taking action is the first step. So start eating right, add some fruits and veggies. Sign up for that aerobics class. "The moment you start doing it, the moment you make that choice, that's when you start to feel the difference. You carry yourself differently. Once you fully commit, you're there."
2. Little lies
"If this all feels hard at first, then fake it till you make it!" In other words, telling yourself that you can do something, can help you do it. So tell yourself to add on another 10 minutes of cardio. Tell yourself you love your veggies. Be your own cheerleader.
As Bob says, "You're going to come out shining!"
From The Biggest Loser email
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2006/09/23, 09:45 AM
How to Pick a Calcium Supplement
Most calcium supplements come in the form of either calcium citrate or calcium carbonate.
"There is no evidence that either is absorbed better,"says Beth Kitchin, "But calcium carbonate needs to be taken with foods because the acids in your stomach will help absorb it and it can be constipating." Here are things to keep in mind:
- Calcium supplements come in many forms - pills capsules, chewable tablets and candies, powders or tablets that dissolve in water.
- Calcium is easier to absorb when it's consumed in small doses throughout the day. Divide your intake between breakfast, lunch, dinner or bedtime.
- Most calcium supplements are better taken with food.
Be sure to include 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D in your diet or supplement regimen per day to help your body absorb calcium.
Get Moving!
Dozens of studies show that any exercise you do while standing on your feet will strengthen your bones and improve balance, says Hyla cass, MD, a physician and author of 8 weeks to Vibrant health for Women : A Woman's Guide to Correct Imbalances, Reclaim Energy, and restore Well-being (McGraw-Hill, 2005). So get goiing on an exercise regimen that includes regular walking, running, hiking, playing tennis, playing golf, and even dancing. "In addition, weight bearing exercises three times a week with hand weights, ankle weights or resistance bands will boost your bones," she says. "Take them out and spend five minutes on curls while your waiting for pasta water to boil or do some leg strengtheners while you're talking on the phone."
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2006/09/24, 12:48 PM
Also magnesium is instrumental in calcium absorbtion. In fact, with the emphasis on calcium in the media, etc., magnesium deficiencies are starting to crop up. Use a 2:1 ratio. Magnesium is so important for muscle strength, nervous system, mood, etc.
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Maximus from Gladiator....Strength and Honor!
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2006/09/30, 06:48 PM
The question has arisen, lately, as to whether you can get a good workout with limited access to equipment and still lose weight.
Here is a circuit that will burn some calories, give your muscles a workout and get your heart rate up - no equipment necessary.
Warm-up by marching in place, dancing (good music helps) for 5 minutes.
Grab a phone book and hold it to your chest with your arms crossed. Do one set of 15 squats, slow on the down count of four and slow on the upcount of four.
Now set the phone book down and get into a push-up position, pivot on your knees if you aren't strong enough to do them on your toes. You could also place your hands on the bottom step of your stairs or on the front edge of the couch. Do 12 push-ups, a slow 4-count down, pushing back up as fast as you can. Don't snap your elbows and keep your whole core strong and tight.
do 15 jumping jacks, or step-outs to the side if you need a low-impact option.
Grab your phone book again, hold it out in front of your body as you get into a lunge position, lunge slowly down while twisting your waist to bring the phone book over your forward knee. push back up, feeling your glutes and abs tighten. Do a set of 12 like this on each leg. remember - slow and controlled down, strong up.
Shut the end of a bath towel in your front door, make sure it isn't going to pull out while you are working with it. Grab the towel with both hands and pull yourself towards it, using your back muscles, pulling your shoulder blades together let your body rock a little on your feet to allow the movement. Go slow and controlled for 15 reps.
Do 30 jumping jacks or step-outs.
Lie down on your back and do 15 bicycle crunches. Again, slow and controlled, feel the contraction.
Turn over and do 15 superman back/leg extensions
get up and do 30 jumping jacks.
Get a drink of water and complete this circuit 2 more times. At the end of all 3 circuits, walk in circles until you feel cooled down and stretch.
Have fun!
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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
- Aristotle
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2006/10/18, 08:54 AM
Sports Drink or Water ?
(this is for the older gentleman I see everyday at the gym, he lifts for maybe 1/2 hour and spends a lot of time talking, yet needs gatorade..)
Unless you work out strenuously for more than one hour, drinking water is all you need when exercising, say University of California at Berkeley experts. sports Beverages (like Gatorade) cost a pretty penny and are chockfull of sodium - about 275mg per 20-oz bottle.
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I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.
-Henry David Thoreau
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2006/10/18, 11:12 AM
Mostly to keep electrolytes in line and avoid cramping! Invented by a football team (Florida Gators) and not a gabber at the gym!:laugh:
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You are what you eat. So stay away from the jerk chicken.
Ivan
Montreal Canada (City of Festivals)
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2006/10/20, 06:59 AM
This is from the Shape Up America website - check it out at:
http://www.shapeup.org
20 Tips for Getting Your Family on Track
Park the car AS FAR AWAY from the entrance as possible
Use a pedometer to count the number of steps taken each day
(2,000 steps equals about 1 mile)
Have a catch (football, baseball, softball, or Frisbee)
Make chores such as vacuuming, sweeping or raking, your chance to be active
Go for family walks after meal times
Limit recreational screen time (television, video games, and computer) to less than 2 hours per day
Shoot some hoops
Select fitness-oriented gifts with your family member's skills and interests in mind
Design a Frisbee golf course and play Frisbee golf
(replace golf "holes" with targets and count the number of tosses needed to connect)
Try to ALWAYS use the stairs
Visit farms throughout the year where you can pick your own strawberries, peaches, and apples
Plan cycling trips on safe trails by contacting your local bike shop or bike club
Go swimming and play water tag or water volleyball
Play soccer or just kick a ball around — it's fun!
Go hiking — locate a nearby trail
Jump rope — practice rhythms, rhymes, and tricks
Adopt a roadway, park, or beach and keep it clean
Enter a "bike-a-thon" or "fun run" and train for it (you can walk a "fun run" too)
Use a hula hoop — see how long you can keep it going!
SCHEDULE REGULAR TIMES for activity throughout the week
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AIM HIGH TIME FLIES
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2006/10/26, 07:32 AM
AN Excerpt from Dave Draper's weekly e-newsletter (sign up at davedraper.com)
"Work out and eat right, why doesn't everyone do it? That's the
question we who have trained for more than about 12 weeks ask. I can
understand why one might not train for competition. It's tough, full
of sacrifice and the motivation is very specific, very personal. It's
not exactly healthy for the contender or the dear folks around him or
her. Possibly worse, financial remuneration is in the neighborhood of
zero. I ain't no snob, but that's a crummy neighborhood.
It's also obvious -- I strain to imagine -- that not everyone wants or
needs a 19-inch arm or a 350-pound bench press. These are monstrous
commitments and can be foolish obsessions -- unless, of course, you're
like me and my neat, highly stimulated friends. Then it's, like, cool.
But to look and feel good; to be trim and strong; to be energetic and
conditioned, these are a delight. There's not a single person -- here
or there, male or female, young or old, left or right, black, white,
grey or brown -- who doesn't covet vibrant health and fitness. And
they're not peculiar or overly dramatic. They're alive and quite
normal.
Why, then, do some tumble like dear possessions in a landslide and
find themselves overweight, physically limited and moving toward
continuing disaster? In spite of their inherent goodness and grand
potential, that slice of the masses is in deep trouble, and that
trouble is pervasive and contagious. There are crimes against man
being committed every moment and few are as insidious as those we
perpetrate against ourselves.
Undeveloped personal responsibility! Lack of respect! Apathy!
What the ordinary citizen needs to improve his or her life
spectacularly is extraordinarily simple. Live life with vigor and
gratitude. Exercise and eat right with purpose and enthusiasm.
Atrocititus once said while playing the cello, "Living life without
vigor and gratitude is as close to death as one may be without one's
heart ceasing to beat."
You're generous in your criticism (sarcasm and scorn), Bomber, but
mute when offering a specific solution, a fix to the problem. Take a
hike!"
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AIM HIGH TIME FLIES
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