Archive for August, 2009
For someone who’s accustomed to training with free weights, the transition to resistance training can be slightly confusing. The key is to forget about weight altogether. Rather than dwelling on measurements such as pounds and kilograms in terms of weight, you’ll need to select bands based on the level of tension. Select just enough tension to ensure a challenging workout, and upgrade your routine as needed.
Resistance bands are especially convenient for workouts on the go. Whereas free weights are a pain to lug from place to place, resistance bands can fit easily inside a travel bag. They can be used solo, unlike dumbbells which require a spotter to be used safely. If you have further questions about the proper form and technique to implement during resistance training, consult a gym professional or a relevant workout video.
Over the past few weeks as I open the internet health news pages the redundant articles on the swine Flu is about all you see. Get a Flu shot is the solution to this alleged pandemic. The Alarmist’s out cries with predictions of unprecedented absences at schools this fall would give anyone the blues, and drive people to get a Flu shot. Has anyone noticed in the past years before this “Scary Pig Flu” arrived on the scene that people that get a Flu vaccination still get sick anyway? If not from a reaction to the shot, they contract a different strain of the Flu. There is no one size fits all Flu Shot and it does not guarantee that you will not get the Flu. And the statistics of illness and morbidity rate from the Flu are not accurate as they are bundled with other illnesses such as pneumonia and pre-existing conditions.
Now I am not saying that this vaccination does not have a place and a use for the elderly and immune compromised it may be appropriate. What has me all annoyed with all this hoop-la is the only option the media gives you is a profit driven vaccination.
No one is talking or writing about prevention through healthy lifestyle choices, especial during the Flu season. Wow what a novel Idea.
How about taking this opportunity to educate people on healthier food choices that boost the immune system. Fortifying the immune system with a good multivitamin for added nutritional insurance. Letting people know about the benefits of taking an extra serving of daily Super Green Food. Getting a little more rest and stay hydrated. All of these suggestions are backed by decades of scientific validation for their health benefits along with keeping you healthy. Even being isolated on an island can’t guarantee you won’t contract the Flu but proper prevention through dietary solutions will give you better odds. And if you do become ill it will help fight off the virus and speed recovery. Besides, good healthy foods taste better and is lot more enjoyable than vaccine shots.
With all the hoop-la about protein these days from the Atkins diet and the South Beach diet to the high protein hype for building muscle and losing weight Amino Acids ARE the real hero that seems to have been forgotten, lost in the fanfare of protein. Amino acids, are the forgotten hero because protein is not protein without them and without a complete protein profile it is just that, incomplete. It is like walking around with just one shoe on, one is good but not great it is incomplete and half functional.
Amino acids play central roles both as building blocks of proteins and as intermediates in metabolism. The 20 amino acids that are found within proteins convey a vast array of chemical versatility and combine to making a complete protein. The precise amino acid content, and the sequence of those amino acids, of a specific protein, is determined by the sequence of the bases in the gene that encodes that protein. The chemical properties of the amino acids of proteins determine the biological activity of the protein. Proteins not only catalyze all (or most) of the reactions in living cells, they control virtually all cellular process. In addition, proteins contain within their amino acid sequences the necessary information to determine how that protein will fold into a three dimensional structure, and the stability of the resulting structure.
In brief Amino Acids are the chemical units or “building blocks” of proteins that make up the components of the body . Amino Acids the real Hero of healthy tissue that combine to make protein and protein substances make up the muscles, tendons, organs, glands, nails, and hair. Growth, repair and maintenance of all cells are dependent upon them. Next to water, protein (amino acids) makes up the greatest portion of our body weight.
So the next time you have that chicken salad or your favorite protein shake give a little nod and smile for the 20 amino acids that have created such a tasty and healthy body moment.
Watch for more on the Amino Hero’s in the Future.
Exercise a word that can strike fear into even the bravest of couch potatoes. Not to worry its time to get over the intimidation of the hot hard bodies of the infomercial world and turn off that TV.
Although joining a fitness club is a popular choice to get in shape it is definitely not for everyone. And it doesn’t need to be. Exercise is just another word for getting your body in motion and let’s face it, not everyone likes pumping iron or pretending there a hamster running on a treadmill. So they often choose to stay in the security of their couch not knowing where to start.
First of all it’s easier and more fun than you may think. How much exercise do you need? Adults need a minimum 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as a brisk walk, swimming or water aerobics, riding a bike on level ground with a few hills, playing tennis or even giving your gardener the day off and mowing your own lawn. You also need muscle-strengthening activities on a minimum of 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms). There are many ways you can strengthen your muscles, whether it’s at home or the gym. You may want to try the following: using resistance bands, heavy gardening, use your body weight for resistance such as Push-ups park in the back of the parking lot and take your own groceries out to the car.
If even this still has you clinging to your couch with white knuckles, start even slower go to the mall and walk, (you may want to leave your credit cards at home). Find a park that has stairs or beach and walk, and best of all invite a friend to join you and enjoy sharing some long over do conversation without texting, while getting some fresh air and you know “exercising”.
When it comes to sugar Americans consume more sugar per day than any other country in the world.
At an average of 22.2 teaspoons per day caring about 355 extra calories it is nearly three times the recommended dietary amount based on the American Heart Assoc. guidelines. But wait it may not be the fault of the average consumer. Much of the sugar that shows up in our average daily food consumption comes from surprisingly unexpected places.
Take for example the health conscious buyer that shops for low fat products and buys “Reduced” fat salad dressings. Trying to cut down on saturated fats, one would think that this would be a good choice. However on a closer look we find that a one-cup serving of reduced-calorie French dressing heaps on 58 grams of added sugar, reduced-fat coleslaw dressing hits a home run with 103 grams of added sugar. Now we know that the average person does not use a whole cup of dressing on their salad but on average a quarter of a cup say 4 ounces. That will pour on 14 to 25 grams of sugar or 4 to 7 teaspoons. Over the course of a day these hidden sugars really add up. Hey how about some “healthy” dried cranberries? Commercial products are usually sweetened with sugar and on average a whopping 25 grams of sugar per cup of fruit another 7 teaspoons.
What’s the answer?
Along with good uncommon sense shopping such as buying fresh unprocessed foods READ THE INGREDIENT LABEL. Avoid being ripped off by miss leading labels, don’t rely on the sound bite on the front of the label. That’s why knowing what is really in the product and staying informed to understand what these ingredients are is so important. After all your health depends on it and it is not the marketing company’s priority. Look for healthy snacks and products that are sweetened with fruit juice or nothing at all including artificial sweeteners.
When it comes to weight management and the health risks of excessive body fat and obesity you would think in this day and age it would be a no Brainer. It is important to maintain proper lean mass to body fat ratio for optimal health. In a recent article in U.S. News & World Report new studies on obesity from UCLA have given a whole new meaning to the term No Brainer.
According to a study conducted by senior author Paul Thompson a UCLA neuroscientist, published online in Human Brain Mapping “The brains of obese people looked 16 years older than their healthier counterparts while [those of] overweight people looked 8 years older,” The Article goes on to say Clinically obese people had 8 percent less brain tissue, while the overweight had 4 percent less brain tissue compared to normal-weight individuals. “This is the first study to show physical evidence in the brain that connects overweight and obesity and cognitive decline,” said Thompson, who is professor of neurology at UCLA and a member of the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging. This study reaffirms the importance of healthy weight management.
“Obesity affects every system in your body. The body can’t be splintered. It’s completely linked. We are what we eat and we eat too much,” he said. “The bottom line is that an obese, sedentary person is going to have a breakdown of every organ system, and that includes a greater chance of impotence and infertility and other things that people don’t generally think are directly related to obesity.”
Just another reason to eat right, get you body off the sofa and get moving. Staying physically and mentally fit is so important to being able to live your life fully alive.
Health Insurance-
Real Insurance for good health is to stay healthy. As we have consistently seen in the top four reasons to take vitamins the one common thread is that vitamins contribute to good health and prevention of health problems. Medical insurance is not health assurance. Medical insurance only helps if you get sick with minimal focus on prevention or regaining optimal health. The American health system is a medical system not a health system. Hence the old saying an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
The best way to insure your health is to stay as healthy as possible and avoid the costly and statistically dangerous encounter with the medical system whenever possible. Scientific Study after scientific study over decades and in some cultures over thousands of years have proven that prevention is a far better option and always less expensive.
Real Health Insurance is simply choosing healthy life style habits, eating a well balance diet, giving your daily nutritional needs a boost with proper vitamin and mineral supplementation, getting proper rest, drinking clean pure water throughout the day, and getting regular exercise, staying both physically and mentally active.
Recession proof your health.
When the economy goes into the dumper usually our buying power goes with it. This can mean all too often having to resort to opting for less expensive nutrient deficient food choices in order to make ends meet. Combine that with the stress of perhaps longer work hours a second job or no job at all and it is a recipe for a health disaster.
One great option is to supplement your daily nutritional needs with a basic high quality whole food multivitamin to fill in the missing nutritional gaps. With ever increasing demand for supplements over the past several decades there is plenty of excellent options to too choose from at very affordable prices. For an average of 5 cents per day you can get the much needed daily vitamins and minerals to help keep you healthy when an optimal diet is not possible.
Research has validated time after time that vitamins such as b12 and antioxidants can help the body coop with stress along with other nutrients that can balance the immune system when under duress. Today’s whole food multivitamins offer a full spectrum of nutrients and herbal formulas that help the body and mind keep pace with the demands of the modern day world.
So be sure to take your daily multivitamins, after all where else can you get an all you can eat produce buffet for just 5 cents a day.
Balance-
Nutritional synergy is one of the most important reasons to supplement your diet with vitamins and one that is often over looked. There are volumes of note worth studies on how through a delicate balance vitamins, minerals enzymes, proteins and other vital nutrient components work together and rely on each other for proper absorption and utilization.
One example of this is Vitamin D and its relation to calcium absorption a major concern for, proper bone growth, prevention of osteoporosis and many other roles in human health.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in very few foods and is essential for promoting calcium absorption in the gut and maintaining adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralization of bone. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen.
Finding the proper balance and adequate amounts of vital nutrients in our daily diet can be nearly impossible at times. That is why a full spectrum multivitamin supplement can help fill in the gaps for missing nutrients optimizing our normal food intake during the day.
Always remember taking any supplement should not take the place of good eating habits and a well balanced meals.
You just might live longer and live healthier.
In a 2009 a study conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 586 women between the ages of 35 and 74 concluded that the length of the telomeres, a marker for aging, was 5.1 % longer in the vitamin takers, than in those that did not take vitamins.
Similar studies on the impact of health and healthy aging continue to point to the positive benefits of taking vitamin supplements, starting with a full spectrum multivitamin. And further studies have suggest that adding additional specific vitamins and minerals to offset factors such as genetic predisposition for health problems, environmental factors, age, and lifestyle can be very beneficial.
So live longer live healthier supplement your daily nutritional needs with a daily multivitamin.