Resurrecting The Champ

No matter what type of workout you are looking for, you can probably find something that will suit you on the Top 20 list of the newest fitness trends in 2012. The 2012 ACSM Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends studied the fitness trends and distinguished them from the fads for 2012. Trends are more permanent, and signify growth, while fads are only temporary and do not last. This survey helps the fitness industry to conserve money by concentrating on being ready for the trends people will be looking for to fit their exercise needs.

The survey results educate the consumers, so they know how to look for the right gym situation. Those involved in keeping fit will want a gym that offers the latest trendy workout. Top on the list for instance is that certified, experienced and educated fitness professionals be available to guidance. There are a number of organizations that offer certificate programs such as the CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) to train fitness professionals. Read the rest of this entry

A popular misconception online is that raw spinach should be avoided and considered dangerous . The premise for this fad is the truth that a substance known as oxalates can cause kidney and gall stones. Since spinach contains a high amount of oxalates, people are keeping away from this amazing nutrient source. In order to shed the light of truth on this rapidly spreading fear, it helps to understand what oxalates are.

Oxalates Defined

Oxalates are a substance that is found naturally in humans, plants, and animals. They are also known as organic acids and are manufactured naturally in the body. The term oxalates, for the purposes of this article, is interchangeable with oxalic acid. It is normal and routine for our bodies to change other substances into oxalates so that there are always oxalates in our system. Most of the known facts about oxalates focus on the damage that an overabundance of oxalic acid can create. Read the rest of this entry

Some would, no doubt, try to argue that the job of an F1 driver is far less strenuous than that of other professional athletes. Footballers, tennis players, or Olympic runner all get credit for being at the peak of physical fitness. But what about motorsport champions? They don’t have to run around a pitch or track. In fact they don’t even have to stand up! So life behind the wheel must be easy, right? Wrong!

Professional race drivers don’t just have to be fit, they have to be in exceptional shapre. In fact, those drivers at the tops of particularly demanding fields such as Formula one rank amongst some of the fittest sportsmen in the world. Not only do they have to be physically fit in order to handle the strains of pushing a machine around a track at 200 mph, but mentally they need to be at the top of their game. Drivers are required to make split second decisions which will not only dictate their success in the race and hence their paycheck, but will also decide whether or not they survive the race. At such high speeds there’s no margin for error, and a single lapse in concentration, muscle cramp or moment’s hesitation could have disastrous consequences. Read the rest of this entry

Intermittent fasting (IF) refers to the pattern of eating followed by brief periods of not eating.  The fasting period can last anywhere from 12 to 36 hours, though 19 hour or 24 hour fasts are the most common among those who practice IF.

While fitness and gym lore lauds eating small meals frequently, unfortunately that advice doesn’t hold up biologically and pales in comparison to the benefits of intermittent fasting. Below are 8 reasons why you should consider IF.

• Fat Metabolism – When brief fasting periods, lasting less than 48 hours, are observed, the body no longer runs on sugar intake.  It switches to metabolizing fat to fuel the body and brain, thus offering weight loss in the form of fat loss.

• Blood Lipids – Short-term fasting offers potent changes in metabolic syndrome markers in those who are overweight by improving blood lipids. IF also shows improvement in cardiovascular risk markers by lowering LDL and triglycerides. Read the rest of this entry

What is diabetes? Are there steps that can be taken towards diabetes prevention for women? When a woman has diabetes her blood sugar levels are elevated. The blood contains some glucose since the body actually needs it to maintain energy. However, if there is too much glucose in the blood then a woman’s health can suffer. Most of the food that is consumed is turned into glucose through the process of digestion. To get the glucose into the cells of the body where it can be used properly, insulin is necessary.

What is Insulin?

A healthy pancreas will make and release insulin into the blood stream. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose transfer from the foods eaten into the body’s cells. When the body is not making adequate amounts of insulin or if it makes too much the glucose cannot get in the cells. This is when it begins to build up in the blood and when the blood glucose levels are too high diabetes is the result. If diabetes is uncontrolled it can lead to serious conditions such as kidney failure, stroke, blindness, heart disease and even amputations. For women, diabetes can cause major problems during a pregnancy and this can increase the risk of a child being born with birth defects. Read the rest of this entry

When summer weather comes, you’re probably among those who want to get out and enjoy the sunshine as much as possible. Changing your exercise routine so you can be out is a great way to do this, but there are several things you need to consider to get the most out of your workouts and ensure you stay safe as the summer heat cranks up.

Choose activities you love

Getting out of your air-conditioned home will be easier if you’re doing something you love. Whether you join a local recreational sports team or get together with some friends to exercise together, participating in something you enjoy makes the time fly by. Vary your environments so you have something different to look at and reap the benefits of being out and about. Read the rest of this entry

Losing weight is not just about eating less and cutting things out of your diet. There are still a lot of foods that you can add to your diet which can help you as you try to lose weight fast. Here are my top 10 foods that you might want to consider and incorporate in your diet plan for weight loss.

1. Vegetable Soups

One of the latest trends in weight loss research is the concept of calorie density wherein the body pays more attention to the amount of space your food takes up in your stomach than it does to the amount of calories you’re consuming. As you eat foods with a low calorie density, you’ll be able to satisfy your hunger for less. This makes vegetable soups as great option to lose weight fast. Serve them as a starter or a light meal and watch how quickly you will feel satisfied. Read the rest of this entry

The new craze that is Zumba has swept the nation up and onto its feet!

For anyone that has missed what has been happening over the past months, Zumba is a Latin, dance inspired, fitness program. It is fast paced and includes many different disciplines including some Samba and Salsa, which helps keep routines fresh and the genre ever evolving.

Ever since its boom in popularity in England instructors have popped up all over the country. Some dedicated and some learn it to add to their repertoire. But what makes Zumba so popular is that they are all different. This means that you can sample different types of teaching and it is not a linear ‘well I don’t like that’ because you can always go to a new instructor and sample something new. This helps to keep people involved and helps instructors build really loyal fan bases to help keep the classes going. Read the rest of this entry

Skin Care Industry

Nowhere is the world of marketing more deceptive than in the skincare and cosmetics industry. There are a few reasons for this. One of them is the massive amount of sales that fuel this industry. Humans are quick to spend money on personal care items. This includes anything from toothpaste to hair products. There is a lot of competition in this industry because the market share is so gigantic. It takes clever marketing to woo a consumer to a particular brand or product. The other reason that marketing labels don’t tell the whole story is because there is no governmental oversight on the formulation of these products.  Because  the goal of the manufacturer is to realize a profit, they are not necessarily motivated to use the most safe and effective ingredients. Usually it is the cheapest ingredients that are utilized as the base for most products. Read the rest of this entry

The ugly face of obesity.                                                                                                                                            

Health and wellness have never been more important than they are today.  Concern and efforts, to try and persuade people to incorporate proper health and fitness habits have even been expressed on a national level.  With the obesity epidemic that continues to plague the world, the importance of proper diet and nutrition, as well as regular fitness habits have never been so vital to good health and overall wellness.  The difference between a healthy weight, being overweight and being obese is not a big margin.  In fact the CDC defines someone with a healthy weight as having a body mass index of between 18.5 and 24.9, they consider overweight as someone with a body mass index of 25 to 29.9 and someone with a body mass index of 30 or more as obese. The CDC also states that one third of the population in the United States is considered obese and each and every state has a least a prevalence of obesity at 20 percent.  They also state that about 150 billion dollars is spent on medical costs associates with obesity. Read the rest of this entry

Everyone who is serious about enrolling in a long term fitness program and wants to purchase an elliptical trainer should be highly concerned with the type of resistance included in the device. Almost all reviews of ellipticals emphasize on the importance of a reliable resistance mechanism which permits the user to increase or decrease resistance in a workout. An example that will clarify the significance of adjustable resistance is the bicycle, especially since the processes are almost identical and the same principle applies. Therefore, as the resistance amplifies, moving the pedals will become increasingly difficult and hence, you will need to put in more effort. Read the rest of this entry

Fluid balance equates to human homeostatis. The amount of fluid input must be more or less similar to the amount of fluid that leaves the human body. The state of normal fluid balance is otherwise called euvolemia. Our body requires water to function properly. Human beings are made up mostly of water, and to keep our bodies in the best shape, we need to replenish the fluid we lose when we undertake physiological activities (urination, sweating and respiration).

To meet the RDI, women should drink 1 to 2 liters of water a day while men should try to drink 2 to 3 liters to keep their body’s fluid balance at its best. Our food intake will contribute to roughly 0.5-1 liters of water daily while protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism will add another 0.25-0.4 liters. Read the rest of this entry

In the United States, 1 out of 133 residents have celiac disease and 1 out of 22 of these residents has offspring with the disease. Celiac disease is acquired through genes, which means it runs in the family. It is a disease with no known cure and the only way to prevent symptoms from happening is eating a gluten-free diet.

What is celiac disease?

Celiac disease is a disease that occurs in the small intestines. It is caused by gluten, a protein composite which is found in wheat grains, barley, rye and other processed foods with grains. People with celiac disease can’t digest gluten. The moment gluten enters their small intestines it reacts abnormally to the villi – microscopic tiny hair-like protrusions located inside the walls of our small intestines. The villi are responsible for absorbing nutrients from food. In people with celiac disease, the presence of gluten in the intestines interrupts with this function, thus causing malabsorption of nutrients or malnutrition. Read the rest of this entry

You started out the year with good intentions and a New Year’s resolution to slim down and tone your body in time for summer. Unfortunately, the winter grind, lack of sleep and sunlight and all the Valentine’s Day chocolates slowed down your workout plans and derailed your diet. Don’t fear another four months of swimsuits, bikinis, shorts and tank tops, feeling less fit or not at your best.

Instead, take charge and get your summer body back, just in time to hit the beach with confidence.

Eat Several Smaller Meals

Through most of your adolescent life you were told to eat three square meals a day. Throw this outdated eating plan out the window and instead consume five to six smaller, healthy meals throughout the day. You might feel like you’re constantly eating, but providing your body with a constant fuel source not only gives you more energy it stops you from snacking on a mid-afternoon candy bar or bag of chips to tide you over until dinner. Read the rest of this entry

Americans spend more than $100 billion each year on dental care and that’s expected to rise to more than $160 billion by 2018—and a chunk of that tab is yours.

If we can get more proactive and smarter about our dental health, we’ll not only save money, we’ll avoid many time-consuming and often painful trips to the dentist.

Here are 5 tips for natural dental health and care that will lead to better teeth and improve your overall all health as well.

1. Stick to Natural Toothpaste

Several of the chemicals commonly found in the most popular commercial toothpastes are toxic. Fluoride is the most well known. It’s essentially classified as a poison and links between fluoride and osteoporosis are beginning to emerge. Ironically, while major toothpaste brands boast about their use of fluoride on the front of their tubes, the government now requires a poison warning label on the back of any toothpaste tube containing fluoride. Read the rest of this entry