Tag Archives: Nutrition

Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 9/14/14

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For kids with both asthma and obesity, which came first?– “The article cites a study that showed that rapid growth in body mass index (BMI) during the first 2 years of life increased the risk of asthma up to 6 years of age. It has also been shown that the onset and duration of obesity and the composition of the excess fat — lean vs. fat — can affect lung function.”

Wine and Exercise: A Promising Combination– We have heard this study before, wine is good for the heart. However most of these studies have looked at people who already drank wine vs people who did not. What this new study did was started looking at people who had not drank wine  previously and introduced it into people’s lives and then tracked its effects on their bodies. What the article finds is “That moderate wine drinking was only protective in people who exercised. Red and white wine produced the same results.”

One Way to Cut Back on Expensive Ambulance Rides– To me this concept just makes sense. It will be interesting to watch and see if this program gains traction. “That person who called 911 because they were running a fever could end up being diagnosed and treated in their living room by South Metro’s station wagon for about $500.”

A wife’s happiness is more crucial than her husband’s in keeping marriage on track– After just spending the weekend seeing my best friend getting hitched, I thought this article was fitting for the week. I am sure everyone has heard the classic phrase, “A happy wife equals a happy life.” This article sums up “When it comes to a happy marriage, a new study finds that the more content the wife is with the long-term union, the happier the husband is with his life no matter how he feels about the nuptials.”

10 Ways to Keep Building Muscle – This is a good article on how to work through training plateaus and lists our 10 strategies to help you get back on track.

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Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 9/7/14

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A Call for a Low-Carb Diet That Embraces Fat– “By the end of the yearlong trial, people in the low-carbohydrate group had lost about eight pounds more on average than those in the low-fat group. They had significantly greater reductions in body fat than the low-fat group, and improvements in lean muscle mass — even though neither group changed their levels of physical activity. While the low-fat group did lose weight, they appeared to lose more muscle than fat.”

Train Your Brain to Choose Fruit Salad Over French Fries– This is a short article that talks about new research which suggests how we can change how our brain responds to healthy foods as rewards. Researchers did MRI’s before and after on patients starting a new weight loss program and found their brains responded differently to healthy and unhealthy foods before and after. More research needs to be done, but it is a great starting point.

Five Ways to Build Mental Toughness– This article talks about how working out and fitness is just as much mental as it is physical. It is important to work and hone your mental skills for not only success inside the gym, but also outside of it as well. Here are the 5 mental tools listed out, Humility, Confidence, Focus, Integrity, and Passion. The article goes into depth on each of them.

The Age Of Aspartame May Be Coming To An End As More Health Risks Are Confirmed– “In a new study observing over 60,000 women, diet drinks containing aspartame consumed at 2 or more per day increased the risk of heart related illness by 50%. This is added to the list of studies that have shown aspartame causes fast paced kidney decline, brain and neurological damage, and is linked to increased rates of leukaemia and lymphoma and more.”

The NFL Dodges on Brain Injuries– With Football season just kicking off, I thought it only fitting to include an article I found in the Atlantic. I am sure many know about the class action lawsuit against the NFL league, however what this article focuses on is how the outcome will  not only affect the NFL, but it is also a matter of public health and could potentially have a significant public cost.

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Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 8/31/14

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 The Stationary Bike of the Soul– If you have ever been to a Soul Cycle Spinning class then you probably already know what the draw is to it. I for one never thought I would be a person that would pay $30+ dollars to be pushed through a hard workout, however once you do it you find how addictive these type of classes are. “Not much different from other cult-like exercise programs, or even branding in general—the most successful companies create a sense that their product is part of a lifestyle, like the choosy moms who choose Jif. The twist with SoulCycle is what it calls the “mind/body experience.”

Meet CrossFit’s Fittest Man on Earth– Rich Froning just secured his 4th year in a row being titled the Fittest Man on Earth at the CrossFit Games.  The competition is 4 day event where you do everything from running, to hand stand push-ups, to squats, and even rope climbs to just name a few. In this interview with Rich you find out what it takes to be a 4 time champion and what he likes about cross fit.

The Dark Side of Almond Use– This article is interesting because it not only talks about the health benefits from Almonds, but also the rise in popularity of the nut and the farming practices of it. “The only state that produces almonds commercially is California, where cool winter and mild springs let almond trees bloom. Eighty-two percent of the world’s almonds come from California. ”

The Perils of Clean Eating– I for one have been quoted as saying I need to eat cleaner. In fact I said it this morning as a response to this last week of over indulging due to my family being in town, moving, and get together’s with friends. This lead me to look into an article on clean eating and is it really that good for you?

Why Junk Food Makes You Fat, NOT Fat or Carbs– This article shows the correlation between obesity and caloric intake. As a country we started to see this uptick in 1980 with the addition of more highly processed foods. It also touches on how our brain reacts to junk food.

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Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 8/24/14

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Is Breakfast Overrated?-To eat breakfast or not to, that is the question? It turns out according to research there is not a significant difference in terms of weight loss for those who skip the meal vs those that eat it. The biggest difference was those that eat breakfast tend to move more in the morning which leads to higher caloric expenditure, however this is also off set by the additional calories eaten. Moral of the story is eat breakfast if you like to, but not to worry if you dont.

Smart Fuel: Mushrooms– I for one hated mushrooms until about a few years ago. However once you learn to love them, they can be pretty amazing. This article does a great job of breaking out all of the different varieties out there. Also who knew they grow everywhere, including the dessert and Antarctica.

A Nice Tall Glass of Camel’s Milk-Another new interesting alternative to cow’s milk. “A syudy published in an alternative medicine journal that found that 25 autistic children who were given camel’s milk, as opposed to cow’s milk, had lower levels of oxidative stress and showed improvements in behavior.”

Fun with Food Trends-Food is trendy, it is true. I find it very fascinating. I mean who knew what Kale, farro, or being gluten free was just a decade ago. This article shows the spikes and trends of some popular foods over the last few decades.

Fixing Your Pushup with 2 Simple Corrections– This article is short and to the point. A basic push-up is a great workout for the upper body. Mastering it’s technique is the key to it’s success.

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Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 8/17/14

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The Restaurant Menu That Nudges People Toward Healthy Food– This is just a short article on how menu food placement affects the way we order and how it could potentially be changed to get people to eat the healthier options. “Americans get more than a third of their calories from food prepared outside the home, and these meals tend to be more caloric, by a lot. The popularity of restaurants has risen in tandem with the obesity epidemic.”

How Exercise Helps Us Tolerate Pain– “The longer we continue to work out, the new findings suggest, the greater our tolerance for discomfort can grow. The brain begins to accept that we are tougher than it had thought, and it allows us to continue longer although the pain itself has not lessened.”

The ‘fattest’ chain restaurant meals win a dubious honor– Although I am one who believes people should have the choice to eat how they please, I also do not agree with the insanely un-healthy foods restaurants make now days. The winner this year comes from Red Robin where the meal clocks in at 3,540 calories. This is almost two days worth of  food for me. I would be curious what your thoughts are on this subject?

Will Losing Weight Really Make You Happier– “Resisting the ever-present temptations of unhealthy food in modern society takes a mental toll, as it requires considerable willpower and may involve missing out on some enjoyable activities. Anyone who has ever been on a diet would understand how this could affect well-being. However, mood may improve once target weight is reached, and the focus is on weight maintenance. Our data only covered a 4-year period so it would be interesting to see how mood changes once people settle into their lower weight.”

The Art of Avoiding Injuries– This article is long, but I think it really does a great job of capturing how to best take care of your self when it comes to fitness. It starts by categorizing injuries into three main groups, overuse injuries, sudden acute injuries, and accidents. It then goes on to explain ways to help prevent them. “Be sensible when you train. Make sure you spend time stabilizing your joints and core, as well as strengthening your tendons. Those who constantly stay away from injuries tend to see slower strength gains at first, but they can stay in the iron game longer so it eventually pays off.”

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Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 8/10/14

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CrossFit Flirting: Talk Burpee to Me– I have shared articles in the past on cross fit and although I have not done it myself I admire the comradery that is built from those who do participate in it. I love the idea of everyone stretching the limits of their own body with the goal of just helping and supporting one another. This article is more of a nice read then it is informative.  “Perhaps more than disciples of any other type of exercise, people who participate in CrossFit can’t help being drawn to people who do the same. This is partly because the exercise regimen inspires near-religious devotion.”

Men Say ‘Uh’ and Women Say ‘Um’– Interesting the differences between men and women and how it also correlated to age. “Back in 2005, he found that usage of “uh” increases with age, but at every age, men say it more than women do. Meanwhile, usage of “um” decreases with age, but female speakers said it more than male ones at each stage in life.”

Women Pace Marathons Better Then Men Do– Maybe it is because I am a female runner, but I found this article fascinating. “As it turned out, men slowed significantly more than women racers did. In aggregate, men covered the second half of the marathon almost 16 percent slower than they ran the first half. Women as a group were about 12 percent slower in the second half.”

How To Reset Your Metabolism With Diet Breaks- I think this article highlights something really important, taking a break. I wish I had done this more when I was in dieting mode. I would be so strict with myself and never let myself indulge or take a break. This lead to binge eating when I would finally allow myself something I craved. Letting yourself have what you want occasionally will make a big difference to your body and your mental well being. I in fact still have to learn to take breaks from my hardcore eating ways otherwise I find I will still binge.

10 Things All Beginning Lifters Should Know– If any of you know my boyfriend you will hear him emphasize the importance of strength training. This article is great at answering some common myths and giving good information.  “At any rate, in a caloric surplus, strength training will cause the weight that you gain to consist of a higher proportion of muscle and a lower proportion of fat. At a caloric maintenance, strength training will cause your body to recompose so that you gain more muscle, lose fat, and improve your bodyfat percentage. At a caloric deficit, strength training will cause the weight that you lose to consist of a higher proportion of fat and a lower proportion of muscle.”

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Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 8/03/14

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The Link Between Birth Control Pills and Breast Cancer– “A new study out today suggests that having recently taken birth control pills increases breast cancer risk by about 50 percent. Women who were on a formulation of the pill with an especially elevated level of estrogen nearly tripled their risk of getting breast cancer, and a pill with even a moderate amount of the hormone increased the risk by about 60 percent.”

Why High-Impact Exercise Is Good for Your Bones– Being a runner myself and having had a back injury I completely understand the importance of making sure I am keeping my bones healthy. I have always wondered how high impact exercises affect my body, so this article is interesting to see that there are a lot of benefits from doing high impact exercises.

What Makes a Superfood?– Superfood is a new buzz word out there. Are there foods that can give us everything we need? This article is short and sweet but try’s to add a simple perspective to the topic. “And while marketers are at liberty to label anything a superfood, Dr. Hagen doesn’t believe any one food can be super.”

What to Look For in a Fitness App– Although this article does not give you any specific apps to download it does give some good rules of thumb to look at when downloading a Health and Fitness App. I can say I would not have been able to do my weight loss without My Fitness Pal. This has been by far the best App I have personally used for tracking food. In terms of fitness I really like Map My Run for running. It has various versions for biking, walking, etc. They are all the same so all you need is one and you get the same use from it.  However I would love to hear thoughts on what has worked for others.

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Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 7/27/14

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Finding Balance Between Your Life and Your Diet– This article is definitely an opinion piece, however I really like a lot of what he says. He has 3 basic ideas for living a balanced life where you are not tied to a diet. First is to try intermittent fasting, second is to make smart food choices, and lastly train and be very active. These are 3 things I personally practice.

What Happens to Your Brain When You Eat Junk Food (And Why We Crave It) – I for one have read a few books on this subject. It is interesting to know why our body craves certain foods and how companies work hard to make you want them.

How Our Arms Help Us Run– “The results showed, as the scientists had expected, that the volunteers used the least energy and were most efficient when they ran normally, their arms swinging at their sides. With each change in arm position, their efficiency dropped.”

Could a probiotic prevent obesity?– “Since it worked in mice eating a high-fat diet, it does suggest that it will be beneficial, even if people don’t change their diet to something including more vegetables and less junk food. But we expect that it would likely provide the most benefit to those who do change their diet and try to get sufficient exercise.There are lots of people who are doing their best to change their lifestyle and it still isn’t enough for them to get to and keep a healthy weight, we think this strategy will really help them.”

The HPV Vaccination Rate Is Still Too Low, CDC Says-“Though the CDC recommends the HPV vaccine for all 11-year-old and 12-year-old boys and girls, the 2013 study found that doctors had not recommended it to one third of girls and more than half of boys.”

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Burn Extra Calories During The Day, Here Are 10 Tips on How

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Let’s face it, we all just sit more now then we used to. We sit on our commute to and from work, we sit at the office all day, then we come home and sit in front of the TV. In an era where it so so easy to sit all day you have to work harder in order to move your body more. I have found some easy ways to move my body throughout the day which ultimately helps me to burn extra calories all day long. None of these tips seem like life changing events, but if you do them daily they will make a change to your body over an extended period of time. Of course nothing will replace exercise completely, but every change you make can make an impact to your overall health.

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10 Tips on How

1. Always take the stairs. No matter how tired you are or how much longer you think the stairs will take you, just walk up them.  I find at work when I take the stairs and someone else takes the elevator 9 times out of 10 the stairs end up always being faster.

2. Park  in the farthest parking spot you can find and walk. It might add a little extra time, but those extra steps every time you park far away can quickly add up. I also park at least one street over from my morning coffee spot in order to just get some extra steps in the morning before work.

3. Find opportunities for quick cardio bursts. I lift my legs and do high knees while brushing my teeth, I run in place while I blow dry my hair, and I hop around and dance while I vacuum, fold my laundry, or any other household chores.

4. Find time to cook more. Not only does cooking more help with eating better, but chopping, stirring, and mixing all help to burn extra calories. Plus you are also standing while you cook, which also helps burn additional calories.

5. Walk more. I have a problem with snacking when I get home from work so I try to use this time to take the dog on a longer walk. I also like to go on walks when I am talking on the phone. It is a good way to move your body while you do not even realize you are moving.  A walk to catch up with friends or co-workers is another great thing to incorporate in your day to day routine.

6. Stand up more. Stand while you are on the phone at work or at home. Stand at your dining table while you read through mail or browse online. Stand while waiting for an appointment, stand on the subway or bus, just anytime you have the ability to stand instead of sit do it.

7. Keep things farther away so you have to get up and in order to get them. For instance don’t use your remote control for the TV, make yourself get up and change the channel. When serving dinner leave everything in the kitchen. If you want more you will need to get back up and walk over in order to get more.

8. Fidget more. Tap your toes, dance around, pace back and forth. People who fidget a lot can burn up to an extra 300-350 calories a day just by doing small movements all day long.

9. Dance more. I for one love dancing as a way to get me out of a bad mood or as a way to relieve stress. 20 minutes of dancing can burn up to an extra 100 calories. The beauty of dancing is you can dance solo around your house or go out with girlfriends for a night on the town. This is a fun way to exercise.

10. Shop more. I like to grocery shop most nights as it helps me just walk more. I will walk the store a few times back and forth just to get extra steps in. Also this way I am hopefully not over buying groceries and instead I am just getting what I need for the night or next day.

Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 7/20/14

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Technology addiction- how should it be treated?– A topic that is near and dear to most of us. I for one have a hard time going extended periods of time without checking my phone. We have become so intertwined with technology in our day to day lives. “The symptoms and nature of this perceived addiction vary from case to case but hinge around a perceived excessive engagement with a user’s smartphone, the Internet or social networking sites that comes at the expense of their mental well-being. Persistent checking of instant messaging apps and frequent changing of status updates – as well as the notorious uploading of “selfies” – are linked in addiction cases to insomnia, depression and social withdrawal.”  

Break 3 Rules, Build More Muscle– This article has a lot of great content on how to build muscle and where to focus. It is a little long but the top three things are; “Partial or incomplete reps can be very effective,” “Learning to feel a muscle makes it easier to stimulate and grow,” and lastly “Use a large arsenal.”  

Let’s Cool it in the Bedroom– I for one sleep so much better in a cold room, but this is really interesting and another reason to keep it cool in the bedroom. “Cooler bedrooms could subtly transform a person’s stores of brown fat — what has lately come to be thought of as “good fat” — and consequently alter energy expenditure and metabolic health, even into daylight hours”

Xylitol 101- Everything You Need to Know– There was a time in my weight loss journey where I drank a ton of diet soda and used artificial sweeteners in order to save calories. Xylitol is a more natural added sugar with lower calories, but is it healthy for you? Here is a good article that breaks it down for you. “Bottom Line: Xylitol is a type of sweetener called a sugar alcohol and is found in some plants. It looks and tastes like sugar, but has 40% fewer calories.”

It’s Time to Finally Convince Your Clients That the Scale Doesn’t Matter– For me the number on the scale is always fluctuating, which can really make or break my day. I really let it affect my mood and because of that I thought it would be good to this share article on how our weight is really determined. Every time the scale is not where I want it to be I think through a lot of these points. This is one of the best articles I have seen on the subject, hope you enjoy! 

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