Mind-Body Connection

What's Your Diet Personality?

Do you restrict calories and then overeat? Are you constantly looking for ways to drop the weight in a week? Does a stressful day at the office completely derail your diet? There are many self-constructed roadblocks to losing and maintaining weight. Learning about some of the most common diet personality flaws — and how to fix them — can help you approach food and fitness with a healthy mindset.
Discover your diet personality.  More...Aol.com

Weight Management

10 Steps to Manage Your Weight

Keeping off weight is often harder than being on a diet. But there's no need to let all of that hard work go to waste. By applying a few simple strategies to your everyday life, you can learn to continually make smart food choices, get the most out of your exercise routine, fight those temptations, and sustain your new weight. Aren't you worth it?
Follow these weight management steps. More.....Aol.com

Weight Loss

How Safe Is Quick Weight Loss?

Lose 10 pounds in one week! You've probably seen plenty of diets on the market that promise quick (and supposedly easy) results. Unfortunately, this type of hasty weight loss is unlikely and unsafe. Nutritionists cite a half a pound to two pounds per week as a healthy rate of weight loss.
Learn about safe and realistic weight loss.

Calories

The 411 on Calories

Most people trying to lose weight have a love-hate relationship with calories. You can't live without calories; your body needs them for energy and to function properly. Yet too many calories can also lead to unhealthy weight loss or gain. So how many calories do you need to stay fit? While there are some general guidelines, the number of calories a person needs is highly individual. Age, weight, height, and activity level are all factors.
Get the lowdown on calories.  More...Aol.com

Exercise Alone Is Not the Answer to Weight Loss

The cover story of the August 9, 2009 issue of Time Magazine was, “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin.”  This article stirred debate about the role of exercise in controlling body fat.  ACE (American Council on Exercise), ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) felt compelled to issue a statement responding to the suggestion that exercise is not a central component to turning around the growing epidemic of obesity in America.  Many health experts feared that Americans would not initiate or would quit their exercise programs at the suggestion that it was not going to help them control their weight.  More....Aol.com  Sourced By:

Larry Krutka

Fitness, Training and Sports

Menopause and Overactive Bladder: Yes, They're Connected

Do you plan your day to make sure bathroom stops will be available at short notice and scope out buildings so you always know where the nearest bathroom is? Do you tell yourself to wait an hour for that glass of iced tea so you won't have to dash for the ladies'? If so, it's likely you have a condition called overactive bladder, or OAB. And if you're between 40 and 55, you may be one of the many women for whom OAB is a menopause- and age-related problem.  More...AT Yahoo health

Women who eat lots of fiber have less breast cancer

A fresh look at the medical evidence shows women who eat more fiber are less likely to get breast cancer.
Chinese researchers found those who ate the most of the healthy plant components were 11 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than women who ate the least.
Their findings don't prove fiber itself lowers cancer risk, however, because women who consume a lot of it might be healthier overall than those who don't.
The results "can identify associations but cannot tell us what will happen if people change their behavior," said John Pierce, a cancer research at the University of California, San Diego, who was not involved in the work.

While earlier research has yielded mixed conclusions on the link between cancer and fiber, it would make scientific sense: According to the Chinese researchers, people who eat high-fiber diets have lower levels of estrogen, which is a risk factor for breast tumors.  More....At Yahoo health

Weight Disorders

Consuming more calories than you burn leads to being overweight and, eventually, obesity. The body stores unused calories as fat. Obesity can be the result of:

• Eating more food than your body can use
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Not getting enough exercise

An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) may lead to weight gain, but usually only 5 - 10 pounds of weight. Some antidepressants and antipsychotic medicines may also contribute to weight gain and obesity. Genetic factors play some part in the development of obesity -- children of obese parents are 10 times more likely to be obese than children with parents of normal weight.
People who are at higher risk for obesity include:

• Lower income groups
• Former smokers
• People with chronic mental illness
• People with disabilities
• People with a sedentary lifestyle

More....Yahoohealth.com

Teen Health

Sometimes referred to as teenage years, youth, or puberty, adolescence covers the period from roughly age 10 to 20 in a child's development.

Adolescence is a border between adulthood and childhood, and as such it has a richness and diversity unmatched by any other life stage....Adolescents are travelers, far from home with no native land, neither children nor adults. They are jet-setters who fly from one country to another with amazing speed. Sometimes they are four years old, an hour later they are twenty-five. They don't really fit anywhere. There's a yearning for place, a search for solid ground.  More....Yahoohealth.com

Health Tip: Swim to Get Fit

(HealthDay News) -- Though swimming is a low-impact aerobic exercise, it's important to protect yourself from injury.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers these suggestions:

• Before you hit the water, warm up with jumping jacks, walking, or stationary cycling.
• After you're warmed up, stretch slowly and gently before you swim.
• Perform regular exercises that help strengthen muscles in the upper back and shoulders.
• Stick to light and easy swimming if you have an ear infection, respiratory infection or a fever.  Sourced By: Yahoo Health

LIVING WITHIN YOUR MEANS!!!!!!

   Im 44, when I was growing up, most families had oneparent working, THE MAN.  Now we either try to keep upwith people with material things or we live to pay bills.  What happen to the Good old days, whter Mom stayed home and took care of the kids, and dad work to make a living.  There is nothing wrong with a lady (MOM), that work, but we need to live off one salary and save the other one.

     Living above our means can take a toll on our families, our children, our communities, and our city.  The more debt we have, the less we have to GIVE.  The less we have to give the less we can expect back in life. 

    Time is a valuable thing, because we need that time to develop relationships with our Spouse, our Children, our Aging Parents.  WE CAN NEVER GET THAT TIME BACK

    By:  CURTTV

Tools for Maximum Firming

As far as workout equipment goes, stability balls and resistance bands are two of my all-time favorites. The ball has outperformed the floor and weight bench in studies because it works more muscles at the same time. And with bands, you can do exercises that normally require expensive machines without going to a gym. The result: You'll firm up faster.

Here are seven exercises to get you started with balls and bands. Complete two sets of 10 to 12 reps of each exercise (unless otherwise noted), taking a 30-second break between sets. Do this workout two or three times a week, but not on consecutive days.  More...Prevention.com

Shrink Your Belly in 14 Days

We have some great news for your abs: The ultimate piece of belly-flab-busting equipment is a $30 stability ball. When researchers at California State University, Sacramento, hooked up electrodes to the midsections of 18 people, they found that ball moves recruited twice the number of muscle fibers as traditional crunches or yoga/Pilates-inspired workouts. Scientists credit the ball's instability with doubling the toning power of these moves. To amp up results, we combined ball exercises from the study with high-energy cardio and simple calorie-cutting tips. In 2 weeks, you could lose up to an inch from your waist; in 4 weeks, shed up to 8 pounds or more.   More...Prevention.com

Weight Loss

Losing weight and diets can be hard. But they don’t have to be if you have healthy diet plans available to help you decide which weight loss plan is right for you. At Health the word diet implies more a lifestyle change as opposed to crazy restrictions or dangerous weight loss goals. Try The Carb Lovers Diet, our new plan for helping people lose weight while still eating all of their favorite foods like bread and pasta.  More....Health.com

7 Trendy Weight Loss Tactics That Are Totally Bogus

Let's face it: Losing weight is trendy. Not like, "you're thinner and that's more fashionable" trendy (er, "Vogue" might disagree with that…
Read More »
Sourced By: Shine at Yahoo

Top weight-loss secrets: How women in the army lose baby fat

By Shaun ChavisRuby Murray, a master sergeant at Fort Bragg, N.C., came close to losing her job in 1998 because of nearly 90 pounds of post-pregnancy weight. Six months… Read More »

Related: pregnancy, army

Sourced By: Shine at Yahoo

Should You And Your Child Lose Weight Together?

By Laurel House





Is your child overweight? Are you? It’s time to take an honest look at yourself and your family and realize that you aren’t all overweight thanks only to genetics, but lifestyle habits and food choices. In fact, you very well could be to blame for your child’s weight problem. Harsh? Maybe. But the reality is that, except on some occasions, children are overweight  More...Shine at Yahoo

6 Health Secrets from Around the Globe

By Dr. Mehmet Oz

From the Japanese to the Russians, the Greeks to the Kuna Indians of Panama, every culture has its own secrets to better health and longer life. These traditional remedies and practices—like drinking a calming herbal tea or cooking with a particular spice—might seem inconsequential, but researchers are discovering that these little things can make a world of difference. Try importing these six habits, all worth bringing home.

RELATED: 6 Health Myths Busted

6 GOOD FATS TO EAT

It is not true to say that fat is always bad for health. Too much presence of fat inside the body may cause health related problems but having of unsaturated fats will not affect the health of a person. Saturated fats like coconut oil, cottonseed oil, palm kernel oil, chocolate, creams, cheese butter, ghee and meat. These foods help to stack cholesterol in the body which creates health related problem.


But fats like polyunsaturated fats and Monounsaturated fats are good for health. These kinds of fats are not produced inside our body. They need to be supplied from outside source. These fats mitigate the harmful effects associated with the saturated fats. The intake of fat should be limited to 30 percent of calories.

Read more....
6 GOOD FATS TO EAT

5 WAYS TO MANAGE STRESS

Being totally well is also being healthy in every aspect of our life. We may have a delicious meal every day, an exercise activity to perform and an active social life. But we must not forget that there are still many things that could make us unhealthy. One of the problems usually encountered by people is stress. Stress could also be detrimental to one’s health. Once a person feels stressed, the physical and emotional aspects of life is totally affected, if not manage properly. This is why; more seminars and workshops are now open to teach people how to properly manage stress.
     A good burst of stress can be good for you, it jolts your body into a repair mode and can even help you relieve stress, but when your stress is chronic and unmanageable, it could make you unhealthy and may affect many aspects of your life. More...Wellness.com

Foods for the Healthy Prostate

Healthy prostate is must to live a healthy life. The scariest condition of the prostrate is the prostate cancer, which can be fatal if not treated at the initial stage. The proper functioning of the prostate is must for the health of the individual. The function of the prostate is to secret the fluids and controls the flow of the fluids. The liquid secreted by the prostate is slightly alkaline in nature and constitutes 20% of the volume of semen in the ejaculatory fluid of men. Your prostate health depends on what you eat. Here are some foods that help to keep the prostate healthy. More...Wellness.com

WEIGHT LOSS TIPS FOR MEN

As a reason of leading of unhealthy lifestyle and eating of junk and fast foods on regular basis, our body is gaining some abnormal weight which are eventually turning us into obese. Obesity brings about many other illnesses in our body besides looking bad. It is happening due to eating of unhealthy foods and also due to leading a restless lifestyle. In order to lose this extra mass of fat some methods can be trialled out like:

1. Doing exercise – Exercise does a lot of help in curbing this fatness. This may include some day to day exercises like walking and running exercises, aerobic exercises and also heavy exercises with machines in gymnasiums.

2. Target – One cannot curb fat just in a day or so. One needs to set a target as per the guidelines of the trainer or the specialist concerned. A tight schedule on the set target may help one to lose stress as well weight on a regular basis.

Read more...
WEIGHT LOSS TIPS FOR MEN

Does Your Personality Dictate Whether You'll Be Overweight

WEDNESDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- Personality traits may play key roles in body weight, according to a new U.S. study.
Researchers from the U.S. National Institute on Aging found that people who are impulsive, cynical, competitive or aggressive were more likely to be overweight. And those who are highly neurotic and less conscientious are likely to see their weight go through many ups and downs.
"Individuals with this constellation of traits tend to give in to temptation and lack the discipline to stay on track amid difficulties or frustration," said the researchers in an institute news release. "To maintain a healthy weight, it is typically necessary to have a healthy diet and a sustained program of physical activity, both of which require commitment and restraint. Such control may be difficult for highly impulsive individuals."  More....Yahoo health

Epidemic of Obesity in U.S. Kids Began in Late '90s

THURSDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- The epidemic of excess weight gain and obesity among young Americans began about 15 years ago, a new study finds.
"Our research documents the emergence of the obesity epidemic among adolescents in the later half of the 1990s, and among young adults in 2000," said Hedwig Lee, who led the study while at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is now an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Washington in Seattle.
"The jury is still out about all the possible causes for the increasing weight gain among adolescents . . . as well as for the entire population," said Lee.
However, she cited a number of possible factors, including a rise in time spent in front of computer or TV screens and longer time spent in post-secondary education, "transitioning" to adulthood. According to Lee, poor diet and couch-potato lifestyles rise when young people leave the parental home and go out on their own, before starting their own families.
The research focused on a measure called the body mass index, or BMI, which calculates a relationship between weight and height.
As BMI grows, so do concerns arise about obesity-related illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, stroke, liver disease, gall bladder disease, osteoarthritis and fertility problems, Lee said.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one-third of Americans are now either overweight or obese, with slightly more women than men affected.
The study of about 100,000 adolescents and young adults used four large national databases tracking the BMIs of 12- to 26-year-olds from 1959 to 2002. More....Yahoo Health

Lifestyle changes may cut Alzheimer's risk: study

Up to half of worldwide cases of Alzheimer's disease could be due to modifiable lifestyle risk factors, according to a study released Tuesday based on a mathematical model.
The theoretical analysis suggests that seven known behaviour-related risk factors, taken together, account for 50 percent of the more than 35 million cases of dementia worldwide.

The findings "suggest that relatively simple lifestyle changes such as increasing physical activity and quitting smoking could have a dramatic impact" on the number of Alzheimer's cases over time, said lead researcher Deborah Barnes, a professor at the University of California in San Francisco.

The study, presented at an international Alzheimer's conference in Paris, is among the first attempts to link risk factors with the degenerative brain disease, which causes memory loss, disability and eventually death.

Only a tiny percentage of cases -- about one percent -- are clearly caused by genetic factors.
Otherwise, while the process by which the disease attacks nerve cells in the brain is well known, its origins remain poorly understoo.  More... Yahoo Health

Try These 9 Tricks! End Your Energy Shortage!

You've always suspected that there's more to the energy equation than getting 40 winks and eating three squares a day—and you're absolutely right. How optimistic, motivated, or engaged you feel—not to mention how many things you're trying to focus on at any given time—can bog you down or boost you up, according to experts. So we've gathered nine science-backed fixes that will send your strength and stamina soaring all day. More....Yahoo health

How To Exercise In The Heat

Heat has to factor into your summer exercise plans if you expect to do any shaping up outdoors. Heat has a big impact on you while you exercise, and it's important to listen and respond to your body's cues before you wind up with a case of heat stroke.  More...Yahoo health

Fitness Enthusiast

Drexel Long

If you followed track and field in the early 1990s, you probably heard about Drexel Long. One of the most accomplished 400-meter runners in the country, she was the 1994 Southwest Conference 400-meter champion (with a time of 52.93) and was a six-time All American track athlete while attending the University of Houston.

“I ran because it was fun, a challenge, gave me a goal to strive for and I loved the true teamwork on the relays,” Long says. “It also got me a free education!”

Long was born in Philadelphia, but as an “army brat,” was raised all over the country. She attended high school in New Jersey, where she played field hockey and ran track. More...

Success Story

Scared Fit

By Amanda De La Paz

My body was telling me things I did not  want to hear. In February 2010, my doctor confirmed what my body was telling me. My not feeling well was a result of years of neglecting my body and diet.

At 62, I had developed high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and my cholesterol was going through the roof. At 4’ 10” and weighing 227 pounds, the problem was in the mirror looking back at me. My doctor said, “lose weight, start eating healthy, and start exercising  if you want to live to a ripe old age.” Needless to say, I was scared I wouldn’t see my grandkids and great-grandkids grow up. More....Health and fitness  Magazine

The Basics of Track Training

Whether you're taking your first steps as a runner or trying to improve your speed, a track can be a safe, convenient place to run. There are no cars to contend with, many tracks are lighted, the synthetic surface cushions your joints, and the measured distance makes it easy to monitor your pace. But beginners often steer clear of running on the local oval because they're intimidated—unsure of the rules and etiquette. Here's all you need to know to run in circles safely.  More Yahoo health.com

More Evidence That Exercise May Keep The Brain Sharp

TUESDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- Older adults who keep active may be helping to reduce their odds of losing their mental abilities, two new studies suggest.
Both reports were published online July 19 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, to coincide with presentations scheduled to be presented Tuesday at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Paris.
"We looked at an objective measure of physical activity -- most previous studies looked at self-reported levels of physical activity, which always has some inherent error," said the lead researcher of the first study, Laura E. Middleton, from the Heart and Stroke Foundation Center for Stroke Recovery at the Sunnybrook Research Institute in Toronto. More....Yahoo Health.com

Perfect Push-Ups: The Ultimate Training Plan for an Awesome Upper Body

Getty

I've never been able to do a real, honest-to-goodness push-up. I'm turning 40 soon. Should I just give up? Joyce - Brooklyn
I'm glad someone asked me this question. Somewhere along the way, women -- and yes, some men, too -- were given the impression that they weren't capable of doing honest-to-goodness, old-fashioned, full "military-style" push-ups in which you press your body weight up and down while balanced on your palms and toes.

I beg to differ. I have led strength-training groups that have included people of all ages, including women in their 70s (and kids as young as 6!), doing full push-ups in a matter of weeks. More...Aol.com

The ultimate flat-belly menu

Best breakfast: A slice of whole-wheat bread with natural peanut butter and 1 cup of your favorite berries.
Best lunch: Spinach salad with sliced avocado, grilled firm tofu, and cherry tomatoes, drizzled with a little olive oil and fresh lemon juice.
Best dinner: Grilled salmon, a roasted sweet potato, and sautéed asparagus with olive oil and garlic.
Best snack: A cup of fat-free yogurt with 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds  Sourced By Yahoo health

Punch it out and lose 2 inches fast

"Add boxing to your cardio routine. When you throw punches with weights or at a fast pace, you're working your core in a way that helps to flatten your midsection. You must engage your core to throw punches, and twisting your torso works all the ab muscles.
Boxing also gives you a cardio workout that burns extra calories. Add 16 minutes of boxing three times a week to your regular cardio routine (30 minutes at high intensity four to five times a week), and you can lose up to 2 inches from your waist in four weeks. Simply throw punches while holding 1- or 2-pound weights for 8 minutes, alternating arms, then repeat without weights at a faster pace for 8 more minutes." Sourced By yahoo health 
–Michael Olajide Jr. and Leila Fazel, co-founders of Aerospace High Performance Center in New York City

Put crunches last on your flat-belly list (for real!)

"I recommend the DCBA approach: Diet first, Cardio second, Building muscle third, and Abs exercises last. Follow it and you can safely lose one to two pounds a week. Spend 60 minutes a day preparing healthier meals. Spend 20 minutes a day three to five times weekly doing cardio. Spend 15 minutes a day three times a week strength training. Finally, spend 5 minutes a day three times a week doing abs exercises."
–Myatt Murphy, author of The Body You Want in the Time You Have  Sourced by yahoo health

Have a ball

"My No. 1 tip: Do the ball exchange three times a week. Lay flat on your back with your arms above your head and legs straight out. Start with a stability ball above your head in your hands. Bring the ball up above your chest as you bring your legs up to meet the ball and place it between your ankles. Bring the ball back down to the floor with your legs and straighten your arms back out over your head.
Repeat the ball exchange 10 to 12 times, remembering to keep your lower back pressed into the floor as you do this move."
–LaReine Chabut, author of Exercise Balls for Dummies  Sourced Yahoo health

Eat at this magic hour

"You must eat a snack that contains protein between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Go for a protein bar, a piece of low-fat cheese, or some almonds with an organic apple.
No matter what, do not miss that snack. It's important because it boosts metabolism and balances blood sugar. The lower you keep your blood sugar, the lower you keep your insulin, and insulin makes you store fat around your middle. Eating every three to four hours will keep your blood sugar even, but many people tend to go five or six hours between lunch and dinner without eating."
–Natasha Turner, naturopathic doctor, author of The Hormone Diet Sourced Yahoo health

Pros share their top sleek-stomach tips

Don't even think about sucking it in so you'll fit into those cute, fitted white jeans: There are less-painful and longer-lasting ways to get the amazing middle you crave. We went straight to experts to get their very best advice for quickly shrinking your tummy. Here are the surprising foods, tricks, and moves they swear by. Their genius tips will help you shed inches and pounds, banish the bloat, and feel even more gorgeous. Hello, skinny jeans!  Sourced Yahoo health

12 Ways To Work Out Despite The Heat

The dog days of summer are upon us, but you don't have to put your workout routine on the back burner just because it feels too hot to exercise.
Instead of using the heat as another excuse to skip my workout, I get creative with my summertime activities so I can keep up my fitness goals.  More... Sourced By: health.com

Gym Etiquette: 11 Common Faux Pas

Gym-goers everywhere have, at some point, encountered another member behaving badly. We spoke to Jon Baraglia, a regional fitness director for Bally Total Fitness, to find out the worst offenses -- and what you can do to stop yourself from making the same mistakes. The most important thing to remember? "The worst offenders are usually exercising the wrong way to begin with," he says. "If you're guilty of any of these, you may want to change your fitness habits, too."
What are your biggest gym-time pet peeves?  More....huffpostaolnew.com

Does The 17-Day Diet Work?

The Program: For the first 17 days, you eat all you want from Dr. Moreno's approved low- and no-carb foods list. For the next 17, you alternate these low-carb days with days allowing a few carbohydrates like beans and sweet potatoes before 2 pm. This is Dr. Moreno's version of alternate-day fasting, the practice of restricting your calories every other day. (A few studies suggest this aids weight loss, but even the author of those studies thinks there's not enough research to draw conclusions from.) The third 17-day interval introduces portion control and a few treats, like low-fat desserts. If at the end of this cycle you aren't at your goal weight, you start over with the cycle of your choice. More...Yahoohealth.com

15-Minute Workout: Double Your Gains

If you want two results from a workout—more muscle and less flab—you need a circuit that forces you to multitask. With this one, you're doing a metabolically demanding move with one part of your body while performing a static dumbbell hold for a common problem area (such as your upper back), says Michael Mejia, M.S., C.S.C.S., founder of B.A.S.E. Sports Conditioning on Long Island, New York. The result: a calorie-torching workout that builds strength where you need it most.

Get major league muscle fast with this workout used by Kansas City Royals pitcher Tim Collins.
More....Yahoohealth.com

3 Reasons To Run A 5-K

Whether you're an eager newbie or a serial marathoner, there are loads of reasons to register for a 5-K.

"If you're a beginner, targeting the distance is a great way to gain motivation and build structure into your schedule," says Luke Humphrey, M.S., an exercise physiologist and head coach for Hanson's Coaching Services in Rochester Hills, Michigan. "For regular runners, the 5-K stokes your competitive spirit, breaks up the monotony of high-mileage training, and serves as a solid test of speed." In fact, all runners can improve their fitness—and maybe even their PRs—when training for a 5-K, says Humphrey. Here's what keeping it short and sweet can do for you.

Get Going: Try these exclusive 5- and 10-K Runner's World training plans for novice, intermediate and advanced runners. More...Yahoohealth.com

6 Moves for Tank Top–Ready Arms

As the weather warms up and the sweaters come off, many of us realize our arms might not be ready for the big reveal. No big deal! SELF has your back (and biceps). To flaunt lean, sexy Cameron Diaz–like arms, you need a routine that targets all the dozen-plus muscles from your wrists to shoulders. For the quickest, easiest payoff, we boiled it down to the essentials with help from trainer Julie Bobek, creator of the All About You: Arms class at Reebok Sports Club/NY in New York City. Do her moves below two or three times (check out the how-to video at Self.com) a week, and you’ll start to see results that will send you sundress shopping this weekend. Bonus: These multitaskers show your lower half some sculpting love, too. Here’s what you need to shed the sleeves! More Yahoohealth.com

The Lifelong Benefits of Exercise

Feel younger, live longer. It's no slogan — these are actual benefits of regular exercise. People with high levels of physical fitness are at lower risk of dying from a variety of causes, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Physical Fitness: What the Benefits of Exercise Mean for You
There's more good news. Research also shows that exercise enhances sleep, prevents weight gain, and reduces the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and even depression.
"One study found that when breast cancer survivors engaged in exercise, there were marked improvements in physical activity, strength, maintaining weight, and social well-being," explains Rachel Permuth-Levine, PhD, deputy director for the Office of Strategic and Innovative Programs at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.   More... Aol health.com

Exercise and Physical Activity: What's the Difference?

Physical activity is defined as movement that involves contraction of your muscles. Any of the activities we do throughout the day that involve movement — housework, gardening, walking, climbing stairs — are examples of physical activity.
Exercise is a specific form of physical activity — planned, purposeful physical activity performed with the intention of acquiring fitness or other health benefits, says David Bassett, Jr., PhD, a professor in the department of exercise, sport, and leisure studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Working out at a health club, swimming, cycling, running, and sports, like golf and tennis, are all forms of exercise.
Physical Activity and Exercise: Understanding the Difference
Most daily physical activity is considered light to moderate in intensity. There are certain health benefits that can only be accomplished with more strenuous physical activity, however. Improvement in cardiovascular fitness is one example. Jogging or running provides greater cardiovascular benefit than walking at a leisurely pace, for instance. Additionally, enhanced fitness doesn't just depend of what physical activity you do, it also depends on how vigorously and for how long you continue the activity. That’s why it’s important to exercise within your target heart rate range when doing cardio, for example, to reach a certain level of intensity. More... Aol health .com

Using Exercise to Beat Stress

Get Active

Nothing can beat regular exercise as a stress-busting technique. The result of the 'fight or fight' reaction is that our bodies go into a state of high arousal but there is often nowhere for that energy to go, so our bodies can stay in this state for hours at a time. Exercise is the best way to dissipate the excess energy, especially if you have a sedentary job.
It's a good idea to channel your energy into proper exercise, be it a brisk walk, a run, a bike ride or a game of squash. You don't need to join a health club— exercise can be as informal as taking the dog for a walk, or dancing at home to your favorite music.
Experts recommend that we exercise at a moderate intensity for a minimum of 30 minutes, most days of the week. And there are many reasons to do so. Exercise not only improves health and reduces stress, it also relaxes tense muscles and helps you to sleep. It causes the release of chemicals called endorphins into your bloodstream, making you feel relaxed and happy. As such, it can be a helpful tool in fighting depression and anxiety, as well as keeping you trim and reducing your risk of heart conditions and stroke, managing high blood pressure, diabetes and back pain. All in all, fit people are better able to handle the long-term effects of stress without suffering ill health.  Sourced By:  Aol.com

How Fit Are You?

The answer to that question may depend on how fit you want to be, but the general goal is to be in shape to enjoy as active a lifestyle as possible and reduce the risk of health conditions — such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease — that regular exercise can help prevent. Exercise guidelines vary depending on your age and current fitness level, but everyone can take at least some small steps to meet their fitness goals.
Learn how to measure your fitness level.
Sourced By Aol.com

8 Surprising Health Reasons to Lose Weight

Dropping a few pounds makes you look and feel better — but getting down to a healthy body weight has dozens of other pluses, including some health benefits that researchers are just discovering. For example, there appears to be a relationship between weight loss and arthritis and even weight loss and allergies. Here are some more ways weight loss can improve your health.

Fewer Allergy and Asthma Symptoms

At first glance, weight loss and allergies seem totally unrelated. But Michael Wald, MD, an integrated medicine specialist in Mount Kisco, N.Y., says that one absolutely impacts the other. “For some people, being overweight contributes to worsened asthma and allergies," Dr. Wald says. "It puts a burden on the adrenal glands, which are involved in managing asthma and allergies. Being overweight is also a strain upon the respiratory system and can exacerbate asthma symptoms.”

Less Foot Pain

Less weight means less pressure on the part of your body that bears most of that pressure — your feet. A recent study of people who lost an average of 90 pounds after bariatric surgery found that their complaints of foot pain dropped by 83 percent. Pestered by foot pain? Getting tootsie relief is great weight-loss motivation.

Glowing Skin

Wald says that being overweight can affect your skin in many ways.“Skin elasticity and color are known to be altered by problems with nutrition, and diets high in carbohydrates and sugar can cause skin pallor and skin tags,” he says. Darkness around the eyes can be a sign of iron deficiency anemia, protein anemia, diabetes, or stress from a variety of sources.”

Arthritis Relief

Weight loss and arthritis have a strong connection that’s tied to inflammation in the body. A number of studies have noted that weight loss improves arthritis pain. A recent study of 87 older adults with knee arthritis found that those in a weight-loss group reduced their pain and improved their function significantly over a control group that did not lose any weight. More...Aol.com

Should parents lose custody of obese children?

Researchers from Harvard University say inadequate or unskilled parental supervision can leave severely obese children vulnerable to the societal influences that promote an unhealthy lifestyle and are suggesting that this may be a form of child abuse that authorities should act on.

In a commentary posted Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, professor Lindsey Murtagh and Dr. David S. Ludwig suggest that severely obese children be removed from their homes, and that government involvement may be justifiable because of the imminent health risks and the “parents’ chronic failure to address medical problems.”
“I can see the authors have good intentions – they want to protect the child – but the suggestions are misguided,” said ethicist Arthur Caplan in a phone conversation. “The problem with this proposal is that it puts the onus solely on the parents. This is not a problem just with individuals, this is a societal issue,” he says.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during the past 20 years, obesity has risen dramatically in  the United States.
An estimated 17% of children in the U.S. are considered to be obese – which is defined as a child having a body mass index or BMI that is equal to or greater than the 95th percentile for their age and gender. For example, a 10-year-old boy with a BMI of 18 would fall into the fifth percentile and be considered a healthy weight. However a 10-year-old boy with a BMI of 23 would considered obese, because his  BMI is greater than the 95^th percentile.   More...Cnn.com

Former football pro helping fattest state get fit

(CNN) -- Mississippi, the most obese state in the United States, needs to shed pounds. A former pro football player turned fitness coach wants to make it happen.
The Magnolia State has an adult obesity rate of 33% and has the highest rate of overweight and obese children in the country, but Paul Lacoste said he's inspired to help his home state get fit.
"It's time for Mississippi to get in shape and show the world we can beat obesity," said the 36-year-old coach from Madison.
Lacoste attended high school in Jackson, played football at Mississippi State University where he was an All-SEC and All-America selection in 1996, and then had a brief career in the NFL, CFL and XFL . He said his football career provided him with the tools he needed to be in top physical shape and he now wants to share these lessons with his home state.  More...Cnn.com

The Secret to Breaking Through My Weight Loss Plateau

I had such a productive week! It has been quite some time since I felt like my food choices and exercise were in sync with my weight loss plan. I ran three times this week, and I met my goal of going to the gym four times. I am also back to my pre-Christmas weight; in fact, I am down to 211.8 pounds. Overall, I would call this week a huge success!

I am five miles down in my goal to run 20 miles in the month of January. It took me a year to be able to get up on the treadmill and pound step after step of a glorious mile. But you know what? I did it. I do it. And I'm on my way to becoming a better, more consistent runner.  More...Aol health

When Is the Best Time to Exercise?

For as long as I can remember -- from the first time I set foot in a gym, actually -- I've been listening to folks debate the question: When is the best time to exercise?

Now a new study may finally shine some light on the matter. Researchers found that exercising before eating has several beneficial effects, including preventing weight gain and maintaining insulin sensitivity.

More...Aol health

Grill Away Your Gut

Of course, the part that’s relevant to you—the weight loss part—doesn’t involve sweating out a confession from a perp or adding diamonds to a rapper’s teeth. (Although both would seem to make eating a lot pretty impossible.) But the grill that’s hanging out in your backyard, providing a great place for spiders to spin their webs? Well, once you learn to fire it up right, you’ll discover that it just might be the most effective weight-loss tool in your arsenal. More....Yahoo Health

Obesity Rates Still Rising

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rural Mississippi is the country's fattest state for the seventh year in a row, according to an annual obesity report issued Thursday. Colorado, a playground for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, is the nation's thinnest.
The report by two public health groups has again delivered bad news: The nation is getting bigger and bigger every year. And looking at state-by-state statistics over the last 15 years, the groups found exponential waistline growth – Colorado, with 19.8 percent of adults considered obese according to 2010 data, would have been the nation's fattest state in 1995.  More... Aol healthy living

Why We Need to Get Motivated When It Comes to Exercise

No matter how much you may want to hear otherwise, the chance that researchers will ever come up with any of these findings is slim to none:
• Smoking is a good source of vitamins and minerals.
• Cake, when eaten in unlimited amounts, is good for weight control and heart health.
• Exercise isn't really important after all.
Researchers have, instead, just come out with even more evidence that we need to be doing plenty of exercise -- and we need to be doing it often. The American College of Sports Medicine sent out a news release last week touting the organization's new stand on the importance of exercise for healthy adults, saying that it "definitively answer(s) the age-old question of how much exercise is actually enough."  More....Huffpost aol news

Help Your Kids Stay in Shape This Summer

SATURDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- A bit of planning can help parents ensure their children eat right and get enough exercise during the summer, experts say.
To start, parents can seek a minimum commitment from their children of one hour of physical activity a day, suggested Dr. Stephenie Wallace, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
"Set an expectation of doing something in the house -- chores, set some goals and rewards for your young person," she said in a university news release. "Get them to play basketball with their friends or spend some time in the neighborhood, and really encourage them to do so."
Parents should remember that active children need to stay hydrated with water, not calorie-laden sugary drinks, Wallace added.
Summer is also a good time for parents to reinforce healthy eating habits among children.
"One key is to keep healthy foods in the house, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grain granola bars, but don't deprive the kids either," Beth Kitchin, an assistant professor of nutrition sciences at UAB, said in the news release.
"Get the kids involved in choosing foods. Take them grocery shopping. Show them healthy choices and have them choose," she recommended.
The authors said they hope that parent involvement will help prevent more children from becoming overweight or obese. Poor diet and lack of physical activity have led to a tripling of obesity among American children over the last 30 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sourced By Yahoo Health

Study: Anorexia Increases Death Risk

When it comes to dieting, many of us are at fault for going about it the wrong way. Unfortunately, many women – and men – are so consumed with trimming their waistline, they succumb to anorexia. Anorexia is a condition in which a patient believes they are fat and deprives themselves of food;… Read More »

Sourced By YAHOO HEALTH

5 Life Tweaks That Will Make You Happier and Healthier

Eat an Apple...

New research from Pennsylvania State University found that people who ate an apple before lunch consumed nearly 190 fewer calories at the meal than those who'd taken in the same number of calories (125) in the form of applesauce, fiber-fortified apple juice, and plain apple juice. "All calories are not created equal," says Mark Hyman, MD, author of Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss. "A whole apple feels like more. It has more fiber and nutrients, and makes you feel full longer." The Penn State volunteers ate their apple about 15 minutes before lunch—and the authors suspect the effects might have been even more dramatic had they eaten the peel (which was removed), thanks to the extra fiber. Read More »
Sourced Yahoo Health

5 Great Reasons to Never Do Another Sit-Up Again

Want rock-hard abs without having to do all those backbreaking sit-ups? You're in luck! Here are 5 great reasons to never do another sit-up again. Read More »
Sourced By Yahoo Health

10 Workout Secrets from Industry Experts

Nobody is perfect. And neither are our workouts. From the fitness hangover solution to what not to wear at the gym and how to avoid being "that" girl at the gym, 10 fitness pros (and me) give us their "I wish I'd known sooner" secrets for having a better, more effective and enjoyable workout. So you don't have to learn the hard way! Read More »
Sourced By Shine at Yahoo

10 Surprising Exercises to Do With a Stability Ball

Did you know that crunches on a stability ball are 38% more effective? Hello summer six-pack! While you've probably seen the stability ball lurking in the corners of the gym, chances are you haven't used it for more than ab crunches. Read More »

Relaxation drinks edge into an amped-up beverage market

By Sarah B. Weir (Photo: amanaimagesRF/Getty Images)
What goes up, must come down. After the multi-billion dollar success of energy drinks such as Red Bull and Rockstar, it was inevitable someone would try to carve out a mellow new corner of the…
Read More »
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Yo-Yo Dieting is Better Than Obesity

Lose the weight, no matter what! That's the take away from a new study that says even yo-yo dieting, which has always been frowned upon, is better than staying obese. Nobody wants to see their weight go up and down; i's immensely frustrating and can eat away at your self-esteem. But even with all of the negatives, being obese all of time is much worse.

A study presented at an annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Boston compared mice who were fed a low-fat diet with those who were intentionally given a yo-yo diet regimen. What they found was the yo-yo diet group lived just as long as the low-fat diet group. There was also a group of mice fed a high-fat diet (more on that later). More....Shine atYahoo

The Weight Loss Tips You're Not Trying

In reality, hitting the gym five times a week and sweating out major calories a la Britney Spears is on my priority list … it's just waaay down at the bottom with cleaning out my closet and watching "The Green Lantern."

I do care about eating right and burning more calories, but I just wish it didn't always feel like rocket science. Seriously, do I really have to read a 300 pager on some fad diet plan or learn army-worthy workout sequences just to decrease my "pooch"? There have got to be easier, sneakier ways to lose those stubborn pounds, right?  More...Shine Yahoo

10 exercise myths that won't go away

(CNN) -- We're all looking to maximize results while minimizing time and effort in the gym. That search for shortcuts has translated into a lot of myths about exercise.
CNN.com asked exercise physiologists, trainers and nutritionists about their most hated exercise myths.  More...Cnn.com

With family life as goal, man drops 177 pounds

(CNN) -- At his heaviest, Brent Schmitt weighed 419 pounds. Even at 6 feet 3 inches tall, that was very overweight and he had high blood pressure.
Many people in his family -- aunts, uncles and grandparents --suffered from diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and high blood pressure.
The iReporter's life-changing moment came during an intense family discussion back in 2009 about his relatives' ailments.
It finally clicked for him: It was time for him to take a different path.  More....Cnn.com
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The Top 5 Killers of Men

It was a sunny September day in the Pacific Northwest, and Jeff Hale had just closed a $1.5 million deal. To celebrate, he was taking the afternoon off, relaxing on his patio lounge, and playing ball with his dog. That's when he began feeling compression high in his chest, some pain in his left shoulder, and an unsettling sense of dread. At 44, he was in relatively good shape, although 15 pounds overweight and under a lot of stress from work. At first, he thought it was an asthma attack and took a hit off his inhaler. But when that didn't help, he remembered an article he’d read in Men's Health.  More...Yahoo Health

15 New Muscle Builders

The old reliable exercises are fine for producing old reliable results. But if you want a physique that's better than the body you have now, you need exercises that do more for you than the ones that took you to this point. Luckily for you (and your muscles), trainers and scientists across the continent spend their days asking excellent questions, such as "Why do we do it this way?" and "What if we did it that way?" The answers they find are surprising—and useful. See below to read about exercise variations and technique tweaks from some of the country's most innovative trainers. You'll refresh your workout and soon have muscle in places you didn't even know it could grow. More....Yahoo Health

8 Moves to Your Best Summer Body

If you want to slim down fast, you've come to right place. SELF teamed up with fitness coaches Katrina Hodgson and Karena Dawn—the fit and fab duo of ToneItUp.com who've helped millions of women sculpt their dream body—to develop this super-speedy bikini-ready plan that delivers results in just two weeks. There are just 8 moves, but each of them use several muscle groups at once, and that coaxes your cells to release more fat, which you then burn for energy. In other words, you actually shrink fat cells while you tone! Follow this get-lean routine, and get ready to rock that two-piece.

by Lucy Danziger and the staff at SELF

5 Surprising Signs of an Unhealthy Heart

We've all read the signs of a heart attack listed on posters in the hospital waiting room. But what if there were other, earlier signs that could alert you ahead of time that your heart was in trouble?
It turns out there are. Researchers have done a lot of work in recent years looking at the signs and symptoms patients experienced in the months or even years leading up to a heart attack. "The heart, together with the arteries that feed it, is one big muscle, and when it starts to fail the symptoms can show up in many parts of the body," says cardiologist Jonathan Goldstein of St. Michael's Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey. Here are five surprising clues that your heart needs checking out. Any of these signs -- and particularly two or more together -- is reason to call your doctor for a workup, says Goldstein.  More...Yahoo health

Health News Headlines

Heart disease, No. 1 killer, can sneak up on women

Heart disease can sneak up on women in ways that standard cardiac tests can miss. More »Heart disease, No. 1 killer, can sneak up on women

Last Vietnam-era draftee decides to retire

FORT BELVOIR, Va. (AP) — A homemade wind chime with the word "Whining" under a red slash is made from metal parts put in his leg after a parachute accident. Every Sunday he trims his crew cut. He didn't join the Army willingly, but as Command Sgt. Maj. Jeff Mellinger prepares to retire, he's grateful he found his calling.
Mellinger was drafted to fight the Vietnam War, and the Army believes he's the last draftee to retire, after 39 years. Most did their two years and left. But Mellinger had found home.  More.... Yahoo News

Michael Vick and Nike join forces once again

A year ago, Michael Vick(notes) won a lot of fans back with his incredible play on the field for the Philadelphia Eagles. It was impressive enough to land him a spot on the Pro Bowl team, but maybe more important than that for Vick personally is the influence he must have on had on the Nike people, because according to CNBC's Darren Rovell, Vick will be back with the Swoosh.
According to Rovell, it's the first time in the history of sports marketing that a company dropped an athlete from their brand, as Nike did back in 2007 after news came out about Vick and dogfighting, and then signed them back to the team.

"Michael acknowledges his past mistakes," said Nike spokesman Derek Kent. "We do not condone those actions, but we support the positive changes he has made to better himself off the field."  More...Yahoo sports

Sugar is hiding in some surprising places.

Whole-grain cereal and English muffins don't scream sweet, yet these and other seemingly healthful foods can be sugar minefields. "During the fat-free craze of the '80s and '90s, manufacturers removed fat from packaged foods and replaced it with sugar to make up for the lack of taste," Farrell says. Since then, fat has come back—and the sugar has stayed. But finding the stuff that doesn't belong isn't easy. Nutrition labels list only total grams of sugar, lumping together those that were added with those that occur naturally in the ingredients. To discover what's really in there, look for the word sugar in the ingredients list and also its aliases. Most common are syrup (high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup), juice (evaporated cane juice) and words ending in -ose (dextrose, fructose, glucose, sucrose), say SELF contributing experts Stephanie Clarke, R.D., and Willow Jarosh, R.D. Honey, agave nectar, molasses and maple syrup count as well. Sidestep sneaky offenders at every meal with these quick sugar-slashing tricks. More...Yahoo Health

7 Worst Summer Drinks

What if you could turn this ongoing heatwave into an opportunity to lose weight—without exercising or changing what you eat?

Here's all you have to do: Think before you drink. A lot of what's offered at the supermarket and the corner convenience store is likely to make this summer only more miserable—by adding inches to your waistline.

According to a study in the journal Obesity, liquids account for more than 20 percent—some 450 daily calories—of the American diet, and most of this is sugar. Another study from the University of Minnesota demonstrated that added sugars are directly linked to weight gain. We're drinking ourselves fat!  More...Yahoo Health

Tax on sugar beverages could have large impact

The impact of sugar-sweetened beverages (which include beverages sweetened with sugar, corn syrup and other caloric sweeteners) is coming to the forefront of public discussion, as well it should. Houston joins the United States in seeing growing rates of obesity among children as well as adults. Obesity is a great public health concern that has been associated with many serious health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and some cancers. Nearly two-thirds of Houston adults are obese or overweight.

Many national health organizations have reviewed the research and determined that sugar-sweetened beverages are associated with the obesity epidemic. Some of these organizations include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Medicine, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Academy of Pediatrics. These groups recommend decreasing use of sugary beverages.

Sugar-sweetened beverages have minimal nutritional value yet contribute many calories to one's diet. A 12-ounce serving of regular cola adds 140 calories to 150 calories with nine to 11 teaspoons of sugar. Many popular sports and energy drinks contain 75 calories to 150 calories with five to 11 teaspoons of sugar in 12 ounces. 

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/7636449.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+houstonchronicle%2Fedtoutlook+%28HoustonChronicle.com+--+Viewpoints%2C+Outlook%29#ixzz1QxxKExCX

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It's Getting Hot Hot Hot: 7 Tips for Staying Cool During Summer Workouts

Credit: lululemon athletica

By Jenn Walters, http://www.fitbottomedgirls.com/

Can fidgeting make you more fit?

That nervous-looking guy on the plane next to you with the jittery leg could be doing a lot more than irritating you for two hours? He might just be burning extra calories that are helping him get or stay fit. Little activities we do daily, research is showing, could really add up, particularly… Read More »

By Jessica Ashley, Shine staff,

The Exercise and Sleep Connection

Credit: Betsssssy

By Jennipher Walters, http://www.FitBottomedGirls.com/

We all know how great a good night’s rest can leave us feeling, but did you know that proper rest and high-quality sleep can also improve your workouts and help keep you at a healthy body weight? It's true! According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep is essential for a person’s health and well-being, although, unfortunately, reports show that catching zzz’s has become a luxury rather than a priority for many of us. Sad face.
The good news is that studies suggest that regular exercise helps you fall asleep faster, sleep longer and wake up less frequently during the night. In fact, just 20 minutes of exercise a day can help you when it comes to sleep. Here are some other fun facts from the exercise experts at Life Fitness about how getting beauty rest can actually impact your workout.
5 Ways That Exercise Affects Sleep, More.....Shine at Yahoo

Deion Sanders Jr. hassled at same mall that troubled Dez Bryant

Deion Sanders Jr. has plenty of reasons to be recognized in public. After all, he's the son of an NFL Hall of Famer and one of the most famous athletes of the recent generations. That's before you consider the fact that he has become a bit of a notable athlete himself, turning heads as a dual threat quarterback for Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus High.

Yet none of that mattered when he was questioned by police at the North Park Center shopping mall … the same mall in which Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was harrassed for wearing his pants too low.
According to the Dallas Morning News and Sanders Jr.'s Twitter account, the entire episode was sparked by a simple, everyday fast-food purchase: Deion Jr. just wanted some Chick-fil-A.
Unfortunately, when the rising senior went to pay for his meal with a credit card, he was asked to present his driver's license. As it turns out, Sanders had forgotten his ID at home, and the cashiers had a hard time believing he was actually Deion Sanders.
Here's how the prep quarterback chronicled the entire episode on Twitter:

Police at North Park mall tried 2 get me becuz I tried 2 buy chickfila with my card but didnt have my ID. They Said It was card theft or sum.
They thought I stole the card or somethin cuz it said Deion Sanders. I'm like sir I'm not tryna be cocky but you can google me and see ...

Quite understandably, Sanders Jr. said he felt victimized by the entire episode, which left him with a sour taste in his mouth. Tellingly, he seemed to feel that the whole unseemly situation was made worse by the North Park Center security guards, even if one might think they would be a bit more reluctant to accuse famous names of wrongdoing after the Dez Bryant episode.
"Now I see how Dez Bryant felt," Sanders Jr. wrote on his Twitter feed.  More....Yahoo sports