MardianInMotion.com

msnbc.msn.com

Many who start an exercise regimen state that they get increasingly hungry after hitting the gym. There’s a good reason for this phenomenon. For example, the more you drive your car, the more fuel it needs. Your body also needs more fuel to help with the increased activities.

The trick is to satisfy your cravings without increasing your calorie intake, and that’s exactly where many fall flat. Schedule regular workouts before meals (but within a few hours of your last meal or snack) so that you won’t feel like you’re starving. Then redistribute your current calorie intake instead of eating more.

One of my favourite tricks is to eat more daily meals, but to make them smaller. This way I’m eating constantly, I never feel hungry, my calorie intake is low and my blood sugar is stable. That means I’m constantly feeling good and won’t look for food. Also make sure to eat clean foods, rather than the refined variety and keep the quality of your foods (especially carbohydrates) extremely high.

“Some scientists say that if you really want to get rid of more fat, you should skip the pre-workout meal. They point to several studies suggesting exercising while your body is low on food may be a good way to trim excess fat. In a recent paper, European researchers found that cyclists who trained without eating burned significantly more fat than their counterparts who ate.” (msnbc.com)

I’m not a proponent of this because muscles usually get their energy from carbohydrates, which is why high level athletes eat enormous amounts of food before a race. But if you exercise at a low intensity, then not eating before exercising probably ensures your body doesn’t have many carbohydrates in reserve, forcing it to burn fat instead. However, for those who exercise at a higher intensity, this trick may backfire.

the-beauty-tips.com

Let’s face it, not all people lose weight at the same rate. That may be due to several factors, such as not being diligent enough in what they eat, not exercising at a consistent enough intensity, not having the knowledge of how to eat or exercise properly, or simply not having enough motivation to put all these factors together consistently.

If the weight does come off slowly, a focus on weight loss alone may derail your efforts by up to 70% because weight fluctuates, even at times when doing things right – which can be frustrating. Instead stay away from the scales and focus on smaller milestones like losing several inches and fitting into a smaller size jeans or getting more fit and shaving some time off your walking pace.

Sometimes it helps to team up, as studies show discussing exercise challenges with others leads to 70% more success due to increased motivation and weekly exercise time.

Fitness Bootcamp Osoyoos, British Columbia

There are obvious benefits to working out and living a healthy lifestyle, but additional benefits can be had from participating in a boot camp environment.

Obviously, a boot camp is a tough experience and pushes the body, helping you achieve your fitness and weight loss goals. Most people rarely push themselves as hard as an exercise professional will, so having an expert guide you in such an experience is a bonus as it can avoid physical injury. As well, guidance through the proper exercises will accelerate building muscles, build endurance, and drop body fat.

Another benefit of having a fitness trainer guide you is that programs are formulated to burn a lot of calories, sometimes 1000-1100 calories in just one 60-minute class. Scientifically formulated exercise routines will boost results much quicker than typical gym exercises or general workout classes.

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Economics also come into play as you get all the benefits of a personal trainer, with less cost. Boot camps are generally conducted in a small group of 15-25 people per session, which extends more cost effective prices but still provides the benefits you seek.

Some people are naturally shy, but when going through a group workout program friendships are usually formed. No doubt this helps you to stick with your workout program, as well as providing a sense of accountability if you don’t show up.

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If the boot camp experience is fun, then the camaraderie, intensity, and various exercises make for a unique experience that participants look forward to attend. Rarely will a boot camp be boring, making sure your workouts do not fizzle out due to lack of enthusiasm.

If your cardio, spinning or running programs have lacked some fizzle lately, then try a fitness boot camp as the ultimate spark to regain your interest.

outsmarthormones.com

The words “obese” and “fat” too often carry negative and demeaning connotations in discussion of body weight. Doctors are now being urged to avoid using “undesirable terms” such as “fatness” or “obesity” when broaching a discussion about excess body fat with their patients. Use of such terms may offend or distress some patients and prevent them from continuing to discuss their weight, say researchers at the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.

This conclusion was drawn after a survey of  390 obese patients who were asked to rate words they found the most, and the least offensive for describing their excess size. “Fatness” was rated the most undesirable of all. “Excess fat,” “large size”, “obesity” and “heaviness” were also ranked significantly more negative than the remaining terms.

Now, I’m not sure why people are so offended with generic terms denoting a condition, especially when a doctor means well. I fully understand that the preferred term is “weight” – perhaps because it’s more neutral and non-judgmental. I mean, no professional should tell his clients they are too fat or lazy.

However, I simply don’t believe that the word obese carries a negative or demeaning connotation. Rather, it implies an unhealthy state which should spur on a person to become healthier. This may sound too black and white for some, but think about this –  heart attacks are also non-judgmental, yet their repercussions hit far more brutally than mere words.

Facilitating change in a person’s life is a matter of rational decisions leading to a healthy life change. It should not focus on negativity, but it must be decisive in wording to educate. Neutral language often is not enough to spur a life change. If the focus is only to prevent blame through neutral language, then the entire exercise of instilling a life saving change is many times nullified. It prevents being insulted, but it does not spur one to decisive action.

I really think professionals need to get away from too much politically correct coddling. That doesn’t mean they should blame, find fault or assign prejudice/bias against overweight people. In simple terms, it has everything to do with reaching out in the most effective way to impose a change that will help that person.

Politically correct language is gaining such a strong foothold that Canada’s leading obesity organization – the Canadian Obesity Network – is releasing recommendations to doctors on managing obesity that will advise doctors to seek permission before even raising the issue of excess weight or offering any advice.

Such thinking is insanity at its worst. In my opinion, discussions about weight should be framed around health issues without putting people on the defensive and making them feel like they’re a failure, but also, they should be frank and open. We are talking about saving lives here. One quarter of Canadian adults, and about nine per cent of children aged six to 17 are now obese, according to a joint report released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Public Health Agency of Canada. When figures for obesity are combined with those for being overweight, 62 per cent of Canadians overall weigh more than they should.

Here’s the real shocker: The heaviest weight classes are growing at the fastest rate: The proportion of adults with a body mass index of 40 or more, has increased threefold between 1978 and 2009. In other words, we are dying on our feet. So what’s more important, getting the message out in an effective, yet non-judgmental way, or falling all over ourselves to prevent anyone and everyone from being insulted?

Obesity is a life threatening, multi-factorial, progressive & costly disease associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Either we get a hold of this epidemic or it gets a hold of us – through continued disease and economic strangulation.

fi.edu

A new University of Georgia study published in the online edition of the Journal of Molecular Cell Biology shows that low oxygen levels (hypoxia) in cells may be a primary cause of uncontrollable tumor growth in some cancers. These findings run counter to widely accepted beliefs that genetic mutations are responsible for cancer growth.

Previous studies have linked low oxygen levels in cells as a contributing factor in cancer development, but not as the driving force for cancer growth. If this study holds true, then the high incidence rates of cancer around the world can no longer be explained by chance genetic mutations alone.

This new approach to cancer also means that there will have to be a new approach to cancer drugs. These are formulated to counteract genetic mutations associated with a particular type of cancer, but often bypass the disease.

In their study, the researchers analyzed data to detect abnormal gene expression patterns in seven cancers: breast, kidney, liver, lung, ovary, pancreatic and stomach. All seven cancers showed increasing amounts of HIF1A, indicating decreasing oxygen levels in the cancer cells.

Low oxygen levels in a cell interrupt the way that cells normally use to convert food to energy, feeding cancer cells. When a cancer cell gets more food, it grows; which makes a tumor biomass bigger and even more hypoxic. In turn, the energy-conversion efficiency goes further down, making the cells even more hungry and triggering the cells to get more food from blood circulation, creating a vicious cycle.

This news is important to us because cancer has only one prime cause — the replacement of normal oxygen respiration of our bodies cells by an anaerobic (oxygen-deficient) cell respiration, according to Dr. Otto Warburg, two-time Nobel Laureate Winner of the Nobel Prize For Cancer Research.

He stated in an article titled The Prime Cause and Prevention of Cancer that “the cause of cancer is no longer a mystery, we know it occurs whenever any cell is denied 60% of its oxygen requirements.”

Causes of poor oxygenation!

A normal healthy cell burns oxygen and glucose (blood sugar) for energy and releases carbon dioxide In the normal course of life, no anaerobic conditions such as cancer, Epstein Barr, herpes, mono, genital warts, etc. can flourish in such an oxygen rich environment.

When a cell becomes unhealthy or diseased, it lacks sufficient oxygen but will still produce energy by a burning process (sugar fermentation) which releases mainly lactic acid and carbon monoxide instead of carbon dioxide., This, of course makes the cell function anaerobically (no oxygen present), which is inefficient and a severe drain on the body as these cells work harder than aerobic cells to produce energy from the glucose they metabolize. Cancer cells thrive in this high sugar-low oxygen environment but cannot exist in the opposite condition of high oxygen-low sugar mode of healthy cells.

This understanding is echoed by Dr. Stephen Levine. Renowned Molecular Biologist, author of: “Oxygen Deficiency: Concomitant to All Degenerative Illness.” He also believes that hypoxia, or lack of oxygen in the tissues, is the fundamental cause for all degenerative disease.

Stitches are believed to be a cramp in your diaphragm, a dome shaped muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity.

As we inhale, taking air into the lungs, the diaphragm moves down and when we exhale, the diaphragm moves up. Spasms occur because of the movement of the internal organs as they move up and down while running, straining the diaphragm as it moves up while exhaling. The liver (the largest organ in the abdominal cavity and situated in the upper right abdomen) is a particularly big offender because it’s attached to the diaphragm by two ligaments. I believe this is why we mostly experience stitches on our right side, immediately below the ribs. But if you ate a large meal, your full stomach will also contribute to the problem.

If you get a stitch while running, easing up on your pace and taking deep belly breaths often provides relief. If not, massage or press on the area where you feel pain, while bending forward slightly. Some experts believe that you will have fewer side stitches as you become more fit.

adbusters.org

So McHappy Day is coming our way this year on May 2. This is a day when McDonald’s restaurants across the country hold annual fundraising events with $1 from every Big Mac sandwich, Happy Meal and hot McCafé® beverage sold going to local children’s charities such as Ronald McDonald Houses.

Looking at this on the surface, it actually sounds like a good thing. This is the national organization that provides families of sick children a home-away-from-home by making it possible for 100% of every directly donated dollar to go to Ronald McDonald Houses and their programs.

Since 2004, the company has raised more than $36 million for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Canada. It would seem to be an event which illustrates MacDonald’s commitment to giving back to the communities they serve and to helping Canadian children during McHappy Day.

Now if I wasn’t such a crusty individual, my eyes would tear up at this remarkable and passionate support for children. The clarion call is out to millions of customers to help McDonald’s help kids. Noble in intent perhaps, but severely misguided in deed.

Charitable acts like these are meant to get us thinking about the bright, clean image of McDonald’s. But it doesn’t take any special intelligence realize that something is seriously wrong with a corporation that mass produces unhealthy hamburgers, chips, colas, milkshakes, and so on and then tries to tell us they are healthy. What they don’t make clear is that a diet high in fat, sugar, animal products sodium, and low in fibre, vitamins and minerals is linked with cancers of the breast and bowel, and heart disease.

A child’s nightmare!

The Ronald McDonald charity says there can be no better cause than to care for our children. True, but hypocritical of the corporation to say since they are responsible for a large part of the overall national disease rates of North America. Junk food is poisonous and produces disease. Hiding behind a charity to give yourself a tax write-off while whitewashing your image is hideous at best.

Nearly all their advertising is aimed at kids through the Ronald McDonald “personality and a circus-like atmosphere. It’s little wonder that few children fail to spot the gaudy red and yellow standardized frontages in shopping centers and streets throughout the country.

Every month, approximately eight out of 10 North American children eat at a McDonald’s restaurant and most can recognize McDonald’s before they can speak. This is the only recognizable figure that is ranked higher than Santa Claus.

McDonald’s is promoted as a caring, family-friendly sort of place, a place with a heart, not heart disease. Meals are promoted as “fun” events, with gimmicks, toys and balloons hiding the fact that the food they’re lured into eating is at best mediocre, at worst poisonous.

The film “Supersize Me” should have taught us that the fast food culture brings obesity, heart disease, hypertension and more, even to our children. Bottom line: McDonald’s doesn’t love our children, no matter what their charitable fronts tell us. Worse, if our kids eat themselves into a diabetic coma, perhaps the Ronald McDonald House will “help” us as we struggle to stay afloat while our kids suffer. How terribly ironic is that?

The charitable “front”

Morgan Spurlock (of Supersize Me) said in an article titled, “The Truth About Mcdonald’s and Children, “The company was linked early on with various children’s charities. One executive told John F Love, author of McDonald’s: Behind the Arches: “It was an inexpensive, imaginative way of getting your name before the public and building a reputation to offset the image of selling 15-cent hamburgers. It was probably 99 per cent commercial.”

Perhaps many are seeing for the first time that what you see is definitely not what you get. Once you start the McDonald’s cradle-to-grave brand loyalty, you dance with an uncertain partner. Not only will you get your toes stepped on, but also they’ll be broken. Think about it!

healthytimesblog.com

Incorrect exercise form is one of the most under appreciated issues facing beginners (and many supposed trainers) in the fitness industry today. It never ceases to amaze me at how many times I see cases of horrific exercise form, whether it’s someone bouncing a bar off the chest during bench presses or simply brutalizing what should be a beautiful exercise – the squat. If you doubt this, just head out to your local gym and experience your fair share of bad exercise technique.

So why is poor exercise technique so common?  It usually comes down to one of the following three reasons:

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1)  The trainee is a novice and hasn’t been taught how to weight train properly.

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2)  The second, and more common reason is lifting a weight that is too heavy. If you want to impress your friends but intend end up stuck under a heavy bar loaded with too much weight, you’ll end up with risk of injury. At the very least, you sacrifice muscle gains from bad form.

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3) The third reason people use improper exercise form is laziness. Over the years, I’ve noticed that most follow the path to least resistance. So if they can use a form that is easier to them, they will “cheat.”  But as I always tell my clients, if you hate it, it’s probably because it’s hard, though much more effective.

Some tips on body alignment and posture

Using incorrect body alignment and posture will increase the amount of unnecessary stress placed on muscles and joints, and decrease specific work on muscle groups being targeted. That’s why correct body alignment and posture during weight training exercises is crucial.

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Always refrain from excessive joint flexion or extension because these can damage cartilage and cause long-term damage. Make sure not exceed a comfortable range of motion at the end of the concentric (lifting) phase, and at end of the eccentric (lowering) phase.

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Also, do not excessively flex or extend the lower back as this exposes it to injury through excessive amounts of weight in this position. If picking up a weight, dot lift from the lower back but use the legs as the main driving force while keeping the core tight

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And last, don’t subject your ligaments to excessive loads. Rather, force your muscles to support the weight, especially at the end of a movement. Not only is this safer, but muscles under stress are stronger. Why not use them maximally?