Join our discussion on health, fitness and diet.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association finds that just 5 minutes a day of a particular breathing exercise yields the same or better blood pressure lowering benefits and vascular health measures as cardiovascular exercise. The study was conducted at Colorado University in Boulder.
We all know that exercising burns calories which in turn reduce fat stores. You may also know that muscle burns more calories than fat, though not as outlandishly as some claim. Some of the claims were as much as 50 calories per pound of muscle per day which would mean adding 10 pounds of muscle would burn an additional 500 calories daily. Sadly this is not accurate. A more correct amount would be 7 calories per day per pound of muscle added. Fat in comparison burns about 2 calories, so, though the amount of difference is small, losing fat and gaining muscle is still a net positive. Now new studies have shown that more aerobically fit muscles are more efficient fat burners. T
Recent studies have linked prolonged sitting with similar health risks as obesity and smoking. In fact the analysis of 13 different studies found that 8 hours a day of sitting with no physical activity raised the risks of developing breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity and depression. Other adjunct conditions are high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess abdominal fat, and abnormal cholesterol levels. In short sitting too often or too long significantly increases your chance of dying from cardiovascular disease or cancer.
Proteins on the other hand tend to be somewhat more satisfying. Proteins when broken down by the digestive system are reduced to amino acids before they can be utilized by the body. This process of mastication, digestion and utilization requires significant energy, about 30% of the proteins caloric value. This energy is released as heat called the thermic effect.
For the past 8 months we have all been living in a strange dystopian sci-fi movie, a movie that for now has no ending, no resolution and no fully predicable outcome. Many of our norms are turned upside down, once we tried to be social and because it’s good for us it was recommended, now not so much. Once upon a time you were alarmed when someone walked in wearing a mask, now we’re alarmed if they don’t. Extending a hand was once a sign of respect, now it’s a sign of disrespect. Who would imagine that being a daredevil could include going to the market, trying indoor dinning or going to a movie theater? What about those stocked shelves that are starting to turn bare once again. Have you tried to buy shower cleaner, Windex or Lysol lately, pretty hard to come by. TP and paper towels are starting to disappear again too as the virus ticks up, funny the things we deem important.
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body with 99% being stored in our bones and teeth. We all know that calcium is important in children for proper bone and teeth formation and as we age for bone density. Did you know that calcium also has many other functions in the body? Calcium is important for muscle contraction, nerve signal messaging, and in blood vessels for circulation. Calcium also regulates heart rate, fluid balance within cells and the release of hormones and enzymes affecting many body functions. The body doesn’t produce calcium so demands must be met by diet and supplementation.
We all have heard that exercise is supposed to lower blood pressure, right? While that still holds true a new study led by the University of Plymouth in association with the Centre of Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, Spain has found that using mouthwash can significantly lessen the benefit. That’s right, crazy as it sounds mouthwash use reduces the amount exercise lowers blood pressure. So, what does one have to do with the other and what kind of silliness is this?
As a person who has participated in sports and intense exercise for much of my life I am quite familiar with physical pain. Most of us in fact if not all of us have experienced body aches associated with an overly active weekend, a weekend warrior lifestyle, trying new things on vacation or maybe a mishap. All that matters is that you are hurting, so what should you do?
If you are an occasional dieter or a perennial dieter, whether you want to lose a few pounds or maybe a lot more than a few you have probably heard about low carb diets. You have also probably heard that very low carb diets are the fastest way to lose weight. While this is true - are they right for you and if so which one is best? You have many low carb diets to choose from such as the rock star Atkins, the Keto Diet, new kid on the block Paleo Diet, the South Beach Diet and the barely low carb Zone Diet.
For most people with a desire to lose weight or maintain weight loss metabolism seems in come into question. Most will say there metabolism is too slow. All of us will notice with age that we can’t eat the same way we did when we were younger and get away with it. For some reason now the calories leave their mark in added body fat when they wouldn’t have even just a few years ago. Many with a history of excess weight point to a lifetime of slow metabolism as the root cause. Can one truly have a slow metabolism?
One of the most common reasons both men and women seek out medical care from an Urologist (Specializes in urinary track medicine) is pelvic pain and urinary disorders. These disorders can solely be pain and discomfort related or also exhibit flow and immediacy symptoms. Symptoms can be severe and have life changing consequences.
As informed humans we are always looking for ways to maximize our returns on investments and in this case it’s more bang for our buck out of our exercise routine. One of the latest trends may be cold workouts. These fitness classes are generally taught in temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees. The idea is that the cold causes a greater caloric burn as the body fights to keep warm through thermogenesis.
Why wait until the New Year to embark on a healthier life style? It makes way more sense to start as soon as you can clear some time and make a commitment. Every day you wait is a day lost on your transformational journey. Thinking about it unfortunately doesn’t get it done, getting started does. So, why not jumpstart it now? Don’t think of it as a bitter pill you have to take, but rather a progressively pleasing re-energizing of your body, mind and spirit. A positive outlook goes a long way. If you started now think about how far ahead of the game your progress will be by the time the New Year comes.
Open a health or celebrity magazine or look online for healthy tips and you’ll be sure to find countless articles expounding about the benefits of drinking celery juice. Read enough of these claims and you’ll believe we found the Holy Grail. Touted benefits include: prevents cancer, lowers cholesterol, heals leaky gut, prevents kidney and gall stones, treats insomnia, aids weight loss and keeps skin and hair youthful. I skipped a few, but you get the idea.
Whereas, many of us are proactive about our fitness, trying to eat better and being mindful when we gain a few extra pounds, we don’t generally think about the health of our brain. A bit of decline seems to be accepted as normal, “oh, I don’t remember names as well,” but as a whole we don’t make an effort to do something about it. The old adage (use it or lose it) does apply, but even staying intellectually challenged isn’t enough. Consider that the incidence of Alzheimer’s is expected to triple over the next fifty years. As people live longer the chances of dementia also increases.
Whether you exercise to be healthier, fitter, or to be more competitive there are a few numbers to know that can tell you how you are progressing. Even if you lead an active lifestyle and believe yourself to be quite healthy it’s still possible to miss or ignore signs of a growing deficiency. Knowing what’s what is the first step in making corrective moves. Below are a few self-tests that have been developed to gage your fitness, heart health and overall wellbeing. These tests are not meant to replace regular medical examinations. Use them to quantify your current health and fitness status.
