Fitness is a term that encompasses a wide range of goals, methods, and outcomes. For many, it means achieving a certain physical appearance or excelling in athletic performance. However, a growing movement is shifting the focus toward health-centered fitness—a holistic approach that prioritizes overall well-being, disease prevention, and longevity. This article explores the core principles of health-focused fitness, contrasts it with aesthetic and sports fitness, and highlights its unique benefits, especially concerning long-term health and lifespan. Whether participating or looking to participate in a fitness program let your intent be the guide.
Testosterone replacement therapy or TRT has garnered relatively fast attention via social media and online advertisements. It’s almost impossible to miss the countess ads in your streams on platforms like X or Facebook. The curious question is what’s driving this interest and are the results being promised for real or too good to be true? Let’s take a look back before we go forward.
Aging is something I think most of us don’t like to dwell upon. If we could we probably all would choose to stay a younger more vibrant version of ourselves. What age would you choose, when do you feel you were your best? I would probably choose 30 myself, still looking and feeling good, but savvy enough to root out the B.S. Frankly we should embrace our advancing age it is both a testament and a gift of a life well lived.
At some point in our lives or even several points many of us will strive to become healthier and fitter. Your personal motivation may vary, it can be for aesthetic reasons, desired longevity, quality of life, athletic performance or all the above. Regardless of the why the how is pretty much the same. To truly succeed you must address several factors; let’s call them pillars, your exercise routine, your nutrition (diet) and your sleep. If one is lagging the results will too. You won’t achieve your best results if you workout hard, but eat poorly or if you eat well, but barely exercise. Likewise, if your exercise and diet are on point, but you forego sleep then you will ultimately undermine your results.
Boron is a trace mineral often overlooked in discussions concerning nutrition, yet, it plays a vital role in maintaining overall health and well-being. While it may not be as well-known as some other essential nutrients, it has gained increasing attention in recent years for its potential benefits in supporting various bodily functions. From bone health to cognitive function, hormonal modulation and beyond, boron supplementation has emerged as an area of interest for those seeking to optimize their health. In this article we will delve into its potential health benefits, dietary and supplemental sources, recommended intake levels, and safety considerations.
Cold therapy also known as cryotherapy is quite the rage currently for its reported array of health benefits. Its use dates back centuries and has been embraced in various contexts, from sports recovery and pain management to medical treatments. By applying cold to specific areas of the body, cold therapy induces a series of physiological responses that can lead to reduced inflammation, pain relief, and enhanced recovery. Today cold therapy comes in various forms and continues to capture the attention of modern health enthusiasts.
Undoubtedly by now you have heard or read about red light therapy, also known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT) or photobiomodulation. It is a therapeutic technique that uses low-intensity red light wavelengths to promote healing and improve various aspects of health. It has gained popularity in recent years due to its potential benefits and non-invasive nature. Red light therapy works by exposing the body to specific wavelengths of red or near-infrared light, typically in the range of 600 to 1000 nanometers. These wavelengths penetrate the skin and are absorbed by the cells, triggering a variety of physiological responses at the cellular level.
If you have spent any time in a gym or reading fitness magazines it’s doubtful you haven’t heard of creatine monohydrate. Creatine Monohydrate is a popular supplement used by athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts. It is a naturally occurring compound found in our muscles, which plays a vital role in providing energy during high-intensity exercise. The supplement form of creatine has been extensively researched and shown to provide a range of benefits, including increased muscle size and strength, improved exercise performance, enhanced recovery time, and reduced fatigue.
If you are like me beets aren’t exactly your favorite vegetable to eat let alone drink. It’s not that it tastes bad I just don’t care for it. So, when I started hearing about all the supposed benefits I had to take a hard look at it. Fortunately I don’t actually have to eat beetroot or juice it to drink though those are certainly options for many. Thankfully beetroot powder is readily available.
Whole-body vibration training is experiencing a renaissance in the health and fitness field. Facilities exclusively offering WBV exercise plans are sprouting up in large cities. Most large box health clubs offer either classes utilizing WBV or at least have one or more devices available to members. There are also varies devices for sale for personal home use.
If you ever bought a lotion or serum to reduce wrinkles you have likely heard of the ingredient hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid or hyaluronate is a gooey substance manufactured in the body and found throughout particularly in connective tissue, blood vessels, organs, skin, and joint cartilage. In fact the human body contains about 15 grams of it. It is also found in synovial fluid (the body’s natural joint lubricant).
High Intensity Interval Training - Micro HITT
Most people who go to the gym are likely familiar with the term HIIT. This exercise protocol involves brief periods of more intense exercise followed by a longer period of easy exercise repeated in intervals. Including warm-up and cool down these sessions normally last 30-45 minutes.
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.
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.
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.
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?
