Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Most Effective Ab Exercise According to The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy
The combination swiss ball pike and roll-out.
"If someone was looking at one exercise and wanted to make sure he was getting the most abdominal work done in a way that makes him look better and function better," says trainer Nick Tumminello, "this is the exercise to do."
It is not a sit up or a crunch -- or even a variable of either. It's called a combination swiss ball pike and roll-out.
Here's the video, courtesy of Nick Tumminello:
- To start the pike/roll-out, simply hold yourself in a pushup position with your feet on a swiss ball. (To make the exercise easier, move the swiss ball towards your belly button)
- With your body in a plank (straight) position, keep your legs straight and push your hips towards the ceiling while keeping your back flat.
- Straighten your hips and come back to the start position.
- Push your body backwards on the ball until your arms are fully extended in front of you and your legs are fully extended behind you.
"The roll-out and pike were the most effective exercises in activating upper and lower rectus abdominis, external and internal obliques, and latissimus dorsi muscles, while minimizing lumbar paraspinals and rectus femoris activity."Translation: The exercise forces your abdominals to work the hardest while your lower back and hip flexors -- areas that can take over in other traditional ab exercises -- are almost completely left out. So, while a crunch works your abs but only with help from other areas, the roll-out pike isolates your abs much more effectively.
And REMEMBER!
Health and fitness extends to proper nutrition, adequate sleep and exercise. They are all vital components of a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately though, we are in pretty sad shape when it comes to actually consuming the nutrients that our bodies really need. For information on more energy & better immunity check out EVPreventionFacts.com
SOURCES:
EVPreventionFacts.com
Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy
Nick Tumminello
http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/training-day/201105/single-best-ab-exercise-and-its-not-crunch
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
11 Foods for Faster, Easier Weight Loss
1) Yogurt Mmmm. This creamy, tangy snack is loaded with calcium -- and studies show that calcium may curtail weight gain by hindering the absorption of fat in the small intestine.
2) Eggs Turn breakfast into a fat-burning morning boost by skipping the stack of pancakes and feasting on a couple of eggs instead. According to a study, huevos beat out carbs when it came to helping folks feel full longer and helping them beat back snack attacks later in the day.
3) Pistachios Nuts may be high in fat, but it's the healthful unsaturated kind of fat found in pistachios. And like all nuts, pistachios offer lots of hunger-curbing protein and fiber. All of these qualities together explain why adding pistachios to the diet helped dieters in a study curb their appetites and lose more weight.
4) Grapefruit Of all the foods rumored to boost weight loss, grapefruit is likely the most famous. And research confirms that this fruit's get-slim celebrity status is for real. One study in particular revealed that eating half a grapefruit before each meal helped dieters shed more pounds than people who skipped the tart appetizer.
5) Avocado This green goddess of heavenly, creamy taste can help you whittle your waist. It's true! Researchers suspect that the unsaturated fat in avocados may ratchet up body levels of the hunger-halting hormone called leptin -- a hormone that lets your brain know that you're full, so you stop eating.
6) Mushrooms If you want to try an easy and tasty calorie-cutting trick, then replace the meat in your favorite recipes with mushrooms. You'll automatically cut about 420 calories out of a meal, partly because you'll skip all the belly-padding saturated fat contained in meat.
7) Olive Oil This rich-tasting oil found in salad dressings and marinades contains a hunger-busting monounsaturated fat called oleic acid -- which triggers a complicated process in the gut that ultimately tells your brain you're full and makes you want to stop eating.
8) Whole Grains Ready to trade your belly bulge for a flat tummy? Then toss your refined grains into the garbage, and eat more whole grains instead. Research shows this one move can help whittle your middle. We're talking brown rice, quinoa, steel-cut oats, whole-grain cereal, and 100% whole-wheat bread and pasta.
9) Red Pepper Add some heat to your meals and you'll boost not only the taste but also the effectiveness of your weight loss diet. A dash of cayenne pepper or some diced jalapeno or red peppers will do the trick. They all contain capsaicin -- the heat-inducing compound in red peppers that, according to research, tamps down appetite and curbs food intake later in the day.
10) Fava Beans Creamy and hearty, fava beans are a lean protein source bursting with flavonoids. And in a 14-year study, these special antioxidants were shown to help hinder the accumulation of extra belly fat.
11) Rice w/ Veggies Adding some high-fiber vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and kale to your rice will obviously help lower the calorie count. But not only that. Adding veggies to rice at lunchtime appears to slow stomach emptying, according to research. The end result? You feel full longer. In fact, people in a study ate much less at dinner when they added veggies to their rice at lunch.
Source: Yahoo Food Articles
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Asthma and How to Combat It
Asthma is now the most common condition in the developed world, and things aren’t getting any better.
The problem is that the lungs are very sensitive organs that eagerly absorb inhaled air to pick up all the oxygen that they can. In the process, lungs also absorb any particles in the air straight into their tissues. You may not be surprised to learn that the air indoors is filled with all kinds of particles that can cause damage to the lung tissue.
High on the list are VOC particles produced from outgassing.
- Outgassing: Household cleaners, laundry detergent, bleaches, personal care products and many other things release particles (also called" exhaling") even from inside closed containers. That is outgassing.
- VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and other fume particles can come from home cleaning products, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, bleach, ammonia and paint (to name just a few things).
Fortunately there are things you can do to make your home safer and hopefully asthma-free.
First, be extra careful in choosing cleaners, personal care products and cosmetics. When in doubt, always look at the labels. If there’s a warning sign, it’s there for a reason. Stay away from bleach and try using eco-friendly products, stain-fighting enzymes, and ionized water when possible.
Second, use green construction materials wherever possible. VOC-free paints and varnishes are a must.
*VOCs = Volatile Organic Compounds
For more info on how to go greener and cleaner go here and after you peruse the info . . . click on "request information" near the top.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The 6 Most Unhealthy Foods --> Avoid at All Costs!
If you need a little motivation to stay away from these most unhealthy foods, consider that four of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States are related to diet (diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke). And if you're looking to improve yours, cutting back on these six foods is a great place to start. Want to guess first? Read the hints below.
Hints:
#1 is basically liquid candy.#2 contains acrylamide, a known carcinogen and neurotoxin.
#3 contains nothing more than refined sugar and flour, artificial flavors and partially hydrogenated oil that's loaded with trans fats.
#4 pertains to a store bought version of something . . . it contains high amounts of trans fats and a host of other unsavory additives. Homemade version? A bit better.
#5 has almost 1,000 milligrams of salt in one small serving.
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Ready for the 6 six things you should delete from your diet? Did you already guess?
An average can of soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, artificial food colors and sulphites. Diet sodas have the even-more-unhealthy artificial sweeteners. A major part of the problem is that sodas have become a staple in many people's diets. A study in the journal Pediatrics found that 56 percent to 85 percent of children consume at least one soft drink a day, and 20 percent of adolescent males drink four or more sodas a day.
"Parents and health officials need to recognize soft drinks for what they are -- liquid candy -- and do everything they can to return those beverages to their former role as an occasional treat," says the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a U.S. consumer group. In fact, CSPI has recently petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling for cigarette-style warnings on soft drinks to warn people of their potential health risks (weight gain, diabetes, tooth decay and more).
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2. Potato Chips and French Fries.
These popular snack foods contain acrylamide, a known carcinogen and neurotoxin that is formed when foods are baked or fried at high temperatures. "I estimate that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in Americans," said Clark University research professor Dale Hattis.
When CSPI conducted tests on some popular brands of French fries and chips, they found that the acrylamide in a large order of fast food fries was at least 300 times the amount allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a glass of water.
"There has long been reason for Americans to eat less greasy French fries and snack chips," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. "Acrylamide is yet another reason to eat less of those foods."
An Up-and-Coming Absolute Worst Food ... Don't Try This at Home  Here's how they're made: • Twinkies are chilled, rolled in flour, dipped in tempura batter and fried for a minute or two. • The frying process melts the cream center, which becomes infused throughout the cake, giving it a pudding-like texture. • For the finale, they're sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with chocolate or berry sauce. If you're not into Twinkies, don't despair. The Mullen brothers also sell deep-fried candy bars--Snickers, 3 Musketeers and Milky Way--to suit even the most discerning tastes. |
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Tasty, yes. But break a doughnut down and you'll find nothing more than refined sugar and flour, artificial flavors and partially hydrogenated oil that's loaded with trans fats. They have no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
"When it comes to health, the only thing good about them is the hole," said Carla Wolper, nutritionist at the New York Obesity Research Center.
4. Skip the Pre-Packaged Baked Goods
This category actually includes all varieties of baked goods, including packaged cake and biscuit mixes. What makes these foods so bad is that they almost always contain high amounts of trans fats and a host of other unsavory additives including corn syrup, preservatives and artificial flavors and colors. In fact, commercial baked goods typically contain more trans fats than any other food because not only are they often made with hydrogenated oils, they're fried in them too.
If you're not ready to give up your morning treat just yet, opt for baked goods from your local bakery (which is less likely to use hydrogenated oil for a long shelf-life and is likely to use butter instead of margarine, which typically contains trans fat) or . . . . MAKE THEM YOURSELF!
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5. Luncheon Meats/Hot Dogs.
Processed meats like these (and others including sausages, bacon, pepperoni and other processed meats) contain a carcinogenic precursor ingredient known as sodium nitrite (sodium nitrate is closely related).
"Sodium nitrite is a dangerous, cancer-causing ingredient that has no place in the human food supply," says nutritionist Mike Adams, author of the Grocery Warning Manual.
And, according to a University of Hawaii study that followed nearly 200,000 people for seven years, people who consumed the most processed meats (hot dogs and sausage) showed a 67 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer over those who consumed little or no meat products.
Here's some good news: you can find various varieties of nitrite/nitrate-free meats in any health food store.
6. Canned Soup.
Here we're talking about the traditional, canned soups you find in your grocery store. This may come as a surprise, but most canned (and packaged) soups have high levels of trans fats, sodium and artificial preservatives like MSG. Just one cup of canned soup can have almost 1,000 milligrams of salt (and most people eat more than one cup), which is tons considering dietary guidelines recommend consuming no more than 2,400 milligrams for the entire day.
There are healthy options out there, particularly natural, organic brands, but be sure to read the label. The alternative is, of course, to make your own homemade variety.
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Recommended ReadingThe Top 8 Foods People Are Most Sensitive To -- Without Even Knowing It!
High Cholesterol? The TOP 12 Non-Drug Strategies to Increase Your HDL Levels
Sources
Original Article
Reuters July 13, 2005
What's Wrong With Trans Fats?
CSPI Newsroom
Doughnuts Get a Big Zero
Organic Consumers Association
CNN: New Junk Food Fad: Deep-Fried Twinkies
Cross posted @ The Best Nest and at Healthy Mom; Healthy Baby
Friday, January 30, 2009
Hula Hoop - Cirque du Soleil Allegria
Enjoy the imaginative characters, the talent, the effort and the sheer determination that produces a performance like this one!
This fairy tale-like performance is a perfect example of dance combined with basic PE (fun) skills!!!
This fairy tale-like performance is a perfect example of dance combined with basic PE (fun) skills!!!
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