January 2011
2 posts
More Sleeping Techniques!
Yes! More techniques to try to aide our sleep. I have battled heridatary insomenia since childhood: nights I couldnt fall asleep, stay asleep, or attain restful sleep. Over the years I have tried many behavioral changes to my bedtime routines, eating habits, and even sleeping environments to better my chances of a long restful night of sleep.
Science tells us that sleep serves 3 major functions:...
A New Study for Expectant Mothers
Did you know, exercising during pregnancy isn’t just good for you, its good for your baby too? A study out of Auckland New Zealand says that expectant mothers who exercise regularly help to ensure a healthy birthweight for their baby, which sets the child up for a healthy life.
A study was done of first-time normal-weight mothers who participated in a maximum of five 40 minute sessions per...
August 2010
1 post
Mind Your Eating
Diets come and go, the adage says. To lose weight more effectively, we are told to change our eating habits. Understanding how the body responds to urges to eat and the pleasures of food, plus what we as individuals know about nutrition (e.g. where we get our nutrition/eating information) can help us analyze our weight gain/loss. Getting an honest assessment of our eating habits is a healthy start...
July 2010
1 post
Healthier Meals Make For Happier Lives
In 2009, the British Journal of Psychiatry compared five years’ worth of diet information from over 3,400 people. The study found that those who consumed processed meat, chocolate, sweetened desserts, refined cereals, and high-fat dairy and fried foods were more vulnerable to depression over time. But alternately, “those with the highest intake of whole foods, such as fruits, veggies...
June 2010
3 posts
Sitting Your Life Away
It is well-documented that a sedentary lifestyle leads to a plethora of health problems. But in the past 30 years, we have turned our leisure and our work into seated activities. We were made to walk; our ancestors walked on average 12 miles per day. All of this sitting also wreaks havoc on our posture. Postural corrections and impairments lead to aches and pains in joints, usually the lower back....
Higher-Level Habits
A new Kansas State University study says that people who think in the long-term develop and implement healthier behaviors.
The study compared undergraduate’s perceptions of time with their behavior as it related to things like smoking, exercise and nutrition. The results: “Those who understood the future benefits or perils of present decisions were more likely to participate in...
May 2010
2 posts
Weight Management Tips Part II
Lets expand a little more about the feeling of being full and satisfied with our meals. Besides eating slowly, there are other ways to help curb our hunger.
Eating nutrient-rich foods will satisfy the body’s many nutritional needs. Many times that “hungry” feeling is due to a vitamin or nutrient deficiency. Our body tells us to eat to satisfy this imbalance, and will continue to...
April 2010
6 posts
Quick Review of NEW Weight Management Research Prt...
There are numerous types of diets out there these days; far too many to count. Plenty of media sources shower us with constant information about the latest and greatest way to lose pounds quickly. Now more than ever, we need to consider the source before deciding to let a diet take over our lives. Here are a few highlights from the latest in weight management research, showing how peeps are losing...
Strength Training Helps Runner's Knee
Now that the spring is here, the parks and streets are packed with runners. Running is the fitness fall-back: After the self-talk of “Boy, I gotta get in shape,” a jog in the park is one of the first things to follow. But running is a high-impact activity, especially for those who are starting a new fitness regimen. And all runners, veterans and newbies alike, can suffer from knee...
Do You Need to Detox?
Detox Diets are another “latest craze,” another catch-phrase, another gimmick. Or are they? The concept of cleansing the body of built-up toxins is not new. These types of purifying practices have been around for centuries. As far back as 400 BC, ancient medicine gurus frequently recommended diets that cleansed the body of impurities by eliminating various food groups and emphasizing...
March 2010
6 posts
The Fountain of Youth? Exercising Your Brain!
I’m always digging for new knowledge on the effects of exercise on emotional and mental well-being. With another birthday recently upon me, I paid special attention to information about aging, brain function, and exercise.
One thing I found out is that as humans we’re living much longer. It’s estimated that the number of Americans aged 55 and older will almost double between now...
Get Mo' Smarter, Drink Mo' Water
When a coach calls a time-out during a game, it’s usually to refocus the team on the task at hand. While he has his players’ attention during this short break, the coach will muster up a few points to emphasize. Having stood in many of these huddles, I’ve seen plenty of sweaty, vacant stares looking back at me. The longer the game goes, the more vacant the stares. Most coaches...
Worksite Wellness!!
Tired of being cooped up at work? Unable to take care of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs because you’re spending too much time at the office? Here are a couple of studies that your employer might want to check out.
According to the American Heart Association, effective at-work fitness programs can reduce the risk of heart disease and decrease the economic burdens of...
February 2010
9 posts
Get Smart! Work Out.
We’re consistently bombarded with information regarding the physical and emotional benefits of daily activity. Aerobic exercise and resistance training has been linked to preventing and managing a long list of conditions, like hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, stress, colon cancer, abnormal cholesterol levels, and depression. But if those...
Know Your Enemy: Body Fat
In combat, it is important to know your enemy. Five hundred years before Christ, General and Author Sun Tzu once said:
“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.”
What do you know about body fat? Where is it located? What types are there?
Body fat is separated into to two types: Subcutaneous and Visceral. Subcutaneous is the fat we see, the fat we...
Fight Diabetes with a Good Night's Sleep??
A recent study showed a link between sleep and how the body processes sugar.
According to the National Sleep Foundation 65% of Americans experience sleep problems at leat a few times each week. Lack of enough sleep can have obvious negative health consequences, decreases attentiveness and information retention. A new study showed that participants that slept only 5.5 hours per night (as opposed...
Why You Runnin'?
Now that winter is upon us, we have to go indoors to get our daily activity. But at the same time, many of you may be starting work on resolutions to achieve a higher level of fitness in 2010. The first activity that comes to a lot of our minds is running. I know, you’re visualizing a runner sweating hard, with muscular legs in mini shorts and determination on their face. But here are a...
The danger of lunges...
Oh, the dreaded lunge. We know of your benefits and the way you help tone the tush. This makes sense, as the glutes are the primary movers in the exercise. Whether you’re doing them in place, with weights, or down a pathway in the middle of your gym (what is with that person), lunges are so very beneficial. The truth is, the lunge is one of the best exercises for adding lean muscle to our...
January 2010
4 posts
5 tags
To a Healthier 2010. Become a Well-Being.
As some of you know, celebrating the holidays is a new thing for me. It has only been a couple years that I have established my own traditions. This Christmas, I had my first real tree, just a four footer but it was real and I decorated it pretty well for a first timer! This new year, I will make my first real New Year’s Resolutions. Being my first time, I decided to do a little research...
3 tags
Food Fridays With Guest Blogger, Loren Brill
“We have hit the wrong bulls eye so perfectly,” says owner/farmer Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, Virginia who feeds his livestock gras—the way nature intended—in the documentary, Food, Inc.
Food, Inc. filmmaker Robert Kenner set out to expose America’s industrialized food system and it’s effects on our health, environment, economy and workers’ rights. Even though...
Wow...Food, Inc.
Loren has some great information about the film in her post today, but I wanted to weigh in as well. What a great film this was! High production value with great information and a well thought out way of delivering the information. I highly recommend seeing it, as it currently is on most On Demand playlists.
There were many eye opening moments for me. I will share only one with you. The chicken...
“The Heart has the ability to squirt blood up to 30 feet!”
December 2009
10 posts
2 tags
Home Gym? Easier Than You Think!
When the weather changes and we spend less time outside with activities and sports, you still need to find ways to keep active. And with the economy the way it is and all of us trying to stretch our dollars to cover basic expenses, many people have cut gym memberships from their monthly budgets, understandably. So what do you do now?
Get creative! Even in my small one bedroom apartment, I have...
“Only 4 companies own 80% of the meat distributed in this country. In 1970 the...”
6 tags
Food Fridays: Fortified Foods
DO WE NEED THEM?
Vegetable oil with Omega-3s? Milk with Vitamin D? Juice with extra calcium? Cereals with more fiber?
According to the Wall Street Journal, $30 billion dollars was spent in 2008 on fortified foods, or what some call functional foods. It seems that a lot of people were looking for foods that had added nutritional benefits. Fortified foods include anything that is boosted,...
3 tags
"Remember to Smile. It Won't Mess Up Your Hair."
About once a week, I see a Doo Wop group that wanders up and down the 6 Train in Manhattan. In unison, after singing a Motown standard, they sing the quote above. There is actually something to this notion. Whenever I think of the word smile or hear the word smile, I immediately begin to smile. I bet you do, too.
In 2000, there were two different studies showing that seeing a person smile...
4 tags
Fitness for Cancer Survivors
For those recovering from cancer, the list of side effects is long and uncomfortable. It is challenging enough to make healthy decisions while battling treatment and recovery. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has recently turned an eye to post survivor habits. ACS has linked proper physical activity and nutrition with easing symptoms such as: cardiopulmonary weakness, depressed mood, fatigue,...
3 tags
Youth Athletes and Overusage Injuries
This summer, I wrote about Little League and I wanted to follow up with some more thoughts.
I currently coach a middle school soccer team in Manhattan. I am so fortunate to spend time with great kids who are enthusiastic, respectful and fun. They are crazy active kids— playing on multiple soccer teams, with tennis lessons, lacrosse, swimming and many other playground activities.
While the PE...
5 tags
Proven Weight Loss Strategies
It’s what I’ve been preaching to you all for awhile now but I was glad to read about a recent project by The American College of Sports Medicine synthesizing all published data-based research from 1999-2009 on the weight loss strategies. They were able to quantify levels of activities and how/where calories were spent, i.e. what works and what doesn’t.
Here are some of their...
4 tags
Food Fridays with Guest Blogger, Loren Brill
GOING WITH THE GRAIN
The term ‘whole grain’ is popping up all over, but how do we know if we are consuming enough whole grains in our daily diet? Do we know which whole grains to look for or what makes whole grains so nutritious? According to the International Food Council, studies show that whole grain consumption has major cardio benefits, keeps you full because of its high-fiber...
“Laughing burns up to 40 calories AND increases metabolism by 10%-20%”
– IDEA Fitness Journal
7 tags
Burn More Fat During Cardio
We all have different goals for our daily workouts. Maybe your morning workout is to get you out of bed and feed you energy for the day. Tomorrow’s workout may be to let off steam from the frustrations of your busy day. At any rate, the common goal we share when we workout is to burn more fat.
Here are a few ways to give your fat burning engine a tune-up.
First, you need to know your...
November 2009
4 posts
Don't Let Your Ego Harm Your Hamstring.
Earlier this year, I was playing basketball in the park when I sustained a hamstring injury. It was my usual weekend warrior visit to capture another afternoon of my waning youth amongst the squeaks of sneakers and echoing ball bounce.
Up until that point, I had never experienced any real pain or strain in the area. (But like most athletes, I might have felt some tightness in my hamstrings and...
4 tags
Weighing in on 'The Biggest Loser.'
Many of my clients TiVo and watch this show. I’m regularly asked what I think about the trainers and the workouts and the results. I could use the practice in self-control so I’m going to explain my thoughts AND keep my cool.
I beg you to understand that this is television! You knew ‘The Brady Bunch’ was not a real family, right? Make believe? Acting? So is this show.
A...
“Be Quick, But Not in a Hurry”
– Coach John Wooden
Put More 'Oil' in Your Fat Burning Engine
WATER WATER WATER
How many of us can say we drink enough water EVERY day? How many of us even know how much water is enough?
For the average inactive person, the RDA recommends 96oz (3 quarts) of water per day. If you are classified as “overweight” for your age/sex you’ll need to drink an additional 8oz of water/10lbs overweight. If you workout regularly, your water intake...
October 2009
2 posts
4 tags
Food Fridays: 3 Day Meal Plan and Grocery list
If you are like me, you REALLY love food! And if you are like me, you could use a little help connecting healthy, diverse and realistic meal planning with appropriate, efficient grocery shopping. My good friend, Loren Brill who guest blogs on Food Fridays, helped me put together a nifty little three day meal plan and its coordinating grocery list. We worked hard to re-purpose ingredients for...
3 tags
Food Fridays: Kick Start Your Metabolism
Calories in, calories out.
We are all familiar with this formula for weight loss. How can we increase calories out?
Calories out—or expended—per day, is known as our metabolism. The best way to rev our metabolic engine is by feeding it ENERGY. We do this best through daily exercise. As you should know by now, regular activity is essential to maintaining a high level of calories expended. But...