Tag: health

Watch Your Back – Preparation for Outdoor Winter Activities Prevents Injury

Tis the season for shoveling and winter sports. We thought this article from the American ChiropracticAssociation (ACA) provides great advice in preparation for these events:

“When snow, ice and frigid weather blast into town, watch out, says the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). Winter recreational activities and chores can pose problems for the outdoor enthusiast whose body is not in condition. Winter sports like skating, skiing and sledding can cause painful muscle spasms, strains or tears if you’re not in shape. Even shoveling snow the wrong way, clambering awkwardly over snow banks, slipping on sidewalks and wearing the wrong kinds of clothing can all pose the potential for spasms, strains and sprains.

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Exercise Can Lower Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

I have heard this question often:  “Can exercise lower my risk of type 2 diabetes?”

The answer:  Absolutely! In a recent study of 41,000 women, it was found that moderate exercise (walking, biking, etc.), done four times per week, cuts the risk of diabetes in half as we get older. This is a very exciting finding! It was also found that 8% of diabetes found in inactive adults may have been prevented with moderate exercise. Although there are genetic factors involved in acquiring type 2 diabetes (previously called adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent), the biggest culprits in the development of the disease are inactivity and excess body fat. This research shows yet another debilitating disease that can potentially be avoided through moderate exercise.

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Why Your Workout Should Be One of Your “Top Four” Each Day

Research has shown that if your workout is not one of your top four priorities of the day, it won’t get done.  Do I believe this?  Absolutely!  I have seen it in my 30+ years as a fitness professional as well as in my own life.  If your workout or exercise time is not on your “have to do” list, it is likely to get pushed aside for other things.

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Why You Should Drink More Water: The Real Facts

Most people know they should drink at least eight to ten eight-ounce glasses of water each day. We keep hearing “Drink more water,” but here are some “cold, hard facts” from the American Institute For Cancer Research about why increasing your water intake is important.

1. Water helps your body get moving by helping to relieve dry mouth and by refreshing the rest of your body.

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Seven Tips for Avoiding Processed Foods

Most of us eat way to much processed food. We eat much more processed food today even than just 10 – 15 years ago.  The MSN article, 7 Tips for Avoiding Processed Foods, makes some good suggestions on how to avoid processed foods.  It is based on suggestions from the book, Unprocessed, which details a 26-year old grad student’s year of eating nothing but unprocessed foods and even doing it on a salary of just $16,780 per year.  (She did spend about 27% of her income on food…)

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Scientific Links Between Processed Foods and Depression Keep Getting Stronger

I just came across an article by Dr. Joseph Mercola about the link between certain foods and depression. The article is interesting and certainly makes you think about what you put into your body. The old, “You are what you eat,” seems to certainly apply here.

Foods and additives that are linked to promoting depression include sugar, genetically engineered ingredients, glyphosate, artificial food additives, and gluten.

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Exercise: Sleep’s Best Friend

Want to sleep better? Who doesn’t? It’s funny how our ancestors never had trouble sleeping.  People used to walk places, work in the fields, do manual labor… Now we have machines to do all that and save us time, yet many people still say they don’t have time to exercise.

Research shows that even small increases in exercise, like a daily half-hour walk, can improve your sleep and your health.  The one caveat to this is that you should not exercise close to your bed time.  That will actually make it difficult to wind down and to fall asleep.

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Stay Healthy Naturally – Five Tips

The article Holistic Holiday Wellness:  Five Tips to Stay Healthy Naturally  (written in 2009, but still topical today) offers  readers five helpful tips to stay healthy during the holiday season.  To read the article in its entirety, click on the link above, but in a nutshell, here are the five tips the article offers:

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Your Workout Appointment: How to Never Miss Your Workout Again

So many people want to work out or get some exercise, but always find a reason not to because something else always comes up – I have a meeting, the kids’ soccer practices, work responsibilities, etc. Everyone is busy… So how do some people make it work? In my many years in the fitness industry I have found a way that works for everyone.  Here’s how –

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Self Cures for Snoring

I found some great tips off of the website www.helpguide.org, involving some self-help cures for reducing mild snoring. If you do snore, one or two of these might just do the trick for you. Remember, however, that snoring can also have serious health implications, such as sleep apnea, and chronic snorers who are often middle age or who are overweight, might indicate a serious health problem. So, check with your physician if you have these issues to rule out any serious health problems.

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