Articles

It’s almost that time of the year again. With all of the parties and social events during the winter holiday season, it’s no wonder so many of us gain weight. According to a study conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), most Americans put on a little over a pound, on average, during the winter holiday season. This doesn’t seem like a lot, but the bad news is that most people keep this weight on!

I want you to do a little experiment. Get an ice pack, and get a watch with a timer. Put the ice pack on your thigh, and start the timer. After 1 minute has elapsed, remove the ice pack.

Now take a look at your skin. What color is your skin where the ice pack was laying? For most, the skin will look white / blanched.

Now put the ice pack on your other thigh and leave it there for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes have elapsed, remove the ice pack.

What color is your skin now? Most people will find that their skin will be red. And if your skin turns red after only 5 minutes, you’ll probably find that it turns really red after 20 minutes.

When your skin begins to cool, the initial reaction is constriction (shrinking of the diameter) of blood vessels. This happens after a short period of time (1-2 minutes for most people). The result of constriction of the blood vessels is that “whiteness” or blanching.

As theoretical physicist Albert Einstein once said, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

You don’t have to receive the Noble Prize to relate to this statement. I think we’ve all caught ourselves, at one time or other, in the vicious circle of insanity Einstein was speaking of.

As a fitness professional, I often feel like a Priest at confession. Over the years, I’ve heard it all. As people lose weight they begin confessing past ‘sins’. One of the most popular confessions is what people choose to avoid because of their weight.

What does it take to improve the quality of your life? Not near as much as you might think.

I once read a study that showed by reaching a moderate level of fitness, an individual could reduce his or her chance of dying from a sickness by almost 60 percent. Studies also show that a moderate level of fitness can significantly reduce the risk of heart failure (the No. 1 killer of Americans).

The average American knows there are many benefits to exercise. We know that exercise can help fight heart disease, but can it help fight depression?

Studies have found exercise to have both physiological and psychological benefits. A Harvard study once found that ten weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than counseling. This is particularly important for women since women are more than twice as likely to experience depression and only one out of three actually seek care.

A new study from researchers in Australia and Finland suggests that a healthy diet can do wonders for your complexion. This confirms what mothers have been saying for ages – don’t eat chocolate, or you’ll break out! At least, don’t eat too much chocolate. Diets that are high in fiber, low-fat proteins, complex carbs like whole grains and whole wheats, are much better for your skin than diets high in sugar and processed food. Good for your body, good for your skin.

As many of you probably know, Apple released the highly anticipated iPhone 3G on July 11th. Being a gadget fanatic myself, I was one of those excited customers dying to get my hands on one. Though I wait for my new 3G to come in, I still get to enjoy all the wonderful perks that came with the new iPhone 2.0 software update released upon the 3G’s arrival. With this update came many new features and applications.

The new iPhone software not only offers better email management, maps and customization, the new applications are taking the whole mobile phone experience to an entirely new level.

You see, iPhone offers a new “applications section” where you can pick and choose easy to use programs. From the long list of “apps”, as they call it, you can choose from a large variety of programs that help you get the latest sports scores, find the nearest gas station, or even calculate a tip when dining out.

Some people just can’t stay away from the scale. Others are convinced there is a magnetic force that draws them to the wicked device. No matter how hard they try to avoid it, all of a sudden they are standing on the evil machine staring down at the display waiting for the verdict. For some it is an addiction and for others, just a curiosity. The problem arises when the results begin to dictate our mood, our diet, and our self-esteem.

Sometimes I think the person who invented the scale should be shot. It’s amazing how those little numbers representing your weight can absolutely ruin your day.

In the 90s, fat-free products deluged the marketplace. Dieters were in a frenzy to get their favorite foods, without the fat. Fast forward to today, and you can still get everything from fat-free ice cream and cookies to fat-free hot dogs. Many weight watchers believe they are sticking to strict diet plans by using fat-free foods, but when you eat one of these foods, what are you really eating?

Most diet foods like these replace the fat with sugar, and each serving still packs a powerful caloric punch. Sometimes, fat-free foods actually have MORE calories than their normal counterparts. The best foods are those that are low in calories AND fat, not one or the other.

By: Rick Schaff

-- an excerpt from my book, MISLED

www.HEALTHandINSPIRATION.com

Health and fitness magazines and radio and television commercial producers often find themselves in precarious situations due to the nature of how they generate revenues; most of their profits are produced by selling advertising space. Unfortunately, that means that they often have little choice but to work with companies that distort the truth. Simply put, even publications and programs that have stated goals to provide beneficial information on health and fitness to their audiences are often forced to sell ad space or time to disingenuous companies to stay in business. In many cases, the articles and programming must frequently support the “fabulous results” their clients’ products claim to provide. My magazine DIVAS was in print for two years; this provided me with firsthand experience about the compromising decisions every magazine owner and/or publisher must face. Jeff Everson, former editor for Muscle & Fitness Magazine and current publisher of Planet Muscle Magazine stated the following about this situation:

“One of the biggest problems that magazines endure is their dependence on supplement ads to pay their bills. If you just tried to publish a magazine about real training, you would never make it. While one naturally tries to improve the industry, it would be suicide to bite the hands that feed you.

Have you ever put yourself in a good mood for no apparent reason at all? Experts from various disciplines now believe that certain foods we eat play a hand in our happiness. Avoid the diet doldrums with these healthy, happy foods:

1. Oily fish – Medical research teams believe that sardines, salmon, and other oily ocean foods can bring you up when you’re feeling down