Health

Grill-outs, picnics, barbeques, and more – your summer social calendar is probably nearing capacity as we speak. Even though temptation will abound, here are a few quick tricks you can use to enjoy all of the friends, family, and good weather without any of the guilt.

Remember those “Presidential Physical Fitness” certificates they gave out in grade school, and the battery of tests that preceded them? Images of the dreaded Flex Box and frustrating Shuttle Run come to mind. Well, the President’s Council on Physical Fitness is releasing a new test aimed at those of us who are older than high school age. People who are over 18 years of age and have no serious health problems can be tested on aerobic fitness, muscular strength, and flexibility. Hoping for another certificate to add to your collection?

Wouldn’t it be nice if every food item came with a label on it? If only we knew how many calories were in each home cooked meal, baked good and menu item; many of us would make much better decisions. The hardest part about dieting is trying to guess how many calories are in these types of foods. We tend to underestimate calories when we leave it up to our own guess work. We want to believe certain foods are OK to eat. Then after we talk ourselves into believing we’ve made the right choice, we expect to lose weight as if our guess was 100% accurate.

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.

Now that you’re enjoying that summer sun, here are some tips to keep your skin safe, smooth, & sexy!

First off, get to know the key terms that will help you stay healthy. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally-occurring substance that is present in large amounts in younger skin. The level of hyaluronic acid decreases with age, and causes skin to become dry and oily during the summer. Since hyaluronic acid creates a barrier that moisturizes the skin, adults can benefit from products that utilize the substance. When you’re selecting a moisturizer or lotion for the summer months, check the label and look for hyaluronic acid.

Next, be smart about the sun: wear sunscreen even on the cloudiest, most overcast day.

MyFitTribe recently profiled a few women’s health issues, and now it’s time to turn our attention to the other sex. Just like asking for directions, men seem to have a problem seeking help when it comes to medical problems. Men, listen up – here are five major warning signs that you need to pay attention to.

I think we've all heard the saying before, "Once on the lips, forever on the hips". Although it may just seem like a catchy saying, I believe there is some truth behind it. I'm not talking about the actual placement of the weight going to the hips, but the truth behind the comparison. I'm referring to the short amount of time you actually enjoy the food compared to the long amount of time it seems to stick with us.

Let's look at this a little deeper. Someone can easily consume 2,000 calories with one entrée alone – without a drink, appetizer, side salad or desert. Burning 2,000 calories is another story. It may take you fifteen miles to burn that many calories.

The bottom line is that the few minutes your taste buds enjoy the meal can equate to hours of exercise needed to burn off those calories.

Low sodium intake may lead to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, especially if you are consuming less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. Scientists reported that adults who consumed less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day were 37% more likely to die from cardiovascular causes than those who ingested more than 2,300 mg. What's worse, a low sodium diet increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. We all know that too much sodium can be dangerous as well, so how in the world do we find the happy medium?

Summer is a great time to change up your workout by enjoying the outdoors, but be sure to take precautions to prevent heatstroke. Heat cramps and heat exhaustion are also dangerous for the body, but heat stroke can be a fatal consequence.

Typically, the heat generated by your body’s metabolism is let out through the skin or sweat. In extreme weather – climbing temperatures, increased humidity, or just a very sunny day – your body temperature can rise to over 106 degrees, making it virtually impossible to cool down. When you are exerting yourself outdoors, dehydration is another common occurrence that can lead to heat stroke.

Heat stroke is especially dangerous because the onset of symptoms can happen very quickly. Symptoms can include everything from common dehydration to severe attacks such as seizures or comas. If you notice any of these things happening, cool the victim and seek medical help immediately. Use this guide to prevent, identify, and treat heat stroke:

Now, you can get that crucial omega-3 fix without any fishy business: brands such as Nordic Naturals offer supplements, you can buy foods fortified with omega-3 fatty acids such as eggs, or you can simply add omega-rich foods like flaxseed oil or walnuts to your diet roundup.

Chill out this summer with some freshly-squeezed, coolly-mixed, or frozen wonders. Though you might be compelled to reach for a beer or soda, stay hydrated by drinking water when you get thirsty. For more tasteful beverages, try a flavored iced tea mix. Avoid high-calorie mixed drinks by opting for a seltzer and spirits mixer.

We’ve all heard it before…breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It does make sense, folks. After starving the body for 8-12 hours on average, the body needs fuel for the day ahead. If the tank is empty, going to work, exercising and any other daily tasks become increasingly difficult. Therefore, I have to agree with the mothers of the world when it comes to breakfast, but what about the actual make-up of the meal?

You’ve heard of the health benefits of green tea, but the new energy-boosting natural beverage of favor is white tea. Since it’s the least processed of all teas, it has the highest levels of the stimulating L-theanine amino acid. It also contains a fraction of the caffeine of other teas and coffee – one cup of coffee packs eight times as much caffeine as white tea.

Setting goals is not difficult. It's maintaining balance and staying focused while trying to reach your goals that are a challenge. It's so easy to get sidetracked by things that don't matter; allowing small stuff get in the way of your plans. This happens with work, relationships, fitness and other areas of our life. Priorities get choked out by circumstance and a lack of accountability. Reaching goals requires planning, measuring and correcting.

By: Rick Schaff

-- an excerpt from my book, MISLED

www.HEALTHandINSPIRATION.com

I have walked into a grocery store dozens of times only to see the same sad scenario played over and over; an overweight woman with a shopping cart full of miscellaneous protein bars. It breaks my heart. Here is a woman who is obviously struggling with a weight problem, and she is looking for help. Unfortunately she has found help from a wolf in sheep’s clothing and she has been cleverly deceived into believing that these bars will help her lose weight and become healthy. She believes their misleading advertisements. She believes the thin, perfect models displayed in these deceptive advertisements owe their beautiful physiques to these enchanted bars. She believes the doctors, experts, and staged callers who were paid to confirm that these bars are indeed “healthy.” She also believes that if she eats enough of these bars her fat will magically melt away, and her body will sculpt itself into perfection. Blow up that experiment; IT’S A LIE!