Questions & Answers

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.

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.

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.

If you lift, chances are you’ve heard of muscular hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is defined as an increase in the size of a certain area, organ, or tissue without an increase in number of cells – in other words, it is an increase of size of individual cells, rather than an increase in the amount of cells. In muscle hypertrophy, it is associated with an increase in muscular mass and cross-sectional area.

Stretch Marks (striae)

A few people have been writing in to the site lately asking about stretch marks and loose skin. So I thought I would make a quick article about it to answer everyone at once.

A new study seems to suggest that the artificial sweetener saccharine could be the culprit behind overeating and weight gain that plagues so many dieters. The new study could help explain modern research linking diet soda and obesity.

By Dr. David Ryan

The whole idea of protein powders is just maddening. Which should you buy, what one will offer you the best for your dollar? The consumer is offered massive marketing and little to no facts on protein powders. Let’s start off with some simple facts about diet:

• If you eat more calories than you burn off, then you will gain weight.
• If you eat fewer calories than you burn off, then you will lose weight.
• If you eat the same amount of calories that you burn off, then your weight will not change.
• Our bodies are composed primarily of water and protein.
• Our bodies use protein as the building block for hormones, enzymes and other essential chemical substances, such as neurotransmitters.
• If you do not take in enough protein every day, you will cause disease, and in extreme cases even death.
• You do need some fats and carbohydrates to maximize the absorption of proteins.

Those facts may all seem rather simple but it is necessary not to lose side of them as we discussed this topic.

Water is an essential nutrient for life and comprises about 2/3 of the human body. Water has many functions in the body, including supplying nutrients and removing waste, regulating body temperature, lubricating joints and tissues, and aiding with digestion.

Body composition refers to the amount of fat, muscle, bone, and water in our bodies. Fat mass (FM), tends to be measured the most often, since it can be helpful in judging health. According to According to The American Council on Exercise, acceptable body fat percentages are 25-31% for women, and 18-25% for men. For athletes, the range is 14-20% for women and 6-13% for men.

Phytonutrients are organic components of plants that help promote health. Fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and teas contain various types of phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are also commonly called phytochemicals, since they are not considered essential for life as other nutrients are. The term stems from the ancient Greek word "phyton" (for plant). Phytonutrients are simply nutrients from plants! Even though there are many phytonutrients that have been identified, it is theorized that there are thousands more left to discover.

A MyFitTribe member asked recently: "Blood sugar is a term tossed around a lot by nutritionists, physicians, and weight loss experts. But what is blood sugar all about?"

Here at MyFitTribe, we love to answer your questions about health, fitness and nutrition. One member asks; what is energy density?

Energy density might sound like it belongs in a physics textbook, but it’s a term that’s important to your diet. Energy density is defined as the amount of energy stored in a system/region of space per unit of volume or mass (in this case, the units are calories). It’s quantified in calories per gram or milliliter, and it’s a measure of how much energy is released when you consume a particular amount of food and your body metabolizes it.

Ok all you brave members, we are going to be launching a new feature on the site shortly that lets you track and graph your statistics such as bodyweight, lifting stats and that kind of thing. Except we're so tired of coding we can't think of what features to add, so we're asking YOU (well we were going to ask you anyway, but the sooner the better!) what features and statistics you want to see in the application. So throw down any ideas you have right here in the comments, and we'll be sure to take all of your ideas and build you the best stats tracker out there!