Nonetheless, there are still a lot of people that do risky and unhealthy things on a daily basis. If you wish to live a longer, healthier and happier life, you should begin taking steps to improve your health right now!
The good news is that a few minor changes and provide you with dramatic improvements. Some of the most dramatic changes you can make will be explored in greater detail below.
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It seems like every time life is looking up, something nasty happens. This is a pattern I have noticed over the past 20 years. Just recently I was laid off from my contract position at a global trading management software company. That’s 20-25 hours a week of revenue gone, kaput, vanished, and ceased. Now I have to balance working on client projects with finding a new job or more contract hours.
Just when I think my family situation is going well, my parents or my son’s mom does or says something stupid, people get mad and fight, and I end up right in the middle of it. Just when I think my financial situation is getting better, I get hit with several thousands of dollars worth of bills that I wasn’t anticipating.
The cycle never ends. Is everyone else’s life like this? I would venture to guess that for 98% of the people in the world, this is exactly how life transpires.
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Whether you want to lose weight, become more fit, feel better, or even add on some weight and muscle, nutrition is key!
Exercise is important and should not be forgotten, but in order to lose and maintain your weight, up to 75% of that will come from proper nutrition, while the other 25% will come from exercise. This is frustrating, confusing, and sometimes infuriating to many because nutrition is a discipline filled with complicated and conflicting information.
What is Fairburn it Off?
The Fairburn it Off Nutrition & Fitness Plan was created by husband and wife team David and Elyse Fairburn. Despite David being a certified nutritionist and Elyse being an instructor in the fitness world, they initially struggled themselves with trying to calculate the perfect amounts of food and succumbing to strict diets and several supplements. After finally taking a step back and using what they know and have experienced, they created a sustainable lifestyle nutrition plan to help people lose weight, maintain that weight loss, and not fall prey to some of the very pitfalls that the Fairburns experienced themselves.
The key to the plan is sustainability – the belief that when you simplify healthy living by making your lifestyle healthier and easier to maintain, that you will experience consistent and positive results. To accomplish this, the Fairburns plans were designed to help you better understand proper nutrition through eating clean, nutrient-packed, whole foods, while still maintaining fitness through both cardio and resistance training. Through sustainability and this balance between nutrition and fitness, you can see positive progress and build new and healthy habits.
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A cup of coffee daily will help you in more ways than you suspect. For example, the daily dose of caffeine can keep Alzheimer’s illness in check, can help reduce cholesterol, protects against dementia, and reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Recent studies have also determined positive effects on performance when consuming caffeine before exercise. Caffeine addiction is real, but is it really that big a deal when compared to all the positive effects?
A daily dose of caffeine blocks the disruptive consequences of high cholesterol that scientists link with Alzheimer’s illness. Caffeine equivalent of merely a daily cup of Joe from could protect the blood-brain barrier ( BBB ) from damage that happens with a fat heavy diet, according to a study.
The BBB protects the central nervous system ( CNS ) from the remainder of the body’s circulation, providing the brain with its own controlled micro-environment. Prior research has demonstrated that raised levels of cholesterol break down the BBB that may then no longer protect the CNS from the damage due to blood borne contamination.
Here’s a list of food habits to help you have a healthy mind and body.
Argan oil is one of the most effective anti-aging essential oils. This “miracle oil” is obtained from the fruity pulp of the Moroccan Argan tree. It’s composed of 80% unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, antioxidants, carotenes, and phenols that helps in keeping your skin healthy and youthful.
Using argan oil as a face mask can reduce the early signs of aging. Take a few drops of argon oil and massage your face in an upward motion, starting from your chin. The depth and severity of wrinkles in your face will eventually reduce. You can also see your age spots fade away with the regular use of argan oil. (more…)
Athletes drink. A survey that followed 6,000 teens into their mid-twenties found that while young athletes use fewer drugs than non-athletes, they drink far more alcohol. 
Fitness buffs, why is this so dumb?
In addition to the obvious short-term health risks — like drunk driving — alcohol impairs muscle growth and prevents muscle recovery. In fact, according to research conducted by Matt Barnes of New Zealand’s Massey University, muscle performance loss was doubled in participants who drank alcohol.
That wouldn’t be a huge deal for a non-exerciser, but it could be a game-ender for an athlete whose future relies on physical fitness. (more…)
One method of relaxation that I frequently use, is watching movies. I personally love the horror and sci-fi genres, but a good comedy is always welcome.
During the Christmas and Holiday season I love to watch the traditional Holiday movies that I grew up with as a kid like The Christmas Story, as well as some of the excellent newer flicks like Bad Santa, and some unpopular films that I personally love like Ernest Saves Christmas.
Updated for 2016!
Warning: some of the videos below (like Bad Santa) contain R-rated content. Don’t view them if you are easily offended.
Everybody Should Know About the Advantages of Playing Sports
The average person today does not participate in even 10% of the physical activities that his grandparents were “obligated” to perform. Chopping wood, building and tending a garden, walking to destinations, even washing clothes by hand, where daily habits for folks in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Nowadays, modern men and women spend far too much of their time sitting in the office, in their vehicle or in front of the TV. The gestures of everyday life are limited to pressing buttons to generate heat or cool the air, to wash clothes, to go up or down the floors, to cook food. Long live progress and innovation! (more…)
The Basic Fundamentals Of Losing Weight And Keeping It Off
Over the years, more and more consumers have discovered the paramount importance of losing weight and getting into shape. An abundance of health complications can be directly linked to obesity. This includes diabetes, asthma, and high blood pressure. Unfortunately, losing weight can seem hopeless for a large quantity of the population. It is undeniably much more difficult than the majority of people will ever know and keeping the weight off can be even more difficult. Below, you will discover the fundamentals of losing weight and keeping it off for good.
Calories In vs Calories Burned
First and foremost, it is pertinent to follow the basics. The concept of losing weight is actually very simple. Individuals only need to consume less calories than they burn each and every day. By following this basic formula, you’ll eventually lose weight. Unfortunately, putting this simple plan into action can be very difficult. Hunger, lack of control, and other factors can get in the way and lead the individual astray. (more…)
What actually are Superfoods?
When we mention the term “Superfoods” it is not uncommon for there to be a sense of confusion among most people. This is not really surprising either. While consuming nutrient dense foods is an ancient practice, the concept is basically lost in our fast-paced and convenience focused culture. Only recently has there been mainstream attention and research towards the importance of introducing this kind of nutrition back into the human diet.
The term “Superfood” refers to any nutrient-dense food that is widely considered to be beneficial towards our health and overall well-being. The term is a relatively new one, having only generated popularity in the last 20 years or so. However, the idea is simple. Foods that have a wide-ranging nutritional profile that includes; micro & macro-nutrients, phytochemicals, phytopigments, antioxidants, vitamin and trace minerals.
Most “superfoods” are plant based covering everything from fruits, vegetables, sea-vegetables, grains, nuts, grasses and herbs. There are even many all-in-one type of green superfood supplement powders. There are also some superfoods that are derived from fish as well. While most “superfood” products will have different ingredients and ratios of such, for the most part they will typically include all the same stuff.
What can Green Superfoods do for you?
There are so many benefits from regularly consuming foods considered to be “superfoods”. Whether you are consuming a green drink in the morning, or eating dense salads at lunch, or ending your day with a chia-seed pudding. By including any, or all of these foods into your diet most people will agree that you will see and feel great results.
The increase in foods rich in antioxidants like beta-carotene will add great regenerative and overall health benefits to your body. This plays an important role regardless if you are a young child, an athlete, a middle-aged parent, or an old timer. The ability to fight off illness and increase recovery time is crucial to living longer, and staying healthy and fit along the way.
“Superfoods” can offer a host of essential vitamins and minerals like B1, B2, B6, B12, folic acid, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus and magnesium. There are ingredients that are otherwise quite uncommon in a typical diet today. On average most Americans are lacking in essential vitamins and minerals that help our body maintain itself, and the vitamins we do take are usually in the form of capsules or sugary pills that do not always absorb into the body sufficiently to have an impact.
Greens, which make up the majority of the “superfood” category, are extremely important to the body. Not only do they provide fiber, but they are also alkaline forming. By maintaining a balanced ph level in the body, research has shown that it will help prevent the formation of many health related issues, including cancer. (more…)
Why is protein so important?
Protein is an essential building block to the body, as it helps create strong muscles, bones and even blood. Athletes and those who exercise hard are among those who are at high-risk to be protein deficient.
Your body may be sending you signals that you aren’t getting enough protein, but you may be interpreting these signals as something else. Take a look at the following examples of symptoms that can be misinterpreted as another issue in the body.
Are Your Muscles a Pain?
Many people believe in the old adage, “no pain no gain.” However, sore muscles may
be a sign that you are protein deficient. Because muscles use Amino Acids as their building structure and Amino Acids come from protein, if you aren’t getting enough your muscles may feel sore and weak. Lack of protein can also cause flab to appear where you once had muscles, because your body may be using those muscle as protein for the body. If you are feeling sore muscles or even joints, take an inventory of your protein intake. Adding a bit of protein with a nutritional supplement like Advocare may help those sore muscles disappear.
It is indeed surprising to see that the facts that we were made to believe were true, are in fact pure myths. Therefore, you need to start changing your diet and exercise plans now. In case you wonder why you still don’t achieve your fitness goals despite everything that you have done, then this could be the main reason. You are doing your exercise routines the wrong way or you are eating the wrong types of foods. You need to plan your meals better the next time around and understand the science behind every exercise routine before doing it.
Summer is the perfect time to get out of the house to enjoy some fresh air and exercise. Fitness is a lifelong investment that starts in childhood. Developing healthy fitness habits early promotes healthy behaviors, improves self-esteem and facilitates wellness throughout life.
Always remember that parents are the best role model for both inspiring an active fitness lifestyle, and also for promoting safety as a top priority in sports and recreation. The best thing parents can do for their kids, is to stay happy, healthy, and active.
Children as young as two benefit from fitness activities. Toddlers like to explore and they play to learn more about their world. They prefer unstructured play such as running, swinging, climbing, kicking a ball, and playing in the sand box. Toddlers also enjoy interacting with peers to improve socialization skills.
How to Burn Fat Quickly and Efficiently
Burning fat can be tough, there’s so many things you have to keep track of if you want to do it effectively. There’s calories to count, workouts to perform and even macronutrients to balance.
But there are ways to make things easier. Simple additions you can incorporate into your lifestyle to start seeing faster results.
1. Drinking Green Tea
When cutting fat, people think a lot more about what they eat, rather than what they drink – and that’s a big problem. Sodas, beer, and even fruit tea can contain huge amounts of calories, and can easily go against all that hard word you’ve been putting into your diet.
So what’s the solution? Green Tea. One of the better beverages for fat loss, Green tea is full of antioxidants, contains next to no calories, and it accelerates fat loss.
If you truly want to become fit, there is more to it than just jogging or doing a few sit up every day. As a matter of fact, the food you eat can also cause you not to be fit. The best way to do this is to hire a personal trainer than will help you get a handle on your diet and what you need to know about nutrition in order to become healthier and fit while losing weight or just toning your body.
A personal trainer will not only help you learn about nutrition, but will start you on a fitness program that will fit your own personal goals. Some people without specialized diet requirements may need to hire a personal nutritionist as well, but many trainers, as I personally did, also receive certifications in sports nutrition and other nutritional disciplines in order to offer the most effective diet advice possible and in some cases even write personalized nutrition plans.
In the majority of cases, you will need to start out slow both with diet and exercise, especially if you have not exercised or followed a health eating plan in a very long time. The good news is that you can choose a private, semi-private or group training session so you can train along with a friend and not feel so alone. On the other hand, if you want to work alone with a trainer that can also be accomplished.
We know that obesity is dangerous. We know that it is a huge health risk. Yet we still don’t seem to truly understand what it all means.
When Does Obesity Happen?
Obesity can happen at any point during your life. It can, sometimes, escalate very quickly, and take on truly dramatic proportions. This is known as ‘malignant obesity’. Malignant obesity usually occurs after the early 20’s when we have stopped growing up, get too ‘busy’ to exercise, and when we still aren’t paying attention to what we’re putting in our bodies.
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Recently I read this study about smoking, which is really not all that different from most of the other studies. Essentially it can be summed up like this:
“If you smoke, you have a much greater chance of dying from smoking related diseases. If you quit today, you will be 50 percent better off in 5-10 years, and 100 percent better off in 20 years.”
That’s reason enough for me to tell you to quit smoking today.
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A major topic in sports medicine is understanding how drugs can effect athletic performance and how to avoid unwanted complications. Many drugs have side effects that might be exaggerated by strenuous exercise.
Prescription drugs are controlled because of their side effects. The topic can be divided into drugs that affect the body versus drugs that affect the mind.
Mood altering drugs and pain killers, like NSAIDS, can affect performance. A person who is advised to avoid driving or operating machinery should also be careful around exercise equipment and free weights. These count as heavy machinery, so any drugs that affect coordination should make a person rethink some of the exercises that they do.
A power step machine is safer than running on a treadmill, and weight lifting machines are safer than free weights.
Drugs that affect blood pressure might disqualify a person from intense cardio. Some people need medicine that raises their blood pressure, but cardio further increases blood pressure. Someone suffering from high blood pressure as a disease is also at risk. It is better to ask a doctor for a routine and stick to walking until then.
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TBT: This is a post I wrote back in May of 2007. These were my thoughts on motivation, prioritization, and how to make the most of your training. It pretty much all still holds true.
We all have priorities in life. Some of mine include finishing the move into my new house, running a successful website development business, keeping my girlfriend happy, spending time with my son, staying strong and healthy, and not getting fired from my day job. What are yours? Can you list your top 5 and assign priority values to them? I have done this, and what I have found is that staying strong and healthy continues to drop below those tasks that involve either family members, or putting lOOt in the bank (or more accurately giving lOOt to bill collectors).
I don’t want to get small or weak or fat, and neither do you. In my time, I have seen too many men with joint, neck, back, or hip issues, or perhaps they are just overweight with big pot bellies. Years ago I swore this would not be me. So, how can we redirect some of that focus back into the gym? How can we, when faced with working 14 hour days in order to make a million dollars by age 40, still exercise? Where can we draw some of this motivation that I am talking about. I have a couple suggestions that you could try, some of which I am testing out right now.
I have a son that I want to inspire to be strong and healthy. I have a girlfriend that, quite frankly, I want to impress with visions of a Greek God, feats of strength to rival Hercules, and the skill to defend her from predators. These abilities prove to her that I am a male worthy of mating… frequently, if you catch my drift. I have this blog that visitors will be reading, and I don’t want to embarrass myself with failure. I have a business to run, and I want prospective clients to be wowed by my dedication to life and ability to multi-task. Finally, I want to get in better shape, faster, than the guy on Better Body Journal, for he is one of my nemeses in this game of strength.
Find your solution and make your own motivation. Formulate your goals, and make it happen!
Take Your B’s to Build Huge Bis
Few people know the 8 B vitamins by name, but were you aware that they all contribute to the body’s ability to build muscle? They are often referred to as the vitamins that provide immune support and while this is helpful when training hard which can place a stress on the immune system, their role extends far beyond this.
Each plays a role in the metabolism, which is the processing of the foods we eat to ensure the release of energy needed to power muscle function, but also helps to support the nervous system to make co-ordinated movement possible. Here we take a look at each in turn, considering their importance and where they can be sourced from the diet, as well as how else you might be able to top up your intake of these essential nutrients.
Vitamin B1
Also known as thiamine, this vitamin is needed for the production of ATP, the substance which the body uses for energy release to enable muscle contraction to occur during weight training. It’s therefore no surprise that tiredness can be a sign that you aren’t getting enough of this micronutrient, which can interfere with the effort you are able to put into training.
Thiamine also controls the movement of electrolytes across cell membranes, which is needed for the nerves and the muscles that they control to function. The richest sources of this B vitamin are meats, brewer’s yeast, whole grains or cereals that have been fortified with b vitamins; in many countries it is mandatory that refined flour and white rice have thiamine added to them, as the processing removes the majority of this vitamin.
