In the News ...

I hope you’ve enjoyed the little excerpts about health & fitness news over the last month. Today’s posting is the last in the “In the News…” series.

Although I knew that a large Oreo chocolate shake packed a ton of calories, I didn’t fully realize how high it actually was! Check out the highest calorie foods in the world here

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We’re all familiar with the fact that “supersizing" our foods have made for some super-sized kids, but did you know that almost 1 in 5 American 4-year-olds is obese? Read more at USA Today

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On the same topic, a survey conducted by the Department of Health found that children are not getting the recommended one hour of physical activity outside of school times. Read more about this at the Telegraph.co

My take? I don’t think it’s the kid’s fault that they’re fighting obesity. I believe that it’s up to the parents to encourage children to move their bodies. The best way to do this is through example. It’s not good enough to just say, “Go outside and play!” The parent needs to get out and play with them. Pick up a badminton racket and bash a birdie for awhile. Play catch. Throw the Frisbee. Re-incarnate old favourites like “freeze-tag” and “4-square”. Lead by example.

Blessings on the road to health!

In the News ...

It’s never too early to start a new habit! “Children who are overweight but otherwise "healthy" may have stiff arteries, putting them at increased risk for heart disease, a study show.” Read more at Reuters Health

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And it’s never too late to start a new habit! “Exercise has helped Kottick, Oscar Beasley, 81, and Jack Nothnagle, 83, of Iowa City, stay young. They spur each other on, and along the way have avoided injuries, stayed mentally and physically healthy and formed a bond.” Read more at Press-Citizen.com

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Want to try a different exercise program that includes hurdles, a climbing rope and a six-foot scalable wall? Find out more about Warrior Fitness Boot Camp.

Blessings on the road to health!

Brian Regan on "Serving sizes and food labels"

At the Wellness is a Business Strategy group on LinkedIn, Troy Adams from WellSteps and Health highlighted this video under the discussion forum. It made me laugh out loud. It's worth seeing! Watch Brian Regan's comedy act about serving sizes and food labels at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBko_3wT44Q

Blessings on the road to health!

6 stretches for your upper body

Why not start your day with 6 simple stretches:

1. Chest Stretch
· Stand, bring arms behind back
· Clasp hands together and gently pull arms back and up
· Hold


2. Neck Stretch
· Stand, feet shoulder width apart
· Turn the head as if to look over one shoulder
· Hold and repeat for other side


3. Back Stretch
· On all fours, curve the back upwards
· Keep head turned down
· Hold


4. Shoulder Stretch
· Stand, arm behind back
· Hold wrist with other hand
· Bend elbow and gently pull your arm across your back
· Hold and repeat for other arm


5. Triceps Stretch
· Stand, feet shoulder width apart
· Place one hand on the back, between the shoulder blades
· Gently push down on the elbow with the other hand
· Hold and repeat for other arm


6. Biceps Stretch
· Stand beside a wall, place one hand behind the back onto the wall
· Without moving the feet, turn the shoulders away from the wall
· Hold and repeat for other arm

Try them out and let me know how they feel.
Blessings on the road to health!

In the News ...

"Physical activity in older people is important for helping to prevent or manage chronic conditions such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis." Read more at Virtual Medical Centre News

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When would be the best time to eat; before or after exercise? Read the answer found in a study at Medical News Today

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“Women who participate in recreational exercise and sports over their lifetime may be lowering their risk of death from breast cancer and breast cancer recurrence.” Forget all about losing weight, this information is reason alone to exercise!
Read more at Reuters Health Information

Blessings on the road to health!

In the News ...

Even though we’re in a recession, there is still good news to be found. “Companies continue to add wellness and health management programs to promote healthier behaviors among their workers.” Read more at the Health Plan Innovation blog


I have a home gym and am a big fan of working out in my own space. I’ve even got a contest for readers to send me a photo of their home gym (see April 1, Show Us Your Gym). I’m not alone. “Fitness experts say home workouts, if done regularly and correctly, are effective.” Read more at The Wall Street Journal online.


“As the economy struggles, many health and fitness clubs continue their own struggle to stay out of the red. Franchisees of Planet Fitness, however, the fastest growing operator of full-size fitness clubs in the U.S., are seeing green.” Read more at the PR Newswire

Blessings on the road to health!

5 Stretches for Supple Legs

On the road to health, flexibility (the ability to move your joints freely in every direction) is one of the key components of fitness. The following are 5 stretches for your legs:


1. Calf Stretch
· Stand, take a step forward with one leg
· Bend the front knee while keeping the back knee straight, both feet flat on the floor
· Gently press your body forward and push on back heel of the straight leg
· Hold and repeat for other leg

2. Hamstrings Stretch (back thigh)
· Stand, take a small step forward with left leg
· Raise left toes, keep heel on floor, knee straight
· Lean forward with straight back
· Hold and repeat for other leg

3. Quadriceps Stretch (front thigh)
· Stand, with one hand on a wall for support, hold ankle of outside leg
· Gently press foot down into hand
· Never pull foot up towards buttocks
· Hold and repeat for other leg

4. Hips Stretch
· Stand, step forward with one leg – take as long a stride as possible
· Bend knee and drop back leg until you feel gentle tension in the front of the hip
· Hold and repeat for other leg

5. Buttocks Stretch
· Sit with right leg lying forward along the floor
· Left leg is bent at the knee, foot on the floor across the outstretched leg
· Right hand pulls the bent knee into the chest and turn head behind the back
· Hold and repeat for other leg

(taken from Fit for Faith – 7 weeks to improved spiritual & physical health)

Blessings on the road to health!

In the News ...

In a recession, is it better to cut out your work out or your eating out? According to a “survey released by Rodale Inc., the publisher of Men’s Health and Runner’s World, 84 percent of those polled said there is no better time than now to invest in their health.”
Read more at Bloomberg.com

Do you remember wearing leg warmers and headbands to an aerobics class? Today’s gym goers are “moving in different ways with different rhythms, but they're all trying to get the heart rate up in an interesting, engaging way.” Read about the history of aerobics in this Los Angeles Times article.

We know that lack of exercise leads to many problems including heart disease and strokes, but did you know that inactivity can also lead to liver damage? "Fatty liver disease will be the next big metabolic disorder associated with obesity and inactivity," said the study's lead author John Thyfault of the University of Missouri. "It also is a significant contributor to type 2 diabetes." Read more at Medical News Today

Blessings on the road to health!

In the News ...

I don’t drink as much pop as I did in University, but I still do enjoy a Coke Zero more often than I should. But after reading this article that states, “Once listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent, Aspartame/NutraSweet is now one of the most pervasive food additives” I’m inclined to return to my tap water. Read all the details at the Ecologist Magazine.


I’m a laughter junkie. I watch only comedy movies, read Calvin & Hobbes and buy a daily-tear-calendar that features a new joke each day. I’ve learned that laughter produces short-term changes in cardiovascular function and respiration, boosts heart rate, respiratory rate and depth, as well as oxygen consumption. Read more about laughter as the best medicine at Scientific American.


My dad suffered a heart attack many years ago. Our family believed that his great recovery was due to the activity program my mom put him on. Our beliefs were backed up by a recent study by Kathryn E. Flynn, Ph.D., of Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C., and colleagues. They examined the effects of exercise training on health status among patients with heart failure. Read the results here

Blessings on the road to health!

In the News...

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if doctors started to prescribe physical exercise and activity instead of medicine? They are in Sweden and Norway! You can read all about this exciting new collaboration between Swedish and Norwegian scientists at Taunaki.com

Do you dream of having “abs of steel”? Would you like a natural “6-pack”? There are three exercises that will help you to develop strong core muscles and work your abdominals. Read about them

at this blog.

The health & fitness industry is wrought with misinformation and downright dangerous so-called “facts”. Read about three common weight loss myths at this blog.

Blessings on the road to health!

In The News ...

We’ve heard the saying,“The family that prays together stays together”, but did you know that the family that eats together is more healthy? University of Minnesota researchers reported that adolescents who eat these so-called "regular family meals" had more healthful diets, meaning they consumed more vegetables, calcium-rich food, dietary fiber and essential nutrients. Read more at Health Day News

Do you know how many calories are in a Big Mac? Are you sure you want fries with that? Many cities and states are pondering legislation that would require chain restaurants to prominently post the calorie content of food choices. Read the whole story at Reuters Health

Want a simple way to lose weight? Have a look at what you drink! "Weight loss from liquid calories is greater than loss of calorie intake from solid food," concluded lead researcher Dr. Liwei Chen, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health at the LSU Health Science Center in New Orleans. Drinking fewer sugary drinks was more important than eating less for losing weight, the researchers found. Find out why at Health Day News

Blessings on the road to health!

In the News ...

You’re never too old to start a weight training program. The American Physiological Society reported in a news release that good muscle strength helps older people avoid the potentially fatal trips and falls they are more prone to. Read the whole story at Health Day.com

Even though the economy may be experiencing a slump, gym memberships are not. Exercising at gyms help to relieve stress and sleep better. “Even with an unstable economy, one thing still remains grounded: working out is quickly becoming a stress buster.” Read the whole story at Windsor Beacon.com

How many times have you started an exercise program but failed to stay on it? The American Academy of Family Physicians offers five suggestions to help you stick with your program. My favourite is, “Find a workout buddy to motivate you and make exercising more social.” Read the other suggestions at Health Day.com

Blessings on the road to health!

CONTEST: Show us your gym!

CONTEST

Do you exercise at your house? Have you got a fabulous home gym?

Send me a photo of your home gym with the reasons why you love it. Include a brief description of the equipment you have, how you use it, and what your regular weekly routine is. Also, note anything that is missing that you would like to have.

At the end of the month, I will draw a name from all the entries and the winner will receive a free set of Fit for Faith e-books.

Contest closes 12:00 noon on April 30, 2009. All photos with your write-ups will be posted on the Fit for Faith blog.

Get your pictures in by April 30th!