ARTICLE: Twins & the Wrinkles of Aging

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/twin-studies-explain-wrinkles-of-aging/

NEWS: Hot Fitness Trends for 2009

What fitness trend will you follow in 2009?

 

Bootcamp style fitness programs still rate as one of the top fitness trends to sustain into 2009 according to WebMD Health News.   Other workout styles that made the list include:  kettlebell and circuit training, sport specific training and technology based programs.

With the move towards finding more economical and efficient ways to work out and stay fit, I’m surprised that two trends that I currently take part in didn’t make the list:

1.  at home work out programs and;
2.  yoga/pilates

Source:  http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20081212/hot-fitness-trends-2009

ARTICLE: Do Your Soft Addictions Need Some Tough Love?

What is your soft addiction?

Source:  http://www.yaletownmagazine.ca/yaletown_health.html

ARTICLE: The Red Wine Weight Loss Wonder Drug That Lets You Eat Junk Food

Like drug companies couldn’t go any further into damaging your health and perceptions, they come up with this drug…. forget about finding a cure for breast cancer or multiple sclerosis, let’s find a drug that let’s us not go to the gym, drink as much as we want and eat junk food….

Can we really lose weight by taking one pill?

Source:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1083047/The-red-wine-weight-loss-wonder-drug-lets-eat-junk-food.htmlp://

ARTICLE: Bottled Water Not Worth the Price or Your Health

It’s no surprise.  Bottled water is now a hot topic among discussion health blogs, forums and magazines.  Are they safe for us or the environment?  According to research findings, no.  What was once a convenience fad has now turned out to be personally and environmentally bad.   

Plastic No Longer Best Option

Myths busted:

• “It’s convenient.” 
• “It’s safer than tap water.”
• “There’s no price limit to my family’s health.”

In a testing conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), 10 US brands of bottled water contained an average of 7 chemical pollutants including:  caffeine, pharmaceuticals, carcinogens, and industrial solvents.  Co-author of the study, Jane Houlihan stated, ” In some cases, it appears bottled water is no less polluted than tap water and at 1,900 times the cost, consumers should expect better.”

In Canada, the responsibility lies on all levels of government.  Surprising thing is that Canada’s Water Quality Guidelines are not enforced by law like it is in the United States.  So naturally, there is much concern about  whether tap water is truly safer than bottled.  Stories such as the Walkerton, ON E. Coli scare and the parasite cryptosporidiosis outbreak in North Battlefield, SK can make anyone fearful of opening up the tap to fill our glass.  A guide to test your own water quality at home can be found here.

Three things you can do now:

1.  Stop buying plastic water bottles.  Congratulations in taking the step realizing that water is vital to our health and body function.  Instead of using plastic water bottles, get a stainless steel like Klean Kanteen and fill it up with Brita filtered tap water. 

2.  Learn about your local water supply system.  By contacting your local Environmental Health Inspector, you will likely learn that your tap water is safe for drinking.   Canada holds roughly 20% of the world’s known fresh water supplies yet I’m sure you know friends who buy spring water from Fiji, France and Sweden!  Why?

3.  Maximize your use of water.  I’m guilty.  I enjoy my long showers, dishwasher and do laundry 3x/wk.  Canada’s per capita usage of water is higher than every other country except the US.  It’s time to turn down the tap and take action with others to reduce our use.  Any other suggestions or tips?

Source:  http://evolvingwellness.com/posts/423/bottled-water-not-worth-the-price-or-your-health/

ARTICLE: The Secret to Fitness is in the Bedroom

In a January 2007 press release by the Better Sleep Council on Canada,  it was reported that only 10% of Canadians think good sleep is critical to fitness, yet nearly 30% admit that a “lack of energy” is the greatest barrier to improving their fitness.  Not surprising considering that in today’s world,  sleep is undervalued and having 8 hours of sleep is considered a luxury of time.

Sleep loss, however, is associated with significant health problems, such as depression, headaches and impaired heart function.  It has been linked to poor concentration, lower productivity and poor work quality -  skills required to work efficiently.  Sleep loss can interfere with memory, reasoning and concentration – skills required when taking advanced learning courses.  Lack of sleep make us irritable and can obviously strain our relationships with co-workers, friends and family.

Sleep Well to Keep Fit

Dr. Stacy Irvine, Chiropractor and Fitness Expert on behalf of the Better Sleep Council Canada stated that “regular exercise releases endorphins that relieve stress, and the physical exertion helps our bodies crave rest for a more deep and restful sleep.  The benefits of sleep and fitness are reciprocal”.

Tips to have a good night’s sleep:

• Unwind. Put any type “work” away, dim the lights and focus on taking deep breaths.  By separating your day’s activities from your sleep, you begin to train your body to relax.  (This is the hardest tip to follow but critical to a good night’s sleep).
• Be consistent. Try to get up at the same time every morning and go to bed at the same time in the evening, seven days a week.
• Mattress check. If you sleep better in someone else’s bed, it might be time to get a new mattress.
• Exercise. Incorporate fitness into your daily schedule; at least 45 minutes a day.  Include cardio, weight training, yoga, sports  and stretching into your weekly activities so that your body and mind remain active during the day and ready to retire at night.

Click here for Health Magazine’s Celebrity Secrets and What You Can Learn From Them

Source: http://www.bettersleep.ca/

BLOG: The Brinkzone Blog

 “My blog will be a little different to the deluge of fitness based blogs which seem to be 99% advertising and 1% content…you’ll find (Brinkzone) full of science based information rather than generic information you can find elsewhere”

Brinkzone Blog is a mix of well researched information and honest to goodness truth.

Dubbed the No. 1 Science Based Health & Fitness Blog, I stumbled upon Will Brink’s site a few months ago doing a search for the best ab workouts for those who hate doing it.  I browsed around his two sites:  http://www.brinkzone.com & http://www.brinkzone.com/blog/ and felt that his information was straight forward, no beating around the bush talk.  With articles like “The Terrible Triad:  Why Your Workouts Suck“,  ”Do Vegetarians Disgust You?” and “Exotic Cars Increase Testorone Levels” there’s a mix of well researched information,  feature writers and honest to goodness truth.  And the odd time, some great sarcastic humour (for those who know he’s even being sarcastic!!) 

My only wish is that in the future, he would include female feature writers and perspective.  His straight forward talk is what some of us need as much as it may have an “ouch!!” rating of 10/10.   His one blog on Women and Weight Training:  Debunking the Myths caught my eye because I have plenty of family and friends who refuse to lift weights on the sheer fear of bulking up. 

Myth 1: Strength training causes women to become larger and heavier.

Myth 2: Women should use different training methods than men.

Myth 3: Women should avoid high-intensity or high-load training.

C’mon females, we know all this right?  Right?  We don’t have as much testosterone as males do so some of us already know we can work out heavy and not bulk up, but, like one blog reader stated “people like to stay within specific, gender-identity comfort zones”.  When will we ever change ladies?  Subscribe to the Brinkzone blog.  Not only do you get weekly updates in your e-mail on what’s new, if you sign up now, you’ll receive 3 free e-books including one on developing the perfect abs. 

Source:  http://www.brinkzone.com/blog/

ARTICLE: Enjoy Thanksgiving Without Packing the Pounds

Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  How can we NOT know?  I go to Starbucks and the feature flavor is pumpkin spice latte.  My cousin and favorite chef advertises on Facebook that she’s making pumpkin pie from scratch and not the can.  My co-workers bringing in the bite sized chocolate bars in preparation for Halloween.   And what does this all mean?  It’s the start of festivities and food.  Lots and lots of food.  My mouth is already watering for turkey, cranberry sauce and sweet yam… followed by the pumpkin pie and vanilla ice cream.   Mmmm….

The average weight a person gains between the months of October (Thanksgiving) to December (Christmas) is 7 pounds.  How do I avoid that? 

Physique morphing expert, Herve Duchemin obviously knows my woes.  He’s written articles like “Controlling Late Night Binge Eating” and “How to Recover from an Episode of Binge-Eating“.  So when I read his article focusing on the Thanksgiving holidays, I thought what better time to remind you of the importance of still focusing on your health. 

Many times when holidays, special festivities and events come up (which can be very often!!), we either do one of two things:  not eat all day in preparation for the holiday binge or give up every inhibition and enjoy every guilty pleasure.  Well…. you DO have another option and that is, making healthy choices. 

Herve offers some practical but oftentimes, ignored eating and cooking tips for making healthy choices during the Thanksgiving season.  Here are the ones I’ll make sure to remember:

1.  Load up on meat and vegetables and keep the carbs to a minimum.  Keep your protein intake high by eating more skinless turkey pieces and vegetables.  By having a salad before the main meal, you fill yourself up with goodness first, guilty pleasure last.

2.  Drink more water.  Besides helping you stay hydrated, it can also delay your feelings of “drunkeness” as you also toast to give thanks. 

3.  Converse more, masticate less.  It’s a time to get together with family and reunite to share experiences of what’s happened in the last year.  It’s quality time wih friends and with family that you should focus on.  In other words, don’t hang out at the dinner table.

For more tips and suggestions for holding on instead of gaining more weight during the holidays, check out this article.

Source:  http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/herve12.htm