When someone develops an infection at a hospital or other patient care facility that they did not have prior to treatment, this is referred to as a healthcare-associated (sometimes hospital-acquired) infection (HAI).

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a global crisis affecting both patients and healthcare workers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at any point in time, 1.4 million people worldwide suffer from infections acquired in hospitals.

A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report published in March-April 2007 estimated the number of U.S. deaths from healthcare asociated infections in 2002 at 98,987. The risk of acquiring healthcare-associated infections in developing countries is 2-20 times higher than in developed countries.

Afflicting thousands of patients every year, HAI often leads to lengthening hospitalization, increasing the likelihood of readmission, and adding sizably to the cost of care per patient.

Financially, HAIs represent an estimated annual impact of $6.7 billion to healthcare facilities, but the human cost is even higher.

Until recently, a lack of HAI reporting requirements for healthcare facilities has contributed to less-than-optimal emphasis being placed on eliminating the sources of healthcare associated infections. However, growing public anxiety regarding the issue and resulting legislation on state and local levels demanding accountability is serving to accelerate initiatives to combat HAIs.

To learn more about the impact of healthcare-associated infections for both medical professionals and patients, please visit www.haiwatch.com.

1. Certifiably Hardcore

There is no doubt that push ups are one of the best exercises to strengthen the arms and chest, but fly push ups target the oblique muscles of the torso as well. Although impressive looking, they aren’t that hard to perform as long as you’ve mastered the basic push up. They can help you reach the oblique muscles, a difficult area to isolate for training and are better than regular one armed push ups because they add an element of motion that challenges the supporting arm. A quick warning that these push ups can create extreme soreness in your obliques so start out slowly.

2. Obliques are Sexy

The obliques are the muscles that run across the abdominal wall in a diagonal line. Football players train obliques intensely because of all the twisting they do. A great benefit of working these muscles is that they can actually pull the rest of your abdominals to be flatter and sexier. Core stability is important for almost any sport however, and provides overall support for the back and posture and even the hip flexors.

3. Warmup to Head off Injury

As with any weight training, the muscles should be warm from 5 to 10 minutes of cardiovascular activity. A transporter, precorp or elliptical machine will work especially well as a warmup since you’re moving your arms and warming the obliques. Do some bicycle crunches first by lying on the floor with your knees bent and one arm behind your head. Lift your shoulder blades off the floor and do a bicycle motion by bringing the opposing elbow to toward the knee. Don’t do too many or you’ll compromise your intensity on the fly push up.

4. Control Yourself

Start in a regular push up position looking at the floor and palms solidly on the mat. Lower down until your stomach almost touches the floor. Extend all the way up. Don’t lock your elbows. With a controlled explosive movement, lift one arm out to the side keeping your shoulders in line with each other. Reach toward the ceiling while keeping your abdominal muscles tight and your legs straight. If you’re doing it right it should be fluid and void of any jerking or swinging. Remember to breathe in on the lowering and out during the fly movement.

5. Push for Intensity

Start with 3 sets of 5 on each side until you have mastered the movement. Gradually increase the reps to 10 to 15 for 3 to 5 sets. To increase the intensity, do one rep of a regular push up in between each fly. To really work the obliques, superset with bicycle crunches in between each set. Abdominals are muscles that can be worked every day, but your arms and chest are not. Make sure you have 1 to 3 days of rest between each session.

Anyone interested in doing this event this Sunday?  It is for a wonderful cause.  Preregistered participants receive an Under Armour shirt.  Let me know. ~ Liz

Nick Markakis Right Side 5K Sunday afternoon

The event is The Right Side Foundation´s first annual 5K & 1 mile fun walk at Patterson  Park in Baltimore on August 16th.  The foundation was created by Nick and Christina Markakis to help improve the lives of distressed children in the state of Maryland . For more information please visit the Foundation website at http://www.rightsidefoundation.org/?page_id=160.

http://www.rightsidefoundation.org/?page_id=160

Event Calendar

• • Aug 16, 2009: Inaugural Right Side Foundation 5K Run/Mile Walk. Patterson Park in Baltimore

5K Run/One Mile Fun Walk

Following the Orioles’ afternoon game on Sunday, August 16th, the Foundation will present its first annual 5K Run and One-Mile Fun Walk. The event will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Patterson Park in Baltimore City.  Registration will begin at 4:30 p.m., with the race starting at 6:00 p.m.  Registration is $30 in advance, $35 the day of the race (Pre-registered participants will receive an Under Armour shirt, but shirts are not guaranteed for walk-up race-day registration). Awards will be presented to the top three overall male and female 5K finishers, as well as the top finishers in the select age groups below:

• 10 & under
• 11-15
• 16-19
• 20-29
• 30-39
• 40-49
• 50-59
• 60-69
• 70+

Following the run and walk, beverages and snacks will be available for participants.  The day will also include music, family-friendly activities, appearance by Nick Markakis and more.  So whether you are an avid runner or just want to enjoy a summer evening in Patterson Park, the event will have something for everyone. To become a sponsor of the event, please contact the Foundation at info@rightsidefoundation.org.  If you wish to participate in either the run or walk, please register through our partner, Charm City Run Events, by clicking here.

Calf cramp tip

Do your calves twitch and cramp now and then while you are sleeping?  Just enough to irritate you and maybe make you just a bit sore the next morning?

Here is a tip: Try half a glass of Schwepps tonic water before you go to bed at night.  (Adding gin or vodka to the mix is not part of the tip!)  There are some trace chemicals in the tonic water blend that may be effective at soothing some of the muscle spasms for some people.

The glycemic index of food is a ranking of foods based on their immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. Carbohydrate foods that breakdown quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic indexes. Their blood sugar response is fast and high. Carbohydrates that breakdown slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes.

What is the significance of Glycemic Index?

• Low GI means a smaller rise in blood sugar and can help control established diabetes

• Low GI diets can help people lose weight and lower blood lipids

• Low GI diets can improve the body’s sensitivity to insulin

• High GI foods can help re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise

How to switch to a low GI diet

• Breakfast cereals based on wheat bran, barley and oats

• “Grainy” breads made with whole seeds

• Pasta and rice in place of potatoes

• Vinegar and lemon juice dressings

In short, the goal should be to build a good plan including the low Glycemic Index foods. This way, hunger is minimized, and there is less tendency to “cheat” or overeat. Consequently, you can continue to lose body fat or maintain your weight – once the excess pounds have been lost.

Even for those whose main objective is not fat loss, foods that are low on the glycemic index will help alleviate mood swings and regulate energy levels.

• Foods that stimulate insulin surges can cause people to eat 60 – 70% more calories at the following meal.
• People who consume foods relatively high in glucose (such as white bread, most commercial whole wheat bread, and raisins) eat an average of 200 calories more at the next meal than those who eat fructose (a sugar found in fruits).

Low glycemic index foods can be mixed with modest quantities of high glycemic foods without losing their hunger reducing effect.

The purpose of the chart is not to have you eliminate those nutritious choices from your diet. Instead, balance the foods that are “less desirable” by eating them with foods that are “desirable.”

A low glycemic food plan can be beneficial to:

• diabetics
• hypoglycemics
• persons with insulin resistance or Syndrome X
• dieters
• athletes

High glycemic foods:

• elevate insulin and blood glucose
• stimulate fat-storage
• exacerbate hyperactivity
• reduce sports performance.
• low glycemic foods do not.

A low glycemic food plan is beneficial for:

• helping balance blood glucose and insulin levels
• reducing excess body fat levels
• increasing sports performance.

Low glycemic food plans are not based on starvation or deprivation.  Eating is a part of our lives and we should not have to sacrifice tasty foods in order to stay healthy.

Low glycemic food plans focus on reducing ingestion of foods that elevate insulin and stimulate fat-storage. We can’t totally eliminate high glycemic foods from our diet, but we can be aware of the glycemic reaction that foods have so we can make better choice.

Low glycemic food plans have been proven to reduce incidence of Type II diabetes and to help control Type I and II diabetes, hypoglycemia and hypertension. Low glycemic foods do not stimulate food-craving hormones like Neuropeptide Y and Lipoprotein Lipase. Stimulation of these hormones can cause chemically-triggered cravings for food and uncontrolled eating binges.

The Low Glycemic Food Plan for Women in the “Low Glycemic Food Plans and Recipes 2000″ book includes specific daily caloric recommendations based on caloric requirements of the average adult woman.  Adult men may follow the plan by increasing the calories to a minimum of 1,650 per day.  The selection of your total daily required calories is the responsibility of the reader and his/her health care professional (see the Daily Caloric Intake page).  Caloric requirements vary greatly according to the needs and medical history of the individual.  With some body types, switching from high glycemic foods to low glycemic foods can result in a significant loss of body fat without changing caloric intake.

It would be ideal for everyone to cook balanced meals at home, but the reality is that most families are too busy to make home cooked meals every day.  The Low Glycemic Food Plan for Women is a sample of realistic food planning, which is why fast-foods are included. Though the Food Plan contains fast-foods, the daily fat calories still meet the heart healthy guidelines of the American Heart Association, Harvard University, the American Cancer Society, and the UDG (Unified Dietary Guidelines)

Obviously, low glycemic food plans can be followed for more than 7 days.  You can create your own low glycemic food plan with many variations.  Be sure to ingest enough calories per day to meet the needs of your own body.

For optimum health, select a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and foods daily.  This helps assure an adequate intake of Phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals.

The GI of foods has important implications for the food industry. Terms such as complex carbohydrates and sugars, which commonly appear on food labels, are now recognised as having little nutritional or physiological significance. The WHO/FAO recommend that these terms be removed and replaced with the total carbohydrate content of the food and its GI value. However, the GI rating of a food must be tested physiologically and only a few nutrition research groups around the world currently provide a legitimate testing service. The Human Nutrition Unit at the University of Sydney has been at the forefront of glycemic index research for over a decade and has tested dozens of foods as an integral part of its program. Jennie Brand Miller (JBM) is the senior author of International Tables of Glycemic Index published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1995.

David is also now starring in his own reality television show on TLC.

Here is a man who a few years ago contemplated suicide.  He felt hopeless and had no desire to live.  He wanted to disappear from the world around him.  Just a few years later, he’s completely changed his life and is starring in his own television show.

His story should certainly give hope to others who currently struggle with obesity.  You do not need surgery and you certainly do not need anything fancy in terms of exercise and diet.  A consistent and diligent effort has once again come out on top.

So often the obese feel hopeless.  The marketing powers that be have convinced these people that pills and surgery are the only solution.  The often deceptive fitness industry unfortunately welcomes such feelings, as doubt leads to useless pill purchases (among other things).  The industry doesn’t see a dollar when a man such as David Smith begins exercising in his home without equipment.

It’s nice to see major media networks paying attention to David Smith’s story.  It should certainly give hope to those who are currently hopeless.  Regardless of what others have said, anyone can lose weight with a consistent and diligent effort (both in the gym and in the kitchen).

Endurance training is quite a broad sweeping term. It’s often used interchangeably with terms like “aerobic”, “anaerobic”, “strength” and “speed”. Endurance training is important for many sports – not just the pure distance events like running, swimming and cycling for example. While the type and amount of endurance training will change according to the specific demands of the sport, even some traditional strength and power based games demand a solid aerobic base. Below are a series of key factors that will help with your endurance training.

Determining the limiting factors in a particular event or activity is key; (eg. “why is this happening to me now?”). In endurance sports those limiting factors are based predominantly around the causes of fatigue. Unfortunately, fatigue is a complex issue and one that is likely to consist of both physical and psychological factors. However, exercise scientists have identified several major causes of exhaustion and research has shown that they can all be manipulated (some to a greater extent than others) with proper training:

VO2 Max
It’s difficult to talk about endurance performance and endurance training without mentioning VO2 max or maximal oxygen uptake. Elite endurance athletes typically have a high VO2 max and for the most part it seems to be genetically determined (1). However, in untrained individuals VO2 max can be improved by as much as 20% (2). A goal of any endurance training program is to help the athlete reach thier genetic upper limit for aerobic power. In athletes with the same or similar value for VO2 max, those who perform best tend to have a superior…

Lactate Threshold
If VO2 max can be seen as an upper limit for aerobic exercise, the lacate thresholddetermines how much of that ‘aerobic’ upper limit can be used. Numerous terms have been proposed to describe the relationship between blood lactate accumulation and increasing exercise intensity and it’s a subject that generates much debate. what is agreed upon is that training can have a favorable effect on lactate accumulation and when it occurs (3,4), which is associated with improved endurance performance.

Exercise Economy
Two athletes may have the same VO2 max expressed in ml/kg/min and they may have the same lactate threshold expressed as a percentage of their VO2 max. Yet what is far more relevant is the speed or workload at which the athlete is exercising when they reach these two markers. Athletes with a high exercise economy expend less energy (consume less oxygen) at any given workload. As such many researchers believe economy of exercise – be it stride length, swimming technique or body position on a bicycle – is an important contributor to endurance performance (5,6,7).

Substrate Utilization
The oxidative energy system can utilize either fat or carbohydrate to produce energy. However, when exercise intensity is higher (>70% VO2 max), there is a greater reliance on carbohydrate than fat for fuel (8). If and when carbohydrate stores are depleted exercise intensity must reduce accordingly. With training, a greater percentage of fat is used as fuel at any given work rate (8,9,10). This has a sparing effect on carbohydrate allowing a higher intensity to be maintained for longer.

Muscle Fiber Characteristics
Elite endurance athletes exhibit a high proportion of type I muscle fibers (11,12). Type I fibers have a high mitochondrial density and oxidative enzyme capacity which allows the majority of energy production to come from aerobic metabolism. While endurance training doesn’t seem to change fiber types (i.e. type II fibers to type I), the metabolic characteristics of muscle fibers can be altered so that aerobic energy production becomes more efficient (13,14).

Aside from these changes within skeletal muscle what other adaptations does aerobic endurance training elicit?

Other Adaptations to Endurance Training
Following suitable training, the body becomes better able to produce ATP via aerobic metabolism. The adaptations that occur improve oxygen delivery and oxygen utilization, increase the rate of aerobic energy production and the utilization of fat fuel and reduce disturbances in the acid-base balance (13,15,16,17,18). More specific adaptations are summarized in the table below:

References
1) Bouchard C, Dionne FT, Simoneau JA, Boulay MR. Genetics of aerobic and anaerobic performances.Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 1992;20:27-58
2) Wilmore JH and Costill DL. (2005) Physiology of Sport and Exercise: 3rd Edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics
3) Evertsen F, Medbo JI, Bonen A. Effect of training intensity on muscle lactate transporters and lactate threshold of cross-country skiers. Acta Physiol Scand. 2001 Oct;173(2):195-205
4) Ready AE, Quinney HA. Alterations in anaerobic threshold as the result of endurance training and detraining. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1982;14(4):292-6
5) Conley DL, Krahenbuhl GS. Running economy and distance running performance of highly trained athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1980;12(5):357-60
6) McCole SD, Claney K, Conte JC, Anderson R, Hagberg JM. Energy expenditure during bicycling. J Appl Physiol. 1990 Feb;68(2):748-53
7)Ungerechts BE, Wilke K, Reischle K (eds). 1998 Aerobic economy and competitive swim performances of U.S. elite swimmers. In: Swimming Science V. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics
Brooks GA, Mercier J. Balance of carbohydrate and lipid utilization during exercise: the “crossover” concept. J Appl Physiol. 1994 Jun;76(6):2253-61
9) Holloszy JO, Coyle EF. Adaptations of skeletal muscle to endurance exercise and their metabolic consequences. J Appl Physiol. 1984 Apr;56(4):831-8
10) Matoba H, Gollnick PD. Response of skeletal muscle to training. Sports Med. 1984 May-Jun;1(3):240-51
11) Burke ER, Cerny F, Costill D, Fink W. Characteristics of skeletal muscle in competitive cyclists. Med Sci Sports. 1977 Summer;9(2):109-12
12) Costill DL, Fink WJ, Pollock ML. Muscle fiber composition and enzyme activities of elite distance runners. Med Sci Sports. 1976 Summer;8(2):96-100
13) Gollnick PD. Metabolism of substrates: energy substrate metabolism during exercise and as modified by training. Fed Proc. 1985 Feb;44(2):353-7
14) Hoppeler H. Exercise-induced ultrastructural changes in skeletal muscle. Int J Sports Med. 1986 Aug;7(4):187-204
15) Dudley GA, Abraham WM, Terjung RL. Influence of exercise intensity and duration on biochemical adaptations in skeletal muscle. J Appl Physiol. 1982 Oct;53(4):844-50
16) Foster C, Hector LL, Welsh R, Schrager M, Green MA, Snyder AC. Effects of specific versus cross-training on running performance.Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1995;70(4):367-72
17) Klausen K, Andersen LB, Pelle I. Adaptive changes in work capacity, skeletal muscle capillarization and enzyme levels during training and detraining. Acta Physiol Scand. 1981 Sep;113(1):9-16
18) Burke EJ. Physiological effects of similar training programs in males and females. Res Q. 1977 Oct;48(3):510-7

Today, I was hit with a true reality. This may sound “old”, but everyone is so different (duh). My drive is unique from the person standing beside me and that’s fine. But, I do have a purpose though. We all do. But mine is, to change someones life by channelling my energy, determination and drive to make them a better person through health and fitness. Simple right? Not really. The problem I’m having is, how do you motivate those who need motivating, ask for motivation, but consider you to be “over the top” when you attempt to help and that’s after you scale down? In all honesty, I think I have a keen eye on recognizing when to “turn it up” or “tone it down” and that’s for anything that I do related to this industry and my career. What ruins it is, not everyone has that eye. But I believe that egos, stubbornness and sheer laziness are so ingrained in our heads that we rather be told that you “have” to exercise or eat healthier as a result of poor planning, poor dieting and ultimately disease. So my purpose is not just about pushing you too hard to get results instantaneously, but it’s about wanting you to be the best and it’s often confused with true passion. Think about it, many trainers love the fitness industry and it’s rewarding to see someone’s body change in front of our eyes because we help facilitate that. Truthfully, we want that for everyone that we encounter. Granted, there are those people who are “over the top” and will have you moonwalking on a BOSU ball and say “it’ll strengthen your core.” I rather not be pooled with those nutcases.

So if you look for help, find help and help comes to your rescue, don’t complain when help is doing everything in their power to get you where you need to be. Now seek wisely, because not everyone is created the same (duh).

It’s unfortunate that this is a common problem and I have a solution that I learned in college. I will be the best example that you know and from my leadership within my life and healthy living (mental and physical) you will see how I benefit. I run hard, jump high, sprint with intent and eat like a champ daily. I don’t just think it, but I live it, believe in it, breathe it and help others bring it out in themselves. It’s my drive and my kids will inherit this drive because the times are changing and I make it a top priority. The crazy thing is, you know who I’m talking about. It could be your friend, husdand or I could be talking to you!! That’s right and the only way this routine can change is if you step forward to be a different person tomorrow. Put the egos aside and take it in, because today will be about planning properly and leaving the “old you” in the dust. It’s something that you should have done a long time ago. Matter of fact, don’t take this as me picking on you, I’m just picking you up so that we can both do this together. Embrace your trainers because we go all out to prove to you that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Yeah, we may never meet, but I hope this message finds you well as you start over and become the person you want to be. In all that you do, START STRONG, FINISH STRONGER because when the “3,2,1..GO” is heard, what’s the point in being the first one OUT the gate if you’re the last one to cross the finish line. Motivation starts from within..we as trainers are just the catalyst to bring it forth.

FITNESS102 – Chev

It’s fair to say that many of us become complacent about our health, especially if we’re downing the pints, eating day-old pizza, lounging on the sofa, and still looking pretty good in the mirror. However, complacency means you won’t be taking simple preventative measures against common health conditions or be aware of symptoms to look for. It’s a better idea to be aware of health risks and informed of the symptoms.

That being said, even the most health-conscious of twentysomethings may dismiss particular health conditions simply on account of age. If you thought you had to spend a good 56 years regularly visiting the local cafe for a full English in order to form cholesterol problems, or that only Uncle Chuck’s blood pressure was an issue, you may be in for a shock. As it turns out, many health conditions don’t care about age as much as we thought. Check these out people..HAPPY READING!!

Parkinson’s

According to the Parkinson’s Disease Society, 1 in 500 people — approximately 120,000 in the UK — have Parkinson’s. While it usually affects those over 50 years old, 1 in 20 people will be under 40 years old. Currently, no method to cure or even slow down the disease has been found, although treatments can enable a sufferer to minimize the most difficult symptoms.

What is it?
Parkinson’s occurs when dopamine-producing brain cells die off, for reasons currently unknown. Dopamine is the chemical used to communicate messages around the brain for co-ordination and movement. When approximately 80% of a person’s dopamine-producing cells have died, the person will begin to exhibit the typical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Symptoms and signs
As the brain struggles to communicate messages, a person will notice particular symptoms which become more evident over time. 70% of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s first notice a tremor in one hand. Other symptoms include slowness of movement and stiff or rigid muscles. The National Parkinson Foundation highlight muffled speech, stiff facial expression and small, cramped handwriting to be possible signs. Non-motor symptoms include disturbed sleep, urinary urgency and depression.

Arthritis

Arthritis is commonly associated with the elderly, but in fact affects people of all ages. According to ArthritisCare.org.uk, over 9 million people in the UK (that’s 1 in 5 of adults and 12,000 children) suffer from one of the 200 (and counting) forms of arthritis.

What is it?
When joints become consistently inflamed, sufferers can experience pain and discomfort, especially when moving around. This is arthritis. The causes are unknown and there is currently no cure. However, there are many ways to help a sufferer relieve symptoms and maintain an active lifestyle, with as little discomfort as possible.

Symptoms and signs
There are many different forms of arthritis. Generally, however, sufferers will experience stiffness, pain, discomfort, and fatigue. The pain could be a sharp stabbing pain or a mixture of aches. These symptoms may be more evident on some days than others.

Impotence

Call it Erectile Dysfunction, call it impotence, call it whatever — your gigglestick ain’t happy and you ain’t laughing either. Surprisingly, 7-8% of men between 20 and 40 years will experience erectile dysfunction.

What is it?
The condition is an inability to achieve and maintain an erection, making intercourse impossible. There are a range of psychological and physical reasons for impotence, from work-related stress to drugs (prescription and other) tocholesterol. Often the issue rectifies itself, but if you have repeated or continuous episodes of the condition, it’s a good idea to consult your doctor to rule out more serious, underlying causes. In most cases, small lifestyle changes, such as reducing stress and worry or drinking less alcohol, should get the Colonel up and ready for the fight once more.

Urinary incontinence

We know that older people may suffer a few occasions of “leakage” and you may forgive your girlfriend for “letting some out” when she’s in a fit of giggles, but the 3 million people in the UK who suffer from urinary incontinence are not all old or laughing hysterically.

What is it?
For several reasons, your pelvic floor muscles (which retain urine in your bladder until you’re sufficiently positioned at the toilet, urinal or bush), fail to do their job. Usually, your muscles would hold off the passing of urine until the bladder is full; it would then send a signal to your brain to pull off at the next rest area. Usually, you’re in control and can tell the muscles when to relax. Urinary incontinence can occur due to weak pelvic floor muscles (known as stress incontinence) or when incorrect signals are sent between the brain and bladder (known as urge incontinence). There are ways to ease the symptoms such as exercise (to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles), electrical therapy and medication.   

Glaucoma

Everyone can potentially suffer from glaucoma, although it is often related to age. The condition can be hereditary. According to the Glaucoma Research foundation, if you have a family member with this condition you are four to nine times more likely to develop it yourself. African Americans are at the highest risk at a younger age.

What is it?
Glaucoma, being a condition of the eye, gradually steals sight. The optic nerve carries images from the eye to the brain, but becomes damaged with the condition, sometimes caused by excessive pressure in the eye. Often, both eyes are affected to varying degrees.

Symptoms and signs
The first signs may be the loss of peripheral vision, which you may unknowingly compensate for by turning your head. Other symptoms might be sudden eye pain, blurred vision, redness in the eye, or tunnel vision. Symptoms may not be seen for a while, so regular checkups are a good idea — especially if you’re in a high-risk group.

1. Recognize the physical symptoms of stress.

Symptoms of damaging physical stress include tense muscles, backache, heightened blood pressure, nausea, headache, rapid breathing, acne and increased susceptibility to illness. The extent to which stress negatively affects a person depends upon their perceptions and the coping strategies they choose to employ. Although a broad range of stress-reduction techniques exist, some have been proven more effective than others at providing relief. Those that minimize physical symptoms best are listed below.

2. Perform relaxing activities.

Listening to music, writing in a journal, painting a picture, enjoying nature, playing with a pet and taking a bath or shower are all excellent ways to relax and discharge stress. When negative emotions build, the human body needs to release its tension. Unfortunately, people under stress frequently engage in behaviors that actually intensify their pressure, such as acting aggressively, abusing drugs and alcohol, becoming socially withdrawn or criticizing themselves. If this sounds like you, stop for a moment and consider some positive ways of diffusing your tension. Channeling your anger or frustration into something constructive is a powerful stress-reducer.

3. Get physical.

Stress initiates 1,500 biochemical reactions in the human body, causing harmful physical effects, such as increased cardiovascular activity, slowed digestion and impaired immune-system functioning. Rigorous physical exercise restores balance to the body by diminishing these harmful chemicals. During exercise, opiate compounds called endorphins are released into the bloodstream. These natural painkillers induce a morphine-like state of euphoria and help to diminish one’s stress levels. Research has also demonstrated that physical exercise improves a person’s capacity to fall sleep and rest soundly.

4. Socialize.

The necessity of having a strong social network cannot be overstated–this is especially true when it comes to stress reduction. Researchers found that those who perceive themselves as lonely have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, report having more difficulty sleeping and are at higher risk for heart disease. Other studies show that being physically touched by another human being reduces stress hormones in the body. Therefore, spend time with friends and family. Give and receive hugs and handshakes. Share your frustrations with a listening ear. Find belonging, self-worth and a sense of security in the emotional bonds you form. In addition to feeling loved, you’ll experience significantly lower stress levels.

5. Practice your faith.

More than 1,200 studies have been conducted on the relationship between religious beliefs and human health. To Freud’s dismay, nearly all of them report a positive correlation between religion and physical or mental health. Expressing intrinsic faith is linked to a reduction in suicide and substance abuse, alleviation of anxiety and depressive symptoms, increase in immune system functioning, decrease in heart disease and a diminished risk of cancer. Other research demonstrates that prayer, meditation and other religious activities help to reduce the harmful effects of stress on the body. Therefore, if you are struggling with the physical symptoms of stress, take a moment to relax, run to a friend’s house, talk about your troubles and pray it works. Chances are, you’ll start feeling better before the coffee is finished brewing.

A new study shows that older people who diet without exercising lose huge amounts of muscle. When weight loss was combined with exercise, they did not lose muscle (Journal of Applied Physiology, October, 2008). Loss of muscle slows metabolism even further because larger muscles burn more calories at rest.

In this study, elderly sedentary people were placed in three groups: 1) Diet only, 2) exercise only, 3) diet and exercise. Those who dieted and exercised for four months lost more fat and less muscle than those who only dieted. Most of the exercisers chose to walk on a treadmill, which is not a very vigorous endeavor.

This also explains why losing weight repeatedly through dieting shortens a person’s life span. Many people go on diets and lose weight, quickly regain their lost weight and then go on a diet again. These people then become fatter at the same weight because they have lost so much muscle. Therefore at the same weight, they have fuller fat cells. Full fat cells produce immune stimulant called cytokines that turn on a person’s immunity continuously to cause inflammation, which increases risk for cancers, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and other harmful diseases.

Check this out. I just for the new iPhone with the Nike+ technology built in. But I don’t have a Nike+ sneaker and after getting the new phone, I’m not going out to buy a new sneaker. So I searched for ingenious way to attache the sensor to my sneaker. Search no more, check out the Shoe Pouch. It’s $6 and it looks pretty secure, so hopefully this will solve your problem. By the way, they would replace your pouch for FREE. Here is some info from the site. Shoe Pouch Website

The Shoe Pouch^™ was designed by Grantwood Technology, LLC to allow runners and walkers to use  +iPod Sport Kit® or Nike+ SportBand®, (NOTE: the Nike+iPod Sport Kit^® and Nike+ SportBand^® are each sold separately). Included with this Sport Kit is a sensor that fits inside specially designed Nike^® shoes (called Nike+^®), which cost around $100 USD. But what about people who currently wear other brands of athletic shoes, including Asics^®, New Balance^®, Reebok^®, Saucony^®, or even other Nike^® brands? Should they be required to spend another $100 just to have the privilege of using this Sport Kit?

In a word…NO.

When designing the Shoe Pouch^™, our primary goal was to ensure a very snug fit. Not only does this minimize the risk of the sensor falling out while exercising, it also allows the sensor to transmit accurate data. Competing products use Velcro^® to secure themselves, but a sensor enclosed in such products will tend to bounce up and down when your shoe strikes the ground, and this is what produces inaccurate data.

We took a different approach to securing the Shoe Pouch^™ to the outside of your shoe:

• You attach it through your shoelaces, not over and under them. We upgraded the loop design to be super strong nylon for extra durability
• We use a stretchable fabric (neoprene) with a slit barely wide enough to enclose the sensor. You will definitely feel some resistance when inserting the sensor. For extra security we added some Velcro^® to cover the slit.

If for any reason you are not 100% satisfied, we can either send a replacement pouch or refund your money. We stand by our products and look forward to you becoming another happy customer. For US customers, we now offer expedited shipping via USPS Priority Mail (2-3 days after shipping), or you can choose standard shipping via USPS First Class mail.

When it comes to burning body fat and losing weight, it’s pretty simple. Burn more calories then you consume. Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that but we’ll just leave it at that for now. Everybody knows about the stuff that has calories in it which include protein, carbohydrates, and fat. But I want to talk about something that has a tremendous impact on your ability to burn body fat, alcohol. Alcohol has calories too and the effect on your body is a lot greater then most people think.

Here is some good news about alcohol and fat calories: A very small percentage of the alcohol calories you drink are turned into fat. It’s in the single digits. But the problem with alcohol and it’s calories is that when consumed it reduces the amount of fat that your body can burn off for energy.

Here is a super quick lesson about the body and burning body fat. Your body wants to burn body fat for energy. Especially when at rest. When you workout it wants to use carbohydrates and glycogen (stored carbohydrates) for energy to fuel it through those morning workouts. But when the activity stops your body wants to burn fat. It wants to burn it when you’re watching TV, reading a book, cooking dinner, brushing your teeth, and even sleeping. But the lifestyle of the person will dictate how much, if any fat is being burned for energy.

Things that can detour the body from burning body fat as energy are skipping breakfast, low-calorie diets, not enough sleep or rest, skipping meals, and drinking too much alcohol.

Why does this happen? It comes down to a substance called acetate. Acetate levels rise sharply after alcohol is consumed. This substance pretty much tells the body to STOP burning body fat ASAP. And yet another problem is the body starts making another substance called acetyl CoA. This causes the body to actually start making more body fat.

An interesting fact about your body and alcohol is that it can only process about .5 to 1 ounce of alcohol per hour. To the body it is a toxic substance. And it is extremely hard for the liver to perform all of it’s regular functions, and even more so when alcohol is added to the mix.

12 ounces of beer has around .6 ounces of alcohol in it. So if you drank 5 beers your body would not be able to burn fat for up to 6 hours. The more you drink the longer you delay the body’s regular fat burning mechanism.

Also remember when you drink alcohol that it is empty calories. You get no nutritional benefit from it. No vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, omega-3’s, nothing!

So what to do? Well, if you were on a fat loss plan the best thing to do would be to avoid it. But for some people that’s out of the question. So if that’s the case always remember the word ‘moderation’. I’m sure you’ve heard it before with your nutrition and other parts of your life. Some other tips would be to choose wine or a light beer. And limit your intake to just 1-2 days a week with a maximum drink limit of 2. Drinking everyday on a fat loss plan is not a fat loss plan at all. Alright, let me go find a beer now…just kidding!!

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For men who train, it can be a pressing concern: How does training affect your sex life? Does frequent sex impact your training sessions? Well, it’s something that I use to believe. One of the key hormones in the body that affects both training and sex is testosterone, which just happens to be one of the main sexual hormones. Accordingly, it’s not hard to see how these two factors would go hand in hand.

Your sex drive

The first thing to consider in this picture is your sex drive. Will training impact how frequently you want to have sex? Let’s take a closer look at the testosterone connection here:

It’s no secret that a higher testosterone level in males increases their sex drive. When a man’s testosterone level begins to fall as he ages or due to other health-related factors, the libido will usually start to diminish as well.

Sometimes, if the condition is severe enough, doctors may place certain men on testosterone replacement therapy to help bring their hormonal levels back up to normal. Once these levels have been increased again, libido should rise and the desire and sexual performance (sometimes low testosterone can contribute to erectile dysfunction) should improve as well.

It only stands to reason, then, that anything you can do to increase your natural testosterone production should serve to further enhance sex drive levels. This is where weight lifting comes in.

When a man participates in heavy weight training, the levels of testosterone in his body will shoot up — assuming, of course, that this program is appropriate. Do note that overtraining is one of the biggest killers of testosterone, so taking this point too far and doing a very large volume of weight lifting will actually work against you and your testosterone levels.

Getting on a proper program where you are doing 20-40 sets maximum per workout will help to ensure that you aren’t going overboard. Additionally, be sure that when you are lifting, you are lifting heavy amounts. The weight is really the key here — just be sure you are still using proper form and not overdoing it.

Additionally, certain exercises will also affect your sex drive more than others will. To fully maximize testosterone, full squats are a must. These will use so many muscle fibers in the body that it would be hard not to get a good testosterone release because of them.

Aside from squats, all the other compound movement lifts will be your best allies when it comes to increasing your sex drive. These exercises include:

• Bench press
• Bent-over row
• Stiff-legged deadlift
• Lunges
• Shoulder press
• Back squat
• Pull-ups
  

Incorporating these movements into your workout routine would be highly beneficial to your sex drive.

Sex and strength

The next point in this scenario is how having sex will affect your strength and workout performance. Some guys are so intently focused on their training that they want to be sure that frequent sessions in the bedroom are not going to have a negative impact on their sessions in the gym.

Generally speaking, having frequent sex won’t impact your weight-lifting performance. If anything, it should increase your workout performance since, once again, sex causes a release of the hormone testosterone, and the more testosterone one has circulating throughout the body, the more muscle tissue can be built.

The one time it might come into play is if you have just finished having sex and then head straight to the gym. You may find your performance isn’t as good, because for some men, sex can cause muscular fatigue; for others, though, it actually energizes them. This is solely dependent on the individual and his sexual aftermath.

Indirect effects of training on your sex life

Finally, the last thing to take into consideration is the indirect effect of training on your sex life.

For those of you who are trying to reach extremes and taking your body fat levelsto low single digits, this can definitely impact what your sex drive levels are like. At very low levels, most men will start to find that their desire for sex drastically decreases and they lose pleasure in the act. Furthermore, those on very low-fat diets may notice a similar occurrence as well.

Overtraining, as briefly touched on above, can also play a key role in declining libido levels. When overtraining occurs, not only will you likely lose interest in many of the daily activities you used to enjoy, but you’ll also lose your sex drive.

Being sure to monitor your body fat levels closely and ensure that you are getting enough rest in between training sessions is extremely critical to your general health and your sexual health.

Another indirect effect of training that can impact your sex life in a positive way is the stress reduction working out provides. Many men use weight lifting as a way to rid themselves of stress they are experiencing, and since stress is one of the biggest sex-drive killers, this will obviously have a beneficial effect.

The last factor to consider that could be affecting you is any type of supplementsyou are taking to improve your results at the gym. Steroids will increase sex drive drastically; however, you must be warned that they, at the same time, can have the negative side effects of increasing breast size, causing impotence and creating testicular atrophy. More often than not, the benefits of using steroids are outweighed by the adverse side effects seen. Therefore, this is not the best idea when it comes to trying to boost your sex drive.

Other supplements that can influence the sex drive in some males include yohimbe, tribulus and horny goat weed (even though that last one might sound good for your sex drive, it really isn’t). Note that sometimes these supplements will be combined with others in a stack, so be sure to check the ingredient listings.

Some men fall into the trap of thinking that taking human growth hormone (HGH) will increase their sex drive, but this supplement actually isn’t all that beneficial unless it’s administered medically (which is both extremely costly and only given in extreme situations). Therefore, it really isn’t going to have much of an impact at all on your sex drive.

Ok, so I get a ton of questions about workout routines and how to create bodyweight circuits that will trim the body down quickly. The best approach is to target the entire body, because in all honesty, targeting just your abdominal region (most common region of concern these days) is a thought of the past. The goal is to keep the heart rate up, keep it intense, minimize the chatting between exercises and you will see results in no time. Here is a bodyweight sequence that will burn the fat off your behind. Give yourself a few weeks and repeat it up to 3x week. Have fun!! By the way, are you following me on Twitter? If not, look for me: FITNESS102 (Go ahead, I’ll follow you in return:)

Condition level: Beginner

Goal: Fat loss, Coordination, Stabilization, Strength, and Stamina

Duration: Three months, 3 times per week workout

Session length: 30-40 minutes per workout

WARMUP

Quick jog (up block or around track)

Arm circles 30 seconds each way (forward and back)

20 Bodyweight squats

20 Jumping jacks

20 Pushups

**REMEMBER, ALWAYS PERFORM DYNAMIC STRETCHES PRIOR TO ENSURE THE MUSCLES ARE WARM AND PREPARED TO HANDLE ANY EXERCISE”

WORKOUT

Pushups (Continuous 1 Minute)

Sit-ups (Continuous 1 Minute)

Pushups 20 repetitions

Sit-ups 20 reps

Pushups 15 reps

Sit-ups 15 reps

Pushups 12 reps

Sit-ups 12 reps

Bodyweight Squats (Continuous 1 Minute)

Bodyweight V-Ups (30 seconds – This is a sit up where both the lower and upper body come off the ground to meet at a point above your stomach)

Alternate forward lunges (Continuous 1 Minute)

Bodyweight V-Ups (30 seconds)

Burpees (30 seconds – From the standing position, squat down and shoot your legs back so that you are now in the push up position. From there pull your legs back in stand up and jump with your arms overhead)

TAKE A BREAK (ONE MINUTE)

Jump rope (1 Minute)

Bodyweight Squats (1 minute)

Bodyweight V-ups (30 seconds)

Mountain climbers (30 seconds – While in the push up position pull your legs in one at a time so that you are essentially running in the horizontal position if you go fast enough)

TAKE A BREAK (ONE MINUTE)

Jump rope (1 Minute)

25 Pushups

Arm circles (30 seconds)

15 Pushups

Arm circles (30 seconds)

10 Pushups

Arm circles (30 seconds)

Jump rope (1 Minute)

Bodyweight V-ups (30 seconds)

Jumping jacks (1 Minute)

Bodyweight V-ups (30 seconds)

Knees high jog (30 seconds)

Butt kicks jog (30 seconds)

Plank Hold (1 Minute)

TAKE A BREAK (DONE – YOU EARNED IT!!)

COOLDOWN

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