published by www.fitnessbuilding.com

Most women know that heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States of men. Most women also realize the value of eating healthy food, exercising, and decreasing stress–for their families and loved ones. Information is abundant and readily available in books, newspapers and magazines, and on television and radio about the risk of cardiovascular disease in men.

But the widespread belief that heart disease is exclusively a man’s problem is a myth. Women and most physicians are not aware that cardiovascular disease is the number one-killer of women as well as men. The facts speak for themselves: Of the 520,000 people who die of heart attacks in the United States each year, almost half–about 250,000 are women In addition, almost 100,000 women die of strokes. Substantially fewer women die annually from breast cancer (40,500) or lung cancer (41,500). Overall, heart and vascular diseases claim more American women’s lives than do all forms of cancer combined.

Moreover, many of the factors that determine the risk of heart disease for women differ from those for men. Dr. William Castelli, a leading authority on heart disease and director of the Framingham Heart Study, which has done research on heart disease risk factors for forty years, has referred to these unique risks for women as a “whole new syndrome” associated with a “galloping progression of atherosclerosis.

Women are largely unaware of the effects of estrogen, birth control pills, and cigarettes and few know that if they smoke and take birth control pills, they have about forty times more chance of heart disease than women who do not. Women above age thirty-five are particularly at risk. It is vital to understand the factors favoring heart disease, because they may be avoidable or modifiable. In fact, according to Dr. Dean Ornish, women may have to do less than men to affect their outlook positively. In a study he conducted evaluating the effect of life-style changes in reversing heart disease, women responded better than men, even when women did less to restrict their diets, exercise, or reduce stress. By understanding their risks and ways to minimize them, women can lessen the chances of being victims of what the American Heart Association has called “the silent epidemic.”

The purpose of developing and maintaining a healthy way of life for yourself as a woman is not only to decrease the risk of heart disease but also to fell well and feel good. Physical activity does not have to be strenuous to be beneficial. More women than ever are discovering that exercise in moderation is exhilirating. Healthy changes in eating do not have to be unduly restrictive. The food you eat can continue to be delicious and satisfying. By using simply new tools to maintain a healthy weight, you will decrease the chances of developing three big heart disease risks–diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol–and discover a renewed sense of self at the same time.

By taking control of your health, you will be more able to take control of other aspects of your life. In so doing, you will achieve a greater sense of well-being, which is the true meaning of health. This is a marvelous opportunity for you personally. In addition, your new healthy living habits can be a model for family and friends. You thus may make a significant difference in their lives and health as well as your own. In the words of Hillel: “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? If not now, when?”

About the Author
Richard Helfant, MD, is a Harvard-trained cardiologist and developer of cardiac technologies. His book Courageous Confrontations, is about how the mind-body relationship can combat heart disease.

EXERCISE AND HEALTH : How To Eat For Energy When Working Out

published by www.fitnessbuilding.com

How many times has this happened to you?

- You psych yourself up mentally (you are GOING to do it!)

- You don the outfit (you can practically feel the energy flowing through your veins!)

- You lace up the running shoes (Nike: Just Do It – that’s you.)

- You grab your towel (because ANYONE SERIOUS needs a towel).

Then it’s time.

It’s time to sweat. It’s time to burn the evil fat from your body. You face the treadmill (or stair climber, or rowing machine, or exercise video with the perky aerobics instructor on it).

And you start.

You warm up, and start moving faster and faster. The sweat starts to pour. The blood is pumping. Man, you are burning! That size 2 exercise instructor is going to look like a whale compared to you when you get through!

The adrenaline hits your blood and you feel GREAT! You could exercise forever! In fact maybe you will exercise forever!

Your time winds down. Ok, maybe you’d better slow down, no sense in going TOO crazy here. The cool down sure feels good. You turn off the treadmill, or the exercise video and head to the shower.

Then it hits you.

EXERCISE REPERCUSSION.

You feel like you want to die, or at least sleep for about 12 hours. You go through the day craving anything you can easily grab: anything edible or, depending on how good it looks, anything at all. Nutritional value? Who cares!

But nothing seems to satisfy you and you could swear that you’ve just eaten all the calories you burned during exercise PLUS more!

What was the point in exercising at all if you go through your day tired and eating everything in sight? It was just a waste of your time and a stress on your body for nothing right?

Well, not necessarily, not if you can learn from it. Here’s how to avoid the above experience when exercising:

1) Check Your Hydration Levels

(I know not really exciting-but it will do wonders!!)

The average adult loses 10-12 cups of water a day (that’s not including water we lose from exercise, caffeine, etc).

It’s estimated that approx 75% of North Americans are chronically dehydrated. And even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%.

And here’s the key, all you exercisers: Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue!!!! Unfortunately this fatigue often gets mistaken for hunger and we eat more than we need in a desperate effort to get that water back into our bodies.

What can you do?

Before your workout: drink 1-2 glasses of water

During your workout: Have about �-1 cup of water for every 20 minutes of exercise

After your workout: Have at least 3 cups of water in the hour after you exercise.

2) Check Your Pre-workout Nutrition

Since you want energy over the long haul, your best bet is to try having some complex carbs before you exercise (like oatmeal, whole wheat toast, or whole wheat crackers).

Some people prefer to get their carbohydrate from fruit also, it depends on what works for you.

Try to combine this with a little bit of protein (like peanut butter on your whole wheat toast, or a couple slices of cheese with your apple). Try different combos and see what gives you the most energy.

3) During your workout:

If your workout is under an hour: Make sure you keep drinking that water and continue to listen to your body.

If you want to go more than an hour you should try eating 25 to 30 grams of carbohydrate every half hour (i.e. From sports bars, fruits or whole grains).

If you are exercising for more than 3 hours you should consider sipping a sports drink to replace lost electrolytes. Both sports drinks and energy bars help to maintain your blood sugar levels and prevent muscle glycogen (energy) depletion

4) After exercise:

Keep drinking that water! (See above) You also want to refuel with carbohydrates as soon as you can after exercise (toast, bagel, fruits, oatmeal, etc.)

Your body not only needs to refuel but it also needs to rebuild with some protein since intense exercise involves the breakdown of muscle tissue.

Some possible snacks are: Peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat toast, cottage cheese mixed with fruit, scrambled eggs with whole wheat toast.

The most important thing is to pay attention to your body and feel what works for you as you exercise. If you feel light-headed or dizzy or in pain at any time during exercise stop! Respect your body and what it tells you.

Hopefully the next time you decide to face the treadmill (or the exercise video) you’ll be able to feel great both during AND after you exercise.

You’ll be able to feel as if you’ve made your body better and stronger, by feeding it and exercising it and keeping that energy up!

About the Author
Kathryn O’Neill is a contributing writer to Diet and Weight Loss Reviews .For more free weight loss tips and diet reviews, visit http://www.freetobethin.com.

Article source:
Exercise Nutrition How To Eat For Energy When Working Out

Winsor Pilates is one of the many exercise systems advertised through infomercials, and one of the biggest sellers. With celebrity endorsements from the likes of Daisy Fuentes and Madonna, it’s hard to resist the infomercial and not pick up the phone.

Pilates was developed as a rehabilitative program for injured dancers by Joseph Pilates.

The basic premise is that by strengthening the core muscles and increasing flexibility the body will become toned and more coordinated. Dancers have used the system for years, and it is now catching on with the rest of the fitness community.

Most users report increased flexibility, coordination, a lengthening of muscles and a much stronger “core”.

The floor exercises featured in the tapes all work together to strengthen the abdominal muscles and back, called the “core” in this system. Each movement involves these important muscle groups, and the results are fantastic.

Not only do the abdominal muscles become more toned, but the entire midsection is strengthened. The results are less likelihood of injury and increased performance in other fitness activities. A stronger back is a less painful back.

The pilates moves are also good for toning the legs and buttocks.

The moves are slow and deliberate, requiring not only physical exertion but concentration as well. Ensuring that you are performing the moves correctly actively involves the mind, causing us to focus on the movements of our bodies.

This inevitably reduces stress. In this way, pilates is similar to yoga. Many users report feeling refreshed and relaxed after the workout, not tired.

Mari Winsor’s presentation of the pilates system is excellent. She is careful to explain each move in great detail so that the beginner can follow along and do the movements in proper form.

Most beginners will be discouraged after their first session, but after the second or third the movements will not seem so difficult.

The exercises are useful and effective for core strengthening. You won’t see pounds just melt away, however, unless you combine the workouts with a sensible eating plan.

Mari includes one for your reference, but you can use this system with the weight loss program you’re already on to help accelerate results.

Of course, you may want to check with your doctor before starting any exercise program. However, Winsor Pilates is non-aerobic but effective in toning and strengthening the core of your body and may help you lose inches as well. Winsor Pilates is well worth a try.

About the Author
Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.pilatesreviews.info a website specialized on Winsor Pilates, resources and articles.

EXERCISE WILL LEAD TO HEALTHY LIFE

When you have true friends, they accept you for who you are. So, you can expect no criticism from them.

However, your family physician, photographs, and mirrors, won’t make excuses for you. Some people label it, “middle age spread” or “battle of the bulge,” but how do you regain control of this uphill battle?

You are concerned with body weight, body fat, blood sugar, blood pressure, and your cholesterol levels. Which of those readings should concern you the most?

You know it’s time to make a change. Should you join a health club?

What piece of exercise equipment could you fit into your house? Every time you see fitness equipment commercials, the models are the age of your children. The basic fitness rules for the average 25 year old do not apply to us.

Your joints are worn from step aerobics, Tae Bo, and spinning classes. Now you are in search of a low impact alternative.

So, where do you start and what are your options? Actually, you have quite a few options. Some are popular, and others are less popular, but just as effective.

Yoga classes have a huge variety of low impact exercise routines. Some classes hold postures, and others flow through each posture by matching breath with movement.

You can’t go wrong, and you may be able to pick up an introductory, or free, introductory package. Most of all, try different types of Yoga classes to see what fits your
needs.

Weight resistance training is still a great workout, for many reasons, and you don’t have to sit down between sets, unless you want to. This enables you to keep your heart rate steady; you may want to use an exercise heart monitor, which gives you the chance to exercise at a challenging, but safe level, without worry.

I would suggest a personal trainer, if you have been out of circulation for a while. Make sure your personal trainer is knowledgeable and understanding.

Also, be aware that some personal trainers specialize in body builders, some specialize in training women, and some have holistic knowledge. It is wise to shop around for the best personal trainer to suit your needs.

Elliptical trainers offer a stimulating, low impact, cross training, weight bearing, and aerobic workout.

I don’t own shares in any of the companies that manufacture these gems, but they are my personal favorite. You can find home gym models that retail for around the annual cost of a health club membership. However, be honest with yourself about making a commitment to use it.

It’s a shame when an elliptical trainer becomes a glorified clothes rack.

In the next article, we will discuss more exercise options and diet.

About the Author
Paul Jerard, is a co-owner/director of Yoga teacher training at Aura Wellness Center. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org

Article source:
Optimum Fitness for Middle Age – Part 1

By Alan Mozes, HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) — People who adopt four healthy behaviors — never smoking, regular exercise, eating well and maintaining a healthy weight — can dramatically reduce their likelihood for chronic disease and an early death, a new study confirms. Fitnessbuilding will help save your life. Keeping a fitness lifestyle will let you live longer. A moderate fitness training program will keep you in shape and help you with exercise and keep you on a fitness routine to a healthier lifestyle.

On average, healthy living may cut your odds for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes by about 80 percent, the researchers said.

“We’re talking about relatively straightforward behaviors that pretty much everyone knows about already,” said study author Dr. Earl S. Ford, a medical officer with the U.S. Public Health Service and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “But there’s unfortunately a gap between people realizing what’s good for them and doing what they might want to do.”

“We’re showing that for a very wide range of diseases — not just one chronic disease, but many — these few behaviors really do have a major impact on prevention,” Ford said.

He and his colleagues reported the findings in the Aug. 10/24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The authors drew on data from a German study conducted between 1994 and 1998. That research probed the lifestyle characteristics, food habits, and disease history of about 23,000 German adults between the ages of 35 and 65.

Adherence to four key lifestyle indicators were tracked: never having smoked; having a body-mass index below 30 (the threshold for obesity); exercising for a minimum of 3.5 hours per week; and eating healthfully, as evidenced by a diet high in fruit and vegetable intake but low in meat.

Ford and his team found that rather than scoring an A+ or an F in lifestyle, most study participants engaged in some (one to three), but not all of the ideal behaviors.

Less than 4 percent met none of the criteria for a healthy lifestyle, while 9 percent followed all four.

Tracking disease incidence for almost eight years, the researchers found that when it came to disease prevention and healthy lifestyle, more is more.

Regardless of age, gender, educational achievement, or job status, those following all four lifestyle behaviors had a 78 percent lower risk on average for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes compared with those who had adopted none of the preferable lifestyle factors.

Taken one by one, diabetes was the most significantly impacted by practicing all four healthy behaviors, with a 93 percent reduced risk compared with those who followed none of the four.

Those who practiced some but not all of the highlighted behaviors did achieve some risk reduction for chronic disease, the researchers noted, although not as much. Having a BMI below 30 appeared to lower disease risk the most, followed by never smoking, routine physical activity and consuming a good diet.

With the findings in, Ford said that the trick now is to motivate the public to practice what researchers are preaching.

“The more you do, the better off you will be,” he said. “You can certainly get benefits from practicing one healthy behavior. But at the same time, you will get more benefit the more you do.”

“Perhaps studies like this one do help some, by demonstrating how sizeable the impacts truly are,” Ford added.

Dr. David L. Katz is director of internal medicine and preventive medicine/public health at the Prevention Research Center at the Yale University School of Medicine, as well as the author of an accompanying editorial. He called the strength of the connection between healthy behavior and long, healthy life “incredible.”

“This study is essentially a reaffirmation that an amazingly short list of behaviors, which we’ve been hearing about for about 15 years, massively influence our risk for premature death and for developing all of the major chronic diseases all of us spend most of our time studying and being concerned about,” Katz said.

“And so I think of this study as an invitation to every mom and dad — to every family — to try and shore up their commitment to eating well, and try to make exercise part of their routine workout culture, and to not smoke,” he observed. “It’s an opportunity to endow your child with an 80 percent reduced likelihood of ever getting a heart attack or ever dying of cancer.”

Still, it’s tough in a sedentary, affluent age to take some of these simple steps, Katz added. “It’s an incredible opportunity that we have thus far failed to exploit,” he said.

Join a health club, start a workout routine and you’re on your way to living longer and happier.

Published by David Aston, resident advisor to : http://fitnessbuilding.com

published by David Aston, resident advisor to http://fitnessbuilding.com

On July 28, 2009, the U.S. FDA notified the public about new safety information concerning products marketed for body building and increasing muscle mass. The FDA has sent a Warning Letter to a manufacturer of body building supplements that claim to contain steroid-like ingredients, but in fact contain synthetic steroids.

The products named in the Warning Letter are marketed by American Cellular Laboratories, Inc., and include “TREN-Xtreme,” “MASS Xtreme,” “ESTRO Xtreme,” “AH-89-Xtreme,” “HMG Xtreme,” “MMA-3 Xtreme,” “VNS-9 Xtreme,” and “TT-40-Xtreme.”

Also see a related announcement on July 28 regarding the voluntary recall of S-DROL tablets by Nutracoastal Trading LLC for containing the steroid, desoxymethyltestosterone.

The FDA has received reports of serious adverse events associated with the use of these products and other similar products. Products like these are frequently marketed as alternatives to anabolic steroids for increasing muscle mass and strength and are sold both online and in retail stores.

They are often promoted to athletes to improve sports performance and to aid in recovery from training and sporting events. Although products containing synthetic steroids are frequently marketed as dietary supplements, they are NOT dietary supplements, but instead are unapproved new drugs that have not been reviewed by the FDA for safety and effectiveness.

Adverse event reports received by the FDA for body building products that are labeled to contain steroids or steroid alternatives involve men (ages 22-55) and include cases of serious liver injury, stroke, kidney failure and pulmonary embolism (blockage of an artery in the lung).

Due to the potentially serious health risks associated with using these types of products, the FDA recommends that consumers immediately stop using all body building products that claim to contain steroids or steroid-like substances.

Consumers should consult their health care professional if they are experiencing symptoms possibly associated with these products, particularly nausea, weakness or fatigue, fever, abdominal pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes) or brown/discolored urine.

The FDA also recommends that consumers talk with their health care professional about any body building supplements they are taking or planning to take, particularly if they are uncertain about a product’s ingredients.

Health care professionals are advised to ask their patients about any over-the-counter products they may be using, including products marketed as dietary supplements.

Additionally, health care professionals should be alert to patients presenting with the warning signs that may be associated with the use of steroids or steroid-like substances, including liver injury, kidney failure, stroke, and hormone-associated adverse effects, such as blood clots, including pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis.