by Jan Michael | Sep 16, 2013 | Exercise |
Sticking with a fitness routine is not always easy. We can be our own worst enemies. After all, we are toughest on ourselves. The truth is, missing a workout or sneaking a bite of cake becomes a way bigger deal in our own minds than it is in reality. Sometimes the only thing you need to keep you from sabotaging the rest of your day is empowerment. Here are some simple tips, from the editors at Burnthis.com, for keeping things in perspective and motivating you to stick with your routine.
Prep Work:
Getting fit doesn’t mean sacrificing taste! If you put a little work into finding recipes and blogs that inspire you to eat well you properly equip yourself to maintain a healthy lifestyle, by eating deliciously without any guilt.
Try Something New:
Accomplishment = empowerment. Conquering a new class gives you the ability to resist unnecessary temptation and inspires you to take on new challenges. Not sure where to start? BurnThis has reviews of the best boutique fitness studios in your area!
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by Jan Michael | Sep 13, 2013 | General Health, How Your Body Works |
Even if you know to look for gluten in the less-than-obvious foods, gluten can sneak up on you in the most unexpected places.
A significant number of non-food products contain ingredients derived from grains that can be problematic with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. In fact, many are now being produced and marketed as gluten-free.
The ingredients in question are typically included as binding agents or fillers and are usually only problematic if ingested, experts told CBS News. For that reason, adhesive on envelopes and stamps used to cause problems, but today that starch-based stickiness comes from corn, Gluten-Free Living magazine reported.
Preliminary research suggests that merely coming into contact with gluten, say in the form of a hand lotion, could also cause adverse affects, Health.com reported. Plus, if it’s a little one you’re watching out for, you may need to be extra cautious, since kids will put just about anything in their mouths.
Obviously, food is more prominently labeled than non-food products when it comes to gluten, but that may be changing. Supermarket News reported a 43 percent increase in body care products being labeled and certified as gluten-free in 2012.
Here are a few of the products to watch out for
by Jan Michael | Sep 12, 2013 | Obesity |
The occurrence of a stroke is usually associated with people over the age of 65. But according to a new report, young people are now at higher risk for the condition.
The consensus report, published in the journal Neurology, analyzed the recognition and management of stroke in people between 15 and 44 years of age in the US.
The analysis revealed that overall, 15% of the most common types of strokes occur in young people and adolescents, with more young people showing risk factors for strokes.
Figures showed that between 532,000 and 852,000 people between the ages of 18 and 44 in the US have had a stroke.
US hospital discharges for strokes among people between the ages of 15 and 44 increased from 23% in 1995/96 to 53% in 2007/08, dependent on age and gender of the group.
Approximately 85% of all strokes are ischemic. This means they are caused by blockages that restrict blood flow to the brain.
According to the report, the risk factors for ischemic stroke are more apparent in young people. These risks include obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, smoking and congenital heart disease.
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by Jan Michael | Sep 11, 2013 | Carbs, Cravings, Sugars |
There are few joys in life as sweet as seeing our children smile. Thus, it is with the best of intentions that we cave to pleas for candy and tantrums over French fries in hopes of glimpsing those (rapidly decaying) pearly whites. After all, there are bigger threats to our children, right?
As it turns out, sugar isn’t as harmless as we once thought, at least not in the volume we’re consuming it.
[header 3]A Natural Drive on Overdrive[/header]
Children have a natural penchant for sweets; it’s part of our survival programming. But in this hyper-processed, convenience-obsessed age, that natural drive is now on overdrive. With about one-third of children overweight or obese, childhood obesity has more thandoubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years.
The American Heart Association recommends that children consume 3 to 8 teaspoons of added sugar per day, depending on their age and daily caloric intake. Yet children as young as 1 year already consume three to four times the daily recommendation. By 4 to 8 years old, children are consuming an average of 21 teaspoons of sugar daily, and the average teenager consumes about 34 teaspoons each day — even more than the average adult.
Research has tied high sugar intake to a number of serious health problems, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and tooth decay. Once confined to adults, we’re now seeing the early signs of these conditions in young children. In the early 1990s, Type 2 diabetes accounted for 3 percent of new cases of diabetes in children; by 2004, that number rose to 45 percent.
Moreover, sugar may be addictive. Like cocaine and other drugs, sugar activates the reward system in the brain. Rats hooked on sugar show classic symptoms of addiction, including tolerance, withdrawal and cravings, and have been known to bypass cocaine in favor of their primary drug of choice: sugar.
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by Jan Michael | Sep 9, 2013 | Exercise, General Health |
Morning time: The birds are singing, you haven’t checked your e-mail yet, and you have a moment of peace before the day attacks. This is your opportunity to start the day off right. Like the common belief that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, your morning exercise routine is one of the most important things you can do to prepare for your to do list and feel great all day. What’s a great way to get centered and wake up? Yoga.
HuffPost Hawaii asked yoga instructor Noelani Love of Noelani Studios in Haleiwa on Oahu’s North Shore to show us five poses that anyone can and should do to greet the morning.
1. The sun is up and waiting for you to greet it.
As soon as you wake up, try to get outside. You need the vitamin D, and your mood will improve. Live in a concrete jungle? Open a window, breathe some fresh air and fill your room with natural light.
Standing backbend and side stretches: Inhale the arms up straight and bend back slightly to feel elongation throughout your entire body. Exhale and let one hand slide down the side of your body with the other hand still raised. Allow your head and neck to relax, feeling an even deeper stretch in the ribs and side body. Slowly inhale up to center and exhale to the opposite side. Repeat this motion 5 times on each side.
2. You’re probably going to be sitting most of the day, so stretch out now.
There’s mounting scientific proof that a sedentary life leads to health problems. Unfortunately, many of us have no choice but to spend long periods of time in a car or a chair. Sitting shortens your muscles, and tight muscles lead to discomfort and injury. Stretch out while you have the chance.
Forward fold: Exhale, folding forward at the hips. Allow your knees to bend and try to bring your chest towards your thighs. Relax the neck and let the head hang heavily. You will feel this stretch in the lower spine as well as in the legs. This pose allows fresh blood to flow easily to the brain, cleansing and refreshing the brain, aiding the circulatory system. Stay here for 10 deep breaths.
3. This might be the only alone time you have all day.
Before you have to talk to everyone else, use the morning as an opportunity to have a conversation with yourself. Set an intention for the day, no matter how small, and meditate on that intention for a few peaceful moments.
Tree pose: With feet hip distance apart, spread the toes wide to help plant yourself firmly on the ground. Bring the hands onto the hips or to heart’s center. Inhale to bring one foot up, placing it either on the calf or the thigh (never place the foot on the knee). Exhale. Keep the core engaged, and if you have your balance reach your arms to the sky. Stay here for 5 rounds of breath. Exhale to slowly place the foot on the ground, switch legs. This balance pose is a great time to set an intention for your day — perhaps an intention of balance, perseverance, fun, or whatever you desire!
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Sticking with a fitness routine is not always easy. We can be our own worst enemies. After all, we are toughest on ourselves. The truth is, missing a workout or sneaking a bite of cake becomes a way bigger deal in our own minds than it is in reality. Sometimes the only thing you need to keep you from sabotaging the rest of your day is empowerment. Here are some simple tips, from the editors at Burnthis.com, for keeping things in perspective and motivating you to stick with your routine.
