FitSugar

Healthy Tips Straight From the White House

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:00:23 -0700

It's no secret that Michelle and President Obama are one fit couple. If you're wondering how they stay in shape with such a demanding lifestyle and with a personal pastry chef living under the same roof, the first lady has offered some tips in a recent issue of Prevention magazine.

Include exercises in your routine that offer immediate results. Michelle says, "I enjoy arm exercises because you can see what it's hitting." So make sure your workouts target a specific area every time you work out, and the consistency will pay off. Now we have more information on her famous arms.
Don't skip out on workouts. If the wife of the president of the United States can make time to work out, so can you. She wakes up at 4:30 every morning so she has time to fit it in.
Cross train and mix up your routine. Doing the same types of workouts over and over again is boring and a great way to injure yourself. So Mrs. Obama varies her workouts with Pilates, cardio, stretching, and weights.

To see the rest of Michelle's advice read more.

Have no absolute "nos." The first lady admits, "I love French fries, I like a good burger, and I like pie. And that's okay. I would be depressed if I felt I could never eat the things that I love."
Practice moderation. The presidential couple encourages their daughters to make healthy choices when it comes to not-so-healthy foods, and to not be obsessed. So if one asks, "Can I have pie?" Michelle will answer, "Did you have pie last night?" It's all about making healthy choices and finding the balance between indulging in what you love and not overdoing it.

At my house, the girls are always asking for ice cream; I'm going to try the first lady's answer.

Practice Moderation Like World's Oldest Man

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:14 -0700

The world's oldest man is an astounding 112 years old, born in September 1896. Walter Breuning has lived such a long and fruitful life by keeping busy, taking an aspirin, and eating two meals a day, and most importantly, by practicing moderation. To live a long life, he recommends staying active in body and mind, don't eat too much, and be good to people. This is much healthier advice to live by as compared to the world's previous oldest man, Henry Allingham. Before passing away at 113, he jokingly attributed his remarkable longevity to "cigarettes, whiskey, and wild, wild women."

Breuning revealed that longevity doesn't run in his family. His father lived until 50, his mother until 46, and his four brothers and sisters died in their 70s. Walter says he's more grateful for his health than he is for a world title.

Speak Up: Do You Have a Cheat Day?

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:00:00 -0800

Everything in moderation, we always say, but some people have a hard time spreading their indulgences throughout the week and choose to save their splurges for a "cheat day." Personally, I like to fit little pleasures into my daily life, whether it be a glass of wine with dinner or a piece of dark chocolate any time of day.

Allowing myself small daily treats makes me happiest, but of course we are all different. Celeb trainer Harley Pasternak has incorporated a cheat day into his 5-Factor Diet that Jessica Simpson and Eva Mendes follow. Do you have cheat days, and are there certain things that you tend to eat on those days?

Source

Yo-Yo Exercising Is a No, No

FitSugar — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 02:30:00 -0800

We've all heard that yo-yo dieting is bad for your health, but did you know that yo-yo exercising could be just as bad?

A study from the Journal of Applied Physiology has found that periods of strenuous exercise followed by weeks of physical inactivity can lead to increased fat cell production. Since increased fat cell production - fat cell hyperplasia - can lead to weight gain and obesity, this is not something any of us want, nor is it healthy. This is why moderation and making a plan to fit exercise (and healthy eating) into your lifestyle is recommended rather than starting something drastic that you know you will not be able to follow for years to come.

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Dark Chocolate Lowers Blood Pressure

FitSugar — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 10:30:00 -0700

I don't know about you, but I really do love chocolate and rarely need an excuse to indulge. Since there is new research suggesting that dark chocolate (my favorite) helps lower blood pressure I might not need to rationalize my small indulgences any longer.

German scientists found that eating a tiny square of dark chocolate every night before bed, lowered blood pressure. I just want to reiterate, that it is a "tiny square" of dark chocolate, not an entire bar of chocolate. Participants in the study ate one square -- 6.3 grams and 30 calories -- of a Ritter Sport Halbbitter, which is 50 percent cacao, every day for 18 weeks. The cool thing about this new study is that participants ate regular, ol' dark chocolate not some fancy pants, scientifically distilled, flavonoid enhanced cocoa.

It is thought that chocolate lowers blood pressure when cocoa flavanols spur the release of nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels and increases blood flow. I think it is super cool that my chocolate fix is helping to keep my blood pressure regulated. I think it is important to mention, when dealing with high blood pressure, chocolate may help but it is not the only answer. It is just one element folks can use to manage hypertension.

Source

Wii-itis IS The New Nintendinitis

FitSugar — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 11:00:00 -0700

Sports injuries are a serious bummer, not only do they disrupt well planned training schedules, they are also painful. As luck would have it, "sports" injuries sustained during long sessions of Wii sports video games are painful as well.

A recent letter in "The New England Journal of Medicine details the first documented case of acute “Wiiitis” caused by extended play on Wii tennis. Yep, hours on the virtual court can lead to over use injuries, just like in reality. Well not quite...the Wii games can captivate a player for hours and "unlike in the real sports, physical strength and endurance are not limiting factors," according to the diagnosing physician. I would add to that list weather conditions (sun?) and other players waiting to get some court time can force a game wisely to end.

According to geeksugar, this is not the first Wii related injury. Seems there were some strap malfunctions in some early models. It is also interesting to note, "Nintendinitis" (love the play on words here) became part of the medical vernacular in the 1990s when a doctor used the word to characterize thumb pain brought on by five hours of uninterrupted Nintendo play, by a 35 year female patient.

Once again, it seems like the moral of the tale is one of moderation. So if Wii is your only form of exercise (please say it ain't so, especially with this gorgeous weather) you should treat it like any other form of exercise and warm up! Or at least take some Gatorade breaks to "replenish" your athletic self.

Source

Get the Bod: Hilary Swank Believes in Moderation

FitSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Hilary Swank won me over in her role in Million Dollar Baby. When it comes to a fit and healthy body, any strong female who can box is top on my list of inspirational women.

When asked how she stays so healthy, she told Men's Fitness:

"Well, I think I'm really blessed with good genes because I really am a big eater. I really like food and food is life to me, but I kind of eat what I want and do it in moderation." I'm with you on that, Hilary. I feel disgusting if I eat a whole brownie sundae or entire bag of kettle corn on my own.

She also said, "If my body craves something I allow myself to have it." Hallelujah - a celeb that doesn't deprive herself of life's little sweet pleasures.

Since she works nonstop, she says "I have to have sustained energy so I understand about nutrition." She also takes vitamins and exercise is a huge part of her life. She said "it's a huge stress relief; it mentally makes me feel great. It gets my blood going, it gives me more energy, and it makes me think better."

What's her normal exercise routine? She goes running 2 or 3 times a week, and takes Pilates 3 days a week. She doesn't exercise everyday, she says, "I usually take 2 days off during the week."

OK, moderation, vitamins, and exercising about 5 times a week - sounds reasonable to me, Hilary. I think it's wonderful that she looks incredible by following principals of moderation and healthy living.

Source

"Ab"solutely Don't Overwork Your Abs!

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:30:00 -0700

I know that bikini season is approaching fast. I also know that we are all looking to get those abs in tip-top shape; with this in mind, many of us have the tendency to go a little ab crazy right now. However, if you overwork them, you may be doing more harm than good.

The abs are like any other muscle in the body -- Intense work followed by a period of rest and recuperation (at least 48 hours) is the best way to develop them. Working them out on a daily basis is not a great idea because you are not allowing for that essential rest time. Think about having an intense "ab" day once or twice a week -- This would be a day that you only focus on exercising your abs, proceeded or followed with at least 30 minutes of cardio, of course.

I know it's tempting, but resist the urge to do those once obligatory 100 crunches at the end of your workout every single day. You and your abs can thank me later.

Engaged = Stress? It Doesn't Have To

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 13:30:00 -0700

For most of us, we dream about the day when our favorite person, our lover, and best friend in the world will get down on one knee, profess his love, and ask for our hand in marriage. It's all dreamy and wonderful in our minds, but when it actually happens, it's a happy time but filled with stress.

The questions start flying...

"Who's going to be in your wedding party?"
"When are you getting married?"
"Did you pick out your color scheme?"
"Are the groomsmen going to wear tuxes or suits?"
"Where are you going to have the wedding?"
"Will my kids be invited?"
"What's your dress going to look like?"
"Are you going to wear your hair up or down?"
"Are you going to have roses in the bouquets because you know I'm deathly allergic?"

AHHHH!!!! Seriously. What do people think you've been doing for your entire life, planning a wedding? For most of us, we were so concerned with getting engaged, that we never thought much past that.

Just because you are engaged does NOT mean you know every last detail about your future wedding. So enjoy this extraordinary time and don't let other people's nosiness get in the way.

Want to know how to ditch the stress? Then read more

Politely tell people that you haven't made any decisions yet, that you and your fiancé (awww, you can call him that now) are just enjoying the incredible feeling of being in love. When people start handing you advice, you can always be the nice sweet bride and say "Thanks for your suggestion. I'll think about that when we start planning."
To relax, instead of doing something like a gentle yoga class, choose an hour of pumped up cardio instead. It'll distract you from wedding thoughts.
Get advice from other recent brides. Learn from their mistakes and get tips from someone who knows what you're going through.
Sick of the unsolicited and crazy advice from everyone? Just say "Interesting. I'll have to think about that." It is polite and wonderfully non committal. You committed to your finacé, so you can blow off those silly suggestions that keep coming your way.
Take a trip to the bookstore. Pick up some bride magazines and books about planning a wedding so you'll feel more prepared about making decisions.
Definitely celebrate, but at the same time continue taking care of yourself. As tempting as it is to go out every night toasting your joy with oodles of champagne and brownie sundaes, you still want to eat healthy and stay active. Remember to celebrate in moderation.
When you are ready to start making some decisions about the big day, check out Dear's Wedding Time Line.

Everything in Moderation, Even Water

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 17:35:00 -0800

I love a catchy title, but this one will go down in infamy - "Hold your wee for a Wii." A Sacramento radio contest for Nintendo's full body video game, Wii, ended in tragedy when one contestant died from drinking too much water.

To win a video game contestants were given bottles of water to drink and the last one to empty his or her bladder would win a Wii.

MSNBC is reporting that while no one knows exactly how much water contestant Jennifer Strange, 28, consumed her autopsy indicates death from water intoxication.

Normal brain function is disrupted when the body's balance of electrolytes is pushed outside of safe limits by a very rapid intake of water creating what is know as water intoxication. If water enters the body more quickly than it can be removed, body fluids are diluted and a potentially dangerous shift in electrolyte balance occurs.

My heart goes out to Strange's three children -- she was hoping to win the game for them.