Guide to the Better you

  It’s Halloween, and you know what that means:   sugar, sugar, sugar!   Beginning in late summer, stores begin taunting and tantalizing us with prominently displayed festive treats conveniently packaged in small, easy to eat servings.   By the time the actual holiday rolls around, we’ve been wading through candy corn and “fun sized” candy bars for months. All holidays have their peculiar food traditions, but Halloween perhaps wins the prize for being the most focused on candy and other sweet treats as the center of attraction. And no matter how hard you try to avoid it, you will undoubtedly find yourself staring down a confection before all is said and done. Will you give in?   While one piece of candy won’t make or break your health, few of us stop at just one.   In fact, most of us see Halloween as we see every other festive occasion from Thanksgiving to our neighbor’s cookout:   as a perfectly good time to indulge in whichever kind of sweet t...

  Hiring a personal coach comes with a lot of benefits, and the truth is, you should definitely consider hiring one! It doesn’t matter if you are an absolute beginner or preparing for a bodybuilding or powerlifting competition. Having a coach means you will have a person who supports you in the most challenging moments of your training career. Sure, having your loved ones nearby might be helpful, but if they are not into the sport, the chance they know what’s going on in your head is minimal. That’s why having a person who has gone through all of this might be helpful. In today’s article, you will learn why it is crucial to hire a personal coach. Hiring a personal trainer as a beginner Remember the first time you entered the gym. How did you feel? Were you nervous? Did you have someone with you? You’ve probably gone with a friend who was more experienced than you. He showed you some of the basic movements, and he directed you throughout your training. Now, i...

  Chances are you have heard of adrenal fatigue, but you may not be quite sure what it is.   Understanding this condition is important however, because some experts suggest that 80% of the Western world will be affected by adrenal fatigue at some point in their lives. The adrenal glands are located above the kidneys and are responsible for secreting more than 50 different hormones that are essential for life.   Among these are adrenaline, cortisol, progesterone and testosterone.   Because they regulate so many important hormones, their proper function is critical for many functions essential to life such as producing energy, balancing electrolytes and storing fat. These glands also help you deal with stress.   When you are under stress, the adrenal glands engage many different responses in your body to make it easier for you to handle that stress. But during periods of intense, prolonged stress or chronic illness, the adrenal glands begin functioning below...

  If you have ever tried to ignore a box of doughnuts at work, you know how hard it is to keep your hands to yourself and walk on by.   And once you walk on by, the battle isn’t over.   Even if you are in a different room and down the hall, you can’t stop thinking about those doughnuts.   Why is it so hard to resist something as small and seemingly innocent as a doughnut?   It has to do with habit—and mind set. Hardwired habits The draw you feel from that doughnut goes way beyond just a mild interest:   you are wired to want it, and resistance is hard .   In his book, The End of Overeating , Dr. David Kessler MD explains the breakdown: When you taste foods that are highly palatable (such as foods containing excess sugar, fat and salt), your brain releases opioids into your blood stream. Opioids are brain chemicals that cause you to have intense feelings of reward and pleasure, as well as relieving pain and stress.   The pleasurable effect ...

  Fall is here, and that means that cold and flu season has arrived.   Have you ever noticed that some people seldom get sick?   Or maybe you have wondered why after being exposed to the same virus, one person gets ill while the other remains well.   The reason lies in the strength of the immune system.   And the strength of your immune system is largely dependent upon the condition of your digestive system. When you are exposed to bad bacteria or viruses, it is up to your immune system to protect you from being infected.   If your immune system is strong, your body will fight off the threat.   If your immune system is weak or compromised, you may end up sick. Microbes:   the good, the bad, and the ugly Inside your digestive system are many microbes.   Microbes are live organisms that affect your overall health.   Some of these organisms are beneficial and protect you from disease.   These good bacteria recognize when ill...

  Let’s imagine this hypothetical scenario. You’ve just started a diet, but after two weeks, you no longer see any results… You have even started going to the gym. You’ve started wondering what it might be that you are doing wrong. You’ve been limiting yourself from certain foods and want to see some progress. Now you feel desperate and want to quit. Before that, you want to make a final check on the internet and find an answer to your “failure.” Lucky you, we might have it for you. Let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes that you might be making that prevent you from losing weight:   1.    Overeating The most common reason for the scale to stay at the same place or even go up might be that you are overeating. “But I’ve been on a diet the last two weeks; that’s impossible.” This is a common trap that new beginners fall for. Even though you started eating “healthier,” it doesn’t mean that you will lose weight. The primary condit...

  Surveys have shown that there is something that Americans fear more than death.   It is Alzheimer’s disease.   For most of us, losing our personhood--those characteristics which makes us who we are--is a fate worse than death. What is Alzheimer’s? Named after Alois Alzheimer, who discovered the condition in 1906, Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects the function of the brain by causing the brain cells to degenerate and then die.   There is no cure, and the progression of the disease leads to eventual death.   The first symptoms of the disease usually show up as forgetfulness, but as it worsens, more long-term memory loss occurs, along with other symptoms such as mood swings, irritability and inability to recognize languages. How Prevalent is Alzheimer’s? Alzheimer’s affects 5.3 million Americans, and it is predicted that by 2050, 1 in 8 Americans will be stricken with it.   The Medicare system spends three times as much money on Alzheimer’s t...

  Want to get healthy and lose weight?   Then relax.   It’s true.   Relaxing is good for you, and what better day to brush up on relaxation facts than on Relaxation Day!   August 15 th is a relaxation holiday.   So relax and read on for tips! The role of cortisol One of the most important reasons that relaxation is good for you is because it prevents the release of excess cortisol.   Cortisol is a hormone that your body releases when it is stressed.   If you only have small amounts of cortisol, there is no problem.   But when stress is persistent, as it is in many of our lives, the amount of cortisol in your bloodstream rises and stays elevated.   The result?   Weight gain. When cortisol is released, you begin craving foods that deliver quick energy, such as potato chips, candy bars, pastries, etc.   If this were not bad enough, cortisol goes on to store those extra calories as fat, mainly around your abdominal area. C...

  Whether you are a student or the parent of a student, you likely have one thing on your mind as the new school year begins:   academic performance.   From kindergarteners to graduate level college students, concentration and learning are critical and directly related to how successful the year is and how bright the future looks career wise. You may be wondering what academic performance has to do with a fitness blog.   The answer?   Everything.   The research is conclusive :   physical exercise directly impacts how well a student does academically.   Consistent, daily exercise results in significantly improved concentration, learning and test scores. In his book, Spark, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain , Harvard Psychiatrist Dr. John Ratey cites studies that document dramatic increases in the academic performance of students when they begin adding exercise to their daily schedule. City Park Collegiate school in S...