It’s long been known that women that recently gave birth have a great deal of incentives to drop those extra baby weight pounds and slim and trim back to their pre-birth weights. Today, another reason is added to that list and let me tell you, it’s a doozy!

According to new reports from the International Journal of Cancer, “We did find some suggestion that weight gain during the 30s and 40s, weight gain since a woman’s first pregnancy and weight gain since menopause, especially for women with a longer time since menopause, may all be of importance in relation to postmenopausal breast cancer risk.” So ladies, not only will you fit into those snug pre-baby jeans, you’ll also be lowering your breast cancer risk…talk about killing two birds with one stone!

Here’s the last scary stat that should be sufficient to freak you out: In women who gained around 60lbs between their 20’s and menopause, the risk of breast cancer increased by 70%. Wow. Come to Fit Express and start shedding those pesky baby pounds today!

We all know the obesity problem is running rampant; we know that our adults in this nation are getting larger by the hour and the percentages of our children that are obese climb monthly. What REALLY scares me, however, is when I read articles about preschoolers that are already obese, the the numbers of kids That young that are battling obesity.

I just read an article that had a new report that the numbers of low-income preschoolers who are battling obesity is extremely high and growing more each day. While all groups showed significant obesity levels, Hispanic children, for reasons the study could not figure out, had the most problems. New numbers show that up to 17% of American young people are obese now. Wow.

I suggest you head over and check out the article to read all about it; there is a lot of information that we all need to read; we can’t keep creating generations of obese people. If we do, the collective health and life expectancy everywhere will plummet.

Lets face it, knowing what is and is not healthy in today’s fast paced, contradictory report filled world is tough to actually figure out. There are times where you feel you need to be a certified nutritionist to make healthy food choices for you and your family. Today, I found an article that helps to ease that confusion a little bit.

I just found an article about 9 foods that are actually “surprisingly healthy.” Surprising in that most people would assume that they are not that good for them; which, if over-eaten is often true. In moderation these 9 foods are very healthy and a welcome addition to your daily diet! As always check out the full article, but for now, here are the 9 “surprisingly healthy” foods:

1. “Chocolate - A square a day can be extremely beneficial to your diet.
2. Oils - 5 of 6 teaspoons a day max of olive oil can help raise your good cholesterol and has very few calories.
3. Potatoes - No, not french fries, but red potatoes and sweet potatoes are “are high in carotenoids, which protect against lung cancer and help fight heart disease and diabetes”
4. Nuts & Nut Butters - Great sources of protein and make you feel full longer.
5. Coffee - Black is best, and don’t over-do it. Reduces diabetes risk and Parkinson’s Disease.
6. Bruschetta - Packed with tomatoes, garlic and olive oil it’s a great appetizer!
7. Spices - These little wonders can do a great DEAL of good; pick the right spice and reap the benefits.
8. Tea - Instead of cola, drink tea. The antioxidants are vital to your body.
9. Soup - A great source of fluids and can help with weight loss…not bad!

There you go, 9 surprisingly healthy foods. Head over here to check out the full article!

I knew it! I knew New York City’s trans-fat ban would be two things: 1) extremely controversial and 2) extremely popular. I had a feeling it could spread to other areas, other places and more people might want to jump on board. The other day I posted about Calgary contemplating the trans fat ban, now another place is popping up. This time it’s all Universal Studios Theme Parks.

That’s right, all of their theme parks will now ban trans fat in all of their food establishments and offer healthy alternatives instead. According to the article I just read, “The action follows entertainment giant Walt Disney Co., which announced in October it will serve more nutritious kids’ meals and phase out the artificial fats at its resorts.” Thank Goodness. Face it, kids look up to the characters these companies create; if the companies themselves can make changes to help make kids healthier then I’m happy.

Check out the details here but remember, what you eat is only half the battle to good health; come to Fit Express for the other half!

Energy Bars, healthy or candy? That debate is one that has gone on pretty much since they came out; are they actually good for you or are they just glorified candy bars wrapped up to sound a lot healthier than they are?

This article aims to answer that debate and it’s packed full of good information. Make the right choices and you’ll be successful, make the wrong ones and you really are eating candy bars. Head over and read the Full Article, but for now, here are some great tips on how to choose the right energy or diet bar for you so you can avoid the candy bar trap:

• Choose a bar if you’re looking for a quick snack you can throw in your briefcase or keep in your glove compartment.
• If you’re using a bar as a meal replacement, make sure it contains at least 300 calories.
• You’ll feel more satisfied if you add a glass of skim milk and a piece of fruit to your “meal.”
• Bars are typically more nutritious than a candy bar, so if your choice is a Hershey bar or a Cliff bar, go for the Cliff. Just don’t fool yourself into thinking bars are always the healthiest choice.
• Look for bars with no more than two grams saturated fat and at least three grams fiber to limit the damage to your cardiovascular system.
• Remember real food? Bars can’t compare to fruit, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains.

There you go! Always remember, no matter what you eat, get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day! Come to Fit Express and we’ll get you started on the right path!

A pill to help the average American drop 12% of their body weight in a single year? Science fiction? Nope, not even the future, it’s the “today.” A new anti-obesity pill has officially entered into trials in an attempt to be made available to the entire world soon.

The pill, in short, “tricks the mind into believing the stomach is full, suppressing the appetite and helping people who have already lost weight to keep it off.” By tricking your mind, your body, they believe, will follow suit and begin to burn its own stores of body fat. I am still kinda old-fashioned so I don’t really know how I feel about things like this, but with Obesity already the world’s scariest plague, it might just be a good thing that technology like this is being created.

The only thing that makes me feel a little better is the fact that the President of the company behind this also says people should NEVER rely on pharmaceuticals to lose weight, they should only use it to supplement their efforts. His quote makes me feel a lot better: “We would be concerned if people were just to shrug their shoulders and say ‘If I get fat, I’ll just take a pill.”"

Brace yourself because you’re about to hear a few frightening statistics; did you know the average American watches 4 hours and 35 minutes of television every single day? Did you know that adds up to over 30 hours per week of TV watching time? What’s even worse is the fact that of those 4 hours and 35 minutes a day, the average American also watches over 40 minutes a day of commercials alone!

So, want to get in healthy shape in only 4 hours a week? I thought you might; if you can’t make it to a Fit Express gym, you should read this article and try the “Commercial Break” exercise idea. The premise is simple, every time a commercial airs on TV, use that time to do a set of push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, Yoga moves, or heck, even get on the treadmill or stationary bike and ride. Do this until your show comes back on, then, watch your TV again. Simple yes?

If you don’t want to do that, you can also use your commercial break time to get done chores and tasks that you often use for excuses as to why you can’t get to the gym; heck, with new technology today, you can even record your shows before hand, then fast forward past the commercials; save yourself 40 minutes a day, then go spend it on exercise. Easy!

Move over NYC, another city is looking to follow in your very controversial footsteps in the wild realm of Trans Fat. Looks like Calgary is now trying to fight the good fight and get a city-wide trans fat ban.

Inspired by New York’s city-wide ban, Calgary is now pondering the initiative to absolutely force each and every restaurant in the city to completely remove artificial trans fats from their cooking and menus. If passed, Calgary would be the official 2nd city in the world to do so, and hopefully not the last.

Sound off here folks, what are YOUR thoughts on trans fat bans? Will it work? Will it help? Will the blame just get shifted to OTHER things if obesity levels stay the same? Let me know Your thoughts!

HAPPY HOLIDAY’S FROM FIT EXPRESS!!!

So, Christmas Day is over and you’re probably a pleasant mixture of exhausted, stuffed and hungover from giddyness. Ok, maybe that is just me, but if you’re at ALL like me, you most likely are; that said, Christmas Day IS in fact over and now comes the pre-New Year’s rush to lose the weight you just put on in the Pre-Christmas rush. Wow, gets complicated doesn’t it?

That said I just found a great article that is a variation of an article I already posted; in this article you can go through and pick and choose the things you’ve put into that body of yours and see what it’s gonna take to get it OFF your body now. Go over and check out the article then head back to Fit Express to see what YOU can do to get yourself into tip top shape so you can just have to do it all over again after New Year’s Eve!

Everyone here at Fit Express wants to wish you and ALL of yours a very Merry Christmas!!.

This is an amazing time of year, a time to appreciate what you have, realize what you don’t need, realize what you DO need, and realize changes that should probably be made.

One thing I think everyone can agree on is we could all probably stand to be in a little bit better shape; this Christmas, give yourself and your loved ones the gift of fitness and great health. Show them the way to Fit Express, get them up, moving and keep them active; it truly is a gift that will always keep on giving.