Hi, everyone!
I hope that everyone is ready for a great holiday season. This is a season for much excitement, family “get-togethers”, and social functions. The one negative aspect is, however, that many of us (including myself) choose to over-indulge in the food department. I don’t know if you all agree, but this annual slack in health awareness seems almost instilled within me. I tend to diet, exercise, etc., throughout the year, and save my poor dietary habits for the holiday season. It seems almost as though I treating myself to a holiday gift from myself. I think this is a good topic for us to discuss with the holiday season on our heels. Please feel free to comment and add personal experiences of your own, for that is what this blog is for: to be informative.
We, at Fit Express, wish all of our readers and customers only the best holiday season ever!
Chris
When I read this article, I felt compelled to link to it in today’s blog entry. Obesity and being overweight are serious health risks among 1/2 to 2/3 of today’s world population, and it doesn’t seem to get any better by each passing year. In fact, the article explains how these unhealthy states lead to increased medical expense in individuals 65 and over. This is a really interesting read, and I strongly encourage all readers to read and heed to these warnings. At any rate, click on the reference link below to access the full article:
I hope all is well with everyone! I found another article on obesity that earns my attention. The article concerns the correlation between obesity and heart malfunction. This is a terrifying, and eye-opening, study that all should see. The following article is found on www.sciencedaily.com:
21 June 2007
“http://www.sciencedaily.com” — New research from The University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center helps explain why excessive body weight increases the risk for heart disease.
In the largest study of its kind, cardiologist M. Reza Movahed, MD, PhD, and research specialist Adolfo A. Martinez, MD, discovered that excessive body weight is associated with a thickening of the heart muscle in the left ventricle, the heart’s pumping chamber. Known to physicians as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), the condition potentially can lead to heart failure and rhythm problems.
“We observed that the thickening in the muscle wall becomes especially noticeable in obese patients who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or greater,” says Dr. Movahed. “Previous studies have shown that left ventricular hypertrophy is associated with a higher risk of mortality.”
Reference: Left ventricular hypertrophy is independently associated with body mass index and gender. Mohammad-Reza Movahed and Adolfo A. Martinez, The University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center, Tucson, Ariz.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by University of Arizona Health Sciences Center.
“A government task force examining the effect the media might have on childhood obesity delayed the release of its report on Thursday. Sens. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, along with FCC chairman Kevin Martin, said they expect the committee to finish its work in the fall instead of mid-summer as originally planned. ‘The extension will allow for a more thorough examination of new initiatives that many of the food and beverage companies are coordinating, as well as a more comprehensive look at how all parties, especially media, can work together for the common good,’ Brownback and Harkin said in a joint statement.”
from
“Obesity Task Force Extends Study”
July 06, 2007
By Brooks Boliek/The Hollywood Reporter
Hello, everyone! I thought that this article entitled “Obesity Task Force Extends Study” is appropriate for our focus. In fact, the fact that more time is needed to finalize this project is proof of the media’s influence on our children. I, personally, think that it is wonderful that the government has taken an initiative to compose such a study, as well as proposing a more positive, and healthy, role for media sources to play within the lives of our children. I will continually post on this subject as updates are reported.
Have a good one,
Chris
Hello, everyone! The topic on my mind today is obesity, an issue which continues to plague people from everywhere. Isn’t it shocking to know that the majority of Americans are, by most health standards, obese? I, myself, have fought a somewhat incessant “battle of the bulge,” and this has changed ALL aspects of my life. It had to do so; there was no other way around it. I had let myself become so unfit, living a lifestyle that was, in any sense, unhealthy. At this point, I realized that my goal would change after I achieve my ideal weight. My goal would then be to maintain this ideal state. It has been an exhausting experience, especially after letting myself “go” the way I had. Therefore, I plan to maintain this state, and will strive to keep from sinking so deep as before. I have always heard people say that it is much easier to gain weight than it is to lose it. They are NOT joking!
Stay active,
Chris
Trying to argue that the youth of today are far larger than ever is a losing argument, so we won’t even try. That said, I am sure you’re more than aware of the fact that one of the main targets of blame in this obesity battle is schools, and the lunches they serve. The question is, ARE they to blame? New studies say no.
That’s right, new studies are showing that when 5000 children were tracked, “the biggest gains in body mass index occurred in the summer when parents had sole responsibility for their children’s diets and exercise opportunities.” So, are you going to let this summer be the same as all the rest while you watch your kid fall deeper into the obesity trap, OR, are you going to use this summer as a fresh start to really get things off on the right foot? That’s what I think you should do, and the article I just read wholeheartedly agrees. The beauty of this summer is, you can teach your kids habits that by the time Fall arrives, really will be habits. That way, during the school year they can begin to truly take care of themselves and get into positive, healthy routines.
The article is packed with great tips for you, the parents, to adopt this Summer. Head over and check out how the experts think you should tackle the arduous task of getting your kids healthy both physically and mentally this Summer. After that, head back to Fit Express and read up on ways you can do this in 30 minutes a day!
Well the experts all agree on this little gem: Stop sugar-coating the terms for when our kids are fat! Stop saying they are “at risk for being overweight” or “simply overweight” when the kids are in fact, overweight or obese respectively. The crisis time is now, and it’s time to stop glossing over what is arguably the largest hurdle facing our country in decades.
In a world where everything has to be very politically correct, we’ve sugar-coated ourselves fat in this case. You think we would have realized by now that all that sugar we’re glossing over our terminology would end up somewhere! The bottom line is, experts are agreeing that henceforth, kids that are obese should be called obese, kids that are overweight should be called overweight, and the diplomatic ways of referring to these children needs to stop, and stop NOW.
The committee spokesperson put it best: “We need to describe this in medical terms, which is ‘obesity’….When we talk to an individual family, we can be a little more cognizant of their feelings and more gentle, but that doesn’t mean we can’t discuss it.” I couldn’t agree more; the truth, as they say, will set us free.
Man, I swear, if you’re not exercising consistently in your life and you’re a regular reader of this site, I must be an enormous failure. I try really hard to motivate all you fine folks to get up, get moving and stay that way on a daily basis, and today, I found another little gem of motivation for all of you.
This is especially great news for any of you with friends, family or acquaintances with Down Syndrome. New research is proving with overwhelming success that when young adults or teenagers with Down Syndrome participate in strength training exercise, not only does their muscle strength and functional performance increase, their quality of life and ability to participate in other aspects of everyday life later on goes up too! This news is great especially given the fact that very often, people with Down Syndrome have significantly lower muscle strength, often 40-50% of those people without Down Syndrome. The fact that doing exercise like this can greatly help them is an amazing reason to get them involved in any type of strength training exercise.
According to the study that was presented to the American College of Sports Medicine, “leg strength increased in particular, which is associated with the ability to perform tasks required in everyday life…Arm strength improved 42 percent, on average, and leg strength a remarkable 90 percent.” Bottom line, get them to a Fit Express, Now!
Yep, the reasons to switch to hydraulic resistance exercise are becoming increasingly plentiful. I’ve posted, in the past few weeks, quite a few articles and tips aimed directly at women. Today, however, I have great news, and an additional reason to slap onto your growing list of reasons to exercise at a Fit Express gym every single day. Listen up fellas, this one is all you!
Turns out a new study of medical students is finding that the more time a young man spends in high-impact physical exercise, the greater their bone mineral density all throughout life. According to the findings, “present physical activity level has a stronger relation to different aspects of bone mass in the male compared to the female adult skeleton…Activity appears to play the strongest role in building bones in childhood and adolescence.” While the effect doesn’t appear to be as intense for women, this in no way indicates women should avoid or not participate in hydraulic resistance exercise; as you know from reading this site, the benefits for women are long and amazing. The key thing here, is the amount of time devoted to these high-impact types of workouts; the more they did it, the worse it was.
Come to Fit Express, try the hydraulic resistance circuit training equipment and get a full body workout in only a half hour and don’t risk your bone health. You’ll leave fit and trim without any of the heavy impact of other types of workouts…can’t beat that, now can you!
What do you do when you want a new weight-loss pill that hasn’t even hit the U.S. market yet? Do you wait and keep up with your consistent daily exercise and diet control? Do you forget about it and work on yourself in other ways? No, if you’re at all like all these people that are so anxious for the new weight-loss pill Acomplia to come out.
If in fact you are like these people, chances are good you’re either going overseas to Europe or even turning to the Internet to acquire these contraband pills before they are legally allowed to be sold on U.S. shelves. I guess the fact that a decision on whether or not the drug is safe has not been made officially three times now, delaying the drug launch by over 16 months. Some people are sick of waiting so overseas they go, or onto foreign web-sites that aren’t afraid to sell the drugs. How scary, and how risky. If the drug has not been approved, obviously it’s for a reason, do you really think it’s easier and safer to try it anyway, rather than just getting up and exercising for 30 minutes a day? Honestly?
At any rate, an interesting read, but please, all my readers, do not do this. If the drug is going to be approved, it will, but for goodness sakes, let it be approved first! Come to Fit Express, give us 30 minutes a day and we’ll transform you. Just be safe!