Living Fit, Healthy and Happy

Top Stories Of The Week

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Here's a list of the stories you might have missed this week:

Bias Contributes To Poor Grades For Obese Students - Research shows that public opinion can affect students' academic performance.

Diets High In Saturated Fat Make You Less Smart - Having trouble thinking? High fat diets may be to blame.

Weight Loss May Lower Breast Cancer Risk In Women - Read about the results of a new study that shows how weight loss can be a useful method of breast cancer prevention.

American Teens Are At Risk For Cardiovascular Disease - Read what researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have to say about the dangers that cardiovascular disease pose to our nation's youth.

 

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"Top Stories Of The Week" copyright 2012 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy. All Rights Reserved.

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The Workout At Home Weight Training Program

The Workout At Home Weight Training Program

By David L Lloyd

Create your own, workout at home schedule or weight training program that suits You! If you pick up a heavy weight, put it down, and repeat a few times and you do it often enough, you will build muscle. You will also burn calories and you will raise your metabolism, all of which will help you lose fat, and better still, maintain that fat loss for the rest of your life. Sound simple? It is.

Yet you’ll find that because there are so many ways to accomplish this simple workout at home of picking up a heavy weight, putting it down, and repeating, it's a simple weight training program and there are hundreds if not thousands of opinions on how best to do it, and we imagine that they all work. At least as long as you consistently use whatever protocol it is that you are doing.

But we aren’t just interested in the workout at home.. it works easy and well, but we are interested in what works best with an easy weight training program.. Or more specifically, a workout at home that best and fits into your lifestyle. That’s because any diet or weigh training program is only effective if you actually have time to follow through with it. For instance, consider that Australian researchers recently determined that men who lifted weights 3 days a week for 5 weeks increased muscle size by about 0.2% per day. Sure, this amount of growth is unnoticeable from a day to day weight training program,, but imagine how dramatic the cumulative effect would be if you were to workout at home, all your major muscle groups 3 days a week, 52 weeks a year. This is called consistency with your own weight training program, and it’s the true key to achieving the most success possible with any exercise program.

So with fostering consistency in mind, we set out to create a weight training program and fitness philosophy that centers on achieving the best results in the least amount of time with any weight training program. The idea is simply that most of us don’t have an hour or two to workout at home, 6 days a week. And even if we did, would that actually be optimal? After all, when it comes to a workout at home and building muscle, the law of diminishing returns always applies at some point. Research shows that performing 1 set of a weight training program, works for building muscle, but 2 sets of a weight training program would work better, but what about, say, 10 sets of a weight training program? Is this better than doing 8 sets or even 4 sets? For answers.. we rely on data from more than 50 years of muscle research, and on the practical research of a former world class martial artist turned Personal Development Coach, who is now recognized as one of the world’s foremost workout at home trainers and fitness experts.

When it comes to diets and a weight training program that suits you.. since 2008, we have kept a detailed account of every single, workout at home weight training program conducted. This effort was at first economically motivated as clients pay for the fastest results. To compete with the gym down the street, we had to find out what Works the best, and that meant collecting workout at home information and weight training program data on a large number of average men who were using a variety of different training methods.

Unlike commercial health clubs, the workout at home weight training program located in Sydney Australia, offers only semiprivate training, meaning each Workout at home is designed, monitored, and recorded by a member of the staff. Consider that in a typical Week it hosts 400 workouts at home, providing feedback on 20,800 sessions a year and to equal those numbers, a regular guy Would have to workout at home every single day for 57 years. In effect, that makes our Australian gym a bona fide research laboratory, and the gym rat clients, it seems, human lab rats,, all of which underscores the real world relevance and findings of our weight training program.

To further explain these observations, we have tried to bridge the academic research, like the kind we conduct with the practical application of workout at home sets of exercise and repetitions of weight training programs. A 19th century English biologist named Thomas Huxley once said that ‘science is nothing but organized common sense,’ which is what training should be, and we couldn’t agree more.

About the Author: Welcome, David Lloyd writes about personal development and weight loss related topics. Quick-Weight-Loss-Diets provide Top Diet programs to learn the easy ways to lose weight and keep the weight off. Click on the link Now to see the LATEST and the BEST in weight loss products. ==> Quick-Weight-Loss-Diets

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Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=584363&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet

American Teens Are At Risk For Cardiovascular Disease

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Overweight and obese teenagers are at great risk for hypertension, prediabetes and other cardiovascular diseases, new research shows. According to findings published in the journal Pediatrics, American youths, in particular, adolescents whom are obese or overweight are at considerable risk for developing cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Ashleigh May from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, led a team of researchers which investigated trends for certain cardiovascular disease factors (CVD) and their prevalence by obesity and overweight status among American adolescents.

To accomplish their objective, May's team used data from 3383 US teens (1771 male and 1612 female) between the ages of 12 - 19 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 - 2008. Obtaining participants' height and weight information from trained interviewers during physical examinations, self-reports, and home based interviews, the researchers learned some very important facts about the prevalence of CVD among US adolescents.

Statistically there was little change in the prevalence of obesity, overweight, hypertension, or LDL cholesterol, but diabetes and prediabetes prevalence skyrocket from 9% to 23%. A rapid increase in diabetes prevalence in such a young population suggests that diabetes will continue to be a worsensing problem well into our nation's future.

As should be expected, CVD risk factors were lowest among normal weight teens; nonetheless, 37% were observed to have at least one CVD risk factor. Even worse, the data revealed that 49% of overweight teens and 61% of obese teens had 1 or more CVD risk factors in addition to the 1999- 2008 weight  status.

May and her team also discovered that compared to normal weight teens, overweight adolescents had 2 CVD risk factors, and obese youth had 3 or more risk factors compared to normal weight adolescents. In other words, the heaviest teens are at greatest risk for developing cardiovascular disease.

Based on the results of the data, May and her colleagues wrote: "The results of this study indicate that US adolescents bear a substantial burden of CVD risk factors, especially those youth who are overweight or obese."

The CDC team expressed concern that CVD problems could follow young people into adulthood, specifically mentioning the tendency for atherosclerosis to manifest in children as changes to the arterial wall. They went on to say the likelihood of carotid intima-media thickness increases among children at risk for cardiovascular disease, indicating they are at greater risk for atherosclerosis. 

May and her colleagues concluded that, irrespective of weight status, a large proportion of teens would benefit from programs that encourage physical fitness and good nutrition, thereby reducing the severity and likelihood of future health problems.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that Americans are less healthy than in previous decades. Cardiovascular disease and obesity - afflictions which are commonplace among the nation's elderly population - are now gaining a foothold on the nation's youth.

Most health scientists agree that lifestyle changes favoring regular exercise and sound eating habits can lower a person's risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and obesity. If our country hopes to turn the tide on these afflictions, then all Americans, regardless of age, need to take them seriously.

 

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Article Source 

May, A., Kuklina, E., & Yoon, P. (2012). Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among US Adolescents, 1999-2008 PEDIATRICS, 129 (6), 1035-1041 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2011-1082

 

"American Teens Are At Risk For Cardiovascular Disease" copyright 2012 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy. All Rights Reserved.

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Weight Loss May Lower Breast Cancer Risk In Women

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Diet and exercise may reduce the chances of breast cancer in women, scientists say. According to research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, reduced calorie diets and physical exercise lower circulating levels hormones commonly associated with breast cancer. This evidence suggests that diet and exercise maybe effective in preventing breast cancer in women.

Researchers including Dr. Anne McTiernan from the Fred Hutchinson Research Center in Seattle, designed an experiment to ascertain the effects of exercise, diet or a combination of the two would have on serum levels of proteins and steroid hormones that cause breast cancer in women.

In order to find the answer, McTiernan and her colleagues selected 439 overweight and obese postmenopausal women for participation in a 12 month long experiment wherein participants were assigned to one of four groups: reduced calorie weight loss diet, aerobics, combined reduced calorie weight loss diet and aerobics, or control.

Results of the experiment yielded information that will be useful for the prevention of breast cancer. Comparison of the serum hormone and protein levels of women assigned to the four groups revealed the following:

• diet reduced estrone levels by 9.6% compared to the control group
• exercise lowered estrone levels by 5.5 % compared to controls
• diet and exercise lowered estrone levels by 11.1% compared to controls
• diet reduced estradiol evels by 16.2% compared to controls
• exercise reduced estradiol levels by 4.9% relative to controls
• diet and exercise reduced estradiol levels by 20.3% compared to controls
• diet lowered free estradiol levels by 21.4% compared to controls
• diet and exercise lowered free estradiol levels by 26% compared to controls
• diet lowered free testosterone levels by 10% compared to controls
• diet and exercise reduced free testosterone levels by 15.6% relative to the control group
• diet increased SHBG levels by 22.4% compared to controls
• diet and exercise increased SHBG by 25.8%

When you look at the bullet list, it's obvious that a pattern is emerging: a combination of diet and exercise lowered estrogen and testosterone serum levels. This is very important because most of the participants were 58 years of age and had BMI 30.9 kg/m², placing them well within the obesity category, point I'll make clearer in just a moment.

 

Obesity Is Linked To Cancer

Volumes of research point to a relationship obesity and a variety of cancers, therefore it stands to reason that fat loss may significantly lower cancer risk factors, a point further demonstrated by McTiernan's experiment.

The results of the current experiment demonstrate that programs which combine aerobic exercise with diet are most effective for reducing serum levels of specific steroid hormones. This makes sense of you consider that aerobics and calorie reduction may accelerate weight loss. It's essentially a one-two punch; exercise forces the body to expend energy much faster than it would at rest (punch one) while weight loss diet reduces the amount of calories that you consume (punch two). 

Therefore the take home message is that weight reduction could be an effective course of action for breast cancer prevention, three reliable methods include diet, exercise or a combination of the the two aforementioned methods. Which method you choose is up to you.

 

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Article Sources

Campbell, K.L., Foster-Schubert, K.E., Alfano, C.M., Wang, Cc.,Wang,Cy., Duggan, C.R., Mason, C., Imayama, I., Kong, A., Xiao, L., Bain, C.E., Blackburn, G.L., Stanczyk, F.Z., and McTiernan, A. (2012). Reduced-Calorie Dietary Weight Loss, Exercise, and Sex Hormones in Postmenopausal Women: Randomized Controlled Trial Journal of Clinical Oncology doi: 10.1200/JCO.2011.37.9792

Healthy Lifestyle May Prevent Cancer Deaths: WHO

Excessive Weight Gain May Increase Endometrial Cancer Risk

Obesity Hits Nonsmoking Esophageal Cancer Patients Hard

 

"Weight Loss May Lower Breast Cancer Risk In Women" copyright 2012 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy. All Rights Reserved.

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Diets High In Saturated Fat Make You Less Smart

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Diets high in saturated fats aren't good for the brain, new research suggests. According to a study published in the Annals of Neurology, high amounts of saturated fat interfere with the brain's cognitive and verbal abilities, providing evidence that fat's effects on the body extend beyond the cardiovascular system.

Harvard University researchers designed a study aimed at understanding dietary fats' effect on the mental abilities of the elderly. To find the answer, they studied a subset of women who were participating in the Women's Health Study (WHS), a study implemented to learn ways to prevent heart attack and cancer in American women.

Olivia Okereke of Brigham and Women's Hospital led a research team which studied the effects of dietary fat intake on the cognitive abilities of 6,183 elderly women. Five years prior to the experiment, participants provided researchers with dietary information. Then, over the course of four years, investigators tested the women's general cognitive, verbal memory and semantic fluency abilities. Okereke's team then analyzed this data to calculate the adverse effects of fat intake.

The results of the experiment revealed that whereas polyunsaturated and trans fats had no effect on cognitive or verbal memory, saturated fats impaired participants' reasoning and verbal abilities. Conversely, women who consumed large quantities of monounsaturated fats experienced greater communicative and cognitive abilities. In other words, consumption of saturated fats dumbed women down, but consumption of monosaturated fats made women smarter. 

Okereke and her colleagues reasoned that certain fats have bad effects on the brain, writing: "...different consumption levels of the major specific fat types, rather than total fat intake itself, appeared to influence cognitive aging."

People's cognitive abilities tend to decrease with age, and the results of the WHS study suggest that nutrition plays a significant role in this. Therefore, in addition to regular exercise, a healthy way to offset cognitive decline is to eat foods rich in monounsaturated fats. 

Fortunately, lots of foods contain this type of healthy fat. Just for starters look at this short list:

• peanuts
• olive oil
• avocados
• canola oil
• sesame oil

Although monounsaturated fats are good for you, make sure not to overdo it. For more information on healthy and unhealthy fats, read "Meet the Fats" an informational guide published by the American Heart Association.

 

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Article Source

Okereke, O., Rosner, B., Kim, D., Kang, J., Cook, N., Manson, J., Buring, J., Willett, W., & Grodstein, F. (2012). Dietary fat types and 4-year cognitive change in community-dwelling older women Annals of Neurology DOI: 10.1002/ana.23593

 

"Diets High In Saturated Fat Make You Less Smart" copyright 2012 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy. All Rights Reserved.

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Bias Contributes To Poor Grades For Obese Students

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Success in school is elusive for obese students, new research suggests. According to a report published in the International Journal of Obesity, obese students tend to receive lower grades than normal weight students despite having the same comprehension ability as their non-obese peers. Such disparate outcomes in academic success suggests a system of bias against people whom are obese that could affect their long term quality of life.

Dr. MacCann from the University of Sydney in Australia and Dr. Roberts of the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey compared the test scores and grades of overweight, obese and normal weight students pursuing secondary and higher education to learn how weight affects academic performance. To this end, they studied 1419 eight grade, community college and university students from five regions across the US.

MacCann and Roberts needed BMI data for their experiment. They obtained height and weight data from eight grade students via self-reports and information from their parents; community college and university students provided self-reported height and weight data.

The researchers collected a lot of valuable information about student performance including matehmatical and vocabulary skills, and personality traits. With this information, investigators learned some interesting facts about the effects that weight have on students' success in school.

Body weight has a significant impact on how well a person does in school. Despite similar levels of intelligence, obese eighth grade, college and university students systematically received lower grades than their normal weight peers. Based on this evidence, it's not difficult to realize that something isn't right.

MacCann and Roberts concluded that teacher bias and peer pressure could be contributing to obese students poorer grades, i.e. obese students may be reacting to the opinions and attitude of the people around them in such a way as to hinder their own academic performance.

This outcome is similar to that experienced by victims of bullying. Students who are harassed because of their physical appearance, socioeconomic status, etc. may suffer severe damage to their self esteem. Humans are social creatures, group acceptance is crucial to survival not only for the species as a whole but for individuals as well.

Exclusion can lead to feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness which will manifest in lack of ambition and underperformance. As warped as it may sound, some students may even conform to the mentality of the group collective by reshaping their perception of self to include one which says they don't deserve to succeed.

Unfortunately, once a student starts down this path, course correction becomes increasingly difficult. Obese students, like other victims of bullying, need positive support from family members. Feelings of inadequacy can be dispelled by positive reinforcement. In other words, students should be praised for their accomplishments and reminded of their self-worth.

Whenever possible, students should be provided with positive role models whom they can look to for inspiration. When students come to appreciate their value, they will have motivation to succeed in life and will not be negatively affected by the bad attitudes expressed by non compassionate students and teachers.

Ultimately, regardless of whether they are obese or normal weight, if students have the skills and opportunity, they will be much more likely to live up to their potential. They just need to know that success is attainable.

 

For tips on dealing with bullies, read my article "Bullies: They're Not Just A Schoolyard Problem".

 

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Article Source

 

MacCann, C., & Roberts, R. (2012). Just as smart but not as successful: obese students obtain lower school grades but equivalent test scores to nonobese students International Journal of Obesity DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2012.47

 

"Bias Contributes To Poor Grades For Obese Students" copyright 2012 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy. All Rights Reserved.

The Best Diet For Belly Fat

The Best Diet For Belly Fat

By Josh Schlottman

If you’re wondering what the best diet for belly fat is, the best way to lose pounds from this area of your body is to begin a diet that you can stay on. Read about what each plan requires you to do before starting on it. You need to know what you’ll have to do on the plan to know whether or not you can stick with it. If you’re only allowed to drink liquids or eat soup all day, you probably won’t stay on the diet long enough to get rid of the fat. A diet should have 1,000 up to 1,600 calories per day or you may be too hungry to stick with it.

Diets designed to lose belly fat in a week

Of course, if you are 50 pounds overweight, you are not going to lose belly fat in a week –not all of it at least. You can begin a diet to reduce the size of your belly and see the difference in only a week though because the first step is to begin eating to reduce bloating. This will be a definite boost to your confidence that you will be able to stay on the diet and lose weight. Your stomach will be flatter without the bloating, and you’ll find that it wasn’t so hard after all. One popular plan requires you to drink a special mix of spices, juice, and other ingredients for four days to kick-start your diet and to reduce bloating.

A plan proven to work

The best diet for belly fat loss is a proven plan that allows you to eat 1,600 calories a day. The secret of this plan is that you eat monounsaturated fat at every meal. These are in olive, flax, soybean, and sunflower oils. They are also in dark chocolate, nuts, seeds, and avocados. On this plan, you can eat fruits, beans, seeds, lean chicken and pork, and vegetables. The creators of this diet say that you can lose 15 pounds in about a month on. You don’t need to count calories – you choose what you want to eat from 28 different menus that can be changed, so it is fairly easy for most people to stay on.

Other tips for finding the best diet for belly fat

Some research has shown that eating whole grains, such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta, make it possible to lose belly fat. Other plans can also help you lose belly fat in a week, such as the ones that tell you to stop eating sugar, white flour products, and processed foods. They are right in saying that you will lose your belly because these foods have the most calories and the least amount of nutrition for your body. They keep you hungry and wanting more sugary food, and it’s almost impossible to lose weight when you eat many of them. Doctors and nutritionists say that any diet will help you lose fat in your belly area because it is the first place that 95 percent of people lose weight. It is best to avoid fad eating plans in which you eat only one food because when you go back to regular eating, you may regain the weight that you lost and even more. The best diet for belly fat is the one with monounsaturated fats that allows you to eat up to 1,600 calories each day.

About the Author: If you're looking for the best diet for belly fat then I highly recommend taking a look at my rapid fat loss blog. You'll find some great tips on the best diet for belly fat as well as other great resources for weight loss.

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=763786&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet

A Liquid Diet to Lose Weight

A Liquid Diet to Lose Weight

By Yuri Elkaim

One of the easiest ways of getting tons of nutrition while helping your chances of losing weight is through a liquid diet. Now I’m not talking about packaged protein shakes or low calorie drinks but rather whole food smoothies and juices that pack tons of fruits and vegetables into a single glass.

The recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables is 5-10 servings yet less than 20% of North Americans meet that requirement. The reasons are many but a very simple way to remedy this issue is to get a number of those servings by way of a single smoothie or juice.

This way not only will you get an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants but you also lessen the burden on your digestive system. I’m sure you can understand that anything liquid takes far less time to digest than a solid food. It just makes sense since the ingredients have already been “predigested” by the blending or juicing process.

This applies to weight loss in the following manner. When you eat foods, they are digested, broken down, and absorbed into the blood to go to their final destination. Much of the time, though, the meals many people eat are so heavy that it takes them hours to digest.

As a result, the body is required to divert huge amounts of energy to the digestion process. Fatigue and lethargy are usually the first signs that this is taking place. I’m sure you’ve experienced this after a big Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Since most people have underactive digestive systems many of these solid meals don’t get properly digested. They place heavy demands on the stomach and digestive organs and ultimately don’t nourish the body as it needs to be. If foods come into your body and are not properly broken down they are more easily stored as fat (since they can’t be utilized) and have a tendency to clog up the intestinal tract, impeding proper elimination.

More foods being stored as fat (especially if they’re cooked foods) and an impaired ability to eliminate them can only mean that weight is being added (not lost) to your body. Food comes in but doesn’t go out – it’s got to go somewhere.

THE LIQUID SOLUTION

So if you want to lose weight and you can identify with the above scenarios, why not try a different approach?

Try incorporating more smoothies and fresh-pressed juices into your diet. Most of the smoothies and juices I make take no more than 5 minutes to prepare yet pack in about 4-8 servings of fruits and vegetables, and other superfoods!

This means that with just 2 smoothies or juices per day I can get more than my needed intake of fruits and vegetables. This has pretty obvious health benefits. It is also immensely beneficial for weight loss seekers.

Liquid meals reduce the load on your digestive system. It’s almost as if the nutrients bypass the entire process of digestion and get absorbed right to where they need to be.

The benefits to juicing and making your own smoothies are numerous, but needless to say you have to give them a shot to truly feel their full power.

Here are 2 recipes from Eating for Energy to get you started:

Spinach Pear Smoothie
Serves 1 to 2

3 cups spinach
1 pear
¼ cup parsley
1 cup celery juice
Juice of half a lemon

* Blend all ingredients into a blender until smooth.

Grape-Celery Cooler
Serves 1 to 2

1 cup sweet red grapes
3-4 celery stalks
Mint for garnish (optional)

* In a juicer, juice all ingredients and garnish with mint if desired.

Nutrition Expert, Yuri Elkaim and his groundbreaking book, Eating for Energy, have helped thousands of people in over 80 countries regain control of their health and weight. Watch his new You Tube Video and discover a delicious GREEN smoothie recipe that will keep you energized and nourished. For more on his revolutionary healthy eating book visit http://www.EatingforEnergy.ca.

About the Author: Nutrition Expert, Yuri Elkaim and his groundbreaking book, Eating for Energy, have helped thousands of people in over 80 countries regain control of their health and weight. Watch his new You Tube Video and discover a delicious GREEN smoothie recipe that will keep you energized and nourished. For more on his revolutionary healthy eating book visit http://www.EatingforEnergy.ca

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=261664&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet

Is it Possible to Lose Weight Fast With Exercise Alone?

Is it Possible to Lose Weight Fast With Exercise Alone?

By Kya Grace

There are many speculations about the importance of diet when it comes to weight loss. The truth of the matter is that you need to create a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. It is your choice whether you want to create it by dieting, exercising, or both. A research study that extended up to 12 weeks, showed that both dieting alone and exercising alone caused the same amount of weight loss, but those who exercised to lose weight were much more physically fit. Here are a few tips to help you lose weight through exercise alone:

Sleep the right amount - No one loses weight while they are exercising; they lose weight while resting. Your body burns fat when you sleep. Therefore, if you do not get enough sleep, all the exercising goes down the trash. What is also important is to sleep at least two hours after dinner. Otherwise, the digestive process interferes with the fat burning process.

Cardio Training - Cardio training is important as it gets your heart beating, and helps to increase your stamina. It helps to create the calorie deficit you require to in order to reach your weight loss goal. Typically, you should do cardio training for 30 to 60 minutes, 3 to 5 times a week. This of course, will vary depending on your stamina. The stamina that you build can be used by your body during weight training.

Weight Training - When you lift weights, you develop your muscles. Muscles are developed by burning fat. Therefore, weight training is a must if you are relying on exercise to lose weight. Its not necessary to go to the gym for this. You can buy a few dumbbells of varying weights, and progress through them as your stamina allows. Research shows that regular resistance or weight training will increase your metabolic rate by almost 15 %, helping you to lose weight faster.

Interval Training - After some time, your body will get used to the exercises and not burn much fat. You will need to change your routine or increase the number of repetitions. Another way to shock your body into burning fat is to do interval training. Interval training basically involves work out which is not regular, that is it involves so many changes in that very session, that your body can't foresee the amount of fat burning required, and has to burn a lot of fat. Going hiking, or running stadium stars with intervals is a good example of interval training.

Warm Up and Cool Down - Your body functions differently when you are exercising, for example, your muscles are flexed, your body needs more oxygen, and many other changes. It is necessary to get your body ready for them, by warming up, and to cool down before it gains normalcy again. Your muscles are prepared for action through warm up and that helps avoid injuries, stretches and cramps. Cooling down gives the body the signal to be normal again, which will bring down the increased oxygen levels that were maintained during exercise.

About the Author: If you would like to book a boot camp session, or for a free Personal Trainers Sydney consultation, visit Personal Training in Sydney.

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=884459&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet

Top Stories This Week

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Here's a list of the stories you might have missed this week:

 

Cut Your Body Fat Or Risk Having A Heart Attack - Scientists have startling new evidence about the deadly relationship between obesity and the health of your heart.

Obesity Will Become Even More Prevalent By 2030, Report - Read about the latest scientific projections about the nation's obesity epidemic.

Asian Americans With Diabetes Face Unique Challenges - This article contains very important information how diabetes is affecting one of our nation's largest growing racial minority groups.

Obesity Increases Asthma Risk In Children and Teens - Learn about the serious consequences that obesity has on the health of young people with asthma.

Coffee Might Add Years To Your Life - There are some benefits to drinking coffee that may surprise you. Read the article and see for yourself.

 

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I'm living fit, healthy and happy. Are you?

 

"Top Stories This Week" copyright 2012 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy. All Rights Reserved.

Coffee Might Add Years To Your Life

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Coffee may not be so bad after all, in fact new research suggests that drinking coffee could add years to your life. In what could be a potential boost to the coffee industry, research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has established a link between coffee consumption and lower mortality in men and women. This finding could make coffee, which is already one of the nation's favorite beverages, even more popular with consumers.

Scientific investigators, led by Neal Freedman from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Institutes of Health, looked at the relationship between coffee consumption and cause-specific mortality in American adults. To this end, they studied 229,119 men and 173,141 women who participated in the National Institutes of Health - AARP Diet and Health Study.

To be eligible for the experiment, participants had to be free of heart disease, stroke and cancer, and between the ages of 50 - 71 years at the beginning of the study. Participants also completed a questionnaire so that researchers could collect demographic and lifestyle information including dietary habits. Finally, although participants provided a self-report about the amount of coffee the data does not distinguish how the coffee was prepared i.e. expresso, ground, or boiled.

The participants were followed between 1995 and 2008 during which time Freedman's team collected valuable data regarding coffee's effect on mortality. Taken together 52,515 people died during the course of the study (33,731 men and 18,784 women) which on the outset might appear to be a bad thing. However, a closer look at the data reveals that coffee was actually associated with longevity. 

More specifically, scientists discovered that men who drank six or more cups of coffee per day, lowered their mortality risk by 10 % and women who consumed that amount lowered their mortality risk by 15% compared to men and women who did not drink coffee. Moreover, coffee consumption lowered the mortality risk due to diabetes, heart disease, stroke, accidents, respiratory disease, injuries, and infections. 

On the downside, coffee did little to lower the mortality risk for people with cancer.

It's also important to note that compared to non-coffee drinkers, people who drank coffee were more likely to smoke, drink large amounts of alcohol, eat lots of red meat and rarely participated in excerise - all bad habits which are associated with higher cancer mortality.

 

Why Is Coffee Good For You?

Incidentally, this isn't the first time that scientists have provided evidence about the benefits of drinking coffee. Last January, we posted an article about Chinese researchers who discovered that caffiene metabolites had a positive effect on type 2 diabetes by inhibiting a crucial protein associated with the disease.

With regards to the NIH - AARP Diet and Health Study, both caffeinated and decaf coffee drinkers benefitted from coffee consumption. So, where could the benefit be coming from? Freedman and his colleagues noted that coffee consists of "1000 compounds that might affect the risk of death" thereby suggesting that ingredients other than coffee might also be of significance.

As for coffee's potential effect on mortality, Freedman and his colleagues reached this conclusion: "Our results provide reassurance with respect to the concern that coffee drinking might adversely affect health."

So, does this mean that coffee is good for you? You'll have to make that decision for yourself.

Freedman's results show that coffee benefited people who didn't smoke or were former smokers compared to people who currently smoke.

Therefore, a reasonable interpretation of the data would be that if you're relatively healthy i.e. not engaging in bad habits, coffee could add some years to your life.

 

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Article Sources 

 Freedman, N., Park, Y., Abnet, C., Hollenbeck, A., & Sinha, R. (2012). Association of Coffee Drinking with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality New England Journal of Medicine, 366 (20), 1891-1904 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1112010

Serve Up The Coffee! Coffee Thwarts Type 2 Diabetes

 

"Coffee Might Add Years To Your Life" copyright 2012 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy. All Rights Reserved.