high-related stories
Bad Cardio?
Ask Fitz!, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness
Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.
Q. Hi Fitz! I've come across a couple articles recently that are dead-set against prolonged cardio multiple times a week. They suggest that High Intensity Interval Training or low intensity activity only a few times a week at most, alongside regular weight training, is the only way to lose fat and stay fit. I don't think I could live without long runs or my favorite aerobics class. What do you think? Thanks, Samantha
A. Hi Samantha! Thanks for the great question. I'm sure it's on the minds of many. Bottom line, the folks who said that are over-opinionated. Think about Lance Armstrong, the guy does massive amounts of cardio each week and is the picture of health. So do I ... and so do most runners, cyclists, boxers, kickboxers, soccer players and more.
Vitamin D - Moderation is Key
Vitamins and Supplements, Nutrition & Supplements
I recently wrote a post about the benefits vitamin D can have on heart health. That's only one of the perks of vitamin D that has been in the press lately. Now many people -- buying into the vitamin D kick hook, line and sinker -- are buying high-dosage vitamin D supplements from pharmacies and health food stores.
There is no science that says high doses of vitamin D are necessary. And why waste your money on a supplement when vitamin D is so readily available from other sources? Sunlight is your best source, but again, it's important to be reasonable. You don't want to spend too much time in the sun without the protection of sunblock, so a few short 10-15 minute walks outside each week will do. Vitamin D is also available in fortified foods such as milk, some cereals, and orange juice, and it's naturally found in salmon and other oil-rich fish.
Is organic soda the way to go?
Organic soda, like all soda, contains zero nutrients -- and a bigger price tag. A six-pack of the organic stuff will cost you about $5, and yes, it's made without high fructose syrup (clearly, a bonus) but each can contains 120 calories -- that's 20 more than a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola Classic.
Cutting back on nutritionally-void foods and drinks is the best way to go, says Prevention magazine. So ditch the soda and any other organic junk food that temps your taste buds. These items might be better for the planet, but they aren't any better for you.
Fix your form, guys
Time to fix your form, guys, because you are not sitting on the stationary bike seat correctly, say the experts at Men's Health. You either sit too low or too high. And this is just not right. Here's why.Too low adds stress on the knees. Too high rocks your hips from side to side. Both are uncomfortable and inefficient. You look funny too. Here's what you should do: sit on the seat and place your heel in the middle of the pedal -- where the ball of your foot would normally rest. Make sure your leg is fully extended, straight down, at the lowest point of the pedal rotation.
If you're already practicing perfect form on the bike, congrats to you. If you're not, get to work, my friends.
Lower your cholesterol -- starting now
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
Make it your mission to get your cholesterol checked. Do it as soon as you can, because time is a factor here. High cholesterol is a major contributer to cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke and if you know your cholesterol numbers are starting to lead you down a dangerous path, there is something you can do about it.You can eat better. You can lose weight. You can exercise. For some, medication may be necessary. In other cases, a combination of all four is key.
Since we're all about eating right and exercising well here at That's Fit, we say you ought to do these few things.
Pump up your sex life with a pair of heels
Healthy Habits, Diet & Weight Loss
Break out those high heels. A recent study from the University of Verona in Italy reports that women whose feet are elevated at a 15-degree angle (that's about a three-inch heel) have more relaxed pelvic muscles than women who wear flats. The more relaxed these pelvic muscle are, the more they can contract and heighten your sexual experience.
Heels may not be your best bet for healthy feet -- but for a healthy sex life, they may be just the ticket. For 20 great tips for wearing and walking in high heel shoes, take a peek at this site. Per reader suggestion, here are some tips for avoiding the pain high heels can cause. And by all means, don't risk life and limb just to sport a pair of pumps in the name of good sex.
Thanks, Family Circle, for the sexy tip.
Ask Fitz! Your Fitzness Questions Answered -- BOSU Classes & Best Butt Exercises
Womens Health, Ask Fitz!, Cellulite, Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.
Q. Dear Fitz, I want to take one of the BOSU classes at my gym, but I've never done it before and I'll feel like a total dork if I bust my butt on one of those things. Plus I'm a guy. Mostly girls take those classes. Should I bother? Eric.
A. Ahhh! Eric, you are too cute. First of all. The BOSU is a balance tool and is designed to make people wobbly. Until that is, they earn the strength and control to not only stand on top of it, but do some tricks too. Second. You can stand in the back of the classroom if you don't want to be a spectacle. Third. Most people in a BOSU class are too concerned with their own balance to have the time and ability to look at what anyone else is doing.
We are a corn-fed nation
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
January's Men's Journal magazine serves up some definite corny news, informing readers that in the same way Morgan Spurlock opened our eyes with his documentary Super Size Me, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis take us to the cornfields of Iowa to school us on our strange and unhealthy dependence on corn.Directed by a guy named Aaron Wolf, the new documentary King Corn will apparently convince us that nearly everything we eat is corn. Our livestock feeds on it, our soda is sweetened by it, our food is deep-fried in it, and even the medication NyQuil contains it. Why is this newsworthy? Because corn is likely the root cause of America's obesity epidemic.
Cheney and Ellis, both 24, don't just passively study and report on this whole corn issue. They live it. Leaving their suburban Boston homes, the pair spends a year growing their very own acre of corn. The first thing they learn: It's a cheap and nutritionless kernel that dominates America's corn belt and thus, everything we put in our bodies. They tell us that we overproduce corn, force feed it to our cows instead of allowing them to graze, and make high-fructose corn syrup in crazy quantities. They also interview a New York cab driver suffering from Type II diabetes, a man who happened to drop 100 pounds by giving up corn-sweetened soda.
"This documentary is enough to leave you distrustful of everything on your plate," says the Boston Globe. For a sneak peek at the movie that will challenge your trust, take a peek at the King Corn trailer, located right here.
Cruise doctors not responsible for your health
Nearly 10 million Americans will set sail this year. What these 10 million may not know is that cruise lines claim no responsibility for doctors' actions. Cruise lines hire doctors, and they assign them as part of the crew -- but the buck stops there. The doctor merely has to claim to be competent. If he or she is not, cruise lines disavow any responsibility whatsoever.
This fact can be found in the fine print on tickets, Web sites, and brochures. But most of us don't read every detail and for some, discovering this hidden wording occurs too late.
If cruise lines are not responsible, then the doctors must be, right? In theory, perhaps. But many doctors are foreigners who and are tough to track down in legal scenarios.In the book Unsafe on the High Seas, Miami attorney Charles Lipcon offers advice for protecting yourself : Get travel insurance if yours doesn't have an evacuation provision, he says. And bring copies of your medical records, and tell the cruise line about pre-existing conditions. And most important: If you have a serious medical problem, maybe a cruise is not right for you.
Red yeast rice combats high cholesterol naturally
Nature provides a wealth of alternative treatments for many things we take medicine for every day. A lot of time it just has to do with finding the right supplement! Cholesterol, for example, can be tackled from many angles. Whether naturally or clinically, high cholesterol drives a lot of attention (and dollars).One natural remedy is giving big pharmaceutical companies a run for their money. Or at least it is trying to -- it's called red yeast rice and is described as the "red or purple substance released by a fungus grown on fermented rice." It has worked for the Chinese: they've been using it since 800 A.D.
This stuff creates a lot of the same ingredient that powers prescription medication (lovastatin). Research backs its effectiveness. Apparently they have been watching it lower LDL in the blood and triglycerides since the 1970s! In fact, red yeast rice contains so much statin that the FDA had three brands removed from shelves because they felt it was getting close to prescription strength. Some people think big pharma put pressure on them to reduce the competition, but they are still readily available in health outlets. If you're interested, be sure to consult your physician before taking any supplements.
What's your arch type?
If you're flat-footed or have a low arch, you'll see your entire footprint. If you have a high arch, you'll see a thin line between the ball and heel print. If you have a neutral or normal arch, your print will look like a half moon.
So what's your type? Whatever it is, make sure you use this information next time you go shopping for the perfect workout shoe. Different shoes support different arches -- so be sure to find the shoe that's just right for you.
Walk this way
Three days of the week: Engage in 30-60 minutes of purposeful walking. Walk the kids to school, walk to the store for milk, or walk with a colleague at work -- call it a meeting and you'll kill two birds with one stone. Break up your walking if you wish -- 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there -- but walk with a mission. Walk as if you're not late but have no time to spare.
Two days of the week: Get moving for 25-45 minutes of high intensity walking. Walk very quickly and tackle some hills while you're at it. Do this walk all at once and not in mini-chunks of time, and be aware of your breathing. Make sure you aren't gasping for air.
One day per week: Take a 90-minute walk. It can be a hike or even a family excursion in a park. Speed isn't important for this one. Just go long.
Diet tips of a random nature
Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
- Walking your dog for 20 minutes five times per week for one year led to an average weight loss of 14 pounds for those who were part of a recent study. If you don't have your own pooch, consider volunteering to walk dogs at a local animal shelter.
- If you skimp on your sleep, you're more likely to eat fast food. Why? Probably because feeling tired makes cooking a healthy dinner seem like a lot of hard work. Swinging through the drive-through or plopping down in that booth at McDonald's is so much easier.
Returning to a stressful job after suffering heart attack could increase chances of second attack
Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation
If you've had a heart attack recently but think you're feeling well enough to go back to work, you may want to think again. According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Laval in Quebec, for those who have suffered a heart attack, going back to work at a stressful job can lead to another heart episode.
Results of the study showed that both men and women who returned to a high stress work environment were at twice the risk of experiencing another heard attack irregardless of age, marital status and education. Unfortunately, it's isn't realistic for most people not to return their jobs after a significant heart event.
So what should you do if you've had a heart attack and have to go back to work? According to the article, you need to find ways to lessen mental and physical strain at your job. Suggestions include eating healthier lunches, going for walks during breaks, learning how to be assertive when dealing with colleagues and more.
Have you got any tips on how to make work a healthier, more relaxing place to be?
Fat liver risk caused by high-glycemic food diet
Are you a consumer of high glycemic index (GI) foods? Probably you are -- most of us are at regular intervals. New research reports, however, that not only will you gain more weight from eating a diet rich in high glycemic foods, but there are risks to liver health as well.The study involved mice of course, and the liver problems caused by overconsumption of high glycemic foods has already been termed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
White bread, potatoes and refined starches cause a rapid spike in blood sugar, which causes the problems. In fact, I'd go as far as saying everyone should cut out as many refined, white products as possible: bread, rice, potatoes, flour and anything else that contains refined (read: nutritionally worthless) grains and bleached flour products.
