With the summer upon us, our regular schedules often are interrupted by travel. If you are a creature of habit this may cause a complete disruption of your lifestyle. If your habits just recently started to include regular exercise and healthy eating habits, the changes to your environment, schedule, and activities may throw you into a downward spiral to old bad habits.So a good way to stay on track is to plan ahead. As you are planning your trek across the United States, or the trek to the shore, a part of the planning should include ways to keep on track with your exercise. Finding a local …

When it comes to spring and the Easter holiday season, we think of chocolate Easter bunnies, jellybeans and colored eggs. We know that consuming large amounts of jelly beans and Easter chocolate may not be the most beneficial to a fat loss lifestyle.  However, you may not know that the best thing you can consume to help with a fat loss diet is those colored eggs. Not very long ago, the egg, had a bad reputation for having high cholesterol and fat so, many steered clear of the lonely egg.  However, the most recent research shows that “It is now known that there is little, if any, connection …

How many times have you set out to start another “diet” and found that your kitchen has been the downfall of your efforts?   Within the first day you find your stash of chips, and you remember where they were “hidden” from you. You build a heaping salad but end up putting a high fat, creamy salad dressing slathered all over top of the it. You slowly consume a whole bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips by the end of the day and you dig into the “kids'” ice cream by 8 p.m.   Does this scenario sound familiar to you? A great way to help set you up for success is cleaning out your cabinets, …

So how important is our muscular-skeletal system? And is it inevitable that we will lose mass amounts of muscle due to the very fact that we are aging?  Our muscular-skeletal system is imperative to keep us moving. However, the system also contributes to effective metabolic function, which includes immune function support. So, scientifically speaking, if the human body loses muscle mass, the result is a severe decrease in functional movement, strength, metabolic function and immune support. In other words, according to Life Extension Magazine, “This suggests that frail elderly people with …

With an estimated 30,000 runners expected for this year’s 10-mile run down Broad Street the first week of May, many are just starting their training regime.   Whether a seasoned runner or a beginner, your training program should include at least two to three days a week of strength training, also referred to as resistance training. A balanced functional strength training program can help prevent common injuries, improve stability and stamina, besides helping maintain muscle mass needed for bone health. As found in a review of current research, on resistance training and running it was …

Have you heard about barefoot running? What about the Turkish Get Up, yoga, jumping rope, TRX or maybe the front squat?   What do these exercises have in common? They are called self-limiting exercises. A self limiting exercise is just that—you can not continue doing these exercises past your ability to do these exercises.  A self-limiting exercise as defined by Gray Cook, writer of the book Movement, “requires mindfulness and an awareness of movement, alignment, balance and control. Self-limiting exercise requires engagement.” In other words, these exercises have automatic shut-offs. You …

Have you ever noticed the more you work out the aches and pains tend to add up? Or maybe you can’t seem to get in a consistent workout due to the extreme tightness you experience on a daily basis.   The relief you experience can only be had at the hands of a massage therapist. Although you would love to have a massage therapist at your home to help the relief on a daily basis, there is a more portable and less expensive solution to your problem: foam rolling.Foam rolling, also known as self myofascial release (SMR), has been shown to improve daily function and exercise in addition to …

This time of year either you resolve to make a change for your health or you remember that you have failed in the past and you resolve to stay the same.   The key to getting what you want is understanding that failing is a part of the overall process. The true value of success is the ability to fail in the process. If you can learn from your past mistakes in getting what you want out of your New Year’s resolution this could be the year of successfully achieving a healthier you.If you follow some of these key principals your plan of action can be attainable and successful for the New Year:1. …

With the impending New Year and the number one New Year’s resolution being weight loss, have you ever considered your weight based on the current standards set?   Do you ever wonder how the standards have been set and why you may or may not be within “healthy or ideal” range?The actual terminology of “ideal body weight” was originally recognized by the life insurance industry, specifically Metropolitan Life in 1943, for the purposes of setting the standards for life insurance. The charts were created based on populations that were between the ages of 25-59, and were not specific to gender.  …

With the colder winter season comes our winter sports, such as snow boarding and skiing.   The snow season is such a short season, it poses a problem for the unconditioned skier or snowboarder. A well-intentioned day on the slopes could be sidelined by injuries due to fatigue and lack of proper physical conditioning. Even the best athlete needs to prepare his or her body for the change of sports especially skiing and snowboarding. Although it may look easy, a trek down a mountain slope can be physically taxing to your body. It requires you to have endurance to stay on the slopes for long runs…

Research has shown, whatever may be occurring in your life, that your overall health will only improve if you are thankful and grateful. A truly healthy long life includes positive outlook and gratitude for where you may be at each moment of your life.  There’s no doubt that mind and body are connected, and this link is especially apparent when it comes to gratitude. “Research suggests that individuals who are grateful in their daily lives actually report fewer stress-related health symptoms, including headaches, gastrointestinal (stomach) issues, chest pain, muscle aches, and appetite …

It has been reported for years that if you exercise you feel good.   The feel good neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, GABA and endorphins are proven to maintain healthy levels with regular exercise. It seems simple that if all of these neurotransmitters are low, then just exercise, right? Well it’s not that simple! Recent research has shown, based on the increase in obesity and weight-related issues, exercise is one part of the solution.  Dr. Daniel Amen, neuropsychiatrist, has spent 20 years researching this topic and has written two books on this very topic. Amen’s focus is on weight …

How important is your sleep to you? Is sleep that important when it comes to your overall health?What does the lack of sleep do to our overall health?From infancy to death, sleep is an elusive part of our health we fail to ever truly grasp. Sleep is a necessary part of our life. We spend a third of our lives sleeping; however, researchers and health experts still find sleep a mystery.   Although the importance of sleep is still being researched, it is obvious that sleep is a necessary biological function, much like eating and moving our bodies.  In recent years research is finding that lack …

Have you heard of metabolic training? Did you know that if you are metabolically exercising you can achieve better results in a shorter amount of time?   It is possible to reduce your pants size and not lose a large amount of weight on a scale. This is what is called fat loss vs. weight loss. When you reduce your fat it is possible that your clothing sizes could change significantly; however, the scale may not change much at all.  A few studies comparing intermittent high intensity exercise vs. continuous moderate exercise consistently show a greater excess post exercise oxygen consumption (…

As the days get shorter and the air gets crisp, something happens to our drive to keep moving and eating healthy.   After Labor Day, summer is on its way out the door moving toward fall and winter. Do we instinctively add the extra pounds based on our genetic history of survival or is it something more?  Based on a study conducted by the National Institute of Health in the year 2000, our weight gain that occurs in the colder months usually occurs during the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.   A group of 165 volunteers of all weights and ages were monitored during this study. …

Can you eat whatever you want if you are on a regular exercise plan?Are you just upping your cardio to make up for your cake binges or weekend cheats? Is it truly possible to exercise off the damage that you may do everyday with your afternoon latte, candy grabs, vending machine visits or happy hour appetizers and cocktails?Some people may say yes to all of these statements, and some may say “I look at a piece of candy and I gain weight."  However, it is possible that both scenarios can cause damage to the body equally and in different ways.  As a fitness professional and nutritional …

Now that the NFL lockout is over and the professional football players are at training camp, some of these elite athletes can experience what is called over training.   Think about our young athletes heading off to preseason training or two-a-days before our high school football season starts. They can also experience this same condition.In an effort to get into the best shape ever, there is a potential for over training. If you are preparing for a marathon, triathlon or some out of the ordinary extreme sport or even just spending extensive hours training and you are feeling overly tired and …

The Larry King Cardiac Foundation and Dizzy Feet Foundation announced Dance 4 Your Life!, a new national health campaign asking Americans to dance their way toward an active and healthy lifestyle. Dance 4 Your Life! is centered around National Dance Day, an annual celebration that takes place on the last Saturday in July. The idea was launched in 2010 by Nigel Lythgoe, DFF co-president and co-creator and executive producer of FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance.” Expanding the message and fun of National Dance Day into a year-round initiative, Dance 4 Your Life! will raise awareness of the …

The Fourth of July is right around the corner and the mass majority of the US. population takes time off to spend with families and friends.   With this time off comes games and activities we may not have time to partake in on a regular basis. However the mass majority may not realize that if they lead a sedentary lifestyle during the week, picking up the tennis racket or making plans to take on your neighbors in a pickup basketball game or backyard volleyball game could lead to some minor to serious injuries.When taking on these activities you have the potential of injuring yourself without …

With the intense heat and humidity, is it necessary to rehydrate with a sports drink?   If you are outside with the sun beating on you all day while exercising, should you be consuming a sports drink to rehydrate? If you are lying by the pool or at the beach soaking in the sun, is a sports drink the right choice?  Is it possible there is an alternative to the popular sports drinks we all know by name?Just recently research has come out indicating that sports drinks are not necessary for every type of exercise. Sports drinks were created to help hydrate athletes after intense workouts.   …