Must Read: Fitness Experts Have Turned Against Sit-Ups

Here’s  some important news for all those doing sit-ups , they’re pretty bad for your lower back and you should definitely consider switching to a different exercise, so read on:

Fitness experts are now advising against doing too many sit-ups for risk of back injury.

Sit-ups -put too much pressure on your lower back

According to the Wall Street Journal, Stuart McGill, a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, says sit-ups put hundreds of pounds of compressive force on the spine. This pressure combined with the repeated flexing motion of a sit-up can squeeze spinal discs and possibly lead to herniation.

Others are catching on. The Journal reports that an editorial in a paper covering the U.S. Navy has called for taking sit-ups out of annual fitness tests, and the Canadian Armed Forces has already done away with them. The creator of the P90X workout also says he no longer does sit-ups.

What to do instead of sit-ups? Experts recommend the plank pose, which works out core muscles but puts less harmful pressure on the lower back.

Go here for more information in A Guide to the Plank Exercise

A Guide to the Plank Exercise

One type of exercise that will improve your abdominal core strength and stability are plank exercises. When performed properly, they will not only improve the muscles supporting the spine and lower body, but also develop the arms, shoulders and glutes.

Many people that don’t exercise might wonder why they need a strong abdominal core. A strong core not only gives you a better erect posture, but it also makes doing simple everyday tasks a lot easier, like carrying groceries in from the car, or a full laundry basket, or toting around a 15-pound toddler, or vacuuming, or …. you get the idea.

man on Abdominals workout Basic Plank posture

The Basic Plank

The starting position for this exercise is the same as it is for a push-up – your body in a straight line (like a straight plank of wood) with your hands and feet shoulder-width apart.

Next, squeeze your glutes (buttocks) to stabilize the front half of your body facing the floor.

Be sure your head is in line with your back by looking at the floor about a foot in front of your hands. This takes the pressure off of your neck.

Hold this position for 20 seconds when first starting out. As you get more comfortable holding this position, gradually increase the amount of time without compromising your form or breathing.

Plank Variations

There are several variations to the basic plank. Three popular ones are the:

Forearm

The starting position for this exercise is basically the same as it is for the basic plank, except your forearms are supporting your weight instead of your hands. Keep to the form by ensuring your hands are pointing forward and are shoulder-width apart. Hold for 20 seconds or as long as you can.

Knee

This variation also initially uses the basic starting position, but with one twist – you are supporting your lower body on your knees instead of your feet. The knee plank is a great exercise to do if you have some lower back problems or when the basic plank hurts your back. Hold time is the same as it is for the other plank exercises.

Side

The side plank is a great exercise designed to work the obliques and abdominal side muscles. The starting position is you on your side supported by the hand of one arm and your feet together. Your body should be in line at an incline from your feet to your head. Variations of the side plank that increase the level of difficulty include raising the non-supporting arm and leg. If you have a hard time holding the side plank position, try crossing your non-supporting leg in front of you for additional support. Hold for 20 seconds or as long as you can and then switch sides.

The beauty of planks is that they require no equipment and can be done just about anywhere, making them a great exercise to do while away from home or the gym.

Confusion About Who Should Take A Statin

Do you have a healthy heart? Have you had a checkup recently?

This may be a good time to book that appointment and find out for you definitely want to be aware of the risk you’re under don’t you?

But questions remain about who should be taking them
Many doctors already prescribe statins to people who have not yet had a heart problem, but figuring out who might benefit most from the drugs is a challenge.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a panel of experts that is commissioned to comb through existing studies of health issues and come up with recommendations, attempts to address that question with its latest advice. The group says that the weight of evidence suggests that statins can help middle-aged people who have not yet had heart problems avoid them if they have a greater than 10% risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years.

But some people think the recommendations do little to clarify the situation.

Doctors can calculate their 10-year risk by plugging certain information into a web-based calculator formulated by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC). In 2013, the two groups debuted this revised algorithm, along with their recommendation that people with a 7.5% or greater risk of heart events in the next 10 years consider taking a statin to reduce that risk. In their previous advice, based primarily on the so-called Framingham risk factors that emerged from a decades-long study of what contributed to heart disease, the experts set the statin threshold at a 10% or greater risk. The lower cutoff made millions more people eligible to take a statin and created controversy, as some heart doctors questioned whether all of those people would actually benefit—especially since the drugs carry some side effects, including muscle problems and a possibly higher risk of diabetes. Some cardiologists argue that those risks aren’t worth it for people who do not yet have any symptoms of heart disease…

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“Healthy Eating” Trends You Should Skip in 2016

Are you all set for the start of the new year? Have you drawn up your new years’ resolutions yet? If so than losing weight by changing your eating habits and finally getting back to some serious exercising is probably on that list. Before you stick that list on your fridge I recommend you read this interesting article from GoodHousekeeping about those healthy eating” trends

1. Paleo Products

Enough with the “bullet-proof coffee” and “Paleo-wraps.” Most of these marketing-heavy products are just that: All fluff. (And did I mention high in calories and saturated fat?). Most paleo products swap coconut for whole-grains or dairy — an easy way to add calories from fat to an otherwise healthy food! While there’s nothing wrong with some good-for-you fat in moderation (see point #6), the paleo product industry has seriously capitalized on the fat-frenzy… which in the long term will likely lead to a tighter belt and an emptier wallet (did I mention most of these are super expensive?!). Skip ’em to save unnecessary calories … and dollars.

2. Weight-Loss Teas

File this under, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Just … no. Skip these herbal teas that promise a 10lb weight loss in the next hour, dropping a dress size by tomorrow, or fitting into your skinny jeans in time for NYE. Drink tea you love for taste (and other health benefits!), not for weight-loss.

3. Juice Masquerading as Water

Coconut water, watermelon water, maple water … they may have a healthier surname, but they’re just juice, dressed up for Halloween and pretending to be water 365 days of the year. While many are lower in sugar than juices from concentrate, you’re still better off eating your calories and drinking water or seltzer — especially if you’re looking to lose weight (as many of us are) and decrease your risk of chronic disease (all of us). The only people who should drink the occasional juice-water? Athletes (not you, my regular gym-goer!). If you’re exercising vigorously for more than one hour daily, you have my blessing to drink these as what they are: Sports drinks…

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Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer May Become Possible

Finally there’s hope for possibly saving a lot of lives by detecting ovarian cancer at an early stage and thus allowing for treatment before the disease develops too far:
A new version of a screening test for ovarian cancer may reduce deaths from the disease, but it needs more study to determine whether the benefits hold up, researchers reported on Thursday.

The findings come from a 14-year study of more than 200,000 women in Britain, published in The Lancet.

“We need to follow up to confirm that this is absolutely significant throughout,” said Dr. Usha Menon, an author of the Lancet article and head of the gynecological cancer center at University College London. She said, “This is almost there, but not yet.”

Her reason for caution was that the study passed only two of three tests of statistical significance, which means that the apparent benefits of screening might have been due to chance. She said a few more years of monitoring the participants would resolve that question.
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Deborah Denehy received chemotherapy directly to her abdomen to treat ovarian cancer, a treatment that remains underused in the United States.

The study results have been long awaited because ovarian cancer has a poor prognosis. The disease has no symptoms in its early stages and can progress rapidly, so most cases are advanced by the time they are found. Only about 45 percent of ovarian cancer patients are still alive five years after a diagnosis.

This year, 21,290 new cases and 14,180 deaths from ovarian cancer are expected in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.

Past efforts to find a screening method have focused on two tests: ultrasound examinations of the ovaries, and a blood test to measure CA125, a “tumor marker” sometimes linked to early-stage disease. But in previous studies, those tests did not work: They did not lower the death rate and they produced too many false-positive results that led healthy women to have unnecessary surgery.

The Lancet study also used CA125, but in a different way. Instead of declaring a certain level abnormal, the researchers developed a mathematical formula that took into account a woman’s age and the degree of change in CA125 over time, and calculated a risk score.

Experts not associated with the Lancet study agreed that the test was not ready for routine use, and they varied in their optimism about it…

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Solid tips to get a jump on your weight-loss resolution

It’s the season for drawing up your resolutions and I bet doing something about your weight is going to on that list once again. Here’s an article that has some great tips for sticking to those resolutions so go ahead and read it now:

We’re betting you’ve already “treated yourself” a little too much this holiday season — hey, who can resist that extra reindeer cookie?

Pretty much no one.

But here’s some good news. You can get a jump on your resolution to drop a few pounds in 2016 — and it won’t be hard at all. New research shows that easy lifestyle moves can reap significant weight-loss benefits.

Five tips to consider:

1. Eat more often. Researchers at Occidental College here in Los Angeles recently found that consuming six healthy, portion-controlled meals per day instead of three slightly larger meals helped slash hunger pangs and produced a leaner physique during weight loss. (Note the two important words: “portion-controlled.”) The study compared participants who ate twice a day, about six to seven hours apart, and subjects who ate smaller meals every two to three hours The conclusion? “Increased [meal frequency] may lead to reduced consumption at subsequent meals and/or overall daily caloric intake,” according to the study.
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2. Drink a glass of water (or two). Drinking a little more than two cups of water (or 500 milliliters) before each meal can help spur considerable weight loss. Researchers at the University of Birmingham in Britain, led by Dr. Helen M. Parretti asked overweight study subjects to drink up, then imagine themselves with a full stomach before starting to eat a normal-sized meal. The result of this creative visualization? On average, subjects lost 9 1/2 pounds each over a 12-week period.

3. Reach for the chile pepper. Researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia found that capsaicin, a compound found in chile peppers, sends messages to the nerve network in your stomach, which then tells your brain you’re no longer hungry. “One of the reasons obese people eat more food is probably due to disruption of this hot chile receptor in nerves in the stomach,” says Amanda J. Page, assistant professor and senior research fellow at the university’s School of Medicine. “If we can discover how this channel is disrupted then we can develop a drug therapy for the treatment of obesity that will not only help you lose weight but also keep the weight off. It’s a ‘watch this space’ situation. Scientists are working on the problem, and eventually there will be a successful therapy.” In the meantime, if you enjoy spicy food, try a half teaspoon daily half-teaspoon of red pepper sprinkled over one meal each day: Previous research by Purdue University found that doing so increased study subjects’ core body temperature, caused them to burn more calories and curbed hunger…

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10 ways to beat holiday stress with fitness and nutrition

Here’s some very good advice on”how to survive” what’s arguably one of the most difficult holiday period’s of the year:

They’re here: the holidays with their cheer and charm on the one hand and their chaos and crazy on the other.

There are the many tasty but way-too-caloric meals, sweet and overbearing in-laws, high expectations and numerous disappointments, change of pace and lack of structure.

The list of naughty and nice holiday experiences is as long as Santa’s own.

For some people, this is no big deal, a passing state of affairs that soon will be a mere fragment on the collage of holidays past.

But if you, like many, find that holidays have a special place on your list of anxiety and gloom-inducing triggers, then the following fitness and nutrition ideas might just be what you need.

● Eat when you are hungry. A common mistake people make is to skip meals in anticipation of the big buffet. The downside: You feel bad from being too hungry before the meal and overly full after.

“Consider your hunger cues,” says Cheryl Harris, local nutrition coach and owner of Harris Whole Health. “You feel just as bad when you are hungry as when you have eaten too much.”

Bloating, fatigue and crankiness are among symptoms of these extremes on the hunger spectrum. Instead, stick to your routines even on holiday-buffet day.

● Make smart choices and be picky with indulgences. Let’s be honest: Healthy choices don’t really abound during the holidays, but they can be found. Harris suggests looking for chili and vegetable-based soup, as they usually are “reasonably healthy choices,” and whole foods such as clementines. And feel free to indulge in the dishes that are special, not the things (store-bought chips and cookies) that you can have any time of the year. Grandma’s apple pie, on the other hand? Go for it, says Harris. “Have the things that define the holiday for you.”

● Take your time. Take some time to look at the spread before digging in. Socialize with family and friends. Enjoy the sights and sounds. Eventually, home in on the two or three items that look the most delectable. Use moderation. This is probably not your last meal.

● Stay hydrated. Try to aim for your eight glasses of water a day. Dehydration has been shown to affect mood negatively, Harris says. If you are drinking alcohol it’s a good idea to alternate with water. Club soda may be a more festive option than plain water..

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Pain relief medicine psychology

Do yo trust ” big pharma”? In that case you should read the following story reported by the BBC for another example for why you might want to be a bit more skeptic when it comes to their claims:

The manufacturer of a leading brand of painkiller has been accused of misleading customers in Australia. But how do people choose over-the-counter pain relief?

There’s a whole range of Nurofen products. There are Nurofen capsules, caplets and “meltlets”. Some are marketed to treat specific problems – Nurofen Migraine Pain or Nurofen Tension Headache.

But Nurofen maker Reckitt Benckiser has been ordered to take some of these “specific pain” products off the shelves in Australia. A court decided they were misleading consumers because the packaging made it seem as though they had been formulated to treat different types of pain. In fact, these products contained the same active ingredient – 342mg of ibuprofen lysine.

Reckitt Benckiser says that they are just meeting demand. They argue that 88% of people look for relief for a specific type of pain. Packaging tablets with clear labels saying “back pain” or “period pain” makes it easier for people to decide which one to get to meet their needs, they add.

But take this scenario. A customer has a packet of Nurofen Migraine Pain in their handbag. They suffer a tension headache. They buy Nurofen Tension Headache. By the Australian court’s view they are completely wasting their money – it’s fundamentally the same medicine in different packaging.

All of these specific pain versions cost about double the price of Nurofen’s standard version in Australia. The formulations used in Nurofen’s specific pain range in Australia contain lysine and sodium. The manufacturer says that this allows them to be absorbed faster than the standard version..

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What Is Testosterone And Its Role In A Man’s Body

Testosterone is a hormone found in much greater amounts than exists in women.

It is made primarily by the testicles and results in the function of many male activities, including:

•    Chest hair and body hair
•    Male libido
•    Erections
•    Sperm production and motility
•    Muscle mass

Low T Syndrome

Increasingly, men are being diagnosed as having “Low T syndrome” or a condition of low testosterone. This is, in part, due to a greater awareness of erectile dysfunction so that many more men are being tested for low testosterone syndrome and are being found to be low. Because there is less stigma round erectile dysfunction, there is also less stigmatization around having a low testosterone condition.

More men are seeing an endocrinologist or urologist and are concerned about depression, weak muscles, lack of libido, and excessive fatigue, which are all symptoms of low T syndrome. In some cases, it isn’t the testosterone at all and is instead thyroid dysfunction but this can be tested for, too.

After the age of 30 years, the testosterone level begins to drop. Men confuse this testosterone loss with part of the aging process but this is simply not the case. Men assume that, as they age, libido is supposed to decrease and erectile dysfunction is a normal part of the process. Many of these men have low T syndrome, which can be treated so that their symptoms can improve.

Diagnosing Low T Syndrome

Doctors treating men with testosterone problems must first rule out other causes of their syndrome. Part of the work up of these symptoms includes determining the man’s testosterone level. The normal amount of testosterone in men is 300 ng/dL. The upper limit for testosterone is 800 ng/dL.

Causes of low T syndrome include the following:

•    Testicular cancer or its treatment
•    Testicular injury
•    Hormonal imbalances
•    HIV/AIDS
•    Kidney disease
•    Liver disease
•    Type 2 diabetes
•    An infection
•    Being overweight
•    Certain medications
•    Klinefelter’s syndrome
•    Advanced age

Not every man experiences symptoms from having low T syndrome. Levels of 100-200 ng/dL, however, usually these levels do produce symptoms. Low T syndrome, if left untreated, can lead to bone loss and osteoporosis so it should be treated even with few or tolerable symptoms.

Treatment Of Low T Syndrome

Low testosterone should be treated if it is contributing to infertility or if it is causing physical symptoms like erectile dysfunction or osteoporosis. Testosterone does not survive the acidic environment of the stomach so regular pills cannot be given. Instead, testosterone is used in injectable form, as a patch, lozenges, gels, or as a paste that absorbs through the skin. For severe problems, injectable testosterone is considered the most effective. The injections are designed to be given every few weeks.

They stimulate sperm production and improve sperm motility. Gels or patches are used for people with fewer symptoms of low T syndrome. Another treatment involves the use of pellets of testosterone injected into the buttocks. The pellets are able to release a steady amount of testosterone over a period of 3-4 months.

Testosterone treatment for low T syndrome usually kicks in after a couple of weeks, although the results are not considered very dramatic in some cases. There are risks for taking testosterone that every man should know about. This includes an increased risk of prostate cancer or worsening of already developing testosterone cancer. There is possibly an increased risk of developing heart disease from taking in too much testosterone.

Because of the risks of developing negative effects from taking testosterone, the man with low T syndrome and his doctor should have an honest discussion about the pros and cons of taking the hormone before embarking on treatment.

Should You Be Drinking Bone Broth Every Day ?

Yes that’s one intriguing headline isn’t it, drinking bone broth, well check out this excerpt and see for yourself that you might want to seriously consider doing this on an ongoing basis, your body will thank you for it:

If you’re battling weight creep, fatigue, wrinkles, and other signs of aging, I know it’s tempting to reach for an artificial “fix”—a diet pill, an energy drink, or a shot of Botox. But I have a better prescription for you. It’s one of the world’s most powerful healing and anti-aging foods: bone broth.

Bone broth is trendy right now, with everyone from NBA stars to celebrities like Shailene Woodley and Gwyneth Paltrow raving about it. But that’s not why I tell my patients to drink this slow-simmered broth made from the bones of meat, chicken, turkey, or fish.

In fact, I was a fan of bone broth years before it became the “in thing.” More than a decade ago, I discovered the healing and fat-melting properties of this liquid gold and made it the core of my anti-aging and weight loss transformations. In addition, I drink it myself every day. Here’s why.
Bone broth heals your gut

Beef broth

Bone broth is packed with collagen, which turns into gelatin when you cook it — gelatin is one of the most potent gut healers on the planet. Gelatin is loaded with glycine, a powerful anti-inflammatory amino acid, and it’s rich in other healing nutrients including magnesium, proline, and arginine.

Gelatin’s gut-healing properties are important because in order to stay slim and healthy, you need to have a rock-solid gut. In fact, as a clinician who specializes in transforming sick and overweight patients into healthy, slender people, I can tell you that nothing is more important to your health than a strong gut. Here’s the story.

Your gut is home to the trillions of microbes that scientists call your microbiome. Think of this microbiome as an ecosystem — one that’s either in balance or out of balance. If it’s in balance, you have a wide diversity of good microbes and very few bad ones. If it’s out of balance, two very dangerous things can happen:

The bad microbes can multiply rapidly, churning out toxic chemicals.

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can occur. In SIBO, microbes overpopulate your gut, overwhelming it…

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