Fractures Kill: Protect Your Bones With Quality Supplements
by John Neustadt, ND and Steve Pieczenik, MD, PhD
It is never too early to start working to prevent osteoporosis. During childhood and throughout pub... Read more
Big Breakfast Helps You Lose Weight
by Nicole Gregory
It's those cravings that do us in -- cookies, ice cream, potato chips. The answer, however, is not to banish snacks from your home or to force you... Read more
"The Best Health Advice I Ever Got"
by Stacey Colino
It's that time of year again when many of us take stock of our lives and try to make things better. Fresh out of ideas? If anyone kn... Read more
10 fitness tips from the upcoming fitness video game, Jillian Michaels: Fitness Ultimatum 2011 exclusively for the Wii this November.
1. Exercise does more than just tone your body, it boosts self esteem, improves mood and revs up metabolism. So suck it up and get moving!
2. If you are looking to shed those last stubborn pounds, you need to increase the intensity of your workouts. Try working at 85% of your Maximum Heart Rate for optimal results.
3. Getting bored with that same old exercise routine? Chances are you body is too. It's probably time to switch things up if you want to continue seeing results.
4. Using proper form when working out is the key to getting the results you want and preventing injuries. Think quality over quantity. Take the time to perfect your form in order to get the results you want and keep your body healthy and strong.
5. Do not exercise on an empty stomach. This way you'll have energy during your workouts and you will burn fat instead of muscle.
6. Don't over do it. When starting out consult your physician. Work to beginner / intermediate levels. Stay at around 70% of your MHR. IN a couple of weeks or so as you become stronger and more fit begin to up your intensity for best results.
7. For results fast try circuit training. This is an exercise technique that utilizes a series of moves in swift succession with no rest in between. For example: Push ups into squats followed by jumping jacks. This method allows your workouts to strengthen while burning fat at the same time.
8. To ramp up your fitness regimen try incorporating a technique called HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training. This simply means working short bouts (30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds, 2 minutes) of cardio into your strength training routine.
9. Six pack abs are not about crunches. You simply CAN NOT spot reduce fat. The best way to get the washboard tummy is by burning the fat off on top of the muscle with a combination of diet, cardio, and over all resistance training.
10. When you are on the treadmill don't hold on. If you hold on while walking or jogging it decreases the intensity thus decreasing your calorie burn by up to 24%
If there are any writers out there who would like to review the Wii version for MomTalk, please email us at editor@momtalk.com
Jillian Michaels: Fitness Ultimatum 2011 is the only video game with workouts designed and endorsed by Jillian Michaels, exclusively for the Wii. Players can use a wide assortment of exercises to work out each muscle of the body. Designed for all fitness levels, Jillian Michaels: Fitness Ultimatum 2011 allows players to monitor their fitness goals with Fitness Ultimatum's resolution-based tracking system, and a brand new High Intensity workout mode offers the most challenging workouts in the series.
When trick-or-treaters ring my doorbell on Halloween, I toss a toothbrush in their bag. But make no mistake -- our neighborhood might as well be Candy Land. My kids got a scary amount of sweets last year, and they only went to a couple of houses. And because they were both too young to eat much of their loot, guess who was tempted by it? Yep, hubby (who has a major sweet tooth) and me, the dentist. Jump to full text of this article here
You know staying fit is important, especially if you want to manage your heartburn. But who wants to exercise indoors when it's sunny and warm outside? Fortunately, you don't have to! It's time to try nature's gym for a workout that's just as good, if not better!
1. Instead of a calf machine Hit the hills. With just a slight incline, your calves will get a workout mere calf raises can never match. There's no substitute for outdoor terrain, says Kelli Calabrese, a Texas-based trainer and co-author of Feminine, Firm & Fit (Great Atlantic Publishing Group 2004). Jump to full text of this article.
Amid parties and presents, decorating and travel, and the general holiday hubbub, finding time to exercise can be a real challenge. "Exercise requires discipline, and it can be difficult to hold strong with so many holiday celebrations and obligations," notes Jenny Breuer, director of the fitness and wellness programs at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. What's more, "the notion that the holidays are a time of rest, relaxation and celebration tends to give people an excuse to break from their normal routine," adds Breuer.
To make matters worse, 'tis the season when you're likely to indulge in eggnog, latkes, Christmas cookies and a dozen other high-calorie goodies that you don't usually consume during the rest of the year. Jump to complete article here
Approach Alcohol Consumption with Caution During the Holidays: Your Health
By Rallie McAllister
As the holiday season approaches, many Americans will be celebrating with a glass of good cheer. While drinking a little alcohol can help you relax and enjoy the festivities, drinking a little too much can lead to embarrassing lapses in judgment, among other undesirable consequences.
If you don't want to end up wearing a lampshade at your first party of the season, it's a good idea to consume small quantities of alcohol with big doses of caution. This is especially true for folks who don't imbibe on a regular basis, since it's easy to underestimate the intoxicating effects of even a single alcoholic beverage.
If avoiding intoxication is your goal, limiting the amount of alcohol you drink is essential. It's also helpful to be aware of other factors that can hasten the loss of sobriety, including drinking alcohol on an empty stomach.
Following the consumption of wine, beer, or spirits, approximately 20 percent of alcohol is absorbed in the stomach, while the remaining 80 percent is absorbed in the small intestine. When it is consumed with food, alcohol spends more time in the stomach, and takes longer to enter the small intestine, and ultimately, the bloodstream.
A gradual release of alcohol into the bloodstream means that its initial effects are less pronounced. If you plan to drink and be merry, it's a good idea to eat a snack or a light meal while you're at it.
If you're watching your weight, skipping the snacks and mixing alcohol with a diet drink might save a few calories, but it could cost you in other ways. Compared to those that are sweetened with sugar, artificially sweetened mixers may accelerate the delivery of alcohol to the bloodstream.
The results of a small study conducted at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Adelaide, Australia, suggest that the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks may speed stomach emptying and lead to rapid elevations in blood alcohol levels.
In the study, researchers measured stomach-emptying times and blood alcohol levels in fasting male volunteers. The men consumed vodka mixed with orange juice on one day, and the same amount of vodka prepared mixed with a sugar-free, orange-flavored mixer on another day.
When the volunteers drank vodka mixed with orange juice, the average time required for half the stomach contents to empty was 36.3 minutes, but when they drank vodka with the sugar-free mixer, the average time was much faster, at 21.1 minutes. The volunteers' peak blood alcohol concentrations were also substantially higher following consumption of the artificially sweetened vodka beverage.
The results of this study suggest that when mixed drinks are consumed with artificially sweetened beverages instead of sugar-sweetened beverages, the intoxicating effects of alcohol are experienced more rapidly and more intensely.
Champagne is another alcoholic beverage that should be consumed with caution. While carbon dioxide gas creates the characteristic bubbles in champagne, it also appears to accelerate the body's absorption of alcohol, leading to more rapid and pronounced intoxication.
In a study conducted at the University of Epsom in the United Kingdom, researchers compared the effects of drinking fizzy champagne to those produced by drinking the same quantity of flat champagne in a small group of subjects. They found that within 20 minutes of consuming the beverages, the blood alcohol levels produced by the bubbly champagne were significantly higher than those produced by the flat champagne.
Certain medications can increase your sensitivity to alcohol, including over-the-counter antihistamines and prescription drugs used to treat anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Before you take a drink, be sure to read the labels to make sure it's safe.
Your gender, size, and body composition also influence your reaction to alcohol. In general, the smaller you are, and the more body fat you have, the more quickly you'll respond to the intoxicating effects of alcohol.
In most cases, women are more sensitive to alcohol than men, since they tend to weigh less and have a higher proportion of fat to lean muscle. Hormonal fluctuations can increase a woman's sensitivity at various stages of her menstrual cycle. Compared to men, women also have lower levels of alcohol dehydrogenase, the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of alcohol in the body.
Regardless of your size or gender, drinking too much of any type of alcoholic beverage can significantly impair your judgment, as well as your ability to drive. Before you toss back a drink to celebrate the holiday season, make sure you toss your car keys to a designated driver.
Rallie McAllister, M.D., M.P.H., is a family physician in Kingsport, Tenn., and author of "Healthy Lunchbox: The Working Mom's Guide to Keeping You and Your Kids Trim." Her Web site is http://www.rallieonhealth.com.
COPYRIGHT 2006 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
Red-hot stabbing pains...like being jabbed with an ice pick...these are just some of the ways people describe the pain of migraines.
Nearly 30 million Americans suffer from migraines, with women being afflicted three times more than men.
Migraines are a recurrent headache lasting four to 72 hours. In addition to debilitating pain, migraines can bring a host of other symptoms. A survey by the National Headache Foundation (NHF) revealed that more than 50 percent of respondents said they frequently or always experience symptoms such as nausea, neck pain, or sensitivity to lights, sounds or smells when suffering from a migraine.
Migraine characteristics can include:
* Pain typically on one side of the head
* Pain with a pulsating or throbbing quality
* Moderate to intense pain that affects daily activities
* Nausea or vomiting
* Sensitivity to light or sound
* Visual disturbances or aura
About 20 percent of migraine sufferers experience aura, the warning associated with migraine, from twenty minutes to one hour before the actual onset of migraine.
Diagnosing migraines can be tricky. The Migraine Research Foundation says that since symptoms vary widely, migraine is often misdiagnosed - and is never diagnosed in about half of all sufferers. Your doctor needs to analyze your symptoms, conduct medical tests, and eliminate other possible causes of the headache.
Treatments
There are three approaches to treating migraines, all of which should be administered by a qualified physician: acute, preventive, and complementary.
* Acute treatment uses drugs to relieve symptoms when attacks happen. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a small number of over-the-counter products to treat migraine. Prescription anti-inflammatory agents may be effective for some migraines. There are over 100 drugs used in migraine treatment, however, so know that it will take some time to find the right medicine or combination of medicines.
* Preventive treatment involves daily medication to reduce the number of attacks and to lessen the pain. With some patients, life-style changes can help reduce migraine frequency.
* Complementary treatment does not use medication. It involves biofeedback, exercise, relaxation techniques and proper rest and nutrition.
The NHF offers these tips for dealing with migraine pain and associated symptoms:
* Get help. Discuss the symptoms of your migraine with your healthcare provider.
* If you experience nausea or vomiting as associated symptoms of your migraine, talk with your healthcare provider about other forms of your medication such as injections, nasal sprays or tablets that do not require drinking water to take them.
* Avoid identifiable migraine triggers and practice a healthy lifestyle.
* Track your migraines. Write down when your migraines occur. Bring your results to your healthcare professional to review.
The American Headache Society also recommends that you restrict use of acute migraine treatment to no more than nine days per month. If you find that you need more acute medication than that, then migraine prevention therapy is likely needed.
Talk to your doctor. There is help available that can help you manage migraines and not let them take over your life.
Smart Decisions During Open Enrollment Can Save You Thousands
In these tough economic times, millions of Americans are seeking new ways to reduce household spending. However, many are not taking simple steps to save money during open enrollment, which for many is the only time each year when changes can be made to their health benefits.
Changes made during open enrollment and throughout the year, like opening a flexible spending account (FSA), using mail-order prescription drug services or tapping into discounts on services like gym memberships, could help them save thousands. Unfortunately, a recent survey of insured adults revealed that three-fourths (75 percent) are not likely to make any changes to their health benefits options this year.
The survey from Plan for Your Health, a public education campaign from Aetna and the Financial Planning Association, found that 87 percent of respondents are more worried about their finances this year because of the struggling economy. However, the majority plan to spend less than one hour, or no time at all, reviewing their options during open enrollment.
"Many people think that medical expenses are beyond their control," says Tracey Baker, co-author of "Navigating Your Health Benefits For Dummies" and a certified financial planner professional. "However, taking the time to make wise decisions -- both at open enrollment and in daily life -- can result in substantial savings."
To help people identify opportunities to save money, Plan for Your Health developed a list of five things they should think about when evaluating their benefits this fall, available at www.PlanforYourHealth.com. By asking the following questions and carefully evaluating the answers, it is possible to make choices that could add up to thousands of dollars of savings.
* Am I being FSA-savvy? Take some time to identify your upcoming expenses and determine a realistic FSA contribution. Since money in an FSA is exempt from federal, most state, and payroll taxes, you'll reduce your taxable income -- and be able to use those pre-tax dollars for health care expenses. You also might look into other savings vehicles such as health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) or health savings accounts (HSAs) to see if they make sense for you and your family.
* Does it pay to be healthy? It could. Some plans completely or partially cover annual physicals and preventive screenings, as well as offer discounts on gym memberships. Some employers even offer "wellness incentives" that can total hundreds of dollars a year for employees who exercise regularly, eat healthfully or participate in stop-smoking programs, among other options.
* Can my benefits help me save time? Yes. Some insurers offer coverage for online consultations, which are often more convenient than in-person visits for routine health needs. Talk to your doctor or your insurer to find out how to take advantage of online visits. By using them reasonably, you could save gas money and valuable time. Many health insurers also are offering personal health records online that help you track spending, understand what preventive care you might need and even allow you to coordinate with your doctor's office.
* Can pharmacy mail-order help me? It can if you take regular prescriptions and sign up for a health plan with discounts on mail-order services for routine prescriptions. With some plans, you could get a three-month supply of your drug but only pay for a two-month prescription. So, if your family spends $50 per month on prescriptions, you could save about $200 per year.
* Should I go generic? The average brand-name prescription drug costs about $85 more than the average generic. If it's possible, switch from a brand-name to a generic and save more than $1,000 a year.
"For millions of Americans with tighter household budgets this year, fully understanding their options during open enrollment will help them make educated, potentially money-saving decisions," says Laurie Brubaker, head of Integrated Health and Productivity Solutions for Aetna. "By spending some time focusing on health benefits and related expenses, people can make important decisions that can result in savings this year and into the future."
