A new year is upon us and along with it a host of self-perpetuated goals and stresses. Whether you admit to making New Year’s resolutions or not the fact is we all generally strive to do better, to be better in the New Year. Culturally it becomes a time of renewal a sort of restart button if you will. Some people even have their own rituals they practice such as pulling around luggage at the midnight hour hoping for more travel. Others write letters of emotional baggage they would like to leave behind then throw them into the fire, while still others eat grapes for good luck. Whatever your ritual, whatever your desires this has become the time of year where anything is possible if only we want it enough to make it happen.
Let’s set the scene: You’re invited to an event and now it’s time to get dressed. You open up the closet and reach for a pair of pants you haven’t had to wear since last year. You slide one leg in and then the other, so far so good. Up over the rump and then…hmm, a little tighter than you remember. You suck the gut in and viola, buttoned. You take a look in the mirror and…wait, what’s this hanging over the belt?
It’s crazy to imagine winter is just about upon us again. Is it just me or does every year seem shorter than the previous one? It doesn’t feel like I took down my holiday decorations all that long ago and now it’s about time to put them up again. So, yes the season is changing and with that change our lifestyles also change and not necessarily for the better.
Winter weight gain is an accepted truth. What isn’t accepted is how much on average that weight gain is. Depending on the study that amount can be anywhere from 1 – 5 pounds. Clearly 5 lbs. would be significant, but even 1 lb. if not lost soon adds up. Ten seasons in you’re 10 lbs. heavier and that my friends is not a good thing. In colder climates this gain tends to be worse.
In life we all know there are no guarantees, well maybe except death and taxes. Another cultural likelihood is that something will happen in your life that will make you want to take better care of yourself. Maybe a health scare to you or a loved one, not liking the way you looked in the mirror this morning (okay, every morning) or finally realizing getting winded by a single flight of stairs isn’t normal. For some this could be a fleeting moment, for others something they experience once or twice and for still others a lifelong ritual. Whatever the reason while we have our own best interest in mind we just have to act on it and make it work.
Even though health clubs, spinning centers, yoga salons and personal trainers can be found in pretty much every city we continue to lose the battle of the bulge. The average person is significantly larger than our counter parts 5 decades ago. For instance according to a study by the CDC in the 1960’s the average woman weighed 140.2 lbs. and the average man weighed 165 lbs. Today the average woman weighs 166.2 lbs. or roughly as much as the average man weighed then. Men have fared no better, today the average man weighs 195.5 lbs. that’s an increase or 17.6%. Both men and women are an inch taller today, but that hardly makes up for the weight increase.
For me running is my Zen. It literally grounds me to nature in a way not much else does. Whether you are like me or you just do it for exercise there are great places to run in Los Angeles. Considering the metropolis that is LA there are great getaway spots all over the city where you can put on your sneaks and feel like you are miles away. So, whether you are a beginner or a running veteran here are some of my best recommendations around town.
Summer is almost upon us and with it vacations, beach days, pool parties and generally wearing less clothing. Whether you want to look good enough to impress or just feel more confident here are some tips to help you be your best. Hopefully you already follow a healthy lifestyle, but even if you are a beginner these tips will get you on track quickly.
A team of researchers from the UK are recommending that labels on foods include the amount of exercise required to burn it off. The terminology used is, “activity-equivalent calorie labeling.” Shirley Cramer (chief executive for the Royal Society for Public Health in London) has recently commented on the subject in the British Medical Journal. Calling labels too confusing for most people, she recommends a graphic that would illustrate how much activity you would need to burn off the calories you would consume from the product. The obvious goal would be to encourage healthier choices as a way to combat obesity which continues to grow.
There is little doubt that living in a modern society such as ours comes with a whole host of daily stresses. The stress of taking care of oneself or someone else and earning a living have been around for a long time, but now the very technologies that make our lives in some ways better and easier demand that we be ever present. Cool devices like our tablets and smartphones mean you are always available, always connected. I know people who sleep with their smartphones on next to their beds; it’s the last thing they look at before bed and the first thing they look at when they awake.
Summer may seem likes it’s a long way off right now, but if you consider it’s already February it will be here sooner than you care to think. Along with those summer months also come pool parties, days at the beach, crop tops for girls and shirtless volley ball or something like it for guys. So, whether you want that split in the abs girls or six pack abs and a v-muscle guys then now is the time to get started. Even if all you want is to be just less giggly or less embarrassed then the sooner you start the better your chances.
Well it’s that time of year again with New Year’s resolutions staring you in the face. We have probably all vowed to be thinner, heathier, happier, and richer. Now we just have to find the time, energy and the willpower to actually follow through. Are you going to allow this to be another year you fall short or are you going to step up get proactive and be the master of your own destiny? It all begins with the first step, that first call, the first anything. Remember your best you waits for no one. The time is now, seize the day, its go time. Blah…blah…blah. You’ve probably heard it all before, but does this actually work?
In a few short weeks fitness facilities around the world will be buzzing with those seeking to improve their physical status. For some of us this is a lifelong journey of self-fulfillment, a commitment that has emblazoned exercise onto our lifestyle DNA not unlike eating and sleeping. Without it we wouldn’t quite feel our selves, well at least not our best self. For others it is a new endeavor full of hope and promise. Whether you are new to exercising or rather familiar you know what it takes to get into shape, to lose that weight or build that muscle.
On October 26 the World Health Organization released a sweeping review listing processed meat as a group 1 carcinogen. For those keeping track that puts processed meats in the same category as cigarettes and x-rays. This category means sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity to humans. Red meat in general was listed as Group 2B meaning possibly carcinogenic. So, what does this mean for you? Is this the end of hot dogs at the ballpark? Is it time to become a vegetarian and if not what are really the risks?
Have you been considering getting yourself a personal trainer? Trying to shake-up your workouts a bit? Well, being a personal trainer in the Los Angeles area of course I’m going to say this is a great idea. Every day people come to me because they want to give a jolt to their results or maybe want to try something new. Not every situation requires private sessions though, sometimes a group style class will get you the workout you want, maybe make some new friends and the price is generally more affordable.
While Type 2 Diabetes is not actually contagious it has reached epidemic levels and not just in America, but worldwide in developed and developing nations. Once known as adult onset diabetes it is now becoming frightenly more common among children and teenagers. Between 2000 and 2009 the occurrence of childhood diabetes rose 30%. Overall in the United States 30 million Americans now have diabetes with type 2 being the most prevalent form.
If you are like most ageing American’s you likely started to notice waking-up stiffer, tighter and maybe even with some back pain. Perhaps this has even been ongoing for a while now. In the last few years I noticed this myself, the likely culprit wear and tear from years of competitive sports. Even mostly sedentary people have back issues only in their case it’s usually from a weak core and poor postural habits.
