Stay Healthy With Exercise
Michael Stefano

As a society, weve been more than convinced of the need for daily exercise. From the gimmicky hype of the television info-mercial, to the sound advice of the family physician, weve been bombarded with the reasons why we need to workout.

The medical community has coined the phrase, The Deadly Quartet, to describe four risk factors that plague Americans in disproportionate numbers:

The Deadly Quartet

Obesity

High blood pressure

High blood cholesterol, and triglyceride levels

Reduced sensitivity to insulin

Despite all this information thats been made available, overweight and out of shape Americans still huff and puff their way through their day. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that obesity alone results in over 300,000 preventable deaths in the United States every year.

More than 60 percent of all Americans are classified as overweight or obese, while at any given time 30 to 40 percent of all Americans are trying to get in shape. An even higher percentage of cardiovascular disease is related to obesity, and being overweight nearly doubles your chance of developing high blood pressure.

But hears the good news, an article published in the March 2001 issue of The Annals of Internal Medicine has revealed that thirty minutes of daily exercise can extend human life.

This elaborate study took place from 1984 to 1989 in Finland using 1300 middle-aged men. Upon follow-up in 1997, researchers recorded 124 total deaths from both cardio and non-cardiovascular causes. After making adjustments for other risk factors (such as age and smoking), low fitness levels were associated with an almost three times higher mortality rate.

Scientists have proven that twenty to thirty minutes of moderate physical activity per day, forestalls the onset of the deadly quartet, and thereby prevents chronic disease, while extending human life.

Following a sensible exercise program will bring about significant change in the bodys chemistry, and its ability to perform work efficiently. This training effect lowers blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as increases insulin sensitivity, and thereby forestalling the onset of type II diabetes.

But besides these all-important health benefits, the right kind of exercise also burns fat, and sculpts our bodies into lean, high performance machines. Following a properly orchestrated workout program will not only add years to your life, it will add quality years that are reminiscent of youth, where youll look forward to the dawning of each fun-filled day.

About the Author

Michael Stefano is a 20-year veteran of FDNY, as well as author of The Firefighter’s Workout Book and creator of The Firefighter’s Workout Video.

His workout routines and articles have been featured on such internet giants as America Online, Yahoo! and eDiets.com.

Currently Michael is editor in chief at http://www.firefightersworkout.com, where you can get more information about his book and other services, as well as sign up for his FREE Train For Life Newsletter.

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Raw Food Diet – Healthy or Not?
Deborah Wilson

Raw foodism is a way of eating that has grown in popularity in recent years. Celebrities such as Woody Harrelson, Carol Alt, and Alicia Silverstone have gone raw. So what’s the story? Raw foodists believe that cooking anything over 120 degrees destroys essential food enzymes needed for proper digestion.

So is it myth or fact that raw food is better for you? As with so many things, the jury is still out. Whenever you make drastic changes to your diet, it’s important make sure you’re receiving all the nutrients you need. Those who incorporate more raw food into their diets such as fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh juices, and raw nuts often see a huge improvement in overall health and well-being. It may not be necessary to be so extreme as to eat everything raw in order to reap the benefits.

If you decide to “go raw,” how far you decide to take your raw diet is up to you. Many people choose to eat their morning and afternoon meals raw and then eat a cooked dinner. Forget the fads and do what feels right to you. Adding more raw fruits and vegetables to your diet never hurt anyone.

As for the health benefits, proponents of the raw diet claim it can lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, improve eyesight, heal skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis, and even aid in reversing chronic disease and cancer. While there is no research to back this up, more and more doctors and scientists are becoming interested in what raw food can do.

There are several great online raw food resources:

Health Diaries features blogs on the raw food diet. New raw foodists can read others’ diaries or start their own and track their progress.

Shazzie has been raw for several years. Her site features a blog, raw products, and several great before and after pics.

David Wolfe, the owner of Rawfood.com, is a well-known raw foodist. On his site, you can purchase raw food products, books, and just about everything else related to raw food.

Through these sites you’ll discover many more raw resources. There’s a great online community just waiting for those who are looking to improve their health through the raw food diet.

About the Author

Deborah Wilson is a freelance writer specializing in health and wellness topics.

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Eat Healthy for Life
J Bowler

Lets not talk about diets. Diets are punishment like being
sent to bed without dinner. Diets take some of the fun out of
living. Many diets or supplements are harmful to your health
or even dangerous, if you have certain risk factors.

Forget any past diet failures and push aside any guilt or shame
you harbor about your weight. Its time to look forward; not
back. You have the whole future in front of you to get better
every day. It’s time to eat healthy.

This is not a short term fix. Isnt your health more important
than your weight? Lets be sensible and talk about eating healthy
for life.

Dont get me wrong diets do help many people lose weight for
a time. Almost any restrictive diet can give one a jump start
on weight loss; and many people are so encouraged by the rapid
weight loss that they are motivated to stay on the diet.

Studies have shown that the only diets that work are the ones
you stick to. That why the majority of people who successfully
lose weight on a restrictive diet run into trouble when they
move to the maintenance phase. So again I say, you need a plan
to eat healthy for life.

As with most things in life, theres no ONE solution that
suits everyone. When choosing to eat healthy, a plan for the
rest of your life, you want to find one that YOU can live
with.

If your choice of plan starts with an initial (less than
nutritious) restrictive phase, consider what supplements you ought
to take during that phase. Also be sure that the maintenance part
of the program meets generally accepted nutritional guidelines or
that you can make it do so with minor adjustments or
supplementation. You definitely need to think long term when
choosing to eat healthy.

What Weve Known All Along

With all the diet programs, books, ads and fads these days, its
easy to lose sight of some really basic facts of some very
convincing long term health studies that can guide us to healthier
eating.

1.Calories In vs. Calories Expended

The human body is a marvelous machine. It can be pushed to great
lengths, like pre-exam all-nighters, or to perform amazing feats,
like running marathons or scaling mountains. But it is a machine.
It needs to be cared for and properly maintained.

The more it is abused or pushed to the max, the greater the chance
that parts will break down prematurely or beyond natures ability to
repair them. Like any machine, it needs fuel to operate. Give it
improper or insufficient fuel and it wont run as well, if at all.
Give it too much fuel and that will gum up the works. Now heres
where the analogy breaks down.

With a man made machine, excess fuel simply overflows and makes a
big mess. Unfortunately, the human machine has the amazing capacity
to create unlimited new storage tanks for excess fuel even to the
point of death. Further, once that excess fuel is stored, it is
difficult to dislodge but not impossible. Thats the
Calories In part of the equation.

The fuel you take in is burned by every single movement you make:
breathing smiling, kissing, walking, dancing, chewing and even
digesting your food. The more you move, the more fuel (calories) you
burn.

The part of your body that has the ability to move other parts is
muscle. Ergo the more muscles you have and the more you use them, the
more calories you burn. In fact, every ounce of muscle you add
increases your basal metabolism the rate at which your body burns
fuel.

One pound of fat contains 3500 calories. If you cut 250 calories from
your daily diet and burn another 250 calories with exercise, you
can lose one pound in a week!

The most efficient way to eat healthy operates on both sides of the
equation. Monitor your fuel intake of course; but just as importantly,
get moving to burn that fuel. And better yet, build new muscle to boost
your metabolism the rate at which YOUR body burns fuel. This
way youll burn more calories every hour of every day for the rest of
your life.

2.Secrets of the Worlds Healthiest Populations

Global epidemiological studies have identified some unusually healthy
populations and linked their health to diets that differ in significant
ways from the typical Western diet.

Japan, which has some of the world’s lowest rates of obesity, heart
disease, cancer and diabetes has a diet which is very rich in
carbohydrates. The Japanese enjoy rice, vegetables, beans, and fruits
at most meals.

They have a diet that is very low in saturated fat and red meats, but
high in fish which contain protective omega-3 fatty acids.

Other recent and very interesting studies lead to more healthful eating
tips. The Mediterranean food pyramid is based on research showing low
rates of heart and other chronic disease in certain countries bordering
the Mediterranean Sea compared to the West.

Research has isolated key dietary habits that are believed to account for
the difference. (Monounsaturated) olive oil is the preferred fat and
fat consumption (at 40% of total calories) exceeds the American Heart
Associations recommended max of 30%.

Whole grains and pastas form the base of the pyramid, so this is not a
low carb eating style.

The choice of proteins in order of preference is cheese and yogurt, fish,
poultry, eggs and (last and least) red meat. Further, proteins are grouped
at the top of the pyramid so they account for only about 15% of daily
caloric intake.

Its also important to note that the Mediterranean lifestyle incorporates
more natural physical activity as distinct from the Western variety of
mandatory exercise. You know, the I just gotta get to the gym today
or I have to miss my weekly tennis game Saturday. Now what can I do?!
variety.

If youre interested in following any low carb plan, limit the time you
follow the restrictive phase and take the information above into account
when you plan your maintenance program.

3.Health Risks of Long Term Restrictive Diets

In choosing to eat healthy for life, be sure to consider well-founded
dietary advice such as recommended by the American Cancer Society for
optimal cancer prevention:

Eat five or more (optimally nine) servings of fruits and vegetables
daily; include fruits and vegetables at every meal and for snacks.
Aside from the fact that many fruits and vegetables are good diet food
because they have low calorie density (high water and fiber content),
these foods are loaded with phytochemicals which work to prevent illness,
cancer, and other diseases.

Choose whole grains in preference to processed grains and sugars. Choose
bran, whole wheat bread, brown rice, oats, and whole grain cereals as
well as beans and legumes.

Limit consumption of red meats, especially processed meats and those high
in fat.

Current estimates are that nearly 33-50% of cancers can be prevented
through a eat healthy diet. The recommendations above come from hundreds
of research studies which show a link between cancer prevention and a high
intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Hundreds of studies
also support the link between a high fat diet, high intake of red meats and
increased incidence of cancer

4.Magic Pills

Dont be taken in by some of the full page ads you see with before and after
pictures that promise weight loss just by taking some magic pill. In some of
them you can even tell that the same head has been pasted onto the fatter
body or the faces look dissimilar enough that you think, Thats NOT the
same person.

If youve read this far you know about the calories in, calories out
equation. Sorry, but its simple math and simple physics. A pill alone will
never do it.

However, that doesnt mean that there are no little magic pills that can
help you lose weight in the context of a healthy eating and
exercise plan. There is a lot of exciting research showing that certain
supplements can boost and sustain your metabolic rate as you age, increase
muscle tone and even help the body develop more muscle, such as Green
Tea Extraxt or DHEA.

Weight loss often results when people switch their focus from dieting in order
to get thin to choosing foods for health. This is especially true if they
also pay heed to the other side of the calories in, calories out
equation and get moving.

Common sense strategies, yes, but these are the only ones proven to work
long-term. Now, are you ready to Eat Healthy for Life?

This article is for informational purposes only. It does not purport to offer
medical advice.

About the Author

Jean Bowler is a life long fitness freak. She was a ballet dancer and teacher, a private fitness trainer and more. Visit her site, http://www.ageless-beauty.com for advice on diet and nutrition, skin care and more.

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