Hydration

June 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Importance of Hydration

While the majority of the general public understands that water plays many key roles in our day-to-day activities, many may not realize that our bodies are composed of nearly seventy percent water!  It may not seem necessary to always be aware of how much water we put into our bodies, but even a two percent decrease in water mass can begin to have detrimental effects on the human body’s performance capabilities.

It is be especially important in the blistering Arizona sun to keep yourself well-hydrated, as your body needs a continuous source of water to keep its core temperature down.  Heat is shuttled form the core and brain to the capillaries of the arms ands legs which are located closer to the surface of the body, allowing the blood to cool. This helps regulate the amount of heat that that our vital organs must endure during exercise, or even just daily living in over 100-degree weather. The well-know “rule” of drinking eight glasses of water per day actually only accounts for the amount needed to maintain the water content of a normally functioning body. Water is constantly being excreted form the body whether through regular urination, sweat, or even saliva being expelled from the mouth. So, although eight 8-ounce cups of water a day is a perfect baseline, if you are exercising or live in an extreme environment, it is always beneficial (if not necessary) to ingest a few extra cups of water.

Some simple signs of dehydration include thirst, decreased sweat accumulation, slight to severe light-headedness, and it is usually accepted that if you feel the need for a drink you are already slightly dehydrated!  Maintaining ample water intake helps the body run more efficiently just as oil in a cars engine helps the car run more smoothly. Proper hydration can also assist your metabolism immensely, as water is required in order to break down fat and glucose molecules during exercise. While everyone is prone to dehydration, children are especially susceptible when they are exercising. Although their bodies do not produce the same amount of sweat as an adult, they are already working at a higher capacity of their maximal effort. So, a child that is even slightly dehydrated is adding a great deal more stress to their body than an adult at the same level of hydration. Most of the time children do not know the importance of ingesting water, and are not conscious of their need for it even while exercising. The trainers at the H.I.T Center in Mesa can help explain the importance of hydration to children and anyone who is looking to become more knowledgeable in these hot summer months.

Basic guidelines for water intake:

http://www.thebeverageinstitute.com/hydration/hydration_guidelines.shtml

Jacob R

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

As a daughter of a recent breast cancer survivor and October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to add an article from the American Cancer Society that highlights the risk factors, prevention, and importance of early diagnosis when dealing with breast cancer.

What Are the Risk Factors for Breast Cancer?

A risk factor is anything that affects your chance of getting a disease, such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, exposing skin to strong sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer. Smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the lung, mouth, larynx (voice box), bladder, kidney, and several other organs.

Having a risk factor, or even several, does not mean that you will get the disease. Most women who have one or more breast cancer risk factors never develop the disease, while many women with breast cancer have no apparent risk factors (other than being a woman and growing older). Even when a woman with risk factors develops breast cancer, it is hard to know just how much these factors may have contributed to her cancer.

There are different kinds of risk factors. Some factors, like a person’s age or race, can’t be changed. Others are linked to cancer-causing factors in the environment. Still others are related personal behaviors, such as smoking, drinking, and diet. Some factors influence risk more than others, and your risk for breast cancer can change over time, due to factors such as aging or lifestyle.

Risk factors you cannot change:

Gender

Simply being a woman is the main risk factor for developing breast cancer. Although women have many more breast cells than men, the main reason they develop more breast cancer is because their breast cells are constantly exposed to the growth-promoting effects of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. Men can develop breast cancer, but this disease is about 100 times more common among women than men.

Aging

Your risk of developing breast cancer increases as you get older. About 1 out of 8 invasive breast cancers are found in women younger than 45, while about 2 out of 3 invasive breast cancers are found in women age 55 or older.

Genetic risk factors

About 5% to 10% of breast cancer cases are thought to be hereditary, resulting directly from gene defects (called mutations) inherited from a parent. See the section, “Do we know what causes breast cancer?” for more information about genes and DNA.

BRCA1 and BRCA2: The most common cause of hereditary breast cancer is an inherited mutation in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. In normal cells, these genes help prevent cancer by making proteins that help keep the cells from growing abnormally. If you have inherited a mutated copy of either gene from a parent, you have a high risk of developing breast cancer during your lifetime. Women with these inherited mutations also have an increased risk for developing other cancers, particularly ovarian cancer.

 Family history of breast cancer

Breast cancer risk is higher among women whose close blood relatives have this disease. Having one first-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) with breast cancer approximately doubles a woman’s risk. Having 2 first-degree relatives increases her risk about 5-fold.

Although the exact risk is not known, women with a family history of breast cancer in a father or brother also have an increased risk of breast cancer. Altogether, about 20% to 30% of women with breast cancer have a family member with this disease. This means that most (70% to 80%) women who get breast cancer do not have a family history of this disease.)

Personal history of breast cancer

A woman with cancer in one breast has a 3- to 4-fold increased risk of developing a new cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast. This is different from a recurrence (return) of the first cancer.

Race and ethnicity

White women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than are African-American women. African-American women are more likely to die of this cancer. At least part of this seems to be because African-American women tend to have more aggressive tumors. Asian, Hispanic, and Native-American women have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer.

Dense breast tissue

Women with denser breast tissue (as seen on a mammogram) have more glandular tissue and less fatty tissue, and have a higher risk of breast cancer. Unfortunately, dense breast tissue can also make it harder for doctors to spot problems on mammograms.

Menstrual periods

Women who have had more menstrual cycles because they started menstruating at an early age (before age 12) and/or went through menopause at a later age (after age 55) have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer. This may be related to a higher lifetime exposure to the hormones estrogen and progesterone.

Lifestyle-related factors and breast cancer risk:

Not having children, or having them later in life

Women who have had no children or who had their first child after age 30 have a slightly higher breast cancer risk. Having many pregnancies and becoming pregnant at a young age reduce breast cancer risk. Pregnancy reduces a woman’s total number of lifetime menstrual cycles, which may be the reason for this effect.

Recent oral contraceptive use

Studies have found that women using oral contraceptives (birth control pills) have a slightly greater risk of breast cancer than women who have never used them. This risk seems to decline back to normal over time once the pills are stopped. Women who stopped using oral contraceptives more than 10 years ago do not appear to have any increased breast cancer risk. When thinking about using oral contraceptives, women should discuss their other risk factors for breast cancer with their health care team.

Estrogen Replacement Therapy

The use of estrogen alone after menopause does not appear to increase the risk of developing breast cancer significantly, if at all. But when used long term (for more than 10 years), ERT has been found to increase the risk of ovarian and breast cancer in some studies. Although ERT does not seem to have much effect on breast cancer risk, it does increase the risk of stroke..

Not breast-feeding

Some studies suggest that breast-feeding may slightly lower breast cancer risk, especially if breast-feeding is continued for 1½ to 2 years. But this has been a difficult area to study, especially in countries such as the United States, where breast-feeding for this long is uncommon. The explanation for this possible effect may be that breast-feeding reduces a woman’s total number of lifetime menstrual cycles (similar to starting menstrual periods at a later age or going through early menopause).

Alcohol

Use of alcohol is clearly linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer. The risk increases with the amount of alcohol consumed. Compared with non-drinkers, women who consume 1 alcoholic drink a day have a very small increase in risk. Those who have 2 to 5 drinks daily have about 1½ times the risk of women who drink no alcohol. Excessive alcohol use is also known to increase the risk of developing cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and liver. The American Cancer Society recommends that women limit their consumption of alcohol to no more than one drink a day.

Being overweight or obese

Being overweight or obese has been found to increase breast cancer risk, especially for women after menopause. Before menopause your ovaries produce most of your estrogen, and fat tissue produces a small amount of estrogen. After menopause (when the ovaries stop making estrogen), most of a woman’s estrogen comes from fat tissue. Having more fat tissue after menopause can increase your chance of getting breast cancer by raising estrogen levels.

The connection between weight and breast cancer risk is complex, however. For example, the risk appears to be increased for women who gained weight as an adult but may not be increased among those who have been overweight since childhood. Also, excess fat in the waist area may affect risk more than the same amount of fat in the hips and thighs. 

The American Cancer Society recommends you maintain a healthy weight throughout your life by balancing your food intake with physical activity and avoiding excessive weight gain.

Lack of physical activity

Evidence is growing that physical activity in the form of exercise reduces breast cancer risk. The main question is how much exercise is needed. In one study from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) as little as 1.25 to 2.5 hours per week of brisk walking reduced a woman’s risk by 18%. Walking 10 hours a week reduced the risk a little more.

To reduce your risk of breast cancer, the American Cancer Society recommends 45 to 60 minutes of intentional physical activity 5 or more days a week.

Factors with uncertain, controversial, or unproven effect on breast cancer risk

High-fat diets :  Studies of fat in the diet have not clearly shown that this is a breast cancer risk factor. Most studies have found that breast cancer is less common in countries where the typical diet is low in total fat, low in polyunsaturated fat, and low in saturated fat. On the other hand, many studies of women in the United States have not found breast cancer risk to be related to dietary fat intake. Researchers are still not sure how to explain this apparent disagreement. Studies comparing diet and breast cancer risk in different countries are complicated by other differences (such as activity level, intake of other nutrients, and genetic factors) that might also alter breast cancer risk.

More research is needed to better understand the effect of the types of fat eaten on breast cancer risk. But it is clear that calories do count, and fat is a major source of these. High-fat diets can lead to being overweight or obese, which is a breast cancer risk factor. A diet high in fat has also been shown to influence the risk of developing several other types of cancer, and intake of certain types of fat is clearly related to heart disease risk.

The American Cancer Society recommends eating a healthy diet with an emphasis on plant sources. This includes eating 5 or more servings of vegetables and fruits each day, choosing whole grains over those that are processed (refined), and limiting consumption of processed and red meats.

Antiperspirants :  Internet e-mail rumors have suggested that chemicals in underarm antiperspirants are absorbed through the skin, interfere with lymph circulation, cause toxins to build up in the breast, and eventually lead to breast cancer. There is very little laboratory or population-based evidence to support this rumor.

One small study has found trace levels of parabens (used as preservatives in antiperspirants and other products), which have weak estrogen-like properties, in a small sample of breast cancer tumors. However, the study did not look at whether parabens caused the tumors. This was a preliminary finding, and more research is needed to determine what effect, if any, parabens may have on breast cancer risk. On the other hand, a large study of breast cancer causes found no increase in breast cancer in women who used underarm antiperspirants and/or shaved their underarms.

Bras : Internet e-mail rumors and at least one book have suggested that bras cause breast cancer by obstructing lymph flow. There is no good scientific or clinical basis for this claim. Women who do not wear bras regularly are more likely to be thinner, which would probably contribute to any perceived difference in risk.

Breast implants : Several studies have found that breast implants do not increase breast cancer risk, although silicone breast implants can cause scar tissue to form in the breast. Implants make it harder to see breast tissue on standard mammograms, but additional x-ray pictures called implant displacement views can be used to examine the breast tissue more completely.

Chemicals in the environment :  A great deal of research has been reported and more is being done to understand possible environmental influences on breast cancer risk. Of special interest are compounds in the environment that have been found in lab studies to have estrogen-like properties, which could in theory affect breast cancer risk. For example, substances found in some plastics, certain cosmetics and personal care products, pesticides (such as DDE), and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) seem to have such properties.

Although this issue understandably invokes a great deal of public concern, at this time research does not show a clear link between breast cancer risk and exposure to these substances. Unfortunately, studying such effects in humans is difficult. More research is needed to better define the possible health effects of these and similar substances.

Tobacco smoke :  Most studies have found no link between cigarette smoking and breast cancer. Although some studies have suggested smoking increases the risk of breast cancer, this remains controversial.

An active focus of research is whether secondhand smoke increases the risk of breast cancer. Both mainstream and secondhand smoke contain chemicals that, in high concentrations, cause breast cancer in rodents. Chemicals in tobacco smoke reach breast tissue and are found in breast milk.

The evidence on secondhand smoke and breast cancer risk in human studies is controversial, at least in part because smokers have not been shown to be at increased risk. One possible explanation for this is that tobacco smoke may have different effects on breast cancer risk in smokers and in those who are just exposed to smoke.

A report from the California Environmental Protection Agency in 2005 concluded that the evidence about secondhand smoke and breast cancer is “consistent with a causal association” in younger, mainly premenopausal women. The 2006 US Surgeon General’s report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, concluded that there is “suggestive but not sufficient” evidence of a link at this point. In any case, this possible link to breast cancer is yet another reason to avoid secondhand smoke.

Night work :  Several studies have suggested that women who work at night — for example, nurses on a night shift — may have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. This is a fairly recent finding, and more studies are looking at this issue. Some researchers think the effect may be due to changes in levels of melatonin, a hormone whose production is affected by the body’s exposure to light, but other hormones are also being studied.

American Cancer Society

Osteoporosis Prevention

October 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I was talking to a family friend over the weekend who was very surprized when she was recently diagnosed with Osteoporosis. She had no symptoms – just went to the doctor for a regular checkup and he decided to perform a bone density test. With one of my specialities in Senior Performance, I wanted to make others aware that Osteoporosis can be prevented and helped but there is no cure so please start early and make the right decisions!

From the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF):

Building strong bones, especially before the age of 30, can be the best defense against developing osteoporosis, and a healthy lifestyle can be critically important for keeping bones strong.

Osteoporosis is largely preventable for most people. Prevention of this disease is very important because, while there are treatments for osteoporosis, there is currently no cure. There are five steps to prevent osteoporosis. No one step alone is enough to prevent osteoporosis but all five may.

NOF’s Five Steps to Bone Health and Osteoporosis Prevention:

  • Get your daily recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D.
  • Engage in regular weight-bearing exercise.
  • Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol.
  • Talk to your healthcare provider about bone health.
  • When appropriate, have a bone density test and take medication.

Calcium

Calcium is needed for the heart, muscles and nerves to function properly and for blood to clot. Inadequate calcium is thought to contribute to the development of osteoporosis. National nutrition surveys have shown that many women and young girls consume less than half the amount of calcium recommended to grow and maintain healthy bones.

According to NOF recommendations, adults under age 50 need 1,000 mg of calcium daily, and adults age 50 and over need 1,200 mg of calcium daily. If you have difficulty getting enough calcium from the foods you eat, you may take a calcium supplement to make up the difference.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is needed for the body to absorb calcium. Without enough vitamin D, you will be unable to absorb calcium from the foods you eat, and your body will have to take calcium from your bones. Vitamin D comes from two sources: through the skin following direct exposure to sunlight and from the diet. According to NOF recommendations, adults under age 50 need 400-800 IU of vitamin D daily, and adults age 50 and over need 800-1,000 IU of vitamin D daily. There are two types of vitamin D supplements. They are vitamin D3 and vitamin D2. Previous research suggested that vitamin D3 was a better choice than vitamin D2. However, more recent studies show that vitamin D3 and vitamin D2 are equally good for bone health. Vitamin D3 is also called cholecalciferol. Vitamin D2 is also called ergocalciferol. Vitamin D can also be obtained from fortified milk, egg yolks, saltwater fish, liver and supplements.

Exercise

Exercise is also important to good bone health. If you exercise regularly in childhood and adolescence, you are more likely to reach your peak bone density than those who are inactive. The best exercise for your bones is weight-bearing exercise such as walking, dancing, jogging, stair-climbing, racquet sports and hiking. If you have been sedentary most of your adult life, be sure to check with your healthcare provider before beginning any exercise program.

Medications for Prevention and Treatment

Although there is no cure for osteoporosis, currently bisphosphonates (alendronate, ibandronate and risedronate), calcitonin, estrogens, parathyroid hormone and raloxifene are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention and/or treatment of osteoporosis.

Bone Mineral Density Test (BMD Test)

A Bone Mineral Density test (BMD) is the only way to diagnose osteoporosis and determine your risk for future fracture. Since osteoporosis can develop undetected for decades until a fracture occurs, early diagnosis is important.

A BMD measures the density of your bones (bone mass) and is necessary to determine whether you need medication to help maintain your bone mass, prevent further bone loss and reduce fracture risk. A bone mineral density (BMD) test is a special type of test that is accurate, painless and noninvasive.

It is never too early or too late to start your prevention program.

New Sugar Guidelines and 40 Negative Effects of Sugar

September 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment

American Heart Association Issues First Ever Guidelines on Sugar Consumption

The American Heart Association (AHA) has published a set of guidelines related to sugar consumption. They address the amount of added sugar to America’s diet. Currently, the average American diet consists of nearly 22 tsp of added sugar per day, roughly 355 calories. The AHA guidelines suggest that women not consume more than 6 tsp (approx. 25 grams and 100 calories) of added sugar per day while men not consume more than 9 tsp (approx. 37.5 grams and 150 calories).

While most people are familiar with added sugar as the white table sugar (sucrose) that gets scooped into coffee, one problem with adherence to these guidelines is the lack of general knowledge about what else constitutes “added sugar.” Some of the common added sugars include: corn syrup, dextrose, corn sweetener, maltose, malt syrup, glucose, molasses, sucrose, syrup, and high fructose corn syrup. These ingredients are commonly found in candies, cakes, cookies, and soft drinks. Other sugars, the naturally occurring ones such as fructose and lactose, can be found in fruit and dairy products.

Sugar can be linked to heart disease. “Although added sugar is not directly linked to heart disease, it is associated with risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, and high levels of C-reactive protein, which has been linked to oxidative stress and inflammation,” said Linda Van Horn, a registered dietitian and chair of the AHA’s Nutrition Committee. When you compare common foods containing added sugar with naturally occurring sugary foods such as fruits or dairy products, the nutritional value of those latter foods is evident in the fact that they contain calcium, protein, vitamin D, and phytonutrients.

Sugar is a primary preservative and can be found in surprising quantities in what most would presume are non-sugary foods. For instance, most packages of macaroni and cheese contain more than 15% sugar, which explains why it can stay on the shelf for two years and still be edible and why kids like it. Simple sugars combine with processed carbs encourage hyperinsulinemia which is associated with fat storage and increased risk for obesity and then consequently diabetes.

40 Negative Effects of Sugar:

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
3. Sugar produces a rise in triglycerides, a leading cause of heart disease.
4. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection.
5. Sugar can cause kidney damage.
6. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins (good cholesterol).
7. Sugar leads to cancer of the breast, ovaries, intestines, prostate and rectum.
8. Sugar consumption is the top cause of type II diabetes, as it increases levels of glucose and insulin.
9. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
10. Sugar weakens eyesight and can cause cataracts.
11. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels).
12. Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
13. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
14. Sugar consumption can cause aging.
15. Sugar consumption is the top cause of tooth decay.
16. Sugar use cause overeating and therefore contributes to obesity.
17. High intake increases risk of Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis.
18. Sugar can cause changes associated with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
19. Sugar can cause arthritis.
20. Sugar can cause asthma.
21. Sugar can cause yeast infections.
22. Sugar can cause gallstones to form.
23. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
24. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.
25. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
26. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
27. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.
28. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
29. Sugar can cause periodontal disease and contributes to saliva acidity.
30. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance.
31. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
32. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.
33. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
34. Sugar can cause migraine headaches.
35. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.
36. Sugar causes food allergies.
37. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
38. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
39. Sugar can cause emphysema.
40. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density proteins (LDL).

How Working Out at a Gym in Mesa Can Prevent High Cholesterol

July 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Working out at a gym in Mesa on a regular basis can prevent high cholesterol by reducing the amount of plaque build-up in the arteries. People talk about high and low cholesterol readings, but many don’t really understand what cholesterol consists of in the body. All they know is that too much cholesterol lining the arteries can cause blockage leading to heart disease.

Not All Cholesterol is Bad

There are two types of cholesterol called HDL (high density lipoproteins) and LDL (low density lipoproteins). Cholesterol is actually like a natural patching system your body uses to repair artery and blood vessel damage caused by disease.

Blood vessels are composed of layers and one of them is called the intima. The intima is the innermost vein layer. When the intima gets a tiny hole for any reason, the body tries to repair the damage. Veins can be damaged by diseases like high blood pressure or diabetes.

The way the body repairs the nick in the vein is by filling it with LDL. When too much repairing LDL accumulates, the HDL cholesterol clears the excess LDL away. Low density cholesterol can collect in the arteries due to diet and genetics also.

The problem is that a build-up of cholesterol in the blood stream can cause blood clotting and blocked arteries. This in turn can lead to strokes, heart attacks or heart disease.

High density lipoprotein is called the “good” cholesterol because it helps keep the “bad” LDL cholesterol at a healthy level. But sometimes the whole system fails to work properly due to lack of fitness or poor dietary habits. When you eat a lot of foods containing trans fats, for example, you can raise your LDL level even when the vein does not have a hole to repair.

Obviously, you want to raise your HDL levels as much as possible in order to keep your arteries cleared of plaque build-up.

Give Yourself the Gift of Exercise at a Gym in Mesa

Though medical science does not completely understand the process yet, exercise is known to increase the production of good cholesterol. That means a workout program can actually prevent high cholesterol formed by LDL. Your exercise program at a gym in Mesa should be combined with a healthy diet to get the maximum benefit.

Working out regularly will also insure you maintain a healthy cardiovascular system. Your blood flow is improved and your veins are kept cleared. The amount of exercise you should get as a minimum is 30 minutes a day of aerobic exercise five days a week.

A fitness trainer at a gym in Mesa can structure a fitness program that will include the right amount of aerobic exercise needed to prevent high cholesterol. Natural treatments for high cholesterol that already exist include losing weight, eliminating unhealthy foods from the diet, and exercising regularly. In many cases, it is even possible to avoid medications.

One of the best gifts you can give your heart and circulatory system is plenty of exercise at a gym in Mesa.

How to Choose a Gym in Mesa

July 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Choosing the right gym in Mesa for you isn’t as simple as heading to the closest gym and signing up without doing a bit of research first. Decide what you want to get out of your health club experience before you sign up and then do the necessary research to fit your needs. If you’re ready to make your fitness goals a reality here are a few tips for choosing the gym in Mesa that’s best for you.

Location, Location, Location

It’s awfully hard to keep yourself motivated to go work out when your gym is clear across town and you want to go after work – hello, rush hour! Finding a health club that is convenient to either your home or work, depending on when you want to work out, can either make or break your fitness routine. Obviously, this shouldn’t be your only factor in choosing a health club, as you shouldn’t choose a gym in Mesa that you don’t feel comfortable in, but it’s much easier to put off exercise when you have the excuse of it being too far away.

Take a Test Run

The employees at some health clubs are experts at the art of getting you to sign a contract before you’ve even gotten a feel for the place. Most reputable health clubs will allow you to take a trial membership or a one day pass, and this is invaluable for finding out not just what the club offers, but how you find the atmosphere as well. When you take your trial membership, try to visit at the same time you would normally work out, to get a feel for how crowded the club is or if you feel comfortable working out with these patrons – after all, you’ll see them pretty frequently. Do you have to wait a long time for equipment or to catch the attention of a staff member? Also, this is a great way to get a feeling for everything the club offers.

Staff and Personal Training

How the staff interacts with their clients is just as important as what features the gym in Mesa offers. Do they take the time to greet you when you walk in the door? Is there enough staff available to answer questions when you’re working out? Do you feel confident that they know what they’re talking about? This last one could be the most important question of all, as you are potentially putting your health in a staff member’s hands when you ask questions about the proper way to use equipment or knowing when to stop.

See if the gym in Mesa offers personal training, since this is a fantastic tool for meeting your fitness goals. It is always best when you can choose your own personal trainer, but some clubs will only assign one to you or will rotate trainers around their clients. The best cases are when you have the opportunity to interview a trainer before starting an exercise program, if for not other reason than to make sure you feel comfortable with this trainer. Be sure to ask about certification, experience, and how they can help you meet your long or short term fitness goals.

Treating Yourself to Healthy Desserts for Health in Mesa

July 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Treating yourself to healthy desserts for health in Mesa is a great way to reward yourself for getting fit without consuming wasted calories. It is when people start to feel deprived that calorie laden temptations become too great to resist. Unfortunately, you can wipe out the calorie burning of a whole hour of exercise with one piece of cake with icing.

Low Calorie Concoctions That Tempt the Tastebuds

We live in a culture that has made the thought of eating fruit boring. Many children grow up believing a real dessert must be loaded with calories and useless nutrients to be considered a sweat treat. But there are plenty of ways to treat yourself to a dessert made with healthy ingredients while satisfying the sweet tooth or making you feel as if you got the treat you had in mind.

Learning to choose the right foods is important when you are developing and maintaining health in Mesa. But many people find themselves failing to control their diets, because they feel deprived. It can be tough to break the habit of eating that big bowl of ice cream every night and eventually just thinking about it becomes an obsession.

You wont maintain health in Mesa if you exercise each day and then eat unhealthy foods. Eating sugary sweets loaded with fat and cholesterol can undo all of your efforts to burn calories, lose weight and stave off disease. Sugar is almost addictive too which is why you hear people talk about having a “sweet tooth”.

Tempting Desserts That Satisfy

There are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat so it takes hours of exercising just to lose one pound. Yet you can easily eat a single 500 calorie dessert each evening and in one week add a pound while sitting in front of the television. A much better idea is to eat a healthy treat that still satisfies the sweet tooth or breaks the dependence on sugar.

For example, a bowl of strawberries and melon slices covered with your favorite flavored yogurt is sweet tasting and healthy. Instead of a bowl of ice cream you can eat a low fat fruit sorbet. Granola and yogurt bars can replace a piece of cake for health in Mesa.

Of course, there are also plenty of interesting low calorie recipes for favorite desserts even including chocolate brownies or caramel cake. Using sugar substitutes and low fat ingredients can keep foods healthy without loss of flavor.

Just My Imagination

You have to use your imagination when it comes to treating yourself to healthy desserts. For example, instead of eating those cookies you can choose a banana with peanut butter. Or you can mix banana slices with strawberries and blend them into a fruit smoothie. Protein shakes are much healthier than milkshakes.

The important thing to remember is that you need to decide what kinds of healthy treats will help you maintain health in Mesa. When you know there is a treat waiting for you when you get a dessert attack, you won’t feel deprived or tempted to ruin your efforts to get and stay fit.

Meal Options for Health in Mesa

July 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Health in Mesa is difficult because life is full of choices and many of them revolve around food. That is why it is so critical to learn how to choose healthy meal options as you go about your daily business. We are confronted with food options from morning to night and each decision you make impacts your ability to stay healthy and maintain a normal weight.

Powerful Choices

When you are looking at a bowl of green beans, you probably don’t think of words like “powerful” or “strong”. Yet foods like fresh vegetables and fresh fruits are powerhouses of nutrients your body needs to slow the aging process while maintaining healthy systems. In fact, certain foods are so powerful they can reverse many of the signs of aging.

When you are intent on getting fit or enhancing a current fitness program, diet will play a big part. You cannot just exercise and you cannot just diet in order to lose weight and keep it off or to improve your overall physical conditioning. You have to do both, because it is both working together that creates a fitness program.

Learning how to choose healthy meal options for health in Mesa is not that difficult. What can be difficult is learning to eat healthy in the home and while eating in restaurants without getting bored. Who wants to eat an unadorned bowl of brussel sprouts or peaches every day?

A private trainer can work with you to create an interesting dietary plan that you can follow no matter where you are eating. You can also learn to make good and great tasting food choices that meet your dietary guidelines while also pleasing the taste buds.

Forceful Options

Choosing powerhouse foods means picking the foods that provide the benefits you need to maintain health in Mesa.

  • Supplies a balance of essential vitamins and minerals
  • Supplies special nutrient needs
  • Includes mostly low fat and no fat foods
  • Minimizes simple carbohydrates and sugar
  • Includes lots of foods with antioxidants
  • Includes versions of favorite foods cooked in a healthy manner

Of course, there will be times when only the banana split made with real ice cream and whipped cream will do. But when you meet your weight loss goals and learn to maintain a healthy weight, you can eat your favorite foods periodically without guilt. That makes eating itself much more enjoyable.

A personal trainer can help you develop a mutually acceptable dietary plan that supports health in Mesa. The personal trainer can also show you how to make important adjustments to meet additional requirements. For example, you may need to increase your calcium or iron intake.

A personal trainer will work with anyone who is sincere about taking responsibility for his or her health in Mesa. It is all about choices and accountability, and the choices get much easier when you understand what its meant by healthy nutrition.

Using A Food Journal and Diary for Weight Loss in Mesa

July 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

For weight Loss in Mesa, using a food journal and diary can serve several purposes. One of its main purposes is to enable you to count calories and nutritional content of foods you choose to include in your diet. It also helps you pinpoint where you need to make behavioral changes in order to improve your diet. Finally, the food journal helps you identify eating patterns that have developed without conscious thought.

Increasing Food Awareness

Since we eat every day of our lives, food becomes something we often do not give much thought until hungry. Then it is easy to whip together a meat loaded sandwich, grab that bag of chips, or buy an item out of the vending machine without bothering to add up the calories. Of course, going out to eat provides the ideal situation for indulging, because the tempting descriptions are hard to resist.

After a while eating patterns develop and you don’t even think twice about eating favorite foods or even overeating until you realize its time for weight Loss in Mesa. In addition, many times people are overeating and don’t know it, because they have never bothered to count the calories and determine how that count relates to their activity levels.

The first sign something is out of balance is through weight gain. When it is time to change eating patterns, the first step is identifying the patterns of behavior leading to overeating and poor nutritional choices. The best way to document this information for weight Loss in Mesa is through a food journal and diary.

Getting Ready to Make Changes

You can certainly diet without keeping a food journal, but the chances are you will continue to allow extra calories to slip into your daily eating routine. This can slow down weight loss. It can also cause confusion, because you think you are following a strict diet, when in fact your diet is riddled with calories that are not getting burned through exercise.

A private trainer can show you how to keep a food journal and diary so you can identify when you eat, what you eat, and even why you eat certain foods at certain times. For example, you may not realize you are eating a high amount of extra calories every night as you unwind in front of the television. It is just a habit that has been developed that is making it more difficult to achieve weight Loss in Mesa.

The purpose of the food journal is to help you examine all of your food choices and poor eating habits. The food journal and diary can also help you set reasonable dietary guidelines that fit your particular lifestyle. The diary documents the time you ate, where you were when you ate, the kind of food or drink involved, and the amount or number of servings you ate.

You use the information to count calories and to spot food and behavior associations. The total calories are compared to the calories you burn on a daily basis. The personal trainer can help you develop a diary or journal and will assist you in identifying ways you can reduce your calorie intake below your calorie expenditure.

The food diary and journal will also let you find out just how many poor nutritional choices you are making. With this knowledge comes the ability to take control of your eating patterns and achieve weight Loss in Mesa.

Weight Loss in Mesa Why Crash Dieting Does More Harm Than Good

July 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

When trying for weight loss in Mesa, sometimes the thing that prompts us to try and lose weight is an upcoming event, such as wanting to get into a bathing suit for summer or looking good for a wedding or reunion. The temptation is high to follow a diet that promises rapid weight loss in Mesa in a short amount of time, but often these crash diets do more harm than good and can even result in long lasting consequences. In this article, we’ll discuss why crash dieting is bad for you, the long term consequences of a cycle of long term crash dieting, and what you can do for effective weight loss in Mesa!

What is a Crash Diet and Why is it Bad?

Crash diets are famous for promising unbelievable results with minimum effort in a short period of time, but what do they entail exactly? Most crash diets have a poor diet and questionable supplements in common. They usually involve drastically cutting back on the number of calories you consume during the day, and sometimes have complementary supplements which are nothing but diuretics. While practitioners may notice rapid weight loss at the beginning of such a diet, often the weight lost is nothing but water weight and, if continued, will result in muscle loss as well.

When you follow an extremely low calorie diet, the first thing that happens is that your body uses up its stores of carbohydrate, also known as glycogen, as well as the water that is stored with it, in the liver and muscles. This is what prompts the weight loss in the beginning. Once these carbohydrates are used up, the body starts using proteins in the muscles for energy, which can leave you feeling tired and irritable.

Soon, the metabolism slows down, putting your body into a kind of starvation mode, because it doesn’t know when it will start receiving healthy nutrients again. Then, when you go back to your previous eating habits, you’re likely to not only put back on the weight you’ve lost, but add more pounds as well, because the metabolism is still too slow to keep up with the new intake of food.

Worst Case Scenarios

Those that put themselves of a constant cycle of crash dieting and eating poorly are doing a lot of damage to their bodies which could result in potentially life threatening illnesses. Due to their restrictive natures, crash diets could prevent you from eating healthy foods with nutrients that your body needs to function properly, such as iron, B12, potassium or sodium. These could lead to deficiencies that can cause other problems, like nerve and muscle functions and heart attacks. They also cause a great deal of problems for organs like the liver and kidneys, because without the proper nutrients, the organs can’t function properly. Finally, not getting enough calcium in the diet can lead to the development of osteoporosis, which makes bones brittle and more prone to fractures.

Eat a Balanced Diet for Better Results

If you’re trying for weight loss in Mesa, resist the temptation to follow a crash diet and look for healthier alternatives instead. Gradually change your eating habits and your proportion sizes so your metabolism won’t drop too quickly, and pair your new eating habits with a fitness routine, and you’ll be losing weight in no time. Think of your new good habits as a lifestyle change instead of a temporary diet.

You may not lose weight as quickly as a crash diet can promise, but you’ll be doing it in a much safer way and the weight is more likely to stay off. For safe and effective weight loss in Mesa consider hiring a personal trainer. Personal trainers ensure that you will achieve your long term goals by changing up your routines and keeping you motivated!

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