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7 Ways to Improve Your Odds of Living A Longer, Healthier Life
2007-09-05 15:05:00
photo by yksinIf you enjoy The Fit Club, click these links to receive regular updates via RSS or via email. My name is Scott H. and I'm a total dork. For fun (*I don't get out much*), I decided to take a look at the mortality statistics from 1900 and compare them to the most recent mortality data compiled by the CDC, which happened to be 2004. The charts are at the bottom of this post for those that are interested in the actual data. Can anything interesting be gleaned from the differences between the two charts?What's interesting about these statistics is the difference in the types of diseases that we succumb to. In 1900, communicable diseases were responsible for most deaths, while today, heart disease, cancer, and strokes are the big killers. It is also interesting to note that there is a marked increase in deaths as a result of lifestyle choices. The major risk factors for heart disease are largely the result of choices that people make, with the exception of family h...
More About: Life , Living , Improve , Odds , Improv

How many calories can you burn?
2007-08-31 14:40:00
photo by lint01If you enjoy The Fit Club, click these links to receive regular updates via RSS or via email.Want to know how many calories you are burning in 30 minutes doing your favorite activity? I've listed some of the more popular exercise activities and the number of calories that they burn. All of the calorie calculations assume a 150 pound person doing the activity for 30 minutes. If you weigh more, you will burn more calories. If you weigh less, you will burn fewer calories.Bicycling>20 mph - 545.5 calories16-19mph, no drafting - 409 calories14-15.9 mph, no drafting - 340.9 calories12-13.9 mph, no drafting - 272.7 caloriesMountain biking - 289.7 caloriesStationary: moderate, 150 watts - 238.6 caloriesStationary: vigorous, 200 watts - 357.9 caloriesRunning6 min/mile - 545.4 calories7 min/mile - 477.2 calories8.5 min/mile - 392 calories9 min/mile - 374.9 calories10 min/mile - 340.9 calories11.5 min/mile - 306.8 calories12 min/mile - 272.7 caloriesup stairs - 511 calories...
More About: Calories , Burn , Calo

The Slow, Steady March of Progress
2007-08-30 15:15:00
photo by Brother O'MaraIf you enjoy The Fit Club, click these links to receive regular updates via RSS or via email.Our bodies are remarkable in that they adapt to almost anything that we throw at them. That's a good thing for survival, but it also means that we must continue to do more if we want to continue to improve. Plateaus are not inevitable, but to avoid them requires that you continue to strive to do better, to improve, to do more. Eventually genetics will determine how thin you can be, how strong you can be or how fast you can be but don't let that be an excuse to do anything less than your best.The easiest technique to ensure that you continue making improvements is to keep a log. I would suggest that you keep track of your food intake, exercise activities, and strength training. You don't have to make it overly complicated. Just jot down your information each day and, if you find yourself not meeting your goals, hit those logs and do some research.If weight loss...
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Best Diet Ever: Eat Smaller, More Frequent Meals
2007-08-29 14:21:00
photo by hawaiiIf you enjoy The Fit Club and would like to receive regular updates, click these links to receive updates via RSS or via email.Every time I mention this as a tip, people think I'm some sort of food "nut job". Apparently eating meals more frequently qualifies me for some kind of 12-step program. The rumors are NOT true. I DO NOT set an alarm to remind me to eat every 3 hours. *But I have thought about it.*Eating six small meals, spaced out every 3 hours is a better way to eat for maintaining or losing weight. Here are some benefits of eating this way:By eating more often you don't get as hungry, so when you do have a meal, you are less likely to overeat. It is also much easier to eat fewer calories for the same reason; when you sit down to eat you are not as hungry. Your body uses energy to digest food and more meals per day means a few more calories required to process those meals."Diet ers" traditionally eat very little during the day, and end up gorging at n...
More About: Meals , Meal

20 Ways to Find Time to Exercise
2007-08-28 15:10:00
photo by Willem Tjerkstra"Those who do not find time to exercise, sooner or later, will have to find time for illness."-Earl of Derby Watch less television - Americans watch 14 hours of television per week. Cut that down to 10 and get 30 minutes of exercise a day. Get up 30 minutes earlier - I know, I know, you already get up at the butt crack of dawn, you're not a morning person, yada, yada, yada. Going out for a morning walk or jog will do more to energize you for the day than any cup of coffee. During lunchtime - Go for a 30 minute walk and use the remaining time for a quick lunch. After work - This works for some people, but it's very easy to get sidetracked and not take the time. If it works for you, exercise after work. If it doesn't, there are lots of other options. Ride your bike to work - Obviously, this isn't an option for some people depending on the length of your commute, but there are some of you who could ride your bike to work or e...
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Best Diet Ever: 1/3 of Calories Should Come from Fat
2007-08-27 14:39:00
photo by A.DdictionFat is unfairly demonized because people think that the fat they eat ends up as body fat. That simply isn't true. Excess calories end up stored as body fat, but fat is no more likely to end up as stored fat than any other type of food. Fat is a necessary nutrient, and while our diets are typically high in bad fats, they tend to be low in the healthiest types of fat. Aim to consume more foods high in monounsaturated fats like avocados, olive oil, and canola oil. Other good choices for healthy fats, especially the Omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, are salmon, flax seeds and oil, and nuts.Low fat diets have been popular for a long time but no research has ever shown that low fat diets are superior to any other diets in reducing body fat. In fact, new research is suggesting that a low fat, high carbohydrate diet may increase the likelihood that you will become obese, but regular exercise can mute this effect. If you do not engage in regular exercise, you should de...
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Want to Lose Weight? Get Off of the Scale, Part II
2007-08-24 15:07:00
photo by jamskiIn Part 1 of this series I discussed using body fat percentage as a better indicator of progress than scale weight. Hopefully you've gotten a device to measure your body fat, now what? What is the best way to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss? Here is a four-pronged approach to maximizing fat loss.Track your body fat percentageThe first step is to take your body fat percentage. This is the number that you want to see decrease. You should continue to use a scale to measure your weight, but remember, as your weight begins to go down, your body fat percentage should also go down. You are definitely doing something wrong if your weight is decreasing but your body fat is staying the same. That is an indicator that you are losing muscle mass...something that you do not want to do. Usually this is caused by one of two things. One, you are not eating enough food. If you drastically cut your calories to a level far below your maintenance level, you will lo...
More About: Weight , Lose Weight , Scale , Weigh

Best Diet Ever: Don't multi-task while eating
2007-08-23 14:26:00
photo by sculpture_grrrlOf all the tips and tricks mentioned in the Best Diet Ever series, this is as easy and pain-free as it gets: When you are eating, don't do anything else that may distract you. What I mean by this is don't eat while you are busy doing work, or while sitting in front of the TV, or driving, etc. Anything that distracts you from eating tends to distract you from feeling when you've had enough to eat. How many times have you sat down in front of the boob tube with a bag of potato chips, planning to "eat a few", only to reach down 30 minutes later into an empty bag?Now I'm not saying to ignore your family and lock yourself in a closet when you eat, either. Having a conversation while eating may distract you a bit but it also causes you to eat slower, giving your body time to signal that you've had enough food. Eating slowly and mindfully allows your body time to process what you've eaten and enjoy the taste of your food.If you must eat while on the run,...
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Behavior Self! Setting the Right Goals for Weight Loss
2007-08-22 14:22:00
photo by sailing nomadSuccessful weight loss usually begins with a goal...to lose a certain number of pounds. Most people will decide to cut out some junk food, maybe eat "healthier" foods and just see what happens. At first, it's easy, the motivation to lose the weight is strong, but after a week or so, the motivation starts to wane and the diet is out the door. Unrealistic expectations coupled with a lack of smaller, achievable steps leading up to the weight loss leads to another "diet failure".It's what you do that will get you thereThe key is to set behavior-based goals, not just milestone goals. What good is it setting a goal of losing 10 pounds if you don't plan how to get there? Whether you are trying to lose 5 pounds or 100 pounds, you must determine what behaviors will lead to those goals and make a smaller, daily goal of incorporating those behaviors into your activities. For instance, trying lose 100 pounds can seem to be an impossible, overwhelming task, but goi...
More About: Weight Loss , Weight , Behavior , Goals , Loss

The Cooking Spray Conundrum
2007-08-21 14:39:00
photo by xgot_rice64xCookin g spray, also know as Pam, is pure, marketing genius! It's promoted as a fat-free alternative to those darn oils that keep food from sticking to the pan and, well, are just plain tasty. Let's have a little closer look at what's in the can.A quick look at the Nutrition Facts label shows that it has 0g of fat and 0 calories. It's perfect! What is this magical product made of? Let's see the ingredient label says the first ingredient is...that can't be right...CANOLA OIL?! I'm holding a full can of Pam in my hot little hands and it is mostly canola oil. Yet it is somehow fat-free and calorie-free. Unless Con Agra has magical elves removing calories and fat from canola oil, something is rotten in Denmark, or in this case, Omaha, Nebraska. By the way, if you believe the magical elf theory, STOP READING "THE SECRET"! I just love beating up on that book.Obviously, magical elves are not involved in the process, but something is amiss. The "secret"...
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Best Diet Ever: Plan "cheat" meals
2007-08-20 15:44:00
photo to jainnie_cAs I mentioned in a previous Best Diet Ever post, cheat meals are a great tool to help keep people eating healthier. But there's more to it than just eating a cheat meal whenever you feel like it. That's called, "Johnny used to be on a diet, now he eats enough to feed a small country."Don't just fall victim to temptation, polish off an entire cheesecake and call it a cheat meal. Plan them for times you know that you won't be able to make better choices. If you and you significant other go to a nice restaurant on most Friday evenings, then plan for that meal by eating a little less during the day on Friday. If your family always has Sunday dinner at Grandma's house, enjoy yourself...just don't use up your "cheat" meals before Sunday evening. Save your cheat meals for the times that you know you will need them...birthday parties, social gatherings, etc.The concept behind the cheat meal is that you don't have to "give up" any food, so you're less likely to b...
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Health and Fitness Sites
2007-08-20 15:03:00
photo by johnny_wLooking for a great place to find interesting, helpful information on the topics of health, wellness, exercise, and weight loss? The following sites have lots of great, well-written, easy to understand information. Check them out.Heal th SundaeHealth and Fitness Forum - Vol. IIIFitBuff.comTotal Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival #11
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Want to lose weight? Get off of the scale! Part I
2007-08-16 14:26:00
Photo by fatty tunaIt is estimated that 1 in 6 Americans are "on a diet" at any given time. Losing weight is a national obsession...to the tune of about 35 billion dollars annually (that's billion...with a "b"!) Whether it's losing five pounds or a hundred pounds or more, everyone has some magic number that they hope to one day see when they step on the scale.I'll let you in on a secret...that's the wrong approach entirely. You see, your weight doesn't tell you anything about what you are made of. Bones, muscle, organs, and fat all look the same through the eyes of the scale. People diet strictly for a short period of time to get their weight down, but what exactly goes away for the weight to go down? Was most of the weight loss a result of fat loss, or was it mostly a loss of muscle? The scale can't give you that answer, but it is a key piece of information that can predict the likelihood of long term weight loss success. Losing muscle will reduce your metabolism and...
More About: Weight , Lose Weight , Part , Scale , Weigh

Post Workout Recovery: Don't Miss the "Window of Opportunity"
2007-08-15 14:31:00
Photo by Nils GeylenCongratulations, you've just finished a tough workout and now you're ready to kick back and have a nice, cool beverage. But wait, you're on a diet. Should you drink water to save the calories? What about Gatorade? Don't the commercials say that you need to replace electrolytes after a hard workout?You should definitely drink enough water to stay hydrated throughout your workout and if you have been outdoors in the summer heat you may need to replace electrolytes with Gatorade. These are primarily hydration issues, though. It's important to realize that after a hard workout, there is a recovery "window of opportunity" that closes rapidly. If that window closes and you miss it, it may take days for you to fully recover instead of hours. The purpose of a good post workout recovery drink is to help prepare you for your next workout.How soon should I have a recovery drink?Intense, long-lasting exercise depletes your body's stores of glycogen, a stored for...
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Best Diet Ever: Listen to your mom. Eat your fruits and vegetables.
2007-08-14 14:30:00
Photo by marmalade melMom was right. Not only do you need vegetables and fruits for the nutrients they contain, but most are low calorie, high fiber, and have a high water content. That means they have a low calorie density and are filling. Besides, it's really tough to over eat fruits and vegetables. You don't have to search very long to find someone who claims that too much fruit is bad because of a high sugar content. The theory is that the sugar in fruits, causes blood levels of insulin to increase triggering fat storage. Well, most fruits also are high in fiber which slows the digestion process down and mutes the body's insulin response. Seriously, how many people out there have gotten fat by eating too many apples? I've yet to meet one.According to the USDA, you need to eat 5 to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Most people don't eat half of that amount. Don't be one of those people...it will make you sick, weak, and the rest of us will point and laugh. ...
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Exercise? No way, that stuff will kill you!
2007-08-13 15:00:00
Photo by A-WixI've recently read several articles indicating that in certain circumstances being overweight seems to have life-extending qualities. In cases where people have had heart attacks, some cancers, and various forms of cardiovascular disease, the overweight patients simply lived longer. Huh? Doesn't this fly in the face of everything we've ever seen, read, or heard?These studies are real studies and I've added links at the end of this post if anyone is interested in reading more about them. Even the studies that suggest being overweight has some protective effects in this population of patients are quick to point out that being overweight is a proven risk factor in developing these diseases in the first place. The best thing to do is not end up in one of these studies by having cardiovascular disease. Whew! Looks like all of that running isn't going to kill me, after all.Is exercise really necessary? Why bother with this whole exercise thing? It is possible ...
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Best Diet Ever: Follow the 90% rule
2007-08-10 15:16:00
Photo by akirsaIf you follow the recommendations and eat 6 smaller meals throughout the day, that's 42 meals per week. If you can make good choices and eat healthy foods for 90% of those meals, you will succeed. That leaves 4 meals per week that you can break the rules and have whatever you want. Try to be reasonable and don't sit down and demolish an entire bag of potato chips, but have a few...and then have a few more. It's OK. There is no need to shovel them in with abandon as though no crunchy, fried, potato goodness will ever cross your lips again. No food is off limits for cheat meals, but you only get 4 cheat meals per week.An important psychological benefit of the cheat meal is that it makes it OK to "slip". Wanting foods because they taste good is a natural part of being human. The problems start when a "slip" mentally transmogrifies into "I'm a failure!" Once you've started down that slippery slope, it's easy to give up. By making cheat meals part of the "rules" ...
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Best Diet Ever: Only no calorie drinks allowed
2007-08-09 15:17:00
Photo by Asif Ali ABye, bye, venti, mocha, chocolate, triple, whip, soy, vanilla macchiato! As far as your body is concerned, liquid calories are "ghost" calories. You might drink them, but they don't fill you up like solid food. So not only do you get the extra calories, but you get no satiety for it. Double whammy! The best choice is water. Don't think you've got to drink bottled water unless you've got a few bucks burning a hole in you pocket and if that's the case, why not send it to me instead of wasting it on tap water from Cleveland.Tap water is a fine choice, but if you like the taste of filtered water, buy a home water filter. I've never used those Brita pitchers, but I have owned the Pur brand that fits your kitchen sink and I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up. Sugary soft drinks are pure candy. I know lots of people have switched to these Vitamin Water drinks. They have fewer calories, but are still not calorie-free. If you use them to kick your soft drink habit,...
More About: Diet , Drinks , Calorie , Allo , Calo

The Curse of the All-You-Can-Eat Salad Bar
2007-08-07 16:02:00
Photo by spo0nman You've decided to start that diet, in earnest, so for lunch, instead of heading to the local greaseburger palace with your comrades, you convince everyone that you should hit the local salad bar instead. After a lot of grumbling, your powers of persuasion work their magic and you hit the salad bar. You load up your plate with a few salad-y items, along with some of the potato salad, pasta salad, and man, does that Thai fried wonton noodle salad look good. This diet "thang" ain't so bad, after all.You lovingly coat the contents of the entire plate with a little ambrosia of the gods...that's ranch dressing to the uninitiated. Then a little, or a lot, of fried goodness in the form of bacon bits never hurt anybody. Hey, at least they aren't those artificial Bac-O things. Those would be a tragedy! By the way, isn't "natural" better for you? Buttery croutons? Check...and freshly made this morning! What's that your hearing? The scintillating, siren song of the bread...
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Best Diet Ever: Minimize processed carbohydrates
2007-08-07 14:37:00
Oh no, I can see the forces of carb-loving and carb-hating evil gathering in the distance. Do carbs make you fat or are they the body's most important energy source? Well, which is it!? I've always been a proponent of the theory that a calorie is a calorie and that all weight loss is dependent on calories in vs. calories out. That opinion is based on my personal experience of losing 60 pounds and maintaining that loss by doing lots of exercise and maintaining a calorie deficit with no regard to changing the foods that I eat, only eating less of them.Having said that, studies done by Harvard Medical School, and more recently The University of Pennsylvania, have found that a certain percentage of people respond better to a low carb approach to eating. The high responders to the low carb diets are people who have metabolic syndrome, Type II diabetes, and hyperinsulinemia. I'll have a post with more information on this topic in the near future. What I can say is that from a nutri...
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Visualize yourself thin!
2007-08-07 00:12:00
Visualization is a tool that has been proven to be effective in motivating people to achieve their goals. Now I feel compelled to stop right here and say that visualization combined with action is great, but visualization alone will get you nowhere.One day a carpenter decided that he was done building houses for a living. Now our carpenter was a very pious man, so he decided to start praying with all of his might that he would win the lottery so he could build the house of his dreams and live the good life. Every morning, he would pray and pray that God would let him win the lottery, checking the newspaper to see if he had won. Well, this continued for ten years, until one day, the carpenter checked the numbers to see if he had one, only to be disappointed once again. He looked skyward and said, "God. I've been praying that I would win the lottery every day for ten years. I've been a good, reverent, and righteous person. Why haven't you let me win?" To the man's surprise, God re...

Best Diet Ever: Drink one gallon of water a day
2007-08-06 14:34:00
Yes, an entire gallon! Only oxygen is more urgently needed than water. Don't skimp on your water intake. Dehydration wreaks havoc on bodily processes and causes people to feel lethargic throughout the day. Dehydration can cause severe cramps during exercise, so ensure that you drink 16 oz. of water before any exercise and continue drinking during any strenuous exercise, especially if it's an outdoor activity and/or hot outside.Staying properly hydrated will also help you not overeat when meal or snack times roll around. I've read that if you are dehydrated, your body misinterprets the thirst signal as hunger causing you to eat when you are really thirsty. I don't know that I buy that reasoning, but studies have shown that drinking water throughout the day, especially before meals, causes you to eat less because your stomach is full. Your brain gets the "I'm full. I can stop eating now" signal with less food.Can you drink too much water?It is possible to drink too much water...
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