Fitness & Health News Headlines

Up-to-the-minute fitness and health-related news updates from all over the Web...

• Fit Question: Do your kids snack too much?
You know you're getting old when you say things like, "In my day...," but...well...in my day, snacking was strictly monitored in my house, although my sisters and I managed to get the required daily amounts of sugar and fat at my grandmother's house (which was, conveniently across the creek).

Snacking has changed over the years and experts are worried that all this snacking may be a major contributor to childhood obesity. In a study published in Health Affairs, experts looked at snacking trends over the years and found that many kids are eating up to 3 snacks a day and that more than 27% of their daily calories come from snacks. Munching on carrot sticks is one thing, but too many kids' snacks include salt, sugar and fat. The study found that desserts and sweetened beverages are the major sources of calories from snacks.

The question is, where is this trend coming from? Have we forgotten what a healthy level of snacking is or did we ever know in the first place? Are we dropping the ball when it comes to the extra calories kids get from snacking? Vote in this week's poll and then leave a comment and tell us what you think. Where are we going wrong and how can we reverse the trend?

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More About Snacking

Source:

Peirnas, C; Popkin, B. Trends in Snacking Among U.S. Children. Health Affairs. 2010; 29(3): 398-404.

Fit Question: Do your kids snack too much? originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Friday, March 19th, 2010 at 05:00:39.

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In Dan's case, he was always active, but his wife had trouble being consistent with her workouts. He tried to get her to workout with him in the mornings, but she was determined to workout after work, a plan that often failed because, as Dan put it, "Life would get in the way."

When a fitness center opened up nearby, Dan agreed to give her the mornings to workout while he got the kids off to school. Two years later, she's still exercising and happier and healthier than ever.

Dan's story proves how incredibly important it is to have support from loved ones. Doing it on your own, especially when you have a family to take care of, is sometimes impossible. But, when the other person steps in to help, it can turn everything around.

What about you? Could you be more supportive of your spouse or loved one? I know I could. Read more about Dan's story and share your own if you've got one.

Reader Success Story: How Dan Helped His Wife Start Exercising originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 05:00:13.

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Despite the title of this blog, there really is nothing we have to do to get ready for spring. In fact, I've been ready for it since approximately September. However, spring always feels like a time of renewal and now is the perfect time to look to the future (Warm weather! Flowers! Shorts!) and think of what's in store for us and how we can prepare.

Spring weather brings activities you haven't done all winter like walking outside without a heavy coat and looking out your window and seeing actual grass instead of snow. Beyond that, there will be gardening, yard work, spring cleaning, bike rides, hiking and more.

There are things you can do to get ready for these activities, including getting your mind in the right place and updating your gear while working on your strength, endurance and core strength.

Something else to think about is making the transition to outdoor running or walking. If you've been on the treadmill all winter, don't be surprised if you struggle to keep pace when you head outdoors. Some things to think about when making the transition include:

Don't be afraid to back off if your outdoor workouts feel more strenuous than you expected.

And, now for my favorite part - learning about you. Do you do anything special as you transition to warm weather or do you just get out and go? Leave a comment and tell us your thoughts about spring.

Get Your Body Ready for Spring originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 05:01:11.

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If you've been doing the same exercises for awhile, today is your day to shake things up. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take one of your usual strength training exercises and change it in a way that makes it more challenging. That change could involve any number of ideas such as:

I've posted a few ideas below and you can find more ideas in The Basics of Exercise Progression, but be creative and see what you can come up with. Don't forget to come back and leave a comment to tell us how you challenged yourself today.

Challenge Yourself

If you usually do squats, try one-legged squats:

One-Legged Squat

With a ball supporting the back, lean against it and lift one foot off the floor (or keep the toe resting lightly on the floor) and lower into a one-legged squat, just a few inches down. Push through the heel and repeat for 10-16 reps and switch legs. Hold weights if desired.

If you usually do lateral raises, try this incline version:

Incline Lateral Raise

Lie with your left side resting on the ball, left knee on the floor for support and the right leg straight. Holding a medium weight in the left hand, lift the arm up to shoulder level, keeping the elbow slightly bent and the wrist straight. Lower back down and repeat for 1-3 sets of 8-16 reps on both sides.

If you usually do lunges, try a different version like sliding lunges:

Rest one foot on paper plate and bend the front knee while sliding the back foot into a lunge (Keep the front knee behind the toe). Press into the floor to slide back to starting position. Repeat 8-16 times. Switch legs and repeat, holding weights if desired.

More About Progression

Challenge of the Week - Change Your Exercises originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 05:00:12.

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There are moments in life that never get any easier, no matter how many times we experience them. Wrestling yourself into a pair of jeans that just came out of the dryer comes to mind. You know they'll stretch out but, for that 10 or 15 minutes before it happens, you genuinely wonder if it's possible to gain 10 pounds in a 24-hour period.

Putting on that first pair of shorts after a long winter can be equally traumatic, especially if they don't quite fit the same. That is the moment we all ask ourselves: "Are those really my legs? Because I don't remember them looking this way last year."

It's natural to gain a little over the winter what with the lack of sunlight, cold weather and endless American Idols to watch every night.  That may be why March is almost always my busiest personal training month as Shorts Trauma hits and the road back to limb-baring clothing begins.

So, what about you? Have you put on a few pounds over the last few months and is that normal for you? Do you worry about it or figure you'll work it off as you get more active? Vote in this week's poll and tell us what happened to you over the winter.

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If you've fallen off the exercise wagon, learn more about how you can get back on track.

Vote in This Week's Poll: Have you gained weight over the winter? originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 05:00:54.

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• How to Deal With The Frustration of Missed Bodybuilding Workouts and Bad Dieting

If you've had bad weeks where your bodybuilding routines were lacking (or non-existent) and your diet was not great, just use them as a learning experience. See what you did wrong:

• Did you even set some time aside to train?

• Did you not pack your food?

• Did you not wake up early enough to train?

Whatever you could have done better, start correcting it now. Most importantly, once you figure out what could have been improved, just don't look back anymore; simply look forward and execute! No need to beat yourself up.

This game is more mental than physical as you will find out. So if you have the right mindset and work ethic you will overcome any obstacles and you will accomplish your bodybuilding goals!

How to Deal With The Frustration of Missed Bodybuilding Workouts and Bad Dieting originally appeared on About.com Bodybuilding on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 21:32:56.

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Keeping a training journal is a great tool for achieving your bodybuilding goals!  Recording your bodybuilding routines is great not only for accountability, planning, and motivation, but it also helps you to see where you are and where you have been. 

Imagine if you follow a program, get in the best shape of your life, and then you don't remember how you got there.  Could you imagine how you would feel if for whatever reason you lose your shape and then do not know how to get back to it?  In addition, a training log allows you to easily see where your progress is going.  Are you gaining strength?  Are you losing body fat?  All of these items can be easily looked at when you keep a training log. 

Finally, a log allows you to troubleshoot the program if your progress is not moving forward.  If you keep detailed accounts of your workouts and bodybuilding diet plan, if you are losing strength and you notice in your training log that you have been consistently missing a meal or two each day, then you know what the fix to the problem is. 

The Importance of a Training Journal for Bodybuilding Success originally appeared on About.com Bodybuilding on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 22:05:04.

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There are many reasons why people fail to achieve their bodybuilding goals.  Unfortunately, when goals are missed, many people get frustrated and toss the whole bodybuilding  program and never come back to it.  However, if you are frustrated with your progress, the best strategy is to regroup, take a look at your training journal (I am assuming you have one), analyze the reason the goals were missed and create new goals.

Perhaps the reason for not reaching your bodybuilding goals was unrealistic expectations.  Expecting to gain 30 lbs of solid muscle in 30 days is unrealistic, especially for those of us who are well past our teenage years.  Expecting to go from 17 inch arms to 18 inch arms of solid muscle in 2 weeks, is also unrealistic since a 17 inch arm is already pretty developed, and thus, taking it to the next level will take longer.  So when you set bodybuilding goals make sure that your goals are realistic as otherwise you are setting yourself up for failure.  For beginners, the first and second year you can gain a good 15-20 pounds a year.  Teenagers a bit more perhaps and all of this depends on the genetics of the bodybuilder.  For more advanced athletes, 1/2 lb to 1 lb of muscle a month is a good gain (6-12 lbs/year). However for really advanced natural bodybuilders, 2-3 lbs per year is a good goal.

With that said, another important thing to realize is how you deal with failure.  There were many times during my bodybuilding journey in which I did not achieve the goals I wanted.  Regardless of the reasons (and 8 times out of 10 the issue was unrealistic goals), when I failed, I would simply assess the reasons why and just keep moving forward.  The way I saw it, I had just lost a battle but not the war.  And of course, my philosophy of war is: "No retreat, no surrender!"  You need to approach your bodybuilding endeavors with this sort of success mindset.

In closing, if you haven't achieved the bodybuilding goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year, do not get frustrated! Instead, analyze your bodybuilding training and diet plan.  Also, make sure that you are getting enough rest because recovery is as important as training and nutrition (hint: it is during rest that you grow).  Make sure that you are following everything in your bodybuilding program to the letter.  If you are and things are not working, then change your training routine.  More than likely, your body has gotten used to your current one.  If you are looking to gain muscle weight, make sure that you are taking in enough nutrients in the form of good carbs, proteins and good fats.  If you are looking to lose fat, then make sure that you are creating a slight caloric deficit without starving yourself in order to keep the muscle as you lose the fat.  Furthermore, make sure that you are using some way of tracking your progress.  Good ways are a combination of methods, like the scale, the skinfold calipers, and the tape measure.  Digital pictures are also valuable (and a great motivation tool as well) to help you see your progress over weeks.

Below are some good resources that will help you to achieve your bodybuilding goals:

Failing to Achieve Your Bodybuilding Goals? - Lee Labrada discusses why failure is a process and how it can be used to move forward.  He also discusses several reasons for failing to achieve your goals.

Bodybuilding Guide - A comprehensive guide that will set you straight if you need any sort of bodybuilding guidance.  Everything is covered: from goal setting, to choosing your training routine, to knowing what diet and supplements program to follow, how much rest you need, and more.

Are You Frustrated Because You Haven't Achieved Your Bodybuilding Goals? originally appeared on About.com Bodybuilding on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at 07:53:32.

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For those of you that follow competitive bodybuilding or who simply would like to watch a professional bodybuilding contest, once again bodybuilding.com is providing a free all-access webcast featuring the 2010 Arnold Classic men's professional bodybuilding championships and the Women's professional bodybuilding, figure and fitness International championships.

You can watch the Ms. International Women's Bodybuilding Competition, Ms. Fitness International and Ms. Figure International at 7:00 pm EST on Friday, March 5th. Tune in the next day, Saturday, March 6th at 12:00 pm for the Men's Prejudging (where most of the judging happens) and again at 7:00 pm EST for the Men's Finals (where you see the posing routines and the final judging). If you are busy those days and cannot tune in live, you will still be able to access webcast replays and additional event coverage until March 20, 2010. For more Arnold Classic competition information visit: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2010-arnold.htm.

Note: For articles on how to prepare for a bodybuilding competition, or just for how to get in that sort of shape, please take a look at my bodybuilding competition page.

Free Arnold Classic Bodybuilding Competition Webcast originally appeared on About.com Bodybuilding on Sunday, February 21st, 2010 at 23:54:37.

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Last weekend I decided to watch the CD that comes with the Get Lean Kit  from Lee Labrada and Keith Klein.  By the way, if you are not familiarized with it, please take a look at my Get Lean Kit Review.

After getting some inspiration from Lee's awesome Mr. Olympia posing routine I decided to watch Keith Klein's nutrition seminar.  This seminar is the best nutrition seminar I have ever seen because of Keith's unique and effective ability to explain nutrition.  In addition, he's not only a wealth of knowledge but he also practices what he preaches.

Amongst the various gems of nutrition knowledge shared in the nutrition seminar, the one that always baffles me every time is the scam behind low fat food labels.  The best way to show you the low fat food label scam is through an example.

Let's say that you have a food that claims to be 99% fat free on the label.  But what does that really mean?  As Keith rightfully explains, all it means is that by weight, the food is 99% fat free.  However, let's say that the hypothetical food contains 50 calories and 3 grams of fat.  If that is the case, then guess what?  Because there are 9 calories per gram of fat, then that means that your low fat food contains 27 calories out of 50 that come from fat.  So if you look at the percentage of fat by calories, your low fat food ends up being over 50% fat!  Yikes!!!  So much for your food being low in fat.  Buyer beware.

This is just another example of how the food industry can use trickery to make you buy a food that in reality is not good for you.

The Low Fat Label Scam originally appeared on About.com Bodybuilding on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 21:23:51.

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• Gold Medal Dentistry: Oklahoma Practitioner Selected as National 'Safe S...

A veteran dentist from Chickasha, Oklahoma has been named the 2010 National Gold Medal Dentistry award winner for his contributions to the practice of safe sedation dentistry. (PRWeb Mar 19, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/gold_medal/dentistry/prweb3749644.htm

Research Shows Body Image Influences Happiness, Nutrition, Mental Health and Quality of Life (PRWeb Mar 19, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/body_image/nutrition/prweb3722024.htm

Includes the Broadest Spectrum of Iridoids of any Tahitian Noni Bioactive Beverage (PRWeb Mar 19, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Tahitian_Noni_iridoids/bioactive_beverages/prweb3745784.htm

Employee Benefit and HR Managers Invited to Participate in Free Interactive Learning Seminar on Strategies to Reduce Risk (PRWeb Mar 19, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Nurtur/Mental_Health_Parity/prweb3748474.htm

Ballard County Public Schools needed to replace the playing surface in its new multi-purpose indoor practice facility built in 2007-2008. Turf Solutions Group replaced the original dust-producing surface with a new synthetic-turf placing surface, to create a safe, clean practice surface for the high-school and middle-school sports teams. (PRWeb Mar 19, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/03/prweb3751984.htm