Funny Training Video: deadlift

This video is so funny, gotta check it out. My friend sent to me a link.
Video Deadlifts

I hope this guy did not hurt himself!

Food accelerate aging. Are you as young as you can be?

Did you know that some food accelerate aging and others reverse it?
Science say YES.
You can reverse aging by changing your lifestyle.

The most important factors to aging are:
High blood pressure.
Clogged arteries.
Smoking.
High levels of an amino acid called homocysteine. Homocysteine is now considered a risk factor for several diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease where elevated levels of the amino acid is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality.
No exercise!
Diabetes.
Chronic inflammation such as gum disease.
Wrong diet. A diet that is heavy in saturated fats and trans fats.
Diabetes.


If you change few of the factors above you can make you look younger.

Cranberries: Tasty Nutritional Ingredients

Cranberries are a cousin of the blueberry. Cranberries are a native American fruit that thrive in the wetlands of a handful of northern U.S. states.

Cranberries have long been valued for their ability to help prevent and treat urinary tract infections. Now, recent studies suggest that this native American berry may also promote gastrointestinal and oral health, prevent the formation of kidney stones, lower LDL and raise HDL (good) cholesterol, aid in recovery from stroke, and even help prevent cancer.
You can make salads with cranberries. You can grind them up and add oranges, apples, whatever other types of fruit, for a relish."

Or crush them for juice. Nadji Van Wychen says cranberries are becoming more popular worldwide.
Harvesting cranberries means getting into ponds with them
"We are in Germany, Japan, Mexico... We are entering into France and even venturing into China," she said.

Cranberries are good for you according to Lori Doebritsch, a dietitian at The George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

"Cranberries are actually very, very good for you. It is a fruit that is high in antioxidants. And antioxidants have very beneficial effects, for not only your heart, [but also] anti-cancer effects, so eating cranberries this time of year is a great way of getting those extra nutrients in your body."

While most Americans are not thinking about the nutritional benefits of Thanksgiving dinner, the cranberries and turkey may add to the health and the all-around good mood people have at Thanksgiving.

References: Allison DG, Cronin MA, Hawker J, Freeman S. Influence of cranberry juice on attachment of Escherichia colito glass. J Basic Microbiol. 2000;40(1):3-6.
VOA

Exercise and fitness motivation

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical exercise saves it and preserves it.
- Plato

Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. The relationship between the soundness of the body and the activities of the mind is subtle and complex. Much is not yet understood. But we do know what the Greeks knew: that intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capacity when the body is healthy and strong; that hardy spirits and tough minds usually inhabit sound gods."
- JFK

Weight training is the best for fat burning

German scientists at Institut for prevention and aftercare compared weight training to pilates, power-yoga, step aerobic, latino dance class and spinning. They wanted to see what works the best for fat burning.
Results: You will burn the most fat with weight training (percentage of the relative fat burn is 50% for a whole body weight training, spinning 49,2%; pilates: 43,3%). As you can see the best way to attack fat would be to get into the gym and start working out with weights. Weight training is the best tool you can have for the weight loss. There is no way around it if you want to lose weight.

My turkey

This is how looked the turkey in my house this year. It was over 20 lbs.

Turkey is an execellent source of protein. Only bad thing about it that makes you tired and sleepy. It has L-tryptophan, an essential amino acid with a documented sleep inducing effect. How does it happen?
L-Tryptophan helps the body produce the B-vitamin niacin and niacin helps the body produce serotonin. Serotonin is one of monoamines that central role in the regulation of sleep. Many young bodybuilders take a nap after a hard workout. So it is a great postworkout meal for bodybuilders who want to take a nap after a postworkout meal.

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to thank God for the countless blessings in my life.
I will spend Thanksgiving with my family and friends. Today I will pig out, I deserve it. One bad day won't kill me.
I see in newspapers all tips how to resist all that yummy food and how to survive Thanksgiving Day. Come on, give us a break and do not talk about diets for just one day. I say yes to all foods on Thanksgiving.

Have yourself a very happy and safe holiday. I love you all.

"Through Jesus therefore, let us continually offer to God sacrifice of praise... and do not forget to do good and to share with others, for such sacrifices God is pleased" - Hebrews 13:15-16

Most obese New Yorkers don't think they are

Did you know that One of five adult New Yorkers is obese? Some 1 million adult New Yorkers are obese, but nearly two-thirds of them don't think they are, according to a study released on Tuesday by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
New York City's adult obesity rate was 20 percent in 2003 compared with 23 percent nationwide in 2004. The national average has nearly doubled from 12 percent in 1993, the report said.
One more reason to start working out in the gym and dieting after holidays.

Fitness for the defense

Do you know what is the most effective strategy against viruses in flu season?
Do some sport!

Fitness and Bodybuilding do not make you only fit and good looking. Actually weight training will strengthen your immune system against any cold and flu viruses we have in cold months.
When you exercise, your heart pumps more blood, and your immune cells get exercise as well. (they get blood supply so your immune cells are not at sleep)
Exercise will reduce stress too and we all know that stress weakens the immune system.
One more tip from me: get some extra vitamin C. In the body-own defense system vitamin C plays an important role. The best way is to take vitamin C from the real food and not from the pill.
Many health experts agree that Vitamin C is Better Than A Flu Shot.

The worst food you can eat

I read in Forbes magazine this article about the worst foods you can eat. Top nutritionists in the country listed top 10 worst foods:
1. Eggs benedict with hollandaise sauce (72 grams of fat per serving)
2. Cheesburger (68 grams of fat per serving)
3. Duck Confit
4. Fondue
5. Fettuccine Alfredo
6. French fries
7. Foie Gras
8. Chicken Hash
9. Fried chicken
10. Lasagna

Did you know that fat sells food? That's why many chefs like to add fat (butter) in their meals. Hey, it tastes great! Fat brings flavor, but your health is suffering the consequences.

Exercise video for triceps blast

Today you can see this exercise video thanks to my friend Mandingo. He is one of the best personal trainers I know in New York City. This exercise is dumbell close grip press and it is great if you want to add some size to your triceps.
Lower weight to chest with elbows close to body. Return and repeat.

Carb diet plus protein may be best for heart

Study: Olive oil, nuts, fruits and vegetables help cut cholesterol.
If you were reading my fitness blog before, this is what I was talking all the time. Now study proves it.


Source: Carb diet plus protein may be best for heart - Diet & Fitness

Hip-to-waist ratio best predictor of heart disease

Well-toned hips and a trim waist appear to be the best protection against heart attacks, according to a multinational study published Friday.
The study concluded that the waist-to-hip ratio is three times more accurate at predicting a person's risk of heart attack than a person's BMI.

Recipes for a happy life

Experts believe they have found the essential ingredients to make a person's life happier. I was writing an article few months ago that exercise will make you happy because your body will produce more endorphins. Well now the study suggest so.

The top 10 reasons that make people happy are:

* Plant something and nurture it;

* Count your blessings - at least five - at the end of each day;

* Take time to talk - have an hour-long conversation with a loved one each week;

* Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up;

* Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it;

* Have a good laugh at least once a day;

* Get physical exercise for half an hour three times a week;

* Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day;

* Cut your TV viewing by half; and

* Spread some kindness - do a good turn for someone every day

Source: BBC News

Regular exercise helps you live longer, study says

This is a great reason to work out. You will live longer. Who does not want that?
You end up looking great, feel stronger, stay healthy and you live longer.
Sorry, couch potatoes -- the verdict is in: People who exercise regularly really do live longer.
In fact, people who get a good workout almost daily can add nearly four years to their lives, according to the first study to quantify the impact of physical activity this way.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Junk food link to asthma

Did you know that Eating Burgers Can Double Asthma Risk?
Scientists believe junk food may be partly responsible for an increase in rates of childhood asthma in developed countries.

BBC News | HEALTH

New Found Hormone may help Dieters lose Weight

Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine in California have discovered a hormone, which they dubbed obestatin, that suppresses appetite and produces weight loss in rats.

Interestingly, the hormone is derived from the same gene that gives rise to ghrelin, a well-known appetite-inducing hormone.

Nothing new on the block. No hormone will help us lose weight if we do not watch what we eat and exercise. Sometimes it is easy to blame on hormones but weight gain should be not blamed on hormones. How about to be honest and we start blaming ourself and not hormones?

Source: Reuters

Americans back to eating giant burgers, fried chicken

Fat times for Americans again. You would think people eat now more healthy, obesity is scaring people. You are wrong. I was too wrong too until I did read Newsweek yesterday.
Americans are eating hamburgers, french fries and other junk food like never before.
Apparently, all the talk about obesity causing clogged hearts, hypertension, high blood pressure, and even diabetes is falling on deaf ears.
Bob Sandelman, president of market researcher Sandelman & Associates. "When people go out, they go way over the other end, and want the thickest burger they can find."

But while Americans are digging in to the fried chicken, they're certainly not eschewing other fatty foods. Hamburger outlets served over 500 million more customers in 2004 than in the previous year, according to NPD. And doughnut shops served about 150 million more people last year than in 2003.
Plus, research has shown that Americans currently eat out, or order in, more than ever before - fueling the trend toward weight gain.

I did notice this trend in New York City too. Pre-diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension will be on rise on again. Medical costs will go up, so be prepared to pay more for health insurance and we will earn again the title of 'fattest nation on Earth.'

Source:Newsweek

Sex burns calories: 54 min of sex burns a whole pizza pie

Today I have a funny story to tell you. Yesterday I was reading in an italian newspaper an article about italian nutrition expert Bruna Fabbri. She found out that 26 minutes of sex with orgasm burns around 300 calories -that is 1/2 of pizza pie. So if you eat a whole pizza pie, you will have to have 52 min. of sex to burn it off. Now I know why some of my friends who eat pizza are so skinny :)

Study Shows Coffee Does Not Increase Blood Pressure

Relax ladies and, possibly, gentlemen. Have that second cup of coffee. The largest study to date concludes that the caffeine won't raise your risk of high blood pressure. However, too much soda pop, sugared or diet, might.
Harvard University Gazette

Marital Happiness is Key to Fighting off Flu

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have discovered that bereavement is bad and marriage is good for the immune response to the annual flu jab.


The study looked into whether stressful life events and other related factors had an effect on the immune response to the flu vaccination, which gives a good indication of how well the body would fight off flu in real life.

The research team looked at the levels of antibodies in the blood, which are produced by the body to combat disease - a higher increase in antibody levels indicates higher immunity. The team found that those who reported that they had happy marriages had a much higher level of antibodies in the blood than those reporting lower marital satisfaction. Those that had suffered a bereavement in the year prior to vaccination had a poorer response than those who had not suffered bereavement.

More than 180 people aged over 65 from surgeries across Birmingham took part in the study, the first of its kind to study the impact of general psychological factors on immune response to the flu jab in older adults. Participants gave a blood sample prior to vaccination, then further samples at one month. They also completed questionnaires to gauge exposure to stressful life events including bereavement, and marital status and satisfaction.

Dr Anna Phillips from the University’s School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, who was lead investigator on the study, said: “We know that those aged over 65 are more at risk of the impact of flu, but this research shows that within that group, those that have been recently bereaved, or those that are single, divorced or widowed are more at risk that those who are in a happy marriage. It is especially important for these at risk groups to get their flu jabs.”

Although bereavement and marital status were shown to have an influence on how well the body responded to the jab, the number of general stressful life events individuals had suffered in the year prior to vaccination, was not related to the immune response. Also, the impact of bereavement and marriage on antibody levels emerged over and above the impact of other factors affecting the immune response such as age and the presence of chronic illness. In addition, immune responses were not related to other health factors such as smoking, alcohol intake, sleep, exercise or diet.

Anna continues: “We would like to take this research further, to see whether interventions such as bereavement counselling or marriage counselling can improve the immune response in at risk groups.”

Teen pre diabetes spreads

This morning I read in AM New York that roughly 2 millions U.S. children ages 12 to 19 have a pre-diabetic condition linked to obesity and inactivity that puts them at risk for full blown diabetes and cardiovascular problems, goverment data suggest.

Good news is that physical activity and an improved diet can help prevent pre-diabetes in adolescents.

Mutant Muscle T-shirt Collection

Check out Mutant Muscle T-shirt collection of Capriese Murray, IFBB Pro Bodybuilder. CHECK OUT CAPRIESE'S NEW COLUMN IN MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT MAGAZINE

The link between cancer and obesity

It is very possible, and probably even true, that a high level of excess body fat - obesity - does actually cause some cancers

If no one was overweight or obese, the data shows we would avoid:
14% of colon cancers (14,000 cases)
11% of breast cancer (over 18,000 cases)
49% of endometrial cancer (almost 20,000 cases)
31% of kidney cancer (over 11,000 cases)
39% of esophageal cancer (5,500 cases)
14% percent of pancreas cancers (4,500 cases)
20% of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases (over 11,000 cases)
17% of multiple myeloma cases

Dr. Graham Coldtiz, from the Harvard School of Public Health stated that "We can clearly conclude that adult overweight and obesity cause cancer, and increasing rates of obesity in the US are continuing to drive up the burden of these cancers."

That's a very strong statement - that obesity causes cancer.


Data taken from data from the Nurses' Health Study II by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.

YOQUA A New Trend in Fitness

Did you hear about Yoqua? It is yoga in water (aqua), better said you do traditional yoga exercises in water (swimming pool).
Jennifer Aniston and her new lover Vince are seen in swimming pool in Palm Beach, doing it. Maybe they make it popular :)