[HealthFitness] Protect wellness program information against silly actions

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Protect wellness program information
against silly actions'

When smart people do silly things with information, there is no mal-intent.

An employee could intentionally give out information, but not realize that it
could be harmful. Someone might inadvertently attach a file with protected
health information (PHI) or personally identifiable information (PII) to an
email for a different client, for example. Or, perhaps a process [...]

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[HealthFitness] Don’t know state laws that govern PII/PHI? Why this matters

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Don't know state laws that govern
PII/PHI? Why this matters'

How well do you understand the state laws that govern personal health
information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII) associated with
your wellness program? If your answer is not well, below are reasons to change
this.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a
federal law that sets rules about the use [...]

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[HealthFitness] Don’t know state laws that govern PII/PHI? Why this matters.

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Don't know state laws that govern
PII/PHI? Why this matters.'

How well do you understand the state laws that govern personal health
information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII) associated with
your wellness program? If your answer is not well, below are reasons to change
this.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a
federal law that sets rules about the use [...]

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[HealthFitness] The not so sweet truth about the impact of sugar on employee health

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'The not so sweet truth about the impact of
sugar on employee health'

The average American consumes about 22 teaspoons of added sugar each day—in
other words, nearly 330 calories with no nutritional value. This is
substantially higher than the American Heart Association's recommended daily
consumption of added sugar: no more than 6 teaspoons (100 calories) of added
sugars a day for women; no more than 9 teaspoons (150 calories) for [...]

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[HealthFitness] The not so sweet truth about the impact of sugar on employee health

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'The not so sweet truth about the impact of
sugar on employee health'

The average American consumes about 22 teaspoons of added sugar each day—in
other words, nearly 330 calories with no nutritional value. This is
substantially higher than the American Heart Association's recommended daily
consumption of added sugar: no more than 6 teaspoons (100 calories) of added
sugars a day for women; no more than 9 teaspoons [...]

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[HealthFitness] 7 tips to boost employee well-being during the holidays

HealthFitness has posted a new item, '7 tips to boost employee well-being during
the holidays'

Research shows that although the average weight gain over the holidays is one
to two pounds, even a small increase in body weight each holiday season can add
up over time—turning into a potential health risk.
Holidays happen. Weight gain during the holidays doesn't have to. As an
employer, you can support employee well-being during the holidays—helping your
[...]

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[HealthFitness] 7 tips to boost employee well-being during the holidays

HealthFitness has posted a new item, '7 tips to boost employee well-being during
the holidays'

Research shows that although the average weight gain over the holidays is one to
two pounds, even a small increase in body weight each holiday season can add up
over time—turning into a potential health risk.

Holidays happen. Weight gain during the holidays doesn't have to. As an
employer, you can support employee well-being during the holidays—helping
[...]

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[HealthFitness] Protect wellness program information against silly actions

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Protect wellness program information
against silly actions'

When smart people do silly things with information, there is no mal-intent.

An employee could intentionally give out information, but not realize that it
could be harmful. Someone might inadvertently attach a file with protected
health information (PHI) or personally identifiable information (PII) to an
email for a different client, for example. Or, perhaps a process [...]

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[HealthFitness] Keep wellness program information safe from external threats

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Keep wellness program information safe
from external threats'

You may already know that information in a medical record (Social Security
number, home address, date of birth) is an identity theft goldmine for
committing generic identity theft.

However, did you know a more specific kind of identity theft, in which a
patient's medical records are resold to uninsured patients who are desperate
to access medical [...]

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[HealthFitness] Curb desk dining to nudge worksite wellness forward

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Curb desk dining to nudge worksite
wellness forward'

Research shows four out of five people consistently do this; it's called desk
dining.

Eating meals regularly at your desk is common place at most workplaces, but many
don't realize it can also be harmful to employee health. How? Missed
opportunities to socialize with co-workers and increased mindless eating are
just a few reasons.

Yet, regularly dining [...]

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[HealthFitness] 3 strategies for a tobacco-free workplace

HealthFitness has posted a new item, '3 strategies for a tobacco-free
workplace'

Nationally, the estimated economic costs attributed to smok­ing and exposure to
tobacco smoke continue to increase and now approach $300 billion annually, which
includes $193 billion in health expenses and lost productivity. The good news?
Nearly 70 percent of smokers have the desire to quit.

With the American Cancer Society's Great American Smoke Out right around
[...]

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[HealthFitness] 8 ways to help your employees find time for fitness

HealthFitness has posted a new item, '8 ways to help your employees find time
for fitness'

If you asked your employees if they would like to get more exercise, most would
agree that they would like to be more physically active, but finding time for
fitness is challenging.

Why is it so important for your employees to be active? Consider the facts:

Physical inactivity and its adverse health effects are comparable to that of
[...]

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[HealthFitness] 6 steps to minimize security threats to program information

HealthFitness has posted a new item, '6 steps to minimize security threats to
program information'

If you are feeling overwhelmed with the challenge of information security issues
related to protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable
information (PII), you are not alone.

There are many ways your information can be affected if a breach occurs and it
requires a multi-tier approach to maintain a heightened awareness, take
precautionary measures and address [...]

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[HealthFitness] Simple tools to mend employee back health and medical spend

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Simple tools to mend employee back health
and medical spend'

If you haven't experienced back pain personally, consider yourself lucky. In a
three-month period, about one-fourth of U.S. adults experience back pain, which
means a high percentage of your employees is likely having back issues right
now—affecting their health as well as their ability to work.

Back pain can cause shooting and burning pain; make it [...]

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[HealthFitness] How safe is your wellness program information?

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'How safe is your wellness program
information?'

STOLEN: Personal data for up to 110 million customers at Target; 80 million
records for Anthem customers; and more recently 18 million records at the Office
of Personnel Management (OPM) for current, former and prospective federal
employees. (As a former federal employee, my own personal data unfortunately was
compromised as part of this cyberattack.)

Data breaches [...]

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[HealthFitness] Harvesting well-being with employee gardens

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Harvesting well-being with employee
gardens'

Employees are flexing their green thumbs, and it's a growing trend that is
gaining attention.

Plant it, and they will come
While on-site farmers' markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
shares are great options for boosting employee nutrition, there's something
bigger growing: corporate gardening. And it's loaded in value beyond just
nutrition, as it supports well-being—the holistic, [...]

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[HealthFitness] Fitness wearables: A shiny penny for employee wellness?

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Fitness wearables: A shiny penny for
employee wellness?'

Fitness wearables are hot right now—from trackers to watches to smart clothing
from Ralph Lauren—it seems everyone wants to be part of the fitness wearables
party. According to the latest research, the wearables market keeps growing for
both employers and consumers. Consider the facts:

1 in 10 Americans over the age of 18 owns a fitness [...]

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[HealthFitness] Help your employees find balance with mindfulness training

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Help your employees find balance with
mindfulness training'

Technology is creating a new perspective on workplace flexibility. A recent
survey from Career Builder shows that the eight-hour workday is on its way out.
Thanks to technology, most professionals find themselves working outside of the
traditional 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday.

Research shows that most Americans say technology provides more flexibility in
how they [...]

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[HealthFitness] 4 ways to help employees boost financial well-being

HealthFitness has posted a new item, '4 ways to help employees boost financial
well-being'

In today's business landscape, employers recognize the need to engage
employees from a whole-person view of health. They understand that employee
well-being extends beyond physical health and includes social, emotional,
financial and environmental dimensions.

Employers offering wellness programs that address all dimensions of employee
health can boost employee engagement by making healthy actions possible for more
[...]

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[HealthFitness] Why typical tactics to improve employee eating don’t work

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Why typical tactics to improve employee
eating don't work'

At a recent corporate wellness conference, I listened to an industry expert
remark how so many consumers are in a relentless search for the elusive magic
bullet with nutrition to feel better and lose weight.

Through worksite wellness programs, I see this time and time again. Simply
stated, many employees are confused and misinformed about nutrition. [...]

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[HealthFitness] How to break down barriers to health management engagement

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'How to break down barriers to health
management engagement'

Participation is an essential part of any health management program's success.
But participant engagement—emotional involvement or commitment in
programs—varies widely across employer populations and program types.

Here are four common barriers to health management engagement and possible
solutions for overcoming them:

Barrier 1: Employees don't know about your wellness program

Solution: Recruit a wellness champion network
We will work [...]

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[HealthFitness] Boost your emotional health with a vacation

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Boost your emotional health with a
vacation'

It's that time of year when many of us embrace the tradition of summer
vacation. And this tradition supports our broader view of health: the importance
of attending to multiple dimensions of well-being—including physical,
emotional, social, financial and environmental.

Emotional well-being includes resiliency, one's ability to bounce back from
the inevitable ups and downs of life; [...]

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[HealthFitness] Employees don’t get the flu shot? Reasons to change this

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Employees don't get the flu shot?
Reasons to change this'

Last year, only 42 percent of adults received the flu vaccine, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although reasons vary from person to person, people commonly avoid the flu
vaccine because either they think it will cause them to get the flu or they
think it doesn't work. Neither are accurate.

In randomized, blinded [...]

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[HealthFitness] 7 trending corporate fitness classes that employees love

HealthFitness has posted a new item, '7 trending corporate fitness classes that
employees love'

To attract and retain top talent, research suggests some employers are spending
more dollars on richer benefits in lieu of higher salaries.

A Society of Human Resource Management survey of 450 employers found 35 percent
cited larger benefits packages in 2015, compared to 28 percent the year before.

This year, these enhanced packages include the rise of [...]

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[HealthFitness] Overcoming lack of awareness as a barrier to improved health

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Overcoming lack of awareness as a barrier
to improved health'

Few people heading toward diabetes know it. In fact research shows that only one
in eight people with pre-diabetes know they have a problem.

However, a recent study shows that those who do know they have an elevated HbA1C
are more likely to make lifestyle changes, such as getting more exercise or
eating less sugary food, [...]

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[HealthFitness] 5 tips for making work a friendlier place

HealthFitness has posted a new item, '5 tips for making work a friendlier
place'

Today's smart employers recognize that employee well-being extends beyond
physical health and includes social, emotional, financial and environmental
dimensions.

Effectively engaging employees from this whole-person view of health requires
creating and supporting a pervasive culture of health that fosters sustainable
healthy actions in the employee population.

At HealthFitness we refer to this as Well-doingsm for more people.

A key [...]

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[HealthFitness] Well-doing for more people: Putting employee health into action

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Well-doing for more people: Putting
employee health into action'

To paraphrase an iconic car commercial, it's not your father's corporate
wellness program. Our industry has evolved rapidly, with employers increasingly
looking at employee health from a whole-person view, recognizing its physical,
social, emotional, financial and environmental dimensions. And while these
dimensions of well-being are critical in determining overall health, a key
component is the [...]

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[HealthFitness] 5 tactics to engage leadership in wellness

HealthFitness has posted a new item, '5 tactics to engage leadership in
wellness'

Leadership buy-in of corporate wellness programming can make a big difference in
the success of the program. In fact, sincere interest in the well-being of
employees is considered a top driver of sustainable engagement, according to the
Towers Watson 2014 Global Workforce Study.

At HealthFitness, we've learned that visible support from a company's
executives sets the [...]

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World Worker Fitness And Health Month

helping personnel get more healthy and assisting to curb the rising can charge of fitness care should be priorities for all employers. and might — detailed as global worker health and health Month — is the ultimate time to delivery taking a more energetic position for your employees’ fitness.

Your employees and their families will benefit, and your company’s final analysis can get healthier, too.

Take a look on the data.

The centers for sickness control and Prevention (CDC) have found that approximately seventy five % of employers’ fitness care prices come from treating continual, however preventable, conditions introduced on via obesity, excessive blood drive, high ldl cholesterol and lack of physical recreation.

based on a fresh Gallup poll, unhealthy workers are costing U.S. employers approximately $153 billion annually.

It makes sense that healthier personnel charge agencies much less cash. however what can an employer do?

Instituting a robust employee health and wellness application is a great step toward improving the standard fitness of an organization and its personnel.

contemporary findings by way of the well being Council of the usa exhibit, for each dollar spent on worker health initiatives, a firm can see a return of $three to $6 in reduced fees, more desirable productivity, reduced absenteeism and improved clinical assurance rates.

beyond the competencies to cut back costs, the CDC additionally studies that agencies committed to a way of life of wellbeing get hold of different benefits similar to lower turnover rates, the enchantment of true candidates and better job delight.

Encouraging health and health will also be whatever thing so simple as starting a walk-at-lunch membership, presenting more healthy decisions within the employee cafeteria, hosting displays by using fitness professionals and offering short and simple preventive screenings like blood force tests.

Some employers offer gym memberships and other incentives for personnel to reduce weight or hold a match weight, and to maintain their blood force, cholesterol and sugar stages below control.

something form the employee wellness program takes; the influence is healthier personnel. And healthier employees are more productive, take fewer ailing days and help in the reduction of worker accidents and insurance chance.

At Blue pass of Northeastern Pennsylvania (BCNEPA), the effects of our employee health courses were dramatic.

as an example, over the past four years, our employees have utilized costly Emergency Room (ER) services 33 percent much less often than the common local agency with BCNEPA coverage.

How do we help preserve our employees out of the ER?

We encourage them to peer a physician consistently, comprehend their cholesterol and blood pressure numbers and acquire common physical endeavor.

These are all important elements in fighting and managing continual ailments — the main cause of avoidable ER visits within the U.S., based on a 2014 survey of hospitals via the Healthcare Intelligence community.

because of BCNEPA’s wellness software incentives, our employees exceed the federal govt’s healthy individuals 2020 dreams for getting an annual physical, and for getting annual cholesterol and blood force checks.

Our employees additionally exceed the fit individuals 2020 dreams for physical undertaking and for now not using tobacco.

Many insurers offer aid for office wellbeing actions to their purchasers.

At BCNEPA, our Blue health options application is purchasable to all lined employers to help personnel and their lined dependents control chronic situations, enrich health or with no trouble delivery down the direction of a more fit culture.

This global worker health and fitness Month — we motivate all employers to make a commitment to their employees’ fitness — and to their business’s fitness.

A office health and wellbeing programs could make a difference.

Brian Rinker is Senior vice president and Chief Administrative Officer for Blue cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

[HealthFitness] Spokes in the teamwork wheel

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Spokes in the teamwork wheel'

I recently led a team building exercise in which different teams had 90 minutes
to assemble 13 bicycles for donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Lake County
in Illinois.

After correctly answering trivia questions, each team was given the necessary
parts, tools and instructions. Good natured taunting, not surprisingly, ensued.
But recognizing the time [...]

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[HealthFitness] Fitness wearables market keeps ticking

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Fitness wearables market keeps ticking'

If you are planning to add wearables to your corporate wellness program,
you're in good company. The number of companies expected to use wearables for
corporate wellness is projected to skyrocket in the next several years. In
fact:

Employers will integrate more than 13 million wearables into their employee
wellness programs by 2018.
Three out of four [...]

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Health and fitness orgs unaware superior Non-Kinetic adult exercises exist

Non-Kinetic exercises do not use the skeleton to carry exercise forces, they instantly oppose muscle contractions. The resistance to Kinetic exercise typically compress joints and spinal disks first

According to virtually all leading health and fitness organizations, including the National Academy of Sports Medicine and Livestrong. com, “all muscle and heart exercises (wet or dry) are Kinetic”.

These health and fitness organizations teach that all exercises fall into one of two “kinetic chain” categories. One is for weight bearing, like weightlifting, and the other is non-weight bearing, covering most everything from push-ups to swimming, to dancing, to climbing and running.

Either way, all Kinetic exercises still use the skeleton to send and receive the powerful exercise forces (muscle effort and motion resistance) to and from the muscle contractions that they target.

Today (April, 3, 2015) engineer James R Farrow, from the Adult Exercise Project, the first group to use Bio Force Mapping (BFM) to trace and measure exercise forces through the human body, explained exclusively to examiner.com, how many of today’s most common exercise methods force hundreds of times more force through adult spinal disks and joints than they can physically aim against the muscle contractions they target.

He explained “First, because Kinetic exercises drive all effort and resistance energy through joints and spinal disks, they are unable to drive more force that the weakest link in their ‘kinetic chains’ can tolerate. Just approaching their first skeletal weakness is extremely painful for most adults and seniors, so most will never even do stout kinetic exercise regularly”.

He explained this limited to first weakness kinetic problem has kept it impossible for adults, even the strongest athletes, from building core strength even remotely close to their full potential.

He continued, “Genetics are a good start, but all of the strongest and fastest adult athletes built far stronger joints and disks during their childhood (than average adults), by frequently overworking these parts before they hardened into adulthood”.

“Because great athletes are able to exert their muscles much harder than average Joe’s, they look as if they have come close to maximized strength. However, their much stronger than average weakest links, still ‘plateau’ their muscle strengthening, long before their full potential can be reached”.

Kinetic exercise appear to be all people have used for thousands of years, so today's health and fitness experts and organizations remain unaware that far superior Non-Kinetic adult exercises can even exist.

Next he offered some obvious evidence to prove his point. “If a full sized adult athlete tried to run with all the range their core running muscles (their largest group) could swing their hips, they would instantly destroy a knee. This is a simple to see example of how the first skeletal weakness, along a kinetic chain, massively limits targeted muscle exertion. This also exposes that a massive amount of core running strength has never been exercised, when running is used as a running exercise”.

Than he explained, ” Non-Kinetic Exercises end almost every problem that Kinetic exercises cause for adults, because they only use external sources, to move motion resistance and muscle effort forces directly to and from targeted muscle contractions, instead of the skeleton. Since Non-Kinetic Exercises do not create kinetic force transfer chains through the skeleton, they are the first fitness science that will allow almost any average to older adult to exert their targeted muscles up to hundreds of times harder than they can while doing virtually anything else, including all traditional (kinetic) exercises”.

He ended by explaining the first physical law of Non-Kinetic exercise methods, “The external motion resistance always moves across the extremities and spine, this direction naturally drives the resistance against contractions first, exerting muscles up to hundreds of times harder, because this direction also totally prevents joint and disk compression.”

To finish his point, Kinetic exercises drive their forces parallel (up and down) the spine and extremity bones, which uses immensely more exercise energy by smashing and torquing joints and disks, than is aimed against targeted contractions. Virtually all of the External Motion Resistance force from a correctly engineered Non-Kinetic exercise method only opposes targeted contractions.

Craig Wise, the National Health and Fitness method reporter for Examiner.com, has been involved with this adult exercise methods efficiency study for years, and so cannot discuss its methods or manual of Non-Kinetic Exercises for adults, as that could be considered self-promotion.

As more non-promotional information about Non-Kinetic Exercises is released, look for it here at examiner.com.

To insure you learn it first, subscribe on this page.

The Dark Side of Your Fitbit And Fitness App

Tracking steps and inputting calories into your smart phone drown out the conversation we should be having with our bodies.

We don’t trust ourselves anymore. The act of exercise is no longer a mind-to-body experience but rather a mind-to-fitness-tracker-device-to-body phenomenon.

Instead of listening to our bodies—when we need a glass of water instead of food, need a nap instead of a coffee, or become suddenly hangry after processing the 42 grams of sugar from a Starbuck’s classic chai tea latte (inducing a severe attack of hypoglycemia)—we turn to our Fitbit, Garmin, Nike Fuel Band, Jawbone or one of the many other fitness trackers, or MyFitnessPal.

For the record, I’m not telling you to trash your Jawbone or delete your MyFitnessPal app. As a personal trainer, your use of a fitness tracker or food app means one thing to me: you are somewhere on the spectrum of behavior change for health, you’re curious about health, and if you sport the fitness tracker on your wrist in a pink coral color, you just love fitness jewelry.

Here’s my problem with fitness trackers and food calorie counting apps: They all rely on very limited metrics (steps taken, movement when you sleep, calorie tracking, heart rate monitor in some, and distance traveled with the movement) giving you a very skewed analysis about your health. Your health, however, is not so black and white, just like the colors of your fitness tracker. Two hours on the row machine, like Frank Underwood does, will not cancel out the pizza you ate during your House of Cards binge.

Your health depends on so many factors—cultural, genetic, whether your cat lets you sleep at night—that I find it really interesting our fascination with the extraordinary simplicity of the fitness tracker and food app scene. Yet, nearly half of all smartphone users indulge in some form of health app according to the American Journal of Medicine (and half of all Americans adults have a smartphone). That’s a lot of people using insufficient forms of data feedback to make big assumptions about their health.

When David Sedaris purchased his Fibit last summer, this small piece of technology inspired him to walk after dinner instead of sitting on the couch. When his Fitbit died, however, walking became pointless without the steps being counted or measured. Sound familiar?

Two hours on the row machine, like Frank Underwood does, will not cancel out the pizza you ate during your House of Cards binge.

I equate using a fitness tracker or food calorie tracker as a marker of dishonesty with ourselves. We are missing a pivotal step: self-reflection. It’s really easy to buy a Nike Fuel band and wear it. It’s much harder, however, to get deep with yourself.

Fitness apps are a flawed, abbreviated version of this self-reflection process. They focus too much on the number of steps, calories, or distance traveled. Fitness tracking devices distract us from what really needs to happen: we need to look at ourselves naked in the mirror and have an honest conversation with our naked self about the status of our health. From a weight-loss standpoint, it’s critical. Then let’s unplug the TV, peel ourselves off the couch (if not get rid of both the TV and couch), and buy a few free weights and a yoga mat before throwing down for a fitness tracker. The cost is about the same, but the impacts couldn’t be more different.

The quest to “knowing thyself” is distorted, not enhanced, when we let the fitness trackers and food calorie apps take over. Take the MyFitnessPal app, which scans and tracks calories. Here’s the conundrum: Our bodies do not interpret all calories to be created equal, just like legislators in Indiana don’t believe their residents are created equal, but that’s another story. Point being, tracking the calories is not going to make you any healthier because the body metabolizes calories from say, one gram of sugar, differently than it does from, say, one gram of fat. Yet, our American culture wants to simplify this concept. I recommend using the time spent logging your calories by reading Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss and learning about the plotting of the food industry instead of pretending to be a nutritionist. Better yet, use the time you spend scanning your food by watching this violent salad video and getting inspired.

I have not bought a fitness tracker to be an iconoclast. Honestly, I hear the Jawbones get smelly, break after six months, and I don’t believe the metrics will make me any healthier. The snap bracelet fad of the ‘90s is also the extent of my career wearing plastic or nickel so that I can avoid getting the cancer as long as possible. I also don’t need a device informing me of my restless nights of sleep. I can infer that by my baggy eyes in the morning. In a way, using a fitness tracker is like going to the revered and intimate Lambeau Field and being glued to the pixels of the Jumbotron instead of watching the beauty of an Aaron Rodger’s touchdown-throw from afar. The technology is eschewing the overall experience.

The battle between listening to your own body’s needs versus letting technology tell you what your body needs has begun. Call me a Luddite, but I side with your inner voice. When was the last time you wrote in a journal—dear diary—how you felt physically (energy levels), what you ate and your mood two-three hours later; or what you did for exercise (walking included) and used complete sentences? It sounds cheesy, but I’m serious. You owe it to yourself. Tracking calories from your Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup addiction in a food app is not going to solve your problems. Reflecting on how groggy you felt after eating the sugar bomb will.

Alas, a beacon of hope shines through with the Apple watch. Reason being, the Apple watch reportedly blends the quality of the movement (heart-rate?) paired with personalized reminders based on the S.M.A.R.T method. You set the parameters. The watch also relies on a larger variety of metrics and these data points could cultivate a better mind-to-body connection. Only time will tell, I’m still doubtful, but as my favorite Styx song suggests, “The problem’s plain to see: too much technology. Machines to save our lives. Machines dehumanize.”

 We should be pursuing fitness activities not for the sake of pleasing the fitness app and hitting the numbers (nor to share the length of our run in Central Park) but because exercise makes us feel better, look better, and be better.

Put another way, occasionally cover the treadmill screen with your towel at the gym and listen to your body, not your app.

Take part in free fitness classes through No Sweat York

By Caitlin Kerfin

ckerfin@ydr.com @ckerfin on Twitter

Community members gather for a free pilates class as part of No Sweat in the Park at the York Daily Record/Sunday News in West Manchester Township. No Sweat York offers a free fitness class each Tuesday beginning in May through the summer. (File)

You know warmer weather is on the way when you get the No Sweat in the Park schedule. So here it is, a promise that summer is not too far ahead.

If you don't already know, the York Daily Record is committed to helping our community get stronger and feel better, and we do that with our No Sweat, York initiative.

Along with the blog that we feed with healthy things all year, we hold free and open community fitness classes during the summer on our lawn. We call it No Sweat in the Park.

We've had great participation in previous years, which included classes like yoga, Zumba, Pilates and boot camp. But we are expanding our class offerings this year and getting more of the fitness community involved.

Alysia Dickens with Lifestyles Fitness & Weight Loss Studio leads a No Sweat in the Park boot camp class outside of the York Daily Record/Sunday News building in West Manchester Township. (File)

We will have 11 different fitness experts and organizations involved, bringing you a variety of activities to try Tuesdays at 6 p.m. from May through September on the lawn behind our building, at 1891 Lucks Road in West Manchester Township.

Without further ado, here's what we have lined up for May:

Lotus Moon Yoga: May 5 and 12

Owner and yoga instructor Megan Donley will be teaching an all-levels class to make sure to include everybody. If you have practiced yoga before, she will give you options for advanced postures, and if you're new, there will be various modifications.

The class will be a mix of Hatha and Vinyasa, meaning different poses will be held with a flow between. There will be a focus on mindfulness and practicing relaxation.

What to bring: A yoga mat or towel/blanket if you would like, although some people just practice on the grass without one. Bring water, and wear comfortable clothing. It may still be chilly, so bring layers if you need. Shoes will be taken off for practice, and bring an open mind.

Kickboxing with Jen Kuhn: May 19 and 26

Kickboxing is designed to push your cardio and strength into overdrive, Jen Kuhn said in an email. She is a group fitness instructor at My Fitness Quest, Heritage Hills Athletic Club and York College.

Kickboxing is a martial arts training format designed to give you a simple workout with fantastic results. But don't be scared, no experience is necessary, the class is for all fitness levels, she said.

For more information about the season schedule, check our blog at www.yorkblog.com/nosweat, and follow us @NoSweatYork.

What to bring: a mat or towel, plenty of water, and dress in appropriate workout clothing and sneakers.

Tips

Here are some tips for taking part in yoga or kickboxing.

Yoga:

1.Listening to your body. Make sure that whatever you're doing isn't hurting or straining the body. The purpose of yoga is to be in an aware relationship with our bodies, so honor the body and back off or work harder if you need to.

2. Breathe. Keep a steady, even breath and practice deepening your breath more than you normally do. Doing so calms us down and keeps us focused.

3. Have an open mind. Bring a sense of playfulness, it should be fun, too, so tension can be released.

Kickboxing:

1. Be willing to try new moves and be patient with yourself.

2. Give the class a couple of tries to decide if it's something you like to do.

3. Be sure that the instructor is visible to you. Never hesitate to ask the instructor for help before or after a class.

4. As you are punching and kicking, imagine you are actually connecting with an opponent.

5. Relax and have fun!

Source: Megan Donley of Lotus Moon Yoga and Jen Kuhn, group fitness instructor

Related No Sweat York: Freestyle swimming

Our take: Getting fit? No Sweat, York

[HealthFitness] Congress takes action on wellness program incentives

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Congress takes action on wellness program
incentives'

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is widely considered one of the most polarizing
pieces of legislation to come out of Washington, D.C., in recent years.

Since its 2010 introduction, support for—and opposition to—the law has been
sharply divided along partisan lines. Yet one tenet of the ACA—the provisions
concerning workplace wellness programs—has consistently received wide
bipartisan [...]

You may view the latest post at
http://healthfitness.com/blog/congress-takes-action-on-wellness-program-incentives/

You received this e-mail because you asked to be notified when new updates are
posted.

Best regards,
HealthFitness
socialmedia@hfit.com

[HealthFitness] Piedmont builds a culture that supports employee wellness

HealthFitness has posted a new item, 'Piedmont builds a culture that supports
employee wellness'

Smart companies know that a happy employee is a productive employee.

And job seekers are paying attention to which companies walk the walk when it
comes to addressing employee health.

Millennials (those born between 1980 and 2000) are leading this trend as they,
more than any other generation in the workforce, are most likely to want
employers [...]

You may view the latest post at
http://healthfitness.com/blog/piedmont-builds-a-culture-that-supports-employee-wellness/

You received this e-mail because you asked to be notified when new updates are
posted.

Best regards,
HealthFitness
socialmedia@hfit.com

8 Ways to Be Fitter at 70 Than You Were at 25

Liz Hodgkinson shows that age ge is no barrier to fitness.

By rights, my exercise regime should be slowing down now that I have hit threescore years and ten. Instead, it gets tougher all the time. Over the past year, I have added CrossFit, Insanity and boxing to my regular exercise programme of weights, cardio, spin and treadmill – or at least my instructors have. Rather than making concessions to my age, they are working me ever harder, and although it’s an effort to get to the gym at 6.30 every morning and put myself through increasingly difficult paces, the results - and the compliments - are more than worth it. Read more

Two Essential Components for Healthy Aging

Protein and strength training are two essential components of healthy aging, says Dr. Joseph Mercola.

As you age, it becomes harder to maintain muscle strength and bone health. Muscles tend to reduce in size unless you consistently exercise, which decreases strength and increases the likelihood of falls and fractures.

Diet and exercise are two important components to consider if you want to live a long and healthy life. Read more

The Right Way to Train Your Core

If you're going to put in the time and effort, you may as well get the best results. Here's the right way to train your core.

There’s a lot of misinformation out there on how to best train your abs. Take a look at any late-night infomercials for a prime example; you’ll see no shortage of ab machines that guarantee ripped, 12-pack results — and most often with nonfunctional movements demonstrated by models who have clearly been doing more than crunching or twisting on a machine. Read more

Smoking Marijuana 114 Times Safer Than Drinking Alchohol

Marijuana prohibition was never about health. It has always been about control and profit.

As the debate over marijuana legalization continues in the United States, a new study suggests that smoking the controversial plant is about 114 times safer than drinking alcohol.

In fact, alcohol was found to be the deadliest drug on an individual level, at least when it comes to the likelihood of a person dying due to consuming a lethal dose. Heroin and cocaine were the next most deadly substances, followed by tobacco, ecstasy, and meth. Trailing up the rear was marijuana. Read more

8 Heaalth Benefits of Drinking Coffee

It hasn't been that long ago that drinking coffee was supposed to be bad for you.

If you’ve been wondering what all that coffee is doing to you, cheer up. A recent review of data completed at Gill Heart Institute in Kentucky focused on the cardiovascular, genetic, antioxidant and caffeine effects of coffee and found that drinking the brew reduces the risk of mortality right across the board. They also documented that coffee: Read more

Can Standing on One Leg Help Keep You Young?

Your ability to balance is an indicator of brain health. Learn some balance exercises that can help keep you young.

How good is your balance? Can you stand on one leg for 20 seconds? What about for a whole minute - or with your eyes closed?

It's something you might not have given much thought to before, but how well you can balance offers an insight into your general health.

A study published in the journal Stroke found that being unable to stand on one leg for more than 20 seconds was linked to an increased risk of 'silent' stroke - tiny bleeds in the brain that don't cause symptoms, but which raise the risk of both full-blown stroke and dementia. Read more

Natural Penis Enlargement: 3 Tips to Accelerate Growth

If you are following a natural penis enlargement program, it's natural to want to get results as quickly as possible. The first thing to do in order to get fast results is to follow the program carefully. Doing the exercises incorrectly, or not doing the recommended amount of exercise will slow down or even eliminate penis growth. After making certain that you're following your program carefully, there are several things you can do to boost your results even more.

1) Raise your testosterone levels..

Testosterone is a hormone associated with sex drive and sperm production. It causes the penis to grow to adult size during puberty. If your testosterone level is low, your penis enlargement program will not be as effective. The best way to increase testosterone levels is through diet and exercise, not pharmaceuticals.

The basic diet to increase testosterone levels is high-fat, moderate protein, and low-carb. The Paleo diet and the Atkins diet are examples of this type of diet although there are many variations. Certain foods also aid in penis growth. For exercise, either lifting weights or bodyweight exercises can be used. Concentrate on compound lifts, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. If you prefer bodyweight exercises, do pull-ups, push-ups, squats, and dips. Adding sprints to your exercise program can also help. Excessive aerobic exercises, such as distance running, should be avoided.

2) Get enough sleep.

Your diet and exercise program will be less effective at increasing testosterone if you're not getting enough sleep. The body makes nearly all the testosterone it needs for the day during sleep. That increased level of testosterone that we experience at night is one of the reasons men wake up with an erection. In fact, if you don’t have a morning erection on a consistent basis, you might have low testosterone. Many people today are sleep deprived, which may be a contributing factor to declining testosterone levels in men. If you are trying to enlarge your penis without getting enough sleep, you are definitely hurting your results..

3) Add Kegel exercises.

Most good penis enlargement programs include Kegel exercises, but some men don't do them because they don't directly enlarge the penis. What Kegels do is tone the pelvic floor muscles and improve blood flow to the area. This is why they help with problems such as premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction. Since increased blood flow is what causes the penis to become erect, Kegel exercises are necessary for an effective penis enlargement program. If you have been neglecting Kegel exercises, you should add them right away if you want optimum results.

Your penis enlargement program will probably work to some degree without doing any of these things because the exercises are quite effective. However, they can help you get better and faster results for your time and effort. As a bonus, you will not only end up with a larger penis, but also a healthier body overall.

Does having a small penis make you feel like less of a man? Imagine... in just 2-3 months from now you could have a longer and thicker penis - and the "Big Man" confidence that goes with it. To learn how to increase the size of your penis up to 2-4" in length and up to 1" in girth, click here!

6 Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing

Dry skin brushing is a simple way to rejuvenate your body, says Edward Group.

Dry skin brushing is a beauty and health practice that is quickly growing in popularity. The Internet abounds with blogs, articles, and videos dedicated to this topic, and each point of reference regards it as a simple way to support good health. While dry skin brushing won’t be the magic bullet for any ailment or health worry, it can be a great way to support skin health, circulation, and relaxation. Read more

5 Easy Tips to Improve Sleep

PF Louis gives five easy tips to improve your sleep.

Sleep consumes around one-third of our lives. At least it should if you wish to be healthy with a strong immune system. But sleep is not just time in bed. The quality of sleep is very important.

Studies at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach, Florida, and Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, used brain wave analysis to determine the five stages of sleep and their relative importance.

The five stages cycle through every one to two hours, not over the eight or so hours one sleeps as commonly understood. Two of them are vital for recharging the immune system, and one is vital for unwinding unwanted emotions. Read more

The 3 Most Common Intermittent Fasting Mistakes

Intermittent fasting is an effective way to improve digestion, lose weight, and gain lean muscle, but there are three mistakes that many people run into when trying to get results with intermittent fasting:

The High-Fat Diet: Lose Weight Fast Without Feeling Hungry

Want to lose ten pounds in two weeks and never feel hungry? Eat plenty of FAT and exercise for just 12 minutes a day, says nutritionist and personal trainer Zana Morris.

Are you desperate to lose weight but constantly hungry when dieting?

Does the thought of going to the gym fill you with dread?

A new diet promises to avoid all of this – while allowing you to eat foods traditionally banned on weight loss plans.

Called The High Fat Diet, it claims to facilitate up to 10lb of weight loss in just 14 days. Read more

Bone Broth Could Keep You Young and Healthy

Bone broth may be trendy, but don't dismiss it for that reason. It's actually very nutritious.

The most surprising thing about New York Fashion Week this year wasn't what the models were wearing, but what they were drinking. The elixir on every fashionista's lips was bone broth, which is being sold by the cup from a hip new Manhattan shop.

Aficionados claim that it is rich in amino acids - the building blocks of protein - calcium and collagen, and that drinking it will do everything from warding off illnesses to curing joint pain, and giving you healthy skin, nails and hair. Read more

Brain Foods to Feel Good

Margaret reveals what food to eat to feel good.

Our BRAIN requires amino acids to make neurotransmitters which regulate our brain power, our memory and our mood. What we eat has a tremendous effect on our levels of neurotransmitters and therefore on mood. Stress and nutritional deficiencies alter our brain chemistries and are common precursors to many illnesses and disorders including anxiety and depression. Read more

4 Premature Ejaculation Remedies to Avoid

Dealing with the problem of premature ejaculation can be embarrassing and frustrating. People have all sorts of ideas about what men can do to last longer in bed. As you might expect, the results are mixed. Many men understandably resort to supposed quick fixes, but the following tricks and techniques don't work and are a waste of money.

1) The Football Technique

This is a classic technique in which you are supposed to focus your mind elsewhere by thinking of your favorite sport while you are having intercourse. Distracting the mind is supposed to delay the ejaculation. This technique can work to some degree, but your partner may sense that you are distracted and wonder what is wrong. Besides that, this technique takes the fun out of having sex.

2) Desensitizing Creams

Desensitizing creams numb the penis. You apply the cream to your penis and then you can't feel anything. This method may not only delay ejaculation, it also may prevent ejaculation from happening at all. What's the point of having sex if you don't feel anything or have an orgasm?

3) Condoms:

Condoms are effective for preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease, but not so much as a premature ejaculation treatment. Condoms do seduce sensation somewhat, but usually not enough to significantly affect ejaculation because men wouldn't use them if they did. Again, what's the point of having sex without sensation anyway?

4) Pills

Pills for premature ejaculation range from exotic herbal formulas that promise staying power to anti-depressants that claim to prevent premature ejaculation. While herbal remedies may help to strengthen the reproductive system, they don't directly prevent premature ejaculation. Anti-depressants have a plethora of side effects, such as erectile dysfunction, which is even worse than premature ejaculation.

What most of these quick fixes have in common is attempting to delay ejaculation by reducing sensation. It's true that if you reduce sensation enough, you will delay or even eliminate ejaculation, but what kind of solution is that? Instead of resorting to quick fixes, why not try to learn how to take control of the situation, so you can fully enjoy intercourse while still satisfying your partner?

Are you sick and tired of the frustration and embarrassment of finishing way too soon? Finally, you can end the "personal hell of premature ejaculation forever! To discover how you can last 15-45 minutes longer in bed tonight, click here!

Is Your Toothpaste Harming Your Health?

Dr. Tony Talbot says that commercial toothpastes contain the chemical-industrial ingredients that can cause health problems.

Could your toothpaste be harming your health?

That’s the very real concern of a growing group of dentists who believe that far from being an essential part of our daily regimes, many commercial toothpastes contain substances detrimental to our health.

These chemicals have been linked to possible oral and breast cancers, neural and cardiac ailments, as well as mouth irritations, gum damage and environmental pollution. Read more

How to Lose Love Handles Fast

Do the ten-ininute love handle workout now with a deck of cards to help you lose your love handles fast.

The 7 Best Strength Exercises You Aren't Doing

 These seven strength exercises can improve your overall fitness by hitting important muscle groups that you may be neglecting.

Every exercise in your strength program has a purpose — to help you build strength and muscle, burn fat, and improve your fitness. While there’s a time and a place for nearly any exercise under the right circumstance, some movements are simply more effective than others. And it should be no surprise that the ones that build a foundation for skills that you’ll use in real life will be the most beneficial for improving your fitness and quality of life. Read more

Vitamin D Helps Fight Cancer

A study indicates that vitamin D helps fight colorectal cancer, and Big Pharma is outraged, says Gary North.

Vitamin D is cheap.

It is not regulated.

It is easily available.

It cannot be patented.

Big Pharma hates things like this.

Now comes bad news for Big Pharma: a scientific study indicates that vitamin D reduces colorectal cancer. This study is a real pain in the butt for Big Pharma. Read more

High-Fat Diets Lead to Greater Weight Loss

For decades, dieters have believed doctors who insisted that a high-carb, low-fat diet is the key to weight loss. Recently however, an overwhelming amount of new evidence is turning the tide and changing the advice.

It has long been the modus operandi of dieters around the world - cut the fat and opt for 'lighter' foods to try and shift the pounds.

The NHS itself recommends eating plenty of potatoes, bread, rice and pasta with some milk and diary foods, but advises opting for low-fat options.

But now a growing body of evidence is turning the tide on that advice.

A vast collection of studies are changing the dieting landscape, as experts open their eyes to the real enemy targeting our waistlines - carbohydrates.

Now one dietitian, Dr Trudi Deakin, has revealed her diet is 82 per cent fat - and claims she has never felt healthier. Read more

5 Herbs and Spices That Relieve Joint Pain

Medical treatment for join pain is often ineffective and, of course, always expensive. These five herbs and spices may work just as well or better, while saving you money.

Millions of people suffer from rheumatoid or osteoarthritis or other form of joint disease which causes pain, stiffness, swelling and inflammation in the hips, knees, hands or shoulders, among the most commonly affected areas. This can greatly reduce quality of life for sufferers of any age and many mainstream treatments are simply not adequate to the task of symptom management. Below, however, are herbs that can help reduce the pain and inflammation of joint disease. Read more

Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper is a medicinal herb that has a myriad number of health benefits. This video goes over its benefit to the heart and circulatory system in general, plus some other lesser-known cayenne pepper benefits.

5 Hottest Healing Foods

Mike Barrett reveals the five hottest healing foods of 2014.

2014 was a great year for so many reasons. Although the health food and natural health movement had begun some time ago, it seems that this was the year that it truly took off. Many health battles have been won, and many advancements have been made in the natural health field that unveiled the true power of food, converting countless individuals to ‘foodies.’ Below are 5 of the hottest foods of 2014 that helped torpedo so many into a natural healing lifestyle. Read more

How to Do 100 Pushups in a Row

A man who can do 100 straight pushups will almost always be in great overall shape. Push-ups work the chest, shoulders, triceps primarily, but since you have to hold your body straight and rigid, they involve almost every muscle in your body. Even the strongest beach presser in your gym probably can't do 100 push-ups in a row. Working up to this level will not only build up your chest, shoulders, and arms, but also give you awesome total body strength and endurance.

Here is a simple program to help you reach the goal of 100 push-ups in a row. Do your push-up workouts on three non-consecutive days a week such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You can continue to do other exercises while doing the 100 push-up program, but do your push-ups first and take several minutes recovery before going on to the rest of your workout.

The 100 Push-ups Program

Begin the workout by doing a set of as many push=up as you can..You can pause briefly and continue the set, but if you have come out of the plank position by sagging or sticking your butt in the air, the set is over. Rest one minute after finishing the set..

Next, do a second set of as many push-ups as you can. Remember that if you have to pause more than a couple of seconds or come out of the plank position, the set is over. Rest one minute.

Then, do another set as many push-ups as you can followed by one minute rest. Continue doing sets of as many push-ups as you can with one minute rests between until you have performed a total of 100 push-ups.

Over the next six weeks, you are going to decrease the rest time by 10 seconds every week while also trying to increase the number of push-ups you can do in each set. In other words, in the next two workouts of the first week, you will try to increase the number of push-ups that you do in your sets while keeping your rest between sets at one minute. In the following weeks, your rest between sets will go to 50 seconds, 40 seconds, 30 seconds, 20 seconds, and then in the sixth week, to 10 seconds. (Even though you try to increase the push-ups per set, you will still only do a total of 100 push-ups in the workout.)

In the seventh week, you should attempt to do 100 push-ups in a row. If you miss that goal, you still should be able to do many more pushups than you could to begin with. To reach the goal of 100 push-ups, just go back to week one and repeat the program.

You can use this program for any exercise and any number of goal repetitions. For example, if you wanted to do 20 pull-ups in a row, you would perform 20 pull-ups in as few sets as possible with one minute rest between sets. Then in the following weeks, reduce the rest periods ten seconds every week while also trying to increase the number of pull-ups per set.

Did you know you can actually build muscle using ONLY bodyweight exercises? To find out about the revolutionary new program that allows average people to pack on muscle WITHOUT weights in the comfort of their own home, Click Here!

Perfluorinated Compounds (PFCs) - Do they really have any negative impact on human health?

A long while back I was reading an article about perfluorinated compounds. Within that health-related post, they mentioned that researchers from Denmark think that chemicals used (PFCs) to keep stuff grease-free and stain-free could be predisposing children to metabolic disorders later in life.
PFCs are everywhere, evidently, and are not limited to food packaging like you find with microwave popcorn bags, etc. Here is a quote from the page that I was recently reading: "...they keep your upholstered furniture and carpets stain-repellant and water-repellant and your drapes wrinkle-free. The chemicals serve the same function on permanent-press clothing and any outerwear, backpacks or other accessories that are advertised as water-repellent. While you'll wind up eating PFCs that are used in food packaging, you'll most likely inhale PFCs in all the other applications listed, since the chemicals bind to dust floating around your home." Source = healthyliving.msn.com/pregnancy-parenting/kids-health/harmful-food-packaging-putting-kids-at-risk

On the other hand, after reading more about the recent study they mentioned, it made me less sure if the perfluorinated compounds really have any negative impact on human health. I mean, they were basically using overweight kids to prove their point. Yet, within that study, they plainly said that normal-weight kids that had high levels of PFCs in their body didn't show any ill effects. WTF? In conclusion, they assume that people who are already overweight would be more sensitive to these supposedly dangerous PFCs. Once again, WTF?

Now, what does seem to suck, is that it takes humans much longer to rid their self of the PFCs than it would for animals out in the wild, lab rats, etc. In fact, it takes several years for a typical humanoid to flush their current PFCs out of their biological system that they often refer to as a body. If you'd like to read more about that subject, go here: www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/half-life-of-perfluorooctanesulfonate-perfluorohexanesulfonate-and-perfluorooctanoate-in-retired-fluorochemical-workers-olsen-et-al/

If you'd like to read another negative article about perfluorinated compounds, go here: pollutioninpeople.org/toxics/pfcs

Now, here is where the "do they really have any negative impact on human health?" part of this post begins. What about the retired workers from places that manufacture stuff that is loaded with PFCs? You'd think they would have never lived to retirement age and/or would have all dropped dead by now or had severe problems if these particular chemical compounds were highly hazardous to human health, wouldn't ya say? Well, apparently not, since many of them are totally healthy. Could this latest PFC scare tactic all be a lie or simply some hyped-up hulajula mawktooey hoopla and ballyhoo? Either way, feel free to go visit an article about another study concerning this subject, except this one says that PFCs have no negative impact on human health: solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/PFOS/PFOA/Information/Health-Environment/

At any rate, I'm getting tired of these studies that are constantly picking on my damn microwave popcorn! LOL!

---End of Post "Perfluorinated Compounds (PFCs) - Do they really have any negative impact on human health?"

Semi-related Post: Worried about Popcorn Lung?

Will chocolate pills be the next health craze in the future?

Side Note:  This post is about 10 months old, as I recently moved it to this Health & Fitness Blog from another location/website.  Anyway...

 In today's 'health supplement' market, you never know which supplement will really hit the floor running until after the commercial hype turns into a trending craze. In the past, one of the biggest pills to take the market by storm was the fish oil supplements. Like fish oil, these chocolate pills are also going to be aimed at cardiovascular and heart health. Numerous studies are underway, of course, so expect to see these chocolate pills explode in the coming years.

"The study will be the first large test of cocoa flavanols, which in previous smaller studies improved blood pressure, cholesterol, the body's use of insulin, artery health and other heart-related factors." Read more about the potential use of chocolate pills, here: news.msn.com/science-technology/study-to-test-chocolate-pills-for-heart-health

Personally, I'm not that impressed that they found a way to extract the goodness of chocolate into a mega dose and/or high-concentration pill form. Like most of y'all, I also already knew that chocolate was good for you; duh! Dark chocolate has the most health benefits, of course, but I'd much rather have it in the candy bar/brownie format; ha!

What I'm leery about is this "mega-dose" craze. Many studies of the past have shown that basically mega anything either has no additional benefits or, in some cases, causes more harm than good. For example, a lot of people now think that extremely high doses of antioxidants that you'd find in certain supplements actually raises your risk for cancer and/or causes it. As always, moderation wins again. The bottom line is, unless they find chocolate pills to be a good drug-replacement therapy for heart patients (or something along those lines), it will be nothing more than marketing hype. Simply eating dark chocolate on a regular basis should provide all the health benefits from this substance your body needs without expensive chocolate pills.

---End of Post "Will chocolate pills be the next health craze in the future?"

Drinking Alcohol helps combat Food Poisoning

Instead of the usual negative posts you read about alcohol from the Internet, I thought I'd change it up a bit and actually write something good about alcohol. I've known about this for a long while, but drinking booze just before a meal actually helps combat food poisoning. Now, don't go out and try to get food poisoning just to test this theory; ha! I'm not sure what the current research says about why this is true, but in the past it had something to do with alcohol breaking down the cellular membranes of certain types of bacteria and whatnot, that would then allow your stomach acid to kill the rest of it. Research has also demonstrated the ability of alcohol to kill salmonella, shigella and E-coli in the laboratory. One would have to drink a few drinks, though, and just sipping on a couple of light beers would most likely not be enough.

The research for the effects of alcohol being able to combat food poisoning most likely spawned from large crowds of people at restaurants that had an outbreak of food poisoning. People began to notice that the ones drinking alcohol prior to the poisoned food, were less likely to become ill. This is easily witnessed when everybody at the table is eating the same food, with the only variable being alcohol. You can check online for more resources, if you like. I didn't check for additional sources because this is a well-established fact. The first page I read the other day that was related to this subject, is located here: www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol/HealthIssues/1110384069.html

If you'd rather read about the health benefits of beer & alcohol, go here:
perpendicularity.org/blog/2010/05/04/health-benefits-of-beer-alcohol-cheers/

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Semi-related Post:  Natural ways to combat symptoms of alcohol withdrawal

25 Easy Tips to Transform Your Health

Here are 25 easy resolutions that could transform your health.

Making major lifestyle changes your New Year's resolutions is all well and good - if you manage to stick to them. But surveys suggest that most resolutions have bitten the dust by February, with one poll from Cancer Research UK revealing four in ten of us ditch our resolutions within two weeks.

It might be better to think small, as tiny modifications are easier to achieve. And if a healthy action becomes habit, it could last a lifetime. Here are 25 easy resolutions that could keep you fighting fit for years to come... Read more

Bench Shirts and Excessive Gear has ruined the concept of Bench Pressing

Over the last few years, I have witnessed the glorious bench press competitions turn into a freakish event that looks more like a clip from a movie that features a cyborg version of an armored Frankenstein trying to pump iron. I mean, for the ones that don't know, the bench shirts are strapped on so tight and act as a spring of some sorts, that if you master the technique they can actually add a few hundred pounds to your bench press. Is that fair? Does it boil down to who has the best bench shirt wins?

The rules obviously don't apply in most of these competitions or claims or displays via YouTube, and I've seen people with their back arched so high that their butt doesn't even touch the bench. The last time I checked, bench pressing was about lifting weights, not about how close you can get your ass to your shoulder blades! Many of these people are so jacked up with equipment/excessive gear and upper body apparatuses (bench shirts), that they look like a freakish padded warrior that can't even put their arms down (due to the advantageous bench shirt) while walking to the damn bench. I just seen a person lift an enormous amount of weight without even bending his elbows. How does that count? The spotters lifted the weight down for him, then he lowered it a couple inches and rolled/squirmed it back to the spotters and they called that a bench press even though he never pressed anything!

At any feign rate of lifting, I just think this sport/competition has turned into a complete joke. Unless it is raw/natural with no equipment involved whatsoever and no spotters that help you lift it off the bench for you, it shouldn't count; period! If you need excessive gear, pads, supports, braces, tightly strapped upper body apparatuses and additional people just to perform YOUR bench press, you need to find another hobby or at the very least, quit claiming to lift several hundreds of pounds more than you can actually lift yourself!

Besides, the short-armed wide gripped tactic that involves the arched spring method is basically 80% technique and 20% strength. At one time, the bench press was one of the standard measures of strength, but now, going by what I've seen during the last few years, it means absolutely nothing!

Related Links to further your reading:
* www.slate.com/articles/sports/left_field/2004/08/one_giant_lift_for_mankind.html
* forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=146545&;
* health-fitness-guru.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-estimate-your-max-bench-press.html

---End of Post "Bench Shirts and Excessive Gear has ruined the concept of Bench Pressing"

The Reason Pork Rinds / Skins are Not a Significant Source of Protein

I'm sure most of you that has ever consumed store-bought pork rinds have seen the following under the nutritional label: "Not a Significant Source of Protein." Even though they may list 6 or 8 grams of protein or whatever, they will say that it is not a significant source. A long while back, possibly before the Internet, I remember reading about the source of protein in these pig skins. If I recall correctly, the protein actually comes from the structure of each hair follicle within the skin, hence its insignificance. It is not a protein that the body uses very effectively nor is it a balanced full chain of amino acids nor does it have enough value to even be called a partial source of amino acids.

It is somewhat trivial, though. I mean, who in the hell is going to try to live off of freakin' pork rinds? It is like, "Hey, my new diet consists of pork skins and water. Here's another pig skin to good health; cheers!" LOL! But anyway, the Internet is full of preposterous ideas when concerning this subject. In fact, some idiots, oops, I mean folks, actually think that the label is wrong and that pork rinds are actually a fair source of protein.

Out of all the pages I looked at online, I only found two statements on two separate forums that was halfway accurate. One of them said that pork rinds are not used by the human body, albeit even that isn't correct! They have a lot of selenium, trace elements, etc., and they are a source of energy/calories. One of the best comments was on a bodybuilding forum, in which this was stated: "The type of protein in pork skins is called collagen, the same substance found in hair, fingernails, and hooves. Its bio-availability is almost non-existent, hence the statement on the package." You can read more from that forum, here: forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=848935&page=1

But just calling it collagen doesn't really answer the question for most people. Collagen is very important to the human body and the protein structures therein. Collagen is also essential to the function of connective tissues. However, your body suppose to make this. In fact, Vitamin C plays an important role in the production of collagen, but that's another subject entirely. On the other hand, if you can understand that eating hair and fingernails would not be a significant source of protein, you will start getting a better idea of what's going on here.

After skimming through the World Wide Web, I like the more succinct answer that I've known for many years (the one stated in the first paragraph) much better than all the senseless chatter I had to endure while perusing random websites. At any swine-filled rate, I like store-bought pork skins on occasions, but I've never had the chance to eat the rinds that were fresh from the farm; cheers!

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Random Blog Post: Creatine is a waste of money - for most people!

For the ones worried about Popcorn Lung...

I have ran across this subject a few times lately and, for some reason, there seems to be a great deal of misinformation on the Internet about "popcorn lung." Some folks seem to think that you get it by simply eating butter-flavored popcorn a few times a week or that you are always at risk when consuming microwave popcorn.

Popcorn Lung is a lung disease that is cause by repeatedly breathing in lots of hot vapor and steam that has diacetyl in it, which is the chemical used to flavor butter popcorn. This started as a major issue with the factory workers at the popcorn plants, several years ago, as they breathed this crap in all the time. There is only one known consumer that was ever diagnosed with Popcorn Lung by merely eating microwave popcorn, and he said he ate 2 bags every night for 10 years and would always stick his head in the bag when he got it out of the microwave, and deeply inhaled the fumes. Yes, that is rather extreme, but it happened nonetheless. However, there were several factory workers that developed this lung disease.

About 8 years ago, the major brand-name microwave popcorn companies removed the chemical that was responsible for this. You can read more about that, here: www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/12/18/popcorn_firms_removing_flavoring_chemical/

Even if they replaced the chemical with an equally harmful one, consuming a few bags of microwave popcorn here and there shouldn't even come close to the one reported case from that popcorn-crazy consumer, nor would it closely resemble the factory workers that once worked around diacetyl on a regular basis. Stuff like this and so much more, is what the Internet often turns into a widespread Urban Myth. It wasn't too long ago, a few bloggers got some bad rumors started about baby carrots. It was so ridiculous, they had to air it on the News and the carrot companies showed that it was all a bunch of lies and propaganda that propagated on the Internet.

Anyway, there is a chemical involved with microwave popcorn that could possibly be harmful to our health, and it is used to coat the inside of the popcorn bags. I still eat microwave popcorn, but like most things, moderation is the key. Cheers!

Related Link: www.boston.com/dailydose/2012/09/20/you-need-worry-about-popcorn-lung-from-microwave-snacks/dDkwyN1sf2YoVsyszIIz3O/story.html

Image Credit: It is in the Public Domain and is not under copyright protection.

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