But if you plan on following his action plan, be ready to sweat.

Huizenga’s weight loss program focuses on large quantities of jogging daily and a strict balanced eating plan. According to him, the body has to work at 120%  7 days a week in order to lose the fat. To do this, anyone looking to lose weight needs to exercise at least 2 hours a day.

There is no time to rest.

As for the type of exercise, the book focuses primarily on walking and jogging as the two best ways to lose the fat.

It’s a program that has merits but be advised, it’s not suitable for everyone.  Those who seldom exercise or who are morbidly obese will struggle with this program and before commencing it, should check with their own doctor.

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2. Buy affordable equipment. Don’t be conned into buying a whole home gym the size of the garage when a couple of hand weights might just do. Or be creative and make your own – can of baked beans can easily do as weights, or milk/water bottles filled with varying levels of water – just make sure they are secured with duct tape to avoid having an accidental shower during the workout.

3. Instead of expensive gyms, head for the local recreational department often found in community recreational centers, high schools, and colleges. Often local residents will be offered discounted fitness classes.

4.  Check out exercise DVDs from the library or local video shop. Or again, buy used. Another budget way of obtaining a library of exercise DVDs is to get together with a few friends and pool your resources.

5. Turn everyday activities into exercise: walking, gardening, taking the stairs, park a couple blocks away from shops and walk, playing with children and grandchildren.

(source: September issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource)

(image source)

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According to the study, conducted by researcher Mary C. Tierney, PhD, of the University of Toronto,  long term strenuous activity such as running, swimming laps, or calisthenics may lead to memory loss.

The study looked at 90 recently menopausal women between the ages of 50 and 63. They were surveyed on their exercise regime – how frequently they did both strenuous and moderate recreational activities – from high school to menopause.

For this study, strenuous activities were defined as swimming laps, aerobics, calisthenics, running, jogging, basketball, cycling on hills, and racquetball. Moderate exercises, on the other hand,  included brisk walking, golf, volleyball, cycling on level streets, recreational tennis, and softball.

Each of the participants were also given eight memory and brain function tests.

Turns out the more strenuous activity a woman did, the worse her cognitive function on all eight of the tests, with the tests of recall, memory, and attention scoring worst.

On the other hand, it seemed that those who did followed a long-term moderate exercise regime had much sharper mental skills.

Of course, this does not conclusively prove a relationship between vigorous exercise and mental decline.

But it makes you think that maybe that old saying ‘everything in moderation’ works best for exercise too.

(image source)

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Here’s my latest find – the Yamaha Bodibeat

It’s an amazing music player that will synchronize your tunes to your heart beat.

Strap it to your arm and then get stuck in to your exercise routine. As you get moving and warming up, the Bodibeat will start shuffling the play list according to your heart rate.

During warm up, it will play some mellow and quiet music. But soon, as you hit your stride, so too will the Bodibeat, matching your playlist’s beats per minute to your heart rate.

It’s loaded with a couple thousand tunes – predominantly ‘90 techno – but if that doesn’t suit, you can upload your own workout music.

Sounds cool. I want one. Guess I’d better add it to the ever growing Christmas list.

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Image from FitnessMagazine.com

Aiming to be fit this summer?

Or at least a whole lot fitter?

Yeah, I know. Much easier said than done.

But if you are really interested in getting up and moving towards a fitter you, then FitnessMagazine.com wants to help.

They are running a ‘celebrate summer series’ that features workout routines, motivation tricks for getting your bikini body ready for the season, and special summer drink recipes.

Get Fit the FitnessMagazine.com Way…

“Get a Bikini Body in 4 Weeks” – receive weekly plans for getting your body in shape, featuring cardio and toning exercises and diet recommendations.

 Cycling guide – detailed information on how to get the most out of your biking exercise

10 motivation tricks – geared for how to get in your exercise even in hot weather.

Swimming pool workout – exercises that burn calories while you tone muscles and are targeted to different areas of your body.

Maximum sun protection summer workout outfits –  a guide to coordinated hats, tops and shorts or pants for maximum sun protection, broken into several categories—walking, running or just covering up at the pool.

Smoothie recipes – includes several combinations of fruit with added ingredients, such as flaxseeds, peanut butter, and even chocolate.

Low-cal drink recipes – gives a choice of refreshing alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for your happy hour.

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But here’s a study that goes one better and suggests that drinking beer after exercise  improves your hydration better than drinking water would.

The study from Spain is a couple of years old and I haven’t seen any follow-up studies which makes it difficult to judge it’s accuracy.

So have a read and see what you think.

The study done by researchers at Granada University in Spain tested 25 students over several months, asking them to run on a treadmill at 104F temperatures until they were close to exhaustion. At that point, their level of hydration, concentration, and motor skills were measurd.

Then half of the students were given 2 half pints of Spanish lager to drink and the remaining students were given just water.

The study found that those who drank the beer had a slightly better rehydration effection than those who drink only water. 

The researchers believe this is because the contents of the beer – sugars and salts – quickens the absorption of fluids.  Further more, they think that the bubbles, caused by carbon dioxide, quenches thirst and carbohydrates in the beer replace calories lost in exercise.

Based on these results, the Spanish researchers went on to recommend moderate consumption of beer as a part of athletes’ diets. Their definition of  moderate consumption being 500 mls per day for men and 250 mls per day for women.

So what do you think?

Should we being having a pre-exercise coffee and a post-exercise beer?

Don’t know about you but it all sounds too much for me!

(image source)

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In fact, according to Lawrence Frank of the University of British Columbia, “Every additional 30 minutes spent in a car each day translates into a 3 percent greater chance of being obese,” he said.

Unfortunately, many American cities are not made for walking. As David Goldberg of Smart Growth America (a coalition of nonprofit groups that works to improve town and city planning) says “We have designed cities to suppress walking”  But times have changed and now the cities need to look at ways to move away from car culture and focus more on the health of their residents. This can be done through urban renewal projects and also through education.

In the meantime, here’s a few ways to get those daily 10,000 steps…

•  use public transport wherever possible and get off a stop or two before you need to and walk the rest of the way
• don’t aim for the closest car park at the shopping mall. Instead, park further away and walk.
• do a lap or two of the shopping mall before going into the supermarket or department store.

Of course, you could always move to one of these more pedestrian friendly cities.

(news source and image)

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Sitting at the computer for hours on end has, I’m sure, increased my habit of slumping so a few reminders and tips on how to straighten up won’t go amiss.

Here’s what Dr Greg Thielman, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy at the University of Philadelphia, suggests in the way of tips and exercises…

Evaluate your workstation: A workstation is anywhere that an individual spends a notable amount of time daily and for many of us, our primary workstation is standing or sitting at a desk. “If you’re sitting, don’t drop a ton of money on an ergonomic chair. Instead, position the chair to provide lumbar, shoulder, and if needed, head support.”

 Perform daily exercises: Dr. Thielman recommends regularly exercising the large muscles on the front and back of the thigh, the abdominal muscles, and performing three exercises daily:

1. Pelvic Tilt: “While sitting, push your pelvis back into the chair, hold it for three seconds and then relax. This tightens and strengthens your abdominal muscles,” explains Dr. Thielman.
2. Chin Tucks: “Also while sitting, put your pointer finger on your chin and push straight back. Be sure your head isn’t tilted up or down and this exercise will realign your spine and combat forward head position.”
3. Lean Back: “Lastly, most of what we perform at our workstations forces us anterior, so we’re constantly bending forward. To straighten the spine, stand-up, put your hands on your lower back, and lean back. This exercise combats the effects of being in a forward position.”

Invest in supportive shoes: Stiletto heels may look good, but Dr. Thielman warns they don’t do women any favors in the posture department. “There is no such thing as a good high heel shoe.” Shoes that cover the top of the foot are ideal. “Each brand fits differently, but the key is to find one that works for you and that gives the much-needed overall support.”

Pretty solid advice. But as a gadget geek, I thought I’d go a little further and check out the iPosture, a little round electronic disc that is designed to improve the posture. Oprah approved, it looks interesting. Apparently you wear it on your chest, either as a pendant, hooked to the bra strap, or stuck directly to the chest and every time you slouch,  it alerts you via a brief vibration to sit or stand upright. 

Sounds interesting and I’m contemplating ordering one. But in the meantime, I’ve downloaded the free iPosture App to my iPhone will spend the rest of the month checking it out.

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It’s a Pumgo Scooter - the world’s first pedal-powered scooter.

Check it out…

Think of the all possible benefits…

• Increased exposure to Vitamin D – By being outside, you’ll get a decent quota of Vitamin D, something that’s apparently lacking for many people.
• Fun and entertaining – Remember, laughter and fun is important for good health.
• A stress release – How could you be stressed when riding around like a kid on a Pumgo Scooter.
• An exercise workout – It’s a cardio-vascular workout that will burn calories and strengthened muscles.
• Clean, green transportation – Small enough to sit in the office while at work, this could be the newest way to get around the city and to work and back.

It’s like taking your gym’s stair-climber outside into the sun for fun.

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Welcome to yet another edition of the Healthbolt Carnival. You know the drill – grab a coffee, get comfortable, and start reading…

Tristan fromBody And Fitness Blog discusses the importance of Muscle Overload in exercise.

Romeo Vitelli from Providentia writes about The Rafferty Experiment and how early medical experiments that helped shape the future of medical research.

Free Organic News suggests that you Nourish Your Skin Organically with these great tips.

FeminineSpirit provides some Easy Ways to Fuel Your Metabolism.

Dan Abshear from Informaproject looks at The Issues With Electronic Medical Records.

FitJerk from FlawlessFitness provides some Powerful Plyometrics Training That Will Knock Your Socks Off!.

Alvin Hopkinson from High Blood Pressure Treatment and Medication Reviews offers some Tips in Preparing a Diet to Prevent High Blood Pressure.

Dejan Banovic from Weight Loss Writings writes about How To Loss Weight.

Madeleine Begun Kane from Mad Kane’s Humor Blog asks Does Your Guilt Spring Eternal?

J.D. Bell from It Takes Work looks at Core Training and asks What’s With All The Bouncy Balls?

Ann Monahan from End Hemorrhoids Naturally provides suggestions for Eliminating Hemorrhoids.

Walter from The Highlight HEALTH Network reviews Brain Toniq and looks at the science behind this ‘Think Drink’.

Ross from Energise for Life discusses How To Cure Yourself of Hay Fever naturally.

dietetic boy from Vegetarian Culinary discusses The Advantage That you Will Find From the Many Vegetarian Menus | Vegetarian Culinary Recipes.

That concludes this edition of Healthbolt Carnival.

By the way, this is will be the last Healthbolt Carnival for a while.

Stop back next week and see what we’ve got up our sleeve instead.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: a healthbolt carnival, blog carnival.

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