Archive for the ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ Category
Thursday, December 20th, 2012
The Dreaded Freshman 15 is Real!
You might think that the notorious freshman fifteen is nothing more than a fairy tale, but consider for a moment the contributing factors. For one thing, most college students are away from home (and the watchful gaze of mom and dad) for the first time in their lives. And without parents around to make sure you’re getting three square meals a day, you might fall into bad habits like scarfing pizza and burgers at the cafeteria for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, skipping fruits and veggies, and snacking from vending machines the rest of the time.
Pile on top of that plenty of stress, a distinct lack of sleep, a lot of high-calorie alcoholic beverages, and likely, little to no exercise. The true surprise is that the standard fifteen pounds are not double that. So if you’d like to avoid the unwanted extra pounds that plague the average student, here are just a few strategies to maintain your weight, keep your energy levels high, and ultimately look and feel as good exiting your freshman year as you did going in.
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Tags: college, Diet, exercise, freshman, freshmen, lifestyle, nutrition
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 19th, 2012
In today’s society, many people put premium on being thin. Many factors, especially the media, contribute to the notion that what is beautiful is a well-sculpted body that doesn’t show the slightest hint of fat. This has led many people to interpret fitness as looking like those sexy models as an epitome of ideal body. Some has been into different weight loss plans, such as the Medifast, and other crash dieting just to get rid of their extra pounds.
The results of crash diets are dire. Those people trying to lose weight by sacrificing their nutrition are actually punishing themselves. They are constantly living in a condition of hunger which eventually leads them to feel exhausted all the time. Worse, it can lead to collapse and many other health risks. Crash dieting can literally make someone crash.
Those who intend to shed those extra fats in their body must realize that there are weight loss plans which do not lose the essential nutrients of the body. Healthy choices in food and proper exercises are the major keys in losing weight the healthy way.
For beginners, it must be understood that a variety in the foods a person eat is actually essential. One should not be easily taken by the low carb/high protein diet mindset which some fitness people propagate. Maximizing protein intake, in and of itself, is not a balanced diet. Sure low carbs and high protein can help retain and build muscle while simultaneously losing fat, but a diet consisting of, for example, 5 meals of chicken and broccoli each day, is not a healthy diet and can actually make you sick.
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Tags: Diet, dieting, fat lose, health, healthy diet, intermittent fasting, lose fat, lose weight, nutrition, weight loss
Posted in Diet, Healthy Lifestyle, Intermittent Fasting, Nutrition Tip | 1 Comment »
Friday, November 16th, 2012
Careers That Require Good Physical Fitness
Job applicants who enjoy working with their hands and keeping physically fit can explore different career options. One of these career options is a correctional officer. Other careers include fire fighters, ground maintenance workers and roofers. There are many other job choices for physically fit employees, but these give an idea of the kinds of jobs available. Each career requires good physical health to prevent self-injuries or injuries to team members.
As a software engineer, I don’t get much exercise other than walking to and from my vehicle, and my lunchtime gym session. Some jobs require a high level of physical fitness. Some jobs are a day-long workout session. The significance of this is two-fold:
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Tags: careers, construction, fitness, Fitness Careers, jobs, landscaping, physical careers, roofing, Top 5, work
Posted in Business, Healthy Lifestyle | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 1st, 2012
At the risk of alienating Project Swole readers with off-topic articles, I have to take a moment to update my previous posts about Force the Pedophiles to Run for the Hills and Continued Vigilance Against Sex Offenders in Hooksett.
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Tags: child abuse, hooksett, joel dutton, law, nh, pedophile, sex offenders
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Kids | No Comments »
Monday, November 7th, 2011
The growing health issues like heart issues and obesity can be curbed by keeping your body fit through daily and proper exercises. Getting into a habit of regular exercise can lead you good health and increase your energy levels. It also alleviates your stress level to a large extent keeping you fit and fine.
Ironically, despite all the importance, exercises are still not considered as a must activity in daily schedule since people find it hard and boring. Regardless of the hard and easy thing you see in the exercises, putting into its proper habit is important rather than doing it haphazardly. There are couples of benefits of having a daily exercise schedule. Let’s explore them.
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Tags: exercise, fit, fitness, health, healthy
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, October 4th, 2011
No offense to doctors, but in my experience, when it comes to fitness and nutrition…
Scientists > Doctors
And then of course there are the scientists who ARE doctors. Usually you can’t go wrong there.
Tags: cigarettes, doctor, health, Medical, medicine, smoking
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Medical | 2 Comments »
Friday, September 23rd, 2011
OK, so here’s the deal. I have some fitness books and equipment that I want to get rid of. My options are:
- give it to Good Will or some other charity
- sell it on eBay or half.com
- throw it in the trash
- sell it really cheap on Project Swole
Given those options, I’ve decided to attempt to sell them cheap on Project Swole. Here is what we are going to do:
- I’ll tell you about the product.
- You decide if you want it.
- If you want it, place a bid for it.
- If no one wants it after 14 days, I’ll give it to Good Will.
- If you win it, send me the money via PayPal.
- The I’ll send you your new merch.
The starting price will be $5 for books, which covers my shipping and handling costs.
Robert Cheeke – Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness
This is a book about a vegan ‘bodybuilder’, and I use the term loosely because Mr. Cheeke isn’t much of a bodybuilder. However, he is very inspirational to vegan and vegetarian fitness folks. The book itself talks about how and why he became a vegan, with some tidbits here and there about vegan bodybuilding.
I can’t stomach Robert’s ego or storytelling ability, so I couldn’t make it past page 50, but meat-hating dieters might appreciate veganness of it. There are a bunch of reviews on Amazon. The vegan crowd praises this book with 5 star rating, while everyone else pretty much makes fun of Robert’s tiny muscles. You will just have to accept Robert Cheeks for who he is.
Here is the Amazon link.
Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness
Read the description. Peep the reviews. Buy it there if you want, or qualify to win one for free on Project Swole.
You can get this book for $12 and change on Amazon. It retails for $19.95.
I’ll start the bidding at $5.
Bid using the comment form.
Highest bidder wins.
Auction ends in 14 days.
Submit questions and comments below.
Tags: auction, Book, Robert Cheeke, Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle | 3 Comments »
Thursday, September 22nd, 2011
Starting Off Slow With Basic Nutrition Tips
Many trying to maintain a healthy diet struggle to understand how good nutrition works and/or how it should be applied. This confusion is often compounded by conflicting “expert” nutritional advice. However, the simplest approach to good nutrition is remembering that all nutritional substances should be ingested to promote health and prevent disease.
It’s also important to remember that food choices aren’t just about weight, as food choices can greatly reduce or increase the likelihood of a person developing cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. As far as overall health, food plays a major role in energy, memory, mood, and sleep.
Since good nutrition hinges on life-long lifestyle choices, it will never involve starving, cutting out vital food groups, or completely depriving yourself from food that is enjoyable. None of the above is congruent with sustainability, and is the main reason that “fad diets” never result in good nutrition or a maintainable weight. Good nutrition has everything to do with eating smart foods…in a smart way. Try the following nutrition tips to get you on the path to smart eating:
Start Slow and Simple
Don’t abandon unhealthy choices all at once, as this will usually lead to binge eating. Focus on slowly replacing unhealthy food sources with healthier choices. For example, one might gradually replace tater chips with fresh vegetable chips. Try to take existing unhealthy recipes and alter unhealthy ingredients one at a time. For example, a recipe that calls for butter or vegetable oil might be amended to utilize olive oil. Even a simple sandwich can be altered to be more nutritious by changing white bread to whole grain, ham to turkey breast, and mayo to mustard. Eventually, you will be able to make every food choice nutritionally sound.
Don’t Mindlessly Eat
Stop and think about the food – Am I eating this to sustain me or soothe me? Food is too often used as an emotional crutch or mindless action. It can be helpful to disassociate food with cars, television, and computers. It’s easy to just gulp something down when your mind is on driving vs. actually eating. It’s also easy to mindlessly eat when distracted by a television and computer. Whenever possible eat at a table and take the time to properly chew and savor food. Keep in mind that it takes 20 minutes for the brain to realize that the stomach is full; so, eat slow and stop eating before actually feeling full. Plan meals out to include several small meals throughout the day, which will help keep energy and metabolism up for weight loss.
Think of Fitness as an Essential Food Group
Fitness training is just as essential as any of the food groups and dieting tips. Optimal health can’t be achieved through exercise without healthy eating or healthy eating without exercise. A simple routine strength training program should be included in all exercise regimens. It’s important to start the training with the proper resistance size. A good guide is a size that fatigues you after about 12 repetitions. If you aren’t able to use correct form, that too is a sign that the weight is too heavy. Start out with a twice a week fitness plan with 4 to 5 sets of 12 reps with or without fitness equipment. Many professional trainers recommend aiming for muscular failure, where the muscle can’t possibly do anymore, after the first month of strength training.
Tags: beginners, Diet, fitness, health, healthy, healthy diet, newbie, noob, nutrition, tips
Posted in Diet, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition Tip | 8 Comments »
Friday, September 16th, 2011
If you drink milk, and you’re not a hard-gainer trying to pack on muscle mass, your milk should be low fat – skim or 1%. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said recently that nearly 73% of kids and teenagers consume milk, which is good, but then only around 20% of them tend to consume the low-fat variety. In fact, about 45% of them choose reduced-fat milk (2 percent), while 32% claim to regularly consume whole-fat milk.
I’ve been complaining about this for years, and I’m glad someone is finally echoing my sentiments. For babies and toddlers I can see using whole or 2% milk, because they need a ton of good nutrition to grow up strong. However, I have always believed that kids in pre-k, k, and elementary school should switch to 1% or skim milk. There really is no need to add extra milk fat into a child’s diet, not when American kids are clearly, on average, the most obese children in the world.
Researchers and experts collectively agree that the low consumption of low-fat milk implies that most kids and teenagers don’t live by the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics, who state that kids ages 2 and older should drink low-fat milk. Recent efforts by both First Lady Michelle Obama, and the Surgeon General promote the consumption of low-fat milk and water over sweetened beverages. Adhering to these suggestions will help you and your child avoid dangerous conditions such as obesity and diabetes.
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Tags: children, dairy, Diet, food, Kids, Medical, milk, nutrition, obesity
Posted in Diet, Healthy Lifestyle, Kids, Research | 1 Comment »
Thursday, September 8th, 2011
The Many Unexpected Benefits of Body Building
There are many reasons to build a stronger body that most people wouldn’t think of when they picture bodybuilding. Bodybuilding can be a very healthy hobby for both your mind and your body.
Despite the misconceptions of the general public, bodybuilding is not necessarily all about eating whey protein, lifting heavy weights, and oiled-up posing in a thong on a stage. There are a ton of great health benefits as well.
These are just some of the many unexpected benefits of bodybuilding:
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Tags: benefits, body building, bodybuilding, Diet, exercise, fitness, health, healthy, nutrition
Posted in Bodybuilding, Healthy Lifestyle, Motivation | 14 Comments »
Friday, September 2nd, 2011
The prevalence of stroke victims in the US has increased in recent years. A study analyzed the history of over 8 million hospital patients from 1995 to 2008 has identified a 33% increased risk of suffering from a stroke if you are between the ages of 5 and 44.
Strokes Caused by Blood Clots
Contributing factors were found to be diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), blood lipid disorders, tobacco use, and obesity. People with one or more of those factors have a greater chance of developing an ischemic stroke, which is caused by blood clots. High blood pressure was reported in 50% of the stroke victims, and being male and over the age of 35 puts you at an even greater risk than anyone else. Great!
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Tags: aneurysm, blood clot, brain, health, healthy, high blood pressure, hypertension, Medical, Research, stem cells, stroke
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Medical, Research | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
I don’t have the time or patience to write a new article today or for the past week, so here are a couple links you can read with decent info about recent medical advances that might help keep you healthier. These new gadgets range from stem cells that can rebuild damaged heart tissue, to intestinal liners that restrict the absorption of excess calories, to bacteria that will keep you from ever getting tooth decay. As you read this great news, just imagine the kinds of devices and genetic tools we’ll have in just 10 more years.
5 Medical Innovations That Will Build Muscle or Burn Fat
5 Medical Advances That Sound too Good to be True
Also, I’m sorry I haven’t been answering questions lately or posting any good new content. As always I have many great plans in the works, but life is just taking precedence over maintaining a blog right now. Hoping to get back at it full time really soon.
Tags: build muscle, exercise, fat loss, fitness, gain muscle, health, healthy, lose fat, lose weight, muscle gains, news, tips, weight loss
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Medical, News of the Day | 1 Comment »
Sunday, August 21st, 2011
Seeing as how I post personal comments now and then, just wanted all the regular readers to know that I went camping in the NH White Mountains. Went to Jigger Johnson campground. Did some swimming in the Swift River. Ended the trip with a visit to Clarks Trading Post and the infamous Wolfman. This is why I haven’t posted in a week.
It was good times, and now I’ll get back to blogging about fitness.
Be sure you take care of yourself by scheduling in some down time. This could include watching a movie, playing a game, or going on vacation. Your vacation might include camping in a tent, RV, or lean-to; staying in a cabin, motel, or hotel; a cruise, a visit to your local theme park, or back packing across Europe.
Taking a vacation can rejuvenate your spirit, decrease stress and cortisol, and help your muscles to recover from months of endless resistance training. Taking one full week off every year, or even every 6 months, will do wonders to help your body recover from the rigors of intense fitness.
Tags: camping, nh, Personal, vacation, White Mountains
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
A couple days ago I posted the first 5 reasons you are not losing weight. Here are 5 more reasons you are not losing weight. Check out the first article if you missed it: 10 Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight Part 1
Peep these second 5 five items in my list of 10 possible ways you could be sabotaging your diet.
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Tags: build muscle, Diet, dieting, fat loss, food, gain muscle, lose fat, lose weight, meal planning, meals, muscle gain, nutrition, sabotage, weight loss
Posted in Diet, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition Tip | 3 Comments »
Monday, August 8th, 2011
A Simple Diet Reminder
Everyone likes a good diet post once in a while. Something to remind us about those small dietary habits that ultimately sabotage our efforts to look good naked. This is one of those posts.
You want to drop a couple dozen stubborn pounds of fat. You know what to do and how to do it. You figure in about 2 months you can complete your transformation by eating healthy foods but fewer calories, and adding an extra hour of exercise each week. On paper and in your brain it all makes sense. But how’s that working for you?
Typical Diet Progress
Let me guess. After two months of eating fruits and veggies, and hitting the treadmill with fierce dedication, you step on the scale and find that you’ve lost a whopping… 2 pounds. What could possibly have happened? Would could have gone wrong?
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Tags: Diet, dieting, fat loss, food, lose fat, lose weight, meal planning, meals, nutrition, sabotage, weight loss
Posted in Diet, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition Tip | 3 Comments »
Thursday, July 21st, 2011
How to Workout in 100+ Degree Heat
Weather experts have predicted that it’s going to get up to 105 degrees today, where I live in southern NH. Those crazy temperatures have prompted me to write this quick note about exercising in the summer heat.
If you are dedicated to fitness, that means you are exercising even when it’s 110 degrees outside in the middle of summer. Unfortunately, that level of dedication can get you into trouble if you don’t make safe decisions. The kind of trouble that can put you in the hospital or worse.
Here are 3 mistakes that people commonly make when they exercise in the dead heat of summer.
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Wear proper clothing
Cotton is your summer nemesis. When you exercise, cotton clothing will hold sweaty moisture, which can cause chaffing and rashes. Cotton socks swell with moisture, causing them to lose their shape, which can lead to blisters – the deadly enemy of lower body training. Sweaty clothing also weighs you down, making exercise harder, which causes you to sweat more. It is a dangerous cycle.
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Tags: deydration, exercise, fitness, health, Healthy Lifestyle, heat stroke, skin, summer, sun, sun poisoning, tips, workout
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Kids, Medical | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
A study by Canadian researchers has deflated the hopes of lifetime bachelors every where. 4400 subjects; some single, some married, some widowed; participated in the study, so it is seems pretty legit. The researchers determined that the married men are officially healthier than single men. Why?
When asked why, male participants in the study gave credit to their wives. Wives are really good at reminding us about doctor appointments, making sure we take medicine, resting when we are exhausted, getting medical help when we are hurt, and don’t forget that sex is a major anti-stress technique.
Faster Emergency Medical Treatment
On average, married men who are victims of a sudden heart attack, arrive at the hospital 30 minutes quicker than their single counterparts. Not only can that fact explain why men are healthier, it could explain why married men have a longer lifespan than bachelors. A 30 minute delay in treatment for a heart attack, quite often means the difference between life and death.
Interestingly, the wives don’t even have to be present to elicit this caregiving effect. Some study participants noted that even if their wives were not present, they would hear the female voice of reason telling them to seek medical attention immediately.
It is unfortunate to note that there is no difference in the time it takes women to get to the hospital, whether they are married or not. Come on guys! Pick up the slack!
Women Will Find the Answers
Wives also ask lots of questions. You would know this if you ever got ‘lost’ on a road trip with a female. Married women reportedly ask their own doctors for advice on behalf of their husbands. After all, isn’t pretty much every wife also a nurse? You kind of have to be a nurse when you have a pack of young children and one really big really hairy ‘kid’ to take care of on a daily basis.
This post is an excuse to post a picture of a super sexy wedding dress (yes, obviously it is the dress that is sexy), which you can see at the top of the page. But I also want to take a moment to say, “Thanks!” to all the wives out there who remind us that good health is sometimes more than benching and squatting triple bodyweight.
Resources:
Effect of marriage on duration of chest pain associated with acute myocardial infarction before seeking care
Tags: bachelor life, bachelorhood, bachelors, health, Healthy Lifestyle, marriage, married, men, wife, wives, women
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, News of the Day, Research | 5 Comments »
Thursday, July 14th, 2011
Why You Can’t Stay Lean When You Get Off Your Structured Diet
We have all heard of The Atkins diet, The Warrior Diet, The Paleo Diet and every other nutritional plan that promises to burn fat, build muscle, and allow you to achieve your physique related goals with minimal effort.
They make big promises, sound good in practice, but fail to deliver. Even if you do reach your goal, after you discontinue the diet, the fat piles right back on and you are back where you started.
What a waste of time.
Why does this happen?
It’s really simple. The proverb “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” comes to mind…
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Tags: atkins, Diet, dieting, fat loss, food, lose fat, lose weight, meal planning, meals, tips, weight loss
Posted in Diet, Healthy Lifestyle | 4 Comments »
Sunday, May 15th, 2011
I get plenty of questions in various comments throughout the website, but I also get comments and questions via the Project Swole Contact Form.
Generally I address those questions through e-mail, but often I do not have the time to reply to each and every question personally.
From now on I want to take a more proactive approach to answering Your Health Questions by posting them separately in the blog. This way we can be sure that everyone benefits from the Q & A.
Hayden Gray wrote:
“HAHA! Diet soda in plastic can decrease testosterone levels? HAHAHA!
Because of what the plastic is made out of? Oh, so if i drink water out of plastic my testosterone levels will drop. Most stupid thing ive ever heard. And if you think you’re right, where is the scientific evidence?”
Response:
Keep in mind that it’s pretty easy to avoid diet soda in plastic containers, simply by drinking is out of a can or glass. Regarding the safety of plastic containers, I have this to say:
Some people do agree with you about plastic containers, but facts are facts – using plastic containers will increase your estrogen levels thanks to Xenoestrogens such as PCB, BPA and Phthalates. The also reportedly decrease testosterone, specifically in young kids and pregnant mothers.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326100714.htm
https://www.facebook.com/notes/faggiano-chiropractic/effects-of-palstic-products-on-testosterone/203842699650612
https://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info:doi/10.1289/ehp.8451
https://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info:doi/10.1289/ehp.7713
https://missourifamilies.org/features/nutritionarticles/nut244.htm
https://tnation.t-nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding_senior/high_levels_of_bpa_
And look, here’s evidence that pregnant women shouldn’t use plastic containers because it can damage their child’s reproductive organs.
https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2002/110pA703-A707schonfelder/schonfelder-full.html
Tags: BPA, estrogen, PCB, Phthalates, plastic, testosterone, Xenoestrogens
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Medical, Research, Your Questions | 2 Comments »