Outdoor exercise irritating your sinuses?

Swimsuit season is nearing. The anticipation of donning summertime bikinis incite feelings of anxiety and urgency in some people to make better use of their workout clothes. However, for many people this time coincides with allergy season.

Rather than dismiss physical activity through the months of Spring, make use of some other exercise options in order to attain the enviable summer season bod:

1. If you have a gym membership, use it.
2. Without a gym membership, you may still workout indoors by taking advantage of workout videos you find at the local library or finding neighborhood studios that allow you to take group classes for per session fees.
3. Still like exercising in the open air? Commit to early morning workouts, when the pollen count is low and other nasal irritants have not yet been stirred up.
4. Avoid outdoor workouts on windy days and the day after; refer to suggestions 1 and 2, above.

To prevent any more irritants from entering the body and causing annoying allergy symptoms after exercise, immediately wash the clothes that you had been wearing, wash your face, and shower. Saline washes for your eyes and nasal passages also help some allergy sufferers, as well.

During this time, it is wise to add more foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids to your diet, such as cold water fish (like salmon and halibut), flaxseed oil, and walnuts. Omega-3 fatty acids aid your body with suppressing inflammatory responses to allergens, which cause teary eyes and runny noses.

Some studies also suggest that foods high in anti-oxidants also aid in inhibiting inflammatory responses to airborne irritants. Anti-oxidant rich foods include an array of colorful fresh fruits and vegetables.

Allergy sufferers do not have to become victim to this season’s wind and pollen count while prepping for the warmer summer months. Make adjustments to your workout routine and be prepared to join the swimsuit clad population on the beach very soon.

In the study, “I-Min Lee, M.B.B.S., Sc.D., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues examined weight changes associated with different physical activity levels in a study that included 34,079 healthy U.S. women who consumed a usual diet (average age, 54 years) from 1992-2007.” These women moderately exercised 7.5 hours or less per week.

In short, their findings were that only the women in the study who exercised approximately, 60 minutes per day were able to minimize creeping weight gain.

As we age, (both men and women) we generally have lesser basic caloric need. However, we do not eat less as time goes on. At one time, we may have thought we were consuming sufficient calories. As time has passed, we now may be overeating, as our caloric need has been lessening; thus, causing creeping weight gain, which is also known as creeping obesity.

It is possible to stave off the creeping weight gain. Besides the obvious, reducing your meal portion sizes, ensure that you are physically active. It is not secret that as we get older and more vibrant, we also become more busy, and 60 minutes per day seems very unrealistic. However, I have a few simple suggestions that can help you sneak in those 60. After all, those 60 minutes do not have to be sweated out in one continuous bout.

1. Park your car 5 blocks away from your building. The brisk 10 minute walk to and from your car will easily knock out 20 minutes from your 60 minute requirement.
2. If you work in a multi-level building, take the stairs to use the restroom  2 floors from your own. This extra activity will sneak in another 5-15 minutes, depending on how frequently you go.
3. Take brisk walking breaks mid-day and to and from lunch. This too will subtract 10-20 minutes from your daily recommendation. (Are you counting, if you are doing all of the above, you have completed 35-55 minutes of moderate physical activity.)
4. Put iPod speakers in your kitchen. Set it up, while you prepare your dinner, and dance dance dance! in the privacy of your own kitchen. There! Another 5-30 minutes.

Feel free to comment with any other suggestions!

Tell your kids to put on their thinking caps and get creative. The USDA and the First Lady’s Let’s Move initiative have partnered in promoting an Apps for Healthy Kids contest.  Straight from the Let’s Move blog:

“We are calling on you, America’s creative genius, to develop innovative, fun, and engaging tools and games that encourage children, especially “tweens” (ages 9-12) – directly or through their parents – to make more nutritious food choices and be more physically active.

A total of $40,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to top submissions in two categories:  tools and games.  In addition, a Popular Choice Award will be determined by public voting.  We’ve got a stellar panel of expert judges, who will review the projects. Following the announcement of the awards, winners will be honored at a White House event in Washington, DC. Judges, members of the White House and USDA staffs, media representatives, and other guests will be invited to attend as well.”

Go to www.appsforhealthykids.com for more details and to enter!

On the Let’s Move website, Mrs. Obama tells her story that as a mother in a working family, prior to their residence in the White House, she struggled to feed her children healthy food. She fell victim to the ease and convenience of fast food and delivery pizza. She saw the result in her children.

Childhood obesity is not a condition that afflicts the underprivileged. Highly caloric, yet nutrient poor foods are all too convenient and inexpensive options in all neighborhoods.

The following are a few suggestions for making healthier options more accessible to ourselves and our loved ones at home.

• On Sunday or grocery day, wash and cut all vegetables, so prep time is cut down during the week.
• During the weekend make stews and soups that can be refrigerated and/or frozen to be heated up throughout the week for lunch, dinner, or snacks.
• Buy non-fat granola, dried fruit, and chopped nuts in bulk. Pre-package them into small snack bags (that can be re-used to be conscientious of our environment), so that they are in convenient single size portions. You can top yogurt with them for parfaits.
• Put small, balanced meals/snacks into containers in the refrigerator to avoid the “there’s nothing in the fridge” feeling. For example, put some grapes, cheese, and crackers into a container with compartments; sandwiches cut into quarters; vegetable sticks with dip.

If you have any other suggestions, please add your comments.

It’s not news that daily cardiovascular exercise is good for our health. Those of you who get in, at the minimum, 30 minutes per day/5 times per week, are on track to living a long and healthy existence.

However, some morbid news came from Australian researchers after following 8,800 individuals’ lifestyle habits. When comparing people who watch two hours or less television, daily, and those who watch more, “those who watched more than four hours a day had a 46 percent higher risk of death from all causes and an 80 percent increased risk for CVD-related death. This association held regardless of other independent and common cardiovascular disease risk factors, including smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, unhealthy diet, excessive waist circumference, and leisure-time exercises.” In fact, these results apply not only to couch potatoes but translate to people who spend their days mostly sedentary–sitting without moving for hours at a time. What’s a busy, bread-winning, adult to do?

I have four letters for you: M, O, V,  E. Four tips for incorporating more movement into your busy, yet physically stagnant work day and TV watching marathon:

1. Fidget! As long as it isn’t noisy fidgeting, you are moving without disrupting work. By staying constantly moving, not only will you be extending your life, according to Australian researchers, but you will prevent some chronic pains.
2. Drink lots of water, so you will make more bathroom runs. While you are getting up to use the restroom, you may as well use the one on a different floor or across the building to get in a little extra exercise.
3. Change positions at least every 30 minutes. For example, stand for a minute or two, stretch, or pace.
4. Sit on a stability ball instead of a chair, or put a balance cushion on your seat pan, so that you are forced to move and change positions throughout your day.

Freebie: 5. Join V4Fitness.com, a site presented by yours truly, Balanced Strength Inc., where we help you create long-lasting healthy living habits, and the exercise of the day is something you can do from where you are sitting!

See what I had to say about starting a successful journey to optimal health & fitness. You can also see other featured fitness professionals had to say, as well!

http://thecravecompany.com/la/2010/01/13/best-of-fitness-tips-for-the-new-year/

Usually, I don't like to show my feet, but for the purpose of this review, you can see for yourself the asymmetries in my feet.

Ok, maybe I won’t be able to correct my crooked feet, but in seeking physical wellness, I have added a new tool to my arsenal–the A-line insole. Yesterday, I had the good fortune to meet Gordon Hay, the creator and Founder of A-Line Systems. He made an assessment of my alignment as shown in the below video, and gave me new insoles to try. Gordon assures me that these new insoles will help me strengthen my feet, improve performance through any motion and activity, and correct malalignments in my body. These insoles use a “patented triangular suspension system that restores your natural arches and allows the foot’s structures to move as they need to move…with no loss of stability…The result: your legs align optimally though all phases of motion.”

I will keep you posted on my journey to retraining my feet. Wearing the insoles throughout my day, including exercise, is promising to strengthen the connective tissue in my feet that have gotten lazy, atrophied, and imbalanced from a lifetime of wearing flip-flops, sandals, and squishy sneakers.

What is waist to hip ratio?
Waist-hip ratio or Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is the ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the hips. It is calculated by measuring the smaller circumference of the natural waist, usually just above the belly button, and dividing by the hip circumference at its widest part of the buttocks or hip.
How are the numbers created?
The waist to hip ratio is calculated by measuring the circumference of the waist and dividing it by the circumference of the hips. The resulting value is looked up in a reference table, like the one following, to determine risk.

Why is this measurement important?
The WHR has been used as an indicator or measure of the health of a person, and the risk of developing serious health conditions. Research shows that people with “apple-shaped” bodies (with more weight around the waist) face more health risks than those with “pear-shaped” bodies who carry more weight around the hips.
Optimal WHR for women is 0.7. The optimal ratio for men is 0.9.
High WHR, in individuals 18 years of age and older, are associated with cardiovascular risks, coronary artery disease, and type 2 diabetes. Although it may be difficult to change your genetically predisposed body shape,  you can shrink your waistline through regular exercise and consuming a healthy diet.

For more information on WHR visit the American Heart Association at www.americanheart.org.

This is also a great time to remind ourselves or introduce ourselves to proper gym etiquette:

1. Don’t go to the gym, if you are sick. You may feel like you need to “sweat it out”, but be considerate of the people around you. Sweat it out where you won’t risk infecting others, even if you think you are not contagious.
2. Wipe down the equipment after you are done using it. Many gyms have bottles of Simple Green or disinfecting wipes for you to wipe down the (specifically, cardio) equipment before/after you use it.
3. Bring a workout towel if your gym does not provide them. You may lay it on the seats/pads/mats of the equipment you are using. (I have a very bad/gross memory of skin irritation on my back that, incidentally, cleared up after I stopped using the common gym mats.)
4. To prevent infection, avoid touching your face while working out; wash your hands first.
5. Wash your hands when you are finished exercising.
6. Wash your workout clothes between wears. Workout clothes should not be “recycled”. You should have a fresh set every time you go to the gym. (It’s true, some people need to be told.)
7. Although this tip does not apply to hygiene, it’s an often forgotten rule of etiquette-leave your cell phone in your locker. If absolutely necessary, take your phone call outside.

If you have more to add to this list, I invite you to comment below.

Also, Noelle Katai, of Vim Essentials has a great recipe for a non-toxic hand sanitizer that kills only the harmful bacteria on contact. Check out her blog at http://www.vimessentials.com/vimblog.

Image courtesy of Google images

In honor of bike month, and bike commuter wannabes, I am reposting this great article,

10 Bike Myths Dispelled

April 26th, 2009 by Jack “Ghost Rider” Sweeney · 15 Comments