Do you ever ask, what can I eat that is healthy and light? Is the most common answer, "a salad"? Well this article is about to turn that preconception on its head. Especially the 1220 calorie salad! 😳 Yikes!! I also like the activity and time needed to burn off the calories from one of these "light" meals.

*If you come to a Thursday 6:30 pm (great way to start the weekend) or a Monday morning 6:30 am class (smart way to start the week), you can burn off a Sweetgreen Omega salad in a FitCampNYC hour class!

https://www.google.com/amp/nypost.com/2016/07/25/salad-makes-you-fat-and-broke/amp/?client=safari#

What happens when you remove sugar from your diet?

Here is an example of the positive results that manifested after just 9 days!

After nine days, the researchers found a 33 percent drop in triglycerides, a type of fat tied to heart disease; a 49 percent reduction in a protein called apoC-III that is tied to high triglyceride levels; and dramatic reductions in small, dense LDL cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease.

Impressive. Why?

Sugar calories are not like other carbohydrate calories,” said Dr. Robert Lustig, a co-author of the study and professor of pediatrics at Benioff Children’s Hospital at the University of California, San Francisco. “Without changing total carbohydrate, or fat, or protein, we were able to accomplish this enormous improvement in their cardiovascular risk factors,” unrelated to weight loss, he said.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/07/19/cutting-sugar-from-diet-rapidly-improves-heart-health-markers/?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

The best reasons to exercise. Fitness and staying healthy!

In 2015, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges put out a report calling exercise a “miracle cure.” A huge meta-analysis examined the effect of exercise therapy on outcomes in people with chronic diseases.

Let’s start with musculoskeletal diseases. Researchers found 32 trials looking specifically at the effect of exercise on pain and function of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee alone. That’s incredibly specific, and it’s impressive so much research has focused on this one topic. Exercise improved those outcomes.

Ten more studies showed, over all, that exercise therapy increases aerobic capacity and muscle strength in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Other studies proved its benefits in other musculoskeletal conditions, like ankylosing spondylitis, and even some types of back pain.

For people who had had a heart attack, exercise therapy reduced all causes of mortality by 27 percent and cardiac mortality by 31 percent.

People with diabetes who exercise have lower Hba1c values, which is the marker of blood sugar control, low enough to probably reduce the risk of complications from the disease.

Twenty randomized controlled trials have showed that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can walk farther and function better if they exercise.

Multiple studies have found that exercise improves physical function and health-related quality of life in people who have Parkinson’s disease.

Six more studies showed that exercise improves muscle power and mobility-related activities in people with multiple sclerosis. It even appeared to improve those patient’s moods.

The overall results of 23 randomized controlled trials showed that exercise most likely improves the symptoms of depression.

Five others appear to show that it improves symptoms in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. In trials, exercise even lessened fatigue in patients who are undergoing therapy for cancer.

What other intervention can claim results like these?

NYT Now: Why You Should Exercise (No, Not to Lose Weight)

http://nyti.ms/28IjItp

is a new recommendation that is expected to galvanize many more health providers to provide screening for women during pregnancy and after giving birth.

There is a realization that post birth depression like symptoms can also impact the newborn.

I believe we should also cover pre-pregnancy care, to prepare moms to be.

Hint: Exercise is beneficial!

(Share with moms and moms to be, so it encourages talking about it and seeking help.)

http://nytimes.com?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

Image from truparenting.net

Fitbit takes a hit for their "heart rate monitor" being highly inaccurate. The "shiny new toy" is innovative only in their marketing. The company has finally confessed that their $150 and $250 trackers are not truly scientific in nature.

Fitbit, the company, added that its devices are made to help users reach their health and fitness goals, “and are not intended to be scientific or medical devices.”

Not sure if this falls under the label as misleading or not being forthright.

I have been informing my clients and @FitCampNYC members that these trackers are not as good as a Polar Heart rate monitor. If you're going to make an investment commit to it. Buy a tested and true heart rate monitor like @PolarGlobal Polar Heart Rate monitors.

It's the real workhorses out in the fitness world that focus their resources on putting a quality product out there versus calling attention to their hype.

If you truly want to understand how you can utilize these tools, feel free to reach me for customized and personalized training plans.

http://m.nydailynews.com/news/national/fitbit-sued-faulty-heart-rate-monitors-article-1.2488628

What areas in your office have the most germs?

Smart moves in the office can help you avoid colds and the flu. Quick overview of what to avoid and what to do to keep your immune system from being overly taxed.

http://nypost.com/2015/12/01/heres-how-you-can-avoid-getting-sick-at-work/

As you sit down to eat, keep this in mind, the first 750 calories or so, your body begins to store a larger percentage of food as fat. A 2000 study found that the average adult gains a pound during each holiday season, and many never lose it.

What can you do?

1. Exercise within 12 hours of eating the big meal

2. Have popcorn an hour before eating.

3. Help clean up, it helps burn calories.

4. Do not sit or lie down for a prolonged period after eating. It slows down digestion.

More information can be found here: Why you feel so lousy after a huge holiday meal?...http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/health/holiday-eating/

Save some money on your next pair of running shoes. Apparently expensive running shoes ($181) are no better, and often worse, than cheaper ones ($61).

You might want to hold on to your money if you're considering one of the high-end brands for your next pair. What runrepeat found was:

* Saucony was one of the top three shoes

* Hoka One One was rated towards the bottom.

http://wapo.st/1S6a1VP

Q. Why should you love working out your legs? A. Fitter Legs= Fitter Brain

Apparently if you want fewer "empty spaces in the brain" you should build sturdy, strong legs.

--In tests with identical twins the study found that the twin with the well-built legs scored, on average 18% higher on cognitive and memory than their thin legged twin. ( Study was conducted on 324 identical twins.)

Key points in the article, the twin with the stronger legs showed the following:

* Scored 18% higher on cognitive and memory tests

* Get around better and are more active

* Tend to have sharper minds compared to their twin

* The least fall off of their thinking skills

So go and work your legs this weekend.

FitCampNYC will do a leg focused workout this Saturday at 10:30 am

Sign up now, your brain will thank you later.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/brawn-and-brains/?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

Here is what happens when you consume an energy drink, many of the blood levels and cardiovascular changes were marked:

• Systolic blood pressure (the top number) - 6.2 percent increase
• Diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) - 6.8 percent increase
• Average blood pressure - 6.4 percent increase
• Heart rate - none
• Caffeine in blood - increase from undetectable to 3.4 micrograms/mL
• Norepinephrine level (the stress hormone, which can give you the shakes when you have too much caffeine) in blood - increase from 150 pg/mL to 250 pg/ML

Writing in JAMA, the researchers said that these changes may predispose those who drink a single drink to increased cardiovascular risk.

This may explain why a number of those who died after consuming energy drinks appeared to have had heart attacks.

The image above points out that you still feel the effects 5-6 hours after you've had your drink.