• Have an instructor show you the proper way to lift weights the first time.
• Start with whatever weight you can lift fairly easily. If you can’t lift it at least eight repetitions (“reps”), it’s too heavy; if you can lift it more than 15 reps without tiring, it’s too light.
• Limit to 8 to 12 reps per set for healthy sedentary adults (or 10 to 15 reps at a lighter weight if you are recovering from heart disease).
• Involve all major muscle groups of yoru arms and legs, as well as upper back, lower back and abdominal muscles.
• Lift weights at a moderate to slow, controlled pace to avoid injury and to work your muscles more than if you do it fast.
• Don’t hold your breath or strain as you complete an exercise.
• Exhale as the muscle contracts to lift or push a weight; inhale as the muscle relaxes when you let it down.
• Alternate between upper body and lower body work during a session to allow for rest between exercises.
• Do not work out on consecutive days, unless you work different muscle groups. They need at least 48 hours to recover.
• Once you can do more than 12 to 15 reps of an exercise easily, increase the weight, but not by more than five pounds at a time at the most.

Source: American Heart Association

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Man was just not meant to be sitting behind a desk or computer at least five days a week. Yet, how many of us are doing just that?

A 2009 study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise illustrated a progressively higher risk of mortality directly associated with higher amounts of “sitting time”.  If you’re not that mobile, it’s crucial to work a few easy routines into your day.  Following are some suggestions.

• Six 5-minute walks a day. A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirmed that simply walking at a 4-mph pace for 150 minutes each week led to modest weight loss and, more importantly, the ability to maintain a healthy weight over time.
• 5 Stretches Every Hour. To avoid the pains from sitting that can become an excuse for not exercising, hold a series of standard stretches for 15 seconds. A study from Ergonomics says that doing so helps relieve discomfort.
• Lift During Lunchtime. You’re more likely to use the gym if it’s near work, and noon is physiologically one of the best times to exercise. Eat fruit for energy a few minutes before going, then bust through a half-hour workout. Afterward, relax and eat a healthy lunch at your desk.

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While not usually aerobic, the activities below offer numerous health benefits and are enjoyable ways to get and stay in shape. All are offered at many YMCAs, community or recreation centers, and gyms.

1. Yoga is a system of physical postures, stretching, and breathing techniques that can improve flexibility, balance, muscle strength, and relaxation. Many styles are available, ranging from slow and gentle to athletic and vigorous. A recent study found that regular yoga practice may help to minimize weight gain in middle age.
2. Tai chi is an ancient Chinese practice based on shifting body weight through a series of slow movements that flow rhythmically together into one graceful gesture. This gentle, calming practice can help to improve flexibility and balance, and it gradually builds muscle strength.
3. Pilates is a body conditioning routine that seeks to strengthen the body’s “core” (torso), usually through a series of mat exercises.Another Pilates method uses special exercise machines, available at some health clubs. The practice can strengthen and tone muscles as well as increase flexibility.

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Visceral fat is deep fat – inside your belly, where it grows around your vital organs. The more you have, the greater your chance of diabetes and heart disease.

But researchers say that people who lost weight and exercised to keep the weight off for a year kept the insides of their bellies skinny.

At the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Gary Hunter had some people train aerobically, and others do resistance with weights:

The people who aerobic and resistance trained and continued to do that gained back no visceral fat at all – zero.

Still others, who lost weight but didn’t exercise – or who stopped exercising – gained back about one third of their visceral fat

The study in the journal Obesity was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

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In the name of “public health”…

Recently, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission started pushing its program, which they call “Resale Round-up.” It’s a plan that halts the sale of any item that fails the government’s standard on lead.

Note: THE GOVERNMENT’S STANDARD.  Translate: Whatever they decide, whatever/whoever they don’t like.  Doesn’t matter if there is truly a “threat” or not.

Do you wonder what that has to do with you? If so, let me ask you this: have you ever had a garage sale, a yard sale, or donated stuff for somebody else to have one? Did the items you sell and the items you gave away meet the government’s rules about lead?

What? You don’t know? There is a 24-page book that tells you what is banned.

There is a Web site that tells you what is illegal. And, if you get caught selling something on that list, you can be fined.

“How big a fine?” you might ask. It can be up to $100,000 per infraction. They actually plan to accuse innocent people of selling “deadly” items.

As Inez Tenenbaum, the CPSC chairman says, “Those who resell recalled children’s products are not only breaking the law, they are putting children’s lives at risk.”

Furthermore, this is going to hurt the time-honored charitable resale stores such as Salvation Army and Bethesda that, left to their own devices, helps communities nationwide:

“CPSC is partnering with the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops (NARTS), the Salvation Army, state agencies, and others to alert re-sellers about recalled products, product hazards including cribs that do not meet current safety standards, drawstrings in children’s clothing, and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).”

These stores help thousands of people make ends meet. They’ve been around forever and why? Because of the goodness and generosity of your neighbors.   Many people enjoy garage sales in their free time…another time-honored tradition in America under “surveillance”.

Now goodness and generosity could be considered a crime.  Churches doing their own rummage sales for profit could be under attack or subject to fines.  Some ‘hope’.  Some ‘change’.

Spread the word…and tell your legislator what you think of this, too if you think it’s going a bit too far.  We seriously wonder if anyone has ever been physically made ill or hurt by something they bought at a garage sale or from a charitable organization.

References:
Handbook for Resale Stores and Product Re-sellers
Resale Roundup 2009: Top Ten list of Recalled Children’s Products

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What You Can Do to Protect Yourself and Your Family Against Flu Strains this Season

Educate yourself about influenza strains, vaccination risks, and the public health laws in your state that may require you or your children to undergo either mandatory vaccination or quarantine.

Take care of your health to reduce or eliminate your risk of contracting the flu. The key is to keep your immune system strong by following these guidelines:

1. Eliminate sugar and processed foods from your diet. Sugar consumption has an immediate, debilitating effect on your immune system.
2. Take a high quality source of animal-based omega 3 fats like Krill Oil.
3. Exercise. Your immune system needs good circulation in order to perform at its best for you.
4. Optimize your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D deficiency is the likely cause of seasonal flu viruses.
5. Getting an optimal level of vitamin D will help you fight infections of all kinds.
6. Get plenty of good quality sleep.
7. Deal with stress effectively. If you feel overwhelmed by stress, your body will not have the reserves it needs to fight infection.
8. Wash your hands. But not necessarily with an antibacterial soap. Using a pure, chemical-free soap is just as protective.

Be safe, be healthy!

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Women of childbearing age have been urged to take folic acid supplements, even if they are not planning a family.

Research suggests up to 75% of cases of Spina Bifida could be prevented if a woman takes folic acid three months before conception, and during pregnancy.

Children born with spina bifida are often paralysed from the waist down and can suffer lifelong spinal cord, bowel and bladder problems. Some children also have brain damage.

Source:  Experts urge wider folic acid use

For more information on Spina Bifida, visit the Spina Bifida Association.

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New report, August 15, 2009:  Swine flu jab link to killer nerve disease: Leaked letter reveals concern of neurologists over 25 deaths in America.

The closer we get to the government wanting to offer a vaccine in time for the school season, the more concerns seem to be surfacing. A recent article raises some very alarming concerns.

A warning that the new swine flu jab is linked to a deadly nerve disease has been sent by the Government to senior neurologists in a confidential letter.

Concerns have already been raised that the new vaccine has not been sufficiently tested and that the effects, especially on children, are unknown.
…the possibility of an increased incidence of GBS remains a concern.

Shadow health spokesman Mike Penning said last night: ‘The last thing we want is secret letters handed around experts within the NHS. We need a vaccine but we also need to know about potential risks.

‘Our job is to make sure that the public knows what’s going on. Why is the Government not being open about this? It’s also very worrying if GPs, who will be administering the vaccine, aren’t being warned.’

GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, leaving them unable to transmit signals to muscles effectively.

It can cause partial paralysis and mostly affects the hands and feet. In serious cases, patients need to be kept on a ventilator, but it can be fatal.

Death is caused by paralysis of the respiratory system, causing the victim to suffocate. It is not known exactly what causes GBS and research on the subject has been inconclusive.

However, it is thought that one in a million people who have a seasonal flu vaccination could be at risk and it has also been linked to people recovering from a bout of flu of any sort.
Dr Richard Halvorsen, author of The Truth About Vaccines, said: ‘  …in most cases this is a mild virus which needs a few days in bed. I’d question why we need a vaccine at all.’

Looks like we’d all be far better of avoiding this “vaccine”.

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Why haven’t you become more active? It is difficult for many of us to defend ourselves when we know we should be exercising more.

Print out our little “self-evaluation” to help you pinpoint, and hopefully correct, your reasons for not applying more activity into your lifestyle. This is meant to help — not criticize! And do be honest with yourself — it won’t help you if you are not.

Follow this link for your free do-it-yourself  ”analyzation!”

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A lot of children and teens take vitamin and mineral supplements. National survey data indicate about one third of people between 2 and 17 years used supplements in a given month.

Researcher Ulfat Shaikh of UC Davis Children’s Hospital says some of the kids might need them. For instance, kids who don’t get enough dairy, or who face hunger because their families can’t provide adequate food consistently, might benefit.
 
The study in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

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