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Weight Loss Exercise

New York Big Gulp Ban Overturned



I just saw breaking news that the American Beverage Association was successful in having the New York ban on large sugary drinks overturned. Apparently the judge in the trial found that the mayor of New York was overstepping his boundary and that the ban was arbitrary and capricious.

Why Ban Large Soft Drinks?

Well I like a sugary soda as much as the next guy but overturning this shows that the American Beverage Association cares less about the health of it’s customers than it does about some small profits from giant drinks.New York Big Gulp Ban Overturned

I am sure that everyone recognizes that something as big as a Super Big Gulp can not be good for anyone and in writing about this in the past I have found that most people would agree. Every now and then there is someone saying that they drink a couple of the really big bottles of pop a day (2 liter bottles here in Canada) and that there is no problem.

Yes there is a problem.

Our bodies are not meant for that much sugar at one time. Especially since the north american population in much more sedentary than it has ever been in the past. That much sugar, let alone all the other chemicals is not only going to make you unhealthy but also lead to Diabetes and obesity. There is no reason that anyone needs that kind of drink and I agree with Mayor Bloomberg this kind of drink should be banned.

I know that people will come back and comment below that it is anyones right to do whatever they want and that the state can not lrgislate what we can and can’t drink but this is also a very wrong premise. As people get fatter and fatter they get sicker and sicker and this only causes more stresses on society and the health care system that needs to look after them.

We all know people that left to their own devices will hurt themselves and this is an example of just nudging the giant soft drink away from the person that will be harmed by it. I hope the law is rewritten to get the ban back and I also hope that the American Beverage Association will be shamed into turning away from trying to stop these kinds of laws that will only help their customers.

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Weight Loss Exercise

Where did my emotions go?



This is only a little bit about fitness and health, maybe not much. I have had a crazy last few months and I am not sure where it all leads but one thing that I have really noticed over the last few months is that I seem to have been repressing lots of feelings and have pushed down my emotions.

I know that this is likely unhealthy

I think this really started a couple or three years ago when I started struggling with panic attacks and with the help of a bit of Luvox I was able to crawl out of the fear and panic. Whew, snuck by that one…

Then we buy a house in the suburbs, and I am set. A wife, two kids, a minivan, a dog and cat and the Canadian dream apparently.

My sick kid comes next

I have written a bit about my daughter with her kidney disease. When we first found out about the kidney disease we didn’t know anything about the journey ahead of us but the whole family fell apart in fear, uncertainty, and doubt. When this happened I knew I had to stay strong and so I took emotions out of the picture and I worked toward making sure I would be able to do whatever needed to give my daughter a kidney.

Over the last year we seem to also be hitting all sorts of terrible money issues, regular family issues, and even a boy down the street getting cancer. I know that this does not all seem to be abnormal, we all have stresses in our lives and problems but yesterday I realized this might now be a problem.

Uh oh, Maybe I have a problem…

Where did my emotions go?So a couple weeks ago I met with the transplant doctor and he approved me for transplanting a kidney to my daughter as soon as her kidney level drops to 15% (probably in a few months) and he also found a spot on my lung in an xray that he suspects is not cancerous and is sending me for another chest xray in 4 months. Trouble is that I was not as excited as I should be about the kidney, and not at all worried about the spot on my lung.

That can’t be a good reaction.

And then yesterday the little boy down the street died of his cancer and although I feel terrible for his family and there was a lot of tears shed in my house, none were mine.

I am watching Biggest Loser tonight with my wife and daughter and they noticed that the guy on the Blue team, David, was really repressing his feelings and feeling like he was responsible for everyone around him instead of letting others help. My wife and daughter looked at me and said, hey just like you!

So here I am as a writer of a super popular fitness and health blog and I still don’t have it all together. This may or may not be a cry for help but I am betting that I am not the only one around that has these feelings.

So guys, help a guy out. I may seem to have it all together but how do I get my feelings back? How do I let go of control?

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Weight Loss Exercise

Eliminate Pain with these 3 Keys to Promoting Joint Health




As people grow older, they frequently complain that they have problems with joint pain, hip pain, back pain, neck pain, and other types of pain. They then go on to blame their pain solely on the fact that they are getting older. Sure their body may have been through a lot, but that does not mean that the pain cannot be prevented or fixed.

To fix anything in life, you just have to take the right steps.

Exercise for Joint Health

You know your body needs physical activity on a regular basis. You do not have to go climb a mountain or run an ultra-marathon, you just have to do things that challenge your current fitness abilities.

Exercise is important for maintaining a healthy body weight, keeping muscle tissue strong, and also for promoting joint health. When you exercise, the bones in your joints and the muscles around your joints are strengthened.  It is important to have strong muscles surrounding your joints because they help support the joint. If the muscles are weak, unnecessary stress is placed on the joints. This can cause pain and increase the risk of injury.

Mobility Work to Eliminate Pain

Your mobility is basically how well your joints and soft tissues are able to move.

Every day, your body endures a variety of stresses and strains. Over time little things add up, causing soft tissue and joint restrictions. When your joints and soft tissues are not healthy, they are not able to move fluidly through a normal range of motion, causing pain and discomfort.

The pain and problems associated with these restrictions can be avoided and corrected. You just need to practice moving your body through the motions.

Here are two things you can do to improve your mobility

Stretching: Both static and dynamic stretching are beneficial to the soft tissues in your hip. If you need a stretch to try for your hips, get in to a full squat position.

Here’s how to do a full squat:

  • Stand up straight.
  • Place your heels so that they are positioned below your shoulders.
  • Slowly push your hips down and back, like you are going to sit in a chair (focus on dropping your hips and your knees will automatically bend).
  • As you squat down, you will need to lean your torso forward in order to keep your center of gravity over your feet.
  • Go down until you reach the end of your range of motion and hold that position for a little while.

Squat Tips:

  • Keep your chest up and put your arms in front for balance.
  • When you go to stand up, push your hips back so you do not place unnecessary stress on your knees.

Rotational exercises: These exercises are particularly helpful if you have hip joint pain. They can be used to move each of your joints and their supporting tissues through their complete range of motion. Here is another one you can try for your hips…

 Front to Back Leg Swing:

  • Stand up straight.
  • Lift one foot off of the ground and balance on one foot.
  • Swing the leg that is not in contact with the floor back behind yourself, then swing it in front of yourself.
  • Repeat this motion several times, and then switch legs.

Leg Swing Tips:

  • Use your arms to balance, and hold onto something if you need to.

Eat Properly

Food is essentially a drug.  Due to this simple fact, you can either use food to help yourself or to hurt yourself.  When it comes to keeping your joints functioning well, it is important that you eat foods that contain fatty acids and anti-oxidants. Both anti-oxidants and fatty acids help to reduce inflammation. When you reduce inflammation, you also speed up the healing process which will help relieve joint pain.

In addition to eating foods that help reduce inflammation, you should also eat in a way that helps prevent inflammation in the first place. I am taking about eating to control your body weight. Maintaining a healthy body weight ensures that additional stresses are not placed on your joints. In the long run, this will help reduce the wear and tear caused by daily activities.

Bonus: Drink lots of Water

Other benefits of water have been stated before here on Fitness Tips for Life, here is another one to add to the collection. Drinking lots of water promotes joint health be ensuring that the muscle tissue around your joints have the proper fluids to function smoothly. It also helps the cartilage in your joints to perform optimally.

 

About the Author:

Dave is a trainer who focuses on sustainable methods of training. He maintains a personal website about hip pain, which can be found here.

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