Asafa Powell World Record

Powell ready for 2007 debut - Takac Memorial Preview

The focus of the athletics world turns to Belgrade on Tuesday where 2006 World Athlete of the Year Asafa Powell will finally be making his eagerly-anticipated 2007 debut at the Artur Takac Memorial in the Serbian capital.

“I'm very excited because this is my first race but I can't tell you precisely what I would expect to run,” Powell said. “I guess everyone is eagerly waiting to see what Asafa Powell can give them. I'm aiming to see what I can offer them.”

Powell ‘planning’ a sub-10
Sidelined by tendonitis of the knee in April, the 100m World record holder was forced to postpone appearances at the Mt. Sac and Penn Relays in April, and the Jamaican International in Kingston earlier this month.
“I'm planning to go under 10 seconds, I don't know how fast, but I would love to do it - even 9.99 seconds will do.”


Last year Powell twice equalled the 9.77 World record he first set in Athens in 2005, produced a single season record 12 sub-10 second clockings, and won 16 straight finals before ending his season in somewhat undramatic fashion with a false start disqualification in Yokohama two weeks after winning the World Athletics Final.

“I was injured for a couple of weeks but I've now recovered from the tendonitis. My coach has a plan which I have to work with and that's why I am here.” His coach, Stephen Francis, wanted Powell to contest a 100m race prior to his upcoming appearance in the 200m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on 10 June.

His primary challenge in the Serbian capital will likely come from a man who made the trip from Jamaica with him, notably Michael Frater, the 2005 World Championships silver medallist.

Also in the field is Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles, who took a dominating victory at the Penn Relays last month in 10.09 and more recently, the winner in Hengelo in 10.14.
Briton Jason Gardener will make his first start solo start since claiming his fourth European indoor 60m title in March, as will Slovenia’s Matic Osovnikar, last year’s surprise bronze medallist at the European Championships in Gothenburg.
100m debut for Simpson, comeback for Lalova


The women’s 100m features another anticipated debut, that of Sherone Simpson, last season’s top sprinter. The 22-year-old made a big splash in 2006, winning 12 of her 14 starts in 100, while producing the world’s quickest times of the year in both dashes with 10.82 and 22.00 career bests. The Jamaican will bring a nine-race unbeaten streak to Belgrade.
The race also features the comeback of Bulgarian Ivet Lalova, who will be making her first 100m start since breaking her leg in a freak accident during a warm-up in June 2005. Just prior to her injury, Lalova, who stunned the athletics world with her 10.77 performance in 2004, won the 100 in Ostrava in an impressive 11.03 in cold and rainy conditions at Ostrava’s Golden Spike.
Perrenial Bahamian speedster Chandra Sturrup is also in the field, along with Americans Stephanie Durst and Miki Barber.


Solid fields throughout the programme
Organisers of the meeting, this year celebrating its second edition, have pieced together solid fields to commemorate the life of Artur Takac, an Honorary IAAF Life Member, who played a pivotal role in the development of the sport in Europe and the world after World War II.
The men’s 400 field is lead by Angelo Taylor, the 2000 Olympic 400m Hurdles champion who has forged a strong comeback trail this spring. Unbeaten in six races thus far this season, he recently lowered his career best on the flat 400 to 44.35. 2004 Olympic silver medallist Otis Harris is also in the field, hoping to recapture some of the form that helped produce the U.S. podium sweep in Athens.


World leader Wilfred Bungei leads the 800, a few days after his defeat in Hengelo at the hands of Ugandan teenager Abraham Chepkirwok. William Yiampoy and Alfred Kirwa Yego, along with defending Belgrade champion Kevin Hicks round out a notable field. Kenyans look to dominate the 5000, with Shadrack Kosgei (13:01.12), Bernard Kiplagat (13:09.14) and Mark Kiptoo (13:10.45) leading the charge.

Americans Robby Hughes and Aubrey Herring lead the field in the110m Hurdles while four men with career bests of 2.32 or higher will compete in the High Jump: Russians Pavel Fomenko, Alexei Dmitrik and Vyacheslav Voronin, and Briton Germaine Mason.
The Shot Put features Ukraine’s Olympic Champion Yuriy Bilonog while the Javelin Throw field is topped by 2004 Olympic silver medallist.

On the women’s side of the programme, Slovenia’s Olympic bronze medallist Jolanda Ceplak, also the World indoor record holder, tops the field in the 800. Serbian Sonja Stolic will face strong opposition in the 1500m, where she’ll face Briton Helen Clitheroe, Kenyans Viloa Kibiwott and Irene Jelagat.
The 100m Hurdles could be a face-off between American Danielle Carruthers and Angela Whyte of Canada, while American Becky Breisch and Yelena Antonova lead the field in the Discus Throw.

Tribute to a sporting legend
Takac, who had a long and distinguished career with the IOC, IAAF and EAA, went missing at the end of January 2004 during a family ski holiday in Kopaonik, the highest mountain in central Serbia. Although 86, he had been an expert ski enthusiast all his life, but in bad weather conditions, after riding a ski lift to the 2000m summit of Kopaonik, failed to return.
His body was not found until June of the following year, and in July of 2005, he was given a VIP funeral in Belgrade attended by friends from several international and Serbian sporting organisations he had served with distinction.
Live internet broadcast

Sprint Training for the Developing Athlete

This article is designed for younger athletes who have done little training. It contains the main points of a long term approach.

It is initially much more important to improve balance, posture and stability of the trunk than it is to improve leg or arm strength.

Sprinters should develop overall fitness in a way that does not involve jogging. They should however be able to jog for a long distance without a problem. Overall fitness can be acquired through dance, medicine balls, skipping etc. A variety is best. Progressive circuit training is great.

Improving the ability to have the type of speed that comes with little effort is the goal. Athletes need to always practise relaxing when running. The is a skill that must be practised from a young age. Racing can often be a time of practising the bad habit of trying too hard especially in the very young. The ability to run fast and have it look easy is of the highest importance. The quality of an athlete that can have very fast steps is the first thing that needs to be developed from a young age.

Sprinters should not be instructed to run on their toes or to pump their arms high.
- It is better to develop a foot that is moving backward before impact and a foot carriage that is as close as possible to the shin (Dorsiflexion). - Arms should be held with relaxed fingers and the main focus of effort should be a backward stroke. They should also not move very far forward from the body.

Maximum speed is the most important quality to develop on a regular basis. This should be done with maximum speed experiences over short distances. Flying start 20-30m runs or standing start runs over 30-40-50 or 60m. The athlete should perform these runs at maximum relaxed speed in sets of 3 with rests between of 3-5min where they stay active and between sets they should do other balance or trunk activities for maybe 10-15min. A maximum amount may be 3 sets of 3 runs over 60m. A good amount to do regularly (ie. 2-3 times/week) would be 2 sets of 3 runs over 40-50m. The athlete should never do more once they are getting slower within the session. If the times over 60m are 8.30, 8.20, 8.25, 8.30, 8.60, 8.80, 9.00. Then they should have ended the session after the first obviosly slower run in the session and in the example that was the 8.60. Initially runners may be slowing after even the first run, but with training they may be able to 9 runs at the same speed.

The ability to develop the endurance to finish off a 100m or 200m race is best developed in races. Training at slower speeds to improve performance in these events is mostly of a little positive effect. Endurance is best developed while running at race speed If the athlete is really lacking in speed endurance at the end of these races they could do sessions like below:
- 2x3 x flying start 60m runs at high speed with rests of only 90s
- 4 x flying 100m very fast rests 3min

The 400m event needs special training at the slower 400m race speed. The ability to relax and use little energy is important at race pace.
Some sessions to improve performance in the 400m are:
- 10 x flying 100m at 400m race pace rests 3min
- 4 x 200m at 400m pace rests 5min
- 2 x 300 at 400m race pace rest 15min
- 400m athletes should also do more endurance training and can get by with more jogging especially in the off season. Maximum speed training is also of high importance.

It is important to have good foot function and for this reason it is useful for athletes to spend as much time as possible barefoot. Walking on sand is very good. Training should be conducted in very light simple shoes. Racing flats from the Runners Shop are much better than joggers for training in.

In cold weather athletes must warm-up carefully and keep warm. Tights are great for training in as they maintain warmth during the frequent recoveries.

Training to improve muscle elasticity is very useful in all athletes. Games like fly, hop-scotch, skipping short distances, leap frog and playful hopping and bouncing around are all great stimulation to the elastic qualities of muscle. Combining sensible amounts of these activities with balance challenging activites and relaxed movement practise would be ideal especially for very young athletes.

Any strength training should be restricted to the trunk until the athlete has optimal development of their posture and good levels of stability. Strength training is much more effective after this is developed anyway.

Young athletes lose flexibility as they grow and their bodies will naturally try to cheat to find ways to move to make up for the deficiency. Small amounts of perfect practise are better at decreasing the development of bad habits. Large amounts of high effort training during stages of decreased flexibillity and poor posture will result in the athlete learning a bad running style that will be more difficult to correct. Athletes need to have a smart stretching program designed persoannly for them during periods after faster growth. They need to be taught good posture and given feedback on what is good and bad posture when sitting, standing, walking and running.

Tae Bo Cardio

Model Fitness: Exercise band workout with Kim Strother

Top 10 Speed Training Myths

1. Static stretching prepares you to compete/practice. Static stretching actually reduces power output. Athletes should prepare for practice by doing a dynamic warm up that moves from basic, low intensity movements to faster, more explosive movements as the muscles loosen up. You want to simulate movements that athletes will go through in practice or a game. What happens when you try and stretch a cold rubber band? In a way, you can think about your muscles the same way.

2. Strength training makes females too bulky. This is a popular mindset with many female athletes that we have worked with. Simply look at some elite female athletes like Mia Hamm, Lisa Leslie, etc. These athletes certainly train with weights and no one would accuse them of having manly physiques. Strength training will improve performance and reduce injury if done correctly.

3. You can’t train speed. For some reason it is a popular belief that you are born with a certain amount of ‘speed’ and you can’t improve it. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Most young athletes are so physically weak and mechanically out of tune that significant improvements in speed can be made often just by working on technique and form. Athletes at any age and any level can improve speed when implementing a complete speed training program designed to improve and develop the entire athlete.

4. Training slow makes you fast. I don’t think coaches directly think this way, but their training implies otherwise. This is especially true in sports that involve a higher aerobic element such as soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, etc. I see kids out running mileage and doing long slow intervals of several minutes of continuous running. And this will get them in shape. But in games I see kids jogging, jogging and then sprinting at full speed for 20-30 yards, run, jog, sprint for 20-30 yards. If you want kids to improve their acceleration and top speed so they can get to the ball faster or get back on defense, then you have to train by running at full speed in practice.

5. You can train hard every day. The workout itself is only a piece of the training puzzle. It is the time between intense workouts, the recovery, where athletes make their improvements. And generally it takes 36-48 hours to recover from high intensity training. If athletes are doing too much, too often they become over trained. Coaches can expect to see an increase in injuries, kids complaining that they are sore more often, decreased performance, higher levels of fatigue earlier in games. It’s always better to under train an athlete than over train. Err on the side of caution to get maximal results.

6. Strength training will stunt a young athlete’s growth. This is another myth held over from a different time. On a daily basis, kids as young as 7 years old are playing organized sports year round, tackling, getting tackled, sliding, falling etc.. These loads on the body can have a much greater physical impact than a well designed strength training program. Though we don’t usually begin training with weights with pre pubescent athletes, they can benefit from body weight exercises such as push ups, lunges, sit ups, etc. This will increase muscular efficiency, speed up recovery, improve coordination and overall speed.

7. The harder the workout, the better the result. Some athletes (and coaches) have this mentality that if a workout doesn’t reduce them to complete exhaustion and/or make them vomit, that it wasn’t an effective workout. I can tell you that those who have this mentality probably see a lot of injuries and frustrating performances. The purpose of a workout is to stimulate an adaptation by the body. If the body is forced to do too much work in a given time period, it will break down. The skill in coaching is to stimulate the adaptation in the body, without reaching a point of diminishing returns.

8. Interval training is the same as speed training. Running repeat 100s, 200s, etc will not improve top speeds. Even running repeat 40s with short recovery will not improve acceleration and top speeds. Speed work is defined at 2-8 seconds of maximal intensity running with full recovery. That means at least 2 minutes of light dynamic movement between each effort. This goes against the experience of some coaches, but simply put, is the only way to improve speed. An athlete must be able to focus on proper form and maintain intensity in order to get faster. If they do not recover properly from each interval, they will not be able to replicate proper mechanics with consistency and they can not improve.

9. Flexibility won’t help you get faster. Both coaches and athletes spend so much time on the skills of their sport, speed training and conditioning that they often forget a fundamental component of success: flexibility. After practice or a game, the muscles are warm and loose. Now is the time to work on increasing flexibility. So many athletes suffer injuries or compete below their capacity because poor flexibility inhibits their range of motion and speed. We see this often in the hips and hip flexors where athletes’ stride length appears conspicuously short. Most often we see this in male athletes who will lift weights, train hard and then skip out on their cool down and flexibility work.

10. Lift your knees. I hear so many parents and coaches yelling to their kids when they want them to run faster or when they are beginning to fatigue, “Lift your knees, Get your knees up”. This is one of the most backwards cues we can give to athletes. The way to run faster is to apply more force to the ground. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so the more force you apply to the ground, the more the ground will give back. So when we cue athletes to lift their knees we’re doing two things incorrectly.

One, we’re telling them to use their hip flexors to lift instead of their glutes and hamstrings to drive down. Just think about the size of your hip flexor versus the size of the glutes and hamstrings. Now which muscles do you think can create more force and therefore more speed?

Second, we’re cueing them to do learn a movement that is in opposition to what generates speed. If an athlete learns at age 7, to lift their knees when they need a burst of speed, that improper cue will be hardwired into their brain. To unlearn that as a teen and try to do the opposite and drive down, that athlete will have a difficult time coordinating an entirely new way of running and will potentially have to take a step or two backwards. That’s why it is critical to learn proper form early and get an advantage over those who still aren’t getting the best instruction. So cue athletes to step over the opposite knee and drive the foot down into the ground, with the foot landing underneath the hip.

Speed Training: Arm Action

The arms play a significant, yet overlooked, role in sprinting and speed development. Without specifically and regularly addressing proper arm mechanics within your speed training program, full speed potential will not be realized. Today we will address this issue so that we can continue to make improvements on the athletic field.

The role of the arms is to stabilize the torso so that power can continue to be efficiently transferred through the hips. It is this ability to transfer power effectively through the center of mass that not only improves rate of acceleration, but also facilitates reaching maximum velocity, maintaining those top speeds and reducing the rate of deceleration.

So, as you can see, the arms both directly and indirectly influence the ability to run fast.

Now let's get into the specifics of improving our arm action.

When running, it's very important to keep your hands relaxed. Think about holding a potato chip in each hand. No matter how hard you run, no matter how tired you get, you can't clench your hands so that the potato chip breaks. This is a good way of thinking about howloose your hands should be at all times when running. When you start to clench your fists tightly, that tightness spreads like through your forearms, biceps, shoulders, neck and face. Once you tighten up and lose range of motion in your arms, it reduces stride length, which is difficult to get back without burning a lot of energy.

While sprinting, it is important to get a full range of motion with the arms. Remember, speed is a product of stride length and stride frequency. Stride length and frequency are determined, in part, by the motion of the arms. If you are lazy or passive with your arm action, you are limiting your potential for speed.

Your front arm angle should be between 60-90 degrees at the elbow and your back arm should be between 90-120 degrees, also at the elbow. If your arm angles fall outside of this range, your running mechanics will be negatively affected. In short, you'll run slower and get tired faster. When running, arm swing should be initiated at and through the shoulders. You should think of your elbow as being locked in place.

Elbow angle should only change slightly, as a result of elastic response. Range of motion with the arms should generally be hip to cheek. That is, the hand clears the hip in the back and comes up to about cheek height in front. Much more than that, in either direction, will result in over striding which, as mentioned before, will cause breaking and can lead to strains, pulls and tears in the muscle. When running, emphasis should be placed on driving the elbows down and back.

When runners fire their arms straight back, without first driving them down, it often leads to bunched up shoulders, which causes tightness and limits range of motion. It is important to focus on driving the arms back as they are recovered elastically by the stretch of muscles in the shoulder. So, don't drive your arms up and forward because stretch reflex is going to bring them forward anyway.

Another aspect of arm action is to avoid lateral deviation beyond the saggital plane. What this means is that your arms, when they are brought in front of you, should never cross the midline of your body. Your right arm should stay on the right half of your body and your left arm should stay on the left side.

When you move your arms laterally, across the midline of your body, you rotate your hips which basically burns much needed energy and makes you run slower and get tired faster, all for no reason other than laziness and lack of concentration. Remember, you compete like you practice, so if you don't correct technical issues in practice, you can't expect them to be fixed in competition. Sample exercise This drill can be practiced either in a group setting, or alone be standing in front of mirror.

Stand with the feet between hip and shoulder width apart. Bring your weight forward onto the balls of the feet. You should be far enough forward that your heels are slightly off the ground, but not so far forward that your toes curl to maintain balance. It is this slight, 2- 4 degree lean, that is ideal for simulating sprinting.

Start with one arm forward, 90 degrees at the elbow and one arm back, also 90 degrees at the elbow. Perform this drill following the guidelines presented in this article.

Arm action at 50% intensity 2 sets of 30 seconds 15 second rest between sets

Arm action at 80% intensity 2 sets of 20 seconds 20 seconds rest between sets

Arm action at 100% intensity 4-5 sets of 10 seconds 25-30 seconds rest between sets

Heart Disease

What is a heart disease

Heart is the most significant organ of the body. It controls and regulates the entire body. An individual can survive the loss of other organs of body but not of a heart. The moment heart ceases pumping blood to the body, it results in a heart stroke and there are chances that the person may die.

But people are often negligent in taking care of this undeniably crucial organ of their body. This is made evident by the studies that reveal the escalating deaths due to cardiac arrests every year. It is not just the elderly who are gripped by cardiac seizures due to their age, which implicates a declining health but also young children, and even infants who are inflicted by heart ailments.

The most deadly disease in the United States today is heart disease. This sometimes silent killer will eventually cause two out of every five Americans to die. The symptoms of heart disease can vary, as can their severity. However, it is important to catch this disease in its early stages if treatment is to be successful.

Although the rate of death due to heart disease is high, it has been decreasing slowly since the 1960s. One study estimates that the rate has decreased by about 40 percent since 1960. This is good news for the thousands of Americans heart disease affects each year. Although these are still startling statistics, improvements in medical care and developments in technology are slowly reducing the toll that heart disease takes.

Heart disease is a blanket term for the different types of illnesses that can affect the heart Below is a sampling of the different types of disease one may suffer when diagnosed with heart disease:

Coronary Artery Disease is one of the most prevalent types of heart disease. Coronary artery disease results from blockages in blood flow to the coronary arteries, which are the main sources of oxygen to the heart muscle. This can also result from a hardening of the arteries, which is also called atherosclerosis. Coronary artery disease can lead to episodes of angina, heart attack, or even death.

Heart Failure can be the result of coronary artery disease. However, it can also result from a number of other factors including high blood pressure and various other diseases. Heart failure simply means that the heart does not work as well in pumping out vital blood to other parts of the body.

Pericardial Disease is a disease of the pericardium, which is the sac that surrounds the heart. This can be caused by a viral infection, other disease, or may result as a complication after heart surgery.

Congenital Heart Disease is a disease resulting from the malformation of the heart during prenatal development and can result in a number of serious complications.

There are a number of other diseases that can affect the heart. Because heart disease impacts so many Americans, it is useful to be aware of all of them.

Hip Hop Abs Fitness, Nutrition, Diet, Weight Loss

Denise Austin- The Best Fitness Camel Toe

Quit smoking

Method of Smoking

Cigarette

A cigarette is a tobacco product manufactured out of cured and finely cut tobacco leaves, which are rolled or stuffed into a paper-wrapped cylinder (generally less than 120 mm in length and 10 mm in diameter). The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder for the purpose of inhalation of its smoke from the other (usually filtered) end, which is inserted in the mouth. They are sometimes smoked with a cigarette holder. (See also Bidi).

Cigar
A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco, one end of which is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the smoker's mouth through the other end.

The word cigar is from the Spanish word cigarro, which the Oxford English Dictionary suggests is a variation on cigarra, Spanish for "cicada," due to its shape, especially that of what is now called the perfecto. Other sources have indicated that it may be derived from the Mayan word sikar, "tobacco.

Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in such nations as Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua and the United States of America. Cigars manufactured in Cuba have historically been considered to be without peer, although many experts believe that the best offerings from Honduras and Nicaragua rival those from Cuba. The Cuban reputation arises from both the unique characteristics of the Vuelta Abajo region in the Pinar del Río Province at the west of the island, where a microclimate allows for high-quality tobacco to be grown, and the skill of the Cuban cigar makers.

Smoking pipe

A smoking pipe is a device used for smoking combustible substances such as tobacco or cannabis. The smoking pipe typically consists of a small chamber (the bowl) for the combustion of the substance to be smoked and a thin stem (shank) that ends in a mouthpiece (also called a bit).

Pipes are made from a variety of materials, the most common being (in order of use[citation needed]): briar, corncob, meerschaum, African block meerschaum, clay, cherry, wood, glass, gourd, bamboo (as in the Japanese Kiseru), and various other materials, such as morta and metal. Many pipes are carved with a great deal of artistry

Tobaccos used for smoing pipes are often treated and blended to achieve flavour nuances not available in other tobacco products. Many of these are blends using staple ingredients of variously cured Burley and Virginia tobaccos which are enhanced by spice tobaccos, among them many Oriental or Balkan varietals, Latakia (a fire-cured spice tobacco of Cypriot or Syrian origin), Perique (uniquely grown in St. James Parish, Louisiana) or blends of Virginia and Burley tobaccos of African, Indian, or South American origins. Traditionally, many U.S. blends are made of American Burley with sweeteners and flavorings added to create an "aromatic" flavor, whereas "English" blends are based on natural Virginia tobaccos enhanced with Oriental and other natural tobaccos. There is a growing tendency towards "natural" tobaccos which derive their aromas from artful blending with selected spice tobaccos only and careful, often historically-based, curing processes.

Pipes can range from the very simple machine-made briar pipe to highly-prized handmade and artful implements created by renowned pipemakers which can be very expensive collector's items.

Many find that the enjoyment of smoking pipe tobacco is greatly increased by the wearing of specific, and preferably matching, smoking attire (see slippers, dressing gowns, smoking cap and smoking jacket.

Hookah

A hookah is a traditional Middle Eastern or South Asian device for smoking, which operates by water-filtration and indirect heat. It can be used for smoking many substances, such as tobacco, and herbal fruits. Hookah smoking is most popular in the Middle East, but is currently gaining popularity in other parts of the wor.

Hookah smoking is considered to be safer than other forms of smoking due to water-filtration. However, the water does not filter out many of the toxins, and several negative health effects were still linked to hookah smoking. One study found Hookah smoke to be both clastogenic and genotoxic for human beings. Another study showed that the CO hazard is as high with hookah smoking as with cigarette smoking. In addition to the cancer risk, there is some risk of infectious disease resulting from pipe sharing, and other harm caused by any addition of alcohol or psychoactive drugs to the tobacco.

Anti Aging Diet

Anti Aging Diet - The Quest for the Elixir of Youth

For ages man has been trying to defy Father Time and Mother Nature. Eternal youth is a myth but you can definitely defy old age with anti aging diet. And contrary to popular myth, anti aging diet does not translate into starving yourself.

A strict adherence to any anti aging diet not only delays aging, but also prevents a large number of diseases and the ensuing stress and fatality. Such a diet plan is guaranteed to make you look younger and stay healthy too.

Anti aging diet is actually a form of calorie restriction. However, it is fundamentally different from the numerous fad diets that are featured in the newspaper daily. In this diet program, you eat less overall and keep a tab on the amount of fats and carbohydrates you are consuming.

How you keep a check on the calories is up to your convenience. You can skip your lunch, or gorge on all kinds of foods for a few days and then go hungry the other days of the week or you can limit your food intake on all days of the week.

The anti aging diet plan maintains a fine line between consuming less and being starved. That means you do not compromise on the essential nutrients by having more of anti aging food like fruits, vegetables and fishes.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, except avocadoes, coconuts and olives, are storehouses of essential vitamins and minerals. They are low on calories and devoid of fat, cholesterol and sodium, the culprits behind coronary diseases, diabetes and hypertension

The anti aging diet program also emphasizes the intake of fruits and vegetables for they contain antioxidants in large measures. Antioxidants induce longevity by countering free oxygen radicals, which erode cell membranes and life-nourishing proteins. Antioxidants also stem the neural degeneration that comes with senility. It is no wonder that the National Cancer Institute recommends a daily anti aging diet of five fruit-and-vegetable portions. But the more, the merrier.

You cannot banish fat entirely from your diet but the anti aging diet plan counsels that fish be the source of this fat. The omega-3 fatty acids contained therein, inhibit the growth of cancerous cells, stimulate the immune system, reduce the chances of cardiac arrest and ward off depression.

Anti aging diet has caught on like nothing else and people are already swooning over the Jennifer Anniston endorsed Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet. Both are essentially low carbohydrate diets.

While the Atkins Diet is formulated on the principle that when you are running low on carbs, the body is left with no other choice but to burn the fat, the South Beach Diet recommends complex carbs, which take time to break down so that you have less sugar cravings.

The hype surrounding anti aging diet seems justified for nothing less than your health is at stake.

Nutrition & supplement

Good nutrition is critical to a healthy lifestyle, yet there is so much information out there, most people do not have a clear understanding as to what they should and should not be eating. This article will simplify things. First off, no more will you eat three big meals during the course of the day. To optimize your metabolism and your digestive system, break the day down with five to six small and nutritious meals. We will cover what these meals should be in a second. When you clog your system with three big meals, your metabolism slows down and your digestive system cannot handle all the food. As a result, you end up with partially-digested food and, for most people, a tired and fatigued feeling.

You want to make sure you eat within one hour of waking up. In other words, do not skip breakfast! If you take away just one thing from this article, let it be that you should eat a big and nutritious meal within one hour of waking up. Furthermore, do not eat within two hours of going to bed. The last thing you want is food sitting in your stomach when your metabolism is at its slowest. Most people know which foods they should stay away from. The obvious ones include desserts, high-fat meals, candy, fast food and fried food.
In fact, most people will feel a big difference simply by staying away from these kinds of foods.

The not-so-obvious ones include:

1. Pasta (with the exception being wheat pasta)

2. Fat-free foods (because they are filled with sugar and chemicals)

3. Most frozen meals (because of all the preservatives)

4 Processed meats like fake cold cuts (because of all the preservatives and chemicals)

5. Soda and juices (because of the sugar)

6. Creamy meals (because of the fat)

Furthermore, start getting in the habit of reading the ingredients of the food you buy. If sugar is one of the first three ingredients listed, do not buy it. And if you see hydrogenated oils listed anywhere in the list of ingredients, stay far away. These kinds of fats, called Trans fats, wreck havoc on your body.

As far as what to eat, buying anything at the grocery from the following list is a straight path to better health. These foods include:

1. Fruits like bananas, berries and apples

2. Whole grains including bread and pasta

3. Oatmeal (not the microwave, sugar mix)

4. Low-fat dairy including milk and yogurt

5. Chicken, turkey and fish

6. Vegetables like spinach, squash and tomatoes

7. Olive oil and fresh garlic

8. Eggs

9. Natural peanut butter (the regular kind contains hydrogenated oils)

10. Beans and legumes

11. Almonds and other nuts 12. Water

Simply focus on staying away from the foods you should not eat and buy more of the foods listed above. You will find that the longer you make an effort to do this, the more will power you will slowly develop. Obviously sometimes you are going to slip, but this is not about perfection. Make a conscious effort to improve your eating habits and you will notice a huge difference in how you look and feel. After all, you are what you eat.

Exercise Equipment

The importance of regular exercise is obvious to everyone today. However, most people have a busy schedule into which they have to squeeze in the time for exercise. Therefore, they prefer the of use exercise equipments that helps to maximize the benefits of exercise within a limited time frame. For instance, a person who does three sets of twelve repetitions of sit-ups may benefit equally or, perhaps more from working for three to five minutes on an abdominal machine. Thus, these equipments not only help in increasing the quality of the work out, but also reduce the time required for a desired effect. This enables people to fit in more variety into their exercise plan

There are many different types of exercise equipments and each one is designed to target specific areas of the body. Exercise equipments provide intensity, resistance and support to a workout. Elliptical machines, treadmills, exercise bikes, inversion machines, leg machines, free weights, balls and back braces are some of the more popular exercise equipment.

Treadmills and exercise bikes

Treadmills and exercise bikes are primarily used for cardiovscular workouts. One drawback with the usage of either equipment is that it can easily become monotonous for the exerciser. Additionally, wind resistance is missing in both treadmills and exercise bikes

Elliptical machines

Elliptical machines are generally used for a full-body work out. Free weights are excellent for weight training. Back braces are exercise equipment used to support the back and helps with avoiding injury.

People who want to start an exercise schedule have a choice between buying the exercise equipments and joining a gym that will provide all the facilities. Affluent people prefer to set up private gyms in their homes.

Exercise equipment helps bring professionalism and a scientific pattern into a person's fitness plan. It can be fun to work out inside the home or in a gym with friends. It is important to consult a fitness expert while deciding the right equipment, as each individual's body condition and need for exercise are different.

Fitness: The Secret Keys to Anti Aging Health

Aging, is just a natural part of life. But even if you're getting older it doesn't mean you have to appear like it. By taking a few simple steps you can look and feel younger than you actually are.

One of the most effective things you can do in the battle against age is to simply lead a healthy lifestyle. anti aging health is really all about your lifestyle, what you eat, your general level of fitness, and a few other factors which will affect how well you age. Keeping up this type of lifestyle does require a degree of commitment and dedication on your part.

Healthy eating habits

A vital step in beating the effects of old age is having healthy eating habits, it's very important not to eat too much of any one food type, particularly if it contains a lot of fat or grease. Each person is different in their dietary needs, and it's very important to discover which food types that best suits you, there are several books that can help you to decide which foods will be of most benefit for your body type. As a general guide, a healthy diet of five fruits or vegetables per day, and grain along with moderate portions of meat is recommended for those want to live a more healthy life. A balance diet is one of the main factors in slowing the aging process to some measure, and the more effective and healthy your body, the less work it has to do to do to maintain halth.

Perhaps the next most important thing in anti aging health is your lifestyle. Do you smoke, how about alcohol consumption, also some eating disorders may affect the way a person ages. I am not suggesting that you need to give up everything that makes life pleasurable, but it is vitally important that if you are concerned with your health and wish to reduce the signs of aging you must have a healthy lifestyle.

Exercise

Exercise is considered by many experts to be one of the most important considerations in anti aging. Gentle Exercise taken in moderation provides the body with many benefits, for instance it stimulates the blood flow helping to clear those blocked veins and arteries,it builds healthier muscles,and increased bone stability so helping to off set the effects of osteoporosis. If you want to help reduce the effects of aging you will benefit from a regular exercise program. Set moderate objectives, trying to over do things at first is not a good idea and will probably cause more harm than good.

There are several thing to consider in the battle against aging, but if you are concerned with your age and health, these tips will be a very important help in adding a few more years to your life.

Mental Fitness

Studies show that men and women profit most with having self-confidence and by building up their psychological strength.

Self-confidence is the hallmark of great achievement for individuals from all walks of life and from all industries and many times spells the difference between success and failure.

Look around you'll easily identify people with a sincere self-confidence who impel and influence others with ease. You have witnessed people who were promoted to highly paid position while others with better training, are not.

Upon close study, you will observe that those who advance in life believe strongly in themselves and in their ability to succeed. They radiate pose and assurance and seem to have a constant access for wisdom and expanded vision. Others just naturally follow them, whereas, the person who lacks self-confidence, repels others, rather than attracts

Self-confidence

Self-confidence is the faith in one's innate abilities and talents to overcome procrastination, fears, phobias, inhibitions and adversities for taking action. Lacking self-confidence affects every aspect of your life. You may have all the skills, training and mental abilities to become successful in your career, but, if you lack self-confidence your life will be like an eight cylinder motor vehicle running on one cylinder ' struggling and sputtering to function well in all areas of your life.

Fears

Your losing a job, low sales results, having a loved one pass on, filing bankruptcy, having your car repossessed, being passed over for a position, fail an exam, being called fatty, stupid, ugly, and bad news from the doctor are just a few causes for programming a lack of self-confidence.

We come into this world with self-confidence. Look at any child's actions and reactions before they become filled with the fears, phobias, inhibitions of thoughts and adversities as adults.

Like an athlete who trains to exhaustion, every day, to prepare their bodies for having strong muscles and lungs -- must also discipline their minds for control, concentration and self-confidence. Also, just like elite athletes, in most sports, are equal in skill and physical prowess -- business people mirror each other in skills and talent leaving mental thoughts and feelings as the edge factor.

You can develop your edge factor of self-confidence and your ability to succeed through daily activities with "Mental Fitness" (call it mental gymnastics or mental workout to push beyond your own limits).

Being an elite athlete is not much different than being a pro-salesperson, manager, entrepreneur, actor, writer, musician, doctor or any other professional. Each has their own skills, education and physical abilities that are require handling the task at hand.

The biggest difference is that the elite athlete finds mental training indispensable ' and not just for performing on game day but for getting the most out of their daily workouts.

Regardless of the profession you're in, developing self-confidence can be achieved through a daily routine of "Mental Fitness". A sales person can build up their physical and psychological strength for reaching the top of their game with the same "Mental Fitness" techniques athletes' use.

Top performers in any profession and all industries face constant eadlines, communication challenges, fear of rejection, exhausting hours, work related stress, unexpected and uncontrollable conditions.

With a "Mental Fitness" program you condition your mind to respond in more relaxed, confident and productive way. You can transform complex motor procedures into automatic movements and greater mind control. You can rebound from the physical and psychic stress of personal and work related task. You can develop the ability to shut out the pain of exhaustion and learn how to tolerate the intensity of your daily routine.

Self-confidence is the solution for achieving a balance in life and higher performance in your career with less stress and "Mental Fitness" is the vehicles to arrive at self-confidence.

Commitment

Engaging in a "Mental Fitness" program requires a commitment and the desire to win in life. But just imagine changing your thinking to get anything you want and propel your life forward. There is no hocus-pocus involved in "Mental Fitness" and the ONLY tool you will need is your MIND. Sound too easy? Prepare to be amazed both by the power of your mind to shape who you can become, and by the power you have to guide it.

"Mental Fitness" is indispensable for living a life of joy, happiness and prosperity.

Here are 5 mind shaping (mental fitness) exercises you can do each and every day for having greater confidence and control with less stress in your life.
1. Write down in fine detail as to what you want to accomplish. Remember this statement when writing out your goal. "When you stop arguing for lack and limitations you will experience greater success in your life."

2. Relax yourself by assuming a position either reclining or lying down with your legs uncrossed and your arms held loosely at your side. Make sure that you will not be disturbed by turning off your radio, television, cell phones and removing any animals such as a dog or cat from the room. And, remove your shoes or any apparel that will interfere with your physical comfort in any way.

Note: Relaxation doesn't mean taking a nap or falling asleep. It means becoming deliberately relaxed in mind and body, escaping momentarily from the cares of the day, to create the receptive state necessary for autosuggestion and reprogramming your subconscious mind.

3. Using your imagination -- visualize, touch, hear, feel, and smell though your minds eye the desired outcome and new results you want to achieve. All things are first imagined in the unformed world before you can manifest its' equivalence in the formed world.

4. While in your relaxed state inwardly, silently and repeatedly use self talk that supports your imaging in your mind and act as if your have already accomplish your objective. Pretend that you are creating a motion picture of yourself and you are the director, actor, set dresser, script writer and costume designer.

5. Practice daily, just like an athlete, so that you can develop your edge factor of self-confidence and your ability to succeed.
We live in a world that can and is being transformed through human imagination; a world of mind, where at first, all things are only a concept, idea or image in the mind of a person.

Home Physical Therapy

There are many different settings where physical therapist practice their craft. These settings may include schools, hospitals, private outpatient clinics, nursing homes, and in private homes. Home care physical therapy is typically thought of for patients that are homebound, thus unable to commute to an outpatient clinic. There has been a new trend in physical therapy in which the clinic is brought to the patient. A few different models are currently being used. Some therapists have a mobile clinic in the form of an RV. These RV's are equipted with treatment tables, exercise equipment & all the typical modalities you would find in an outpatient clinic. A second model that is less expensive would be a therapist coming to the home with a portable treatment table, and other hand held modality equipment.

Benefits to treating patients in their home include

Improved compliance by not missing treatment sessions - Therapists can evaluate a patient in their REAL natural environment.- Patient's don't have to travel to a clinic thus making it more time efficient- Privacy for the patient and their family- Eliminate disruptions from other clients, phone calls etc.- Typical in home sessions are one hour, one on one with a therapist. This allows for effective treatment sessions and reduces the possibility of injury.- Following surgery, having a therapist come to the home may eliminate complications of driving a car or having to negotiate dangerous obstacles on your way to an outpatient clinic.

Is in-home physical therapy right for you? There are a few questions you must ask yourself before consideringin home physical therapy. The first is, how do you feel about initially having a stranger in your home. After the first few minutes with a therapist, you are divulging personal information regarding your medical history. The therapist will be a stranger for only the first few minutes. Secondly, are you capable of concentrating without distractions in your home.

Minimal space is required for the therapist. They need to set up a table and may require an outlet for modalities. Therapists are typically creative with space and can take advange of a small area to achieve the required room for exercise. Most equipment required for therapy is light and portable.

In my experience, patients love the convenience of in home therapy because it is one less trip they need to take. Typically, patients can have therapy sessions very early in the morning before going to work, or late in the evening following work. The whole concept is to promote convenience and patient compliance.

Insurance coverage is dependent on the therapist. Some therapists participate in network with medicare and other comercial plans while others are out of network. It is important to communicate with the therapist prior to the first visit to find out how your treatment sessions will be covered.

In-home physical therapy is not right for everyone. If you enjoy staying close to home, have a tight time schedule to keep, and enjoy exercising out of your home, then you should consider in home physical therapy.

Muscle Fitness

Many people wonder if yoga can improve their muscle fitness. They recognize that yoga can help reduce stress and increase flexibility, but when it comes to increasing muscle fitness, they think it might be a little too 'weak' to do the job. The fact is that yoga can definitely make you stronger.

A study was conducted at the University of California at Davis. Ten college 'coach potatoes' adopted a yoga routine for eight weeks. Each week, they attended from two to four classes during which they spent 10 minutes on breath control, 15 minutes of warm up exercises, 50 minutes doing yoga asanas, and then 10 minutes of relaxation/mediation. At the end of the eight-week period, the researchers measured the students' fitness and discovered that their muscular strength had increased by up to 31%, their muscular endurance improved by 57%, their flexibility increased by 188%, and their cardio respiratory fitness improved by 7%. These results are pretty amazing when you consider that the study was only conducted for eight weeks.

How can something that seems so benign have such a major impact on muscle fitness?

MUSCLE STRENGTH -

Unlike traditional weight building exercises, in yoga your body provides the resistance. While you are not likely going to produce the bulked up muscles of some weight lifters, you will certainly increase your muscle strength.

Many poses in yoga are done very slowly or you stay in the posture for several breaths. It is much more challenging to your muscles to hold a pose or do it slowly than it is to allow momentum to move you through an ction. I have been working out with weights for many years so my muscles are used to being strengthened. Yet, I have practiced certain yoga routines during which my muscles screamed for mercy and I actually had to get out of the pose and then resume it because my muscles were so challenged. I don't often experience this during weight training sessions.

In addition, some balance postures such as Tree Pose and Shoulderstand require enormous muscle control in order to prevent you from falling over. This helps to build and strengthen your muscles.

MUSCLE BALANCE

In weight training, you isolate a specific muscle as you perform an exercise and this leads to a short, tightened muscle. The muscles you develop during yoga are more likely to be elongated, because while you are strengthening them, you are simultaneously lengthening them. You also do not focus on an isolated muscle, but actively recruit the smaller muscle groups as well. You truly work your entire body when you practice yoga.

Practicing yoga can help realign your muscles, so they are more balanced. Since you are not overworking any specific muscle group, you are less likely to get injured.

In addition to all its other benefits, yoga can help you improve muscle fitness. Whether you choose to use it as your primary means of strength training or you want it to supplement your other exercises, yoga can help your muscles grow fit, balanced, and strong.

Depression

What is Depression?
"The Common Cold of Mental Health"

Depression has been called "The Common Cold of Mental Health." We all know that everybody feels "down," "blue," "bummed," hopeless, or pessimistic from time to time. That's normal.

Many people wonder "When does 'feeling down' cross the line into depression?" That's a tough question, because it's not always an "Either-Or" kind of thing.

We hope that reading this information will help you understand your situation a little better, which then may make it easier to get the help you need.

In considering whether you need help with depression, it might be useful to consider the following three dimensions: Frequency, Severity and Duration.

Three Dimensions of Depression
Frequency:
How often do you feel down or depressed? Every day? Three times a week? Once a month? All the time?

Severity:
How bad is it? Do you feel suicidal? Totally hopeless and stuck in a dark hole? Or just kind of lousy and negative?

Duration:
How long does it last? Until you see your partner? Until you go home for the weekend? Just a couple of hours? Does it drag on for days, weeks, or even months? Have you felt somewhat depressed your whole life?

Body Building

How to Build Muscle Fast

There are many of us that would love to know how to build muscle fast. To be able walk into the gym “pump some iron” and walk out looking like a competition body builder or maybe ever Mr. Olympia, Ronnie Coleman. If we could just use one of those workouts from the magazines and get real results, like they promise. If we only understood how to build muscle fast, we would commit to doing whatever it takes. Well I have information that worked for me and I’m proud to pass it over to you.

There are some important things to consider when building muscle however. First of all, your natural body type, do you have a small frame do you pack on weight easily? Second, what are you’re goals and what would you like to achieve? Also very important is where you are at physically, and how far you need to go.

The best and most exciting thing is that anyone can build muscle and it is possible to build muscle fast. It breaks down to two simple things, diet and exercise. Yes, diet and exercise may not be what you wanted to hear, but it is the truth. Now this does not mean that you have to change your life or never enjoy your food. It does mean that you will need to make some simple but very serious adjustments to your everyday life.

First Step: Diet

The key to a good diet, one that will build muscle, is getting the right mix of protein, carbs, and fat. Despite what the media may have you believe you need all three everyday. You need protein to help keep and build the muscle, especially after workouts. You need carbs for energy, especially before workouts. Fats should be cut way back, but still very necessary as fat will help you gain mass.

Your diet should have about 60% carbohydrates, 35% protein, and no more than 15% fat. Easy ways to do this are to make sure that you are eating foods that have these proportions naturally. Start replacing any white foods (white bread, plain pasta, white rice) with brown foods (whole wheat bread, pasta, and brown rice). Also make sure you are getting plenty of vegetables.

At meals fill your plate 2/3 with vegetables and 1/3 with lean protein (white meat chicken or turkey, and fish). Some great sources of protein are egg whites, and cottage cheese. Both are low in fat and high in protein. The best meat for you to eat is fish. Talapia, tuna, and salmon are excellent choices. When looking to choose poultry, go for 98% fat free turkey breast These are all great foods that will give you needed protein without adding fat to your body.Some great choices for carbs are oatmeal, whole wheat breads and pastas, and sweet potatoes.

This doesn’t mean that you have to cut out everything that tastes good, just remember moderation! Try to limit things with empty calories (calories that offer no nutritional value). You will need to start to understand the calories you’re taking in if you truly want to manipulate the weight you gain or loose. So start becoming aware of calories!

Second Step: Strength Training

Obviously, strength training is very important when it comes to building muscle. This doesn’t have to be done in a gym; it can be done at home. There are many different magazines and books that offer ways to do resistance training at home. You can use resistance bands or purchase weights from a local sports equipment store.
In order to build muscle, it is important to lift heavy. Lift heavy enough that you can do no more than 15 repetitions. If you are trying to add muscle mass, lift even heavier and do fewer reps. Do three to four sets of each exercise, you should feel fatigued. Always make sure that your muscles are warmed up well before you start lifting, and that you have someone with you to spot. It is easy to injure yourself when lifting heavy, so make sure you are always using proper technique. If you are unsure of what to do, there are a lot of great fitness books out there that will guide through exercises and diet.

Step Three: Aerobic Exercise

The first and second steps are very important, but you are never going to be able to see the muscles that you have worked so hard to build if they are hiding behind a layer of fat Aerobic exercise burns fat; so if you want tight, cut muscle definition, there is no way around it.

Again, it does not have to be done in a gym. Find an activity that you enjoy doing. Choose an activity that will elevate your heart rate and do it for at least thirty minutes to an hour, five days a week. Walk, run, play tennis, bike, shoot hoops, whatever it takes to get you moving and your heart rate elevated. Another plus to aerobic exercise is, it raises you caloric limit for the day. If you cheated during lunch, and you’re counting the calories, you can make it up during your cardio session.

Stress

What is Stress ?
Technically, stress involves an individual's physical and emotional reaction to pressure from his environment or from within himself. A job promotion is stressful because, although generally positive, it may make one feel that harder work is expected. Thus while stress is often thought to be negative, it may actually help in achieving goals as well as avoiding unpleasant situations. Stress is an avoidable part of life and causes one to be constantly agitated. When this happens, it is possible to become overloaded and suffer physically or emotionally or both.
Some of the stress-related illnesses include:

peptic ulcers
migraine headaches,
depression
ulcerative colitis
high blood pressure
stroke and heart attacks

This doesn’t mean that stress is the direct or principal cause of these illnesses; rather, researchers believe that some people may inherit a biological predisposition to developing a particular disease And on-going stress in such a person’s life may increase the chances that that illness will develop. Illness itself is a source of stress. In addition, continuous stress can weaken the body’s immune system, and as a result the system may become less effective in battling infections. And some authorities suggest that chronic and excessive stress may contribute to the development and progression of cancer.

Fitness

Personal Fitness

Fall of last year you figured a donut once in an awhile or some other fat and sugar laden nasty food wouldn’t hurt. Your excuse it is the” muscle-bulking season” or you will ”work it off”. The next thing you know your waist measurement is almost the same size of your chest. You look in the mirror and you see your v-taper look like a square block. You say to your self “what the heck happen to all my hard work in the gym?” Well all of your hard work is still there if you have been training hard, but it is covered in fat. My better half, my wife once asked me when I was expecting? At that moment, I knew it was time to shed the fat.
Well the first thing to do is to make a final personal goal. For example, the abdominal muscles showing by May. But to start you need to start with other goals to build to the main final goal. These could include;

Physical Well Goals.

This could be working up to 30 minutes of physical activity daily to start. Light stretching to make the muscles feel good. Maybe adding some sit ups to strengthen the core.

Physique goals.

After achieving your physical well goals you can start adding more demanding goals such as reducing your fat percentage. Add aerobic fitness of 30 minutes to your workout schedule. Or maybe start a weight resistance program.

Performance accomplishment goals.

This could include small goals in your weight resistance program such as benching a certain amount. Or running the mile in a certain time. This is where you place the goal of seeing your abdominal muscles by May.

Each goal that you set and reach is a stepping stone to your final targeted goal. You could keep a personal diary of your fitness progress and see how far you have come in your health and strength pursuit I used to put pictures of ab shots on my refrigerator to help keep me focused.Now I also keep a watchful eye in the mirror.


When I drop an inch or two off my waist I reward myself. And not with eating a whole pie or chocolate cake. Usually I buy some kind of hiking gear, camera equipment or clothing.

Make sure you keep a supply of healthy foods around you to help prevent eating some junk food when you do get hungry. Fresh fruit, nuts, non-fat cottage cheese, you get the idea.

When you start your diet don’t go crazy eating little to nothing. If you follow this practice you will lose all the muscle you worked so hard to build. I cycle my carbohydrates and protein around my workout days. I eat the carbs during my bodybuilding workout days and carb deplete on non-bodybuilding workout days. I will increase the protein on the nonworkout days.

Here is a summary of the topics above:

Establish small goals to achieve your main personal fitness goal.

Use pictures to keep focused on your main goal.

Reward yourself when you meet your in-between goals.

Drink plenty of water.

Always keep plenty of healthy foods around to snack on.

Don’t go crazy dieting.

Make sure that you keep on the right path and you will see your goal of abdominal muscles showing when the warm weather returns. Otherwise your spouse may do like mine and start taking measurements for maternity clothes. Perseverance and focus will help keep you on track of your personal fitness goal.

Healthy Diet

Guidelines to a Healthy Diet

The American Heart Association recommends that you eat a variety of foods from the different food groups. In order for women to lose one to two pounds a week, they should consume between 1200 and 1500 calories a day.

Men should consume between 1500 and 1800 calories a day if they want to lose one to two pounds a week. Let’s examine the different food groups the American Heart Association suggests you consume.

Meat, Poultry, Fish -

You should consume no more than 6 ounces of meat, poultry, and fish per day. Lean cuts of poultry and fish have fewer calories than fatty red meat, but you can find lean cuts of red meat in your supermarket.

Breads, Cereals, Starches -

This food group includes bread, cereal, pasta, rice, and starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn. You can have six servings from this food group a day. A serving size is 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of cereal, and 1cup of rice, pasta, or ¼ to ½ cup of starchy veggies.
So, if you eat Remember here, that whole grain is best. When you can, choose whole-grain bread, brown rice, and whole-wheat pasta instead of their white counterparts that have been stripped of nutrients and fiber.

Vegetables and Fruits -

Fruits and vegetables are essential parts of your diet because they contain a variety of vitamins and nutrients. You can have five or more servings a day of fruits and vegetables.
A serving size is ½ cup to 1 cup of cooked and raw vegetables, ½ cup of fruit juice, or one medium piece of fruit. Aim to choose a variety of colors in your diet because they have different vitamins and minerals. Let’s examine the colors you should include in your diet every day.

Red -

Red fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that help keep your heart and urinary tract healthy. They also help with your memory and lower your risk of some cancers. When it comes to red, choose from apples, cherries, strawberries, tomatoes, red peppers, and radishes, to name a few.

Yellow/Orange -

Yellow and orange fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants that keep your heart, vision, and immune system healthy Some yellow and orange fruits and veggies include apricots, lemons, peaches, cantaloupe, yellow squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes.

Green -

Green fruits and vegetables help lower your risk of some cancers and keep your bones and teeth strong. Choose foods like green grapes, broccoli, avocados, spinach, green apples, and limes.

Blue/Purple -

Blue and purple fruits and vegetables lower the risk of some cancers and keep your urinary tract healthy. They also help maintain your memory function. Some delicious blue and purple foods are blackberries, blueberries, raisins, plums, eggplant, and purple cabbage.

White -

White foods promote your heart health, and if you already have healthy cholesterol, they’ll help maintain those levels. Bananas, pears, cauliflower, mushrooms, and garlic are tasty options you can fit into your meal plan.

Milk Products -

If you love dairy products, the good news is that you can still eat them and lose weight. However, choose low-fat or fat-free products. They contain the same vitamins and minerals, taste good, and lower your cholesterol all at the same time.
Adults aged 19-50 should have three servings of milk products per day. A serving of dairy is 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat milk, 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat yogurt, 1 ounce of low-fat cheese (stay away from fat-free cheeses—they have too much sodium) or a ½ cup of low-fat cottage cheese.

Fats -

You should have no more than five servings of fats a day in the form of oil, nuts, seeds, olives, avocado, and mayonnaise.
Fat servings include one teaspoon of oil, three teaspoons of nuts or seeds, 5-10 olives, 1/8 of an avocado and two teaspoons of mayonnaise. If you love the taste of butter on your vegetables, use a fat-free imitation butter spray. It really doesn’t taste that much different.

Calcium, Bones and Stress Fractures

Bones are a wonderful thing. They provide a structural framework upon which humans are able to mechanically interact with their environment. Additionally, some bones function as factories for blood cells. Bones are made up of calcium phosphate, layered in a matrix. As one might expect from the study of mechanical engineering and material science, the size and shape of a bone determines how it handles various loads (stresses). Stemming from this it is commonly misconceived that the skeleton is a fixed structure, like the frame of a house. It is not. One remarkable property of bone is the ability to adapt. Bones are continuously remodeling. Every day, calcium phosphate is removed from some regions and deposited in others -- depending upon the stresses applied to them. There is a limitation to this, though, in that excessive stress results in fracture.

Fractures can occur acutely (e.g., sudden, hard impact) or chronically, from the summation of small forces over a long period of time (e.g., impact from running). This latter mechanism is known as a “stress fracture”. Athletes with stress fractures often notice persistent pain in a localized region, which may also be tender to the touch. As one might expect in runners, the pelvis, femur, lower leg, and foot are common sites for stress fractures to occur. There appears to be a 3 step spectrum of bony injury; bone strain, stress reaction, and stress fracture (in order of increasing severity). The take-home message from this is that early recognition leads to prevention of more serious injury, and thus, faster cure. Since these injuries often sideline a runner for a considerable period of time, a little knowledge about calcium and bone physiology can help runners go a long way on the prevention trail.

The two most important factors to help insure healthy bones in athletes are,adequate dietary calcium,and a properly constructed training program.

The RDA for calcium in males and females, ages 11 - 24 years, is 1200 mg/day. For those 25 years and older, the RDA is 800 mg/day. Unfortunately many adults don’t meet these RDAs. Some foods rich in calcium are, cheese, milk, dark green vegetables, and legumes. It is very important for adolescents and young adults to have sufficient calcium intake because these are the years when bone density is maximized. Later in adulthood bone loss begins. This occurs sooner in women than in men. Starting at age 35 women begin to experience bone loss, which rapidly accelerates after menopause.

A well constructed training program is also important for healthy bone. Since bone responds to training loads (e.g., running, resistance training) by becoming stronger, a gradual build-up over time is preferable to a rapid increase in training volume. Too sudden a jump to heavy mileage is probably the most common error leading to stress fractures. Additionally, women who have lost too much weight via excessive training and have stopped having menstrual periods are at increased risk for stress fractures. Since estrogen protects against bone loss, the disturbance in normal hormonal status leads to accelerated bone loss and poor repair. For the same reason athletes with eating disorders are also at increased risk. The other concern related to bone, later in life, is osteoporosis. Additional factors which increase the chance of osteoporosis are, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, heredity, and white or Asian race.

Although this overview was necessarily brief, it should serve as a staring point upon which you can begin to assess your skeletal health. For more individual detail, you should discuss these issues with your doctor.

Caffeine and the athlete

Coffee was first discovered over 1000 years ago, and currently approximately 75% of Americans drink coffee on a regular basis. Despite the thousand years that have passed, there is still mystery and controversy surounding the biological effects of coffee and it's principal active ingredient, caffeine. Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant drug in the world, usually ingsted in the form of coffee, tea, soft-drinks, and chocolate. Table 1 shows the relative caffeine content of these food items. Caffeine is also used by triathletes and other athletes as a peformance aid. The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of caffeine as an ergogenic (energy generating) aid in endurance sports and to discuss the health issues related to caffeine use.

What happens when caffeine enters the body

Caffeine is well absorbed from by the stomach and intestine, and peak blood levels occur about 45 - 60 minutes after ingestion. Once in the blood stream, caffeine causes a number of responses in the body. Caffeine is well known for it's stimulant effects on the brain, but there are a number of other physiologic effects that occur. Blood pressure, pulse rate, and stomach acid production are increased, fat stores are broken down, and fatty acids are released into the blood stream. These effects can last from a few hours to as long as 12, but within 4 days of regular use, the body develops tolerance to many of the effects of caffeine. For example, although caffeine increases blood pressure and pulse in a first time user, a regular user will not experience any significant change.

Caffeine and Health

In making a decision whether or not to use caffeine -- or any other drug -- it is important to consider the potential adverse effects on health. These can be separated into short term (ie. related to a single dose) and long term. The short term affects of caffeine are much better understood than the long term effects.
Because caffeine increases the production of stomach acid it may worsen ulcer symptoms or cause acid reflux ("heartburn"). Insomnia, poor sleep, and anxiety are well described psychological side effects of caffeine. Regular evening use of caffeine may, over time, deprive the body of proper sleep, resulting in lack of energy and fatigue.
Many studies have suggested a relationship between chronic caffeine use and a number of diseases. Proving a cause-and-effect, however, has been difficult and most of these suggested links remain inconclusive. Some of the difficulties that arise in studying the long term health effects of caffeine are due to problems in accounting for other lifestyle variables (eg. smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise), differences in genetic inheritance, form of caffeine intake (coffee, tea, sodas), and the presence of other biologically active substances in the beverage. For example, one study looked at the whether caffeine intake increased the risk of heart disease. Over 45,000 people were evaluated and the data indicated a slightly increased risk of death from heart disease in individuals who had an average daily consumption of more than 5 cups of *decaffeinated* coffee. Currently, there is no evidence that caffeine causes cancer, stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, or serious heart arrhythmias.

Caffeine Withdrawal

Abrupt discontinuation of caffeine in a regular user may trigger caffeine withdrawal symptoms. The most common symptoms are headache and fatigue. The headache may begin as soon as 18 hours following the last dose of caffeine and may worsen with exercise. It is not known why some people experience caffeine withdrawal and others do not.

Caffeine and Athletic Performance

Despite considerable research in this area, the role of caffeine as a performance enhancing drug is still controversial. Some of the data are conflicting, which is in part due to how the experimental studies were designed and what methods were used. However, there is general agreement in a few areas:
1. Caffeine does not appear to benefit short term, high intensity exercise (eg. sprinting)
2. Caffeine can enhance performance in endurance sports.
Glycogen is the principal fuel for muscles and exhaustion occurs when it is depleted. A secondary fuel, which is much more abundant, is fat. As long as there is still glycogen available, working muscles can utilize fat. Caffeine mobilizes fat stores and encourages working muscles to use fat as a fuel. This delays the depletion of muscle glycogen and allows for a prolongation of exercise. The critical time period in glycogen sparing appears to occur during the first 15 minutes of exercise, where caffeine has been shown to decrease glycogen utilization by as much as 50%. Glycogen saved at the beginning is thus available during the later stages of exercise. Although the exact method by which caffeine does this is still unclear, caffeine caused sparing in all of the human studies where muscle glycogen levels were measured. The effect on performance, which was observed in most experimental studies, was that subjects were able to exercise longer until exhaustion occurred.
In addition to the beneficial effects on muscle, caffeine may alter the perception of how hard you are working. During testing, athletes are asked to judge their effort, which is referred to as the rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Some studies have yielded significantly lower RPE's -- less fatigue -- when the athlete used caffeine. Other studies have not found this effect. Obviously, the RPE is very subjective, and there are many things that may influence it.