Viagra Enhances Athletic Performance?
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, General Fitness, Health, Prime/fit, Sports, Supplements | Add Comment
Well, I wouldn’t have guessed this would come up (no pun intended), but apparently Viagra is being used not only to enhance performance in the bedroom, but also for certain sports. Crazy…
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Athletes looking for a performance boost are increasingly turning to a little blue pill more usually taken for its off-the-field benefits: Viagra.
Some sports authorities say the drug is now finding a following among athletes.
The World Anti-Doping Agency is currently studying Viagra’s effects in athletes, but hasn’t yet banned it. Experts are divided over whether it actually offers athletes an edge.
…The drug works by increasing the effects of nitric oxide, which makes blood vessels expand. That should theoretically allow blood cells to travel to the lungs more efficiently and to also receive more oxygen. It may also improve heart function.
…”Just because you have more nitric oxide doesn’t mean that you are going to be a better athlete,” Butch said. “If you have all the nitric oxide you need, and if you generate more from Viagra, it’s not clear what effect that would have.”
Still, some preliminary studies have shown that cyclists taking Viagra improved their performances by up to 40 percent.
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Hmmm. Let’s hope we don’t see any unintended “side-effects” during the Olympics.
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Seniors/fit | Add Comment
New Statistics show that 1 in 10 middle aged people have had what are referred to as “silent strokes”- strokes that are basically undetected but do cause damage and indicate a possibly deadly condition.
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Routine brain scans in a group of middle-aged people showed that 10 percent of them had suffered a stroke without knowing it, raising their risk for further strokes and memory loss, U.S. researchers said.
People with atrial fibrillation, the most common type of irregular heart beat in people over 65, had more than twice the rate of these silent strokes, they said.
Silent cerebral infarctions or SCIs are brain injuries caused by a blood clot that interrupts blood flow to the brain.
…What they found was that atrial fibrillation more than doubled the risk of silent stroke. In atrial fibrillation, the heart’s two upper chambers do not pump effectively enough to empty properly, leaving blood to pool and raising the risk of blood clots.
Three percent to 5 percent of people over 65 have this problem.
The study could not determine whether treating atrial fibrillation would reduce the risk of silent stroke, the researchers said.
Other factors that increased the risk of silent stroke included high levels of blood homocysteine, a sulfur-containing amino acid found in the blood; carotid artery disease; high blood pressure and especially high systolic blood pressure — the top number in the blood pressure reading.
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What this means for most of use is that it is really important to have your blood pressure checked regularly and that you also do the things that are know to help alleviate these risk factors- good diet and exercise. Hmm, it always seems to come back to good diet and exercise, doesn’t it?
Lose 80 Pounds Eating at McDonalds?
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
This is worth watching- a guy decided to lose weight by eating 3 meals a day only at McDonalds. The catch is really simple- he only ate salads, wraps and grilled chicken items. (Don’t know what he ate for breakfast) No cheeseburgers and no fries. Presumably, he also skipped the soda and sundaes. So that just goes to show that you can eat health(ier) if you simply put your mind to it. The big problem for most people is that they don’t go to McDonalds to get salads and wraps, they go to get Big Macs and fries. So the battle is not fought at the counter trying to find something decent to eat, it is fought while you are deciding where to go for lunch! Keep fighting.
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
Actually, it is very important. We’ve all heard “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” since we were kids. A new study shows how eating a good breakfast actually helps people lose weight. People who don’t eat breakfast typically snack on junk food and then eat a huge lunch because they are starving. This is, of course, counter-productive and actually causes weight gain in most people. You are far better off eating a breakfast of 500-600 calories that includes a good balance of carbs and protein. A breakfast like this allows you to eat fruit and whole grain foods that are both good for you and satisfying.
So if you are not currently eating a good breakfast, tomorrow is a good day to start. You will feel better and it helps you to control carb cravings during the day. It is way better to eat 1/2 of a bagel with some peanut butter than it is to eat oreos from the vending machine!
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To lose weight and keep it off, eat a big breakfast packed with carbohydrates and protein, then follow a low-carb, low-calorie diet the rest of the day, a small study suggests.The “big breakfast” diet works, researchers say, because it controls appetite and satisfies cravings for sweets and starches. It’s also healthier than popular low-carb diets because it allows people to eat more fiber- and vitamin-rich fruit…
HGH, Testosterone and Lots of Problems
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Seniors/fit, Sports, Youth/fit | Add Comment
HGH (human growth hormone) and testosterone are touted as the miracle drugs to combat obesity, aging and a host of other problems in men. The problem is that they usually cause other problems. This article at MSN Health outlines some of those and the efforts to curtial their use.
Everyone has heard about the drug scandals in pro baseball and football, but as crazy as it seems, ordinary people (albiet, with lots of money) are taking these drugs simply to lose weight or fend off aging. The problem is that these drugs hava a lot of negative side effects that create a whole new set of problems. There is no free lunch. Diet and exercise are the to most powerful weight loss and anti aging drugs there are.
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According to Beacher, Goldsmith prescribed an impressive cocktail of drugs including human growth hormone, testosterone, phentermine (a weight-loss drug), Glucophage (used to control diabetes) and Arimidex (a drug intended for post-menopausal women with breast cancer), a combo that, he says, turned his life upside down, nearly ruined his business, and sent him looking for psychiatric help.
…Beacher just wanted to lose weight, and at first, the drugs seemed to work. “Everything felt great. I felt like Superman. You’re working out, losing weight, I was falling asleep great at night, everything was perfect.” But within a few months, Beacher says, “I was becoming paranoid and delusional.”
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Let me say it again- THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH!
Changing Your Genes With Lifestyle
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Seniors/fit, Spiritual/Emotional, Sports, Supplements, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
Another study has shown just how important lifestyle is to health. The really big news here is that lifestyle changes can actually alter the way your genes work (gene expression) and thus reverse a predisposition to things like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. This is really important news since many people have a sense of genetic nihilism that says “it’s in my genes and I can’t do anything about it”. Very interesting stuff- From Newsweek-
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Here’s some very good news: your genes are not your destiny. Earlier this week, my colleagues and I published the first study showing that improved nutrition, stress management techniques, walking, and psychosocial support actually changed the expression of over 500 genes in men with early-stage prostate cancer. This study was conducted at the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and the University of California…
The changes included a plant-based diet (predominant fruits, vegetables, legumes, soy products, and whole grains low in refined carbohydrates), moderate exercise (walking 30 minutes per day), stress management techniques (yoga-based stretching, breathing techniques, meditation, and guided imagery for one hour per day), and participating in a weekly one-hour support group. The diet was supplemented with soy, fish oil (three grams/day), vitamin E (100 units/day), selenium (200 mg/day), and vitamin C (2 grams/day). These lifestyle changes are described more fully in my book, The Spectrum.
…After three months, we repeated the biopsy and looked at changes in normal tissue within the prostate. We found that many disease-promoting genes (including those associated with cancer, heart disease, and inflammation) were down-regulated or “turned off,” whereas protective, disease-preventing genes were up-regulated or “turned on.”
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Weight Loss and Portion Control
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Spiritual/Emotional, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
I saw this story over at MSNBC and thought about how simple the solution is for most people. The simple fact is that most people are overweight because they eat too much. Exercise is definately a factor, but you can eat more in 5 miutes than you can exercise off in 2 hours. It really is as simple as eating less. One of the best ways to eat less is to control your portion size. When you sit down to eat, put a moderate amount of food on your plate and eat just that. After you are done with that portion, wait at least 10 minutes and you will find that you are satisfied. The amount of food you can eat in the time between when you have eaten enough to be satisfied and when you brain signals your stomach that you are full (about 10 minutes) will most likely be stored as fat since your body does not need it for energy.
Secondly, when you go out to eat, not only should you look at the calorie/fat content of the menu, but you should usually eat only part of the meal and take the rest home for later. Most restuarants “super-size” their portions to keep the overweight, overeaters coming back. So using the “eat half” rule will make a huge difference in your weight control plan.
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For years, Veolia knew she needed to drastically change her diet in order to lead a healthier, happier lifestyle, but she lacked the motivation to get started. But once she grew too large to shop in the plus-size department, she felt the need to make a change:
“I realized something very simplistic but life-changing for me: I was going to get to eat every single day of my life, so why not eat one serving of whatever I enjoyed, versus overeating?” And just like that, Veolia began practicing portion control, by enjoying only a few potato chips instead of consuming an entire bag. “I saw that I was not taking care of the precious gift I had been given. I knew I had the power within me to change, so gradually, I did.”
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Sports, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
I did legs last night, and I’m hurting… Supersets of leg press, lunges and hack squats. But for all around leg strength it is impossible to beat regular old squats. However, if you are like me and have some back issues, hack squats and lunges are an awesome alternative. With that in mind, check out the exercises that the editors of Men’s Health recommend over at MSN. Some good stuff and pictures too! Be really careful doing lunges like this so you don’t hit your knee on the bar. If you do a few supersets with these exercises, I bet you will feel like I do right now- good but sore.
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Spiritual/Emotional, Sports, Supplements, Youth/fit | Add Comment
Saw this over at Alwyn Cosgrove’s blog. Definitely worth watching. My own take on steroids is simple- spend the money on a good psychologist instead and deal with the underlying issues. Since about 90% of the people taking them are not pro or even college athletes, there are a lot of guys trying to look big for the bar…
Do steroids have a place? Of course. They are an important treatment for several medical conditions and very helpful for rehabbing certain injuries. But the casual, cavalier way they are viewed today is deadly. I know of at least 2 guys who are dead now because of them.
One of the main problems I see in the gym today is that the guys taking steroids don’t workout any harder than anyone else. In fact, most of those guys take steroids because they are too lazy to work out hard, eat right and discipline themselves. All the steroids in the world can’t fix your head.
Things You Need to Eat Every Day
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Seniors/fit, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
MSN health ????????has a good article on 10 things men (and women) should eat every day, or at least several times a week.
Here’s the quick list-
1) Fruits and vegetables- lots of them especially leafy green vegetables like spinach.
2) Stuff with fiber- again fruits and vegetables are good for this as well as whole grain breads.
3) Stuff with folate- again fruits and vegetables. Do you see a pattern here?
4) Tomato sauce- tomatos are good but the sauce is far better since it is more concentrated.
5) Nuts- almonds and cashews are my favorites- lots of Omega 3’s and other good stuff.
6) Aspirin- 2 baby aspirin a day have all sorts of good effects on your arteries and skin.
7) Fish- 3 times a week for high protein, omega 3’s and low fat.
Water- zero calories and critical to stay hydrated, especially during the summer.
9) Red Wine- Not a good idea for a lot of people since it is high in calories and has risks for abuse, but you can substitute grape juice to get the good stuff.
10) Coffee- my favorite! Again, some people are sensitive to caffeine but coffee does have some good health benefits in moderation.
… All of these are really easy to get and eat, so add them to your shopping list and get started!
