Parenting Isn't a Enough of a Workout: Moms Should Still Hit the Gym
Friends & Family, Advice, Fitness
Parenting is hard work. But it's not as hard as you think, at least from a physical perspective. While chasing after small kids and doing countless hours of housework might feeling like it's burning off all your last remaining reserves of energy, new research shows that parenting is not actually as much of a workout as we tend to think. That's the conclusion reached by researchers from Central College in Iowa. They monitored 58 mothers of young children to see how much exercise a mom actually gets throughout the course of the day.
Most of the mothers assumed they were getting at least an hour's worth of moderate physical activity throughout the day, but in reality, that number was more like 30 minutes. "There was this ongoing theme of the women reporting more activity than they actually were getting," said study author Kelli O'Neil. The participants wore a device to measure their physical activity throughout the week and also answered a questionnaire.
Want to Improve Your Sex Life? Start Exercising
Sex, Advice, Fitness, Ask a Fitness Expert
It is a common assertion that "sex sells," which begs the question, can sex be used as motivation to get people more active? Some of the recent posts published by the Exercise Psychology Unit team have talked about some of the social benefits of being physically active. For example, physical activity not only improves a person's body image and self-esteem, but other people also tend to perceive physically active people to be friendlier, more sociable, and more attractive. So being active may be giving individuals greater opportunities to develop social contacts and relationships -- but with sexual implications? While it may be superficial, physical attractiveness is one evolutionary quality in choosing a partner. So after all the sweat and tears of physical activity to look and feel better, does it have a positive effect on one's sex life?
Swiss Chard: A Leafy Green Packed With Nutrients
Health, Healthy Eating, Eat This
Last week I suggested, chlorella as a great green way to nutritionally participate in St. Paddy's Day (particularly to detox after too much green beer), and in continuing with our green theme, I would like to introduce a favourite leafy green: swiss chard.
Swiss chard is actually a member of the beet family, although, unlike beets, we only tend to eat the greens rather than the root. Swiss chard is an excellent source of manganese, magnesium, vitamin K,vitamin E, folic acid, selenium and has about as much vitamin C as an orange. It's also a good source of calcium, potassium, iron and zinc. Swiss chard is a good source of the B vitamin niacin, which is helpful in keeping that cholesterol count low and those energy levels up.
Leafy greens, including Swiss chard, are great sources of a phytonutrient category called carotenes. This includes beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A and an antioxidant in its own right. Swiss chard also contains the carotene phytonutrients zeaxanthin and lutein, both vitally important for eye health and found to decrease chances of suffering macular degeneration. Lutein has been shown in studies to prevent and reverse, to a certain extent, issues with immunity, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Green Fitness, the Good Thing About Balding and More
Each morning, we dish out a few links we love. Happy St. Paddy's Day! Before you start guzzling green beer, the National Post recommends that you balance it out with some 'green' exercise.
Got a shiny noggin? There's some good news -- new research shows that baldness is linked to good health.
If you're a teenager in Scotland, you might see an interesting new subject on your school schedule -- they're teaching teens how to sleep properly after news emerged that many weren't getting nearly enough shut-eye each night.
They may be a double blessing, but studies show that parents of twins are more likely to divorce than parents of singles.
Want to look younger? Here are 10 simple secrets to a young complexion that you should know and follow.
Exercise, Sleep and Cancer Prevention: How the Former Thwart the Latter
Advice, Health, Fitness, Fit Family Guy
Sitting on the couch doesn't prevent cancer.
Some people think they are a ticking time bombs when it comes to cancer, but it turns out that genetics only plays a small role in contracting the disease; it's lifestyle that really matters. A 2008 review determined that only 5 – 10 percent of cancers are related to genetics. The study reported: "The evidence indicates that of all cancer-related deaths, almost 25–30 percent are due to tobacco, as many as 30–35 percent are linked to diet, about 15–20 percent are due to infections, and the remaining percentage are due to other factors such as radiation, stress, physical activity, environmental pollutants etc." I should note that the majority of the cancers caused by infection are related to sexual activity (HPV and HIV/AIDS), so you may wish to be discerning in your choice of partners.
So, don't smoke, eat healthy, choose your bed partners wisely, chill out, avoid chemicals, and get some exercise. Can you remember all that?
Oh, and I forgot to add: get enough sleep.
An interesting study presented at the 2008 Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research suggested that regular exercise can decrease a woman's risk of cancer; if she gets enough sleep, that is.
Find out more after the jump
Are You Sabotaging Your Happiness? Don't Put it on Hold
Advice, Happiness, How to Be Happy
Are you putting your needs last and sabotaging your happiness? You're definitely not alone. Kristen Houghton, author of And Then I'll Be Happy: Stop Sabotaging Your Happiness and Put Your Own Life First, explains how she finally figured out how to put herself at the top of her list.
Q: What is the Goldilocks Syndrome?
A: The Goldilocks Syndrome is a phrase I coined in my workshops. Like Goldilocks, who wasn't satisfied until she found the right porridge to eat, the right chair to sit on, and the right bed to sleep on, some women postpone their happiness until everything in their lives is "just right;" family, work, their weight, etc. Being happy shouldn't wait until everything in life is perfect. Not everything will ever be "just right" at the same time.
Q: How do women commonly sabotage their own happiness?
Why I Dislike Food Pyramids: What 'Real Nutrition' Looks Like
The Dietitians of Canada have declared March to be "National Nutrition Month". Now I'm not one to argue that more education in nutrition is desperately needed on the planet right now. But unfortunately, not everyone defines nutrition, and more importantly, health, in the same way.There is a relatively wide schism between how a holistic nutritionist like myself sees healthy eating and how a dietitian sees it. So while this month will probably see food pyramids taped on to school walls with their one-size-fits-all approach to eating being firmly ingrained in the minds of our nation's youth, I'll be questioning whether this style of eating is actually right for anyone.
The holistic approach to nutrition looks at the entire person as an individual, seeing the challenges unique to that individual and where that person is going out of balance. One problem with the Canada Food Guide is that there is no differentiation between the needs of individuals. I'm not going to thrive on the same food you're going to thrive on. That's just the facts - we're different, our body chemistry is different, we come from ancestors who ate differently and thus we have different nutritional needs.
How a 40-Something Family Man and Fitness Expert Defines 'Healthy'
Advice, Happiness, Health, Fitness, Fit Family Guy
According to dietitians across Canada, March is Nutrition Month. Um, OK. Good to know.
Don't get me wrong. I've got a lot of respect for registered dietitians, or anyone who uses sound principals, education and science to advise the donut-scarfing public on how to improve their health through proper nutrition. Nevertheless, I'm wondering if saying this is Nutrition Month really has a negative effect on McDonald's and Burger King's Canadian revenue during March.
Enough poking fun. I was asked to define what my personal definition of healthy is, and rather than quote scientific studies or advise you on proven and sound principals, I thought I'd speak from the heart.
Brace yourselves. This could be painful.
St. Paddy's Sweets, Ugg Ugh and More
Each morning, we dish out a few links we love. It's St. Patrick's Day tomorrow -- if you're a master in the kitchen, consider whipping up these tasty-look green treats to celebrate.
Studies show that cheap imitation Uggs are not only ruining your style reputation -- they're also doing serious damage to your feet and posture.
Speaking of posture, yours might need working on -- here are some workout tips that will help you stand up straight and look instantly slimmer.
When it comes to kids, two is the magic number -- any less or more could be harmful to your health.
"That time of the month" is no excuse to put to a halt to your workouts -- Keep sweating it out with these period-friendly workout tips.
Is Good Health Merely the Absence of Disease? No!
Advice, Happiness, Health, Healthy Eating, How to Be Happy
When we visit the doctor, ninety percent of the time it's because we need someone to take a look at our aches and pains, fatigue, lingering cold symptoms and so on. It's enough to get one wondering if our definition of health is merely the absence of these symptoms. As a nutritionist, I, of course, spend a lot of time helping people live up to their own ideas of what healthy means to them and in light of March being National Nutrition Month, I thought I'd share with you my idea of optimum health. I was pleasantly surprised to learn how the World Health Organization (WHO), defined "health" in 1948 (they have never felt the need to update this, either): "A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity".
