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Healthiest Cities in the United States

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:32:39 +0000

When it comes to fit bodies and healthy living, these cities have figured out all the tricks! Which cities come to mind when thinking about Americas fittest? It’s doubtful that you were thinking Washington D.C., but if so, you were correct! According to new reports from the American Fitness Index, Washington D.C has risen to become America’s Fittest City! Who lost the title? For years Minneapolis St. Paul Minnesota, Denver Colorado, Boston Maryland, and San Francisco California are a few of the top cities once winning this contest.

How is fitness measured? The American Fitness Index ranks 45 American cities and measures them against 30 key indicators. These measurement points include: acres of parkland, the number of primary care physicians per capita, the percentage of residents who either ride their bicycle or walk to work, and the death rate from cardiovascular disease. These are the factors that make up American Fitness Index’s fittest city.

So what makes Washington D.C so fit and amazing? According to the U.S Census Bureau, they have increase their amount of farmers markets to 13 for every 1 million residents. The rest of the nation has an average of 11 per million. Far fewer residents smoke and are diagnosed with diabetes. And a whopping 90% of residents are covered by health insurance as opposed to the national average with is 86%.

Wondering who is at the bottom of the list? Cities like Detroit, Michigan (also has the highest murder rate, coincidence?) Oklahoma City and Birmingham, Alabama are considered the most unhealthy and unfit places in America.

Most Americans Overweight Now

admin — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 22:17:14 +0000

Although a recent study from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index shows that some Americans are losing weight, the majority of citizens are at an unhealthy weight, with obese and overweight Americans accounting for more than 60% of the population. The better news is that for the first time in three years there are more normal weight Americans than those in the overweight category, but that is still tempered by the fact that the majority of Americans are still overweight or obese.

The numbers might sound conflicting until you add the totals of overweight and obese people together. The Gallup-Healthways study found that for 2011, just 36% of Americans are consider to be of normal weight. That is compared to the nearly 36% who are overweight as well as the additional 25% who are in the obese category, both numbers reflecting the nation’s growing weight problem over the last decade. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, back in 2000 no U.S. state had an obesity rate over 30%. By 2010, there were 12 states at that level with eight more having obesity rates of 28% or higher.

The slight drop in overweight people in recent months could be due to several factors, including a tough economy and anti-obesity campaigns, but overall Americans are still mostly over normal weight.

Salt & Fitness

admin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 21:38:36 +0000

Salt may be the most misunderstood single food item that your body cannot do without. Salt is made up of two electrically charged sodium and chloride particles that are also commonly known as electrolytes. When it comes to your body’s level of fitness, the sodium helps keep the right amount of water in and around your cells and in your blood.

Athletes who feel excessively thirsty after exercise sessions might be tempted to drink so much water, that it can temporarily it dilute the sodium content outside the cells, as well as permit too much water to leach into the cells themselves. This can cause the body’s cells to swell and leave the athlete feeling weak and nauseous. In fact, some long distance marathon runners and triathletes have even died of hyponatremia (low blood sodium) due to their high intake of water without adequate salt replenishment. Salty sports drinks won’t solve the problem either, as most sports drinks provide far more water than sodium and usually have only 20% of the sodium concentration of normal blood serum balance.

One might ask how much salt an athlete actually needs since too much salt in your diet can cause high blood pressure. The kidneys are supposed to regulate the sodium content in the body and help shed the excess salt through the urine. However, salt sensitivity can increase with diet and age to the point where the body retains more fluid in the blood and the blood pressure will rise accordingly. Unfortunately, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines that recommend that normal, non-athletic people should consume between 500mg and 2400 mg of sodium per day, do not take into account the fact that most people easily consume 3,000 to 5,000 mg of sodium daily through the processed foods they eat.

This means that most active people consume more than enough sodium every day without adding salt to their food. Athletes who work out and sweat more than sedentary people can use a bit more sodium in their diets, but not much more. Eating a low-sodium diet can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure a bit, but adding calcium, magnesium and potassium to your diet will help counter the negative effects of sodium a bit better.

The Importance of Salt in the Body:

Salt helps balance the water regulation and fluid distribution both inside and outside of the cells.
Salt is critical for the proper function of the adrenal glands.
Salt helps stabilize irregular heartbeats and is essential for the regulation of blood pressure in conjunction with water.
Salt helps the kidneys balance the body’s acidity-alkalinity ratio and helps shed excess acidity from the cells in the body, particularly the brain cells.
Salt is critical for the generation of hydroelectric energy of cells in the body.
Salt is a critical component for nerve stimulation, brain function, and the communication between nerve cells.
Salt is necessary for the proper absorption of food particles through the intestinal tract because it stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
Salt helps the lungs clear mucus and phlegm, and is particularly important in asthma and cystic fibrosis.
Salt is essential for muscle contraction and expansion.
Salt helps promote proper saliva production and an excess of saliva could indicate a salt shortage.
Salt helps make bones firm and solid to the point that osteoporosis is actually the result of a salt and water shortage in the body.
Salt helps prevent and control painful inflammation of the joints and arthritis.
Salt helps prevent varicose veins and spider veins.

Fitness or Fantasy?

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:46:11 +0000

David Vladeck, head of the FTC’s Consumer Protection Bureau, says “There is no such thing as a no-work, no-sweat way to a fit and healthy body.”

Although a variety of companies currently offer some type of “toning” sport shoes, including New Balance, Skechers, Ryka and Avia, only Reebok has been charged with making unsupported claims that its “toning shoes” help wearers get fit faster according to a new statement from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC recently announced that Reebok International Ltd has agreed to pay $25 million to settle the charges although Reebok said it disagreed with the FTC and stood behind its toning shoes. The settlement money will go toward consumer refunds.

Adidas, which owns Reebok, claimed in print ads that the shoes strengthened hamstrings and calves by up to 11 percent more than regular sneakers. The company also claimed the shoes toned the buttocks up to 28 percent more than plain sports shoes.

Reebok said its toning shoes are designed to be slightly unstable and that the instability requires wearers to work harder, and strengthens their muscles in the process. Reebok marketed its first toning shoe in 2009 and has since sold millions of pairs in the United States alone. A company statement included: “We stand behind our EasyTone technology — the first shoe in the toning category that was inspired by balance-ball training.”

Adidas later issued a statement that said “The allegations suggested that the testing we conducted did not substantiate certain claims used in the advertising of our EasyTone line of products. In order to avoid a protracted legal battle, Reebok has chosen to settle with the FTC. Settling does not mean we agreed with the FTC’s allegations; we do not. Despite the plea of innocence, Reebok quickly pulled its toning shoe ads during the FTC investigation.

The settlement could also affect other manufacturers of toning-type shoes if their advertising also contain unsubstantiated claims. Private lawsuits alleging deceptive advertising practices have been filed in the past against Skechers, New Balance and Reebok and Skechers said in an recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the FTC was now looking at its advertisements for its toning shoes too.

The moral of this story might be “don’t make claims you cannot back up” but the larger issues points to the fact that there is really no free lunch in the world of health and fitness. The reality is that consumers must put some personal effort into getting into shape other than simply lacing up a new pair of sport shoes.

Future of Fitness

admin — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:26:40 +0000

Because fitness is intrinsically connected to health, fitness is often defined as the general condition of the body that determines good health or poor health. In order to take a look at the future of fitness, we can look at existing fitness technology to get a clue about what might be coming. Although some have predicted that we will eventually have chips in our bodies that will transmit our personal health data to and from smart devices, that is not the case quite yet. However, with a bit of technological help, it does look like we’ll be able to correlate information across many different categories for a complete analysis of our health and fitness in the not-too-distant future.

It appears the future of fitness will rely on data aggregation and convenience. Future smart devices will probably know the history of your injuries, your genetics, your complete biometric data and how external conditions may affect performance. This trend shows up today in the many popular fitness apps and monitoring devices currently on the market. Products like Garmin watches and the Fitbit device that tracks your daily activities and keeps track of calories burned, sleep quality, steps taken and distance traveled. Many of the new smart monitoring apps also sync-up with some of the more popular fitness apps like LoseIt!, RunKeeper and Microsoft’s HealthVault. Products that connect your iPhone to your favorite fitness sensors such as heart rate straps and stride sensors are already popular as well. RunKeeper was launched in 2008 and it was one of the first 200 iOS apps in the App store. Today, Runkeeper has over 6 million registered users who use it to track their fitness and body stats from dozens of devices and applications like FitBit, Zeo, Wahoo and Withings.

Like existing heart rate monitors, devices that you can wear on your arm to measure your caloric intake are probably only a few years away. Wearable calorimeters would eventually allow users to instantly share their biometric data with doctors and insurance companies. Tracking sleep data is also an important aspect of health and wellness and products that monitor brain waves during sleep to measure of the quantity and quality of sleep are already appearing on the market. The Zeo program monitors your brain waves while you’re sleeping to produce a ZQ score that can be compared to the sleep data of other users. Eventually we will see a system where all aspects of a person’s fitness could be tracked and alerts and warnings could be sent whenever necessary.

Of course, this will require people to wear sensors on their bodies most of the time in order to be able to utilize the data being collected. The sensors should perform with minimal intervention and measure the effects of a person’s health over time, so that it can be measured and analyzed. In that light, the future of fitness looks like it will be all about sensor technology and smart technologies. People’s individual habits will still govern their overall health and fitness, but armed with more information they might make better health and lifestyle decisions along the way.

Sports Injuries & Fitness

admin — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:30:43 +0000

According to reports from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the incidence of sports-related injuries has increased in the United States by one full third from 2001 to 2010. The number of injuries increases every year and in 2006 there were over 500,000 injuries reported just for basketball alone. An additional two million annual injuries were related to bicycling, football and other sports as well.

The sports that consistently have the highest numbers of injuries in the last decade have been bicycling, basketball, baseball, and running. The largest numbers of deaths associated with sports were due to head injuries sustained while riding bicycles. The next largest cause of death was drowning while swimming followed by skiing accidents. For injuries alone, basketball tops of the list.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) lists the top ten most common estimated annual sports-related injuries in order of frequency as:

#1 – Basketball – Cut hands, sprained ankles, broken legs, eye and forehead injuries.

#2 – Bicycling – Feet caught in spokes, head injuries from falls, collisions with cars.

#3 – Football – Fractured wrists, chipped teeth, neck strains, head lacerations, dislocations.

#4 – ATVs, Mopeds, Minibikes – ATV riders are frequently injured when thrown from vehicles. The results are fractured wrists, dislocated hands, shoulder sprains, and cuts.

#5 – Baseball & Softball – Head injuries from bats and balls. Ankle injuries from running or sliding into bases.

#6 – Exercise & Exercise Equipment – Twisted ankles and cut chins from tripping on treadmills. Head injuries from falling backward from exercise balls, ankle sprains from jumping rope.

#7 – Soccer – Twisted ankles or knees after falls, fractured arms.

#8 – Swimming – Head injuries from hitting the bottom of pools, and leg injuries from accidental falls into pools.

#9 – Skiing & Snowboarding – Head injuries from falling, cut legs and faces, sprained knees and shoulders.

#10 – Lacrosse, Rugby, & other Ball Games – Head and facial cuts from balls and sticks, injured ankles from falls.

Whether it’s basketball, football, or cycling, there are ways to keep safe and the number one rule is to not get in over your head. Don’t try to compete at a level that is beyond your abilities. Train slowly, work up to more strenuous activities and make sure you stick to the proper technique for each sport or exercise. Always utilize the best gear for each pursuit and whenever possible and appropriate, wear a helmet.

Be sure to take the proper amount of time to let your body heal after an injury. Stay on the sidelines until you have healed or you risk doing more damage. If a sport causes pain during or after, stop doing it until it feels 100% better. You don’t have to become paranoid about the dangers of sports, but you should participate wisely with the proper techniques and equipment for each sport.

Top 10 Fitness Trends of 2011

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:21:39 +0000

The American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) most recent survey of the Top 10 Fitness Trends in the nation might be the most surprising in the five year history of the study. That the list for 2011 predicts that the top trends will reflect a back-to-basics mentality with a focus on small-group training makes sense because exercising in groups can always help lowers the costs of getting into shape. Because exercising consumers can get the quality and affordability they’re looking for and trainers appreciate the ability to maximize their earning potential, a trend toward smaller group training is not surprising.

What might be more surprising are some of the traditional exercise and fitness trends that the college did not include in their predictions for 2011 at all. Some of the omissions appear to be due to the nation’s current weak economy putting pressure on already stressed household budgets. For example, Pilates training was not on the list this year even though the practice remains fairly popular. Fitness practices like Pilates or yoga may have been trends in the past, but over time are assimilated into the mainstream and even though they continue to draw participants today, they are no longer really trends.

Walter R. Thompson, the lead author of the ACSM survey, said Pilates didn’t even make it into the Top 20 for 2011 because Pilates instructors can be expensive because of their specialized training and the equipment can be costly too. “It will be interesting to see if it comes back” said Thompson. Another trend that didn’t make it this year was stability balls, even though they still sell fairly well. The ACSM researchers felt that too many people who have the balls are unable to use them properly and that most just end up unused in the closet.

Here are the Top 10 Fitness Trends that the ACSM thinks you’ll be seeing a lot more of in 2011:

1. Educated and Experienced Fitness Professionals
More fitness training and coaching by credentialed professionals.

2. Fitness Programs for Older Adults
More out-of-shape baby boomers will need instruction to remain healthy and active.

3. Strength Training
An essential tool in maintaining overall health and weight management.

4. Children and Obesity
The number of obese kids has become a national health crisis.

5. Personal Training
More exercise in gyms makes personal training staff more accessible.

6. Core Training
Balance, back strength and middle-body conditioning.

7. Exercise and Weight Loss
Adding weight loss programs to exercise is catching on.

8. Boot Camp
Exercise camps allow trainers to train many people at the same time.

9. Functional Fitness
Strength training to make daily living easier.

10. Physician Referrals
Medical doctors and fitness professionals combined in an integrated exercise and wellness program.

Truly Free Weights

admin — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:24:06 +0000

Although purchasing an inexpensive set of dumbbell weights is usually not difficult for most people, fitness fans that don’t want to spend any money on weights at all can take comfort in the fact that it is entirely possible to create your own weights for free by using everyday items found around the home.

Nearly everyone has a backpack around the house somewhere. Since backpacks are made to carry a load and they already have convenient, adjustable straps on them, it’s easy to make the conversion from book-bag to alternative free weight device. Simply fill your backpack with heavy items until the target weight is achieved and then run through your exercise routine with the pack on your back. The added weight helps build strength more quickly than without it and the backpack will not get in your way or hamper your body movements in any way when performing simple exercises like squats, lunges, step-ups and stair climbing.

Disposable plastic bottles are another item that nearly everyone has in the house or maybe in the refrigerator if they are still new. You can use standard 2 liter soda bottles as free weights but the one-gallon plastic milk jugs already have handles on them and are a bit easier to use as free weights. You can fill them with as much water as you like to lift but remember that water weighs a lot and a small one liter pop bottle will weigh over two pounds when filled with water, so don’t overdo it. Plastic jugs and bottles can be used as free weights or they can be added to routines like step-ups and squats.

Plastic shopping bags from the grocery or drugstore get a bad rap because they contribute to the proliferation of plastic pollution in the country, but they can also be utilized as free weights once you load them up with enough heavy items. Plastic bags probably don’t have the most comfortable hand-grips in the world and they are prone to rip open if you add too much weight, but when lightly loaded they can be effective free weights for exercises like squats, lunges and step-ups.

Last but not least on the list of free homemade weights are standard red bricks. Red bricks like the kind used to build houses with can often be found in the yard or garage and they can be re-purposed as weights or weight-stands quite easily. Since bricks are already heavy and don’t have convenient handles, they work best as small individual free weights or as platforms that will raise the angle of your push-up exercises.

Reducing Running Injuries

admin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:00:53 +0000

Running and jogging are two of the most popular forms of exercise that fitness fans all over the country can participate in at home without having to join a gym or club. Depending on the weather, it is possible to run anytime you have the inclination and a place to do it. Unfortunately, running also comes along with an increased risk of injuries if it is not performed correctly.

One of the most common mistakes many runners make is excessive training. Although pushing yourself to the limit can be effective, it only works until the training stops being beneficial. Better to push ahead in increments after you reach your limits. Overdoing it can cause muscle strain or tear. Warm up exercises can also help prevent injuries and runners should complete their entire warm up routine before starting any type of long distance running or sprinting. Maintaining a regular warm up schedule ensures a flexible body and should not be neglected even if you feel ready to run without it. Likewise, you need the right footwear for running. The right running shoes will provide sturdy footing and the maximum level of comfort at the same time. Any running shoes you buy should fit well and not add problems for your lower body. You also must remember to break in your running shoes before using them for extended periods.

A few minor injuries in any physical activity are common and running is no exception. One of the most painful injuries for runners is Achilles Tendinitis that causes pain along the Achilles Tendon, along with calf pain and stiffness. Achilles Tendinitis can be prevented by strengthening the calf muscles with calf exercise. Plantar fasciitis is another common problem for runners who experience inflammation of the tissue on the lower side of the foot, usually on the heel. A few days of rest will reduce the inflammation and subsequent foot stretching and strengthening exercises will help prevent further injuries.

Iliotibial band syndrome is another problem for many runners who overuse their Iliotibial band, which runs from the hip to the shin and adds strength to the leg muscle groups. Iliotibial band syndrome is an inflammation of the band, and can also be caused by training methods that use one leg more than the other. Iliotibial band syndrome can cause shooting pains that start at the heel and occur with every step as you walk or run. Rest and slow stretching exercises will usually alleviate mild cases. When the pain is severe, a doctor should be consulted.

Shin splints are a condition that causes runners pain on the inside of their shinbones. Shin splints are usually caused by injury to the tendons and can be prevented by strengthening the muscles around the shinbone with stretching exercises. In severe cases, complete rest until the inflammation subsides is recommended. There are a number of unfortunately common injuries that can occur due to excessive running, but proper training and warm up exercises will always go a long way toward reducing their severity.

U.S. Obesity Rates Rising

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:31:23 +0000

The recently released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Nutrition Health and Examination Survey indicates that about 34% of U.S. adults are currently obese. Obesity is considered being 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight and the condition has been linked to increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other health problems. The CDC data shows that no state met the Healthy People 2010 goal to bring obesity rates below 20% over the past decade. The data also shows that every state now has an obesity rate of at least 20%, and the rates continue to rise. In 2000, no state had an obesity rate of 30% or more, today there are 12 states over that number. This translates to almost 73 million people or 25% of the population across 36 states that are now considered obese.

The CDC Survey found that obesity is the most widespread in the Southern states where the obesity rate is 29.4%. The rate is 28.7% in the Midwest and 24.9% in the Northeast. The Western states had the lowest rate of obesity at 24.1%. The Survey contained some sharp contrasts in geographical regions, with Mississippi topping the list with 34% of adults considered obese in that state and Colorado coming in the lowest with a 21% obesity rate. However, none of the numbers for any state could be considered good and the true rates of obesity are actually probably a little bit higher than the statistics indicate because people tend to underreport their weight.

2010 state obesity rates showing percentage of adults who are obese:

Mississippi 34

West Virginia 32.5

Alabama 32.2

South Carolina 31.5

Kentucky 31.3

Louisiana 31

Texas 31

Michigan 30.9

Tennessee 30.8

Missouri 30.5

Oklahoma 30.4

Arkansas 30.1

Georgia 29.6

Indiana 29.6

Kansas 29.4

Ohio 29.2

Pennsylvania 28.6

Iowa 28.4

Illinois 28.2

Delaware 28

North Carolina 27.8

South Dakota 27.3

North Dakota 27.2

Maryland 27.1

Nebraska 26.9

Maine 26.8

Oregon 26.8

Florida 26.6

Idaho 26.5

Wisconsin 26.3

Virginia 26

Rhode Island 25.5

Washington 25.5

New Mexico 25.1

Wyoming 25.1

New Hampshire 25

Minnesota 24.8

Alaska 24.5

Arizona 24.3

California 24

New York 23.9

New Jersey 23.8

Vermont 23.2

Massachusetts 23

Montana 23

Hawaii 22.7

Connecticut 22.5

Utah 22.5

Nevada 22.4

District of Columbia 22.2

Colorado 21