Yes, it’s here. That special time of year when waiting in line for equipment at the gym and fending off co-workers who want to pawn off leftover holiday chocolate on you suddenly becomes the norm. Motivated by pants that seemingly shrunk a size over the holidays, not to mention the looming spectre of a swimsuit-oriented vacation just around the corner, you might find yourself wondering what a good tapeworm goes for these days. But fear not, my friends: Below you’ll find what you might consider some of the core principles of weight management. While hardly revolutionary, these recommendations remain some of the simplest and most effective ways to help you achieve, and just as importantly, maintain, a healthy body weight.

http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/01/02/dont-drink-your-calories-and-five-other-tips-for-eating-better-in-2012/

I found this article very good, it really shows you how intricate the body ‘understands’ the information given to it. Some of the information will frustrate you, but it is preparing those that truly want to succeed. Very much what I do at FightClub.

If you need guidance through the physical fitness maze – come to FC!

I’ll get you the results and information that you need to be successful.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/28/why-lost-pounds-come-back/?ref=health

A lot of people ask me about the basic Kettle bell basics.

Here is a simple and informative vid about them and how to train.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwme8rkzetg

Done correctly with good breathing. They can be part of a good fitness and lifestyle routine.

November 7, 2011 – Toronto Star

by LAURA BICKLE

Your co-worker — with whom you shared sushi yesterday — called in sick this morning. Your 3-year-old sneezed in your face during bedtime. And everyone on the bus seems to be hacking up a lung.

Sometimes getting clobbered by “that bug that’s going around” seems inevitable. But here’s the good news: you’re not defenceless. Try these strategies to protect yourself against colds and the flu.

Start smart. If you head into cold and flu season feeling run down, your body can’t effectively face down sneezy, mucus-y foes. “There is evidence of the preventive effects of stress reduction, adequate sleep, exercise and a balanced diet (high on veggies, low on processed food),” says Dr. Ashley Riskin, clinical director of the Connect Health Centre for Integrative Medicine in Vancouver.

While lifestyle changes can be a challenge to implement, they can have long-term benefits beyond keeping colds and flu at bay, says Riskin. “You can prevent a vast majority of chronic illnesses if you eat right, sleep right and exercise.”

Hand washing. Yes, it’s an old saw, but we mean really wash your hands. Using regular soap and warm water, wash the front and back of your hands and between your fingers and under your nails. How long? At least 15 seconds; about as long as it takes to sing The Alphabet Song. Turn off the tap with a towel so that you don’t undo all your hard work. Ditto for opening the doors, particularly in public washrooms.

No access to a washroom? Hand sanitizers will work, too, just make sure you use enough to cover the full surface of your hands, and don’t dilute it with water. Riskin notes that since you’re contagious before you show symptoms, hand washing is a good way to make sure others don’t get sick, too.

Gargling. Viruses and bacteria like to hang out in the back of the throat and nose; a good swish of saline solution can put the kibosh on their party. (In a glass of warm water, dissolve half a teaspoon of salt; gargle for about 10 seconds and spit.)

Nasal irrigation. That’s right, cleaning out mucus, bacteria and debris from the olé schnoz may help keep you cold-free. Now that you’ve stopped saying ewwwwww (or maybe you haven’t), here’s how to do it: The simplest way is to snort warm salt water out of your cupped hands and then blow it out. You can also use a neti pot — a kettle-like device that allows you to pour water in through one nostril and out through the other.

Nasal irrigation is particularly recommended for asthma sufferers since a cold puts them at risk of increased asthma symptoms, says Riskin.

Supplements. Some herbs and vitamins have shown some evidence of helping to ward off sniffles, but studies have been contradictory and more research is needed. However, there is little risk in boosting your intake and some, like garlic, ginger and vitamin C are easy to incorporate into your diet (and the body tends to absorbs nutrients well when they come in foods).

Key vitamins and herbs associated with illness prevention (talk to your doc before taking supplements):

• vitamin C

• Andrographis

• ginseng

• garlic

• ginger

There is also growing evidence of the ability of vitamin D to stave off colds and flu. Riskin says that since most of us are deficient and because of the other documented health benefits, a vitamin D supplement is a low-cost, no-risk measure.

Tip: Also consider squeezing lemon into your water glass and sipping mint tea for a vitamin and herb boost, plus much-needed hydration.

The flu shot. People with chronic illness and those close to them should get the shot, since the flu can have devastating effects on those with weakened immunity. However, Riskin points out that since the formulation of the flu shot is based on previous years’ strains, “it’s a best guess at what the strain might be. It’s not going to be perfect.” So discuss it with your doctor, but be sure to implement the other preventative measures, too (especially since you’re still at risk of colds and other illnesses even if you’ve had the shot).

One of my students found this article in the NY Times. It really shows you how SYSTEMA’s principles apply to all things. Even something like running.

Enjoy the article …

When you’re stalking barefoot runners, camouflage helps. “Some of them get kind of prancy when they notice you filming,” Peter Larson says. “They put on this notion of what they think barefoot running should be. It looks weird.” Larson, an evolutionary biologist at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire who has been on the barefoot beat for two years now, is also a stickler about his timing. “You don’t want to catch them too early in a run, when they’re cold, or too late, when they’re tired.” (read more at..)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/magazine/running-christopher-mcdougall.html?_r=2&hpw

Holiday Health
Which Road Will You Take? 

Dr. Phil Maffetone

Halloween is the start of the so-called “holiday season.” It’s an international event. Millions more children—and adults—of all ages gobble down pounds of sweets for days and weeks after Halloween, finishing just in time for the next holiday feeding frenzy. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and other holidays leading to the Super Bowl parties are devastating to ones health. By the end of a span of a few fast weeks, many have gained weight, lost health, got the flu, and often visit their doctor for help. Healthy people avoid this scene, and now is the time to decide which road to take: health or illness. (Many people find the Two Week Test to be very helpful in getting or staying on the road to better health.)

The dependency on sugar consumption is an addiction; weaning oneself off it is not easy. For many years, studies have demonstrated that sugar triggers the brain’s pleasure and reward centers—areas in the emotional centers of the brain responsible for the release of “feel good” neurotransmitters called dopamine. These are the same brain areas stimulated by cocaine, nicotine, opiates (such as heroin and morphine), and alcohol. This addiction is not an imaginary thing in the minds of millions of sugar junkies—it’s associated with real physiological changes in the brain. And, perhaps because the brain’s pleasure areas are also very close to the pain centers, withdrawal from sugar has been described by many patients as being painful—like romantic pain or eliminating nicotine or caffeine.

Psychoactive compounds present in cocoa and chocolate, salsolinol being the main one, might be why chocolate can also so be addicting. But the high level of added sugar contained in most chocolate products is probably more addictive than the chocolate alone.

Instead of focusing on the issue of sugar addiction and the overfat epidemic, media stories go elsewhere. Here are three examples from this year:

- The Associated Press (October 10, 2011) reports that candy in the shape of marijuana that’s showing up on store shelves around the country won’t get kids high. But lollipops and other candy in the shape and color of a marijuana plant has stressed Buffalo city leaders and anti-drug activists who say the products represent a new low. The candy is distributed by Philadelphia-based Kalan LP, a novelty supply company. They also support legalization of marijuana—and state it on the wrapper with the word “Legalize.”

- Candy is “recession resistant” because most people can’t go without it, say Larry Graham of the National Confectioners Association in a Fox News interview. This year, coming into the biggest chunk of the years’ profits that starts with Halloween, sales are beating past years. No surprise. Graham says that consumer overindulgence of candy’s “inexpensive indulgence” is not concerning. About a quarter of all candy sales occur during the holidays. But the reality should be a concern for everyone: among the problems for individuals is that about half of the sugar consumed turns to stored body fat. 

- A new article by Forbes online (http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/10/17/is-child-labor-going-into-your-halloween-candy/?feed=rss_home) addresses the serious problem of child labor abuses in African cocoa farms. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture says that there were 284,000 children working on such farms, often in dangerous conditions, often in some form of indentured servitude. These plantations supply chocolate to major US candy makers. You can avoid this issue by buying organic cocoa and making your own healthy treats. 

Many people have trouble accepting the notion that sugar is addicting. “More scientific studies are needed” is the mantra often voiced by the media, the sugar industry, and its lobbyists, and sugar addicts. This denial is a convenient cop-out—of those addicted and especially by those who reap monetary benefits from sugar and sugar-containing products. (To this day, the tobacco industry also claims that, “more studies are needed,” to determine whether cigarette smoking or second-hand smoke is harmful.) 

Is sugar addicting? Just ask the millions who are, and those who have been able to escape it. And by spring, just in time for Easter, many will be asking why they keep gaining body fat each winter. (Read more on Sugar Addiction.)

Does this mean we have to go without delicious desserts and chocolate treats? Certainly not—I don’t. It’s easy to avoid unhealthy high glycemic treats because there are healthy alternatives. And if you think they’re not just as tasty or easy to make, you’ve never tried the many recipes for fudge, Phil’s Bars, chocolate cake and many other desserts in Recipes!

Below is a list of the 10 Best & Worst Holiday Habits.

The Best Holiday Habits:
1. Maintain a healthy lifestyle
2. Be with those you want to be with
3. Stick with a holiday budget
4. Balance work and pleasure
5. Get enough sleep
6. Stay at home and have fun
7. Do things you’re passionate about
8. Shop locally
9. Buy & receive only healthy gifts
10. Share healthy food

The Worst Holiday Habits:
1. Spending money you don’t have
2. Visiting people you don’t like
3. Going to parties you’d rather avoid
4. Eating things you don’t want
5. Drinking too much alcohol
6. Last minute shopping
7. Holiday travel (especially at peak periods)
8. Going on a diet January 1st
9. Gaining weight
10. Buying unhealthy gifts

Feel free to post these 10 Best & Worst Holiday Habits in your office, on your refrigerator or other places, and send to all friends and family. 
***

http://philmaffetone.com/holidayhabits.cfm