Summer is Here, and the Livin' is Easy

So today I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret that I have always fully believed in. Whenever I'm having one of those terrible, horrible, disgusting days. There is usually two things that make me feel better. Those two things are fresh air and exercise. And if you add summer to the equation, well you just got yourself a recipe for success! So here is actually a research article I'm going to break down for all of you guys today, the title is “Does Participating in Physical Activity in Outdoor Natural Environments Have a Greater Effect on Physical and Mental Wellbeing than Physical Activity Indoors?”

Method

The experimenters here, were trying to compare the different feelings of physical and mental well-being from outdoor activities vs. indoor activities. Eleven trials using 833 adults were used and out of this 523 were young students. The participants were tested by walking or running indoors for a period of time, then on a separate occasion they would walk or run outside in a green environment at a similar level. The researchers then had 13 different surveys for outcomes on the effects of exercise on mental well-being and then 4 outcome measures to test attitude towards the exercise.

Results

The hypothesis of the researchers corresponded as planned with the results. Participants reported in the surveys that exercising outdoors provided them with greater feelings of revitalization and positive engagement, decreases tension, confusion, anger, and depression (Thompson Coon, 2011). It also provided an increase in energy. Participants also reported that their feeling of calmness was decreased after outdoor activities (Thompson Coon, 2011). Participants reported they enjoyed themselves more and had a better time outdoors, and would definitely do it again. Overall the researchers concluded that there are definitely added beneficial effects when doing physical activities outdoors in natural environments.

Conclusion 

This experiment has created a lot of interest on the topic of self reported mental well-being following physical activities outdoors, rather than indoors. Researchers also took into account that exercising outdoors helps with the “green” movement our society is trying to lean more towards. Also people who were to exercise outdoors were more likely to exercise with friends and be social, rather than people who exercise indoors. In recent studies it has also been found that cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease mortality rates decreased with increased time spent in green space in men. This specific experiment has sparked a lot of interest in the scientific community and many more tests and experiments are being formed to test the association between health and the outdoors.

So next time you see that great deal on that 24 hour gym that you've always wanted to join. How about you skip it and save yourself the money and go outside and enjoy the fresh air while exercising. You can go for a hike, run, play frisbee, basketball, soccer, go to the outdoor gym at a your community centre, and even just take a nice brisk walk. Personally all of my friends have joined gym's around our neighbourhood, and I of course applaud them for being fit. But why pay money, when you can get just a good workout exercising outside. And according to this experiment you will have a greater sense of mental and physical well-being. Its a win win situation my friends! Save money, get fit, enjoy the fresh air, and just feel good. What could be better than that?

Here is a video for a way to get a good workout outdoor!

Article Reference

Thompson coon, J. (2011). Does Participating in Physical Activity in Outdoor Natural Environments Have a Greater Effect on Physical and Mental Wellbeing than Physical Activity Indoors? Environ. Sci. Technol., 45(5), 1761-1772.

            doi: 10.1021/es102947t

The Foods that can keep you Running Forever!

Stamina is generally defined as the ability to keep up energy over an extended period of physical activity. Many people including myself find it extremely difficult to keep up a steady jog for a long period of time. And it blows my mind when I see those long distance runners and triathletes overcoming great distances, i find it humanly impossible! But endurance is all about that extra push you can give yourself. Lots of the food we eat can reduce your stamina and endurance but there are certain foods that can indeed help to give us that extra push to completing that jog or even making it through a long strenuous day at work.

Breakfast consists of the food to start off your day feeling energized and awake. Its important to get whole grains which contain vitamins, minerals and protein. Whole grains also include your essential amino acids and they metabolize more slowly than breads and pasta made with refined white flour. Other good breakfast foods are turkey bacon, lean ham, peanut butter, low fat cheeses and pitas or bagels.

Protein and water are very important for stamina. Protein increases muscle endurance and water replenishes your body. A well hydrated body has better stamina and you will overall have more energy and feel less tired when you are hydrated. Its good to get 8 glasses of water a day and to limit your intake of caffeinated drinks, yes they do give you that quick surge of energy but in the long wrong they can dehydrate you, which causes you to lose minerals. Protein is the main energy source to help the body recover rom fatigue during physical activity. Good sources of protein are fish, eggs, and low or no fat dairy products. Red meats are also a good source of protein but they are high in saturated fats, Too much saturated fat in the diet can slow enzyme production and protein synthesis decreasing energy output.

Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids are essential fatty acids that supply the body’s muscles with energy. They help to carry oxygen increasing energy. Your body does not produce this thus it must come from the foods you eat. Tuna, salmon, coldwater fish, seeds and nuts are foods high in essential fatty acids. Anti-oxidants and B vitamins are extremely important for your diet. Antioxidants are found in vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains and The B vitamins are other essential nutrients that help regulate metabolism so that the body can turn food into energy.

Overall all these different foods and more can help you to fully keep up and enjoy everything that life throws at you. Endurance and stamina are important for all athletes and it will be what keeps them from performing at their very best. Stamina is also important for the average person from jogging to taking a hike, endurance will always reward anyone in their daily activities. Well thats all for today folks, I hope you learnt something new from this.

Resources

http://www.livestrong.com/article/480035-stamina-building-diet/

http://www.nutritionexpress.com/protein/whey+protein/showarticle.aspx?articleid=293

http://www.livestrong.com/article/123533-foods-build-stamina/

Reebok Easytone Shoe Controversy

I'm sure you have all seen the commercials for these shoes. Basically they have a air filled balance pod that "encourages toning through increased muscle activation". Reebok proclaims you will get muscle activation in the calves, hamstrings, and glutes and these shoes will strengthen muscles by providing instability. Basically if you’ve ever seen those balance balls at the gym, these shoes are somewhat similar.

Reebok claims that these shoes will improve muscle tone in the glutes by 28% and 11% in the hamstrings and calves. But reebok has not provided any studies or proof that these numbers actually originated from somewhere. And remember proof is your best friend when trying to identify a scam. Also Reebok doesn’t recommend doing vigorous activities that include a lot of lateral movements such as tennis or basketball or that are heavy impact such as running. They do offer different kinds of easytones such as a running and flipflop version. But are we really willing to spend 100 bucks on a pair of shoes which I'm limited to walk in? Some people have also reported increased back pains caused by the shoes, they can throw your spine out of alignment if you had back pains before, because these shoes basically throw off your stability. People have also reported deflated pods in the sole of the shoe, but then again this is a problem with any air filled shoe.

Of course these shoes do have a plus side as well. If you aren't expecting drastic results and have realistic expectations from these shoes then they may be for you. They are good for the busy lifestyle, the easytones do increase our active living. And hey, if buying them causes you too walk more solely (no pun intended) to get some use out of them then I guess its mission accomplished. Also many women do report that they do feel soreness the next day after walking a distance which would cause no pain whatsoever in regular running shoes. One last thing I love is Reebok will donate a minimum of $500,000 up to $750,000 to benefit the Avon Walk Around the World for Breast Cancer to combat breast cancer. So i guess you can feel good about more than just getting in Shape when you get these shoes.

Overall the Reebok Easytones are not miracle workers, you will not see drastic results and they DEFINETLY do not replace physical activity and exercise in any way. If you are looking for a different kind of shoe that offers different support and works your muscles a little more than your regular running shoe, then this product is for you. But if your looking to look like the women in the Easytone commercials in their booty shorts, than this product is most likely not for you. With realistic expectations this product can be a hit or miss. It honestly depends on the buyer. Well I'm out folks, but I hope this gave you a little too think about today.

http://www.examiner.com/triathlon-in-boston/reebok-easytone-shoes-another-gimmick-to-keep-you-from-doing-real-exercise

http://exercise.about.com/b/2009/01/22/what-do-you-think-aboutreebok-easytone-shoes.htm

http://www.reebok.com/US/brand/women/walking

The Colon Cleanse Scam!

Today Im going to speaking out about “The Ultimate Colon Cleanse.” http://www.ultimatecoloncleanse.com/. I am really surprised that people honestly think there is something wrong with their colon and feel like they have to take drastic measures and change their lifestyle, to fix a problem that wasn't there. This is basically an ideal scam for the gullible and can actually do considerable harm to your body.

The first screen shot shows a statement said by a russian scientist Elie Metchnikoff who won a nobel prize. Guess when my friends... 1908, and then died in 1916. how can he be speaking out about the ultimate colon cleanse if he died before the makers of this website were even born. Here Dr. Metchnikoff apparently says that the colon needs to be cleaned out because it is where all of our waste accumulates. So death begins in the Colon they say, well since we all have colons i guess we should all be dead, actually did you know “a toxic colon probably contributes to almost every disease suffered by the human race.” I for one do not believe this, because if the colon was such a problem wouldn’t it be talked about more in today's society. The Healthy Weight Network (1st website below) states “If it were true, people would not survive, as one FDA agent pointed out: the body is naturally self-cleaning. Aside from their basic silliness, cleansing programs are often high-risk, containing potent laxatives.”

In our second screen shot we see that Buck Rizvi is the Founder of The Ultimate Colon Cleanse. You would expect the founder of such an apparent medical break through to at least have a medical background but he is actually just an entrepreneur trying to make a quick buck. You would think that Buck would go on tours promoting the ultimate colon cleanse but he actually has a tour called the supplement millions. From this title alone we see that Buck is cashing in on the ignorance of others. In the second website below, here is a clip of Buck and his partner Brock speaking about how you can start your own supplement business. Basically any tom, dick, and harry can sell you any sort of product they want. Usually products that make fake promises and base their buissnesses on the ignorance and insecurities of others. In the video at 6:30 Brock actually says that he is not a doctor and has less than a semester of college under his belt.

In the 2^nd screenshot we also see the headline that says it is “The Safest most Natural way to shed 10lbs in Just two weeks.” One thing is for sure the safest and most natural way to lose weight is by eating healthy and exercising. Also yes it may be possible for you to lose those 10lbs in 2 weeks, but i guarantee the minute this over priced bottle runs out you will be putting the weight back on a mile a minute (and quite possibly more). Now lets talk about “Safe and Natural” basically when you take this product your going to be stuck on the toilet, releasing foul bowel movements. You may think to yourself “wow, theres a whole lot of stuff in my colon thats getting cleaned out right now. Enough to keep my bottom glued to the toilet for two weeks whole!” But if you look at the main ingredient in screen shot 3 it is psyllium husk, from website 3 we find out that if you take a glass and fill it 1/4 with water and then put some Metamucil powder or tablets in and let the glass sit over a night. The next morning you will see the product has turned into a gel like substance and taken the form of the glass. Top ingredient in Metamucil? Psyllium Husk. So those crazy shapes your excretions may be making is not due to a cleanse but solely an ingredient that really doesn’t do anything to “clean” you out. It's more of a wow factor i would say.

Overall the Ultimate Colon Cleanse product is formed to make visible horrifying results that will cause the buyer to purchase this product over and over again. But our bodies are designed to clean themselves out, the most you may ever need in your diet is some extra fibre and a few more glasses of water every day. So don't waste your time or money on a useless product like so, trust your body and let it do its job. Its the only one you got.

http://www.healthyweightnetwork.com/fraud.htm

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4244990052648327608#

http://vegpeace.org/coloncleanse.html

Exercise should be regarded as a tribute to the heart ~ Gene Tunney

Hey you! Yea you looking at the computer screen, nope there is absolutely no one behind you. This is solely directed at you, now I know your name may not be José but work with me here!  Are you someone who is looking for that perfect 5 minute workout that will get you the beach body of a lifetime, or that diet pill that can cause you to drop 12 lbs in a week. Well I’m sorry my friends but fitness and health do not come in a bottle. Bottom line is diet pills don’t work and they can actually do considerable harm to your body. Most of the people we know be it family, friends, uncles, aunts, sisters, and even the mailman seem to all be on crazed diets, cleanses, or weight loss programs with their good friend (or foe?) Jenny Craig. But does all of this really work? Is this the true way to becoming the healthy and happy person were all seeking out to be? NO. This blog is about ways you can become physically active and fit without relying on pills and crazed diets. And I am pretty sure getting out there and enjoying the sunshine is also going to make your day a lot brighter. Oh wait where have my manners gone, you should at least know my name before you start to read my blog at least. Wow I feel so violated, this not a one blog stand I tell you (sorry I couldn’t resist). Hi I’m Natasha and yes its true I’ve never written a blog before, is it just me or does it sound like were at an AA meeting. Anyways I’m currently taking a Kinesiology 140 class at Simon Fraser University and we get to start a health blog for the class! Superb idea if I do say so myself. I love to dance, run, play my ukulele, take hikes up the SFU Mountain, play Frisbee in the sun, listen to music, and basically do anything fun and spontaneous that makes me truly happy. This is overall the way I stay physically fit, by doing activities that make me happy and work my body at the same time. What I hope you all get out of this blog is that being fit doesn’t mean being as skinny as a stick like the models we see in the magazines, its about feeling strong , powerful, healthy, and basically just overall feeling like you have done everything you possibly could to allow your body to fully keep up and enjoy life. If even one person gets something out of this little rant, well I consider my job done.

Until next time

Natasha.

(Please if you go to the gym, try and not let this happen. Poor Chap.)