Keep Your Hormones in Check
Testosterone, estrogen, and growth hormone (HGH) are an anti-aging trio. Depending on your gender, of course, this group ignites your energy and libido, keeps muscles and bones strong, and your body ripped. However, beginning in your 30s, your hormone production slows down and the consequences are evident—increased belly fat, lost of body tone, lack of...
Casing Your Joints
Few parts in the body work in isolation. The joints are no exception. When you lift weights, run, bike, endure a cross fit class, or shake your hips in Zumba, chances are you think about the muscles you want to strengthen, the calories you want to burn, and/or the personal record you want to achieve....
Don’t Blame High Cholesterol for CAD
You may avoid eggs, shrimps, milk and other cholesterol-rich food to prevent the waxy type of fat from being deposited into your arteries. However, is it possible that what people blame for the incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) is really not “the most” significance culprit? “Cholesterol is a vitally important necessary molecule that’s needed...
Switch the Roles
“Men train for aesthetics, where as women train for application. This statement is bold, but is saturated with truth,” says Jay Cardiello, certified strength and conditioning coach and the creator of JCORE, www.jcorebody.com. Before you think this takes your chest press exercise too far, think twice. When was the last time you really worked out...
Are Low Health Numbers Really Good?
Blood pressure 10/55 mmg. Heart rate 47 bpm. “Are you okay?” the nursed asked me. I smile and explained how active I am, which is why my levels were so low. We are used to hearing about high blood pressure, high resting heart rate, and high cholesterol, among many other cardiovascular risk markers, but what...
Gains From Pain
I once ran a half-marathon with anemia when your hemoglobin is low, which means less oxygen will be carried to the muscles among many other health issues. I ran a 10K with a partial tear of an ankle ligament. My personal best of a 140-pound deadlift occurred while having hamstrings tendinitis. And recently, I experienced...
Better Memory: What Food is on Your Plate?
My mom still does the newspaper crossword puzzle. I don’t think she enjoys it, but she’s fully convinced that by crossing words in her mind will keep her brain sharp. She sometimes struggles to find the right words while she eats a familiar Venezuela food: tequeno—fried dough with cheese. Of course, I am shocked looking...
Can Your Diet Boost Aerobic Capacity?
If your goal is to finish a marathon you think carbohydrates. If your goal is to increase body mass then lean protein rich food sources and healthy fats come to mind. But is there a diet that specifically boosts aerobic capacity? Improving your aerobic capacity means greater oxygen delivery to your muscles, which translates to...
Lose That Bloating Feeling
We’ve all gone through stomach problems at one time—that fullness sensation accompanied by a gaseous feeling, the need to burp and/or pass gas, or even an abdominal distension known as a hard stomach. It’s commonly referred to as “feeling bloated,” and it is more common than you might think. Up to 35 percent of the...
Think About Being Fit
“Imagine the thighs melting downward into the blankets,” says a yoga instructor. “Think like if you were pinching a pen to fully contract the muscles around the scapula,” says a trainer. “Keep your hands as if you were holding an egg,” says a runner coach. What do all these guidelines have in common? Beyond the...
Men At Work (And In Pain)
Last week, I talked about common women injuries. This week the men get their turn. It no surprise that active men often battle some kind of nagging aches and pain. With 10 times more testosterone than women, men want to prove they are the next “Rock.” At the gym, I notice some guy trying to...
Women Friendly Pain
There are definitive, gender-specific differences when it comes to men and women, and this even includes common aches, pains, and injuries. Let’s start with the fairer sex. While injuries themselves are not gender-specific, many women-only factors can influence them; for example, age, anatomic variations, weight, strength, and flexibility. Plus, a woman’s body and subsequent lifestyle...