Tuesday, September 26, 2006

States with the Highest Obesity Rates

Well, I built me a raft
And she's ready for floating
Old Mississippi, she's calling my name ...

According to a a state-by-state obesity survey, nearly 30% of Mississippi adult residents are obese. The state tops the list published by the Trust for America's Health, a nonprofit group lobbying to make disease prevention a national priority.

Mississippi isn't alone. It is one of 13 states where at least one out of every four adult residents is considered obese.

Top 10 States - Highest Obesity Rates

  1. Mississippi
  2. Alabama
  3. West Virginia
  4. Louisiana
  5. Kentucky
  6. Tennessee
  7. Arkansas
  8. Indiana (tied with SC)
  9. South Carolina (tied with IN)
  10. Texas

By comparison, Colorado is the leanest state., but still has a 17 percent obesity rate.

Top 10 States - Lowest Obesity Rates

  1. Colorado
  2. Hawaii
  3. Massachusetts
  4. Rhode Island
  5. Vermont
  6. Connecticut
  7. Montana
  8. Arizona
  9. Utah
  10. Nevada

SOURCE: News release from the Trust for America's Health.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Exercise May Cut Men's Colon Cancer Risks

Possible Benefit Seen in Sedentary Men
Who Made Exercise a Habit

Sept. 12, 2006 -- By starting an exercise program, men may slash their risk of colon polyps and colon cancer. That news comes from researchers including Anne McTiernan, MD, PhD, of Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
"Vigorous exercise was helpful for men of any size, as long as they worked out nearly every day," McTiernan says, in a news release.
See full story by WebMD

Submitted by: eoecho | Greg Magnus

Monday, September 11, 2006

Food for a Healthy Immune System and Overall Good Health

Focusing on food for a healthy immune system can increase overall good health and nutrition. Foods that build your immune system are rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements and omega-3 fatty acids. Including these foods in your weekly diet can improve your energy levels and decrease the number of colds and other bugs that you get every year.

Some people rely on daily multi-vitamins and dietary supplements, instead of food for a healthy immune system and good supplements are always a good idea. It is not always possible to eat the right foods in the right combination every day. For instance, you may think of oranges or orange juice when you think of foods that build your immune system, but oranges are not the only foods that contain Vitamin C. And if you don’t have enough calcium and magnesium in your diet, then your cells cannot efficiently absorb Vitamin C. Complicating things further, if you drink a glass of orange juice and a glass of milk, then the acidic content of the juice can sour the milk, leading to stomach upset.

People who have frequent heartburn or are lactose intolerant may not be able to include either orange juice or milk in their diets. Citrus fruits are highly acidic and trigger heartburn in many people. Regular milk causes bloating, pain, gas and diarrhea in people who are lactose intolerant. So, what is a person to do?

Crabmeat, lobster and oysters are all rich in calcium, magnesium and vitamin C. Salmon is an important food for a healthy immune system and is often referred to as a “super food” by dieticians and nutritionists, because it contains numerous vitamins and minerals, plus a healthy amount of omega-3 fatty acids, believed to be beneficial in preventing heart disease, cancer and arthritis. Broccoli, tomatoes, peaches and apples are good sources of Vitamin C and are all foods that build your immune system. Broccoli is another food that contains numerous vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and selenium. Not familiar with selenium?

Selenium is an essential trace mineral that may not be included in your daily multi-vitamin, but very important to human health. It is essential to proper immune system function, as well as numerous metabolic pathways. Remember chicken soup? Chicken is another good source of selenium and is one of the foods that build your immune system strength.

Like mushrooms? Researchers studying foods that build immune system strength by increasing white blood cell counts learned that shitake mushrooms worked. The study concluded that beta glucans found in edible mushrooms increased white blood cell counts. White blood cells are primary infection fighters. Don’t like mushrooms? Beta glucans are biologically active compounds found in numerous plant foods and some immune system dietary supplements.

So, in order to include some of the best foods that build your immune system in your weekly diet, eat salmon, tuna and/or seafood three or four times a week, chicken three or four times a week, a variety of fruits and vegetables including broccoli and mushrooms, whenever possible. Relying on food for a healthy immune system may not be enough, depending on where you live or work. A daily multi-vitamin can help and there are immune system supplements that contain beta glucans, herbs and other ingredients that can also help, particularly during cold and flu season. To learn more about food for a healthy immune system and supplements that can boost your immune system, visit www.immune-system-booster-guide.com.

By Patsy Hamilton (Patsy has been a healthcare professional for more than twenty years and currently writes informational articles for the Immune System Booster Guide. Read more at http://www.immune-system-booster-guide.com)

Reviewed by: eoecho | Greg Magnus
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Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Keeping Your Exercise On Track

Let us pretend that you decided to look good and to do it fast. Maybe it's your wedding, maybe it's a holiday, it doesn't matter. But what gym, fitness program or equipment do you choose?

A personal fitness training program will help solve your problem. Personal fitness training helps you by providing results, structure, variety and motivation for all you do. There are thousands of skillful instructors that are waiting and ready to meet a diversity of budgets and fitness needs.

Of course you will ask yourself - "Why should I benefit from a personal trainer?" or maybe "Why should I pay somebody to tell me how to exercise when I can simply go, watch TV and exercise for free?" I will tell you - indeed you may do like many people that are going to the gym do - learn exercises when they watch other people do them. But are you sure that the person you are watching knows what he is doing? Maybe he learned this watching someone else, and maybe the one who started the chain probably was wrong and the exercise does more harm than benefit? But with personal trainer you may be absolutely sure you make everything correct and for your own good.

Another big plus of personal fitness trainer is not the muscles and ability to show you how it's done, but it is motivation. If you have regularly scheduled appointment, it works perfect for maintaining your motivation. That is not only about reporting someone of what you have already done. It is about taking part in a structured and realistic program, which is specially designed to deliver you maximum results in the minimum amount of time. Good personal fitness trainers try to make your exercise program fun and interesting, so that you could have the motivation to not only meet and work out, but to exceed your goals. Of course to succeed in that you and your fitness trainer should be a perfect match. Of course such relationship between a personal fitness trainer and you may not a real friendship, but since you a ready to spend a few hours a week with this guy try to find someone you like.

According to research there are about 500 organizations in the United States that work to certify personal fitness trainers. Among the most popular and respected are the following three: the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and the American Council on Exercise (ACE). The better organization it is - the more specific requirements that are based on theoretical and practical knowledge there are. Of course everywhere is obligatory to visit retesting programs at renewal periods, and continuing education in order to refresh and prolong certificate.

But certification is not the only thing you need to check on while hiring personal fitness trainer. It would be better for you to ask your trainer about his educational background. Another recent research showed that the most knowledgeable personal fitness trainers are usually better educated. The American College of Sports Medicine has even begun to require formal educational degree in exercise science or a related field from its certified trainers.

By Andy Green, a successful webmaster and publisher of Free Fitness and Exercise Tips - lots of info to keep you fit, healthy, learn about weight training and help you to get regular exercise.

Reviewed by: Greg Magnus | eoecho.com

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