A new study by The George Institute for International Health has found Tai Chi to have positive health benefits for musculoskeletal pain. The results of the first comprehensive analysis of Tai Chi suggest that it produces positive effects for improving pain and disability among arthritis sufferers.

The researchers are now embarking on a new trial to establish if similar benefits can be seen among people with chronic low back pain.

“This is the first robust evidence to support the beneficial effects of Tai Chi. Our study proves that Tai Chi relieves pain and disability among people with arthritis and shows a positive trend towards effects for overall physical health. We now want to see if these benefits are the same for people suffering from low back pain”, said author Dr Chris Maher at The George Institute. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Getting happy is very very important for no other reason than the happy person will do what is necessary and the unhappy person will instead dwell on failures and not bother raking those steps to get into better health.

(hint: Serotonin makes you happy)

More than 25 million people received treatment for depression last year and the American Psychological Association reports: more than half of Americans say they are stressed. It’s becoming a primary focus for doctors world-wide.

Here’s what you need to know, to protect you mind and your body.

These days, world-renowned speaker Deepak Chopra teaches that happiness is no longer just a mental quest, but a physical one. Chopra recently released his newest DVD “The Prescription for Happiness.” Doctors are on the same page. They now have solid evidence your happiness directly affects your health. Read the rest of this entry »

The term “volumetrics diet” is catching up these days suddenly with the attention gained from the media. So one would naturally as to what exactly it is and from where this term gained acceptance in the popular culture. The phrase “volumetrics diet” was first used in the book released by Barbara Rolls in the year 2000, the title of which was “The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan” and it was co authored by Barbara and Robert Barnett. Both these writers have impressive credentials with Barbara holding a Phd from Penn State University and Barnett having a track record of writing in several nutrition publications.

The volumetrics diet is based on a simple fact that the volume of food eaten is more important to us when it comes to experiencing a sense of fullness as compared to the number of calories consumed.  Although this fact is commonly known, most of the “diet plans” work in exactly the opposite direction by proposing a curb on food volume and forcing the body to go into starvation.

As many would agree this approach is short lived since it is not possible for anybody to go on living on less food for extended durations. This is where the volumetrics diet differs. It proposes that by consuming foods, which are low in calorie content, you will not just lose weight but additionally such an approach would ensure that you can do so for extended periods of time, possibly months if not years. Further, you’ll not feel any urge of hunger since you’re not eating less food than demanded by your appetite. Read the rest of this entry »

Margaret Tye has this interesting article about the value of Omega 3 fatty acids. I have written before about how I do take this supplement and my wife actually calls them heart pills because Omegas are supposed to be good for your heart and circulation.

In recent years research has highlighted the benefits of omega 3 fish oil, whether it is taken naturally by eating oily fish, or by taking daily supplements. Fish oil has been shown to help keep the cardiovascular system healthy, reducing the risk of heart disease and eventual heart attack.

Many people take fish oil to help joint movement. Arthritic patients can suffer a great deal of pain and omega 3 fatty acid may reduce wear and tear on the joints and reduce the pain of inflammation. You should always tell your doctor if you are taking fish oil supplements, particularly if you are on any prescribed medication.

In the UK, research showed dramatic improvements in reading skills in children given omega 3 over a period of three months. Both over and under-achievers were seen to improve. Sixteen year old students given omega 3 in the period before taking exams achieved better results than those not taking supplements. Read the rest of this entry »

Stretching is a great way of stopping or at least doing a large part in the prevention of sports injuries. The simple act of stretching will give you more benefits than simply cutting your risk or injury it will also help you to gain muscle, agility and coordination. I have stressed in the past that stretching is very useful but here is an article that I found that gives you even more reason to stretch everyday.

Overcoming & Preventing Sports Injury

If you’re involved in the health & fitness industry, whether it be participating in your favourite sport, coaching, training or just keeping fit, you’ll know how annoying and debilitating a sports injury can be. In reality, when you have a sports injury you’re actually losing on two fronts. Firstly, you’re losing simply because your body has been hurt and now needs time and care to repair itself. And on top of this, you’re also losing the time you could have been putting into training and improving your sporting ability. Read the rest of this entry »

I occasionally post articles by Craig Ballantyne from Turbulence training. What happens is he will send me articles and if I feel that one of them is good then I will post it here. Well here is one about getting started with high intensity training like Turbulence training suggests. I thought this was interesting because people that are really overweight think that exercise is not possible for them at all.

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fat loss for obese people can follow the same Turbulence Training workouts that fat loss for advanced people will follow, but we just need to adjust the exercises and intensity. The principles remain the same.

We’ll use multi-muscle exercises. We’ll do them in superset pairs. And yes, we’ll even use interval training for this. It will be modified, but we can still do it.

Recently, my friend and nutrition expert Dr. Chris Mohr interviewed me on how an obese person can use Turbulence Training for fat loss. Read the rest of this entry »

I was in the bookstore with my daughter last week and ran across a book called the Fiber 35 Diet and flipped through it. To say the least the book is interesting.

The Author, Brenda Watson, has beased a whole diet around the idea that most people simply do not get enough fiber in their diet. I think I probably get enough fiber, maybe 20-25 grams a day but brenda would like to see us at 35 grams of fiber a day instead.

So I am snickering to myself in the bookstore that someone has actually written a one trick pony book on how to get more fiber in your diet. Actually in looking at the Fiber 35 Diet there is a lot more.

The basics of the diet are that you take your current diet and slash 1000 calories from your daily intake. You then make sure that you are splitting these calories into 5-7 meals a day, and finally you make sure that your calories are actually in the range of 25% protein, 25% fat and 50% carbohydrates.  After 2 weeks of this diet you simply raise your calories by 500 calories a day to get to a more reasonable caloric intake. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever noticed that when you are tired and do not feel like exercising that it quickly passes when you just get up and get a bit of movement? Well you are not alone. A recent study from the University of Georgia seems to prove that exercise will over come tiredness. Here is a quote from the author of the study:

“Too often we believe that a quick workout will leave us worn out, especially when we are already feeling fatigued,” Tim Puetz, who helped conduct the study, said in a statement.

“However, we have shown that regular exercise can actually go a long way in increasing feelings of energy, particularly in sedentary individuals.”

So next time that you are tired remember this post. Even better, start to exercise without even thinking about it. If you are even a little tired it is really easy for your mind to convince you not to workout at all.

I ran across this article about strength training and getting started in strength training by Mark Winston. This is a great start to how you have no excuses not to start weightlifting and building strength is just gettting started and moving up from there. 

The most important thing for you to realize is that when I first started bodybuilding, I didn’t look anything like I do now. I can remember being teased as a child by the “skinny” kids in my neighborhood – oh yes, they all had fun calling me “chubby” and pointing out that I had to wear “husky” pants while their moms could shop for them in the “slim” section of the local clothing store.

As an adult I know that kids can be cruel when teasing one another and that they lack the maturity to understand the harmful impact of name calling. But as a child being teased, my ego was crushed and I felt very insecure about my physical appearance – especially when I was hanging around the skinny kids. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t know why I keep noticing these detoxing articles although today I do. I made a turkey for the first time this weekend and messed up making the gravy. After a few hours of suffering from all the fat in the gravy I have come to the sudden realization that I would like to detox it right out of my body

When we want to detoxify our bodies naturally, we usually look to herbs to cleanse our bodies. You can’t get any more natural than greens that come from the good earth, now can you? However, how efficient are herbs in taking impurities out of our system? This article features a list of Pros, Cons and general guidelines in using herbs as a natural detoxification of your digestive system.

The Good news about herbal detoxing

1. Herbal detoxing is all natural. There’s no suspicious complex formula or secret ingredient, so you don’t have to worry about bloating and other side effects brought on by strange chemical reactions. You should find out, though, which herbs will do what to your body. Read the rest of this entry »