Staying Fit Without a Gym

May 13, 2013 — Leave a comment

Photo Credit: http://mountainsskin.blogspot.ca

 

Going to the gym and lifting weights isn’t for everybody. Some people simply don’t enjoy the monotonous workout routines because “it’s boring.” Others may actually feel intimidated by the atmosphere most gyms give off. If either scenario sounds like you please know that there are others in the same boat.

The good news is that you can definitely stay in great shape without ever stepping foot in a gym. The idea for someone not wishing to gym is to find other activities that promote a healthy lifestyle.

If you like working out but just not in front of a lot of people then you can do resistance training at home. Buying yourself a pair of dumbbells and a decent weight range is all you really need to cover your whole body.

If you straight up despise resistance training altogether then a great idea is to play a sport. There are several sports that can keep you in tip top shape all by just having some fun. On top of that, sports are a great way to get some cardiovascular exercise that most resistance trainers don’t get enough of.

I do resistance training at a gym 3 times per week but now am trying to make a personal goal of adding more activities outside the gym on top of my current workout. I plan to do sprints, ride my bike, and having recently joined a softball team, get some sports into my week to help work on my cardio.

Try to aim for 3 days per week where you do some sort of fun physical activities. They can be anything from kayaking, rock climbing, soccer, bike riding, or even something as simple as jogging. Whatever you find fun will entice you to do it more often and in the long run you will reap more benefits than always doing something you don’t necessarily enjoy, like going to the gym religiously.

What do you do to keep you in shape?

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Should You Eat Carbs?

April 5, 2013 — 1 Comment

Photo credit: http://www.oscar.virginia.edu

Ah yes, carbs – the bane of everyone’s nutritional confusion. Probably the most sought after answer in all of nutritional science, even. I can put money on the fact that if everyone was given one question to ask a nutritionist it would somehow involve carbohydrate consumption. How much is too much? How much is too little? Should I eat carbohydrates at all!?

The answer will generally, like everything in the field, depend on what your situation is. It’s impossible to give one universal answer to every single carbohydrate question ever asked.

Should you eat carbs? Of course you should. Carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients your body needs to function properly. How much you should eat, though, will mainly depend on your activity level.

Carbs are generally dense in calories, meaning it’s quite easy to rack up a total caloric count if you’re watching your intake. However, your body needs it for energy. Sounds like a catch-22 doesn’t it?

The basic idea to keep in mind is that the more active you are, the more energy you will need, and therefore more carbohydrates. If you eat a ton of carbs and lay around all day, your body starts to store the energy as fat. That’s when all the fun things develop like spare tires, and double chins.

You’ll hear a lot of nutritionists battling back and forth about eating carbs, and not eating carbs. It gets tricky when you start to know that your body can actually turn protein and fat into energy through physiological processes. That is why people don’t see a need for over consuming this “evil” macronutrient – which is fair.

So if you’re someone who doesn’t exercise a lot, or if you’re looking to lose fat, it may not hurt to reduce your carb consumption to produce. Vegetables are a great source of energy without tacking on too many calories.

Or, if you’re someone who is active pretty much every day, you may want to eat more breads, pastas, or other sources along with vegetables in order to keep your energy level up.

You can’t really say that carbohydrates are good or bad but just know that your body does need some in order to be healthy. It’s the type and amount that really matters. A healthy body is all about balance, so finding your balance between protein, fat, and carbohydrates is the ultimate key to mastering your nutrition.

What is your take on carbohydrate consumption?

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The Benefits of a Healthy Diet: How Nutrition Can Help Manage Radiation Side Effects

February 7, 2013 — 4 Comments

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The following post is a guest post by Kaitlyn Teabo from The Mesothelioma Center.

[Enter Kaitlyn]

Although radiation such as routine X-rays, injections of radioactive materials for imaging, and radiation used in cancer therapy is intended to help diagnose and treat illnesses and disease, it can also drain a patient’s body. To help offset some of the effects of radiation, a patient should maintain a nutritious and balanced diet.

Here are some common side effects of radiation and how nutrition can help manage them:

  • Fatigue: When experiencing fatigue, you should eat foods that are high in carbohydrates to maintain energy and protein to maintain endurance, such as toast with peanut butter, bagels, rice, noodles, eggs and lean proteins like nuts.
  • Nausea and Upset Stomach: Ginger is known to soothe stomach pain. You can hold a slice of fresh ginger in your mouth while undergoing therapy and when you become nauseous, chew on it. You can also eat dry and bland foods such as toast or cereal without milk. To avoid nausea and vomiting, stay clear of spicy and acidic foods.
  • Diarrhea: Try to eat foods high in potassium such as bananas. Water, about eight to 10 glasses a day, can also help relieve diarrhea. Try to avoid greasy or processed fast food and dairy, because these foods can make diarrhea worse.

Other side effects of radiation treatment include mouth sores, loss of appetite, hair loss near the radiated site, skin irritation, anxiety and depression.

Regardless of the present side effects, any patient who elected to undergo radiation should keep their protein and calorie intake high, because a common side effect of radiation therapy is weight loss and patients need the extra calories to maintain a healthy weight. Without the proper amount of calorie intake, it will make it harder for the body to heal and fight infections.

Even if overall appetite decreases as a result of radiation therapy, nutrition is highly important. When you do eat, try eating foods high in fat, protein and carbohydrates. This will give your body the nutrients it needs to sustain radiation treatment.

Good nutrition helps your body withstand treatment. You should keep in mind that your diet is one area in which you do have control, but remember to ask your doctor or physician before changing your diet.

Author bio: Kaitlyn Teabo is a writer for The Mesothelioma Center. She combines her interests in writing, cancer research and emerging scientific technology to educate the mesothelioma community about asbestos and its related diseases.

For more information on the latest mesothelioma related stories, please check out our News Section.

Sources:

Courseault, Jacques. (2011, Jun. 28). Foods to Eat to Help With Radiation Treatments. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/480917-foods-to-eat-to-help-with-radiation-treatments/#ixzz2JIgUD6C3

NIH. (2012, Dec. 5). When you or your child has diarrhea . Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000121.htm

Zamora, Dulce. Fight Fatigue With Energy Foods. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/diet/fight-fatigue-energy-foods-6/power-up

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