Thursday, June 26, 2008

Link Between Breast Cancer and Plastic Water Bottles

Bottled water in your car can be dangerous.

This is how Sheryl Crow claims she contracted breast cancer, as seen on the Ellen Show. Evidently this has been identified as the most common
cause of high levels of breast cancer, especially in Australia.

A friend's mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The doctor
told her that women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.

He went on to say that the heat and the plastic of the bottle have certain
chemicals that interact and have been linked to breast cancer. The heat causes toxins from the plastic to leak into the water and they have found these toxins in breast tissue.
So FYI, just to be safe, use a stainless steel canteen or a glass bottle, otherwise don't leave your plastic bottles in the car in warm weather.

Squidoo Lens

Check out my squidoo lens. It was fun to create and really easy. There's some book and dvd recommendations - and you're welcome to add your suggestions and comments.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Don't Break Your Heart


According to the American Heart Association, cardiac disease remains the number 1 killer of women in the United States - more than all the cancers combined. Even if you are fit and healthy, heart health will one day become an important concern and accruing evidencde suggests that pre-menopausal risk factors dictate post-menopausal outcomes.

Lifestyle factors play an important part so keeping fit through diet and exercise is key. But researchers have long believed that your genetic risk of cardiovascular disease is one of the best predictors of future heart health. It doesn't mean you're destined to get heart disease, but it is a risk factor. Studies showed that young women with a family history of heart disease had more risk factors, but were also less likely to make lifestyle changes to improve heart health.

Get off the diet rollercoaster. While you need to keep your weight in check, weight cycling increases your risk of heart disease. In one study a voluntary weight loss of 10 pounds at least three times in your life was associated with a seven percent decrease in good cholesterol. Changes in metabolism may affect the heart.

Train your heart. Interval training workouts are one of the best ways to boost heart health. My time saver metabolism booster or calorie/fat blaster cardio workouts take between 30-45 minutes, and pack a powerful aerobic punch.

Contact me at robin@yourlifeinorder.com or robin@lifefitnesswithrobin.com to find out how.

Stress and Your Abs

Did you know that stress can make you store fat in your abdominal region? The hormone cortisol is released in the body during times of stress. Cortisol can remain elevated for prolonged periods of time if you experience chronic stress. This hormone tries to protect and ready the body for "fight or flight" by stimulating carbohyddrate metabolism for fast energy.

Part of this process involves insulin release. The main point to remember is that when insulin is released, fat metabolism is minimized and the hormonal response is increased appetite. Knowing what stresses you out and taking appropriate steps to minimize it is critical for good health.

The 10 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Women Make (even women in shape!)


These are some of the most common diet mistakes that even women who consider themselves pretty fit can make. (Mea culpa - I've been guilty too!) With a little modification you can boost your fat loss and build muscle more effectively - so see if any of these apply to you:

1. Cutting carbs before a workout. Most women feel that getting lean means fewer carbohydrates. But you need healthy carbs to burn as body fuel. Eat a small meal, just enough to support activity. Focus on protein, healthy fat and slow digesting carbs about 30-60 minutes before workouts. Otherwise you're depleting your body of nutrients it needs to effectively burn fat and calories.

2. Diet and Exercise Short Attention Span
It's natural to try to opt for a faster, easier, shorter way to do things. But that won't work when it comes to fitness. Cookie cutter, one size fits all approaches don't work in the long run. To really know if a nutrition plan is working for you, give it a minimum of 6-8 weeks. Don't jump around and follow the latest craze or fad.

3. Eating Too Many Prepacked "Good for You" Foods
Those reduced fat, 100 calorie packs may look tempting, but the fact is, the majority of your meals should resemble their natural state with minimal packaging and come from the outer sections of the grocery store. That's where the produce, dairy, and meat are found. Only a few meals a week should come from plastic containers or microwaveable boxes. That includes power bars!

4. Not eating any sugar.
It's a prevalent assumption to avoid sugar - including fruits and sweet vegetables like carrots. These are healthy for you and should not be avoided. Eat as many vegetables as you can and make fruit a part of your daily diet.

5. Not journaling.
I pooh poohed the journal at first but it does make a huge difference. If you don't write it down, what works and doesn't work will be easily forgotten. With a food and exercise journal you can keep track of what you ate and did during your workouts and how your body responded. When you fall prey to portion distortion and skipping workouts and not holding yourself accountable - you will either add unwanted pounds or not lose the ones you've already got.

6. Reliance on caffeine and diet soda.
The borrowed energy you get from energy drinks and coffee will eventually cause your system to crash after it leaves the blood stream. If you find yourself addicted to caffeine, slowly taper off your intake over several weeks and be sure to eat clean, stay hydrated, and get proper sleep to keep your energy levels up.
Make diet soda a special occasion beverage - not a staple. Recent research shows that the artificial sweetners in these beverages may actually encourage consuming more calories, not less.

7. Cutting Calories After Workouts.
Many women don't refuel after workouts. Post-exercise is a time for repairing and refining your physique with nutrients. When you don't eat enough around your workout it's impossible for the body to spare muscle and increase metabolism, much less burn fat. It just keeps recycling itself to stay in survival mode. Take in a small amount of healthy protein and carbs immediately after exercising.

8. Battling cravings.
Over depriving yourself leads to bingeing. When you have a craving, indulge sensibly while controlling calories. Don't beat yourself up about eating something off limits. Take it in stride and move on.

9. Dieting to the extreme and as punishment.
Very restrictive nutrition plans will create a feast or famine cycle in the body. You can't live on 1000 calories a day. Your body will not function properly and anything extra you put in your body will be stored as body fat since the body recognizes your current state as one of famine. Regulate your calories by your daily activities. www.nutritiondata.com can help you figure out your daily caloric requirement.
View healthy eating as a lifestyle choice, not a punishment. Challenge yourself to find good food alternatives that appeal to you and taste good, to replace the bad ones.

10. Focusing on dieting - not clean eating.
Going "on a diet" is old school thinking that will cause your weight to yo-yo back and forth and weaken your immune system. Healthy, clean eating must be a lifestyle choice. Figure out a year round weight management plan that's more about balance than extremes.









8 Ways to See Weight Loss Results Quickly & Safely


Ok, here’s the straight up skinny (no pun intended) – to lose weight in 8-12 weeks, you’ll need to work hard and be dedicated. I’m talking about an average two pounds per week weight loss, so every bite will count and every minute of cardio matters.
The goal is to lose weight while preserving and building muscle mass. To accomplish this, follow these 8 key points, stick with your training program and follow your healthy nutrition plan.

1. Increase cardio – maintain weights. Experts recommend up to 1 hour of cardio, six days a week. We are aiming for up to 1 hour, 4 days per week. Compound, circuit weight train or unilateral train 2 days per week. Take one day off per week for recovery.
2. Eat starchy carbs early in the day, taper off at night. You’ll burn them during the day and they will burn you at night! The only exception is after a long evening workout, where you will need to replenish energy. When making any starchy carb (oatmeal, pasta, rice, cold cereal), use a measuring cup to ensure you eat the correct portion.
3. Eat protein at least 3 times per day. Protein helps you feel fuller, digests more slowly, and helps to prevent muscle catabolism as you lose weight. 80-100 grams daily is good.
4. Stop eating 3 hours before bedtime. Oprah broke through one of her weight plateaus using this strategy. Don’t have ANY late evening snacks or late dinners.
5. Minimize restaurant meals. It’s almost impossible to control portions – they are always large. If you have to eat out, stick to no-brainers like lots of salad, veggies, chicken breast, or small amount of lean meat or fish. If you really want to be successful, you have to remove the temptations.
6. Don’t eat ANYTHING fried and stay completely away from fast food (unless it’s salad).
7. Have one cheat meal ONCE per week. Try to keep the meal under 700 calories and do not let the cheat meal become a cheat day, days, or week.
8. At the end of each week, set one goal to improve upon, like incorporating more veggies into your diet, drinking more water, or upping your cardio workout.

The Skinny on Diet Soda

Lately the artificial sweetener leading to weight gain issue has been bandied back and forth quite a bit. Researchers suggest that these sweeteners may work counterintuitively by giving your body the go ahead to eat more food rather than less.

The studies are not conclusive and more research is needed, but the premise is that the sweet taste sends your body a message that you're taking in a lot of calories. But when your ingestive and digestive reflexes gear up for the high-caloric intake - they are met with the no cal or low cal sweetener and the body then gets the metabolic go ahead to eat more and consequently burn less.

Just to be safe, stay clear of of artificial sweetened foods as much as possible. Natural alternatives won't cause an insulin spike or confuse your system and lead to possible weight gain.

become what you believe. . .


Exercise is one of the best ways to protect yourself against heart disease - an increasing risk among over 40 women. But what kind of exercise is best, and how much should you do?

The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes or more of moderate activity per day as a good initial goal (and hopefully, build up from there). If you've been on the couch for awhile, start with a brisk walk 3 days a week. This step alone will cut your heart disease risk in half. Even mild activity, like walking at a reasonable pace a few times a week, can make a big difference in the health of your blood vessels. Raising your heart rate and dilating arteries modestly can help to lower your blood pressure and prevent atherosclerosis. Start with 20 to 30 minute walks three days a week, then build up to 30 minutes or more nearly every day. If you feel chest pressure, lightheadedness, or marked shortness of breath, see your doctor right away. If you're feeling good - pick up the pace!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Welcome to Life Fitness!


Thanks for visiting my blog and welcome to LifeFitnesswithRobin - Over Forty "Fenomenal" Fitness for Mid Life women!

Visit me at www.lifefitnesswithrobin.com. I'm looking forward to getting to know you and your fitness challenges and successes. Good health is something I am passionate about.