Category: healthy lifestyle

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Pumpkins

Pumpkins.

We are already deep into autumn, surrounded by gifts of nature that are extremely beneficial for our health. One of these gifts are pumpkin.

They belong to the botanical group of pumpkins (Cucurbitaceae). In Slovenia, we know several types of pumpkins, which can be of different shapes and colors, with orange shades predominating. The most common are butternut squash, nutmeg squash, Hokkaido squash, and butternut squash. Pumpkins come from South America and came to Europe in the first half of the 16th century.  Grow on climbing stems and cling to themselves with tendrils. In the center of the fruit are seeds.

Pumpkin composition and health effects

Pumpkin flesh is rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene – provitamin A, vitamin B6, folate, and potassium. In addition to these, pumpkins also contain other biologically active substances such as polysaccharides, sterols, and proteins. Due to their antioxidant content, they support the body’s protective mechanisms against oxidative stress, which produces free radicals.

Pumpkins contain seeds that can be eaten as a snack or added to meals, and can also be processed into pumpkin oil. The dried seed contains 35 to 55% fat, of which 17% is saturated, 22% monounsaturated, and 61% polyunsaturated fatty acids, which represents a fairly favorable fatty acid composition. Pumpkin oil also contains a lot of minerals, vitamin E, and phenolic substances.

….and some interesting facts about pumpkins…..

Carved pumpkins chase away evil spirits

Pumpkin carving, which is one of the most famous Halloween activities today and is often seen in our country, did not become popular until the 16th century in the United States. This custom is connected to the legend of Jack the Blacksmith, who tricked the devil.
Jack was known for his conceit and miserliness. One day he offered his soul to the devil in exchange for a drink and tried to trick him. The devil turned into a coin so Jack could use it to pay for a drink. He put the coin in his pocket, which had a cross in it, so the devil could not change back. The devil promised Jack that he wouldn’t claim his soul for 10 years, so he pulled it out of his pocket. After ten years, Jack tricked the devil again by asking him for an apple. When it turned into a stem and gave him an apple, Jack drew a cross on it. The devil could not change back again. Because of his sins, Jack was not admitted to heaven after his death, but was met by the devil at the gates of hell and sent back to darkness. He helped him by giving him an ember of charcoal. Jack, having a turnip in his pocket, inserted the ember into it by hollowing it out, and then walked with it in the gloom. He never found his way home again and thus became a symbol of the soul that is cursed and wanders between worlds.

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Healthy Paleo Diet: Pros and Cons

Healthy paleo diet. The idea behind the Paleo Diet is that our bodies were genetically designed to eat as our cavemen ancestors did. Therefore, the diet shuns processed and pre-packaged foods and instead encourages the dieter to embrace lean meats, eggs, vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and seafood. Starchy vegetables are out, though, as are sugars, grains, salty foods, dairy, legumes, fatty meats, beans, and processed foods.


It probably sounds extreme and in a lot of ways, it is, though there is plenty to appreciate here. The majority of Americans consume a poor diet and culling sugary, fatty, processed foods is a step we could all afford to make.
We have allowed a lot of additives to creep into our daily diets and replace the vitamins and minerals that we so desperately crave. So, a diet that encourages you to avoid all that and stick to the basics has some merit. So, with all that being said – what are the pros and cons of following a Paleo Diet?
The Pros
• You will eat much cleaner because of the processed foods being cut from your diet.
• Due to the balance of protein and fat, you will find yourself feeling fuller and for much longer.
• Reduced inflammation as many of the foods you will eat from nature are anti-inflammatory.
• An increase in iron intake, provided you are eating red meat (lean).
• You will lose weight, simply because of the restrictions on junk food and foods that typically fuel weight gain.
• Increase in potassium which supports both liver and heart health.
• It revolves around the consumption of healthy fats, which your body needs to function properly.

The Cons
• Its restrictive nature can make it difficult to maintain long-term.
• It’s a difficult option for vegetarians.
• The lack of beans and grains makes it difficult to balance your diet properly.
• It’s difficult for athletes to get their carb count right when they are fueling with just vegetables and fruits.
• The allowed portions often exceed the daily recommended allowance.
• You may experience higher grocery bills, as meat and fish can get expensive.
WebMD points to a variety of studies that found that the Paleo Diet might be helpful in treating a variety of illnesses (https://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/paleo-diet), including acne, heart disease, inflammation, weight loss, and high blood pressure. If you have one of these medical issues you should speak to your primary care physician about whether the Paleo Diet is right for you.
It certainly isn’t the perfect diet, but there is no harm in cutting processed, junk food from your diet. You will instantly feel better once your body has had time to purge the toxins you’ve been feeding it (though you may experience a withdrawal headache).
In fact, a study from the University of Lund (on A Palaeolithic diet improves glucose tolerance more than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischaemic heart disease, Lindeberg, et al) found that the Paleo Diet was more effective at stabilizing blood sugar and stimulating weight loss when compared to the Mediterranean diet. The Paleo Diet has also been found to improve blood lipids, blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and per calorie, it is more satisfying than the Mediterranean Diet.

Don’t worry if it all sounds too much, there are plenty of elements of the Paleo Diet that you can borrow to create your own healthy eating lifestyle. The key to any change in diet is choosing something that you can comfortably maintain for the long term.
After all, we know that diets don’t work – it’s about leading a healthy lifestyle and making lasting habit changes. So, don’t forget to find time to exercise regularly and eat well.

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How The Paleo Diet Can Benefit You

 

Paleo Diet Can Benefit You. Every diet that encourages participants to eat healthy foods will have similar benefits, pros, and cons. Of course, a diet that is easy to follow and maintain is going to be far more popular than those, which are highly restrictive. Following the Paleo Diet tends to see followers get a good boost of energy within just a few days, and within weeks, the weight starts to drop. A month of Paleo results in wellness and by this point the majority of participants find they follow the diet without thinking, that it’s just become a part of them.

The Paleo Diet has a wide variety of benefits and if you’re thinking about trying it, you should dedicate at least 30 days to trying it on for size before you write it off.

1. Helps You Drop Processed Foods
If there’s one feature in pretty much every American diet it’s processed foods. They are as addictive as they are delicious, but unfortunately, they offer no nutritional benefit whatsoever. In the times of cavemen, there were no artificial colorings or additives in food to worry about, and taking your diet back to that model helps you cut out the excess ingredients that you’ve been giving your body for years.

It does require commitment and willpower, though, as your brain has become accustomed to the highs that these foods provide (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3139704/). Expect to experience some withdrawals like headaches, and a mood swing or two.

2. Helps You Avoid Fast Food
It’s cheap, it’s quick, and it’s easy, which is probably why the fast food business is booming and our health is on the decline. While it is possible to visit a fast food restaurant and make healthy choices, the Paleo Diet stamps a big no on this one.

Moreover, you can kiss goodbye to eating a bag of pretzels or potato chips in front of the television. The problem with eating while we watch TV is that it is utterly mindless and we tend to overdo it without even realizing what’s going on. Instead, you’ll be clearing your cupboards of junk and enjoying healthy snacks. You don’t need to feel as bad when you reach for a carrot stick to keep you company during your latest box-set binge.

3. Cut Those Empty Calories & Carbs Out
As much as you love soda, energy, and sports drinks – your cavemen ancestors didn’t, so neither will you anymore. Suddenly, your body is getting plenty of water (and herbal tea, too) and you’ve just cut down your sugar intake massively, as well as cutting out chemicals that your body doesn’t need for any reason. This step alone will help you reduce those empty calories thus contributing to weight loss.

4. Extra Energy
When you follow the Paleo Diet correctly, you will be enjoying a balanced diet, which means that these natural foods you are eating will provide you with far more energy than you’ve become accustomed to. That’s right; you won’t miss those sugary beverages because you will be naturally filled with energy.

5. The Right Foods
You will be eating more healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables, which of course, your body will thank you for. Most Americans fail on this front, so the Paleo Diet is the perfect solution for anyone who is struggling with their weight and with eating enough of the right things.

Ultimately, all of these benefits feed one greater benefit, perhaps, the greatest benefit, which is your overall health, wellness, and happiness. The foods that you will cut out contribute to chronic illnesses like obesity, heart disease, and even cancer. Removing them from your diet altogether helps reduce your risk factors for these diseases and maintains your health.

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Looking For Hidden Fats In Foods

Hidden Fats In Foods.

Visible Fats

If you tried going on a diet in order to lose weight before, then you probably know that fried and oily foods have higher fat content and that they should be avoided at all costs. The fats found in these foods are often referred to as visible fats.
Visible fats are those that you can easily spot on your plate, such as butter, margarine, lard, the oil that is used in salad dressing, bacon that is more white than red, or pork chops that have a strip of white fat. Because they are easy to spot, visible fats can easily be avoided by people who are on a diet.

Hidden Trans Fats

Although visible fats are easy to spot and avoid, it’s not the same when it comes to hidden fats. You’d be surprised to find out how many foods that you eat on a daily basis are loaded with fats, especially unhealthy types of fat. Most of the products that you regularly buy in your local supermarket contain a lot of trans fats that increase your bad cholesterol and decrease your good cholesterol levels.
The reason why many people have no clue about the real fat content in products is that they don’t know how to look for it. If you try to search for the term “trans fats” on the food labels of any product you simply won’t find it. Instead, you need to search for the source of trans fats, also known as partially hydrogenated oils. The next time you’re in a supermarket, be sure to check the ingredient list for partially hydrogenated oils (check for it even in the foods that are labeled as fat-free).
Trans fats are considered to be the worst type of fat that you can consume. Excessive trans fat consumption is one of the main causes of heart disease today. Although naturally occurring trans fat is found in small amounts in some dairy and meat products, most trans fat is formed through an industrial process that involves adding hydrogen to vegetable oil in order to make it become solid at room temperature.
The reason why this is done is to extend the shelf life of certain products. Other than that, a lot of restaurants use partially hydrogenated vegetable oil in their deep fryers in order to avoid changing it often.
Despite the fact that they’re so unhealthy, trans fats are still present in a lot of products simply because they’re inexpensive, easy to use, and last a long time. Because of this, they will likely be used in the future as well. However, it’s up to you to identify the foods that contain it and avoid them.

Foods Filled With Hidden Fats

hidden fats in foods
There are other foods that you probably consume on a regular basis that are filled with hidden fats. Here are some of the foods you should avoid:
• Mayonnaise – It doesn’t matter if you opt for eggless or real mayonnaise, both are filled with hidden fats. Egg yolks, which are used to make real mayonnaise, are considered one of the richest sources of fat. On the other hand, starch from potatoes gets converted into fat during the preparation of eggless mayonnaise.
• Peanut butter – Although it is considered healthy, you should watch how much peanut butter you consume. Keep in mind that 10 grams of peanut butter contains roughly 5 grams of fat.
• Seafood – A lot of fish contain a good type of fat, but some seafood foods including crabs, shrimp, and lobsters contain a lot of unhealthy fats.
• Cheese – Cheese is without a doubt one of the most tempting food products available. However, know that 100 grams of cheese contains 30 grams of fat!
• Instant noodles – Many people adore instant noodles because they’re a budget-friendly meal that you can easily prepare. However, know that a cup of instant noodles can contain more saturated fat than an order of French fries.

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Can I Eat More If I Work Out?

Can I Eat More If I Work Out? A combination of a balanced diet, a consistent exercise routine, and a stable sleep schedule is ideal when it comes to improving the current status of your health. Yet, there’s a point at which diet and exercise intertwine and make matters a bit more complicated.
In particular, many people wonder whether exercising more means you can eat more without negatively impacting the positive progression of your health. That’s especially the case when you consider the calories and nutrients lost through intense and frequent exercise.
Below, we’ll discuss the role that losing calories and nutrients plays in the amount of food you should be eating on days you work out.

Replacing Lost Calories

No matter what type of exercise you’re participating in, you’re burning a set number of calories based on how long and how intensely you perform the exercise.
When you burn more calories than you’re consuming throughout the average day, you’ll experience weight loss. That’s great if you’re looking to lose weight, but it’s not so great if you’re trying to build muscle and strength.
To maintain your weight on days that you exercise, you’ll need to be taking in as many calories as you’re burning through exercise.
That means eating a greater number of calories during the day!
You should try to limit the extra calories to how many calories you burn during your workout in order to maintain your current weight. A few extra or a few less won’t make much of a difference but being a few hundred calories off can make you gain or lose weight!

Eating More Nutrients to Refuel

When you exercise, your body uses carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to provide you with the energy you need to complete your workout. Additionally, your body loses electrolytes like sodium and potassium when you exercise intensely.
After you’re done with your workout, it’s incredibly important that you replace the nutrients you lost during exercise and supply your body with the fuel it needs to continue with your day.
Though that means eating more over the course of your day, it also means eating the right food. The “extra” food that you’re eating on days in which you work out should be nutrient-dense and help to return your body to its natural state.

The Limitations

You can eat more during the day if you’re burning calories and losing nutrients during exercise, but there are quite a few limitations.
Under no circumstances does working out enable you to consume unhealthy foods and not experience the negative health consequences associated with them. That means working out doesn’t make it okay to hit up a local fast-food joint on your way home from the gym.
Coming home from the gym after a 30-minute run only to eat a cheeseburger and French fries with a large soda won’t only put you above your daily recommended calories, but it’ll also overload your body with unhealthy fats, sugars, and salt.
Rather than burning calories and improving your health, your body must now work to rid itself of the unhealthy level of these nutrients that you just consumed. It practically reverses the positive effects of your workout!
You should be replacing the number of calories that you lost and focus on replenishing the nutrients that your body craves post-workout.

Final Thoughts

In short, yes. If you’re looking to maintain your current weight, you’ll need to be consuming more calories and nutrients on the days that you’re exercising. But you need to make sure that the additional calories and nutrients you’re consuming after a workout are healthy and will support your health and fitness goals.

 

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5 Important Benefits Of Kettlebell Training

Kettlebell Training. Kettlebells are one piece of fitness equipment that, although been around for quite some time, has only become mainstream as of relatively late. These odd-looking devices can be found today at pretty much every place people work out. Commercial gyms, group exercise classes, and even many hotel fitness centers are equipped with at least a few kettlebells.

Kettlebells are the type of item that would make the list of essentials if one were required to choose only a few pieces of fitness equipment to perform a quality workout. The versatility and convenience of the kettlebell are widely utilized by many fitness enthusiasts today.

In this article, we are going to point out 5 great benefits of training with kettlebells that anyone can enjoy, wherever they choose to workout.

Real-Life Application

The problem with traditional pieces of resistance equipment used in most workouts is their limited carryover to real-life tasks. A barbell or dumbbell, with weight loaded evenly on both sides and an ergonomic handle in the middle, makes manipulating these objects a lot easier. Unfortunately, almost none of the things we have to pick up outside of the gym resemble this design.

With the kettlebell, the weight is distributed somewhat unevenly throughout the device. It takes a far different movement pattern to perform exercises with a kettlebell, one that is much more similar to random things we find ourselves picking up and lifting during everyday tasks.

Utilization Of Limited Space

For those of us who work out someplace other than the gym, such as at home or even at the office, space tends to be in limited supply. This situation does not allow a large amount of bulky equipment and storage areas for workout gear.

The kettlebell provides a valuable tool for any workout, while also being extremely space-friendly. Even the heavier kettlebells available for purchase still take up a fraction of the space when compared to other pieces of equipment of the same weight.

Budget-Friendly Training

One of the coolest benefits of kettlebell training lies in its ability to provide a full-body workout without the annoying cost of a gym membership or home gym. For all of the workout warriors out there on a limited budget, purchasing even a single kettlebell can be your best friend. You can literally buy one of these devices at virtually any weight and still challenge yourself from a full-body standpoint. This stands true for individuals at every level of fitness. If you desire to create your own workout routine using the smallest possible budget, look no further than the kettlebell!

Creative Exercises

After a while, performing the same old exercises workout after workout can become quite monotonous. There is only so much excitement to be had from bench-pressing or treadmill sessions. Training is supposed to be enjoyable. If you stop looking forward to working out, you risk losing the number one factor responsible for improving your overall fitness: consistency.

Another great benefit of kettlebell training is that the list of exercises using these devices is enormous. The design and performance of the kettlebell allow a huge amount of creativity in exercise design. If you are experiencing somewhat of a burnout from your usual training routine, switch things up and try out kettlebell training to rekindle your fitness flame!

Improved Posture

A large amount of fitness enthusiasts have a habit of dedicating much more time to the “show” muscles, parts of the body seen more in the mirror. If you will notice next time you visit the gym, the number of people performing bicep and chest exercises severely outnumbers those working their hamstrings and upper back.

Naturally, this habit leads to a large number of muscular imbalances throughout the body, setting up the increased likelihood of injury. Kettlebell training offers a solution to this issue in that most exercises performed with these devices require a large demand from the posterior chain of the body.

Often neglected muscle groups such as the spinal erectors, hamstrings, and glutes get a chance to be challenged and strengthened for a change, allowing the equilibrium of your overall physique to even out.

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5 Great Workouts For A Sexy Butt

5 Great Workouts For A Sexy Butt. When your fitness goal includes having a sexy butt, you need to make sure that you’re selecting exercises that target the glutes and upper thighs. Choosing the right exercises will help to guarantee greater muscle mass and toned muscles in your butt.
Before you spend your money on a fitness DVD that claims to target your butt, you should take a look at these five glute exercises that you can try out today! Here are our top five exercises for a sexy butt.

Squats

Squats are, by far, the most effective exercise when it comes to building your glute muscles. That’s because squats require a ton of effort from your quadriceps, glutes, adductors, and hamstrings to get the full range of motion.
When you’re doing squats, the most important things you have to remember are to keep your feet flat on the floor, keep your feet about shoulder-width apart, and lower yourself only to about a 90-degree angle. Squats can be performed as body weight exercises or you can use dumbbells, barbells, or kettlebells to add some resistance and build greater muscle.

Donkey Kicks

Donkey kicks directly target the glutes and the hamstrings, which is the perfect combination of benefits when you’re looking for a sexy butt. When you perform donkey kicks, you’ll be on your hands and knees and extend one leg backward as far as possible.
To get more out of the exercise and increase your chances of building a sexy butt, you should make sure that you’re extending your focus on the extension of the leg. To add resistance, you can actually attach a resistance band to your foot as you extend your leg.

Deadlifts

Deadlifts are one of the most popular exercises when it comes to building the lower body and core. Unlike many lower body exercises, deadlifts specifically target the glutes, which makes them incredibly useful when it comes to building a sexy butt.
This exercise is performed with any type of weight, starting with the weight in front of you with your knees bent, extending to a standing position, and returning to your original position. You can obviously increase the intensity and the chances of building additional muscle in your glutes by adding weight to your barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell.
Lunges

The greatest part about adding lunges to your resistance training routine is the fact that you’ve probably already done them before. Standing upright, you’ll place one foot on the floor in front of you, bend your knee to a 90-degree angle, and then return to a standing position.
Lunges can be performed without additional weight or you can implement dumbbells, resistance bands, kettlebells, or barbells. Additionally, you can swap out regular lunges and replace them with walking lunges or even step-ups.

Single-Leg Hip Bridges

Single-leg hip bridges don’t require any type of equipment, but that doesn’t make them any less effective in your trek to a sexy butt. You’ll begin by lying flat on your back on the floor, planting one of your feet while the other is extended straight out in front of you, and then pushing off the floor with your planted foot.
This exercise helps to isolate the gluteus muscles and can be performed for several repetitions at a time before switching to the other side.

Final Thoughts

Reaching a point of having a “sexy butt” isn’t all that difficult, but you do need to put in a little time and effort to guarantee progress. At the end of the day, the only way you’ll achieve the look that you’re looking for is by actively making an effort to reach your goal.

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5 Key Ways Exercise Lowers Chronic Stress

5 Key Ways Exercise Lowers Chronic Stress. As great as it would be to live a life without any type of stress, it just doesn’t seem possible anymore. As soon as one source of stress seemingly fades away, another always seems to rear its ugly head. And suddenly we can talk about chronic stress.
Though it’s not always possible to remove yourself from the sources of your stress, there are several steps you can take to limit the effect that your stress has on your life. One of the best methods of reducing the amount of stress in your life is exercise!
Here are five ways that exercise can help lower the impact that stress is currently having on your life!

Exercise Releases Endorphins

When you participate in physical activity, your brain naturally releases the “feel-good hormones” known as endorphins. According to the Mayo Clinic, the release of endorphins from your brain during exercise naturally improves your mood and can also help to reduce physical pain within the body.
Endorphins are so powerful that the effects that they can cause in the brain are comparable to those of hardcore drugs like morphine. That explains why the effects of endorphins are also referred to as a “runner’s high.”

Exercise Shifts Your Focus Elsewhere

Sometimes the best way to relieve the stress that you’re currently experiencing in your life is to focus your attention elsewhere. When you’re not actively thinking about the stress, it’s less likely to impact you both emotionally and physically.
By participating in some type of physical activity that you enjoy, you’ll be able to take your mind off of your current stressors and focus on the workout you’re doing. When you intentionally place a focus on your exercise performance, you’ll be more successful in your workout while simultaneously being less stressed.

Exercise Helps to Reduce Anxiety

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the natural endorphins and other psychological and physiological effects that occur during exercise can help to promote an anti-anxiety effect. In addition to having less anxiety, you’ll also be able to improve your mood in general.
When you exercise and reduce the amount of anxiety that you’re experiencing throughout your day, you’ll also be more likely to get a good night’s sleep at the end of the night. With better sleep, you’ll have better focus and less stress come the next morning.

Exercise Can Improve Your Mood

When you consider the release of the endorphins that occur during exercise, you’ll understand why exercise can help to boost your mood, even when the stress in your life seems unbearable. Mood improvement will allow you to focus on the positive aspects of your life and reduce the attention you give to the stress you’re experiencing.
One of the greatest methods of reducing stress is simply not letting it bother you, which is obviously easier said than done. Yet, a positive attitude encouraged by exercise can help to reduce the effects of stress.

Exercise Burns Energy

When you’re exercising, you’re burning calories, but you’re also helping to burn off whatever energy your body has left over from the day. This can help to physically tire you out and reduce the mental stress that you’re experiencing.
Most importantly, having less energy means you’ll be more likely to be able to fall asleep at night. If chronic stress frequently keeps you up at night, exercise might be the perfect way to improve your sleep quality and your fitness.

Final Thoughts

Exercise isn’t just great for the physical body. It also has the potential to completely overhaul the functioning of your brain to boost your mood and reduce the stress that you’re experiencing in your daily life. Exercise won’t entirely remove your stress, but it’ll make it much easier to deal with.

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4 Fun Ways To Get Off The Couch

4 Fun Ways To Get Off The Couch. I don’t need to spend any significant amount of time harping on the importance of physical activity and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle. You are probably well aware that, without physical activity, you will not enjoy the maximum quality of life otherwise available.

Here’s the thing though, most advice pertaining to getting off of your couch and getting moving is all about getting into the gym and pumping iron. Every fitness plan promises to “build this amount of muscle” or “melt away this number of pounds in no time.” While you probably do not mind the idea of either of these things, the odds of you sticking to something you do not enjoy long enough to reap any benefits is slim to none.

Exercise does not have to be the primary variable in a situation. Although intense, focused workouts are certainly more challenging and probably beneficial, any time you get your body moving for an extended period of time, you are exercising.

The focus of this article will be to discuss four ways that you may not have considered that will cause you to get out of the house and get your body moving the way it was intended!

Try Your Hand At Martial Arts

If I asked you to describe some of your favorite movie scenes of all time, I can bet that at least some of them would involve action packed scenarios involving your favorite good guy engaged in hand-to-hand combat with their evil nemesis. These choreographed movements are certainly fun to watch, and you may have never even considered that these are real movements, taught at a real close, probably REALLY close to your home.

Martial arts gyms are really starting to pop up all over the place as sports like the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships) and fitness, in general, are gaining traction.

The great thing about going straight from your couch to a local gym is that, in whatever gym teaching any of the various forms of martial arts you find your way into, no one is going to judge you. As a practice, martial arts is a sacred, inclusive form of training in which you will commonly find people of many levels of expertise training alongside one another.

Visit Your Local Driving Range

The truth is golf is really hard. You are very unlikely to hop straight from the sofa to the tee box and perform like a pro. However, for the sake of getting outside and moving around, the driving range can be a lot of fun even if you happen to be horrible at golf.

Whether you go alone or by yourself with a group of friends at a similar skill level, something about a pretty day and a bucket of cheap golf balls really sets a nice tone. Most driving ranges even have clubs available for you to rent, should you show up not even slightly equipped for golf.

I can guarantee that as you hack away at your allotted range balls, you will have a good time, even if most of the balls don’t travel more than a few feet. I will also assure you that you will notice you have been moving. Swinging a golf club, especially for the number of repetitions required to empty a container of driving range balls, will cause even the seasoned fitness junkie to break a sweat.

Experience Your Local Downtown

If you are like most people, your weekly outings regarding where you get the things you need are literal clockwork. If you were to trace your weekly route on a map and compare it week by week throughout the year, you would probably find yourself with one solid, overlapping shape.

A fantastic way to get off the couch and get moving is to check out your local downtown. The great thing about these places is that new small businesses tend to pop up all the time, helping with the monotony of your trips to the local supermarket.

In the way of physical activity, most downtown markets require you to park your car and then go from store to store on foot. This forces you to avoid finding the closest parking spot to the door at the grocery store, navigating aisles with pinpoint accuracy, and getting back to your car with as few wasted steps as possible!

Sign Up For A City League Sport

If you live in an area with even a relatively decent population size, there are probably city-sponsored athletics events available to you. These usually include sports like softball and basketball, but larger cities often offer a much greater array of athletics.

A great thing about these types of leagues is that they are very welcoming and usually scaled to the level of intensity you are looking for. Within each sport, there will usually be several divisions or “leagues” that offer a different level of competition, so you are able to find the one that works for you.

City league sports are a fantastic way to get moving, and possibly even make new friends (further increasing your odds of getting off of the couch).

If you want your free copy of “The Sedentary Disease” just send me an e-mail with the keyword REPORT at:  bojana.marguc@gmail.com  and I will send you your copy.

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What Happens To Your Body When You Never Move?

What Happens To Your Body When You Never Move? Our culture today is experiencing a lifestyle shift unlike any other change involving generations past. As modern technology continues to skyrocket toward the future, an almost perfect negative correlation can be found in the amount of physical activity the average individual performs.

While the perils of a sedentary lifestyle are somewhat common knowledge, this article will touch on a few of these detriments to specific anatomical systems.

Muscular System

A common trend you will notice as we progress in this discussion is the body’s remarkable ability to allocate resources to specific locations it deems necessary. Muscles are a direct and literally observable example of this trend.

When the muscular system is not frequently exposed to outside stresses and resistances that require muscle tissue to contract and shorten, the body notices and begins to decrease the amount of nutrients and oxygen the muscle receives.

Naturally, this leads to a reduction in overall muscle size and strength. On the contrary, if the body realizes that a muscle or group of muscles is being asked to handle an increased workout on a consistent basis, these structures will receive a greater influx of nutrients, thereby increasing in both size and force output.

Skeletal System

Our bones are specifically designed to provide an overall framework for the body, protect vital organs, store nutrients and specific types and cells, and manage the perpetual effect of gravity. When an individual’s lifestyle is devoid of adequate physical activity, the skeletal system, as with most other body systems, begins to deteriorate due to a decrease in the nourishment it receives.

The overall strength of a bone is usually described in terms of bone mineral density (BMD). Processes such as prolonged periods of inactivity and aging are marked by an increase in this parameter. Quite obviously, decreased bone mineral density is highly correlated to increase breaks and fractures, as well as reduced overall functionality an individual maintains.

The Cardiovascular System

Your heart really is the MVP when it comes to persistence. No matter how inactive you choose to be, this organ does not follow suit. Although your heart will continue to function despite an inadequate amount of movement, it is far from immune to it.

Just a few examples of how lack of movement negatively affects the heart are a weaker, less efficient contraction, decreased oxygen uptake, and obstructed flow of blood the through body. These issues force the heart to work much harder to keep you alive, which inevitably decreased the lifespan of the heart itself.

Metabolism & Bodyweight

Probably the most obvious consequence of not moving enough is an increase in body weight, oftentimes leading to obesity. Your body has a specific amount of calories it requires to maintain vital structures such as the heart, brain, and liver. Whatever caloric total remaining after these systems are accounted for is allocated to provide energy towards physical activity and movement.

In a movement deficit, these leftover calories are not burned as full and must be stored somewhere in the body for a later date. As you can probably guess, one of the main storage vessels is adipose tissue or body fat. Digressing back to the effects of the inactivity of muscle tissue, specifically the reduction in muscle size due to non-use, metabolism is intricately involved in this process. Lean muscle mass actually has a high demand for calories even while at rest.

The more muscle is present in the body, the higher the metabolic rate becomes. To put it simply, there will actually be fewer of those leftover calories we previously discussed, resulting in less potential for storage in the form of fat.