Can picking up a broom get a man more va-va-voom? That was the research premise for a recent study by Constance Gager, PhD, a sociologist in the department of family and child studies at Montclair State University in New Jersey.

Dr. Gager started with the well-documented fact that housework is typically shared unevenly between husbands and wives even when both have jobs outside the home. “Given that 77% of women with kids age six and older are in the labor force, we wondered why men aren’t contributing more to housework,” Dr. Gager told me. “So we asked, ’What would encourage them to do so?’ And we came up with the obvious hypothesis — more sex.”

On average, the wives in Gager’s study spent nearly twice as much time on household tasks as did their husbands: About 42 hours a week for the women versus 23 hours for the men.  While the husbands logged more paid working hours, about 34 hours/week versus 20 hours for the women, when the total hours worked (jobs plus housework) were combined, women worked more than the men by about three hours a week.  (Three hours may not sound like much-unless you are suffering from a chronic lack of sex…) Also, the data did not capture all the time women spend organizing, planning and forecasting for the household, tasks with which Dr. Gager’s research shows they want more help.

Dr. Gager then looked more deeply into the study participants’ home lives, and here’s where it gets really interesting:  For both sexes, it appears that the harder you work, the harder you play.  In other words,  more hours spent on household labor, on average, meant more hours of sexual activity.  This surprise finding held true for both husbands and wives in all types of work.

Energy for Everything?

I asked Dr. Gager what explanation she had for her findings, and she told me that the study was not designed to explore the reasons behind the results. But, she said, the research team is willing to speculate. “We don’t think it’s causative, but we do know that the more time is spent on housework, the more time gets spent on sex, so it might be reflective of an underlying trait: Being a go-getter with high energy.” In other words, Dr. Gager said, the hardest workers may be people who attack life with gusto, and it seems they get a lot out of it, if you know what I mean…of course you do.

This intriguing finding bodes well for people who have the energy to take on both work and family chores. “As life gets busier and time gets tighter, there are people who can successfully balance their multiple time commitments,” said Dr. Gager. “They devote their time to paid work and housework while maintaining an active sex life. Rather than compromise their romantic life because of work demands, this group of go-getters makes sex a priority.”

So does that mean that if you start doing more vacuuming you’re more likely to get lucky, regardless of your sex? Maybe.  In the doctor’s words, “It couldn’t hurt!”  Hey, a lot can happen in three extra hours a week.

Source(s):

Constance Gager, PhD, lead researcher, sociologist and assistant professor, department of family and child studies, Montclair State University, New Jersey.

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Not that I advocate throwing caution to the wind… but if you absolutely must indulge in that big pasta dinner, make a point of taking a walk before or afterward. A new study conducted at Loughborough University in Leicestershire, United Kingdom, indicates that walking at a brisk pace for a half hour may be just what you need to offset the carbohydrate kick to your cholesterol profile.

Walk off all those unwanted carbs

Daily Exercise & Triglycerides

The study examined whether daily exercise can reduce triglycerides in the blood, which rise along with the dietary ratio of carbohydrates to fat. The research was motivated by a public health movement in the UK encouraging people to alter their diet from their current typical caloric intake of 40% fats, 45% carbohydrates and 15% protein… to 30% fats and 55% carbs, leaving the protein at the same 15% level. Reducing fat is good, of course, but the problem is, when the ratio of carbohydrates to fats in the diet goes up, it raises triglycerides (also called triacylglycerol or TAG), especially immediately following a meal. According to study coauthor David Stensel, PhD, senior lecturer in Sports and Exercise Sciences at Loughborough, “This may negate the claimed cholesterol-lowering benefits, since elevated triacylglycerol concentration after meals is a risk factor for heart disease.”

Researchers recruited 14 study participants (male and female) between the ages of 45 and 65 with no history of heart disease or metabolic disorder, who were not taking cholesterol medication. None engaged in regular vigorous exercise and the women were all post-menopausal.

Each subject rotated through three four-day trials of different diets: the standard UK diet… the new “recommended” UK diet… and the recommended UK diet plus daily exercise. During the “recommended diet plus exercise” phase, subjects made daily lab visits at their own convenience for a 30-minute walk on a treadmill at a self-selected brisk pace (averaging about four miles per hour). The other phases did not include any exercise, beyond that inherent in daily living activities. On the last day of each phase, all subjects came to the laboratory and spent a day resting, eating meals of the type they were assigned at the time, and having periodic measurements taken of their resting respiration and metabolism and blood samples drawn to assess overall impact on cholesterol and TAG levels.

Walk It Off

As expected, TAG concentrations did rise after meals for both phases with the changed diet, but especially in connection with the higher carbohydrate diet. The good news was adding exercise offset the carbohydrate-linked rise in TAG levels.

It is ironic that a diet that is better for you because of the lower proportion of fats can also pose a problem, says Dr. Stensel. But this study shows that 30 minutes of brisk walking every day can fix the problem of the higher TAG levels typically associated with added carbohydrates. So if you are going to eat those carbs, make it a point to step up that stroll.

Source(s):

David J. Stensel, PhD, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom.

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There are millions of people nationwide dealing with depression which has escalated the number of cardiac problems over the years. This is slowly posing a problem to many lives and most people are not even aware of the issues. Become one of the people that prevent themselves from having unwanted cardiac problems in the future.

Be happy... be healthy

Depression has long been associated with cardiac problems. We know, for instance, that people who are physically healthy but depressed are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease… that being depressed puts people who already have heart disease — including those who have had a heart attack or bypass surgery — at higher risk for recurrence of a cardiac event… and that people who are depressed after a cardiac event are at greater risk for death within the next few years. What we haven’t known until now iswhy.

A recent study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, identified a critically important factor explaining this link: lack of exercise. Researchers followed 1,017 outpatients with stable coronary heart disease for nearly five years and were surprised to discover that physiological changes (elevated cortisol and norepinephrine, for example) were not responsible for the increased risk of cardiac events associated with depression. Instead, the researchers discovered that the increased rate of cardiovascular events in depressed patients has more to do with physical inactivity. The study team found that lack of exercise was associated with a 44% greater rate of cardiovascular events. After accounting for lack of exercise and other health behaviors (such as medication non-adherence and smoking), depression by itself was no longer associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. The current study reveals that the sedentary habits of depressed individuals creates a cycle of depression and poor cardiac health.

Depressed Patients Don’t Exercise

I called an expert in the matter of cardiovascular disease and exercise, Gordon Blackburn, PhD, program director of Cardiac Rehabilitation at the Cleveland Clinic, to ask about his thoughts on the study. Dr. Blackburn told me that many patients experience some level of depression after a heart attack. Many go on to develop a new attitude, becoming invigorated about the process of a new, healthier lifestyle, but even a mild and transient bout of depression can increase the risk of future cardiac problems.

Making matters worse, Dr. Blackburn said that those with depression tend to not be compliant with other lifestyle or management strategies such as medications, nutrition guidelines or follow-up medical care. Clearly all these factors contribute to a worsening of heart disease, putting people at higher risk, notes Dr. Blackburn.

How Exercise Helps

There is a solution to this problem. Cardiac rehabilitation programs, which are part of follow-up care for months after cardiac surgery or a heart attack at many hospitals, get patients up and moving with a regular exercise routine. Unfortunately, only about 20% of eligible patients participate, even though these programs are covered by many insurance companies and Medicare. If more patients did take part, Dr. Blackburn says, their health would improve in a variety of ways, all of which would help them feel better and live longer.

Dr. Blackburn told me he is disturbed that some patients assume cardiac procedures or bypass surgery will fix their heart problems. Heart disease continues, he says, and if patients don’t address their risk factors, it will surely progress. Doctors have not routinely focused on depression as a significant issue with cardiac patients, says Dr. Blackburn, but perhaps the results of this study may change this. Regular screening for depression would show health care teams which patients need treatment for it, as well as underscore for patients the importance of a cardiac exercise program that could help save their lives.

Source(s):

Gordon Blackburn, PhD, program director of Cardiac Rehabilitation at the Cleveland Clinic.

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The recession has really played a drastic role in our lives over the past few years and it seems that it has actually had some beneficial aspects to our lives.

See why the recession and exercise went hand in hand.

A shopkeeper once told me his bicycle sales went up when the economy went down. Sure enough, The Economist reported a sharp increase in demand for bicycles in 2008. Clearly, some hearts, muscles and lungs are benefiting during this recession.

Interestingly, there are other unexpected health advantages of hard times. I spoke to the go-to economist for studies on health and the economy, Christopher Ruhm, PhD, at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, who told me that, in fact, many measures of physical health actually improve as the economy declines.

Dr. Ruhm has documented lower rates of heart disease, influenza, pneumonia, disk disorders, liver problems, three heart disease risk factors (smoking, obesity and physical inactivity), drinking and traffic deaths when unemployment rises. He estimates that a 1% rise in unemployment reduces the total death rate by 0.5%.

Dr. Ruhm points out that his work (macroeconomics) is based on aggregate data, so the effects will vary widely for individuals, but notes that what’s true for the macro level is likely to be true, on average, at the individual level as well. It makes a lot of sense — as Dr. Ruhm explained, fewer jobs means less air pollution, which is linked to heart attacks… less income means fewer dollars spent on tobacco and alcohol… more free time means more time to exercise… and traffic accidents go down because fewer people are commuting. He estimates that a 1% increase in unemployment reduces US traffic deaths by 3%.

HEALTHY SELF-IMPROVEMENT

People also tend to work on themselves during economic slumps. Dr. Ruhm reasons, “When times are bad, people feel they have minimal control over their lives, so they control what they can control — themselves.” A recent report from Marketdata Enterprises noted a 13.6% increase in the self-improvement business — weight loss, stress management, personal coaching, self-help books — from 2005 to 2008, despite the economic downturn.

A need to spend less puts the focus on no- or low-cost leisure activities, such as exercise and cooking meals at home, which can benefit health. Not surprisingly, data from early 2006 to early 2008 shows restaurant visits fell by about 10%, according to Decision Analyst market research. Another interesting factoid that provides more evidence that Americans are turning to what Dr. Ruhm describes as “inexpensive and healthy ways to have fun” — US condom sales rose 6% in January 2009 compared with January 2008, according to Nielson Co. research.

FINDING HAPPINESS IN A RECESSION

Okay but it can still be a challenge to feel good at a time when life itself is presenting so many challenges. I recently read a book by Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert, PhD, called Stumbling on Happiness. In his book he noted that while negative events can be difficult, “they generally don’t affect us as much or for as long as we expect them to.” He said we might think of people as “having a psychological immune system [Freud's defense mechanism] that defends the mind against unhappiness in much the same way that the physical immune system defends the body against illness.” What serves us best, says Dr. Gilbert, is “a healthy psychological immune system [that] strikes a balance that allows us to feel good enough to cope with our situation but bad enough to do something about it.” He acknowledges that losing a job is a big enough trauma to trigger the psychological defenses we need to recover. I found a few strategies in the book that we can use to move toward happiness in a recession.

WHAT WE CAN DO

• Explain it. “Studies show that the mere act of explaining an unpleasant event can help to defang it.”
• Write about it. Says Dr. Gilbert, “Simply writing about a trauma… can lead to surprising improvements in both subjective well-being and physical health (e.g. fewer visits to the physician and improved production of viral antibodies). What’s more, the people who experience the greatest benefit from these writing exercises are those whose writing contains an explanation of the trauma.”
• Get perspective. Most economic and psychological research concludes that wealth does little to increase happiness once basic human needs are met, points out Dr. Gilbert.
• Ask others about their experience. Dr. Gilbert advises people to find someone who is going through a similar experience and ask him/her how he feels. You may be surprised at the similarities. His take: “If you are like most people, then like most people, you don’t know you’re like most people.”

Dr. Ruhm offers straightforward advice: “Make your health improvement intentional. See opportunity and take it.” If you’re working less, exercise more — if you need to cut back on what you spend, make changes that work in your favor. Owning your actions puts you in control of your life and your health.

Source(s):

Christopher Ruhm, PhD, economist, University of North Carolina Greensboro.

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There are many different workouts out there and it can be hard knowing which wones will benefit your health problems. Why not determine this now and get yourself using useful, heart improving workouts.

Exercise your way to a healthy heart and life.

It doesn’t take a scientist to figure out that the hearts of athletes are stronger than those of people who don’t exercise. But scientists have been studying it nonetheless, and have learned that there are substantial differences in the size and thickness of the heart chambers of athletes, attributes that support the value of regular exercise for a healthy heart. Further research is revealing that there are specific relationships between the kind of exercise you do and how it affects the heart, which may one day lead to prescription of exercise routines to address individual cardiovascular needs.

HOW & WHY EXERCISE HELPS THE HEART

“Up until now, the studies have just looked at a single snapshot of the heart function of athletes,” Aaron Baggish, MD, lead author of the study, told me. So researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital studied the effect of different forms of exercise on heart function and structure.

The researchers selected student athletes from Harvard teams at the start of the fall 2006 semester. From the crew team, they enrolled 20 male and 20 female rowers in a trial testing the effects of endurance training, and from the football roster, they recruited 35 male players to test the effects of strength training. The researchers looked specifically for athletes who werenot at an elite level of performance and fitness, so change could be measured over time. The athletes’ training routines weren’t altered for this study — they simply followed the regimen and practice schedules that had been developed by their coaches for their individual sports. Researchers took daily data on how long the young men and women trained and what type of training (endurance versus strength) they did, over a 90-day period.

For the endurance athletes, training consisted of long-duration open water sessions and indoor rowing machine workouts at 70% to 80% of maximum heart rate. Strength athletes did tackling drills, sprint training, weight lifting and plyometric (power jumping) exercises. All participants trained five or more days a week. They were questioned in private about previous steroid use, and those who had a history of using the drugs were excluded from the study.

IT’S ALL GOOD

At the start and end of the study, participants were given an echocardiogram to measure changes in heart structure and function against baseline measures, which led to the finding that both groups exhibited change. What was especially interesting was that there were considerable differences between the cardiac changes in each group. The endurance athletes experienced significant increases in the size of their left and right ventricle chambers (the large pumping chambers in the heart), while the strength athletes showed thickening of their left ventricle wall.

“Observations that the heart responds to exercise in a sport-specific fashion points to how exercise can be used for the treatment of different types of heart disease,” Dr. Baggish said. He said future work will reveal more about the optimal combination of endurance and strength training for heart conditions such as congestive heart failure, hypertension and coronary heart disease. For now, however, this much is clear: “Exercise that includes both aerobic and strength training is beneficial for health,” said Dr. Baggish.

Source(s):

Aaron Baggish, MD, division of Cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and research fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston.

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Who hasn’t suffered a backache — particularly as the years tick by? Back pain is one of the most common medical complaints, with four out of five of us experiencing it at some point in our lives. Often people with back pain do need to see a doctor, but if you know your twinges and creaks are the result of overdoing it — perhaps a more vigorous than usual game of racquetball, an overzealous day of yard work, toting around a growing grandchild or simply the aches and pains of age — there are some safe and effective measures that can provide soothing relief.

Take control of your aches and pains now!

For advice, I went to Thomas H. Reece, DO, ND, one of just a few practitioners with dual degrees in Naturopathic and Osteopathic Medicine. Former medical director of the Southwest Naturopathic Medical Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, Dr. Reece now practices at the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in California. He told me that serious back problems usually involve pain that travels down the leg, producing numbness and a decrease in muscle strength (this may show up as a drop foot or you may simply notice that you are tripping on one foot). This kind of problem requires appropriate diagnosis and care and Dr. Reece strongly advises against any attempts at self-treatment. He reiterated that relatively simple or straightforward backaches respond well to simple, straightforward home care.

EASY FIXES FOR A COMMON PROBLEM

• Lay around a while. In the initial stages of back pain from a strained muscle, nothing is quite as simple and effective as ice and rest. It may be beneficial to stay in bed (or at least rest from normal activity) for a day or two after such a strain, but longer bed rest may do more harm than good, leading to further stiffness and weakness. It’s best to return to some activity, such as walking on level ground, as soon as possible. Taking magnesium malate, enzymes and homeopathic arnica may help ease the pain of a strain.

Dr. Reece recommends: If back pain is severe (you can’t move or you experience the serious symptoms noted above) or a seemingly simple strain persists for more than three days, see your physician for diagnosis and treatment.

• Bend and stretch. A study at the University of Oxford in the UK demonstrated that a three-week rehabilitation program was nearly as effective as spinal fusion surgery in overcoming certain types of back pain. Daily exercises were carefully tailored to suit individual ability, and consisted of muscle stretching and strengthening, endurance, low-impact aerobic exercise (e.g., walking or swimming), and spine stabilization exercises for deep abdominal muscles. Specific activities included walking on a treadmill, stationary cycling, step-ups and abdominal-strengthening exercises using a gym ball.

Dr. Reece recommends: A lack of exercise lies at the root of many back problems, with muscle weakness and stiffness opening the door to injury. If you suffer from chronic or periodic back pain, Dr. Reece advises that you begin any new workout under the watchful eye of a physical therapist. He said that a toning exercise program may be more appropriate for this purpose than a stretching program.

Dr. Reece recommends: Perform Qigong over Tai Chi… yoga or Pilates could also be beneficial if the instructor tailors the program to your specific needs.

• Water works wonders. Daily sessions of hydrotherapy were part of the rehabilitation program at the University of Oxford. Hot compresses relax muscles and increase blood flow to painful areas, while cold compresses reduce inflammation. With back strains, always use cold only during the first 48 to 72 hours, then alternate cold with hot.

Dr. Reece recommends: Apply alternate cold and hot packs to strained or sore areas of the back, using cold first. Use each for two to five minutes, for a total of 20 to 30 minutes, ending with cold. Instant cold and hot packs are widely available in drugstores or you can use moistened towels.

• Supplemental solutions. Conventional drugs for back pain have many possible side effects. NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen can lead to gastrointestinal problems or bleeding problems for some individuals… pain-relieving opioids are potentially addictive… and muscle relaxants are associated with dizziness and drowsiness.

There are some natural solutions, however. Enzymes such as bromelain and herbs such as curcumin are known to have a natural anti-inflammatory impact. Also, supplements such as fish oil may help reduce inflammation and soothe back discomfort. A study published in Surgical Neurology suggested that fish oil supplements are as effective as certain NSAIDs in relieving back and neck pain, with fewer side effects, though the study authors acknowledge that further research needs to be done.

Dr. Reece recommends: Magnesium supplements, in the form of magnesium malate. This natural muscle relaxant doesn’t provide the powerful pain relief of a pharmaceutical agent, but it certainly has fewer side effects.

• Basics of body mechanics. Many back problems stem from poor body mechanics or posture — for example, lifting objects incorrectly or sitting hunched over a computer all day. Good body mechanics mean that you are standing, sitting and moving without putting undue stress on any muscles or joints.

Dr. Reece recommends: To lift an object properly, hold it close to you… bend your knees, squat… and lift it straight up, without twisting. Always use proper posture. (For more on proper body mechanics, see Daily Health News, April 24, 2008.)

BACK TO NORMAL

Before resorting to complicated, high-tech solutions for back pain, consider going the natural route. The truth is that most episodes of acute pain from back strain resolve on their own and low-tech, side-effect-free options work for many people.

Source(s):

Thomas H. Reece, DO, ND, one of only a few practitioners with dual degrees in Naturopathic and Osteopathic Medicine. Former medical director of the Southwest Naturopathic Medical Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, Dr. Reece now practices at the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in California. He is a specialist in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine.

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Exercising is something every person should do, whether they are on a diet or not. It helps maintain good health and energy, which is something you’ll love happening. Many people feel their lives are too busy to work out, but there is one that everyone could do if they want to improve their health.

Climb your way back to a healthy life!

Every year since 1978, a group of intrepid runners gathers at the foot of the Empire State Building to compete in an event sponsored by the New York Road Runners. But this is no ordinary run — these competitors will run up 1,576 steps, from the bottom level to the Observatory deck on the 86th floor. Most finish in under 20 minutes, while the record thus far is just under 10 minutes.

Crazy? Hardly. Stair climbing is an increasingly popular way to squeeze a great aerobic workout into a short period of time. According to fitness expert Wayne Westcott, PhD, author of Get Stronger, Feel Younger, climbing stairs is among the most vigorous cardio workouts you can find. “You’re lifting your center of mass vertically,” he explained. Since your body weight is not supported — as it is with, say, swimming or rowing — you expend greater effort and burn more calories. Athletes have a long tradition of training by dashing up sports stadium bleacher stairs… and who could forget the triumphant scene in Rocky? You can get a great workout using the stairwells in hotels, office buildings, apartments or even your home, and many people find it is an inexpensive, convenient alternative to the gym.

Stair climbing increases cardiovascular fitness as well as muscular endurance and strength. It works most of the leg muscles, especially the quadriceps (front of thighs) and buttocks, and requires a tremendous outlay of energy. Some “tower runners” (as those who compete in events like the Empire State Building Run-Up race are called) use their arms on the stair rail to help pull themselves up, which gives the upper body a bit of a workout as well. Additionally, stair climbing delivers a good core muscle workout — this, in turn, improves posture.

TIPS FOR STAIR CLIMBERS

Intrigued? Here are a few tips to help step up your workout:

1. Wear running shoes or those designed for cross-training.

2. Take a few minutes to warm up first by walking around on level ground before you start your ascent… and cool down the same way afterward, followed by stretches (described below).

3. Stretch the quadriceps, hamstrings and calves after your workout, not before.

4. As you climb, lean slightly forward from your hips while keeping your back straight.

5. Place your entire foot on each step. Allowing your heels to hang over the edges may injure your Achilles tendon. Look forward, keeping your head up. Don’t let it droop, which can cause neck strain, though it is fine to glance down when necessary to get your bearings.

6. Don’t lock your knees as you climb up.

7. Vary your pace for maximum fitness benefit. Start by walking… walk faster… then slow down and speed up again, and again.

8. Stay safe. Just as you wouldn’t jog in a dark alley alone, don’t use stairs in a remote stairwell where calls for help wouldn’t be heard.

9. Drink plenty of water before and after. Stair climbing is intense, so you should plan to rehydrate just as you would during a jog or a race on level ground.

PREPARE FOR DESCENT

Though it’s aerobically easier, Dr. Westcott warns that coming down has its own dangers. “Walking down stairs or running downhill puts incredible stress on the joint structure — in particular the tendons, fascia and ligaments,” he says. You can minimize this stress by descending slowly, perhaps even stopping for a moment on landings. Resist the temptation to bound down two or three stairs at a time and instead come down purposefully. Or, you could take the elevator down — but first, walk around up top to let your heart rate return to normal.

NEXT STEPS…

There are plenty of ways you can change-up stair climbing workouts. You may feel a bit breathless when starting out. If so, walk around the landing (or down the hall of whatever floor you are on) and then return to the stairwell and climb some more. You can create an interval training program by alternating spurts of high intensity (climbing up fast) with periods of “active rest” (walking on flat ground). Vary your workouts by climbing higher, faster and/or longer between rest stops.

Another benefit: You don’t need to work out for long periods of time to take your fitness to a higher level. In fact, Dr. Westcott told me that climbing 10 flights of stairs at three different times over the course of a day is actually preferable to going up 30 flights all at once. The reason? “Some of the most important physiological adaptations, such as improvement in aerobic capacity, take place during the recovery period,” he explains. “With three separate bouts of exercise, you get the benefit of three recovery periods.” Also, you may find it easier to push yourself to do 10 flights at a time, rather than having to take on all 30.

A stair-climbing machine can deliver many of the same benefits, of course. Dr. Westcott noted, however, that the classic StairMaster machines aren’t as intense, since you’re not working against gravity — they don’t require you to lift your feet off the steps but rather shift your weight from one leg to the other. He said that a better choice for gym rats is the type of machine that features an actual revolving staircase — though I can tell you from experience, these are significantly harder.

If you’re interested in competing, you can get a listing of worldwide “tower running” events at www.towerrunning.com/english/races.htm, which sorts the races by number of stairs. For example, in Chicago you can “Hustle Up the Hancock” (1,632 stairs) or really high achievers could consider the pinnacle of the sport — the “Sächsischer Mt. Everest Treppenmarathon” in Germany, climbing a nearly unimaginable (to me) 39,700 stairs. Also, the American Lung Association (www.lungusa.org) has a list of stair climbing fundraising events.

Source(s):

Wayne Westcott, PhD, exercise physiologist/fitness director, South Shore YMCA, Quincy, Massachusetts, and author of Get Stronger, Feel Younger (Rodale).

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People will do anything to feel comfortable but it can be quite hard to do. If you are looking to finally be comfortable with your weight and who you are then Medifast is the spot for you!

Uncomfortable? Can it make you feel great?

The term “comfort zone” has always struck me as wonderfully descriptive, the perfect words for a place where all feels safe and right with the world. But contentment comes at a cost — comfort zones sometimes evolve into boring, same-old-same-old traps where nothing changes, including you. Many people are so busy being comfortable they don’t realize they have actually become seriously stuck, says life coach and regular Daily Health News contributor Lauren Zander. Getting stuck can happen at every level, she adds, from those who have achieved great professional success and are resting on their hard-won laurels to people who live in a world of denial pretending it’s okay to stay in unhappy marriages… remain at dissatisfying jobs… accept poor health and so much more.

When we limit our focus to just one or two zones we exclude the possibilities that exist in other areas. Take, for example, people whose entire focus has been on getting ahead in business. Success is very rewarding, but one day the work may end abruptly or simply become stale… and then what’s left? Friendships, family bonds and personal interests have faded. How much better to commit yourself to having a happier and fuller life by regularly climbing out of your comfort zones to reach the next level and then the next. “Your achievement becomes the new status quo, so you need to reach again… so goes life,” says Lauren.

Lauren believes strongly that the best state of mind is one in which you continually push the envelope, in most if not all areas of life. One tool she uses to help people visualize this (and see how they get lazy) is a list of the 18 different aspects of a rewarding life…

1. Relationship to self: What do you say about yourself to yourself?
2. Romantic relationships: Whether you are currently in such a relationship or not.
3. Undesirable character traits: Your personal shortcomings — anxiety, anger, moodiness, lying, fear, whining, being a brat, etc.
4. Family: Your relationships with your parents, siblings and children.
5. Career/business/school life: How it’s going, your level of satisfaction, how much you love what you’re doing, what you strive for.
6. Time: How you manage your time, to-do’s and scheduling, tasks you’d like to get to but don’t, how you’re using your life. Is there anything you could be doing better?
7. Body: Weight, appearance, presentation.
8. Spirituality: However you define this.
9. Money: Wealth. Are you happy with the amount you earn, the amount you’ve saved, how you spend it, how it’s managed?
10. Bad habits: Vices, biting your nails, overeating, drinking, smoking, addictions, partying.
11. Community: Friends, depth, intimacy.
12. Sex: Are you satisfied with the quantity and quality? Your history, including past or current cheating on your part or your partner’s.
13. Romance: Giving and receiving attention.
14. Home: Do you like your house or apartment? Does it reflect you well? How does it feel and look? Does it feel like home?
15. Personal space: Organization, cleanliness, clutter, etc.
16. Learning: Wanting to learn about things you aren’t taking the time for, like flying or guitar.
17. Fun and adventure: Vacations, self-indulgent time, out of the ordinary events.
18. Health: Physical, mental and emotional.

TAKING THE STEP

The first step is to decide where you would like (maybe even need) to shake your life up. List all the things you’ve ever wanted to do and then consider the zones in which you are stuck. Identify these by labeling life areas you consider “good enough.”

Then consider what challenges you can dream up for your life this year. In the area of health and fitness, you might train for a race or take a new kind of class… to enhance your connection to friends and community, volunteer at a local museum or hospital or attend a church service where you don’t know a soul. Learn and stimulate yourself intellectually by enrolling in a class to learn French or Chinese. Is your marriage in the “good enough” zone? You could get out of that comfort trap by trying a new way of communicating with your partner, such as a shared journal or morning walk-and-talks. Come up with new activities you can share, or plan a vacation to a place you’ve always dreamed of visiting. There are thousands of ways to get unstuck and at least a dozen places most people need it, which means your work is cut out for you.

GETTING OVER THE GLITCH

The problem is, leaving a comfort zone requires entering a “discomfort zone,” which is why so many people shrink from the task. Lauren says she finds that first attempts to get unstuck always bring up two predictable internal voices. The first is what she refers to as the brat. This voice will immediately start to complain — “I’m too old for this,” or “I can’t afford it” or, “I don’t have time” or even “I don’t need this.” The other voice is the chicken… which expresses fear in statements such as “I have no idea how to go about this” or “I wouldn’t be any good” or “I’m sure that wouldn’t work.” These voices also like to blame other people or external situations for how you became stuck, rather than acknowledging your responsibility to yourself. Hear your internal voices, says Lauren, but don’t let them control you.

Departing your comfort zone can be scary, but it is also where life starts to be a whole lot more fun. It takes courage to step out of the known for new adventures, both large and small, and being brave makes you feel good about yourself and gives you a sense of pride. It is invigorating to go to the other side of fear, says Lauren, where you jump into something that makes you feel really alive. “I am not talking about adrenaline rushes,” she says, “I am talking about being honest in relationships with others and with yourself and being willing to put them at risk… about doing things that are new and daunting… meeting new people, developing your talents and putting yourself out there. Learn to love the thrill of breaking down your fears so that you leave your comfort zones again and again as you do more and more.” This is true freedom, she says. You can put it into practice right now.

Source(s):

Lauren Zander, life coach and cofounder of HandelGroup (www.handelgroup.com).

Take the time to look through all your meal options and get exactly what you want. Make sure that you include one of the Medifast Coupons so that you can get a great discounted price on your next Medifast Diet Plan.

Hope everyone enjoyed themselves yesterday on the joyess holiday, Thanksgiving. Today is Black Friday meaning many of you are going to be out fighting the crowds getting some of your holiday shopping done. After all the big meals and snacks you consumed yesterday all that walking is going to do some good.

For those not getting out adventuring through the crazy crowds and getting in on all the deals, and even some who are, it is time to think about some day after exercises. It can be hard thinking about it, but if you want to keep losing weight you may want to consider doing a few exercises. You should in reality exercise everyday, but with the busy lives many of us live it can be hard.

Exercising is something many of us take advantage of and not do it as much as we should. Even adding in an evening walk or jog can do wonders when you compare it to the exercise that you are not currently doing. With the holidays now in full swing it is time that you start thinking about some exercises to do and ways to improve your eating habits.

Knowing the holidays were coming we’ve taken the time to put together some great exercise posts for you. These posts can help you feel a little better about wanting to participate in various exercise routines and hopefully answer some questions you may have. Take a look at some of these:

Exercise regularly for a healthy life.

• Maintaining a Healthy Weight with Exercise & Medifast
• Exercise Tricks that Work
• How to Exercise Safely
• Exercise – The Essential Addition to Weight Loss
• Exercise Routines – Your Road to a Healthier You
• Common Exercise Excuses
• Exercise to Burn Calories

As you can see, we really are dedicated to helping you adapt an exercise routine into your life and make the process a lot less scary. Make sure you take the time to read our Common Exercise Excuses because we all know we’ve said them and if you realize these you may stop with them, hopefully.

For those really determined to keep losing weight throughout the holiday season that is now in full swing consider having a Medifast Diet Plan help you. We’ve adapted some great meal plans that can easily incorporate into the holiday season for you.

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There is one portion of a persons body that seems to always seem to develop fat more easily then other areas. With your belly withholding the most fat it can seem like a huge effort to work off that unwanted fat, but this doesn’t have to continue forever.

If you are someone who’s decided it is time to begin working off that unwanted belly fat then it is time to begin making changes to your daily eating habits and exercise routines, if you even have one yet.

By making simple changes to the foods you consume daily and adding a little extra exercise you will be on your way to working off a few of those extra fatty belly pounds.

There are many ways in which you can diminish the signs of belly fat without feeling overwhelmed with the overall effort.

Avoid the unwanted belly fat worries.

Most people tend to give up on exercises and dieting because of the effort that they have to put in, but by doing a few basic changes to your lifestyle you will increase the chances of you losing belly fat.

Medifast Diet Plans have been designed to assist in the reduction of belly fat. There are various home remedy options available that could easily help you diminish your belly fat levels even more, but ensure that you stay dedicated to the options for best results.

Your health is something you want to keep a close eye on. If you have excess amounts of fat on your body you could find yourself feeling sluggish and in need of energy boosts, which usually consist of unhealthy options. Avoid this by decreasing the percentage of fat you have on your body and living a healthier life.

If you are looking for some well needed advice on how to lose belly fat consider looking through some of our other belly fat articles. They’ll help you diminish the signs of belly fat and get the fit, healthy looking body you’ve been dreaming about.

• 5 Tips to Help You Remove Your Belly Fat
• Home Remedy for Losing Belly Fat
• Five More Tips for Eliminating Belly Fat
• Decreasing Your Belly Fat Levels

Hopefully you can finally take control of your health and avoid having that unwanted belly fat any longer. There are many options available to help you lose that unwanted weight in all areas of your body, so why not have Medifast help you each step of the way. Your life and health deserves it.

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