We have a lot of silly names for it: BMs, caca, doo-doo, turds, and of course, poop.

We don’t generally discuss it in our daily conversations.

But asking some important questions about your bowel movements might give you some insight into your gastrointestinal health. Here’s the scoop on poop.

ABCs of Poop

Bowel movements are the end result of your body taking the nutrients it needs from the food you eat and eliminating what’s left.

“Bowel movements are important for your health because they are the body’s natural way of excreting waste from the body,” says Eric Esrailian, MD, section head in general gastroenterology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

When it comes to frequency, color, shape, and size, a general rule of thumb is that normal bowel movements are defined as what’s comfortable for you. But being knowledgeable about your digestive process can help you identify when normal goes awry.

Frequency: “There is no normal when it comes to frequency of bowel movements, only averages” says Bernard Aserkoff, MD, a physician in the GI Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

It’s average to go once or twice a day, he says, but many people go more, and some go less — maybe every other day, and or as infrequently as once or twice a week. As long as you feel comfortable, you don’t need to give your BMs much thought.

Color: “Bowel movements are generally brown in color because of bile, which is produced in the liver and important to the digestion process,” Aserkoff tells Medifast Health.

The food you eat typically takes three days from the time you eat it until it finishes its journey in your toilet, Aserkoff says. If it takes a shorter time, the result may be greener stool because green is one of the first colors in the rainbow of the digestive process.

Color can be a red flag when it’s a drastic change, Aserkoff says.

“If stool is black, it can mean that you are bleeding internally, possibly as a result of an ulcer or cancer,” he says. Stool that is black due to bleeding is also “sticky” (tarry) and smells bad. However, black stools are common when taking a vitamin that contains iron or medications that contain bismuth subsalicylate.

Stool that is light in color — like grey clay — can also mean trouble if it’s a change from what you normally see. Although it doesn’t happen often, very light-colored stool can indicate a block in the flow of bile or liver disease.

Size and shape: “We used to believe that size was indicative of a problem if the stool was ‘pencil-thin,’” Aserkoff says. “But recent research indicates that this is actually not true.”

Size and shape are irrelevant, Aserkoff says, if what’s coming out is normal for you.

Odor: Bowel movements usually smell. But is it normal if your trips to the bathroom mean that the rest of the family has to avoid that part of the house for an hour or two?

The answer is yes. It’s normal, and probably a good sign that your gut is abundant with bacteria that is working hard to keep you healthy.

Your intestines are swarming with trillions upon trillions of bacteria that enhance digestive and metabolic processes. They are also the reason why poop smells — a direct result of the bacterial activity in your GI tract. So although it’s no bed of roses, it is normal for your bowel movements to stink.

Poop Problems

So what happens when your poop process gets out of whack? The first sign that your intestines aren’t up to par is a shift from your normal GI routine, and as a result, discomfort below the waist.

Constipation and Diarrhea

Constipation is a concern when you normally have a bowel movement once or twice a day, and that changes — maybe you haven’t gone in three days, or more. However long it’s been, you now feel gassy, bloated, and generally uncomfortable. When you try to go, you have to push and strain, and what comes out is a whole lot of nothin’.

Constipation can have many causes. It might be that you’ve had a shift in your diet, such as a drop in fiber intake, or maybe because you’re not drinking enough water each day, or because your physical activity level has decreased, slowing your metabolic processes down, including digestion. Certain medications (such as narcotic pain medicines and iron supplements) can also cause constipation problems.

Although constipation causes one set of problems, diarrhea can also mean digestive disaster. Whether it’s caused by a meal that just didn’t sit right, or a harmful bacterium or virus, it’s categorized by loose stool, and another hallmark of GI trouble — discomfort.

“Diarrhea can be caused by any number of factors,” Aserkoff says. “But the problem with diarrhea, in addition to the obvious, is that it can cause other health problems, like dehydration, if you’re living with it for more than two or three days.”

Generally, you recoup from a bout of diarrhea or constipation in a day or two, Aserkoff says. If not, it’s probably worth a trip to the doctor for further GI troubleshooting.

Blood in the Stool

“One of the most significant warning signs when it comes to bowel movements is blood in the stool,” Esrailian says.

Blood in your stool could be a symptom of something as significant as cancer and warrants a call to your doctor right away — even if you think it could be hemorrhoids, or tiny tears in the anal tissue, as a result of constipation and straining, he says. If you’re over 50, or if you have a family history of colorectal cancer, a colonoscopy is probably in order.

Other warning signs to watch for when your bowel movements have taken a turn for the worse are fever, abdominal pain, or dehydration — any one of which could be tied to GI trouble, such as a virus, appendicitis, or food poisoning.

Good GI Health

Tricks to keeping your poop on track are simple ones: a healthy diet high in fiber, lots of water, and regular exercise.

“Generally, 20-25 grams of dietary fiber per day is recommended, and for many people, you get this much in a healthy diet,” Esrailian says. “If you are having infrequent bowel movements and are experiencing discomfort, then the first easy way to correct it is to increase dietary fiber through food, supplement, or both.”

High-fiber powerhouse foods are whole-grain cereals and breads, fresh vegetables and fruit, and nuts. Usually, a day or two of a fiber-focused diet will put your trips to the bathroom back on track.

Proper hydration is also key for your colon, ensuring you have enough fluid in your body to move stool through the digestive track and out the other end on a regular basis, Esrailian says.

Exercise is also beneficial for your bowels. It helps improve GI “motility,” he says, and can often alleviate constipation by improving your metabolic and digestive processes.

Overall, normal is a pretty easy mark to make when it comes to your bowel movements, both experts say, and aside from the warning signs they offered, what goes in one end usually comes out the other with minimal problems along the way.

Whether it’s pounding the pavement, logging miles on the bike, or climbing those stairs that seem to go nowhere, it’s all about cardio exercise. But other than a sweaty t-shirt, what do you have to show for your workout? A slimmer stomach? Killer quads? Are you exercising for the right amount of time to reap the full health benefits of cardiovascular fitness, or often enough?

Exercise experts, including fitness maven Denise Austin, answer cardio questions for Medifast Health, so you can make the most of your muscle burn.

Cardio Exercise: The Heart of the Matter

“Cardiovascular exercise is any type of exercise that increases the work of the heart and lungs,” says Tommy Boone, PhD, a founding member of the American Society of Exercise Physiologists. “Walking, jogging, and running are common forms of cardiovascular, or aerobic, exercise.”

From running and walking, to swimming, elliptical cross-training, biking, Stairmaster, and rowing — to name a few — the physical benefits of cardio exercise abound, explains says Len Kravitz, PhD, senior exercise physiologist for IDEA Health and Fitness Association. They include:

Reduced risk of heart disease

• Improved blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Improved heart function
• Reduced risk of osteoporosis
• Improved muscle mass

“The American College of Sports Medicine and the CDC recommend, for health, that adults should accumulate 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week,” says Kravitz, who is also a coordinator of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. “And to improve cardiovascular endurance, they recommend 20 to 60 minutes on three to five days per week.”

Now that you know the benefits of cardio exercise, where should your heart-pumping fitness plan begin?

Getting Into the Zone

To help you make the most of your cardio exercise workout — help your heart, increase muscle, and lose fat — Denise Austin, fitness expert, author of seven books, including Shrink Your Female Fat Zones, and star of 50 fitness videos, gives us some tips.

“To reap all the benefits of a cardio workout, you should sustain your workout for 20 minutes or more — I do 30 minutes myself — on a schedule of about three to four times per week,” says Austin.

Not only that, but you need to get in the zone, which calculates into burning calories and fat.

“The best way to find out if you are burning fat is to take your pulse halfway into your cardio workout for six seconds, then add a zero to that number,” Austin tells Medifast Health.

This number is your heart rate per minute.

Next, calculate your zone.

“Take the number 220, then minus your age, then calculate 70% of that number for your target beats per minute,” says Austin, and that’s your zone. “If your heart rate halfway through your workout is over that 70% mark take it down a level, and if under, pick up the pace.”

Not a math wiz? There are easier ways to figure it out.

“Another great way to find out your zone is to get a pulse monitor, which takes the math out of it,” says Austin. “Or very simply, take the talk test: while you are doing aerobics, talk a sentence. If you are too winded to finish the sentence, you are overdoing it, or if it’s too easy to say, kick it up a notch!”

Getting Cut With Cardio

If you’re looking for ripped abs and toned arms, interval training will help get you there — especially if you throw in some weights.

“I love interval training because it consistently jump-starts your metabolism,” says Austin. “Let’s say you are walking — you could power-walk really fast for three minutes to get the burst of calorie burn, and then walk calmly and slowly for one minute, which offers recovery. By switching back and forth, you push the muscle and let it relax over and over and this gives you maximum results.” You can do interval training on any type of cardio exercise machine — alternating a high intensity with a more moderate level.

Austin suggests doing weights during your recovery time, such as bicep curls or tricep toners, to reap the benefits of both cardio exercise and weight training, and along with interval training, add dedicated weight sessions to your regimen to burn fat and sculpt muscle at the same time.

“Do cardio four days a week for 30 minutes, and add a weight-training workout at least two times a week at 20-minute sessions,” says Austin. “Cardio will burn the fat, and it’s the weight training that gives you the toned sculpted look that will have you bikini ready.”

Cardio’s Best Fat Burner

So you want the bottom line: Which cardio exercise will fat-bust the best?

“Running is the best option for calorie burning, in my opinion,” says Niki Kimbrough, personal fitness expert with Bally Total Fitness. “Whether it’s outside or on a treadmill, it’s the best exercise because you’re burning calories and you’re strengthening your legs and heart — it’ll get you nice and lean.”

Beginners should start with 20 minutes, explains Kimbrough, and work their way up.

“It takes about 20 minutes for your body to get going, and then your body starts to kick it to another level,” says Kimbrough. “Ideally, you want to run for about 30 or 45 minutes.”

For those with bad knees, Kimbrough recommends the elliptical machine as a good second choice.

In case running isn’t your game, Kravitz takes another track.

“I really feel the most important message is to chose a cardio modality or modalities that you like,” says Kravitz. “Because in the final outcome, if a person enjoys a mode of exercise, that is what all research shows they will choose.”

Splitting It Up

While it may not be the fastest way to a body built for the beach, splitting up your cardio exercise still has its benefits.

“In order to achieve the best results, and also in order to maintain a healthy heart, it is best to not split up your cardio workouts,” says Austin. “You need the consistency of 20 minutes or more of an elevated pulse to ensure great results. However, something is better than nothing. If all the time you have is 10 minutes or even five minutes, it is better than sitting still; you will still be garnished benefits and lose weight.”

Let’s be honest — cardio exercise can get boring after awhile. How can you jazz it up and make it interesting again? The experts recommend never letting it get stale in the first place.

“I believe you should do different types of cardio exercises during the course of a week, if possible,” says Austin. “The thing to remember is that too much repetition will fatiguemuscles and you will plateau, which will slow your results down. By adding variety to your workouts you give muscle groups a chance to recover on their days off and you can maintain a steady progress.”

Kravitz agrees with adding options to cardio exercise.

“Vary the mode, vary the place you train, vary the workout, vary the time of day, vary the intensity of the workout, vary the duration — vary, vary, vary,” says Kravitz. “That is what I have found to work the best for exercise compliance.”

Before starting a new exercise program, it is important to have a discussion with your doctor about types and levels of activity. Your doctor can advise on any limitations or restrictions you may have.

Note: This is NOT an April Fool’s Joke, This is Legit

People who can’t sleep come up with all sorts of crazy ideas, and some great ones, too. For instance, how about a workout that you can do right in your bed? I’m not talking about a gentle routine involving wiggling one toe and then another and taking deep breaths in between, or even an interlude of vigorous romance, but rather a real exercise program that gets your blood circulating, builds muscle and strengthens your core, all without getting out of your bed – yes, it’s true.

The “Get Fit in Bed” workout is the brainchild of Ted Kavanau, the founding senior producer of CNN. Having a difficult time falling asleep, he did what comes naturally to insomniacs, he tried to find an activity that would make him tired enough to sleep. He began exercising, in bed. An avid fitness enthusiast with a background in martial arts and boxing, Kavanau adapted some of the exercises he did at the gym for the soft surface of a mattress and then added a few yoga and Pilates moves. Before long, he noticed that he had more endurance, his muscle mass was increasing, his mood was good, and, yes, he was sleeping like a baby.

Adjusted by a Chiropractor

Kavanau took his routine to Genie Tartell, DC, RN, a registered nurse and practicing chiropractor, and asked her to fine-tune the routine for safety. Working with patients of different ages and a variety of health issues, Dr. Tartell tweaked the exercise plan, eliminating moves that might cause any injuries and refining many of the others to accomplish practical efficiency.

According to Dr. Tartell, the new workout plan was a hit. “My arthritic patients found that they were getting out of bed in the morning without feeling stiff, while others who hated exercise were now exercising in bed while watching the news,” she said.

Kavanau and Dr. Tartell collaborated on a book, appropriately entitled Get Fit In Bed, which provides instruction on 42 different exercises for a variety of abilities. The routine is organized into exercises to do on your back, on your stomach, on your left side, and on your right side. There are modifications for people with particular physical challenges. The exercises can be done at your own pace and, as you get stronger and fitter, you can increase the number of reps and the speed at which they’re performed.

The Starter Program

Always begin your “Get Fit in Bed” routine with a basic gentle stretch. Lie on your back, arms down by your sides. Open and close your hands several times. Then extend your arms above your head, stretching like a cat, and lengthen your legs, one at a time, extending each from the hip. Fan your toes, one foot at a time, and then point your feet (together) toward your head and then away from it several times. This stretching should feel good, like you’re waking up your muscles.

Minimal crunch: Lie on your back, arms at your sides, and then tighten your stomach muscles while inhaling. Slowly raise your head and shoulders very slightly (maybe an inch) off the bed, exhaling as you do so. Hold this position for a second or two and then slowly drop your head and shoulders to the bed. Repeat five times.

The bridge: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the bed, arms at your sides. Tighten the muscles in your buttocks while slowly lifting your pelvis toward the ceiling. Aim to bring your pelvis and thighs into a straight line, at about a 45-degree angle to your knees. Hold this position for a slow count of 10 (about 20 seconds) and then gently drop back to the bed. Repeat five times.

Crunch: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the bed, arms at your sides. Using your abdominal muscles, bring your knees up toward your chest and extend your arms so that your hands reach toward your knees, continuing to bring your upper body closer to your knees. Note: Do not pull up with your neck! Lower your upper body halfway down toward the bed. Hold for a slow count of 10 (about 20 seconds). Now repeat five times before lowering your upper body all the way back down to the prone position.

Elbow-knee piston: Lie on your back. Put your hands underneath your head, fingers laced, and bend your knees so that your feet rest flat on the mattress. Raise your bent legs in alternating motions, bringing your left elbow and right knee toward each other, then, as you bring them back down, bring your right elbow and left knee toward each other, raising your upper body to bring knee and elbow as close together as you can. As you get more proficient, increase your speed so that it becomes a pumping motion. Repeat each left/right combination three to six times.

Bicycle with crunches: Similar to the previous exercise, for this one you again lie on your back, arms at your sides. Start with your legs flat on the bed, then raise them and begin moving them as if you were pedaling a bicycle. At the same time, raise your body in a crunchlike position (using your abdominal muscles) and begin “throwing punches” at your feet in sync with your leg movements. Repeat the cycle of left/right punches with corresponding pedaling five times — your goal is to do a total of 10 punches, five with each hand.

For these next two exercises, turn over onto your stomach…

Forearm-supported body lift: Lie on your stomach, palms flat and under your shoulders, elbows bent in an acute angle. Push off your hands and lift your upper body off the bed, eyes facing forward. Hold this position for two seconds then return to the original position. Repeat five more times.

Cobra: Lie on your stomach, elbows bent, and hands placed flat on the bed in line with your shoulders. Straighten your arms to lift your upper body while curving it back like a cobra, if you’re unable to straighten your arms fully, just push up as far as you can. (A soft mattress may limit your ability to get full extension of the arms.) Hold this “up” position for a slow count of 10 and then slowly return to starting position. Repeat just twice for a total of three. Tip: Try this exercise with deeper breathing to improve relaxation.

The beauty of this exercise program is that it can be adapted in a variety of ways to fit into your life and can be done as an early morning and/or evening workout. It provides an easy way to work out while traveling, for instance, or (as in Kavanau’s case) a good way to put your awake time in the middle of the night to good use.

Personally, I’m an early riser, and the winter mornings are cold up here in Connecticut, so I’m finding that these exercises are a wonderful way to start my day!

Source(s):

Genie Tartell, DC, RN, a sports chiropractor based in Kingston, New York, who was team chiropractor for the New York Reebok aerobic team. She has been a guest on The View, CNBC, Fox News, WOR radio and various national radio shows.

Most people want two things when it comes to their health, less body fat and a more toned body! Right? Well…

“Toning” is an often highly misunderstood concept. You might think you know what toning is but you probably have gotten really confused when trying to achieve it. Right? Body toning is simply increasing muscle definition by burning fat through exercise. You have heard thousands of times the phrase: “Proper exercise and diet play an important role…” to the point that you are sick of hearing it. Guess what? It’s true. Ignoring it will just delay the results you so desperately want to achieve.

The amount of muscle definition you have is directly linked to body fat percentage which is linked to your recommended daily calorie intake. Typically, when you eat more calories than you burn, your body stores the extra calories as fat and your weight and body fat percentage will increase. That is typical, but not always the case as you have something called a “metabolism” which plays a key role in this too. The biggest problem with extra fat that is storedon your body is it typically is stored on top of muscle so it will obscure any muscle definition you had and that just makes a bad problem worse.

Now typically, if you eat less calories than you burn, your body will use its fat stores for energy and your weight along with body fat percentage will decrease. I do say “typically” for the same reasons above is you still have your metabolism to deal with. If it is low, then you can run into some problems. However, once your body fat starts to go down, your muscles will appear more defined because they are no longer covered by as much fat. You will start looking better and therefore, naturally will feel better.

The formula for getting a more toned appearance is pretty simple. It isn’t just cutting your calories and increasing your exercise. While the phrase “Eat less and exercise more” sounds simple, it isn’t that simple. What you need instead is eating the RIGHT foods, with the RIGHT amount of nutrients so your body is properly fed. Think about it, you can eat Twinkies all day and get on the tread mill and “burn them off” but do you think you are going to actually lose weight? No. Your body is going to store a lot of it as fat because it is “starving” for proper nutrition. You have to feed your body well FIRST!

This is why the Medifast Diet is so effective, as it gives your body the proper nutrition it needs in order to achieve a state where fat burning can take place and the extra fat on your body will just start melting off of you. If you are looking for Medifast Discounts or Medifast Offers to start your diet off the RIGHT way, we have them.

Exercise Properly

There are two main types of exercise that will help you achieve a more toned look:

1. Cardiovascular
2. Strength training.

Cardiovascular exercise is anything that gets your heart beating fast and continuously over a long period of time. Cardio burns plenty of calories which will help you create a large calorie deficit. You should do cardio 3-5 times per week at 30-60 minutes per session. The more weight you need to lose, the more cardio you should be doing.

Strength training is often ignored by those who are trying to tone, it has some real benefits. Strength training (aka weight lifting) builds muscle which can help you burn more calories throughout the day.

Muscle tissue burns calories when it isn’t even doing any work. You can be sitting on your sofa, watching TV and your muscle tissue will burn energy. The more muscle you have, the more energy your body will burn all day long.

When you increase your muscle mass, you also increase your body’s energy requirements which makes your calorie deficit bigger and will help you shed body fat quicker. Strength training should be done 2-3 times per week at a minimum. This doesn’t mean you need to be a gym rat, far from it. All you need to obtain is build a solid framework of muscle and that will help you achieve your weight loss goals. Without it, it is going to take longer and be more frustrating. Also, having lean muscle will make you look sleeker, even at a heavier weight. Remember, it isn’t what you weight that is important, but how you look!

Concentrate on compound exercises such as:

• Squats
• Deadlifts
• Bench presses
• Bent over rows
• Pull ups

These will burn more calories because they target larger muscles and a greater number of them than isolation exercises such as bicep curls or sit ups which will help you increase your calorie deficit.

Monitor Your Diet

Exercise will yield only minimum results if it isn’t coupled with a good diet. Even a long cardio session won’t burn enough energy to allow you to enter a calorie deficient state. To do that, you also need to cut your calorie intake.

Your calorie intake is the main part of your diet that will help you get toned. You can gradually lower it by cutting out junk foods that are high in sugar and refined flour such as pastries, cookies, chips and sodas. Soda is liquid death! Stay away!

The types of food you eat can also have a big impact on how toned you look. Foods that are digested quickly leave you hungry and going back for more way too soon. If you drink a 300 calorie soda, you’ll be a lot hungrier within the hour than if you had eaten a 300 calorie whole wheat bagel. Foods that are made from sugar and white flour get digested very quickly.

Foods that are high in fiber and complex carbs are digested a lot slower which will help keep you full and therefore reduce your daily calorie intake. Good examples of these foods include:

• 100% whole wheat bread/pasta
• Brown rice
• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Oatmeal

Foods high in lean proteins can also help keep you full (poultry, tuna, low fat dairy).

You should be consuming 500-1,000 calories less than you burn everyday to see results. You can get an estimate of how much your body burns daily by using a tool such as the calorie calculator.

Don’t Waste Time on Spot Reducing

One sure way not to get toned is by attempting to focus on your problem areas. When your body stores fat, it chooses the location and there’s nothing you can do to change that. The same thing happens in reverse when your body is burning fat for energy; it chooses where the fat comes from and there’s no way you can direct your body to burn fat from your thighs or your stomach.

If you’re doing sit ups in an attempt to improve your midsection, you’re wasting time. Sit ups and other exercises that target the abdominal muscles are good for strengthening that area of the body, but they aren’t good for burning calories.

The same rule applies to tricep extensions for getting rid of fat on the arms or a butt blaster for getting rid of fat on your legs. Exercises that target certain areas of the body will build that muscle up but won’t burn the fat that’s sitting on top of it. Strength training is important but it shouldn’t replace calorie burning exercises such as running, biking or swimming.

No Shortcuts Will Work

There are no shortcuts to getting a toned and defined body. Pills, creams and off the wall diets are all a waste of your time and can be detrimental to your health. By taking your diet and exercise routine seriously, you’ll get healthy and long lasting results.

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While exercise is the undisputed magical key to good health, especially heart health, a recent study of Parkinson’s patients indicates it may not only be preventative but may actually be able to undermine the effects of disease: Every participant improved by doing exercise that involved big movements.  Impressive.

The research had roots in another therapeutic program for people with Parkinson’s, called the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, in which patients are urged to constantly think “aloud” to counteract losing voice volume. Study leader Air Force Major Maria Alvarez, MD, and her colleagues at Wilford Hall Medical Center at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio built on that concept, applying it to movement and muscle power to encourage patients to “think big” about exercise, since their movements tend to diminish as the disease progresses. The study, called ThinkBIG, included 20 randomly selected Parkinson’s patients (mean age 71) who were examined at the start and again at the end of the study, 12 weeks later. There were no medication changes for any of the participants, and each engaged in three 45-minute exercise sessions each week.

For the first eight weeks, participants engaged in “large range” movements, such as taking giant steps while swinging their arms vigorously. Then, once they had met the initial goal to improve range of motion and balance, they spent the last four weeks using the Nintendo Wii yoga and bowling systems, both of which involve arm swings and forceful movements. The program proved helpful in improving the typical ambulation of Parkinson’s patients- shuffling gait and arms hanging at their sides. After 12 weeks, participants showed an average improvement of 58% in muscular function and coordination, and they also walked more normally. These results suggest that the exercises not only are beneficial in relieving Parkinson’s symptoms but may even slow or reverse progression of the disease, said Dr. Alvarez.

Why Do Big Exercises Work?

Dr. Alvarez attributes the program’s success to several factors. First, earlier studies had already demonstrated that exercise produces brain chemicals that protect against the disease’s signature destruction of dopamine cells. This particular form of large-movement exercise is fun, so participants enjoyed being involved and were happy to participate; they even organized their own Nintendo Wii bowling tournament! Also, Dr. Alvarez told me that she believes that focusing on one “big” goal is achievable for people with neurological disorders because they often have trouble practicing and repeating complex tasks. Dr. Alvarez believes that the ThinkBIG approach would benefit patients with other neurodegenerative conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, brain injury and stroke.

If you are interested in trying this, the first step should always be to seek an evaluation by a physical therapist who can advise you on what large-movement exercises you can safely do at home. (For instance, the Nintendo Wii system uses an elevated platform that can pose a falling risk.) Where most healthy adults are urged to engage in at least 2.5 hours of exercise each week, Dr. Alvarez suggests that people with Parkinson’s should do more, aiming for 30 minutes of exercise at least six days a week. If that seems overwhelming, you can try breaking it into increments of 5 or 10 minutes over the day.

The important thing, Dr. Alvarez said, is to keep moving.  Becoming sedentary makes matters much worse, exacerbating such symptoms as shaking and muscular contraction and also making it harder to move around. It’s another cliché, but people with Parkinson’s must remember that “if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”

Source(s):

Maria Victoria Alvarez, MD, MAJ, USAF, is a neurologist, a movement disorders specialist and a Flight Commander, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio.

Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
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281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
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www.BottomLineSecrets.com

TMJ Cure & Exercises Explained

Take just six minutes to read this article, print it out, and make a plan on following the exercises and you will be astonished at how much better your jaw will feel in just a week.

Do you suffer from Temporomandibular joint disorder (commonly referred to as TMJ or TMD)? You aren’t alone. It affects more people than you may realize. Andrew S. Kaplan, DMD, associate clinical professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, who wrote “the book” on TMJ called, “The TMJ Book”, stated that a common cause of TMJ is stress-induced grinding and clamping of the teeth, especially while sleeping. This irritates the muscles (and sometimes, though less often, the jaw joint).

The result is headaches, soreness on the sides of the face and sometimes a clicking noise when you open or close your mouth. If you have these symptoms, Dr. Kaplan urged consulting with a dentist experienced in treating the issue; he/she will tailor your treatment based on a thorough examination. But make sure the dentist is experienced or you could get the wrong advice and/or care.

According to Dr. Kaplan, since TMJ is usually related to muscle tension, there are a number of jaw-relaxation exercises (TMJ exercises) that you can do at home to relieve the pain. There are several that may not only help soothe the discomfort you feel but could in fact solve the problem if muscular irritation is what’s causing your TMJ.

The TMJ exercises helps to smoothen movements of the mandible and the skull. Basically, TMJ exercises allows you to open and close your mouth, move your jaw to both the sides; thus enabling you to eat, drink, smile or make any form of facial expressions. It has several muscles and connective tissues to help in the smooth movement of the joint. It also consists of one of the most powerful facial muscles of the body; the masseter.

TMJ is a physical condition and, therefore, should be treated in a physical manner with exercises. Do not let a doctor give you a pill to cure your TMJ. Too many doctors rely on pills for solutions. This is a physical condition and needs to be treated as one! These TMJ pain relief exercises are designed with several purposes in mind:

• To strengthen the jaw muscles
• To relax the jaw muscles
• To eliminate the clicking and popping of your jaw
• To eliminate the strain off of the joints surrounding the jaw
• To eliminate any other pain or symptoms involved with TMJ

The TMJ pain relief exercises should be performed twice a day for about 5 minutes each time (unless otherwise stated). Ideal times would be when one wakes up in the morning and before one goes to bed at night. However, you can perform them whenever you feel necessary.

Tens of thousands of TMJ sufferers have performed these and other exercises to get rid of their TMJ completely. It is highly unlikely that you would injure yourself by performing these TMJ exercises. However, there must be a disclaimer…

Disclaimer: Though unlikely, I am not responsible for any injuries brought about because of these TMJ exercises, and I am in no way responsible for any of the outcomes of the practicing of these exercises for TMJ relief.

The TMJ Exercises Plan

Dr. Kaplan suggested doing some stretching exercises to help release the tension from your jaw when you experience pain associated with TMJ. If you find that the TMJ exercises don’t help or even make matters worse, make an appointment with your dentist. Chances are you may need more aggressive treatment.

TMJ: Jaw Muscle Stretch

Open your mouth just a bit. Place the palm of your right hand on the right side of your jaw, meanwhile sliding your lower jaw toward your hand. Push gently against it, creating resistance to the sideways movement and hold for five seconds. Now repeat this with your left palm against the left side of your jaw. Do this five times on each side.

TMJ: Isometric Jaw Exercise

Relaxing your mouth, protrude your lower jaw forward, straight, while placing your palm against the chin, creating resistance. Hold for five seconds. Repeat five times.

TMJ: Neck Stretch 1

Turning your head to the right to rotate your neck, take two fingers of your left hand and place them on the left lower jaw, pushing slightly to gently stretch your neck muscles. Hold for five seconds. Now rotate your neck to the left while placing gentle pressure on the right lower jaw, again using two fingers to push and gently stretch the neck muscles. Hold for five seconds. Repeat five times for each side.

TMJ: Neck Stretch II

Standing up, extend your head back gently so that you are looking at the ceiling. You should feel a gentle stretch in your throat. Hold for five seconds. Now drop your head forward so that you are looking down at the floor, again feeling a gentle stretch, this time at the back of your neck. Hold for five seconds. Repeat five times.

TMJ: Neck Stretch III

Bend your neck to the right side, lowering your right ear to your right shoulder. Place two fingers on the left temple area and exert gentle pressure until you feel a stretch in your neck. Hold for five seconds. Now do this on the other side, using two fingers on your right temple to exert gentle pressure until you feel a stretch. Repeat two times on each side.

TMJ: Mouth Muscle Massage

Place three fingers of each hand on their respective temples. In a circular motion, gently massage the temporalis muscles for about ten seconds, being careful not to exert too much pressure. Repeat two or three times. Similarly, try this massage on the jaw, placing your hands just in front of and below your ears, which massages the masseter muscles.

Dr. Kaplan’s Other TMJ Tips

Dr. Kaplan offered a few other TMJ suggestions as well…

• Avoid hard, crunchy or chewy foods (including salads) because these require side-to-side jaw motion.
• Don’t chew gum, and try to avoid opening your mouth wide, including when yawning. (Place your hand under your jaw to restrain this natural impulse.)
• Don’t rest your chin in your palm or cradle the telephone between your ear and shoulder.
• Try to keep your teeth slightly apart with your tongue relaxed between them as often as possible (say to yourself “lips together, teeth apart”).
• Soothe pain with a hot compress. To make one: Run hot water over a washcloth for a few minutes, wring and apply. Or you can buy microwavable hot compresses in a pharmacy.

Dr. Kaplan said that these measures are often enough to solve the problem completely. How long will it take for the TMJ Exercises to work? This is of course an impossible to answer and your pain and discomfort will change depending on you and your TMJ condition. But, people have responded that the TMJ exercises listed here have been so effective that their jaw felt better immediately after doing the TMJ exercises. Of course, the pain isn’t completely gone, but even taking the edge off just a bit can make a huge difference to your overall quality of life. To completely get rid of your TMJ problems, you’ll need to be consistent with your TMJ exercises. Don’t forget to do your TMJ exercises daily!!

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There are very few groups of people for whom exercise is not a healthy prescription.  For myriad reasons, diabetics and/or those who have insulin resistance, (and may therefore be on their way to contracting diabetes,) stand to gain even more health benefits from regular exercise.  And, of course, you know that what you eat is important, too. But what may come as news to you is that what you eat directly after exercise matters quite a lot. That was the intriguing conclusion of a study done at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. I called senior author Jeffrey F. Horowitz, PhD, for details.

Eat to Improve Insulin Sensitivity

This study measured the effect of exercise and post-exercise meals on insulin sensitivity.  Dr. Horowitz and his team asked nine healthy, sedentary, non-obese men to each participate in four separate experimental trials on different days. During three of these trials, the subjects exercised on a treadmill and stationary bicycle for 90 minutes, then ate different types of meals throughout that day, as follows:

• Daily meals were calibrated to replace the calories and the nutrients expended during exercise.
• Daily meals replaced the calories expended during exercise and were low in carbohydrates (about half the carb level of the other meals in the study).
• Daily meals replaced the carbohydrates expended during exercise and were lower in calories (about 25% less than the other meals).
• The subjects also participated in a non-exercise “control” trial where they simply ate meals to replace their daily calorie expenditure.

The morning after each session (22 hours after the last meal), researchers tested each subject’s metabolic activities, including a blood test for insulin sensitivity. They found that all three exercise sessions improved insulin sensitivity, but the effect was most pronounced when the men had eaten lower-carbohydrate meals after exercise. These results were published in the December 31, 2009, issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology.

Fewer Carbs = Better Metabolism

Eating different types of food after exercise produces different effects on the body’s metabolism, Dr. Horowitz explains, noting that even a modest cutback in carbohydrate rich foods can help.

To apply these findings, there’s no need to go to extremes; just don’t wolf down a plate of  pasta after your workout!  And, as always, to achieve maximum fitness and/or weight loss, regular, consistent exercise is  a must. Dr. Horowitz and his team are now working with obese individuals to identify the minimum level of exercise that will improve insulin sensitivity that extends into the next day.

Jeffrey F. Horowitz, PhD, associate professor, department of movement science, School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
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Disclaimer: I do not advocate carbohydrate binges; but if you absolutely must indulge in that big pasta dinner, then 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 3 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.

Get involved with the Medifast Diet and make drastic changes to your health. Make sure that you include one of the Medifast Coupons so that you can get a great discounted price with the latest Medifast Coupon Codes.

Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com

Our poor feet just don’t get what they need to be healthy and happy — and you know who pays the price, don’t you? According to Katy Bowman, MS, director of the Restorative Exercise Institute in Ventura, California, modern life is hard on our feet. An astonishing 25% of the body’s bones are in the feet, says Bowman, noting “every one of them has a job to do.” We actually weaken our feet by wearing shoes — encasing them this way diminishes their natural strength and abilities. Walking on artificially flat surfaces does further damage, since the foot is deprived of the natural workout it is supposed to get from varying natural terrain. The result of all this is that we’re no longer really using our feet, says Bowman. By midlife, most of us have lost not only muscle strength but also the fine motor skills that our feet need to properly support us. We end up using the ankle muscles instead and, in a vicious cycle, this further weakens foot muscles.

Improve your feet easily now.

Test Your Feet

Here is an easy way to test your foot muscle strength: Try to raise your big toe, by itself, and then the second toe with it. It sounds easier than it is — few are able to do more than lift the big toe slightly off the floor. When the foot is being used properly, however, all toes should retain their ability to move independently from the other four.

Walk This Way

Foot problems start in your feet — your posture and style of walking play a role, too. You may never have noticed it but, if you are like many folks, you’re likely walking with your feet slightly turned out, duck-fashion. This interferes with how the muscles and ligaments in the feet, knees and hips are supposed to work. Your feet should point straight ahead in the direction you are walking.

Try this: Find straight lines on the floor (a tile joint or wood slat works well), and line up the outside edges of both feet. Keeping that alignment, walk forward. As you try to adapt to this new gait, you may initially feel like you’ve become pigeon-toed and knock-kneed, but if you stay with it you’ll soon notice how your hips are engaged and rotating smoothly — it all feels quite easy and natural.

Straighten Up

When standing and walking, many people tuck their pelvises under, creating weak abdominal muscles — wearing elevated heels (men’s shoes, too) further amplifies this effect. Coupled with the turned-out duck-walking style, this posture puts too much weight on the front of the feet, which is what creates bunions. Instead, the weight should be back over the heels and spread among four contact points.

Try this: Picture your foot as a rectangle with four corners. Now consciously distribute your weight equally to the inside of the heel, the outside of the heel, the ball of the foot, and just below the pinkie toe. And here’s an exercise that can help you identify a forward-thrusting pelvis and poor weight placement: Stand barefoot and move your hips back until they are over your ankles — when you do this correctly, you should be able to lift all 10 toes off the floor. Do this near a chair or wall in case you need support. Once you learn what this centered position feels like, try to achieve it regularly.

What to Wear?

Bowman advises walking shoeless often, and when footwear is required urges selection of heels that are as flat as possible. She said that an elevation of even an inch or so puts too much weight on the ball of the foot — it’s like walking downhill. In fact, she recommends shoes that draw your weight back, onto the heels, such as those made by Earth, Inc. (www.earthfootwear.com). Arch supports may be helpful for people with very high or very low arches, but Bowman cautions that regular use weakens foot muscles.

Bowman is adamantly opposed to flip-flops — she says they force the wearer to scrunch the toes, which can cause hammer toes and also makes proper weight distribution (those four proper contact points) impossible. Neither does she favor the new types of workout shoes that rock the foot and purposely throw off the body’s balance to make leg muscles work harder — including “FitFlops” and MBTs. She says the shape of the sole creates an unnatural gait pattern that can harm the feet, knees, hips and spine.

You can probably imagine how she feels about high heels. For dress-up occasions, she suggests women bring heels to put on at the last minute. If you wear them regularly, she advises visiting the chiropractor or a naturopathic physician to get some special attention for your feet and sacroiliac joints, which will help to minimize the damage.

Easy Steps to Feel-Good Feet

The real path to pain-free feet, however, involves giving them tender, loving care in the form of regular exercises that stretch, balance and strengthen their muscles, tendons and ligaments. Start by simply spreading and lifting your toes as often as possible. Other easy exercises:

• Toe lifts. While standing, lift your big toe alone, followed in succession by each of the remaining toes; repeat in the opposite direction, big toe last.
• Toe tucks. Stand with one foot flat on the floor and the other pointed slightly behind you, toes tucked under so that the tops of your toes are resting on the floor. This stretches your upper foot. (This won’t be easy or comfortable at first.)
• Arch support. Stand erect, shift your weight to the outside of one of your soles, and lift that foot’s ball and toes.  Slowly lower the ball of the foot without letting your arch collapse, and then relax your toes back to the ground.
• Toe spacers. Available at nail-care salons, online and in many stores, they fit between your toes and spread them. They may feel odd at first, but then are soothing. If you use them fairly often, such as while reading or watching TV, your toes will eventually relearn their normal spreading motion.
• Barefoot walking. Do this as often as you can.

And here are some fast fixes for feet that hurt:

• For instant relief of aching feet, run your foot repeatedly over a tennis ball — start while you are in a seated position and then slowly stand, increasing the weight on your foot.
• Elevating tired, sore feet feels great, as does wrapping them in a warm, wet towel.
• A gentle foot massage or a session with a well-trained reflexologist does wonders for the heart and sole.

Source(s):

Katy Bowman, MS, director, Restorative Exercise Institute, Ventura, California,www.restorativeexercise.com.

Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com

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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Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com