Cancer-Fighting Foods via FoodNetwork.com

From dark leafy greens to citrus, find out what foods can fight off cancer causing toxins via this great article on FoodNetwork.com!









"Researchers believe that 60 percent of cancer deaths can be prevented by adopting a healthier lifestyle. Start with your diet: Work these 8 cancer-fighting foods into your daily routine....."Read More...

The RIGHT way to diet and lose weight!

It seems no matter what, people are always trying fad diets, or sometimes borderline self-starvation in order to lose weight. Not only are these methods largely ineffective in the long term, but they are also unhealthy. Honestly, what good is weight loss if you are not going to feel good and energized, and probably still gain the weight back anyway?

First things first, set a reasonable goal to start with. Keeping a list of reasonable goals will not only help you keep track of your loss, but help you obtain realistic goals. Obviously, you are not going to drop massive amounts of weight over a period of a few days, but stick with it!

The key is burning more than you consume. Extra calories are the main cause of weight gain. If you consume more calories than you burn, weight gain is what results from it. If your weight has been steady and not increasing, try starting with eliminating 500 calories from your daily diet. Keep a tally in a notebook if you want. You can do this by decreasing you intake, or amplifying your exercise schedule.

This is all about staying properly nourished. Yes, you can eat! Just control your portions and try to make healthier choices!

For more information, check out selfgrowth.com’s article!

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/nutrition_fat_loss_how_to_diet_properly

Interval Training

Training to get the 1 mile, 2 mile or whatever distance your goal is down as fast as possible? Stuck around that same time that you just can’t quite seem to break? First, take a look at how you are running. Do you start strong and fast and get progressively slower? Or do you maintain a constant pace? In either of those 2 cases, you should try interval training!

First, set a reasonable goal for the distance you are going to be running. Say you want to run 3 miles in 21:00 minutes, but are currently running it at 24:00 minutes. 21 Minutes is a 7 minute per mile pace, while 24:00 is an 8 minute per mile pace. Instead of running 3 miles over and over agin trying to get your time down, train for the specific pace!

Start out by running 1/4 of a mile in 1 minute, 45 seconds. Get used to running it, and then gradually increase the distance, while trying your best to keep the same pace. After a few days, move up to 1/2 of a mile in 3:30, and so on and so forth. Eventually, you will be running your full desired distance and be keeping your pace all the way!Your actual pace and distance may vary.

For more information on interval training for running, check out Military.com’s fitness guide!

http://www.military.com/military-fitness/fitness-test-prep/improving-your-pft-run-time

Trouble Sticking with it?

Find a Buddy!

Let’s face it, especially for newcomers, finding the motivation to stick with your exercise regimen, push it a little harder or even start exercising at all can be a challenge for some. Working out alone can be good for you, but it can also lead to a loss of motivation. Say you had a hard day at work, and think “I’ve been working out hard, I can take a few days off”, and you end up spending the rest of the night relaxing, on the computer or watching T.V. Well, why not take one more day off? That single day turns into a week, and before you know it, you have lost your
motivation! Once you finally get back to the gym, the bar you were up to before has been slowly sinking while you were away and you end up having to work back up to
where you were. If only you had someone to keep you going….

Bottom line is, unless you have a personal trainer or a group, going to the gym freelance without a buddy can be mentally challenging, and having a buddy to work out with can help your motivation immensely. If you are the only one working out, it’s easy to pass it up. If you have a buddy who is expecting to see you at the gym at a certain time, your not going to be calling in sick just because you feel tired out from work.

With a buddy, or even a group, fitness becomes more of a commitment. You’re not going to want to leave your buddy who is expecting you alone at the gym! Be it a friend, a family member or even a coworker, setting fitness goals and tackling them with someone by your side becomes much more of a motivation to get off the couch and in gear! Best of luck finding a buddy!

For more information on buddy fitness, check out these links!

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/fitness/workouts/personal-
trainer/buddy-system

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?
tabnum=1&art_id=13511

How do YOU hydrate?

Especially important in the hot summer months, but still important all year round is hydration. Staying hydrated is absolutely necessary to human survival and functionality, especially if you are working out. We all take water for granted, but it is an absolute necessity for everybody. However, water is by no means the only method of hydration. Sports drinks, juices, hot beverages and the like we all consume every day. But what really is the best way to stay hydrated?

Water

Water is unarguably the most available and common method of hydration in the world. It is also hydrates better than sugary juices and sports drinks, mainly due to the fact that it is pure H20 and nothing else. While it might not have the energy-boosting electrolytes, carbs and the sweet flavors of sports drinks, it is the best when it comes to basic hydration. Especially if all you desire is basic daily hydration without consuming excess calories, water is your best choice.

Sports Drinks

Sports drinks do not hydrate as well as water does, but they do have carbs, sugars and electrolytes to replenish nutrients usually lost through perspiration when working out. However, the upside is that they are not bland like water, they taste good and they “replenish” by helping you get your energy back up after or even during a workout. The downside to sports drinks is that, especially if you are working out or training to lose weight, they tend to replenish the calories and carbs as you burn them off. This can lead to a neutralizing effect on your workout if you drink a lot of sports drinks.

What does it come down to?

Personal preference. Drinking water everyday is the best way to hydrate, but it is good to mix things up once in a while.


**Have an idea for a blog or need advice? Email: info@elementfitnessny.net!


Wanna know more? Read more! For more information on hydration and on the effectiveness of more methods of hydration, check out about.com’s article! http://chemistry.about.com/cs/foodchemistry/a/aa070803a.htm

Take a Deep Breath…..

We all breathe. It's a basic human function and it tends to be something we take for granted. Doing breathing exercises can help anyone, be it before a workout, after a workout, relaxing, at work, in class, anywhere! Breathing exercises have numerous benefits, from improving circulation and lung capacity to reducing stress and anxiety at work and can even help boost the immune system! They can also help you get the most out of your cardiovascular workout.

Reducing and Relieving Stress and Anxiety

This is perhaps the most common reason that everyday people do breathing exercises. Pressures at work, things to get done, an exam at class coming up, your boss wants to see you in 15 minutes, life is stressful these days! Taking just a minute to do a breathing exercise can make your day that much better, and you can get back to work in no time relaxed, refreshed and maybe a little bit more energized. Check out About.com’s specific exercise for stress relief breathing here.

Breathing Exercises while you run

Breathing the right way while you run, or do any type of cardiovascular exercises can help you immensely by increasing endurance and helping stop premature fatigue and tiredness. Taking deep breaths before running, breathing to the lyrics of music, or even running to a cadence can help improve your running times. Deep breathing after running can also help with the cooldown after your run. For more information on breathing exercises for running, check out Fitness Motivators article here.

Wanna know more? Read more!

Chinese Holistic Health Breathing Exercises

To run in or out? That is the question.

Chances are if you are reading this blog, you incorporate running into your cardio routine.






Running is the most common and by far the most popular form of general cardiovascular exercise. However,in overcrowded urban areas, many people have substituted outside free or track running with running indoors on a treadmill. Both have their ups and downs, but which one is for you?



Don't know? That's okay. We've broken it down for you.

Treadmill

The Good: Treadmills have much better padding than concrete or asphalt. Any type of running related injury, such as shin splints, is extremely unlikely with a treadmill. A run on a treadmill will likely not leave your knees killing you the next day. Since treadmills have fully adjustable speed and incline, you have many, many options. With a treadmill, you also never have to worry about the weather preventing you from running.

The Bad: Unless you go to a gym, treadmills are expensive to buy and maintain. Treadmills don’t have the psychological benefits of free running outside. Users have reported that treadmill running can be monotonous as well. Lack of exposure to outside running can actually weaken tendons and joints from under-stress, making them more prone to injury should you transition to outside running. Long term treadmill use can actually affect proper running stance, as decreased wind resistance causes treadmill runners to stop leaning forward, and causes an overly bouncy form.

Outside Running
The Good: Outside running is a great way to get outside and get some fresh air. Outside free running is a great stress reliever, and has shown to have numerous psychological benefits. While for some it might be bad, the added stress on the legs in outside running helps condition them, so you can become a better overall runner. If you are training for a race or a marathon, outside running simulates those conditions far more effectively than a treadmill. Also, a treadmill only simulates real running, whereas actually running gives you the full health benefits
The Bad: Injuries, Injuries, and Injuries! Outside running, especially for beginners carries a much higher risk for injury than a treadmill. Especially if you are running on terrain with changing slopes, uphill and downhill, you have a higher risk of developing shin splints or joint pains. Also, running outside under the sun or in hot weather, especially for beginners, leaves you more prone to sunburn or heatstroke unless you take proper precautions to stay covered and hydrated.

What does it come down to? Personal preference.

Consider the benefits and risks of both the track and treadmill and identify your needs: Are you training for a marathon? Or maybe you just want to work out? Do you have financial limitations?


Wanna know more? Read more!
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/tipsandtricks/a/treadincline.htm
http://www.treadmill-online.com/home/treadmill-guides/facts/treadmills-advantages-and-disadvantages.htm
http://running.about.com/od/treadmillrunning/f/treadmillrun.htm