For most of my adult life, I've held to the belief that there is no such thing as bad exercises - only bad ways to do good exercises. You can take the most effective exercises and make them useless and compromising just as you can turn an ineffective exercise into a safe and functional one. That said, some exercise machines and movements are just flat-out awful.
Here are the "Unlucky 7": exercises where the risks far outweigh the benefits.
A Baskin-Robbins Heath Shake.
It contains 266 grams of sugar. If you doubt me you can check the source here.
A quick glance might make you think it said "Health shake" - but no:
This toffee/coffee mix begins with Heath ice cream blended with coffee, Heath Bar candy pieces and caramel, topped with whipped cream and even more Heath Bar candy pieces.
I'm a sucker for reality shows that focus on weight loss. Typically, these shows feature people who are attempting to lose weight and get fit with the whole world watching.
Last night I watched a show about three women trying to get "thin" for their wedding day. Although the template for this show was typical, the tactics involved seemed pretty darn unkind. I actually cringed at times as the very thin, very strident host taunted these overweight women and ridiculed them for their food and drink choices.
The camera angles seemed purposefully constructed to be as humiliating for these women as possible. And I wondered, are shame and harassment successful strategies for weight loss?
Suppose it's time for your workout and you realize you are so not in the mood. And you haven't been for quite a while. Skipping out is looking awfully tempting... but after all the progress you've made, are you in danger of getting out of the habit?
Some people love every aspect of their fitness routine and can keep it up for decades without whining. Others of us have to resort to sneaky tricks to keep the momentum going.
As soon as the word "additives" is used, the knee-jerk response tends to be "just avoid them...period". While choosing a diet that is devoid of most additives is a good way to go, we mustn't paint all additives with the same broad stroke. Here is a partial list of the safe, the potentially unsafe and the proven to be unsafe. Note that there are many unresolved safety issues with a great number of additives, and thus it is difficult to categorize items as either safe or unsafe.
A full guide (which differs slightly from mine) is available in the May issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter.
In Mike's list of Food Additives - Splenda is placed in the 'safe' category as far as health goes. It is worth noting that not everyone agrees with such an assessment.
However there are other factors at play than just safety. Do these sweeteners really help in the battle of the bulge?
Have you ever abandoned a diet in despair, claiming that you "have no willpower"? Don't blame yourself. Sometimes, we need to avoid or confront external factors that sap our willpower, leading inexorably past "just one won't hurt" to "I might as well give up." There's three big ones...
Nutritional Genomics is the future of nutritional science. In time, we will be able to take the guesswork out of which foods/nutrients will work best for individuals under virtually any circumstance. The GenoType Diet, by Dr. Peter D'adamo, suggests that eating based on our genetic make-up is the key to optimal health, fat loss and other desirable attributes.
So is this book a revolutionary take on individualized nutrition or a flawed attempt at creating something unique? Let's explore.
At what point does bad parenting constitute abuse? Witness 18 month old Courtney Boswell, who weighs 30 lbs subsisting on French fries...and not much else.
Mother Angela, despite warnings of future health problems for her child - insists that there is nothing to worry about. Here are some of her comments:
