Exercise or the will to be active is linked to passion. Most people who are very active want to be active. They find joy and happiness in their activities whether it be sports or aerobics, or the simple usage of exercise machines. I find joy and happiness in shopping, watching TV and being amongst friends. And unfortunately for me, working out happens to feel like a chore.

Part of the reason I am so anti exercise may be that after being on my feet for around eight hours a day, my body already feels like it has been stimulated. I swear working in retail can be justified as aerobic exercise. Every time you have to bend down to pick up something that fell off a rack qualifies as squatting. Running up and down the stairs can be justified as mini intervals of cardio. Laughing at coworkers jokes = abdominal crunches. Reaching up to get clothing on shelves that you can’t get a hold of = stretching. Lifting heavy boxes and piles of jeans = weights.

I AM KIDDING! But seriously, how do I bridge this lazy gap? How can I find the inspiration after eight hours on my feet to hit the gym? Just as I said above, I like to be social. I think the biggest key in finding motivation to work out, is finding an exercise buddy and motivating each other.  That way you always have someone to work out with and at the same time you get to enjoy the company of a friend. So for all you, who are just like me – chronically lazy – find yourself a workout buddy, choose an activity and get your butt moving!

What better healthy product for kids than Flintstones multi-vitamins? A vitamin that tastes just like candy, a child’s dream come true. I’m sure a lot of you took these vitamins too!

When I stopped taking these vitamins at the age of about 12, I never began taking any other supplements.

When I recently began reading articles about different healthy vitamins that prevent an enormous amount of illnesses I realized that it might be time to start taking some supplements. From what I have recently read I learned that Calcium and Vitamin D are great supplements to start taking at a young age. To my knowledge they prevent cancer and osteoporosis.

I know that there are hundreds of different brands and supplements on the market so I’m still not sure what I should be taking. I am 21 years old, I eat all kinds of foods and for exercise I walk at least an hour everyday. I also have a history of colon cancer in my family. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which vitamins I should be taking?

I don’t want to pretend that I know all of you, but I’m pretty sure that it did happen to you… at least once.

While these places don’t offer the healthiest choices of meals, they can be really convenient when you’re in a rush. So what are you suppose to do if you want to eat well, but need to grab a quick lunch?
To help you sort this out, the editors of Men’s Health magazine – which informs people about fitness, nutrition and other aspects of maintaining a healthy lifestyle – have studied many of the most popular fast food chains in North America.

Have a look at their research results here:

http://eatthis.menshealth.com/restaurant_guided_search/all/all/all/all

The rankings might sometimes surprise you, and that was exactly the point of making this list; they wanted to make people aware of facts, so that they don’t base their decisions only on impressions.

But remember that if your favourite fast food chain got a good grade it doesn’t mean that all that’s on their menu is considered a decent compromise. Please plan accordingly.

After taking a look at the list, take a second to answer this: Next time you eat on-the-go,  will you choose McDonald’s over Quiznos?

VS

]]> http://loveyourbones.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/fast-food-that-isn%e2%80%99t-fat-food/feed/ 0 loveyourbones mcdonaldslogored1 quiznos http://loveyourbones.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/swine-time/ http://loveyourbones.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/swine-time/#comments Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:36:37 +0000 loveyourbones http://loveyourbones.wordpress.com/?p=68 ]]> With Montreal’s treacherous winter nearly upon us, many of us want to get out of the city and the cold for a bit and head down south for vacation.  But with the swine flu pandemic going on, are any of you guys reluctant to travel?

I just booked my vacation to Las Vegas over winter break yesterday and I’m not sure what to do. I really don’t want to get sick and have my vacation get ruined.

Between school, work and other activities, I find that I barely have time to worry about other things like swine flu. But I know that I certainly can’t afford to miss a week of school and work. Is anybody else in the same boat as me?

I feel as though students aren’t really as concerned as they should be about swine flu and that we should be doing something about it.

So what precautions are you guys taking and what do you think I should do? Please post your comments and share your advice below, try not to get swine flu and have a safe trip. Bon Voyage.



Fitness and specialty companies have been using this type of technology to make quality athletic shoes for years, but somehow they have remained the best secret in the fitness world. However the situation is quickly changing as many mainstream shoe companies (like Reebok or Sketchers, to name a couple) are catching on, making these shoes accessible and affordable for everyone. And now with Reebok running national TV spot’s, this shoe is gaining a lot of talk! And it’s no wonder when your commercials are this convincing!

The way these shoes work is that the bottoms are curved, which creates instability to force your legs to adapt and work harder when doing any sort of activity, even standing. Although this sounds uncomfortable, after reading and watching internet product reviews, most people say they get used to it within a matter of hours. Most even describe the feeling as similar to “walking down a sandy beach” and “the most comfortable sneaker in the world”. Although these shoes have some skeptics doubtful, the many positive reviews and testimonials from actual consumers have me believing, and even wanting a pair of my own!

My two top picks are the Reebok running shoes (featured above) and the Fitflop boot line. I choose the Reebok’s as my top gym choice. These sneakers are super cute and would be my pick for helping me amplify my workouts when hitting the gym. However, if you want to give everyday activities a boost, I would go with the Fitflop boots (pictured below). These boots are great! They are warm, they work your legs and they look so chic! They are also not too hard to find in the city. They have many reputable dealers and are not outrageously priced. Which are your favorites!?

Do you think these shoes work?! Thoughts…

With the rapid changes in the society, we all became very familiar with “stress”. Even if most of us complain about our stressful life, how many of us take action to reduce it?

Believe it or not, but a certain amount of stress can sometimes be useful (especially at work). For some people, it helps them to do their best and improve their performance at work or school. However, after a certain limit it can be harmful for us and it can affect our social relations negatively.

Since all of us have a different personality, any stress management technique will not work the same way for everyone.Here are some examples you can try:

-Work on your breathing. Take a very deep breath from your nose, and exhale from your mouth very slowly. Repeat this for 3 minutes. This works very quickly for many of us.

-Eat fresh fruits which contain Vitamin C. This will help you to have a healthier diet and reduce your stress level.

-Try to break away from your daily routine. Repeating the same actions every single day will automatically increase your stress level. Change the streets you use while driving or visit people and places you wanted to see.

-Having an unnecessarily high tempo in your life will lead you to spend too much energy inefficiently. Before starting to do something, think about it thoroughly and start in a normal pace.

-Meditation can help you tremendously. You don’t necessarily need to start a yoga class to meditate. You can find so many meditation techniques online and quickly learn how to empty your mind. Even if it might sound like an ancient magic for most of us, we can easily apply it to our daily lives.

Do you have any other ideas to reduce stress? Please share with us.

I have to say, everyone must take the severity of the flu seriously! I was planning a trip to New York for weeks and the day I was supposed to leave I was summoned to my bed for the week. Instead of strutting my stuff as a version of Yasmine Bleeth from Baywatch on Hallow’s eve and doing my annual shopping exercise, I was cooped up in my bed with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and three seasons of family guy. Everyone needs to realize the importance of healthy eating and an active lifestyle and understand that it can help strengthen your immune system. I have a very weak immune system and thus when I get sick, it really affects me. Part of the reason may be that I don’t eat enough protein, vitamins or get enough of the right nutrients and because of that I don’t have enough immunity to fight off germs. I will say that I can’t attribute my flu to my bad eating, it is flu season. But it definitely makes me wonder if I paid more attention to my nutritional intake, would I have gotten as sick as I did?

Here are some healthy eating tips I came across because Quaker oats, oatmeal squares was one of the cereals I was snacking on.

http://www.quakeroats.ca/en/oats-and-you/for-your-health/healthy-eating/10-things-you-can-do-to-improve-your-nutrition.aspx

http://www.quakeroats.ca/en/oats-and-you/for-your-health/healthy-eating.aspx

I would like to retake on my task of healthy snacking for this week because everyone’s eating habits are different when they are sick. Stay healthy everyone!

Try again.

Ok ill give you a hint:

So, if you don’t know by now… I’ll just tell you, it’s OSTEOPOROSIS MONTH!

Check out this commercial: 

This commercial made me realize that at the age of 21, now is the time for me to start acting to protect my bones! I need to increase my calcium and vitamin D intake. I have read that most foods do not have a lot of vitamin D in them, so I am in search for a good vitamin D supplement! ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS?

The month of November in Canada is devoted to providing awareness and information for all Canadians. The media provides an abundant amount of facts, knowledge and tips on osteoporosis alone for this entire month. I think it’s amazing that we can set aside a specific day or month to provide awareness and extra knowledge on a particular disease.

There are so many illnesses that can be prevented and so many foundations trying to help us on a daily basis constantly directing their information to us whether it is in newspapers, on the foundations websites, in the news, through doctors or through many other means. It seems that all this information tends to get mixed up in our minds because we are being told so many different things everyday! I think it’s a brilliant idea to distinguish each illness and give it a special day or month to promote itself apart from every other disease. This technique has really helped me differentiate health issues.

You could check out all the promotional health dates recognized across Canada and internationally at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/conferences/calend/index-eng.php

Since the only references to Boneitis online have to do with Futurama, it’s safe to say that the disease is made up. Interestingly enough though, there is a boneitis support group on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5883614772

In any case, the reason why this interests me is because it showed how little I know about bone diseases. How many of you know the difference between osteoporosis and osteoarthritis? Because a quick survey revealed that many of you (including myself) had no idea so you are certainly not alone. Let’s start with a quick definition of the two.

Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become less dense and more likely to fracture.

Arthritis is a general term for conditions that affect the joints and surrounding tissues. The two most common types are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a painful, degenerative joint disease that often involves the hips, knees, neck, lower back or small joints of the hands.

One reason that they are often confused is because they both begin with the term ‘osteo’ meaning bone. Another reason is that they are both prevalent in women over 60.

However they are two different conditions with little in common. They develop differently, have different symptoms, are diagnosed differently and are treated differently. Although it is possible to have both conditions, people with osteoarthritis are less likely to develop osteoporosis while people with rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to develop osteoporosis.

Now that you know more about the conditions, I’m sure you’re wondering what you can do to prevent them.

Although there is no cure for osteoporosis, there are several medications to prevent and treat it so ask your doctor. Additionally, a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, regular weight bearing exercise and a healthy lifestyle can prevent or lessen the effects of the disease.

As for osteoarthritis, treatment includes analgesics, topical creams, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, appropriate exercise or physical therapy, joint splitting or joint replacement surgery.

With both conditions, many people benefit from exercise programs that may include physical therapy and rehabilitation. But always check with your doctor to determine whether a certain exercise program is safe for your situation.

I hope you all learnt something about the difference between osteoporosis and arthritis and what you can do to prevent them. If you have any questions, have experienced either condition or know someone who has, share your story below to help those in need.

Saying that somebody asked me how to get the relevant information would be a stretch, but I will happily give you advices to help you eat better.

When buying bread, don’t be fooled by the “Multigrain” appellation on the cover. This term only implies that there are many types of cereals in the product, and it doesn’t mean that it has more nutritional value.
Instead, nutritionists suggest that you should ignore the advertising in front of the packaging. You should rather look at the ingredients list and try to find the answer to these 3 questions:

-What is the first ingredient? You should be looking for whole wheat as the answer.

-How many grams of fiber does each slice have? A correct answer to this question would be 2 or more.

-Are “insulin” or “polydextrose” mentioned in the list of ingredients? If the answer is yes, you should pick another kind of bread.

It is true for everything you eat, making smarter nutrition decisions can help you to build muscle, lose weight and beat heart disease.

Have you found other healthy eating tips?

Please share them below, and post your questions or any topics you’d like us to talk about.