Ace Fit Facts

'Newtrition' Resolutions for Junk-food Junkies

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:00:00 GMT

"I know I should eat more bananas, better breakfasts, and less junk -- but I just don't want to!"

Sound familiar? Yes, if you are among the cluster of athletes who rationalizes that your consumption of "junk food" is OK because you exercise hard, burn off the calories and hence "deserve" a reward.

You undoubtedly know an optimal sports diet includes more fresh fruits, more vegetables, more whole grains and less fast-and-fatty foods, gooey sweets and tempting treats.

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Immigrants Eat American Junk Food to Fit In: Study

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:00:00 GMT

FRIDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- After moving to the United States, immigrant groups trying to fit in tend to choose high-calorie, fatty foods in an attempt to appear more American, a new study finds.

That's one reason why immigrants approach U.S. levels of obesity within 15 years of moving to America, according to research in the June issue of Psychological Science.

Researchers surveyed Asian-American and white college students about embarrassing childhood food memories. Although 68 percent of the Asian-American respondents recalled food-related insecurities, such as awkwardness about using chopsticks, only 27 percent of white respondents recalled any embarrassing food practices.

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After Heart Attack, Certain Painkillers May Raise Risk for Recurrence

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Mon, 8 Aug 2011 16:00:00 GMT

MONDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- People with a history of heart attack are at increased risk of suffering another attack or dying after even a week of taking certain types of prescription and over-the-counter painkillers, including Advil, Motrin or Voltarin, a large new study suggests.

Danish researchers analyzed nationwide records of almost 84,000 heart attack survivors and found that those who used certain non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) for one week faced a 45 percent heightened risk of another heart attack. Three months' use raised the risk to 55 percent.

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Resistance training has similar effects as aerobic exercise in lowering blood pr

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Wed, 3 Aug 2011 16:00:00 GMT

Dr. Scott Collier was the lead investigator of the study published in the October 2010 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The study is part of the growing body of research being conducted at Appalachian State University on the effects of exercise, supplements and health.

Collier looked at changes that occurred to arteries and blood flow following 45 minutes of moderate intensity resistance exercise using machines like those typically found in fitness centers.

He found that the resistance training resulted in as much as a 20 percent decrease in a person's blood pressure, which is as good as or better than the benefit of taking anti-hypertensive medication. �And exercise has no adverse side effects," Collier said.

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Strength training builds women's confidence

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:00:00 GMT

Odds are that if the words "strength training" are mentioned, one of the first thoughts that comes to mind is a male individual lifting weight in order to pack on muscle.

The idea that strength training must involve muscle growth and huge, strong, ripped bodies is often centered around the days of old when weight training first became popular. Old magazines featured many male body builders with muscular, tanned bodies that exuded manliness and testosterone.

Those times are gone, and science has proven that strength training is not just for muscle-bound men trying to look good at the beach. In fact, strength training is just as important to a woman's health and fitness as it is to a man's.

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Even a Little Exercise May Protect Against Colon Polyps

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:00:00 GMT

SUNDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) -- Even a little exercise may ward off polyps in the colon, which are sometimes precursors to cancer.

In fact, just an hour a week of low-intensity exercise -- even such seemingly trivial activities as walking on the street or climbing stairs -- reduced risk, especially among individuals who are obese or overweight, according to new research slated to be presented Sunday at Digestive Disease Week in Chicago.

The New York City researchers noted that benefits were seen across a variety of ethnic groups and weight ranges.

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The Key To Successful Weight Loss: Planning

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:00:00 GMT

For years, I've been telling my patients that planning is the key to successful weight loss. You wouldn't build a house or tackle some other large project without a plan, would you? Weight loss is no exception, and for my patients I recommend a two-pronged approach: keeping a daily food diary, as well as planning meals ahead of time.

Keeping a food diary helps people track their caloric intake so that they are more aware of what they are eating. These diaries have worked well to help folks both lose weight and maintain their weight loss. In the past few years, however, there have been online food diaries available to help people with weight loss, and there are dozens, if not hundreds of sites that offer calorie and exercise tracking

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Do you think liposuction will get rid of that fat forever?

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:00:00 GMT

AURORA, Colo. (May 8, 2011) Liposuction has become one of the most popular plastic surgeries in the country. It has been around since 1974 and there are now more than 450,000 operations a year. But does the fat come back? A recent study by Teri L. Hernandez, PhD, RN and Robert H. Eckel, MD, at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have found that the fat eventually returns within one year, and is redistributed to other areas of the body, especially the upper abdomen. There was further redistribution around the shoulders and triceps of the arms.

"The fact that fat returned is of great interest to us as scientists. It supports the idea that levels of body fat are very tightly regulated by mechanisms we have yet to uncover," said Eckel. "This was the hypothesis we were testing and it was confirmed.

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Restricting calories lowers body temperature, may predict longer lifespan

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:00:00 GMT

Nutrition and longevity researchers have found more evidence that eating less may help people live longer.

The research team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reports in the journal Aging that individuals who significantly reduce their calorie intake have lower core body temperatures compared to those who eat more.

The new finding matches research in animals. Mice and rats consuming fewer calories also have lower core body temperatures, and those animals live significantly longer than littermates eating a standard diet.

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9 Salads (Calorically) Worse Than A Big Mac

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:00:00 GMT

When eating out, we tend to think we're �being good" by ordering an entrée salad instead of a big, juicy burger. But many of those salads have an undeserved health halo, packing in more calories and saturated fat than the poster food for an unhealthy dinner: The Big Mac.

Still even with bacon bits, tortilla chips and calorie-laden dressings abounding on the salad column of the menu, it's not a free pass to give into the temptation of a burger (and a side of fries). Salads, with their increased volume and satisfying crunch, have a higher satiety factor than many other foods, meaning that they tend to fill us up quicker and control appetite throughout the day, says Toby Smithson, R.D., community dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. �It's fine to choose a salad, just watch what you're putting in it," she says. Her tips include:

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No Paine, No Gain?

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:00:00 GMT

No 'Paine' No gain?

Isolationism can be a good thing.

Thomas Paine has a claim to the title, "The Father of the American Revolution", because of his book 'Common Sense'.

'Common Sense', presented the American colonists with an argument for freedom from British rule at a time when the question of independence was still undecided.

Thomas Paine was what many called an isolationist, others a non-interventionist. Thomas first published the book anonymously, full well knowing his views would bring some heat even though they proved to make sense.

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Screening Teens' Hearts Could Be Lifesaving

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Wed, 6 Jul 2011 16:00:00 GMT

Screening Teens' Hearts Could Be Lifesaving

THURSDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- Checking the hearts of teenagers, athletes and non-athletes alike, could save thousands of lives, a new study suggests.

The heart check recommended is an electrocardiogram (ECG), which records the electrical activity in the heart and identifies those at risk for sudden cardiac arrest.

"I think we should do this testing and find the kids who are at risk for sudden death and potentially save their lives," said the study's lead researcher, Dr. Joseph Marek, founder and medical director of the Midwest Heart Foundation in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.

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