Coffee & Tea May be a Cancer Risk
Drinking coffee or tea during pregnancy may increase the risk of the baby developing cancer later in life. Experts claim that the caffeine can be damaging to the baby in the womb of the mother and make it more susceptible to cancers. Although it is not a “proven” fact that there is connection between cancer and caffeine experts have just put two and two together and made an ‘educated guess’.
It’s good to know!
A Fitness Blog for Fitness Addicts
As you know, I’ve been championing LifeSpan Fitness products for a long time now. Not only are their treadmills and exercise bikes some of the best on the market, as they’ve won all kinds of awards, but their accessories and overall fitness instruction is top notch! Even though LifeSpan’s fitness tips and solutions are mainly aimed towards the middle – aged and senior fitness demographic, I’ve spoken to many people who I’ve recommended it to, including my own mother, and they’ve all said that they’re very happy with the products and programs, and that they actually see results.
This brings the topic of LifeSpan Fitness to the point of their new fitness blog. Yup, they’ve started a blog! I have no idea when, but I just happened to find it the other day. Anyway, it has about 10 articles up there already about the company’s new products and fitness tips. I’m one of those people that loves to immerse themselves wholeheartedly into something that I personally endorse and LifeSpan Fitness is no different, so of course I’m very happy with their adventure into blogging. Check it out!
LifeSpan’s Fitness Blog
A Friend is Opening a New Gym!
A buddy of mine who I work out with from time to time has always said he wanted to open his own gym. I’ve known this guy for years and he’s been saying this for a long while now, probably the last six or 7 years or so…He always brings it up from time to time, how he wants to be as big as Gold’s Gym or something like that and I always blew him off because he never talked about starting small. It’s great to have lofty ambitions like that, but even Gold’s Gym started out as one little rinky dink gym on the edge of town somewhere in America. This is something that I didn’t think he understood the concept of…or so I thought.
So, the other day he calls me up and I’m assuming he just wanted to talk about things in general, stuff I usually don’t have time for. I was cooking dinner for myself and I’m running around the kitchen holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder, only uttering incoherent one-word answers…yeah, no, maybe, uh huh…I clearly didn’t have time for this small talk and I figured if I did this enough, he’d get the hint. Nothing gets in the way of me and the food I think I so richly deserve. But then, he dropped the bomb:
“So, I think I have enough saved up to open my own gym…”
“Huh? You’re actually gonna do it? For real? I thought that was just something you talked about?!”
Obviously he didn’t like hearing that little jab of mine, but decided to keep talking to me about it anyway. Apparently, unbeknown to me, he had been saving up A LOT of capital over the years and he’s been mapping it out all this time! From what he told me, he definitely did his research. From what he was saying, the gym is going to encompass the usual fair you would expect from a gym: free weights and machines, treadmills, elliptical trainers, etc., but also yoga and pilates classes, karate seminars and boxing classes after the first year, which is something none of the small gyms around here offer.
“So,” I asked, “what are you going to do to attract people to come to your little gym when there’s that huge gym (name unmentioned) across town”? I’m a business major and this is an important question and something I’d personally like to know…how well did he really do his homework?? He rambled off a couple things to me that he was going to implement during the first 6 months of the establishment’s life, which I was quite impressed with and he then asked me if I knew of any other ways since I’m Mr. Business Degree and all. I told him I didn’t really know much about how to market a new workout gym, but I handed him an early edition brand marketing book by James Connor, that someone had given me for a Christmas present.
So, it looks like I may be attending a new gym sometime in the next coming year if everything gets off the ground for him, I wish him the best of luck, and a major apology for not taking him seriously!
Obese People Get Less Food Satisfaction
A new study shows that obese people get less satisfaction from food, according to scientists. Given this, obese people tend to overeat because the taste of food produced less of a pleasurable sensation in their brains.
Therefore, people who are overweight, or obese, have to eat more to feel content. Now, I’m curious…If this country has a weight problem, how many people have this lessened excretion of dopamine? Is it really scientific as to why we’re all overweight, or is it the onslaught of marketing and the fatty, unhealthy food choices?
I absolutely love how all of these fast food chains and restaurant franchises have suddenly taken some concern (or lack thereof) in their customers’ well being…All of sudden, they market “NO TRANS FATS!” and calorie counts, like the people who regularly dine at the establishment really care…The truth is that counting calories and advertising no trans fats is just a marketing gimmick. The calorie count may be low, but how many of those calories are empty? The lack of trans fats is a nice touch, but what about the thousands of grams of saturated fat? It’s all bullshit. Ask any obese person, a chicken breast just isn’t a chicken breast if it isn’t smothered in something slimy and can eat through a paper plate in 30 seconds…but he won’t die of heart disease!! Instead, he’ll die of cancer, diabetes, a heart attack, a stroke, gallbladder disease, or sleep apnea, just to name a few…
My point is: This country has a serious problem concerning obesity (I’ve recently read somewhere that the average woman is a size 14 right now. SIZE 14!!). I see a lot of studies being done, a lot of experiments being conducted, and a lot of information being spewed forth, but nobody is doing anything with it. The government is dragging its heels, parents don’t want to say their children are fat, that might hurt their little feelings 
And schools are still cutting phys ed class: My son just told me the other day that they only have one day of gym. I looked at him with the usual “Huh?” face, in disbelief…then I felt like a schmuck for being the “uninformed” parent…so much so that I was going to call and ask when this was implemented.
So, whoever the powers that be may be that implements these kinds of studies and plans of action, do it soon so I don’t have to duck out of the way when I’m walking down the sidewalk because an obese family is moving towards me like a fleet of interstate truckers!
LA Bans Fast Food Restaurants in Poor Neighborhoods
The Los Angeles City Council doesn’t want the poor people to eat. That’s not what they’ll tell you, though. The City Council is in the last stages of passing an ordinance restricting and/or prohibiting the construction of fast food restaurants in and around South Central LA.
The Council says it’s not trying to starve the po’ people, but trying to help them, yeah right:
This ordinance is in no way attempting to tell people what to eat but rather responding to the need to attract sit-down restaurants, full service grocery stores, and healthy food alternatives. Ultimately, this ordinance is about providing choices—something that is currently lacking in our community.
What a crock of shit! Now, the Public Gym doesn’t recognize fast food as any kind of health food, but to deny people, it doesn’t matter if you’re poor or rich, the right to choose which food they want to eat is against civil liberties.
I don’t know about you, but when I was poor, I couldn’t afford healthy food at the grocery store, I lived off of Ramen noodles, Rice A Roni, and mac and cheese, and oh yeah, the McDonalds Dollar Menu! I had absolutely no money to sit down at Applebee’s and have a three course meal. And I can only assume that in South Central, LA, and every other poor neighborhood in the U.S., that it’s basically the same as in my small case.
These people need to eat. It’s not a matter of choice, it’s a matter of necessity! It’s also a matter of education. Educate the people on how to eat healthier. Even McDonalds has salads and yogurt…
I bet Beverly Hills has blocks of fast food restaurants….
Breakfast Before a Workout
Have you ever wondered what to eat when you’re in “workout” mode? Well, the important thing is to remain on a low-fat healthy diet, that’s obvious….This means no box food either: No mac and cheese, no Hamburger Helper, no TV dinners….you get the point. Most of these box foods, what I call them, are pure crap. There’s no nutritional value at all, and the only thing that gives it the flavor is the 700 tablespoonfuls of salt. Plus, all the preservatives in that crap will make you feel sluggish, lacadaisical, and very rundown.
But let’s talk about breakfast! It’s the most important meal of the day, and it’s also my favorite! For a guy that likes eating, maybe a little too much, there’s nothing better than waking up and tasting food. Many of you will now think I’m overweight LOL, but I’m not. If you go for your workout in the morning, the best foods to have are high carb, low fat snacks. Nothing too much or you’ll feel sluggish during your workout. Some snack combos to eat are:
- banana and yogurt
- whole wheat bagel (toasted) with a fruit spread
- instant oatmeal
This should get you pretty well energized for your workout. After the workout, when your body needs to replenish, I recommend these foods:
- peanut butter sandwich
- some almonds or mixed nuts
- fruit smoothie with a shot of protein
This will recharge your body and give it a quick, sugary jolt to start your day. Believe me, it’s better than coffee in the morning! Speaking of coffee, I would advise switching to green tea in the morning or throughout the day. Green tea is rich in anitoxidants, and it boosts your metabolism along with that treadmill run or exercise bike! Don’t forget to order the muscle spasm lotion either. There’s plenty of links to the ointment on the site, so click one and check the product out! Oh yeah, and another shameless plug: If you’re working out on grass, get these Monroe lawn care professionals to fix all the divots you’ve made over the summer.