Fitness Camp Blogs

When most people think about core exercise, they think about six-pack abs. That's probably because your abdominals are the most obvious showing point for a toned core body. However - this does not mean they should be the focal point of your training.

The latest "superfood" to gain significant national attention, Avocado is garnering some pretty outrageous claims on the internet. Hailed as everything from an anti-aging potion to a cancer cure, avocado is turning up just about everywhere.

If you're still clinging to soda pop despite all odds, new research has just given you one more reason to can it once and for all. That's because striking new data has linked sugary drinks and artificially sweetened drinks directly with increased cases of Type 2 Diabetes.

On the other side of this conflict lies a dark chocolate cake in the kitchen. It's already been cut into - nobody will notice an extra sliver gone. All you'd have to do is take the edge off. Just a taste. Curb the craving. The idea spins past again and again.

It may come as no surprise that Americans today are eating more calories and less nutrients than ever. We easily accept that as an obvious conclusion because a glance at the latest statistics on obesity in the United States leaves little room for debate.

The first and most important step in staying motivated is to identify exactly what it is that motivates you! Make a list of all the reasons you want to change your life. Be as detailed and introspective as possible.

A prominant news agency (that I shall not name) ran an article recently that got some attention, describing exercise as far less important than diet when attempting to lose weight. They cited a variety of studies that showed exercise without dietary restrictions failed to produce worthwhile weight loss.

Artificial sweeteners can be a sticky topic. Challengers claim they have side effects such as migraines and seizures, increase risk of cancer and obesity, and cause a myriad of other things - while defenders staunchly deny all of it and claim that sweeteners such as Aspartame, Splenda, Saccharin and more are perfectly safe to consume.

When someone says, "Vacation," what do you think of? The more obvious answers might include tropical beaches, luxury cruises, living large and perhaps exotic foods or experiences. But if you're like most people in America today, your first reaction is more likely to be "Yeah - I wish!"

A lot of women are throwing away 50% of the benefits of their workouts - and never even realize it. For all of the sweat, panting and muscle cramps, over half of the gains to be had simply disappear, unattained.

According to recent statistics, Alzheimer's Disease is the 6th leading cause of death among the elderly. In fact, it is estimated that someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in the United States every 68 seconds. Many people think of diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other dementias that typically afflict the elderly as "inevitable" - but research has shown quite the opposite.

Just a quick introductory side note about those Happy Holidays! With the Holiday Season, of course, comes plenty of great food and ample opportunity to indulge! In fact, this is the biggest "over-indulgence" week of the year and comes right on the heels of Thanksgiving week.

We live in a world full of instant fixes. Usually these fixes come in bottles, foods, lotions or other simple-to-use choices and can cost anywhere from a few dollars to a few hundred. But one fix doesn't come in a bottle - and it solves SO much more than you would think.

It's the biggest new venue in the "smart tech" world - fitness trackers. There are wrist bands, iPhone plugin heart rate sensors, Smart-Scales that transmit your weight and other data to your cell phone via Bluetooth, and more. If you're new to this freshly sprouted industry, you may be surprised how many options are already out there.

Weight loss diets come in every form imaginable. Conventional wisdom says that losing weight slowly over time is more likely to result in a healthier long term outcome - but a new Australian study is bucking that concept for lack of evidence. So - can those crash diets be just as good?

As morbid as it may sound, those days happen to the best of us. As a person who's proud but never satisfied of my progress, I know how that feels. You want to see those muscle lines show and want to feel those clothes get looser around you, even if it means spending another day at the mall for a shopping spree.

Beginning a training program can be a huge investment of time and effort, so of course you want to maximize your benefits and make sure you get the results you're working hard for. All of the options can seem overwhelming: should you tackle the free weights in the gym and learn how to use the weight machines?

Let's talk about the difference between physical activity and exercise - a common confusion for most people. Years ago, physicians would rarely recommend exercise for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients because they thought they were too unstable to handle the intensity of exercise.

22 million. That's how many fitness trackers were sold last year. You might even own one of them. Think that's a staggering number? Try this one - it is estimated that 130 million more will ship out by 2018. Sales of wearable devices are expected to top $50 billion PER YEAR by then.

There's always something new and breaking on the weight loss front. Today it's some new information on a gene that contributes to weight gain. Recent experiments on mice have shown that breaking this gene increases fat formation in the body - and fixing it does the reverse.

Think your family is about average when it comes to weight? You may be right. And that may be a big problem. The tendency for parents to evaluate their overweight child and declare them 'just fine' has been documented for some time - but cases are now increasing across the country at an alarming rate.