How Healthy is Your State?

I don't know why, but I love seeing the latest ranking polls especially when it comes to health and fitness…

Today, I was reading over an article that listed the healthiest states in the US. It clearly showed how New England and many other Northern states were much higher rated than their Southern counterpart which unfortunately has been the trend for quite a while now. I was happy to see that my home state of Massachusetts, which used to be number 10 has inched its way up to number 3 in the healthiest states to live in column (and one of the least obese).

Of course, I don’t hold these rankings to be steadfast truths but I’m willing to bet they're close approximations. Here’s the criteria that was used:

"This annual ranking, published by the United Health Foundation, looks at 22 indicators of health, including everything from how many children receive recommended vaccinations, to obesity and smoking rates, to cancer deaths."

Where did your state rank and do you think it’s accurate?

> Check out all 50 states here

Exercise of the Week: Butt Kicks!

Butt kicks are a fun exercise to do as part of a dynamic warm-up or even as a fat burning interval. The nice part is that after a long day of sitting this movement of trying to kick your heel up to your butt will allow your quads to stretch and help to realign your thigh muscles.

Here’s how to complete the butt kicks exercise:
1. Stand with your feet hip width apart
2. Stay on the balls of your feet
3. Kick one heel up to your butt
4. Lower that leg and kick up with the opposite leg
5. Repeat for 20 reps or 10-20 seconds

Tips to remember:
1. Keep your chest up
2. Breathe naturally
3. Kick as high as you can with your heel but don’t overstretch
4. Land softly on the balls of your feet
5. Stop if you feel any pain

Butt kicks can also be done moving forwards and backwards in a straight line. I would first recommend getting comfortable doing them in place and then you can try moving in space. Have some fun with them!

Is Heat an Appetite Suppressant?

A small study was just conducted that showed that men who exercised in hot temperatures were less inclined to eat a lot of calories after working out.

Researchers believe it may be that since the men exercised in hot conditions it raised their core body temperature to a higher degree which shut down their appetite. This is believed to be the case since eating would further heat up your body and as a result your appetite would naturally be suppressed. It’s also the reason why cold temperatures may increase your appetite.

Even if this study is true, neither the researchers nor I recommend working out in extreme heat or unsafe conditions. Your safety and health should always be your top priority, but this study may explain why you sometimes feel less hungry after an intense workout.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, November 2009

Corporate Wellness Programs Save $400 per Employee

In the past I’ve outlined wellness programs that corporations are currently using to improve corporate morale, community, and health. I’m also happy to hear that many of these companies have continued to stick with these programs even during this current economic slump. Plus, we now have a good amount of data to show that these wellness programs actually work and are saving companies money!

Check out some of the data presented on November 11, 2009 by Emory University researchers at the American Public Health Association meeting in Philadelphia.

“For the moderate or intense intervention employees, the average days absent due to illness per year decreased from 3.9 days in 2006 to 3.4 days in 2007. Researchers found that average absenteeism days at the moderate or intense sites were 1.5 days lower than at the standard sites between 2006 and 2007.

Cost savings due to reduced absenteeism were estimated at $414.90 per employee per year.”

Are People Still Going to Health Clubs?

Do you think people are canceling their gym memberships because of the economy?

2 day ago The International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) announced the results of IHRSA’s Monthly Trends Survey. What they found surprised a lot of non-health club owners.

IHRSA’s survey of health clubs showed that although many “forecasters” who believed that people would cancel their gym memberships during these more difficult economic times were just flat out wrong.

From September 2008 to September 2009 health club memberships stayed steady and even grew during the past year. Also, almost 90% of clubs were planning on hiring additional staff over the next quarter to keep up with demand.

Do these findings surprise you or do you think people need the stress-releasing and healthy aspects of working out more than ever?

How Weight Loss Reduces Cancer Risk

I know a lot of the advertisements and reports you see focus on weight loss for vanity reasons, but you’d be surprised to find out how maintaining a healthy weight can do wonders for your health and longevity.

A special report that was just published by the Mayo Clinic Women’s Health Source in the November issue goes through a number of ways to prevent cancer. One of the big ways was to lose weight because they estimated that "excess weight is a factor in 14 to 20 percent of all cancer-related deaths in American adults."

The Mayo Clinic also recommended being physically active since there is now evidence to demonstrate that people who are physically active have a lower risk of some cancers than those who are more sedentary. Did you know that just 45 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day is considered optimal to reduce the risk of breast and colorectal cancers? This is pretty powerful information if you take advantage of it…

Circuit Training Workout

I created this sample beginner circuit training workout that you can do right at home:

1A. Push Ups x as many reps as possible (you can do them inclined if you’d like)
1B. Backward Lunges x 15 reps on each leg
1C. Band Horizontal Row x 12 reps
1D. Jumping Jacks x 30 seconds

One you complete 1 round of all 4 exercises rest for 1-2 minutes before completing 1-2 additional sets of the circuit.

This sample circuit training workout will work your entire body in just 4 moves while getting your heart rate up. Remember to move at your own pace and improve with each workout. Enjoy the circuit!

What is Circuit Training for Weight Loss?

I saw that one ND reader said they enjoyed circuit training for weight loss and then it dawned on me that many of our readers may not know exactly what circuit training is.

Circuit training typically consists of a group of high-intensity exercises grouped together. Each exercise is completed in succession with as little rest between them as possible.

Although you can come up with aerobic training circuits, when most people describe circuit training they are referring to a group of resistance-based training movements (machines, free weights, body weight exercises, etc) that will keep their heart pumping quickly for an extended period of time.

It’s actually simpler than it sounds and can be a great way to increase strength, improve muscle tone, and burn body fat. Tomorrow, I’ll give you a 4 exercise sample circuit so that you get a better idea of what one looks like!

Lose that Last 5 Pounds

I was speaking to a large group of people this weekend and one thing I heard from a few attendees was that they were “stuck” trying to lose that last 5 pounds.

If this sounds like you and you need a little push to get the weight loss started again I have a few suggestions for you:

1. Write down your daily meal plan. Take a look to see if you’ve been sneaking a few “extras” in there subconsciously throughout the day. They can really add up over time…

2. I would also see if you can add just 10 more minutes to your workouts. I’m not asking you to put another hour or entire day in at the gym, but rather a few more minutes of high quality work.

3. Relax. Find a way to reduce inflammation and acidity in your body by destressing. You may take a nightly walk or even a yoga class to unwind. A lot of times when you’re stuck trying to lose weight it has to do with your body refusing to lose any more weight because of what is going on internally. Learn to breathe and relax.

I hope these 3 quick tips help and definitely let me know if you have any other suggestions or successes to share!

3 Progressive Ab Exercises

Today I want to safely guide you through 3 different exercises you can do to strengthen your abs and core before moving on to traditional crunches.

A good example of a level one exercise to master is the "plank." It's a powerful static exercise to engage your entire mid-section and tighten your waistline.

After you master the plank I would move onto an exercise called a "chop." This adds a little bit more of a dynamic movement where you're resisting rotation and as a result strengthening your core.

Once you master both of those you can try a more challenging traditional ab exercise called "reverse crunch" or leg lift.

Although I don't believe you need to do crunches or sit-ups to get great abs you should be more balanced through your core and lower back after mastering the previous 3 exercises and will now be more equipped to safely handle these types of crunching movements.