Infographic on Breast Cancer Prevention

 
Every year, breast cancer claims one victim every 75 seconds globally.  It is the most common type of cancer in the world.  Every 29 seconds, a new case of breast cancer is diagnosed somewhere in the world, and more than 1 million women are diagnosed with this form of cancer along every year.

Not only that, but breast cancer causes 14% of cancer deaths in women, with more than 465,000 deaths annually around the globe.  Plus, nearly 4,500,000 women are alive today who have received breast cancer diagnoses in the last 5 years.
 

10 Ways to Prevent Breast Cancer

 
Here is a list of 10 ways that may help keep you from developing breast cancer.  It is not a guarantee that you won’t get breast cancer, but by following these prevention strategies, you may lower your oods of getting breast cancer and also improving your overall health.
 

Angeline Jolie: “I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.”

Sheryl Crow: “More than 10 million Americans are living with cancer, and they demonstrate the ever-increasing possibility of living beyond cancer.”

#1 | Exercise

 
Most people hate exercising or training but you just need to move more.  Take more walks with you dog or skip the elevator more often.

#2 | Maintain a Healthy Weight

 
A study found that women who gained 60 pounds after the age of 18 tripled their risk of developing breast cancer compared to those who only gained 20 pounds.  Even scarier was the fact that these women also seemed to have an increased risk of developing fast spreading types of cancer, not just breast cancer.

#3 | Eat More Vegetables

 
Colorful vegetables are full of carotenoids, an antioxidant that will fight cell damage by eliminating cancer causing substances.

#4 | Know Your Family History

 
By knowing your genetic risk, you are more likely to take the preventative steps necessary and to do the screenings on time.

#5 | Breast Feed Your Babies

 
Studies suggest that women who breast feed their babies for at least 15 months over their lifetime reduce their risk of breast cancer by 4 per cent.  It’s not much, but when it comes to life or death, it is a lot.

#6 | Eat More Omega-3 Fatty Acids

 
Omega-3s help fight inflammation and inhibit the growth of breast cancer tumors.  Foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids include nuts (like walnuts), oily fish (like sardines) and even ground flaxseed that can be added to your vegetable servings, smoothies or cereal every day.

#7 | Drink Green Tea

 
Green tea is filled with antioxidants. It can decrease the production of estrogen, a hormone which causes the breast cancer tumor to grow and it can also shut off blood supply to tumors. Green tea alone is like a three in one punch to beat cancer.

#8 | Think Twice About Taking Estrogen and Progesterone for Five Years or Longer

 
Prolonged use of combined hormone therapy can increase your risk of breast cancer.  So stop the pharmaceuticals unless absolutely necessary.

#9 | Watch Your Alcohol Consumption

 
Alcohol can affect estrogen levels in the body, which causes an increased risk of breast cancer in women.

#10 | Eat More Spices

 
Don’t be afraid of spices because the antioxidants in some spices such as turmeric can stop inflammation and inhibit tumour growth.

This infographic on breast cancer prevention is brought to you by PromoCode4Share.com.  Thank you!

The New Fitness Power Moves

 
CORE – BALANCE – STRENGTH.  These are 3 things that you need in order to master the new fitness power moves that are inspired by some pilates, yoga, martial arts, core balance exercises and strength.  In order to be a part of this new fitness movement, according to Details Magazine, one must increase their strength and balance and combine strength and skill in order to accomplish these incredible movements and exercises.  Requiring more than muscle to master, it’s all about leverage, core strength and balance.  Here are the new fitness power moves.  Are you able to master these?
 

The Eight-Angle Pose Power Move

 
Sit with legs in diamond shape in front of you, soles of feet together. Lift and cradle right calf in front of chest with both arms, elbows bent, palms facing body, foot flexed. Grab right heel with right hand, left hand under right calf, and lift and hook right leg over right shoulder. Place left palm on floor outside of left leg and press into floor to lift butt slightly, then place right palm on floor in front of you. Lift left leg and cross left ankle over right, feet flexed. Use abs to lift butt and torso slightly forward, straightening legs out to right side.

And if you are not ready to do the Eight Angle Pose right now, you can get your arm balance ready by practising these following 3 moves.

Bicycle Crunch

 
Lie face-up, right leg extended about 3 inches off floor, left knee bent 90 degrees, hands behind head, right elbow touching left knee. Moving slowly and with control, switch sides, rotating torso to right, extending left leg out in front of you and bending right leg 90 degrees, touching left elbow to right knee for 1 rep. Do 10 reps slowly. Repeat 3 times.

Dolphin

 
Start in downward-facing dog, then lower forearms to floor, elbows directly under shoulders, and walk feet in a few inches toward head, pressing heels toward floor. Hold for 3 breaths, then lower knees to floor to relax. Repeat 3 times.

Single Knee Plank

 
Start in downward-facing dog, then lift right leg to ceiling (three-legged dog), keeping hips facing forward. Shift forward to plank pose, bringing right knee into chest, back slightly rounded, palms pressing body away from floor, abs engaged, toes pointed. Hold for 3 breaths, then press back into three-legged dog. Repeat 5 times.

This article was originally published in Details Magazine in the June/July 2013 issue.  All images are courtesy of Details Magazine and cannot be reproduced!  Thank you.

12 MENTAL Health Benefits of EXERCISE

Some of the overlooked benefits of exercise include the mental health benefits that accompany a healthy and active lifestyle.  Whether you run, walk, exercise, train, weight lift or play sports, the mental health benefits of being active are well documented.
 

The Fast Company recently published an article called: “3 Reasons Exercise Makes You Smarter” and explains that your brain is a part of your body. Your body works better with exercise–and, research suggests, so does your brain.  Scientific American’s Justin Rhodes (assistant professor of psychology at the University of Illinois) reports: “A growing body of evidence suggests we think and learn better when we walk, jog, or otherwise workout”.  According to these recent studies, exercise boosts your cognitive functioning and improves your memory.  The keys include blood flow, your hippocampus (memory and learning elements in your brain) and creative habit.

According to the Scientific American study:

“The results were, in certain aspects, a surprise. As expected, many of the volunteers who’d been exercising for the past month significantly improved their scores on the memory and mood tests. But not all of them did. In general, those volunteers who had exercised for the past month and who worked out on the day of retesting performed the best on the memory exam. They also tended to report less anxiety than other volunteers.

Those who had exercised during the preceding month but not on the day of testing generally did better on the memory test than those who had been sedentary, but did not perform nearly as well as those who had worked out that morning.”

We’ve tried to summarize the top 12 mental health benefits of exercise in this infographic.  Enjoy!

Exercise Will Make You Feel Better!

Exercising released endorphins, making you feel happy and positive about yourself.  Don’t we all want that?

Exercise is an Overall Mood Booster!

Exercising regularly will release tension.  This translates into solved problems with depression and stress.

Exercise Leads to Increased Confidence

When you exercise and relieve that tension while taking care of yourself, you can’t help but be proud of your accomplishments.  You feel like a brand new you, and you know you look good doing so.

Exercise Helps Your Body Increase Pain Tolerance

Exercise can make you sore many times.  At first it might be horrible, but after it happens a few times you learn to deal with it.  This leads to an overall increase in your pain threshold.

Exercising Works To Improve Your Brain Power!

Exercise causes your body to create more brain cells and connections.  This means your brain becomes more powerful and has a greater capacity for learning regardless of your age.

Exercise Improves Your Character

Sticking to an exercise routine will help you develop the qualities of discipline, dedication and determination.

Exercise Teaches Self Discipline

It also helps you develop the skills of compliance and adherence.  These absolutely necessary life skills will have a positive effect in all areas of your life.

Exercise Can Help With Addiction Recovery

As mentioned above, exercise can help you to developer discipline.  Overcoming addictions can become a lot easier when a workout routine is in place.

Exercise Also Combats Depression

Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain.  Exercises induce “happy chemicals” to be produced more abundantly.

Fitness Reduces Anxiety

Using your energy in an effective way helps you to relax better.

Exercise Gives You ‘Runner’s High’

That’s right!  Vigorous exercise can make you feel great!

Exercise Improves Concentration

Exercise can help boost your concentration and mental awareness.

INFOGRAPHIC > The Impact Exercise On Heart Health

Did you know? The major risk factors for heart disease include: tobacco use, physical inactivity, obesity, poor diet and genetics? Over 250,000 deaths occur each years as a result of inactivity! People with active lifestyles through exercise, training and working out have a 45% lower risk of developing heart disease then someone who doesn’t. Benefits occur even with low intensity exercise like walking or jogging. Now that is a major impact of exercise on your heart health!
 

 
 

Exercise Benefits the Heart in Many Ways

There are 3 major health benefits to exercise when it comes to heart health. Here are the 3 great main benefits in no particular order:
 

#1 | Exercise Improves Strength

The heart is a muscle, and gets stronger with exercise. Exercise also enables the heart to pump more blood through the body when required. In addition, exercise lowers resting heart rate as the heart is now more efficient in moving blood through your systems when required.

#2 | Exercise Has Positive Effects on Risk Factors

Some of the great health benefits of exercise and training include: reduction in blood pressure and weight loss. As well, other positive effects on risk factors include an increase in good cholesterol and decrease in bad cholesterol in our blood stream. This helps in reducing heart disease and heart attacks.

#3 | Exercise Increases Aerobic Capacity

Being active will improve your body’s ability to transport and use oxygen. As well, exercise will reduce fatigue when performing every day activities. Training will also improve vascular wall function.

Let’s Get Moving and Exercise!

Here are some easy ways to incorporate training and exercise into your daily routine. Firstly, take stairs and not the elevator if you’re at work. This burns 7 calories per minute for a 150 pound person and for an extra exercise boost, take 10 minutes on your lunch break to go up and down stairs in your work building. Secondly, you can try biking to work instead of driving or taking public transit. A half hour commute on the bike burns about 140 calories for a 150 pound person. You will get fresh air, and help your health and the environment at the same time! If you are biking in the sun, you’ll get your daily required dose of Vitamin D as well! Thirdly, sit on an exercise ball at work. By doing so (instead of sitting stationary on a chair), you can burn an additional 30 calories per work day. Use the exercise ball for quick training breaks too. Lastly, walk to lunch or coffee. A leisurely 10 minute walk burns about 50 calories. Grab a co-worker to join you and pick up the pace!
 
This Impact of Exercise on Your Heart Health Infographic is brought to you by the Regional Medical Center of San Jose. Thank you!

US non-GMO & Organic Shopping Guide for Consumers

 
Healthy Family just released a partial list of non-GMO brands and organic products in a chart format in May 2013. Below is the shopping guide for consumers looking for US non-GMO and organic products.

As you can see from this chart, both Peapod and Whole Foods Market feature the widest range of organic and non-GMO product brands in their stores. The only 2 non-GMO brands that are missing from these two stores are private label products only. The next closest is Super Valu stores that also include Acme, Albertson’s, Bigg’s Club Foods, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Shaw’s/Star Market, Shop ‘n Save and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy. Safeway comes 4th on the list of non-GMO organic brand products supplied and it includes Carr’s, Dominick’s Finer Foods, Pack ‘n Save, Randall’s, Simon David, Tom Thumb, Pavillion’s and Von’s.
 
The worst supermarket chains for carrying organic non-GMO brands and products are Super Walmart, Meijer Foods, Super Target, Super Kmart and Kroger. It must also be noted that Trader Joe’s falls at the bottom of the list, but they supply many of their own private label organic and non-GMO brands.
 
For more information, please visit www.healthy-family.org today.

Everything You Need To Know About Calories > Ultimate Calorie Infographic

Thanks to your friends at LifeQuotes4U, here is the ultimate calorie infographic that explains: what a calorie is, calorie recommendations, examples in fast food and take-out meals and how calories are burned in exercise and through sport. It’s a real eye-opener!

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CALORIES

 
The calorie infographic above gives you an idea of how calories are measured and how they are burned (or not burned) off through fitness and exercise.  Just Add Good Stuff believes that it is important for all of us to be more aware of what we are putting in and on our bodies and understanding what calories are and where they come from is essential in controlling our nutrition and diet.  It’s up to us to make sure that we are feeding ourselves with nutritional foods and not empty calories.  As mentioned in this calorie infographic, a calorie is the approximate amount of energy that is required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius.  The term ‘calorie’ was first used in 1824 as a unit of measurement of heat.  It has now come to be used as a unit of measurement of the energy contained within food and drink.  When you look at labels, cal (all lower case) is 1 small calorie.  This is NOT to be confused with Cal (with a capital ‘C’) which is equivalent to 1000 small calories (cal).  The Cal is also known as the kcal (or kilocalorie).  Remember that most packaging labels use cal and NOT kcal or Cal.

Calorie Recommendations according to…

 
As you see in this calorie infographic, the NHS (Great Britain) recommends that the average man requires 2,500 Calories per day.  The average woman, in comparison, requires only 2,000 Calories per day. On the other hand, the USA Government recommendations for daily Calorie intake is as follows:

2-3 Years Old = 1,000 Cal for males | 1,000 Cal for females

4-8 Years Old = 1,400 Cal for males | 1,200 Cal for females

9-13 Years Old = 1,800 Cal for males | 1,600 Cal for females

14-18 Years Old = 2,200 Cal for males | 1,800 Cal for females

19-30 Years Old = 2,400 Cal for males | 2,000 Cal for females

31-50 Years Old = 2,200 Cal for males | 1,800 Cal for females

51+ Years Old = 2,000 Cal for males | 1,600 Cal for females

The USA Government also recommends these levels of ‘empty calories’ per day for males and females (see below).  The estimated empty calories intake is for unusually physically active individuals. Empty calorie are those that are derived from solid fats or added refined sugars.  Cakes, sweets, soft drinks, fast food, all contain a high number of empty calories as seen in this calorie infographic:
 

2-3 Years Old = 135 Cal for males | 135 Cal for females

4-8 Years Old = 120 Cal for males | 120 Cal for females

9-13 Years Old = 160 Cal for males | 120 Cal for females

14-18 Years Old = 265 Cal for males | 160 Cal for females

19-30 Years Old = 330 Cal for males | 260 Cal for females

31-50 Years Old = 265 Cal for males | 160 Cal for females

51+ Years Old = 260 Cal for males | 120 Cal for females

The Problem Starts Here > Calories in Fast Food

 
In 2013, the top 10 most unhealthy foods from America’s five most popular fast food chains are absolutely horrific when you are looking at empty calories intake.  The problems with fast foods from Hardee’s, Burger King, McDonalds, Wendy’s and KFC are that they contain a whole lot of empty calories and not much nutritional value.  Here are the 10 most unhealthy foods from these popular fast food chains according to the calorie infographic:

10. Burger King – Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich (750 cal)

9. McDonald’s – Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese (750 cal)

8. KFC – Chicken Pot Pie (790 cal)

7. Hardee’s – 1/3 lb Original Thickburger (810 cal)

6. Wendy’s – Baconator (970 cal)

5. Burger King – Double Whopper With Cheese (990 cal)

4. Wendy’s – ¾ lb Triple (1,060 cal)

3. McDonald’s – Big Breakfast with Hot Cakes (1,090 cal)

2. Burger King – Triple Whopper with Cheese (1,230 cal)

1. Hardee’s – The Monster Thickburger (1,300 cal)

And The Problem Continues with Calories in Takeout Foods…

 
But the problem with empty calorie intake doesn’t stop at the top five fast food chains.  Popular takeout foods are also loaded with carbs and empty calories as noted in this calorie infographic:

5. Fish and Chips (838 kcal)

4. Kebabs (1,000 kcal)

3. Indian Foods like Chicken Tikka Masala, Pilau Rice, and 1 Plain Naan Bread (1,338 kcal)

2. Chinese Foods like Sweet/Sour Chicken, Egg Fried Rice and Vegetable Spring Roles (1,436 kcal)

1. Pizza – 12” standard size (1,835 kcal)

But, Calorie Intake is not the only problem…

 
As you know, eating is not the only problem in America.  It’s also the lack of exercise that is causing us to be the most obese nation in the world. Take for instance the examples in this calorie infographic.  Calories burned by a 150 lb person during 1 hours participation in exercise:

Dancing > 370 cal > The average Chinese takeaway would take 3:53 (yes, that’s 3 hours and 53 minutes) of dancing to burn off the calories consumed in Chinese takeaway food.

Football/Soccer > 468 cal > A McDonald’s Big Breakfast with Hotcakes would take 1 hour and 20 minutes to burn off when playing intense football/soccer.

Swimming > 603 cal > A Hardee’s Monster Thickburger would take 2 hours and 9 minutes to burn the calories when swimming!

Jogging > 675 cal > The average Indian kebab takes 1 hour and 29 minutes to burn off when jogging!

Other Calorie Inforgraphic Interesting Facts and Figures:

 
In 2011, Americans spent $117,000,000,000 on fast food.  There were 311 million people living in the United States in 2011, making the giant fast food industry approximately $376 per person!  Per campita consumption of fast food in 2005 around the world was: $566 in the US, $456 in Canada, $390 in Great Britain and $363 in Australia!  In the UK in 2011, there were 5,400,000,000 visits to fast food restaurants.  Even more striking is that half of all meals consumed in Britain are from fast food joints!
 
More information is online here: http://visual.ly/ultimate-guide-calories

FITNESS > Cross-Body Hammer Bicep Curl – Great Forearm & Bicep Workout

Is your forearm and bicep work-out too boring? Are you doing the same forearm and bicep workouts every day? Do you feel that your bicep strength has peaked out or that your forearms seem to give way when doing too many arm exercises in a single work-out?

If you’ve answered ‘YES’ to any of the above questions, you need to hit your biceps and forearms with an exciting new exercise! And that routine can include the CROSS-BODY HAMMER BICEP CURL. Essentially, it’s like a hammer curl for your bicep routine, but instead of just ‘curling’ the weight, you curl the free weight across your body to create a new movement and better motion for building your bicep muscles. Not only that, but the cross-body hammer curl is also a great workout for your forearms, which aid in many other arm, chest, shoulder and back exercise routines.

The cross body hammer curl trains your brachialis which is a set of muscles that separates the biceps from the triceps. By doing the cross body hammer curls, you will not only be shocking your arms, but you will also increase the definition between your biceps and triceps (largest muscle in your arms), making your upper arms look bigger!

Here’s the breakdown of the exciting Cross-Body Hammer Bicep Curl that should be integrated into every other bicep workout routine:

* picture from Men’s Fitness | Photography by: D Snipes

Cross-Body Hammer Bicep Curl Exercise in a Nutshell (shown above)

Muscles shocked: biceps, forearms and core
Sets: 3 to 4
Reps: 10 to 12 per arm
Rest period: 30 to 45 seconds

How to:
Get a dumbbell (free weight) that is about 80 to 90% the weight that you usually use for a bicep curl exercise. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms set against your side.

Curl the right hand dumbbell/free weight across your body so that it ends up under your left shoulder and against your chest. This is why it is called the “Cross-Body Hammer Bicep Curl” because you are essentially curling the free weight across your body. At this point, your palm should be facing and kept as close as possible to your chest. Go back to the rest state as slowly as possible and in the same but reverse motion.

Then, curl the left hand dumbbell/free weight across your body so that it ends up under your right shoulder. Again, keep your palm facing your chest (and as close to your chest). Again, this ‘cross-body hammer curl’ motion should be smooth without any jerking motion to lift the weight.

Alternate your cross body curls until you’ve done 10 to 12 per arm (that’s a total of 20 to 24 cross body curls). Repeat the cross body curls until you’ve done at least 3 sets. If you can manage to do 4 sets with the weight, go for it!

You will feel the 3 core areas being worked during your Cross Body Hammer Curl. You should feel the intense throb in your forearms during the upward motion of the cross body bicep curl, as well as during the return back to the original state. In addition, you will feel the cross body hammer curl work your bicep muscles, giving it a great pump both up and down. Last but not least, in order to keep your shoulders back and your body in a relaxed non-motionless state, you will feel the Cross Body Hammer Bicep Curl work your core muscles as well.

Therefore, we consider the cross body curl a 3 in 1 exercise that is great in working out your forearms, biceps and core.

The SUPER Cross Body Bicep Curl for Core Training

For elite athletes and hard core trainers who are seeking some extra core training exercises, the Super Cross Body Bicep Curl is ideal for your core training needs.  Essentially, it is exactly the same as the above cross body hammer curl, but it works your core muscles even more!  Here are 2 variations for the super cross body bicep curl that can be done by itself, or in combination with other bicep, forearm and core exercises.  Please note that the tips are the same: fluid motion, keeping everything stationary except your arms and the 4 second rule still applies!  So NEVER cheap yourself out of the perfect core exercise!

Variation 1 for the Cross Body Core Training Exercise

The first variation for the above exercise is to do exactly the same motions but on one leg.  Before you do your first curl, raise one of your legs until your lower foot is perpendicular to the ground.  Make sure your knees are touching.  Again, curl the right hand dumbbell across your body so that it ends up under your left shoulder and against your chest.  Repeat with your left hand across your right shoulder.

You should try using 60% of your usual bicep curl free weight for this exercise.  The most important tip is to make sure that you are balanced before starting your cross body core training exercise.  Secondly, make sure that you are not compensating and making it easier by jerking the free weight or by using your back or shoulders or legs to raise the dumbbell.  The entire motion should be working only your core and your arms.

Variation 2 for the Cross Body Core Training Work Out

If the first variation is too easy for you or if you want to shock your core with an even more difficult core training work out, then Variation 2 would be ideal for you!  In this variation, get a square balance board.  If you are familiar with balancing on this square balance board, then you can head right into the exercise.  If not, please make sure you get used to the balance of the board before you start.

In order to start the exercise, grab the free weight and get on the square balance board.  Once you have maintained a perfect balance for at least 5 seconds, you can start with cross body hammer curl to work out your core.  This core training exercise is the most difficult of the three variations mentioned on this blog post as you are not only working out your forearms and biceps, but you are also balancing and working out your core on the square balance board.

Repeat the repetitions for each arm (again, try doing at least 10 to 12 reps per arm for each set).  The ongoing tip again is to maintain your balance without compromising your body form.  Core training is all about slow and fluid motion without any jerkiness or use of body parts that you aren’t suppose to use.

So if you cheat, you are cheating nobody but yourself!

FITNESS > Single Arm Floor Press > Chest & Triceps Workout

Sick and tired of your regular chest workout?  Do you fall into the bench press syndrome?  Cable exercises and push-ups not working anymore?

Here’s a new and improved workout for your chest and triceps (called the Single Arm Floor Press) that not only work out both of these muscle groups, but can also be used for: muscle toning, muscle building and core training.

In other words, it’s a 3 in 1 exercise that allows you to change your routine and blast your muscles.

* picture from Men’s Fitness | Photography by: D Snipes

Single-Arm Floor Press (shown above)

Muscles shocked: chest, triceps, core

Sets: 3 to 4

Reps: 10 to 12 per arm

Rest period: 30 to 45 seconds

How to:

Hold a dumbbell in one hand as you lie on your back on the floor or mat.  Then, you should tuck your elbow to your side and turn your palm so it faces inward (may feel a bit awkward at first).  Make sure that your triceps are resting on the floor. Lastly, press the weight over your chest, and return to the first position.  Repeat until you’ve completed the reps.