Archive for October, 2008
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Runner’s Hangout - A Running Discussion Forum
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Runner’s Hangout is a community focused on people who like to run or get started in running. There are useful links to check out other running web sites. They even have a supplements link to purchase different types of herbal supplements to aid you in your running. Keep in mind that this community website is still very new. On the other hand, they already have over 300 members. So if you like small communities where you can actually get to know someone, which is harder in larger communities, then this is the perfect place for you.
There is a Running & Training section filled with various tips and training methods. Many members are running in races and encourage others to join races and post their results for added support. There are threads that even discuss gym routines and cardio training. Let’s say you have a question on your hurdling form, fellow members will try their best to help you perfect your form with detailed information and tips. Got a marathon to train for? There are number of interesting and helpful posts you can find by either using the search feature or just browse through the thread pages.
The Health & Nutrition section is dedicated to becoming or staying healthy for your running. You can find various posts concerning nutrition. You can find vitamin supplements that others recommend as well as different foods and drinks you could apply to your diet. Some members also share informative articles with everyone and give recommendations on what your diet should consist of in preparation for races.
Should you decide to sign up and join this community be sure to stop by the Introduction section and make a quick post there. Everyone is pretty friendly so they will be sure to give you a warm welcome. There are members from all over the world at Runner’s Hangout so you will be able to get a wide variety of tips and support. Be aware however that it sometimes takes time to get replies, so just be patient.
Be sure to check out the Hangout section when you are done discussing and reading anything running related. It’s a place to mingle with people and share each other’s interests like sports, music, etc. It’s a good getaway from the more serious threads that mostly concern running and training. Runner’s Hangout occasionally hosts random cash giveaways so be sure to check the forum sections regularly for that. They recently had a random drawing in August which they gave away two $20 gift cards to random members that entered just by replying to the thread.
Registration is free so no worries of buying anything. You can visit Runner’s Hangout today and become a part of the community at no cost. Also if you are someone that is new to running or interested in getting involved then this is a good start for you. Free information and support is what you can expect from Runner’s Hangout.
This is an article from FatManUnleashed.com’s Healthy Weight Loss and Fitness Blog.
Runner’s Hangout - A Running Discussion Forum
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Weight Lifting for Weight Loss, Fitness and Health
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Editor’s note: This is a guest article from Zane. He runs a website called Best Diet Pills that provides consumers with no b.s. reviews of diets and diet pills.
Weight Lifting for Weight Loss, Fitness and Health
In addition to cardiovascular exercise activities, research reveals that weight lifting will also provide individuals with added weight loss and health benefits. According to research, weight lifting exercises not only boost the body’s muscle tone and strength, but they are also shown to increase the body’s metabolism, fat burning abilities, and energy levels.
Benefits of Weight Lifting
Metabolism
One of the key benefits of weight lifting comes from the fact that weight lifting increases the body’s metabolism. The metabolism is essentially the body’s ability to burn calories; therefore, the faster your metabolism is, the faster you can burn food and ultimately avoid weight gain. Essentially, your metabolism is boosted when lifting weights since the increased muscle fibers burn off calories more efficiently and effectively. Therefore, by lifting weights regularly, individuals are able to teach their bodies and metabolisms to process food more efficiently.
Lean Muscle Tissue
Weight lifting provides benefits for both men and women, although the body’s ability to increase muscle mass varies between the two sexes. Essentially, women’s weight lifting activities will increase the body’s appearance of tone, while also boosting the body’s strength and abilities. On the other hand, men’s weight lifting activities will actually increase the size of various muscle groups; therefore, both men and women benefit, yet only men are able to significantly bulk up from weight lifting activities. Also, lean muscle tissue is where the bulk of calories are burned when being processed, so individuals who begin a weight lifting regimen early on in life often lose about ½ to ¾ of a pound more than non-weight lifters each year.
Improved Aging Abilities
As humans age, the body naturally slows down, as the metabolic rate also slows its processes. As a result, it is common and normal for humans to gain relatively small amounts of weight each year as they gain. By lifting weights, however, dieters are able to prevent this weight gain, as the muscle tissues and fibers promote weight loss at every age throughout one’s lifetime.
Why Dieting Alone May Not Work
- By dieting alone, without exercise, the body begins to burn muscle stores; therefore, while individuals may experience weight loss, nearly 25% of the amount lost may come from muscle tissue and fibers.
- Exercise and weight lifting boost metabolic levels; therefore, dieting alone can actually hinder the body’s ability to efficiently and effectively burn fat and calories from one’s diet.
- Even cardiovascular activities have been shown to not completely boost one’s metabolic rate. Traditionally, cardio exercises include activities such as running, jogging, walking, etc. These activities are effective calorie-burning exercises, but only increased muscle can effectively boost one’s metabolic rate.
How to Begin Weight Lifting
Individuals interested in weight lifting can take advantage of various fitness opportunities, such as:
- Attending weight lifting / muscle building group fitness courses.
- Joining a gym with various weight equipment machines to help provide support and guidance.
- Hiring a personal trainer who can guide an individual through specific and effective exercises.
Add weight lifting to your workouts today, if you haven’t already!
This is an article from FatManUnleashed.com’s Healthy Weight Loss and Fitness Blog.
Weight Lifting for Weight Loss, Fitness and Health
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What I Learned from the Tampa Bay Rays and the ALCS
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I’m not a huge baseball fan, but I am a big sports/competition fan. So no matter what sport it is, when playoff time comes I become an instant fan of that sport. I was fortunate enough to attend game 3 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) in Tampa Bay where the Tampa Bay Rays were visited by the Boston Red Sox. It was a great game to watch. I actually left early and finished watching the game at home since it went into extra innings. The Rays won that game.
What Got Me Thinking
Fast forward to game 7 of the ALCS. I was invited again. This was actually last night. The game was amazing. Before last night I had never been in a stadium (Tropicana Field is where the Rays play) that loud. It was so loud my ears were ringing. Simply amazing. After the Rays won I was thinking to myself…these guys are determined and full of support.
Then on the drive home I started thinking about how the Tampa Bay Rays had persevered throughout the entire season and especially in the ALCS. They were up, then down, then up, then down, and then pulled through to win. It doesn’t get any better than that.
What I Learned
By now you must be thinking to yourself, “Okay bub, what’s the point and what did you learn?” Well, I learned that in life you will be challenged. Sometimes you get challenged by small things you can overcome easily. But there are those times when you get challenged by something bigger than you, forcing you to dig down deep to try and overcome it. You may fail, as the Rays did in games 5 and 6, but if you believe in yourself and do the things you need to do, you will overcome.
How It Applies to My Weight Loss
I can apply that to my weight loss journey. I have had my ups and downs, but I always manage to get myself back on track. It helps to have a “team” behind you. By team I mean a support mechanism. That “team” can be teammates (like the Rays) or it can be family and friends, or a blog with readers, or a notebook to write in. Or maybe even imaginary friends… Anything, so long as it supports you goals.
The Journey Is Always Worth It…
I’m a realist and understand that sometimes you just can’t overcome things, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. You never know what can happen…right? Even if you don’t overcome that “thing,” isn’t the journey worth it? I think so. I have learned a lot about myself, both mentally and physically, during this iteration of my weight loss journey. I always knew how to workout, but never really knew how my body reacted to specific things. I always knew that I was mentally tough in some areas and not some, but now after writing about my weight loss for over a year, I can zero in on what the exact areas are that I need improvement in.
Even if the Rays hadn’t made it to the World Series, they would still have been a strong team for going through what they have so far. The same goes for the Boston Red Sox. Although they lost, they are a way better team for having made it this far, plus they lost to something greater than them, not something weaker. That will help them become better.
While I have not yet reached my ultimate eight loss goal, I can honestly say that I am a better person because of this blog. So, it has been 100% worth it.
This is an article from FatManUnleashed.com’s Healthy Weight Loss and Fitness Blog.
What I Learned from the Tampa Bay Rays and the ALCS
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Diet Food Delivery Review
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DietFoodDelivery.org is a comprehensive guide informing you of the latest available diet food delivery services as well as an in depth look of each service they have listed. Each service has its own section with detailed information such as sample menus, special offers, testimonials, and a summary. You can compare diet programs and decide which service would be the best fit for you. Each service offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to eat in between meals. Every diet food delivery service that is listed has a special offer or coupon code that you can use to save. Some are a percentage off your order, free shipping plus a free meal on your first purchase, or 1-2 weeks of free meals. Therefore, be sure to check out their latest special offers listed on the comparison table as well as each section as mentioned earlier.
After you’ve done your research and decided which service you would like to order from; you have the convenience to order via website, phone, or fax on some services. You choose which program you want, for example, low carb, men’s, women’s, senior, vegetarian, etc. as well as the menu and depending on the service you can pick out certain meals you want to have. After order takes place there is a confirmation given by email or phone to give you notice of the delivery date. Food is stored in a special container that preserves the freshness of your food; so when you are not available to pickup the deliver it’ll be there waiting for you when you get back and still fresh. Take note that deliveries are weekly and provides a week worth of food so be sure to have a freezer with enough space to store everything. Depending on where you are located some services can offer a daily delivery.
Be aware that if you decide to use a diet food delivery service you will have to stay focused and be careful. You have to eat ONLY your daily portion of meals as well as snacks. I highly recommend that you do not buy anymore food, no snacks, or ingredients for meals. This would only tempt you even more to eat outside of the daily meals and snacks provided by the service you have chosen.
Another issue to be concerned about is the cost. Now some of them cost on average around $12 depending on the type of program you chose. It can easily become higher than that. When you go buy your next week’s worth of food record how much money you’ve spent. If you do not shop weekly or just a couple of days out of the week then just save the receipts that equal to a week’s worth of food. Then compare the daily cost from your week’s worth of food to the daily cost of the service. Depending on how much you usually spend you could actually be saving some money.
These services are designed to give you less daily carbs based on your ideal weight so you can lose weight. There is a handy weight calculator on their website which calculates your ideal weight based on the information you’ve provided. Once you’ve reached your ideal weight you should either change to another kind of service or start back preparing your own meals. There is a page that helps you with how long you should stay on a program. Therefore continuing to use the service can lead to medical problems from becoming underweight. On a final note. With any diet there is work involved. You have to resist the temptations. This service is just a big helper but you have to still put in the effort to reach your goals.
Spread the Health News? - Get all of the latest health news, submit your own, and vote them to the top.
This is an article from FatManUnleashed.com’s Healthy Weight Loss and Fitness Blog.
Diet Food Delivery Review
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Team Fat Man is Unleashed: Sponsoring Athletes
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A few months ago I was talking to a buddy of mine that happens to be an avid runner. He is a mad man when he runs and I like to think that he kicks ass-phault (I saw that slogan on a shirt)! He is always talking about entering races, running times, and Gatorade. He even plans on running the upcoming Boston Marathon, as well as a few smaller local Tampa races. This guy is a beast, and could be even better if he ate like some hardcore marathoners ate. So, this Saturday is his first race since I have met him. I like the guy, he is cool, hilarious, and is into health. Plus, he is always on top of me about exercising. That’s a good accountability tool. I even plan on running my first 5K because of his peer pressure, ummm, I mean support.
He is the first official Team Fat Man athlete and you should all be hearing (or reading) from him soon.
What is Team Fat Man?
Well, it’s pretty simple really. You are Team Fat Man. More specifically though, Team Fat Man is an initiative I came up with to help sponsor and promote health and fitness. FatManUnleashed.com will:
- Sponsor any person/athlete that enters a race, marathon, biking race, swimming race, sports event, contest, etc, etc, etc.
- We will reimburse your entry fee (up to a specified amount that needs to be agreed upon prior to any commitment from FMU).
- Provide you a free TeamFatMan.com t-shirt.
- Feature you on Fat Man Unleashed as an official Team Fat Man member.
I am working on providing an extra goody for being a member of Team Fat Man, but that is in the works and open to ideas.
What is the Catch or Athletes Role?
The catch is:
- You have to place within the top 8% of all entrants (open to change).
- Wear a TeamFatMan.com t-shirt during the event (or after if it’s a race or some other obstacle is presented).
- Write a blog post about the experience that will be posted on FMU.
If you have any suggestions or comments regarding Team Fat Man and the whole sponsoring thing, let me know. I am always open to ideas. This is open to athletes and potentially to people that walk for charities.
If you want to become a Team Fat Man member, please contact me so that we can get started. Please provide the race you will run, the entrance cost, a link to the race web site, and a little bit about yourself.
Spread the Health News? - Get all of the latest health news, submit your own, and vote them to the top.
This is an article from FatManUnleashed.com’s Healthy Weight Loss and Fitness Blog.
Team Fat Man is Unleashed: Sponsoring Athletes
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High Bad Cholesterol (LDL), But No Diabetes
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A couple of weeks ago I went to a doctor to get my first full physical in 8 years. I’ve always felt pretty healthy, fat and all. But I’ve secretly been really scared of being diagnosed with diabetes, especially since a few of my family members have it. The results are in!
After waiting for my blood work results I was told that I don’t have diabetes, but do have high cholesterol. I had explained to the doc that I have been losing weight gradually for the past year and that I am living a healthier lifestyle. She, yes it’s a she (for some reason I trust female doctors more. It also helped that she graduated from my alma mater), said that I should go back and see her in 2 months and that I should continue to exercise and eat healthier. She also told me to start taking omega 3 fish oil. Lucky for me, I had some unopened omega 3 fish oil gel capsules that a friend had given me. That, working out, taking more fiber, and cutting back on cholesterol raising foods should do the trick.
So, my cholesterol is not that bad but it’s higher than she would like to see. That got me thinking that my cholesterol must have been a whole lot higher before I lost the 50 lbs…
I’m no expert so I had to do some research on the subject of cholesterol. One thing I do know is that having high levels of cholesterol is bad for you and can lead to cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks or strokes. Not bueno! I like my heart.
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that circulates in your blood. Some of your cholesterol comes from the foods you eat and some of it is made in your own body, specifically in the liver. Cholesterol does help produce new cells and some hormones, but too much of it in the blood can be troublesome.
LDL cholesterol is considered the bad one and HDL cholesterol is considered the normal one. HDL attaches to the LDL and brings it to the liver to filter it out of your body. I was told that I have high bad cholesterol which scared the crap out of me. Having high levels of cholesterol can lead to the build of of plaque that clogs the arteries which in turn leads to either heart attacks or strokes, depending on where the blood flow is reduced.
There are some foods I can avoid to help with lowering my cholesterol levels. Most are animal products that contain saturated fat. Some are meat, poultry, shellfish, milk, cheese, and eggs. Most fast food, junk food and packaged snacks are not welcomed either.
After doing some research on cholesterol I’ve come to the realization that this weight loss thing is for real. I NEED TO DROP THIS FAT WEIGHT. Not just to look better physically and feel better mentally, but to actually reduce the chances of dying!!!
I don’t know about you, but I am way too young to die and have way too much to live for.
This is an article from FatManUnleashed.com’s Healthy Weight Loss and Fitness Blog.
High Bad Cholesterol (LDL), But No Diabetes
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Rise in Obesity Related to Quick Weight Loss Diets?
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Editor’s note: This is a guest article from Andrew B. He writes at How To Stop Eating, a binge eating blog which contains tips to recovery from compulsive eating.
Due to the increase of obesity in today’s society everyone is looking for quick weight loss. This is dangerous, and can lead to developing binge eating disorder. Eating disorders are psychiatric abnormalities in one’s eating habits. Tabloids display the secret eating disorders of movie stars and musicians. Yet the news never discuss how dangerous these eating disorders really are, and how common they are.
Most quick weight loss techniques require crazy unrealistic diets. Obviously these diets never keep the weight off. Even if a diet works, often the pounds lost are gained back slowly simply because no one can diet forever. The problem with quick weight loss trial is that they often require you to avoid junk foods and fast foods. This often leads to binge eating.
Binge eating is consuming very large quantities of food in a short period of time. Binge eating isn’t related to hunger most of the time. Often it’s consuming food beyond the point of satisfying one’s physical hunger. Binge eaters often eat large amounts of food even when they aren’t really hungry. Binge eating usually leads to feelings of guilt or sadness because of the future weight gain it will lead to.
Following the popular advice of diets that recommend avoiding junk foods and fast foods is dangerous. When one avoids such foods, one starts craving them more and more. These carvings get out of control and usually lead to binge eating. For example, if a person has been avoiding cookies, and then decides to eat one, he’ll often end up eating several more and lose control.
It’s important to note that binge eating is different from bulimia. Bulimia usually involves overeating which is followed by self-induced vomiting, or fasting. Binge eating is also one of the main causes of obesity today. Obesity is very dangerous for one’s health, yet often it’s very challenging to treat.
Often obese individuals eat for comfort, and develop food addictions. These addictions can also be a form of emotional eating. Emotional eating is basically when one eats not to satisfy physical hunger but rather to deal with tough or negative emotions. Stress eating is a common example where one will consume more food on a stressful day.
Binge eating is usually kept a secret. A food addict will usually overeat in private to avoid others finding out about their disorderly eating habits. This is why binge eating is very tough to treat because sufferers often keep it a secret. Many will overeat until becoming obese and then will eventually feel desperate and seek help.
Therapy is the most common treatment for binge eating. There are also recovery clinics that a binge eater can check into. Additionally there are many books on the topic where the authors share their own recovery efforts, what worked for them and what didn’t. There are also support groups such as overeaters anonymous and eating disorder support forums online.
Next time you are thinking about quick weight loss, think again. Trying to lose weight quickly is unrealistic and dangerous. Also being obsessed with your body shape can lead to developing eating disorders. It’s best to lose weight naturally through exercise, and slowly implementing healthier eating habits.
This is an article from FatManUnleashed.com’s Healthy Weight Loss and Fitness Blog.
Rise in Obesity Related to Quick Weight Loss Diets?
