HEALTH & FITNESS

News about health, fitness, exercise and healthy living in Alabama

So you ate one too many snickerdoodles over the holidays, and now your tummy is bulging over the top of your pants.

Like many Americans, you probably have the same New Year's resolution year after year, and 2009 is no different: Get in shape. Continue reading "Economy has some gyms scaling back on prices" »

The mystery of the South's deadly Stroke Belt runs much deeper than expected, with researchers finding that by and large it's not simply due to prime suspects such as high blood pressure and diabetes, according to a landmark study coordinated at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The study -- Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke, or REGARDS -- has found that most obvious stroke risks certainly are contributing to the South's stroke problem, but not nearly to the extent researchers believed they would.

"This deepens the mystery," said Dr. George Howard of UAB's School of Public Health and principal investigator for REGARDS.

Howard's study is being conducted through several medical institutions and is exploring regional and racial differences in stroke illness and death in the Stroke Belt: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee.

Howard said the research, published in the Annals of Neurology, examined the most likely reasons why stroke deaths are higher in the South in general and even higher among black Southerners in particular.

Researchers analyzed data collected about the most obvious risks, such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and smoking.

Clearly, people in the South are more likely to have those health risks than people in the rest of the nation, and those risks do appear to be contributing to the region's stroke death rate, which is about 50 percent higher than in the rest of the United States, Howard said.

But the effect was much less than expected.

"What this paper shows is that Southerners are more likely to have a worse risk-factor profile," he said. "But, boy, we were disappointed about how small that effect was."

Continue reading "University of Alabama at Birmingham study deepens Stroke Belt mystery" »

The New Year is here and fitness centers will be packed for a month from resolution seekers. Why do gyms only experience this volume for a short amount of time? Research has shown that over 90% of exercisers quit within twelve weeks. Here are a few tips to stick with your goal this year.

Get Specific-dont just say your goal is to lose weight. Write down how much weight, a pants size you would like to get into, or a health risk you would like to decrease. When you decide what your goals are, you need to ask yourself why they are important are you. These answers will give you some motivation.

Make a plan and Commit - . Make sure whatever program you get involved in is composed of metabolic strength training. Decide the best way to get to your desired goals. Do some research or speak with a qualified fitness professional. Go ahead and commit to a gym membership, a workout partner, or a program that can keep you accountableth training.

Action - This is the step most people quit on. The reason that the gyms volume is back to normal after a few months, is that most people try and jump straight into action. They also lack the mind set needed from the other steps and eventually become stagnant in attaining goals.
Perfect example of what not to do-
• A person wants to lose weight
• They attain a gym membership.
• They do their cardiovascular exercise
• They see little to no results and justify not going anymore.

This year get specific, make a plan and commit, then take action.

Live Strong,

Romen McDonald
Fitness Professional

Alabamian returns from TV to coach participants in Scale Back Alabama weight-loss contest

It's a bit hard to picture Roger Shultz - a star center for the 1987-1990 University of Alabama football team - as a cheerleader.

But the 6-foot, 3-inch "Biggest Loser" finalist plans to be the "coach and biggest cheerleader" to participants in this year's Scale Back Alabama - a free contest to encourage overweight Alabamians to get healthier by losing weight and exercising.

"A lot of lessons I learned on `Biggest Loser,' I can bring back to residents of Alabama," says the ebullient 41-year-old husband and father of one who calls Enterprise his home.

Continue reading "'Biggest Loser' finalist Roger Shultz scales back" »

Former University of Alabama football star Roger Shultz is coming to Huntsville Wednesday night to give a motivational speech about losing weight and help another great cause - a planned special-needs playground at Brahan Spring Park.

The city of Huntsville is partnering with the local Kiwanis and Optimist Clubs to build the playground so disabled children can participate with others. The playground will be called EverybodyCanPlay.

Continue reading "Roger Shultz shares weight-loss tips" »

Couch potatoes now making 10 miles on ex-track club president's program

Want to become a runner?

Don't say no, even if you really think you can't run. A good number of people in metro Birmingham have found themselves building up to three-, six- or even 10-mile runs, thanks to Danny Haralson, a past president of the Birmingham Track Club.

These people had little background or experience with exercise. They ranged in age from the 20s to 60s. Some couldn't run around a block when they began.

Continue reading "Birmingham man makes running easy for beginners" »

Latin dance-based activity is popular with adults and children alike

Dilhani Uswatte started Berry Middle School's first Zumba club this fall because it seemed like an enjoyable way for students to get physically fit. It was so much fun, teachers wanted to do it, too.

Now, Zumba has become the first club at the Hoover school that teachers and students take part in together.

Continue reading "Exercise with a dash of salsa" »

There is no doubt about it our taste buds love sweets. Our palate sends of sensations in our brain that can actually release endorphins when we consume these tasty treats. Unfortunately, the over consumption of these high caloric foods with little nutrient density will effect our results if in excess. Here are a few tips to control this.
1. If you have them in your pantry throw them out! People always grab snacks for convenience and things like candy bars are readily available.
2. If you feel like you really want a sweet, drink 12oz of water and wait thirty minutes. You will probably forget about it and the water will slightly increase your satiety.
3. If co-workers are constantly bringing them in the office. Look at the people eating them typically they will be overweight and unhealthy. Understand that the taste will only last five seconds but your results can last a lifetime. Visualize where you want to be (figure wise) and how giving in to what your mouth wants, not what your body needs will effect that. Use these techniques to trigger you away from the sweets.
4. Do not totally restrict have one day where you reward yourself with ice cream, a candy bar, or dark chocolate. Only rule control the proportion size. Don't go into dairy queen and get the biggest size blizzard they have.
5. If you feel like you need sweets more than this add a 100cal snack pack to your meal or snack.

Do what's best for your body,

Romen Mcdonald