Thought for the Day

"Every man is a builder of his temple called the body."

Ronnie Coleman "Nobody Wanna Do These Lunges!"

Establishing a Fitness Routine

When you have determined that you want to become fit, you will want to establish a fitness routine. Although most people think of classes and specific activities (such as jogging or tennis) as the way to fitness, there are many ways you can work physical activity into your life.

Structured fitness

Fitness classes or groups provide a consistent approach to an activity. Local gyms, schools, and churches may sponsor a regular fitness group. Teams also provide a consistent approach to fitness but are more competitive. Many communities have physical activity programs to help adults and children get fit. They often are found within social agencies and schools.

Structured fitness has the advantage of:

Being held at the same time and place, which is easier for you to schedule.
Having a social atmosphere.
"Healthy" peer pressure to show up and participate.

Self-directed fitness

Many people find an activity they enjoy and create their own fitness program. For it to be effective, you must set up a regular schedule and stick to it. Self-directed fitness gives you:

Flexibility as to the time and place.
The ability to try different types of exercises.

Fitness within your day

You can use "everyday" activities for fitness, as long as you do them regularly. This includes:

Daily aerobic activity, such as raking leaves, mowing the lawn, or doing housework.
Physical activity in the workplace, such as using stairs instead of elevators.
Muscle-conditioning exercises, such as scrubbing the bathtub, washing walls, tilling the garden, or pulling weeds.
An outdoor interest that promotes walking or another type of exercise. For example, bird watching may involve considerable walking, and trail building may involve both walking and strength to clear paths.

Do I Have The Flu?

In the beginning, symptoms of the flu are similar. These symptoms can also be caused by other types of viruses as well. This is what makes it difficult to diagnose the flu.

Symptoms of H1N1 flu

The initial symptoms of this new flu have been similar to the symptoms of the regular flu. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may be more common.

Here are the differences so far between H1N1 flu and seasonal flu:

H1N1flu seem to thrive in much warmer than the usual cold weather when seasonal flu thrives.
Symptoms seem to be no worse than those of seasonal flu, although that may change when the weather gets colder in late fall and winter.
People with flu symptoms should seek immediate medical attention if, instead of recovering, they become sicker with the danger signs listed here.

For adults, the most worrisome symptoms are these:

shortness of breath
persistent vomiting
confusion
dizziness
For young children, the most worrisome symptoms are:

very rapid breathing
not interacting normally, not eating or drinking normally, being unusually irritable, or appearing unusually sleepy
high fever and rash
a bluish color of the lips and skin


MSN Health

Don't Count Sheep! Try These Five Foods!

Cherries
Should you let yourself have that midnight snack if you're having trouble sleeping and you think hunger might be part of the problem? Here are five foods that can actually help you drift off:

Fresh and dried cherries are one of the only natural food sources of melatonin, the chemical that controls the body's internal clock to regulate sleep. Researchers who tested tart cherries and found high levels of melatonin recommend eating them an hour before bedtime or before a trip when you want to sleep on the plane.

Bananas
Potassium and magnesium are natural muscle relaxants, and bananas are a good source of both. They also contain the amino acid L-tryptophan, which gets converted to 5-HTP in the brain. The 5-HTP in turn is converted to serotonin (a relaxing neurotransmitter) and melatonin.

Toast
Carbohydrate-rich foods trigger insulin production, which induces sleep. Bring on sleepiness by speeding up the release of tryptophan and serotonin, two brain chemicals that relax you and send you to sleep.

Oatmeal
Like toast, a bowl of oatmeal will trigger insulin production, raising blood sugar naturally and making you feel sleepy. Oats are also rich in melatonin, which many people take as a sleep aid.

Warm milk
Like bananas, milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan, which turns to 5-HTP and releases relaxing serotonin. It's also high in calcium, which promotes sleep.

Nuts are NUT-ricious!

Nuts get a bad wrap for being high in fat. Well, that is true to some extent but they are good fats to consume. The fat that is found in nuts is the monosaturated kind. This type of fat actually helps lower "bad" cholesterol or LDL.

Almonds are the leader of the pack due to their nutritional value. They are chock full of protein, fiber, calcium, vitamin E, iron, magnesium and phosphorous. Hazelnuts have tons of vitamin E in them while cashews and pistachios are rich in potassium. Walnuts are loaded in omega-3 fatty acids.

Although nuts are rich in nutrients, they can also add up in calories quickly! A one ounce serving(about the size of the palm of your hand) can be anywhere from 160-200 calories. Instead of eating a bag of cashews or almonds, snack on a one ounce serving. Nuts aren't just for snacking either. Enjoy the health benefits by adding them to your morning oatmeal or sprinkle them on a salad.

Iron Angels on Stage

This past weekend several of Moncef's Iron Angels competed AND placed at the NPC Natural Northern in Cleveland, OH.

Check out this link for pictures of our crew!!
Ironangelsonstage.com