The Skinny Kid

Our readers know we like exercises that can be done anywhere, with limited budget and equipment. Stunnerian delivers, with a 10 minute exercise routine that hits the critical activities without a single piece of equipment.

» 10-Minute Exercise Anytime Anywhere

1 Minute Back Stretch

- Sit with your legs straight out in front of you and your back straight.
- Place your right palm flat on the floor behind you as you twist your head and shoulders so that you are looking over your right shoulder.
- Make sure that you keep both buttocks flat on the floor.
- Hold for 15 then do the other side.
- Repeat twice.

1 Minute Back Scratcher

- Sit with your legs stretched out in front of you and your back straight.
- Stretch your right arm and bend it at the elbow as if you are going to scratch your back between your shoulder blades.
- Reach your left arm behind your back to touch or hold the fingers of your right hand.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds.
- Repeat on the other side.

2 Minutes of Sit Ups

- Lie flat on the floor on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
- Place your palms on your hips and run them up to your knees, pulling yourself up by your stomach muscles.
- Do as many of these sit ups as you can in 2 minutes.

5 Minutes of Step Ups

- Find a step of about 6-8 inches of height. Step up with your left foot.
- Raise your right foot to join it.
- Take your left foot off of the step and then your right foot to join it.
- Repeat For 5 Minutes

1 Minute of Press Ups

- Lie on your stomach.
- Bend your arms at the elbows and place both hands flat on the floor with your thumbs at shoulder level.
- Keep your toes flexed and on the floor.
- Push on your palms to raise your upper body.
- Your back and shoulders should be flat and your buttocks should not be sticking up.
- Fully extend your arms but do not lock them.
- Now slowly lower your body back on to the ground and repeat as many times as your can in 1 minute.

Congratulations! You have just completed 10 minutes of exercise that did a lot to increase your cardio-fitness, helped to maintain the strength in your arms, shoulders and legs, and increased the flexibility in your joints. If you don’t have a lot of time to work out, try performing these exercises for 10 minutes 3-4 times per week, and you will see and feel a great difference.

We are big fans of the home workout - private, can be done at your convenience, and saves you the changing clothes/showering problem. The problem is always that there are so many distractions around the house you don’t end up doing anything.  Here’s an article that may help you out on that front.
TheKSBWChannel.com - Health - Creating A Home Health Regimen and Sticking To It!

Creating a home fitness plan is fairly simple — remaining dedicated, on the other hand, presents a different proposition entirely. After the honeymoon phase fades, shiny, new exercise equipment often becomes an additional place to hang clothes and collect dust. However, there is hope for creating a home regimen that you’ll commit to; the key is developing a plan that blends into everyday living spaces, affords flexibility for a variety of physical activity and meets your personal fitness needs. With a moderate investment and some thoughtful planning, you can create a comprehensive program at home that you’ll stick with.

Hey, dude, it’s time to get a medical clue - What, me worry? - MSNBC.com

Men may be thinking more about their health these days, according to the Men’s Health/MSNBC survey, but too many rough and tough guys are still ignoring their bodies.

Women tend to worry too much about their weight, but guys typically think they’re just a few sit-ups away from being in the shape they were in college or high school.

Too true. Too true.

We have pointed to studies on calorie restriction before.  Believers in the process note that it works in almost all other animals, so why not humans? Obviously a true study of the effects would take decades to complete. However, a shorter study has shown that markers for longevity start getting triggered early.
Researchers Study Whether Cutting Calories May Help You Live Longer (press release)

Reducing calories over six months resulted in a decrease in fasting insulin levels and body temperature, two biomarkers of longevity, according to a study in the April 5 issue of JAMA. Longer studies are required to determine if calorie restriction changes the aging process in humans.

Prolonged calorie restriction increases life span in rodents and other shorter-lived species. Whether this occurs in humans is unknown, according to background information in the article. One theory concerning the antiaging effects of calorie restriction is its impact on metabolism, including alterations in insulin sensitivity and signaling, neuroendocrine function, stress response, or a combination of these.

UK’s Mirror recently had an article detailing nine ways to live longer. Some are relatively obvious (quit smoking.) Others are more obscure (switch to chill-out FM) and still others are welcome news (drink more coffee). The list:

Mirror.co.uk - Sex & Health - Slimming & Health - 9 WAYS TO LIVE LONGER

1 Look in the mirror and quit smoking

YOU’VE heard a million times how smoking is bad for you, but now new research from The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital has revealed that looking in the mirror might tell you exactly how much damage the habit has done you. The study found that the more wrinkles a smoker has, the more likely they are to develop a life-threatening disease, such as emphysema.

2 Cook some broccoli

THIS is the king of life-extending foods and we should be eating it at least three or four times a week to stay healthy. It’s so powerful that this green has been linked to a lower risk of breast, bowel and lung cancers.

3 Book a smear test

SMEAR tests detect changes in the cels of the cervix before they become cancerous - which might explain why the majority of women diagnosed with actual cervical cancer are those who haven’t had a smear test in the last three years.

4 Switch to “chill-out” FM

YOU might like listening to dance music while you’re driving, but research from Ben Guiron University in Israel has found that listening to fast music in the car makes people more likely to speed and makes them twice as likely to jump a red light.

5 Microwave your BBQ

MEAT eaters suffer higher cancer rates than vegetarians, and it used to be that fat levels were blamed. Increasingly experts are pointing the finger at carcinogenic compounds that form on meat when it’s cooked.

6 Buy a tape measure

WRAP it around your waist to find your measurement. If you’re a woman and the result reads more than 35 inches, or a man who measures over 40 inches, you’re carrying too much fat around your middle and as a result have a higher risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

7 Have a cup of coffee

DETOX enthusiasts might hate it but it’s becoming increasingly likely that having a cup of coffee in the morning could save your life. It’s been linked to a lower risk of liver cancer, alcoholic liver damage, breast cancer, Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and others.

In fact you shouldn’t feel guilty for anything up to five cups a day. Any more than this and few extra benefits are seen, but some negative effects (including caffeine addiction and a higher risk of brain haemorrhage) do start to kick in.

8 Look after your telomeres

TELOMERES are the little caps that seal the ends of your chromosomes, and they seem to make the major decision about how fast you age, and potentially how long you live as they could be linked to cancer development. So far, three main things have been shown to attack telomeres - smoking, obesity, and long-lasting stress, which seems to attack the enzyme, called telomerase, that re-builds telomeres when they get damaged.

9 Walk 4,857 steps

TEN thousand steps might be the amount that will improve your fitness, but roughly half that is all you need take to save your life, says a new research study called the STRRIDE trial being carried out in the US. The trial found that people walking 12 miles a week, that’s an about 4,857 steps a day, had positive reductions in 17 life-saving measures including waist size, cholesterol level and the amount of insulin in their body. Buy yourself a pedometer and get walking - 3,400 steps is roughly a 30-minute steady walk.

Bobby Flay puts some flair into salad, such that you might actually want to eat it. Filet mignon, anyone?

Men’s Fitness: Mean Greens

TO MAKE: [1] Whisk soy sauce, lime juice, chili paste, and oil together; pour into a resealable bag. [2] Add steaks; close bag (removing the air). Marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge. [3] Heat grill to high. [4] Remove steaks from bag; pat dry. Season with pepper; grill for 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. [5] Remove from grill, let sit for 5 minutes, then slice into 1z4-inch-thick slices. [6] Combine salad ingredients in a bowl. Toss with half the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a platter, top with steak, and drizzle on remaining dressing. Makes 4 servings.

Keep your brain healthy by eating these foods, according to the author of Superfoods. I’m glad to report I have eaten six of the nine within the last two days. I must be smart!

Blueberries. “Brainberries” is what Steven Pratt, MD, author of “Superfoods Rx: Fourteen Foods Proven to Change Your Life,” calls these tasty fruits….
Studies have also shown that diets rich in blueberries significantly improved both the learning capacity and motor skills of aging rats, making them mentally equivalent to much younger rats.
Wild salmon. Deep-water fish, such as salmon, are rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids, which are essential for brain function, says Kulze. Both she and Pratt recommend wild salmon for its “cleanliness” and the fact that it is in plentiful supply.

Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds are good sources of vitamin E, says Pratt, explaining that higher levels of vitamin E correspond with less cognitive decline as you get older.
Avocados. Avocados are almost as good as blueberries in promoting brain health, says Pratt.

Avocados also lower blood pressure, says Pratt, and as hypertension is a risk factor for the decline in cognitive abilities, a lower blood pressure should promote brain health. Avocados are high in calories, however, so Kulze suggests adding just 1/4 to 1/2 of an avocado to one daily meal as a side dish.

Whole grains. Whole grains, such as oatmeal, whole-grain breads, and brown rice can reduce the risk for heart disease.

Beans. Beans are “under-recognized” and “economical,” says Kulze. They also stabilize glucose (blood sugar) levels. The brain is dependent on glucose for fuel, Kulze explains, and since it can’t store the glucose, it relies on a steady stream of energy — which beans can provide.Pomegranate juice. Pomegranate juice (you can eat the fruit itself but with its many tiny seeds, it’s not nearly as convenient) offers potent antioxidant benefits, says Kulze, which protect the brain from the damage of free radicals.

Freshly brewed tea. Two to three cups a day of freshly brewed tea — hot or iced — contains a modest amount of caffeine which, when used “judiciously,” says Kulze — can boost brain power by enhancing memory, focus, and mood. Tea also has potent antioxidants, especially the class known as catechines, which promotes healthy blood flow.Bottled or powdered teas don’t do the trick, however, says Kulze. “It has to be freshly brewed.” Tea bags do count, however.

Dark chocolate. Let’s end with the good stuff. Dark chocolate has powerful antioxidant properties, contains several natural stimulants, including caffeine, which enhance focus and concentration, and stimulates the production of endorphins, which helps improve mood.

Source: FOXNews.com - Eating ‘Smart’: 9 Super Foods for Better Brain - Nutrition and Fitness

We came across two articles today that we thought present an interesting juxtaposition. The first one says that poor people age faster, even after controlling for other factors. The second says that the longer you live, the more likely you will run out of money. So if you are wealthy you will live longer, but if you live longer you will become poor.

Technology News: Health: Study Says Wealthy Live Longer

Telomeres, which shorten every time a cell divides, are thought to hold the keys to the ageing process. The study compared telomere length of 1,552 female twins in Britain between the ages of 18 and 75, and even after adjusting for factors such as obesity, smoking and exercise, the scientists found that telomeres in women of lower economic status were significantly shorter.

Who will live longer – you or your pension?

“If you are able to draw a 20% income on a living annuity then you must be a fairly well off pensioner drawing the maximum to get out of it quickly, or you are spending your retirement recklessly,” says Ingram.

Keep in mind, the study was funded by the manufacturer. There are generally no easy ways out.

The Daily Record - NEWS - DOCSBACK PILLS

A patient study in Scotland found the drug made people feel fuller for longer, making them eat less.

And researchers found the 70 people who completed the study kept the weight off or lost more weight after stopping the drugs.

Fife dietician Dr Carrie Ruxton, who led the study, said: “Many people are sceptical about drugs that claim to help people lose weight but my study shows that this does actually work.”

She said the drug, Zotrim, contains three herbs from South America to keep food in the stomach longer.

Dr Ruxton was commissioned by the drug’s manufacturer, Nature’s Remedies, to carry out her study.

Refrigerator Raid offers a concise explanation.

Whole grains contain the entire kernel of the grain, and haven’t been stripped of their bran or germ. Refined grains, on the other hand, have been milled, so they no longer contain their bran or germ. Because of this, they are less nutritious and usually have less fiber. Examples include white rice and white bread.

The bran and germ on a whole grain is rich in B vitamins, fiber and other nutrients. That means it provides your body with lots of nutrition, plus the fiber helps you stay full longer.