How to Build Muscle

Here are some tips to gain muscle bulk. This would be for men, or women who want to bulk up.   

• Lift heavy weights 6-10 reps. The last 3 should be very hard.

·         Rest in between weight workouts for a day; you can do cardio on the off days. If you feel like your body needs more time to recover, listen to it. Replace your workout with a good recovery workout or stretch that day. Follow the program, but you can also adjust to your body’s needs.

·         Sleep at least 8 hours. Your body actually uses the rest and sleep times to build the muscle not during the workout, that’s when it is tearing it down to rebuild stronger.

·         Drink water so that you avoid dehydration. Your body uses water to repair the muscles.

·         Eat enough calories to rebuild your muscles

·         Eat whole foods, meaning not from a box. Meats, dairy, fruits and vegetables, and wholes grains.

·         If you need to gain weight to gain muscle, eat calorie dense foods like grains, pasta, olive oil, and mixed nuts. You should also get enough veggies, but if you have a salad, add beans, rice and cheese to it to get enough calories.

·         Eat enough protein. You will need 1g protein per pound of body weight daily to build muscle. So if you weigh 160lbs you will need 160 grams of protein. That can come from meat, fish, dairy, beans, eggs, soy, whole grains, even some veggies have protein, and protein powder.

·         Eat 5-6 times a day. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. That will help keep your body in the mode for food, help you get enough calories, and help your metabolism.

·         Drink Recovery drink right after workout to help repair the muscles for the next workout.

 Good luck, and keep Pushing Play!

Helping to speed up your metabolism

One thing I have discovered is that people who regularly "diet" end up with slow metabolism's. They have been frequently starving themselves and their body did what it had to do to survive. It slowed its metabolism so that it could survive and store extra for times when there is even less food. So what do you do when you get caught in this situation? It feels like you are trapped and there is no way out, because if you add calories, then it seems like you immediately gain weight! Well, you need to get your body back in balance, and one of those things will be adding more calories to your diet. Here is a list of things that you can do to help your metabolism get back on track. I would say that you should get it back on track first, then you can safely try to loose weight again, but only by taking 500 calories a day out instead of going on a strict diet. Of course eat healthy, but keep track of your calories because loosing weight is a matter of numbers. You just need to subtract 500 calories a day from your diet to equal one pound a week. So here it is:

1.       Eat 6 small meals a day- keeps your metabolism working all day, and not going into storage mode.

2.       Exercise daily- you need to build muscle, not just cardio. Muscle burns fat even after you are done working out.

3.       Drink lots of water

4.       Get enough sleep at least 7 hours

5.       Eat whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, and low fat meats (unprocessed food)

6.       Work out first thing in the morning before you eat to start up your metabolism then eat right away after your workout.

7.       Know how many calories you burn in a day (body bug, fitbit, etc.) or calculate your BMR see number 9

8.       Keep track of the amount of calories you eat to lose weight safely it should be no more than 500 less than what you burn in a day. Free websites that can tell you approximately how many calories are in a food item. http://www.caloriescount.org/calculator.html

9.       How to calculate a normal BMR for a woman.    BMR=655+(4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)

10.   Take the amount of calories you consumed in the last 24 hours minus the total calories burned in the last 24 hours equals the deficit or surplus created. You want a deficit of 500 to loose one pound of fat in a week.

11.    Eat spicy foods with hot peppers.

12.   Avoid caffeine and soda and other food that has low or no nutritional value.

13.   Take multi vitamins daily.

14. I drink Shakeology every day. That helps me to have a highly nutritious meal that is also low in calories. Plus it is tasty and easy- I dont go a day without it.

Working out when Pregnant

When I was pregnant with my last baby, I worked out as normal for as long as I could, but then I wanted something that was made more for someone who was pregnant. So I ordered Yoga Booty Ballet Baby on the Way workout video. I did that for the last 3 months of my pregnancy, and really enjoyed it. They do all the exercises you are supposed to do when pregnant. It makes it easy to take care of yourself. I thought it was a great workout, and was perfect for me in the last part of my pregnancy. Not too strenuous, but I felt like it was a good work out for me. I recommend it to all pregnant women. You don't have to stop working out just because you are pregnant. (Unless your doctor tells you to.) Take good care, and good luck!

Arlene's Shakeology Story

I am Diabetic and 58 years old. I have been Diabetic for 14 years and until the last 4 years, even though I was watching my diet and trying to loose weight and succeeding with that I was unable to get my blood sugar under control and it just kept getting worse every time I went in to the Doctor and had my quarterly blood test done My A1C (which is a test that shows the average blood sugar for the last 3 months from the time it is taken and gives it a number) was always up in the 7.6 range, and it needs to be in the 6.4 range- or lower is better.  So then My Daughter introduced me to Shakeology so I was willing to give  it a try and see if it can help me in any way.  I took it and it was just 3 months later I went in for my test and I was so amazed it was 6.3. I had never before gotten it that low and the only thing I was doing different was drinking Shakeology everyday. It also helped me to feel better.  I was absolutely sold  and I will take it for the rest of my life. I know it has been a life saver for me.

 Arlene Dalton

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Corin's story

 

 Here is my friend Corin's story. . . Just in case you are second guessing if P90X would work for you, too.

I am Corin Hogan. I am 27 years old. And my goal is to fit into these capris pants that I have had from high school. I will get there. Growing up I was fit. I cheered in Middle school and most of high School. I also was a model for Wilhelmina models out of LA and New York. I seemed to always be in great shape. Right after graduation from High School I chose to join The Army National guard. I also joined the Army ROTC in college. Before going to boot camp, I tried out for the Ranger Challenge team in my ROTC. I made it and was the first female from my college to be on the team. We trained very hard and ran 10K with our rucksacks and fully dressed in our BDUS. I got in amazing shape which helped me at boot camp. I was running 14:30 2 miles doing 43 push ups in 2 min and 82 sit-ups in 2 min. I was in great shape.

Fast forward a little later, I met the man of my dreams and we started a family. With my first pregnancy I gained 60lbs. I was a manager at an amazing Breakfast restaurant and I was able to eat whatever I wanted for free. That definitely didn’t help with my pregnancy weight gain. After having my baby I struggled to lose the weight for about a year and a half. I then ran into a friend who I had not seen for months and she lost a ton of weight. That is when I learned about lifting heavy and eating clean. I was hooked. I was able to lose 50lbs and I felt great. But of course right after doing that I got pregnant with my second child.

My second pregnancy was a difficult one for me. When I was 12 weeks pregnant I had a major scare. I woke up with blurred vision, major migraine and the right side of my body went numb from my head down to my waist. It felt like someone had given me a Novocain shot from the dentist but all over the right side of my body. I went to the ER and they couldn’t do too much for me because I was pregnant. When I went back to my doctor she sent me to talk to the Neurologist who then sent me to the cardiologist. What a weird feeling it was being 23 surrounded by people much older than me. They ended up doing a echo cardiogram and sent me home. Quickly I received a phone call from the doctor saying that my husband and I needed to come as quickly as possible. We went back and they said they found a hole in my heart. They discussed options with us about having surgery to repair the hole and they let me know that I had, had a stroke that was caused by a blood clot that went from one side of my heart through the other to my brain. I was terrified. They ended up sending me to a high risk pregnancy doctor for the remainder of my pregnancy who did more tests. Come to find out they also diagnosed me with a blood clotting disorder (Makes sense because of the blood clot) Anyways the duration of my pregnancy I had to give myself heparin shots in my belly 2 times a day to prevent it from happening again. After I delivered My Anika, they wanted to check on my heart before they did surgery. They used and endoscope that they shoved down my throat and no longer saw the hole. Crazy. Things like that just don’t disappear. Anyways after this pregnancy I had a hard time losing weight. I think I got down to 192 from 207and I got pregnant again. (These babies are almost exactly 2 years apart.)

My third pregnancy went fine. They started me off with heparin at 12 weeks to make sure I would be fine. I was. I had really bad morning sickness with this baby and once I could eat, I ate. I topped out at my heaviest at 227lbs. I had my baby and didn’t even lose a lb. Nope not even the weight of the baby. I tried and tried to lose it but I was stuck. I was wearing a size 18 not recognizing myself anymore and even when I tried to go shopping it would end in a disaster. I would be bawling because nothing fit and I felt gross. One day it dawned on me that I needed to make a change. I purchased P90X from Craigslist to try and get my start. Well, for me that was a big mistake. It was missing 2 DVDs and the rest skipped. A few months later we got in contact with my husband’s friend and found out she was a coach with beach body. It intrigued me and she sent me info and I decided to join as a coach. I joined to hold myself accountable by letting others know what I was doing. I repurchased P90X and gave it a go. I didn’t hold anything back and sure enough I lost 60lbs using it and Shakeology. I have kept most of it off but gained only a few from sitting around not being able to work out for 3 months.

Transformation Pictures

These are my before and after pictures from doing P90X. I lost 6% body fat, and felt great. I highly reccomend the program because it works! Just remember that losing weight is 80% diet and 20% working out. But they both equal 100%, so you cant get the full results without one or the other.

Not losing weight?

Have you been trying to loose weight, but have plateaued? What can you do to break that plateau?
Here are a few ideas for you. Try what feels like the right option for you.
My first suggestion is not for everyone, and might surprise you, but if you  have been heavily dieting and restricting your calories to loose weight, you might need to add some now. After a while you body needs more calories to continue losing weight. One way to do this is to zig zag diet. This means to change your calorie intake every few days. One day you might start with eating 1800 calories then a few days later change it to 1400. Then back up a few days later. This will not only keep your metabolism guessing but help you learn what your body feels the best at.
Another thing to try is changing your workout routine, either harder or easier depending on what you were doing before. Your body adapts and gets used to a workout and needs you to chalenge it again to keep it guessing.
Make sure you are getting enough sleep. Sleep is when your body recovers, and if you do not allow it to recover your results will diminish.
 Take some time to relax and de-stress. Evaluate your habits, and make those changes needed. If you need to add calories, do it slowly, only100 or 200 calories at a time, and give yourself time to see if it is the right move. If you need ideas for new workout videos, or meal plans, visit my website, and feel free to send me a message and I would be happy to help you. Bring It!

Loosing Baby Weight

I had my 3rd baby 9 months ago, and once again experiencing how hard it is to loose all of the baby weight. Loosing weight is a simple formula, but not always as simple to implement. I worked out throughout my pregnancy, and popped back into fairly good shape soon after, but I have not gotten back to what I would like to get to.
What is the simple formula for loosing weight? Well simply you have to burn more calories then you take in. But the complected part can be, how do I know how much I am eating, and even harder to answer is how do I know how many calories am I burning? The answers to those questions is the key to loose weight. The thing I struggle with is after I have my baby, I nurse for about a year after, and it is hard for me to have as much control over myself to stick to a diet while nursing. It makes me hungry. So I do the best I can, then after I stop nursing, it is much easier to loose the weight and stick to a better eating plan.
The best way to stick to a meal plan is to plan it out first, and calorie count. Measure and package things in the right amounts to help with quick snacks and meals. There are many phone apps and web sites that you can find out how many calories are in things.
A way to find out exactly how many calories you burn in a day is to buy a body bug or ftibit and wear day and night to find out. Then you will know how much you need to eat. Take about 500 calories out of your calorie needs per day to loose weight effectively. If you do much more than that, you might go into starvation mode, and then your metabolism slows way down and then you wont loose any weight.
Do you have any great ideas you would like to share that has helped you in your journey to loose those baby pounds? Please let us know! Good luck!!

Body Mass Index

The other day my husband and I got one of those health pamphlets in the mail. Inside was a calculation for your body mass index. I was interested to know what mine would be so I plugged in my numbers and got my result. Then my husband wanted to know his too. It was interesting to know, but then it just peaked my interest, because it said that my husband was at the top of optimal and if he gained anymore weight, he would be considered over weight.  He is not a big guy, but I would say is about average. So today I looked at a few websites talking about BMI and found out that there is a slightly different calculation for men, but men like their weight to be at a slightly higher BMI then women. One thing I learned is that it doesn't take into account body type, or people who are very muscular. It might be worry some to someone who as a lot of muscle mass, and low body fat, because their weight might be considered overweight when in reality, they just have a lot of muscle.
So if you are interested in finding your BMI, then go ahead, it is good to keep yourself in check. Most likely you will know if you are overweight or not. I just recommend to not take it as the complete truth, listen to your gut feeling, and make the changes you feel are necessary, but don't stress over numbers. Health is more than numbers.
Click Here for the website I recommend to check your BMI.

"The Doctors"

Here is a video of Tony and Carl on "The Doctors" Enjoy.

Preventing Heart Disease

Like most people, I have parents and grandparents who have problems with high blood pressure, have had strokes and diabetes. I am 29, and will be 30 this year. I have helped my grandparents recover from strokes, and other problems that they have had, and can see what a devastating thing a stroke can be. So it makes me wonder, could they have done more and prevented or greatly slowed these problems down? I do not know exactly how they have lived their lives, but I have decided to do an experiment with my own life. I am going to listen to all that the doctors say about taking care of myself, and preventing those diseases from happening. This experiment will take my whole life to see the results of, but seeing that I have a family history riddled with these problems, I figure that it can only help.

So what exactly am I doing that is going to help prevent these problems?

1.       I exercise 5-6 days a week, or as often as I can.

2.       I cook healthy meals for my family with veggies, fruit and whole grains.

3.       I limit the amount of salt I put on the foods, and instead use herbs and other seasonings to help enhance the food taste.

4.       I take vitamins regularly.

5.       I drink mostly just water, and no alcohol, coffee or pop.

6.       I do my best to limit my sugar intake, with an occasional treat or desert.

7.       I try to stay active aside from my daily exercise, by going hiking, walking, gardening and yard care, and cleaning my home quickly so I raise my heart rate.

I live a regular life, and just do the best I can, but always have in the back of my mind my goal of living a happy healthy life. Not eating hamburger and fries every week or pizza and other greasy and salty foods, is not making my quality of life go down, but I believe it is enhancing my life. I am living in the moment and for the future.

I will let you know how I am doing in 70 years when I turn 100. You better be around and be happy and healthy with me. Let’s make that goal together. Here’s to a healthy life.

Muscle Soreness

If you have ever started a new workout program, or worked out extra hard, then you will know that being sore after a workout is not fun. But did you know that there are 3 different types of muscle soreness, and each one requires different remedy to help ease it?

1.       Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)

2.       Typical Muscle Soreness (TMS)

3.       Injury caused muscle soreness

So what is DOMS? It usually appears 24-72 hours after a very strenuous workout and is caused because of severe muscle break down. It does not mean that the muscle was damaged, but just broken down to build up to a better muscle for next time. It is the way the muscles adapt to perform at their peak. If you are looking to avoid this, then when starting a workout program, do not overdo it the first week or two, but rather build up to working harder and then you can push by the third week.  It also helps to take vitamin C to help the muscles rebuild themselves. I drink the results and recovery formula which has all the things your muscles need to recover quickly. If you do get sore this way, it is good to work out again and get blood flow to that area to help it recover, but just reduce your workout intensity so that your body can recover.

TMS is the lighter soreness that appears more quickly than DOMS. It is caused by lactic acid in your muscles and the recovery from it is similar, but when you work out, just go for it, and you will not even notice the soreness half way through the workout. Blood flow to the muscles and vitamin c is the best you can do for those sore muscles.

When you receive an injury, it is evident right away. Stop what you are doing, and Ice the area. Compress and try not to move it. It is a good idea to go see a doctor for an injury, because you do not want to make it worse and last even longer. Rest, ice and compress.

Hope this helps you in your quest to become healthier! Don’t be afraid of getting a little sore, because that is a sign that your body is growing and adapting and your muscles are becoming more efficient. Let’s Bring It!

Beachbody Challenge

I am starting a Beachbody challenge group starting on February 20th. We will all do the workout of your choice, drink Shakeology everyday and eat a healthy diet, log the workouts in WOWY super gym, and we will also have an exclusive group on facebook so that we can post comments to help keep each other motivated and accountable. I am so excited for this! These are the most important things when starting a workout program, and they all get covered here in this challenge. It is free to be a part of the group, so just send me a message if you want to be a part of this group, and we will blow this apart!
Click here if you want to join my group.

My Transformation Story

Here’s my story about how I’ve reached my fitness goals. Read below and learn how you can get great results too.

Like most people, I was an active kid who didn’t worry about nutrition and exercise.That changed as I grew into adulthood and started having kids. I realized I needed to eat better and exercise after I gained about 15 lbs. I joined a gym and got a personal trainer. I got decent results, but it required lots of time and money, and I didn’t like leaving my kids in the day care there.

One night, my husband and I came across an infomercial for P90X. We watched skeptically for a while, but it looked like the real thing. I turned to my husband and said, “We should get that program.” He disagreed, so I said, “What,you think that it’d be too hard for you?” My question pushed a button, and he got it for me that week.  I committed to the program and went from a slightly high 24% body fat to a healthy range of 17% in the 90 days. But I didn’t stop there. I wanted to keep pushing, so I got Insanity and did that 60 day program. I went from 17% body fat to an athletic range of 12%. I felt so good after both of those programs. I could run up and down the stairs all day and not get out of breath. I could play with my kids and not get tired.

Now, after having my 3rd baby, I still look great and am doing P90X2. I love it! I found these programs create results, and they are the best programs available. I knew becoming a Beachbody Coach and selling the programs would be a great opportunity because I love helping others get the results I got. The best part is I get paid doing what I love.

Push by Chalene Johnson

I want to tell you about a book I am reading right now. It is called PUSH by Chalene Johnson.  In the book she talks about how to set goals that are true to your lives values. Then she goes on to teach you how to achieve the goals. As part of the book she includes how to achieve fitness goals too. I like how she says in the book, “Fully 80 percent of results will come from your nutrition. Exercise accounts for only about 20 percent.”

One of the big things she teaches is to keep a daily to do list and always have 2 things relating to your big goal for the year on that list. The other things you should always include in your daily to do list are 3 health and fitness related items: one physical activity, one nutritional habit, and once knowledge/skill/ tools-related task.

If you are serious about finally achieving your goals in life and losing the weight or toning up; then this is the book that I would recommend for you. She makes it simple and tells you exactly what you need to be doing to work towards those goals daily.

http://www.chalenejohnson.com/pushjumpstart/

Katie's Story

Here is a story from my friend Katie, who transformed her body, and now looks like she did in High School! Thanks for sharing Katie!

In July 2009, I hiked with my church’s youth group. I was 70 pounds overweight, and boy, did I feel it! I was drenched in sweat as I huffed up the mountain. The rest of the group climbed the trail with ease. One man about twice my age was kind enough to slow down hang out with me behind everyone else. As he easily chatted, I gasped for air between words. I thought to myself, “This is not the kind of life a 26-year-old should be living!” I was trapped in my own body beneath layers of fat.

I finally decided to free myself from the bodily prison I created. I wanted the freedom to feel energetic, productive and attractive. I wanted the freedom to fit comfortably in tight spaces like stadium seating and crowded places. I wanted the freedom to shop in the misses’ department rather than the plus-size section. I wanted the freedom to enjoy—rather than dread—outdoor and physical recreation. Most of all, I wanted the freedom to thrive rather than merely survive.

I joined a structured nutrition program and called my friend, Julie, who is a Beachbody Coach. I started exercising daily to Hip HopAbs. I loved – and still do – shaking my booty with Shaun T. It’s easy to stay with a workout program when you enjoy it, and Beachbody has a wide variety of programs.

In about 8 months, I reached my goal of becoming 70 pounds freer. I now enjoy all the freedoms I wanted. I no longer trail behind others while hiking. I LEAD the group now!

P90X works!

It really works! I have had 3 kids, and have had amazing results too!

Health Benefits of the Tomato

You’ve heard that the tomato is good for you, but why? You might be surprised to know that eating a processed or heated tomato is better for you than a fresh tomato. The bright red and orange colors of the tomato are tell-tell sign of Lycopene. Lycopene is reported to help prevent many kinds of cancer including: Prostate, cervical, skin, breast, and lung. It also helps prevent macular degeneration of the eyes and other degenerative diseases. With those benefits and the vitamin C content, they offer a great immune benefit.

The reason that processed tomatoes are healthier than fresh is because the Lycopene is stored in the cell walls of the tomato and are released for easier absorption when the tomato is heated. It is also of benefit of vitamin C to help boost your immune.

When eating tomatoes be sure to them with some fat, because lycopene is fat-soluble. Olive oil is always a great choice, or your favorite cheese.

A fun side note: Historically the tomato was thought to be poisonous because it is part of the nightshade family whose plants are poisonous. But did you know that the stems and leaves of the tomato are in fact poisonous? Only about 200 years ago was the stigma of the tomato being poisonous was changed. I am awfully glad it was I don’t know if I could live without the tomato.

P90X2

Here is a video to tell us the differences between P90X and the new P90X2! Bring it! Again.

How do I fit in Exercise with kids?

I am a busy stay at home mom. Those who have been a stay at home mom, or are one, know how busy and difficult it is. It is very difficult to take care of your own needs, even to fit in a shower. So how do you manage to fit in exercise with little children?

First, you have to commit to it every day. Commit to an amount of time first, and then it will come easier after that. A 90 day program would be a great start. When I started working out at home, I started with P90X. I decided the only way to get the workout in without it interfering with my small children was to work out early in the morning before they got up. So I woke up at 6 am every morning, and finished around 7 am and quickly got my shower before the house became too busy.  It worked out great.

So second, decide on a time when you will work out and keep that time free of other commitments. I recommend an early time, but whatever works for you is best. Some times after the kids go to bed at night is a good time or even nap time. If there seems like there is no time when the kids are sleeping, try working out when they are awake in the room with you. You might have a few more distractions during the workout, but over time they get used to you working out and will bug you less. I will usually put on a movie for them while working out, and use my computer to play my workout video. You can even let them try to work out with you. My kids like to do that, but only last about 5 minutes before they get distracted and play.

The third thing you need to do is choose the right workout program for you. Everyone has different likes in the type of work out they enjoy. If you choose a program you enjoy, then you are more likely to stick to it. Beachbody has a myriad of programs, and all of them are good programs. I have tried many different videos and thought that it was just not possible to get a good home program. Then I found Beachbody and every program I have done from them is great. Go to the website to look at the programs available.

Lastly, stick with it. Habits take time to form, and this habit is easy to break. So it comes back to commitment. If you commit and follow through, you will succeed.

How do you eat Healthy?

"You are what you eat." That is not just a saying from your childhood, it is true.
I don't need to focus on they why you need to eat healthy, you have heard that enough, the question now is how?
If you fill yourself with marshmellows all the time, what will you end up being? It is not to say that you can occasionally have those things that you love, but to fuel your body, you need more disgression.
For me, the process of eating more healthy has been a long one. I remember the days when we (my husband and I) would sit down to a plate full of chicken nuggets and fries for dinner. I knew we needed to eat better, but had no idea how. What "diet" plans are for is to help you learn how to eat smarter. It will take a lot of work at first, but as you practice, it will become easier.
So you first need to decide, are you going to jump in the deep end and go right into a strict diet first, and learn how to eat better that way? Or are you going to wade in a step at a time and slowly make changes? That is the decision you need to make yourself because everyone is different. It has worked for me to slowly make changes for me and my family, but others revert back too easily and need that full submersion to find success.
Here is a link for you to find some easy steps to take called Michi's Ladder to make some steps towards your goal of eating better.
You can make it happen! Decide. Committ. Succeed.

Motivation for Cancer Patients

Here is an article from a guest blogger Liz Davis. Thanks for the great article Liz!

A panel conducted by the "American College of Sports Medicine" found that that exercise and proper nutrition during cancer treatment and afterwards decreases cancer symptoms, increases chances of survival and decreases remission rates.

  What symptoms of cancer can nutrition and exercise help? Fatigue is one of the main symptoms of cancer and cancer treatment as is depression and hopelessness. Pain in the body is another serious symptom of cancer. Exercise helps relieve all of these symptoms in many different ways.

It treats fatigue by increasing metabolism and processing energy more fully. This fully energized state eliminates fatigue in no time. Exercise also releases endorphins in the body that are designed to make the body feel better mentally and physically.

  Losing weight is vital to helping lessen the chances of remission. Studies have shown that inactive, overweight patients were much more highly likely to suffer from remission or lose their fight to cancer. Proper exercise and nutrition can help shed those extra pounds.

The types of exercises and the severity should be decided upon by you and your doctor to avoid over straining your body. Aerobic exercise like walking and bicycling are low impact enough for a cancer patient. Strength exercises such as lifting weights are also important but should be carefully monitored as chemotherapy can eliminate bone density very quickly. Balance exercises are also important to help keep your workout free of accidents. Exercises such as heel raises or walking a straight line are all you need. Stretching exercises can help eliminate pain by relieving strain in the body and eliminating tension and tightness in the muscles. These exercises should be discussed with a doctor to make sure the patient is capable of performing them.

  Proper nutrition for a cancer patient depends on its severity. Patients with a compromised immune system should avoid foods that make them sick. Basically, a great diet for a cancer patient includes a balanced diet with a heavy focus on protein. Foods such as cheese, yogurt, ice cream, eggs and pudding are also great sources of protein. However, you should avoid high fat foods to avoid gaining weight.

  Use proper nutrition and dieting to help treat many of the symptoms of cancer. This is true for people battling all types of cancers. Different methods will help different people, for example mesothelioma and lung cancer causes people to focus more on increasing lung capacity whereas people with breast cancer might want to focus on flexibility through yoga. It is important to talk to a specialist about the right fitness regimen. Diet and exercise are never a complete cure or treatment option. Instead, they work as a method of battling cancer and feeling better during your treatments and your disease.

Liz Davies is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer especially interested in health and wellness. She wants to make a difference in people’s lives because she sees how cancer has devastated so many people in this world. Liz also likes running, playing lacrosse, reading and playing with her dog, April.

Hydration

Everyone knows that it is important to stay hydrated, but does it matter if you drink water, or can you drink your diet soda and milk? This is a very valid question. To put it straight, water is by far your best option to keep you hydrated. Your body is 60% water, and if it is any less than that, you are considered dehydrated. Dehydration can cause many symptoms which include:
• Thirst
• Dry skin
• Loss of appetite
• Head rushes
• Dark colored urine
• Fatigue and weakness
• Chills
• Dry mouth
Those are just the early symptoms, if the dehydration is continued; there are other signs that will start to manifest themselves. If you start to be dehydrated, drink plenty of water. If it is severe, supplement with electrolytes which are found in sports drinks. Drinking sports drinks on a regular basis is not necessary for a normal adult. It would just supply you with too much sodium and calories.
  So water is the number one way to stay hydrated, but what are number two and three? Milk is a great source of other vitamins and minerals and has a good amount of water in it, and would be a great way to stay hydrated; however it should not be your sole source of hydration. Another good option is 100% fruit juice, also because it has some good vitamins for you, but it is also high in calories and should be limited to one serving (3/4 cup) a day. I don’t know about you, but I would rather eat my calories than drink them.
How much water should you drink? Well this depends on your body, how active you are, and many other factors. It is said to drink 8 glasses of water a day, and that is a good start, but listen to the signs your body gives you. If you are thirsty then drink water, and then a little bit more.
  A note about soda and diet soda: Soda has too much sugar and should only be consumed rarely. But there are no studies proving that diet soda causes cancer or any other problems. It is also proven that it does not help with weight loss. It would be better to drink water. Add some lemon or drink a peppermint tea if you need some flavoring in your water.

P90X2

Many of you have heard that there is a new P90X out it is called P90X2. Well there have been many questions about the program, and I would like to answer a few. I have been doing the program, but have not yet completed it.
  First question is: People ask if it is harder than the original P90X? In my opinion some ways it is. But the main thing is that it adds new routines and new ways to stretch, which I love. Some of the moves I cannot do yet, and have to modify. He uses a big medicine ball in many of the workouts, and I would highly recommend getting one if you get this program.
Another question I get is if it is as long or longer than P90X? No it is usually shorter than the workouts in P90X. He tries to stick to an hour for each program. Sometimes you add the ab ripper which adds another 15 minutes but other than that it is 60 min. per workout.
Do you need more equipment? Yes, he uses a medicine ball and weighted balls and a foam roller. I would say you should start out with the medicine ball and the foam roller. Then get the weighted balls when you save up a bit of money.
Is it as good as the regular P90X? Yes! I love the new program, and highly recommend it!
Dose it come with a new eating program? Yes, and it is new and improved! It puts more control into your hands, and gives you options. Not as many recipes, but expects you to learn how to eat without holding your hand as much.
Will I get great results like with P90X? Yes, it is a wonderful program, and if you commit to it and follow the program, then you will get results!
Bring It Again!! X2 style.
Let me know if you have any more questions, and I would be happy to answer them!