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Lead Stories: Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Five helpful tips for a healthy, active summer of running and overall fitness

Posted June 25th, 2007 at 9:00 AM by thefinalsprint.com

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Motivation, Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Supplements, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

The following article was written by TFS guest contributor Dr. Larry Robinson. For more about Dr. Robinson, check out the “About Dr. Robinson” section at the conclusion of the article.

1. Use the summer weather to increase your outdoor activity:

“From running and baseball games in the park to weekend getaways hiking, biking and canoeing, summer’s the perfect time to get in shape without a daily trip to the gym,” says Dr. Robinson. “Use the season to start a new sport you’ve always been interested in that can carry you through the holidays, New Year’s resolutions and colder weather.”

Of course check with your physician first if you have any physical concerns, and always start off easy. If you’re prone to heat stroke or exhaustion, take advantage of dusk and dawn to complete your fitness activity. And, as always, drink plenty of water and don’t forget the sunscreen for daytime outdoor activities.
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Nutrition Tip: Go Bananas!

Posted June 1st, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Bridget Sullivan

Section: Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Race Prep & Recov

If you need to recharge your batteries before your evening workout, then the fruit in the yellow jacket is perfect for you.

Packing just 100 - 110 calories and 467 mg of potassium, the banana registers as one of the world’s healthiest foods. Potassium rich diets, powered by fruits like bananas, may help prevent high blood pressure and protect against atheroslerosis. But that’s not all . . . bananas also pack healthy amounts of fiber, manganese, vitamin C and vitamin B6.

The World’s Healthiest Foods lists the following benefits of adding bananas to your diet:
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Bear Naked: Ideal choices for fueling your active lifestyle

Posted March 5th, 2007 at 10:30 AM by Paul Petersen

Section: Nutrition, Healthy Eating

Runners like myself are constantly searching for foods that can both fuel our bodies for optimal performance and yet also satisfy our cravings and hyperactive metabolisms.

Unfortunately, the plethora of high-end and natural food choices in today’s marketplace often fail to meet those criteria by being tasteless and/or prohibitively expensive. However, one emerging player that seems to have finally gotten it right is neophyte brand Bear Naked.

Whether you’re looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle, are vegetarian or vegan, prefer organic, or are just plain hungry - Bear Naked is likely to offer something that will fit your fancy and power your workouts.

Bear Naked, a hip, home-grown business based out of Norwalk, CT, produces three primary food products: granola, low-sugar cereal, and organic hot cereal.

Their granola line features “Fruit and Nut”, “Peak Protein”, “Banana Nut”, “Apple Cinnamon”, as well as, the new and intriguing “Blueberry Walnut” and “Peanut Butter and Jelly”. The low-sugar cereals come in “Triple Berry Crunch” and “Vanilla Almond Crunch”, while the organic hot cereal is available in “Medley” and “Rolled Oats”.

Although differing in flavor, all of the Bear Naked products embody one, essential attribute: high-quality nutrition to super-charge your performance.

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Type 2 Diabetes: How diet and exercise could save your life (PART 2)

Posted December 6th, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Megan Hueter

Section: Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Health & Fitness, Exercise, Weight Loss

This is the second installment of a four part series. Part 2 is entitled: “Type 2 Diabetes and Nutrition”. To check out Part 1: “Understanding Type 2 Diabetes”, please click here.

Attention Type 2 diabetics: recent studies show that a nutritional diet combined with physical can restore the body’s sugar levels to a non-diabetic level. Understanding the importance of the nutritional diet could save your life.

When diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, patients are commonly prescribed an immediate change in lifestyle which includes a very strict nutritional diet. The purpose of this diet is to maintain a quality level of glycemic control. This means that a carefully monitored diet can manage the amount of sugar in the blood. Because obesity is very common with those suffering from type 2 diabetes, the most important component of diet therapy is weight loss.

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What’s the Deal with Nutritional Bars?

Posted November 18th, 2006 at 4:00 PM by Jonathan Faccone

Section: Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Supplements

Trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle while simultaneously managing all of the stresses in your life can seem like a daunting task. This is the main reason why many people don’t even try, or quickly give up on, eating frequently throughout the day. They believe they just don’t have enough time to prepare, or even think about, five or six moderate meals. However, as an increasing number of studies point out, this type of nutritional lifestyle can significantly benefit your health, your waistline and even your mood.

Everyone is short on time, but as I mentioned in my Healthy Eating Guide (Parts One and Two), there is a solution: SUPPLEMENTS. Supplements provide you with an already made, no cooking required mechanism for eating small, nutritious meals throughout the day. The most popular and effective means of supplementation for people on the go are nutritional bars.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that “Not all bars are created equal” . There are a plethora of nutritional bars; each claiming to help with a variety of nutritional goals: adding muscle, losing weight, staying fit, gaining energy, etc. It can be quite arduous trying to figure out what’s best for you and/or what nutritional ratios fit your personal needs. That’s why I’ve put together this brief guide about what to look for and some of the best bars for your particular goals: Read the rest of this entry »

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