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Lead Stories: Monday, October 13, 2008

Athletes with Eating Disorders: Tips for Coaches, Parents, Friends & Teammates

Posted March 14th, 2008 at 10:30 AM by Katie Drummond

Section: News & Results, Health & Fitness, Exercise, Weight Loss

Eating disorders can be devastating to not only teams but also to families. Coaches and parents alike want their athletes to eat well and be healthy. The struggling athletes just want people to stop policing their eating and exercise. The athletes have difficulty talking about why they struggle with food; they instead communicate unhappiness by starving or stuffing their bodies. This distracts them from the pain of feeling “not good enough” and other hard feelings.

Unfortunately, too many athletes struggle with food issues. A survey of more than 400 female collegiate athletes indicated they typically believed their bodies were not good enough and wanted to lose five pounds.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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Water Bottle Warnings: Science or Sensation?

Posted December 13th, 2007 at 6:00 PM by Katie Drummond

Section: Gear & Apparel, Miscellaneous, Nutrition, Hydration, Health & Fitness

Many health conscious people make staying hydrated a top priority, often toting plastic water bottles in purses or backpacks to make drinking up a convenient priority. Unfortunately, this effort to do right by their bodies may actually have been harming them, at least according to the research that prompted new recalls of Nalgene polycarbonate water bottles last week. But how sure are researchers that the bottles do pose a health risk? And what can you do to stay hydrated safely?

The Canadian outdoor apparel store, Mountain Equipment Co-op, pulled Nalgene bottles and other polycarbonate plastic containers from their shelves, and is telling consumers to return old bottles for a refund. The reason? Recent studies have shown a link between a compound in the plastic, called bisphenol A, and a variety of cancers (including breast and prostate cancer), premature puberty, and lowered testosterone levels in animals.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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Motivation:
Internal vs. External

Posted November 24th, 2007 at 12:40 PM by Katie Drummond

Section: Motivation, Health & Fitness, Exercise

When it comes to staying the course on your healthy lifestyle plan, motivation is extremely important. Unless you have some reason to get yourself to the gym and keep the cakes and cookies out of the pantry, you likely aren’t going to succeed.

Finding what motivates you is an important factor in seeing success, however it’s also important to realize that all motivation is not created equally.

External

The first type of motivation is external motivation. This is motivation that is heavily influenced by other people. For example . . .

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Check In With Your Recovering Heart Rate

Posted November 20th, 2007 at 4:15 PM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that one of the best tests to predict your risk for having a heart attack is your Recovery Heart Rate.

Recovery heart rate is a measure of fitness and a slow recovery from exercise means that you are out of shape. The study really shows that being out of shape increases your chances of having a heart attack.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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A Guide to Life With Knee Pain

Posted November 17th, 2007 at 10:00 AM by Jamal Walker

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

Knee pain sufferers, especially those with osteoarthritis of the knee (OAK), experienced dramatic life changes including the ability to work, exercise and stay in their homes, according to a recent survey conducted by the makers of Synvisc. More than 20 million Americans are estimated to have osteoarthritis, and more than 10 million suffer from OAK, making it the most common form of arthritis in the United States.

Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, an orthopedic surgeon and author of “FrameWork – Your 7 Step Program for Healthy Muscles, Bones and Joints,” offers these preventative tips for maintaining healthy knees:

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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Coping With Muscle Cramps

Posted October 18th, 2007 at 8:44 AM by Katie Drummond

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

What are Muscle Cramps?

Cramps are defined as involuntary, forced and prolonged contraction of a part of a muscle, a whole muscle or group of muscles. Compared to spasm, cramps are more forceful and sustained. The usual mechanism of muscles is to alternately contract and relax to facilitate movement. Those muscles that are involved in gross or fine motor movements are mostly voluntary, which means that they move at will.

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Sizing Up Your Sports Bra

Posted September 19th, 2007 at 3:45 PM by Shannon Clark

Section: Running & Training, Gear & Apparel, Apparel, Health & Fitness, Exercise

You’re all geared up for your workout. Water bottle - check. Running shoes - check. Ipod - check. Sports or jogging bra - check. Everything seems set, but have you ever thought to question whether your sports bra is really giving you the support you need?

Far too many are going for looks rather than function when it comes to their workout clothes. Make no mistake about it, when you go the gym you want to look good; everyone does, so there is no need to feel like you are the only one. But when you start sacrificing proper function for aesthetics, that’s when you may start to run into problems.

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Q & A: Does menstruation affect athletic performance?

Posted March 15th, 2007 at 1:59 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

Athletic events are scheduled without regard to whether a woman will menstruate when she competes. Most world-class female athletes feel that menstruation does not interfere with their strength, speed, coordination or endurance. However, a higher body temperature after an egg is released during the last half of the menstrual cycle could cause the heart to work harder to pump extra blood from your hot muscles to skin to dissipate heat.
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