While he tried to change his habits, unreliable workout partners and a lack of willpower made the process harder than he'd ever imagined. Feeling lost, Chacon decided to pray for help from above. "One day, I just said, 'Okay, God, if you're out there, I need your help,'" he recalls. "'I need to get my life straight, and it's got to start with my health.'" After that moment of epiphany, Chacon was overwhelmed with motivation he'd never felt before. "Inside, I finally felt like I had the strength and the endurance to keep on going."
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| No excuses. |
"Eating breakfast helps to jump start your metabolism, provides your brain a source of glucose after a night of fasting, and can deliver important nutrients that are often missing from other meals. Eating breakfast is also a good strategy to help manage weight. Studies consistently show that adults and kids who eat breakfast tend to have healthier weights and are less likely to become overweight than those who skip the morning meal."
"Should you eat junk foods to keep your metabolism up or would it be more beneficial to not eat at all?"
"We asked celebrity fitness and nutrition experts-- the pros who keep Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Jennifer Aniston in line--to give us their tips for getting through the holidays without those extra 10 pounds. Are you in"
"When it comes to their health, guys are notorious for doing too little, too late. As men, we’re told to play through the pain, tough it out, shake it off, and suck it up. There are a dozen other variations of the same message, and they’re all code for: Ignore your symptoms."
"Here are four types of pain you should heed, and how."
"Pickle juice had “relieved a cramp 45 percent faster” than drinking no fluids and about 37 percent faster than water, concluded the authors of the study, which was published last month on the Web site of the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine."
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| Courtesy John Cortese |
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| Courtesy CrossFit Hawk |
"People who do vigorous physical activity — such as running, jogging, playing basketball or soccer — for three or more hours a week reduce their risk of a heart attack by 22%, the study found."
"It's estimated that 30-50% of Americans suffer from vitamin D deficiency."
"Packaged salads are certainly convenient, but they’re not nearly as clean as their "pre-washed" and "triple-washed" labels suggest."
"The great news is, you can drop weight without dieting: experts say making small change-ups to your day is one of the best ways to lose."
"But a big drawback of using a split routine is the time involved; spending six hours a week on hypertrophy alone simply isn’t feasible for many."
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." -- Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Stuffing is nothing more than a pile of croutons moistened with fat and loaded with sodium. Double this number if it was cooked inside the bird."
"Contributing to this glorious season of gluttony are the many fast-food restaurants and coffee chains serving up limited-time-only holiday-inspired drinks. And just as with all the other treats you're buying this time of year, it's going to cost you - except in this case, the price you pay is in the calorie department."
"'Your body needs fat in order to function. Fats help you absorb vitamins A, D, and E, and they are vital for your nervous system,' says Barbara Roberts, MD. Not only that, women who ate a Mediterranean diet filled with healthy monounsaturated fat lowered their risk of heart disease by 29 percent, according to a new study in Circulation."
"If the metcon is short enough, by the time you realize it sucks you’re almost finished – so you finish strong. No pain cave. No garbage time."
"Like you, I don’t want to suffer from bone density issues when I’m 50. I want to continue to feel strong and powerful into my 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond. If you do too, now is the time to make the investment."
"The National Institutes of Health (NIH) officially recommends adopting healthy eating practices as one of the primary actions to take to prevent or lower high blood pressure and hypertension."
"Researchers found that strength recovery was greater after light exercise than after rest alone."
"My take-away is that group fitness dynamics have the unique ability to serve dual purposes in corporate America which could enhance a company’s bottom line in 2 key ways:
1) Such fitness programs encourage workers to be more fit, which based on academic research should make them more productive due to higher energy levels, greater alertness, greater self-confidence, less absenteeism, and greater cognitive activity.
2) Such fitness programs foster a corporate culture which enhances the level of community, morale, connectivity, and pride by providing an opportunity for colleagues to engage in group exercises that foster a sense of accomplishment and teamwork while creating a heightened sense of awareness of the corporate mission and brand initiatives."
"Muscular strength has not been indicated in past studies to increase productivity, but several studies have indicated positive relationships between regular exercise and worker productivity."
