It's all good!

Scientists have discovered that running is the fountain of youth, it provides with helth and well-being. The biggest beneits come from exercise like running.

Look ahead >People who run more than 35 miles a week are 54 percent less likely to suffer vision loss than those who cover 10 miles a week.

Keep  the beat >Runners who run 10 miles or more weekly are 39 percent less likely to have high-blood-pressure and high-cholesterol levels than those who limit themselves to running 3 miles.


Build bone >Running strengthens bones better than other aerobic activities. In an investigation conducted in the University of Missouri, researchers found out that 63% of the cyclists had low bone density and only 19% of the runners did.

Think fas t> People who work out, make fewer mistakes, concentrate better, and are more productive than the ones who dont.

Stay sharp> Women who were active as teenagers were less likely to develop dementia later in life.


COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO EXERCISE AT LEAST 20 MINUTES 7 DAYS A WEEK HAVE HIGHER GPA'S THAN THOSE WHO ARE SEDENTARY.

9 things you didn´t know about exercise

Studies and experts have been able to explain the most common inquiries about exercise. Take this fact/fiction quiz and learn how to work your body to feel & look great!

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/fitness-test?cm_mmc=AD_Newsletter-_-2011_Jan_24-_-Abs_Diet-_-readon

Should you run or do strength training to burn more calories?
Is cellulite eliminated with exercise?
Are crunches really the best way to get a flat stomach?
Should you leave the gym aside to do homework or do homework afterwards?
Is there a specific time in the day when you should exercise?
Is running a marathon risky?
Do you think lifting weights quickly helps you burn more? Think again.
Are your prerun stretches efficient?
Should you check your weight to know if you´re healthy?

The 5 Food Myths

As I pointed out before, nutrition is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, especially to people who exercise. Sometimes, people misunderstand the difference between what´s really healthy and what´s not.

• It was first discovered that eating more protein placed your kidneys under constant stress. Today, it is recommended to eat your target body weight in grams of protein each day. If you want to weigh  200 lbs and want to weigh 180, eat 180 g of protein daily.
• People link potatoes to obesity and diabetes because they are usually eaten as french fries or potato chips. Potatoes though, have fiber, vitamins and other essential minerals. So, include potatoes in your diet in a healthy form.
• At first, researchers linked red meat with cancer. No recent studies have proved this. Meat lovers, you can still keep eating meat, but don´t stop grilling.
• Many people are worried about consuming High Fructose Corn Syrup, and the truth is that this syrup and table sugar contain similar amounts of fructose. So none is worse than the other, but keep desserts, sugar and sweetened drinks at a minimum.
• People with high blood pressure udually reduce the amount of salt in their diet. The truth is that it is the balance between the minerals in your body that matters. So, shoot for potassium-rich foods instead.

*Here is an interesting link that tells you what YOU DON´T KNOW about red meat.
http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/red-meat/page/5

The best therapy for recovery

      Recently, I started running much more that what I regularly do. I stopped going to the gym and doing weigh lifting: instead, I just took a run every day. The problem was that the runs were too long and on pavement. This caused too much impact on my knees, but my left knee suffered more than the right one. One week after, I took a 30 minute run and my left knee was still bothering. It was the first time I experienced any kind of injury while practicing a sport, so I decided to take special care of it before it gets worse.
    
     I used swimming for recovery. Kicking workouts, water aerobics, pool running, or a regular swimming workout can all give you a great exercise session without the weight of your body pounding you with each move. Swimming is kind to your body because water basically neutralizes gravity, so you become weightless when immersed, giving your joints a much-needed vacation. You can swim almost every day without risking injury, something you can't to with running or weight-training.

Healthy Eating

In order to live a stable and healthy life, it's necessary to acquire good eating habits. It's easier to follow dietary instructions when they are simple. Here are some easy steps you can use when you cook your meals to eat healthy and delicious.

•  Make sure there is a full spectrum of colors in your plate. They provide with different antioxidants.
• Be sure to include lean beef in your diet. It provides with zinc, iron and B12.
• Vegetables should be the bulk of your meals. Take a small portion of meat and a big portion of vegetables.
• Make nature your top chef-eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and don't use substitues of sugar (instead, use organic sugar). If nature made it, it must be good for you.
• Drink water and unsweetened teas instead of soda and juices. It reduces calorie intake.
• Snack on eggs. They have only 70 calories and provide protein, vitamin D, iron,  and sometimes Omega-3s.

Staying at a healthy weight

     Maintaining a healthy body weight depending on your size and age is important to feel well emotionally and physically. To control body weight, exercise and good eating habits have to be implemented in your daily life. This doesn't mean that you have to exercise heavily or go on a strict diet because this doesn't make your body weight stable. Instead, it makes your weight increase and decrease drastically, which is not healthy.

First of all, use this link and find out what is your BMI (Body Mass Index) in order to find out whether or not your weight is healthy.
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/bmicalculator/0,7155,242-242-306-314-0-0-0-0-0,00.html

Here are important and easy exercising and nutrition tips you should  try to feel better.
Exercise tips>http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/healthy_weight.html#
Good Eating habits>http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/healthy_weight.html#

A new routine for slim, toned muscles

           Last week, I followed a new routine to challenge my body a little more by trying new exercises. As a warmup, I jumped the rope for 15 minutes. Jumping rope helps with coordination, agility, timing and endurance. It turns out that jumping rope develops lean, long muscles and tones muscles in the entire body.  After this warmup, I did a routine with the stability ball to strengthen many different muscles, especially in the arms and abdominals. The routine was made up of movement 3, 5, and 6 of the workout within the link of the last post (Great abs for girls).

For a perfect workout:

• Jump tope for 15 minutes.
• Do one repetition of each exercise (3, 5, and 6).
• Rest for 5 minutes.
•  Repeat each exercise once more.
• Rest for minutes.
• Repeat each exercise one more time.
• If you can, add 10 minutes of jump rope before repeating the exercises.

This workout, combining jumps and stretching, can have excellent results on your body if they are practiced with regularity (not every day, but at least twice a week). It forms slim, sturdy muscles!