TRAVEL BLOG

When it comes to fitness more isn't always better. Sometimes more exercise, supplementing more, and eating more protein can adversely affect our body. More is not better, better is better. Getting fit and maintaining a healthy body is a simple process. It really doesn't require more fitness foods or grueling workouts to reach our goals. All it takes is a consistent effort of eating right and exercise . Quality over quantity. Focused workouts utilizing differing energy systems of the body throughout the week is sufficient. What this means is mixing up cardio, weight training, core work and flexibility for a well-balanced program. Exercising at least 4-times per week is shown to maintain a healthy body according to research. Active rest days are a great way to have fun when not performing a structured workout. Enjoy being active and healthy is the point. Thinking about nutrition in a healthy way is also important. Eating more than is required of any macronutrient can backfire our

One of the more exotic diseases known in the medical community is called Marfan Syndrome -- a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. Connective tissue holds all the body’s cells, organs and tissue together. It also plays an important role in helping the body properly grow and develop. Because connective tissue is found throughout the body, Marfan syndrome can affect many different parts of the body, as well. According to the Marfan Foundation, features of the disorder are most often found in the heart, blood vessels, bones, joints, and eyes. Some Marfan features – for example, aortic enlargement (expansion of the main blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart to the rest of the body) – can be life-threatening. The lungs, skin and nervous system may also be affected. Marfan syndrome does not affect intelligence. About 1 in 5,000 people have Marfan syndrome, including men and women of all races and ethnic groups. About 3 out of 4 people with Marfan syndrome

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got .  Henry Ford  Getting fit requires breaking the cycle of bad habits that created an unhealthy body. That means taking responsibility for our fitness and doing what it takes to get healthy. Changing our habits can be tough because fitness doesn't magically happen. Ready for some hard work? Bad habits keep us trapped in a life of emotional stress , unhealthiness, and inability to move forward with self-improvement. Repeating unhealthy behaviors is not loving or respecting our body. In order to create good habits , ending the cycle of what you have always done will be the start of great things. Bad habit cycles can include poor eating habits, sedentary lifestyle, living unhealthy in general and being in denial about it. Many turn to alcohol , drugs, smoking , binge eating or not eating to cope with life. Our choices have created unhealthy people. Being in denial about bad habit cycles is a form of nonac

Sometimes a dog just has to scratch. But people shouldn’t be doing the same, especially if your dog has fleas, or if your home all of a sudden has an infestation of those pesky little bugs. They seem to be everywhere once they show up, and it feels like they multiply like…. Well, like fleas! Fleas are small flightless insects that form the order Siphonaptera. As external parasites of mammals and birds, they live by consuming the blood of their hosts. Adults are up to about 3 mm long and usually brown. Covered with microscopic hair and are compressed to allow for easy movement through animal fur. According to Orkin, the pest control company, adult fleas are parasites that draw blood from a host. Larvae feed on organic debris, particularly the feces of adult fleas, which contain undigested blood. Fleas commonly prefer to feed on hairy animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice and other domesticated or wild animals. Fleas do not have wings, although they are capable of j

We all have hard stuff in life and days we just want to keep our heads tucked under the pillow. The thing about life is being able to navigate through everything with our best healthy responses, attitudes, and choices. I'm not immune to feeling the tough in life and even in my workouts. There are days I struggle with lack of motivation and would appreciate a hard push from a trainer to get me through. Not every day goes as planned and nutrition can get off track. Sometimes, I am just tired, burned and have to take a step back and away from the gym. These are the days sitting in an Epsom salt bath takes priority. These feelings are absolutely normal and not a reason to quit but to grow in a positive way. Life will have challenges and success comes from how we handle the discomfort. Building muscle is an uncomfortable process but we persevere to achieve a positive result. Goals are achieved through planning and action . I have put in years of hard work to get the results I wear in

I read this motivation today and was instantly humbled and even more thankful for my health and fitness. This really puts fitness into perspective. Do we really have a right to complain about getting fit ? There are so many who are unable to lift their body from a wheelchair. Sometimes we can lose sight of what an incredible opportunity we have to get fit. Instead of looking at it as a burden, we should be spilling over with thankfulness for the opportunity. Do you have a working body?  I do, and although I may have some medical limitations, I appreciate what I can do with what I have. We live in a stressed up world and place much upon ourselves. We make life so busy that we're missing out on what is truly important . Health is a valuable gift we're supposed to take care of by what we do with our fitness. Getting fit and healthy is a privilege just the same as growing older. If our mindset is not focused on the important stuff, we will live a life of chaos not to mention creat

Diphtheria once was a major cause of illness and death among children, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The United States recorded 206,000 cases of diphtheria in 1921 and 15,520 deaths. Before there was treatment for diphtheria, up to half of the people who got the disease died from it. Starting in the 1920s, diphtheria rates dropped quickly in the United States and other countries with the widespread use of vaccines. In the past decade, there were less than five cases of diphtheria in the United States reported to CDC. However, the disease continues to cause illness globally. In 2014, 7,321 cases of diphtheria were reported to the World Health Organization, but there are likely many more cases. Diphtheria is an infection caused by the Corynebacterium diphtheriae bacterium, according to the CDC. Diphtheria is spread (transmitted) from person to person, usually through respiratory droplets, like from coughing or sneezing. Rarely, people can get sick from touching ope

Trying to achieve the so-called perfect body causes many of us to take drastic measures. Whether from detox cleanses, extreme caloric restriction, surgical change of normal organ function, to outward cosmetic procedures. All those methods don't mean a thing if a healthy lifestyle is left out of the equation. No matter what you do, it's still about the lifestyle. Extreme measures without learning how to buy, cook and eat healthy foods  won't do it. Without regular exercise or nutrition knowledge, it's all wasted time and money. What happens when you reach the end of one of those popular restricted calorie shake diets? What did you learn? Are you prepared to eat right and educated with a lifelong nutrition program? What happens after a few fat cells have been sucked out (liposuction) and you are still hitting the pizza and donuts? The same goes for surgically altering your stomach with a band and still continuing to eat fries and drink soda. What has been learned? This is

My daughter's 1st-grade teacher informed me she would always be a leader and not a follower. This still holds true 25-years later and such great advice. I think about her statement often and how it applies to health and fitness. We all need to be leaders and not followers when it comes to our fitness and health. Following the path of someone else with differing goals just doesn't make sense. We are all unique in body, mind, and spirit. My goal isn't to be you and I hope this is true on your end. I am a   skeptic when it comes to fitness miracles regardless of who is sharing the information. I refuse to follow the beliefs of others just because they heard it was the next best thing to sliced bread. Do you really think it's healthy to lose 20lbs in 5 days? That's craziness. I feel the same way about exercise programs. I review fitness trends before agreeing with advertised claims of it being the newest and best workout ever. What does impress me is solid research a