June 2013 – Irene Pastore Fitness

A Teaspoon of Sugar: A Mountain of Cravings

June 30, 2013

Are you craving the taste of sweet food? Do you continue to eat even after you’re full?

If you can’t stop eating food with added sugar, you need to cut down, or eliminate it.

Sugar is difficult to avoid. It’s added to most packaged, restaurant and fast food.

Kick The Sugar Habit

Get rid of the food that makes you crave. Have a mango, instead of ice cream. Replace ketchup with a slice of tomato.

Mangoes are a tropical fruit that provide a healthy source of natural sugar. They are low in calories, contain vitamin A, vitamin C, antioxidants, and flavonoids.

Add More Fiber

Replace sugary food with fruits, and veggies. Eating more produce adds fiber to your diet, improving digestion, and elimination. As long as you drink plenty of water, you won’t need laxatives, when your diet is high in fiber.

Fresh fruit and vegetables make you feel full because of their fiber content. Known as roughage or bulk, fiber isn’t digested or absorbed.

When you eat food with added sugar, you’re ingesting calories from the sugar, plus the calories from the food itself.

Eliminate Packaged Food With Added Sugar

If you buy packaged food, read the label to find out if it contains added sugar. A few examples are canned fruit, tomato sauce, frozen food, and condiments such as ketchup.

Sugar Cravings May Cause Overeating

Some sugars have more calories than others, some have trace minerals, some are lower glycemic. Xylitol has fewer calories per teaspoon than sucrose, but its sweet flavor, may cause overeating.

Avoid Overweight and Obesity

Health benefits in honey, or maple syrup are of little value, if you experience cravings for more of the sweet stuff. Overeating leads to overweight, and obesity.

Doggie Water Therapy

June 29, 2013

Water is a non weight-bearing medium that allows injured, arthritic, or senior dogs to exercise without discomfort.

Your dog will benefit by having reduced muscular tension, stress and anxiety, increased range of motion, pain reduction, improved circulation and muscle tone.

Canine Conditions Treated With Water Therapy

Arthritis
Obesity
Spinal cord injuries
Strokes
Surgery recovery
Joint stiffness
Fractured pelvis
Senior dogs with joint problems
Extreme pain
Joint inflammation such as elbow and hip dysplasia
Degenerative nerve disease
Rebuilding muscle
Prevents euthanasia

How To Choose A Facility

Get a referral from your veterinarian.
Ask for a tour of the facility. Find out how often the pools are cleaned, what chemicals are used, and whether vaccinations are required.
Be sure the handlers and staff are licensed in canine water rehab therapy.
Find out what type of equipment they use.
Inspect the facility for overall cleanliness.

Links

The Association of Pet Water Therapists: This site will help you find a practitioner in your area.

Petcentric.com: An excellent article about canine hydrotherapy from Purina.

Petside.com: An informative article about what to expect from pet water therapy from an educational website for animal lovers.

Water4Dogs.com: the first state-of-the art animal rehab center in New York City.

Loser Workouts: Why You’re Not Getting Results

June 25, 2013

This might not be the best exercise for her.

You can’t lose weight, your abs are still weak, your flexibility isn’t what you’d like it to be, and you keep getting injured. What’s wrong?

Ask Yourself A Few Questions

Would you consider do-it-yourself dentistry, or do-it-yourself medical care? Would you allow an amateur photographer to photograph your wedding? Most likely not.

When you want the job done correctly, you hire a professional to do it. But most people think they can go to the gym, pick up the equipment, start working out, and achieve their goals. In most cases it doesn’t work that way.

Loser Workouts

Both women have weak upper back muscles.

A Loser Workout is when you spend considerable time and effort working out, and fail to get the results you want. You may even experience injuries like muscle strains.

Depending on the severity, a muscle strain can put a stop to your workouts, and even your daily routine, because you’re in too much pain to move.

Break The Loser Workout Cycle

You need to realize that hiring a personal trainer will get you on track to a winning workout.

That means, you’ll achieve your goals, see quicker results, understand which is the best equipment to use, and you’ll stop hurting yourself. In essence you’ll be turning your life around.

Don’t Hire a Personal Trainer To Count Reps

You can count to ten on your own. So you’re not hiring a trainer to do your counting.

Reasons To Hire A Trainer

A trainer is an educator who teaches you all of the following:

Correct alignment during exercise, so that you avoid injury.
Where you have muscle imbalance, and how it affects your workouts.
Faulty lifestyle habits that cause poor posture, and how to correct it.
How to improve your nutrition, and how to break bad eating habits.

When you’re eating better and exercising regularly, you’re going to lose weight, and feel alot better!

Doggie Calories

June 23, 2013

According to a study 2012 by the Association For Pet Obesity Prevention, the percentage of overweight and obese dogs in the United States is 52.5%, and rising. Read about the full results of the study APOP here.

Dog obesity is caused by people, not dogs. Feeding your dog excess food isn’t love.

Overfed dogs gain weight. The formula is the same for your canine friend as it is for you. Too many calories, and no exercise equals too much fat. Calories taken in, have to be used.

An overweight or obese canine is at risk for osteoarthritis, tumors, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems, heart disease, kidney disease, and shortened lifespan.

Once you’ve made him sick, your dog will undergo stressful medical procedures, surgeries, overnight or longer vet stays, and possible medication side-effects.

Dog Weight Loss Program

Consult your veterinarian for guidance on proper food, and how to exercise your dog. You might have to buy special prescription food that isn’t available over-the-counter. Keep in mind that an older, overweight, arthritic dog may not take too quickly to an exercise program. Be patient and gentle with him/her.

Hassle Free Way To Weigh Your Dog

Weigh yourself on your home scale. Pick up your dog and weigh the both of you. Subtract your weight from the combined weight.

Dog Weight Loss Success Stories

About.com has four canine weight loss success stories sent in by their readers: “Conquering Canine Obesity – Dog Weight Loss Stories“.

Exercising With Your Dog Slideshow, from WebMD. Twenty-two slides show you how to exercise with your dog by walking, dancing, running, swimming, and more.

Health Care Resources for Cats and Dogs

June 22, 2013

Looking after your companion animal is just as important as taking care of your own health. The following resources will help you make educated decisions about canine and feline healthcare.