Today there was a study released stating weightlifting may raise glaucoma risk in your eyes. Before everyone panics and stops weightlifting, lets take a closer look at this study. Most people read headlines, and panic; thus, make conclusions that weightlifting is bad for your eyes. Not so quick!

Before you panic, focus on the word “MAY” raise. The bottom line is the jury is still out on weight training being harmful toyour eyes. Many experts say no way! Looking at the study of only 30 people makes me very skeptical. Yes, 28 out of 30 weightlifters, lifting four repetition chest presses, saw an increase in intraocular pressure. Now does that mean you are hurting your vision? There is a slim chance!

First off, people have been weightlifting and bodybuilding at a hi-intensity level for over 20 years and there has not been a greater incidence of glaucoma. All this 30 person study teaches us is the pressure raises TEMPORARILY in the eye. The study doesn’t say weightlifting causes glaucoma. You have to be very careful when interpreting scientific studies. In my opinion, we need to see a sample of thousands of people over an extended number of years in order to determine a correlation between glaucoma, and weightlifting.

The most important thing to do when weightlifting is to continue to breath throughout the rep. Holding the breath increases intraocular pressure even more. Don’t hold your breath.

Bottom line: Don’t jump to conclusions! You could also say weightlifting increases blood pressure which, in turn, causes heart disease. Keep weightlifting because the health benefits far outweight any risks.

I just read the latest research report stating that America continues to gain weight year after year. The study stated the fact that 31 states showed an increase in obesity in the year 2005. It is considered official that obesity rates are at 25% or greater in 13 states,  mainly in the south. Obesity must be stopped!

The more and more obese people get, the greater the strain on their health; thus, resulting in huge demands on the healthcare system. Let’s face it, obesity kills! We, as a nation, must fight this battle, and halt the obesity rates immediately.

Due to the fact that food is widely available, and physical activity is on the decline, people are packing on the pounds at record pace. As a matter of fact, the high fats, high sugar, and processed foods are the cheapest, and easiest to consume. Therefore, the not so well off people tend to buy these health hurting foods.

What needs to be done immediately?

First, more education needs to be done. We need to blitz the press about the benefits of physical activity. We need to educate individuals on how easy it is to incorporate fitness plans into their lives. Everyone, if not physically disabled, should be participing in an exercise program. We need to hit this point harder.

Food manufacturers need to highlight how many calories are in a portion. We must strart thinking calories!

The government could also help us promote physical activity by allowing more budget money on walking trails, and exercise incentives. Our employers should provide us with education, and incentives to keep weight in control, and exercise.

And finally, our health insurance companies should be rewarding people who work at maintaining a health weight, and participate on a fitness plan.

Together, we can all help halt obesity. Our health, and longevity depends upon it.

Since my wife and I are three weeks away from delivering our first child, I decided to share this information with you.

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Now that you know you are expecting, there are many different things that you will need to prepare for. Even if you have never had a baby before, you probably already know that your health and well-being is very important for the health of your baby throughout this pregnancy.

Exercise- You know that exercise is important but how much exercise and what kinds can you do while you are pregnant? Well, it also varies depending on your health, your stage in your pregnancy and your doctor advice. In the beginning of your pregnancy, most everything you did before will still be safe to do while pregnant unless you participated in extreme or dangerous sports. Ask your doctor to be sure if you have any questions.

As you progress throughout the stages of your pregnancy, you will need to revert to low-impact exercise but common pregnancy exercises include walking, yoga and swimming. Swimming is actually a fantastic choice all the way to your delivery date. The water helps reduce pressure on your body and can be very soothing and comfortable while still giving you the workout you need. There are also many fitness and health centers that have programs designed for pregnant women and you get the added bonus of having someone to talk to while you are there that understands your situation.

Before you begin any new exercise program, you need to ask your doctor to be sure it is safe. You should also be sure you always stay properly hydrated while exercising and that you warm up properly, start slow and sop immediately if you experience anything painful or unusual. If you experience cramps, contractions, pain or bleeding, you should stop what you are doing immediately and see a doctor.

Water- Exercise and diet is very important during your pregnancy but you may not know how truly beneficial water is. Your body needs tons of water anyway but especially now that you are pregnant. Water can also help prevent preterm labor and contractions and help keep your skin healthy too. Drinking water can help prevent UTI (urinary tract infections) and helps reduce bloating and swelling. It can help alleviate constipation and hemorrhoids as well. These are actually just some of the many benefits of water while you are pregnant. You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day. You might want to carry a container or bottle of water around with you so that you can sip on water throughout your day.

Diet- In addition to exercise and water, your diet will play a very important role in your health and well-being. In addition to the normal reasons why your diet is important, it also helps your emotional state. During pregnancy, you have a lot of emotions and hormone changes that can feel pretty overwhelming. A healthy and balanced diet can help alleviate some of this. You also need to remember that what you ingest, your baby gets too so the healthier you eat for baby, the better you both will be.

Dental care- The health of your teeth and gums is also very important during pregnancy which is something you may not have thought of before. If you haven’t had a dental checkup recently, it is a good time to get one. Tooth and gum disease can lead to problems in your pregnancy such as premature birth.

Mental health- Mood swings are also very common during pregnancy but if you feel you are falling into depression, it is important that you seek help with that. Postpartum depression and even depression during the pregnancy can be very harmful to you and your baby so be sure you talk to someone if you are feeling your emotions are out of control or if you feel like you don’t have a very good support system throughout the pregnancy.

Taking the time to be sure you have and maintain the proper health and well-being during your pregnancy is giving your baby the best possible start in life. You also ensure that you will remain as healthy and happy as possible during your pregnancy and once your new little one arrives in the world.

A new research study showed people do what their environment teaches them to do. As we all know the world is getting bigger, not taller, but heavier. The main reason, in my opinion, is the skewed sense of portion size. We follow what the marketers teach us when it comes to defining a portion. If larger portions are heavily marketed by restaurant groups, other will follow in competition; thus, the once smaller, recognized portion has now become larger. The sad thing is we don’t even realize it. Eaters tend to look at food at a unit.

In the study, researchers put a large bowl at M&M’s out for public consumption in a heavily traveled apartment building. One day they used a huge scoop, while alternating a small teaspoon scoop the following day. Guess what?  The people had eaten much more on the large scoop day. Thus, portion size is skewed.

Dieters need to get back to the basics and become famililar with what a reasonable portion used to be. Don’t fall into this supersize marketing trap. The scale will suffer.

Perhaps food companies, and restaurants should define how many portions are in its foods.  Another strategy is to ask for a doggy bag as your restaurant portion is delivered, and only eat half. 

Staying fit doesn’t have to be that difficult. All you have to do is move. When you go to the mall, park in the back or the parking lot. Whenever you can, MOVE! Get up and walk, play with your kids, or grandkids. It is all about staying active. Let’s face it, today’s society is very sedentary. Everything is about automation! Just remember it is more important now than it was in the past.

I encourage you to move for your health, looks, and longevity!

Don’t forget to subscibe to Wellness Word “Multimedia” Newsletter. You will gain the truth about health, fitness, bodybuilding, and nutrition all from the comfort of your home or office. Each edition is jam packed full of useful health and fitness information all brought to you in multimedia. Some information will be presented in video, some in audio, and the rest in text. 

Make sure you subscribe today because Jim is considering charging for this valuable information. Once you are in for free, you are in.  If you are not a subscriber, all you need to do right now is visit the health and fitness Newsletter and enter your first name and email address to secure your free bi-weekly multimedia subscription.