No Running in School?

Most of the top athletes started running early in life. Just look at the
Kenyans -- they used to run to school and back, sometimes 6 miles there and
back. So, yes the earlier you start exercising in life the better-- you
create the habit, and the chances you'll suffer from obesity problems later
are severely reduced.
===========================================

No Running in School?
Copyright (c) 2006 The Brain Code LLC

Dodge ball was out years ago because of it's dangerous
nature. Now some schools in Wyoming, Washington, Oregon,
California and South Carolina have banned tag, soccer and
touch football. Just this week some Massachusetts schools
added themselves to the game-banning list, citing a broader
rule against "hitting and inappropriate touching" ­ WHAT???

A recent article published in USA Today explains how a
trend is developing across the country limiting kid's
physical activity in schools. Many districts are banning
more and more games in PE and on recess.

Another class bites the dust

To make matters worse many middle schools and high schools
are cutting PE from the full year curriculum. ‘The Shape of
the Nation' report, released about a month ago, concluded
that most states are failing to provide student's with
adequate physical education. The report showed that the
number of students attending a daily PE class is down to
28%! Does this have anything to do with the fact the 1 out
of 5 school age kids today are overweight? Along with
horrible diets of most kids, the lack of sufficient
physical activity is a huge part of the problem.

Many schools cite the need for more academic class time in
order to meet the requirements of national testing
standards. The irony of it is that cutting PE programs is
actually making our student's test performance worse. A
large Canadian study looked at the academic performance of
kids split into two groups. One group received one hour of
PE class with moderate physical activity during the course
of the day, while the other group had academic instruction
for that hour.

At the end of the year, the group of kids that had PE
outperformed the other group in academic classes for every
grade tested. This was true even though the non-PE group
received about 15% more classroom instruction time. So does
it make sense to cut PE from our schools?

Physical activity is proven to increase attention, improve
learning and improve memory. These are all attributes that
help kids become better students. Yet our schools continue
to cut PE from their curriculum. We must put greater value
on physical activity in the school system and find a way to
support it.

Sweat or Stress

As the Canadian study suggests, physical activity can
actually make you smarter. Not only that, but exercise can
help prevent disorders like Alzheimer's disease,
Parkinson's disease and depression. It can even increase
your chances of recovering from a stroke or traumatic brain
injury.

Exercise causes a rise in several growth factors in the
brain that are responsible for helping brain cells survive
and divide into new brain cells, or neurons. One of the
brain areas producing new neurons is the hippocampus. The
hippocampus plays a critical role in learning, memory and
attention. Exercise helps new neurons grow in the
hippocampus, which helps improve performance on several
types of cognitive tasks.

Another important role of the hippocampus is in the
response to stress. In fact, studies show that a smaller
hippocampus is associated with anxiety disorders and
depression. Stress can damage the hippocampus and cause
neurons to die, the opposite of what happens when you
exercise.

Folks that exercise regularly know that they are much more
capable of handling stress throughout their day than they
are when they don't exercise. This is, in part, because
exercise and stress have opposite effects on the
hippocampus and exercise improves your ‘buffer' to handle
the stress.

Interestingly, anti-depressants work in a similar way.
Although, we don't completely understand the exact
mechanism of anti-depressant action, we do know that
several classes of anti-depressants increase new neurons in
the hippocampus. They do the same thing that exercise does!

Like exercise, anti-depressants also induce new neuron
growth in the hippocampus. Psychiatrists have known for a
long time that patients experiencing depression respond
much better to therapy if they combine it with regular
exercise. In some cases, exercise alone is sufficient to
alleviate depressive symptoms. Personally, I'd rather see
doctors try a prescription for more physical activity and a
better diet before they send you to the pharmacist.

How fast is your Brain Aging?

Studies also show that exercise protects the brain from
aging and injury. Older adults that regularly exercise
perform better in cognitive tasks and have lower rates of
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. They also recover
stronger from strokes and from accidental brain injury.

One can argue that people who exercise have many factors in
their lives that can contribute to these findings. For
example, they smoke less, eat better, etc. However, studies
in laboratory animals support the idea that exercise alone
is protective. Animals that are exercised are protected
against traumatic brain injury in laboratory tests and
don't develop the extent of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
disease in model systems.

Studies also show that in addition to exercise's protective
role, it is a valuable therapeutic tool for brain function.
Fitness training improves cognitive functions relative to
planning, scheduling, task coordination and attention.
Adults that exercise have more grey matter, representing
more brain cells, than adults that don't exercise.

We know that on average, adults tend to maintain the
lifestyle values that they had as kids. So does it make
sense to stand bye and watch schools cut PE and
heart-pumping recess activities?

----------------------------------------------------
Dr. Simon Evans is a neuroscientist at the University of
Michigan and a nationally licensed youth sports coach. Are
your kids getting everything they need to reach their
potential? What barriers are holding your family back? Find
out at Dr. Evans website at http://www.thebraincode.com

==============================
This is a bigger problem in the USA, but here in the UK obesity problems
amongst children are increasing. There is a drive though from schools to
get more kids to eat healthier foods, and its more and more common for junk
food to be banned at school. Children, like their parents, probably don't
get enough exercise though.

Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed Martial Arts
Mixed martial arts, better known as MMA, is a form of
sports that involves the use of a mixture of martial art
combat techniques to win over the opponent. MMA has become
very popular in recent years and MMA championships like the
"UFC" or Ultimate Fighting Championships have become very
popular.

MMA began with pitting one martial art technique with
another under minimal rules, so that the martial art which
would be the most effective in day to day life could be
found. Modern mixed martial competitions have evolved from
such events, but rules are much stricter due to which, the
sport has been promoted into acceptance. However, there is
no centralized sanctioning authority for mixed martial arts
and the rules vary from place to place or organization to
organization.

Striking and grappling are the common techniques used in
MMA. Striking techniques involve kicks, knees and punches
while grappling techniques involve the use of holds, sweeps
and throws. Techniques like eye-gouging, biting and fish
hooking are considered illegal in most MMA competitions.
Other techniques like head butts, spinal locks and elbows
may or may not be considered legal in different MMA
organizations.

In MMA competitions, victory is based on the judge's
decision, submission or knockout. A competitor's corner man
can also decide the outcome of the match and so can the
match doctor if the competitor is injured to an extent that
he/she can no longer fight properly.

Competitors participating in MMA have to train themselves
in a variety of fighting styles so that they can
effectively overcome their opponents. MMA training usually
involves stand up, clinch and ground combat. To make the
stand up combat effective, boxing and kickboxing are
taught. These improve kicking, punching, kneeing and most
important of all-footwork. Freestyle wrestling is taught to
improve clinching. Additionally, competitors are trained in
Muay Thai to improve the striking power during a clinch.
Training in Brazilian Jujitsu and Sambo improves ground
combat by improving the competitor's positioning. Further,
shoot wrestling, catch wrestling and judo are taught to
enhance the competitor's ground combat abilities.

Some of the best competitors are well rounded fighters.
But, they all specialize really well in one aspect of mixed
martial arts. Sometimes this style is so dominant that it
is overwhelming for the other opponent.

Success in modern martial arts lies in adapting many
styles. These styles have to be altered accordingly. Today,
MMA competitors do not train in a particular style but
train all the styles together. Flexibility plays a very
important role in succeeding in MMA competitions. MMA is
physically a very demanding sport and being competent is
the only key to success.

----------------------------------------------------
For more information, please go to our site:
http://www.ocjj.com

--

10 Secrets to Keeping the Weight Off for Good

10 Secrets to Keeping the Weight Off for Good
===================================
What's interesting about weight loss is that many people
think that it's just a process that begins when you make
changes to lose weight and ends when you've lost all the
weight.

However, if you're not continuing with the changes that
you've made, you might find yourself back at the original
weight that you were. Instead of going up and down on the
scale, here are ten secrets that you can use to keep your
slim figure.

- Weight training works ­ Studies have shown that people
that have more muscle mass will burn more calories, even at
rest. Because of this fact, you will want to incorporate
some weight training into you maintenance plan so that as
you increase your calorie intake, you're able to burn them
off without any gain.

- Food journaling - When you write down what you eat, you
will be able to control the amount of food that you are
eating. Even if you only write down your food intake for a
few days a week, keeping an eye on how you're eating can
help alert you of problems before they become pounds.

- Daily exercise ­ When you want to keep the weight off,
exercise will need to become a part of your life. However,
this doesn't mean that you need to workout for hours each
day. Try to fit in thirty to sixty minutes of exercise
each day to keep extra weight at bay.

- Allow yourself treats ­ Life isn't about deprivation, so
neither should your new figure. When you've lost weight,
you have learned about how much you needed to eat in order
to cut back on calories. Once you've learned this, you can
also learn to have a treat every now and then, enjoying it
instead of overindulging in it.

- Look at making changes rather than dieting ­ When you're
looking to lose weight, the ‘sprint' approach isn't going
to be a long term fix. You need to permanently change your
eating habits in order to ensure that your weight stays at
its new position.

- Learn to make favorite recipes healthier ­ If you have a
favorite cheesecake recipe; why not learn how to make it
lower in fat and sugar? This way, you can still enjoy the
foods you love.

- Get support ­ You don't have to join a weight loss club
to do this, but telling your friends and family about your
goals can help to get everyone into supporting your
efforts. When you do this, people will start to recognize
that family gatherings should have healthy options as well
as not always revolve around food.

- Keep the stress away - Many people eat when they are
stressed, but when you've lost weight, you want to avoid
this kind of trigger. Instead, figure out ways that help
you deal with stress. What can you do instead of eating to
help calm down and relax?

- Watch your weight ­ Studies have shown that those that
regularly monitor their weight tend to keep off weight
better than those that don't. You don't have to get on the
scale every day, but weighing in once a week can help alert
you to when you might need to rethink that second slice of
pie.

- Recognize a slip up and forgive yourself ­ When you start
to get angry about mistakes, you can backslide into old
eating habits. You will have times when eating right will
be more difficult, but you will persevere.

Acknowledge that you made a poor eating choice (or several)
and then forgive yourself and eat better at the next meal.
There's no need to punish your self.

Keeping the weight off can actually be more difficult than
losing it in the first place, but when you're committed to
keeping trim, these tips will make sure that you do.

----------------------------------------------------
Lynn VanDyke is a master trainer and fitness nutritionist.
Her fitness site, http://www.strength-training-woman.com is
ranked within the top 1% of all websites. She has authored
the wildly popular ebook, Melt the Fat
(http://www.melt-the-fat.com). It is yielded as one of the
best fitness and nutrition ebooks available.

Fish or Fish oil supplements?

Fish or Fish oil supplements?
======================
Both fish and fish oil supplements contain important
essential Omega 3 fatty acids needed for good health, but
as we will see, it isn't just any old fish and nor is it
any old fish oil that can do the job properly.

The Paradox

Today's consumers must be very confused about seemingly
contradictory advice about eating fish. The food standards
agency says most people should be eating more oily fish
like Salmon, Tuna, Herring and Mackerel, because the Omega
3 fatty acids they contain are good for our health. But at
the same time they limit the recommended daily amounts to 2
portions of oily fish a week for women and girls who may
want to have a baby one day and for breastfeeding mothers,
and 4 portions for everyone else. So first we are told to
eat more fish in order to gain the extraordinary health
benefits of Omega 3, but then we are told not to eat too
much because our fish are polluted with toxins,
particularly methylmercury. What are we supposed to do with
this advice? Perhaps we should look at how much Omega 3 we
actually need.

Omega 3 - how much is enough?

No official recommendation exists as to how much Omega 3 is
required for optimum health but on an individual basis the
ideal amount is linked to our intake of Omega 6. The more
Omega 6 fatty acids that we consume, the more Omega 3 fatty
acids we need to counteract the imbalance. First of all it
might help to explain that the body is unable to synthesise
Omega 3, or Omega 6 fatty acids for that matter, so we have
to rely totally on our diets to get them. Now here's the
astounding part.

Most of us today are eating diets that are deficient in the
anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fatty acids but excessive in
pro-inflammatory Omega 6. Over the past 70 years or so our
consumption of fish has drastically diminished and at the
same time we are eating more processed foods, grains and
vegetable oils. These foods aren't bad in themselves it is
just that this imbalance in our diets is believed by some
to be the root cause of a huge rise in inflammatory
conditions, heart disease and depressive disorders, hence
the need for more Omega 3.

The important Omega 3 fatty acids are Eicosapentaenoic acid
and Docosahexaenoic acid or EPA and DHA. Generally
speaking, 1g of EPA/DHA daily is considered enough for
everyone. To give you an idea of what this equates to in
real terms, to get this amount of EPA/DHA from the diet,
you would have to consume a 3-oz portion of salmon every
single day, seven days a week.

Bearing in mind the toxicity problem, one might think it's
safer to get Omega 3 from fish oil supplements, but here's
the 'catch'. Fish oil is made from the very same fish in
the sea, so it stands to reason that fish oil supplements
can be toxic too unless of course the fish oil has been
purified.

What types of fish oils are there and which one is best?

To put it simply, there are basically 3 types of fish oil
available.

• Cod Liver Oil
• Standard fish oil
• High-grade concentrated fish oil

Cod liver oil is produced from the liver of fish and
although contains high amounts of Omega 3, the liver is
where most of the toxins are stored and so potentially, cod
liver oil can contain a high level of pollutants. Cod
liver oil also contains high amounts of vitamin A and D and
too much can result in Vitamin A toxicity.

Standard fish oils are produced from the flesh of the fish
as opposed to the liver of fish but again, they can contain
impurities as whatever was in the fish at the time it was
caught is transferred to the oil. The amount of Omega 3
fatty acids they contain can also vary depending on a
number of factors including the time of year, environmental
conditions etc.

High-grade concentrated fish oil has an advantage over the
others in that not only has all the impurities been
removed, the oil can be concentrated to contain much higher
levels of Omega 3. For example, concentrations of 70% EPA
is possible and so fewer capsules are required in order to
produce the same effect. With some of the standard fish
oils, 5 or 6 capsules are required every day. EPA is
rapidly gaining recognition as the most important fatty
acid as the body can produce DHA when enough EPA is present
but this isn't effective the other way round.

Conclusion

To date there has been no real studies done on whether
there is a significant difference or benefit in getting
Omega 3 from fresh fish or from fish oil supplements.
However, as it stands today, it would appear that the only
way to ensure a healthy intake of Omega 3 without the risk
of harmful pollutants is to take a high-grade fish oil
supplement that has been through processes to filter out
the impurities.

----------------------------------------------------
Dave McEvoy is an expert in EPA with over 20 years
experience; for more information about fish oil and how it
can help come and visit. http://www.mind1st.co.uk
http://www.mind1st.com

How You Can Fulfil Your Nutritional Needs With An Instant Pudding

Did you ever consider that pudding may be your answer to
all your nutritional needs? The High N.R.G. instant
pudding can be used as a daily nutritional supplement to
help keep you healthy and energized. By using 350 mg of
potassium the instant pudding allows you to feel recharged
and revitalized after a couple mixings. The best thing
about it is it is quick and simple to prepare and can be
used as a meal replacement.

The High N.R.G. instant pudding is a versatile product that
allows you to get the nutritional supplements missing in
your life. However, it can also be used as a weight loss
or weight gain product. Depending on the amounts you eat
per day and the size of serving you take in will determine
how the instant pudding is used.

It is possible to lose up to 40 pounds in just 30 days with
the use of the instant pudding. The pudding is filling and
can be used as a replacement for your daily meal if you do
choose to use it as a dietary supplement. The pudding is
extremely flavorful but only consists of 160 gross
calories. If you were to eliminate the 3 grams of fiber in
the pudding that consists of 60 calories, the instant
pudding qualifies for a 100 net calorie product.

When using the pudding to gain weight you will increase the
amount you eat per day. By taking the right amount and not
missing a single pudding meal you can gain up to 5 pounds
in 30 days. You can gain more after the first 30 days as
well, but it is vital that you are true to yourself and do
not miss a meal.

As mentioned above the instant pudding is an extremely
flavorful taste that consists of rich dark chocolate. You
can make a serving of the pudding and have it ready to eat
in about one minute. Because of the ease to make and mix
and how quickly it is to whip up, it makes it a convenient
nutritional supplement.

Too many times dietary and nutritional supplements require
you to change your daily meal diet and decide for you when
you can eat and how much. It is because of this that many
people quit before they see any progress. With the instant
pudding it is just the opposite as it is important that you
do NOT change any part of your daily diet. This will allow
you to stay energized and gain the nutrition you may be
missing in your life.

There are many advantages to the High N.R.G. instant
pudding that make this product stand out above any other.
Because of the flavorful taste and the ease to make, the
instant pudding is a product that can be used by any in the
family and for all purposes. Regardless of the main use of
the product, it will provide you with nutrition that you
may be missing in your life right now.

----------------------------------------------------
Luanne Ribble, President of Q.U.I.C. offers a risk free way
to try the amazing NRG Products so you can FEEL the
difference for yourself. Find out more about the High
N.R.G. Products, available at =>
http://www.healthychoice4all.com/recommends/instantpudding

--