Does Strength-Training Boost Your Metabolism?

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Fitness by PhoneFitness by PhoneI recently downloaded a series of fitness exercises onto my phone- some of the exercises are designed with the purpose of increasing muscle mass through anaerobic activities such as Pilates, Yoga, sit-ups, and weight-lifting. As I sweated through the exercises, I wondered how strength-training would affect (if at all) my calorie-burning and metabolic rate. As I usually do when confronted with such a dilemma, I turned to Internet and did a little detective work.


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Beginning Pilates Mat Workout

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PilatesPilatesAfter years of a serious fear of Pilates, which I believe has the scientific name of Pilatesagoria, I finally succuumbed to the temptation to try out the exercises. Before attempting my first Pilates workout, I read a little about the benefits of Pilates. According to this website hyping Pilates, Pilates was developed to increase flexibility at the core of the body which can in turn benefit the core of the body or the back or the spine.

Because I am a newbie to Pilates, I opted to try out the Beginning Pilates Mat Workout dvd instead of joining an organized class in order to save myself money and embarrassment.


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National Resurrect Romance Week

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Do you feel like you’ve lost the romance in your life? Are you and your partner struggling to retain that initial spark? Maybe you’re single and you just wish you had a bit more whimsy in your life. Life is meant to be enjoyed, and if you need to resurrect the romance in yours, now is a great time to do so. Here are 10 ways you can do just that.

10. Schedule a Date Night

Make it weekly or monthly. Make it with your friend, partner, child, or self. Whatever you do, make it fun—and make it a priority! Maybe you could take yourself to dinner or rent paddleboats with your significant other for an evening in the moonlight.

9. Read a Romance Novel

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The Mind-Body Connection: Part II

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But I know it’s one of those things where if I knew what I was missing, I would be devastated. And I know enough to know that I’m missing out on so much in life. I’ve never tried throwing paintballs, for example. I haven’t played a sport since I was 16—and even then, it was only for a year. I’ve never tried a martial art, I enjoy dancing on occasion but have never really learned how to do it well, and I would much rather lie around with a book than take a walk. I’ve always been that way; even during family trips—camping, reunions, whatever—I would bring a book. The other kids would bring bikes, fishing poles, and other playtime equipment; I brought stacks of books, or notebooks and pens, or drawing materials. I’m not saying that there is nothing wrong with these activities; on the contrary, they are so very worthwhile and awesome that I’d like to share them with everyone in the world.

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The Mind-Body Connection: Part I

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Earlier this week, I experienced a rare moment of epiphany—which has left me with some problems to solve. Though certainly grateful for the amazing realization (which should have seemed obvious to me—don’t we all look at our epiphanies and think, “Why didn’t I already know this?” Maybe we did but we just couldn’t admit it to ourselves…), I now feel like I need some help in acting on it. Maybe you have the answer I need.

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How to Live to Be 100

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Do you stress over antioxidants, striving as hard as you can to incorporate superfoods into your diet? Do you work out every day, refrain from smoking and drinking too much—maybe enjoy a glass of wine a day for its health benefits—and try to be as healthy as you can, hoping to live to be 100?

You still might not make it past 90, friend.

Of course, you still could—and more power to you for trying! By living a healthy lifestyle, you’re probably happier and healthier anyway, so even if you don’t live to be a decade, you’ll still enjoy the years you are here (not to say you won’t if you don’t do those things, of course).

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Confessions of a Recovering Caffeine Addict

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Caffeine is, by far, the most popular psychoactive compound consumed by humans. It exists in significant quantities in some of our favorite foods and beverages, including coffee, tea, chocolate and the soda-related kola nut. We've been downing the stuff since the Stone Age and today the average American adult consumes at least one caffeinated beverage a day. Caffeine isn't a particular dangerous substance, but it's not without its risks. It is a physically addictive stimulant that, when taken in sufficient quantities on a chronic basis, can lead to some pretty nasty health problems. There was a time when I consumed an unhealthy amount of caffeine every day and this led me to a struggle to curb my habit that lasted for two solid years. Here's the basic science and the subjective experience of caffeine addiction.



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Sign the Petition Against Alzheimer’s Disease

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“Do petitions really work?” I get this question a lot when I forward, post, or ask people to sign petitions. The most honest answer is sometimes. I think personally-signed, written petitions do seem more powerful, and snopes.com will tell you that e-petitions do not work (though I think their research is largely based on the forward-type, email petitions that people circulate and never deliver to anyone, rather than the ones sponsored by legitimate websites that do deliver them). Petitions seem to work best at the local level, at least from my experience. However, when large amounts of people show support for—or displeasure against—something, change can and does sometimes occur.

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Who is Behind Exercise TV and Is He Really a Fitness Guru?

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Body by Jake TowerBody by Jake TowerMy face is red- not from embarrassment, but from another work-out on Exercise TV. This time, I plowed through a work out with Jake, who was the founder of Exercise TV for Comcast and the creator of “Body by Jake Global”, which has become a kind of empire within the fitness industry. I was curious about Jake and did some Internet sleuthing to find out what little I could about the self-proclaimed Fitness Guru.

A quick visit to Jake’s website reveals that he was one of the first people to invent the personal trainer fitness industry over thirty years ago.  I couldn’t find any outside verification of that and have to wonder whether ole Jake and Al Gore have the same publicist. (Remember Al’s claim that he invented the Internet?)


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Losing it With Jillian

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Don't Yell at Me, Jillian!Don't Yell at Me, Jillian!I’m a late-comer to “The Biggest Loser”- I was out of the country for a while and in South Korea where I hung my hat for a while, there was absolutely no need for a TV show like that; year after year, South Koreans come in as some of the least fat people in the world. Since I’ve been back, I’ve been periodically watching “The Biggest Loser” with a combination of shock, enjoyment, and awe at the participants staying power. I’ve also been enjoying working out to some of Jillian’s DVDs, so was excited to see the TV show, “Losing it With Jillian”.


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