It's not easy being healthy and fit in America, and for those in lower income groups, staying fit is a huge challenge. Research shows that in the United States, minorities and the poor have higher rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Among women, higher obesity rates tend to be associated with both low income and lower education. (The relationship between obesity and income is a little murkier with men for no known reason.) A casual observer could be forgiven for reaching the conclusion that poverty causes obesity. But the truth is a lot more complicated. There are some good reasons why the link between poverty and obesity is so strong -- not the least of which is the fact that poverty is also generally accompanied by the low cost of high-calorie foods containing high amounts of fat and sugar.

"Obesity is a political and social problem," says Mark Hyman, MD. "There's a medical-industrial complex designed to keep people sick and fat," Dr. Hyman told me. "We're spending billions of dollars a year subsidizing soybean and corn production, some of which winds up in our food supply as high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated soybean oil." High fructose corn syrup is a main sweetener in many foods and is found in high-caloric processed foods and sweetened beverages... hydrogenated soybean oil is a source of trans-fats. Both are among the cheapest source of calories on earth.

Indeed, research presented at the Institute of Food and Technologists Summit Conference by obesity expert Adam Drewnowski, PhD, director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition, has shown that in terms of cost per calorie, it's much cheaper to eat sugar, refined grains and fat than it is vegetables, fruits and fish. (One startling statistic: At world prices, sugar provides 20,000 calories per dollar and the economic cost of gaining one pound of body weight from sugar, fats and oils is only 12 cents!) "When our government helps pay for these foods, well of course they're cheaper," exclaims Dr. Hyman.

The abundance of cheap, unhealthy food and a population who is not educated about nutrition, certainly doesn't make it easier to avoid health problems like obesity when you're poor, especially considering that many low-income people in America feed their entire family on close to $25 a week per person. Yet if cheap food was the whole explanation for the obesity crisis, how does one explain the puzzling fact that all socioeconomic groups, including the wealthy and the educated, are getting more obese, not just the poor? While poverty certainly doesn't make it easy to avoid obesity, it's also not the sole cause of it.

Here are some of Dr. Hyman's suggestions...

• Seek out shopping clubs. "You have to know how to hunt and forage in a different way," said Dr. Hyman. "Costco, wholesale shopping clubs, even Wal-Mart, can be a great source for inexpensive food. Trader Joe's is also a terrific resource."
• Join a food co-op. Food co-ops are usually local stores that offer the ability to buy food at just above wholesale when bought in bulk. "Buying wholesale let's you get a lot more nutritional bang for your buck," explained Dr. Hyman.
• Become educated. "Beans and whole grains are very cheap, and can be a great source of nutrition and protein. Sardines are one of the best foods on the planet -- loaded with protein and healthy omega-3 oils -- and they're very cheap."
• Make an effort. "Eating healthy does take more planning," says Dr. Hyman, "and may require you to find new places to hunt and gather for your family. You may have to reorder your priorities of where you spend your money and your time to make healthier choices."
• Exercise Regularly.  Regular exercise will help lower your weight and send you on a path to better health.

With the New Year upon us, millions of people will be setting fitness goals as their resolution. Research has shown that only 10% or less actually reaches their fitness goals. But the good news is that you can every time you exercise. This is how.

For beginners, when you first start your fitness routine, do the best you can and mark your best for that day. For instance. If you use the treadmill on your first day, may a log of time and distance for that day. This is your first bench mark. On the second day do between 1 and 5% more. This way you will improve every time you use the treadmill. This improvement is daily and you are actually successful every day. No need to wait till the end of the year to say you are successful. Use this bench mark technique with all of your exercises and your improvements will be daily. Exercise for 100 days and your percentage will be between 100 and 500%. Not bad for a beginner. So if your resolution for 2007 is fitness…. BENCH MARK YOUR SUCCESS.

Good fitness,

Charlie Trainer

10 Tips to survive the calorie plunge during the coming holidays.

The evolution of the music industry has been on fast forward since the introduction of digital recording and mp3 files. The fitness industry is evolving as well with computers creating better exercise machines for use to workout on. Doctors are finding and writing about synergy being a big part of our health and welfare. Balance food and nutrition, balance sleep and work, minimize stress with other fun activates and family etc. Synergy; using positive things together to create one amazing result. And while music has been a part of exercise for years, creating songs for each exercise in the gym or at home hasn’t appeared. Until now.

Fitnesssongs-
The best way to use fitnesssongs is to follow the songs instruction. Fitnesssongs are designed to let the customer optimize there workout by following the instruction and beat. This technique is important because when you follow the commands it forces you to do something against what your mind is telling you. When you are forced to follow in physical exercise you burn more calories per inch of movement. Reason being your mind isn’t in sync with your body. It is trying to stay in sync with the songs commands and beat. This separation between mind and body causes more effort subconsciously. Causing you to use more muscle with more control thus burning more calories per exercise.  It doesn’t take a lot of weight or reps. It takes following the songs commands and beat.  You should use the songs along with your workout playlist. And mix them with other songs that you want to listen to during your workout. When it is time for you to do the exercises that you have fitnesssongs to, just prepare yourself on the machine or area and press play to begin following the songs instruction and beat.  On the weight machines use your experience and common since when selecting weight. The secret key to using fitnesssongs on weight machines is to finally get the exact weight that you can workout with throughout the entire song. The duration of the exercise plus the right amount of weight will give you a tremendous workout. And remember the weight should allow you to keep up with the songs tempo. If you can’t keep up with the songs tempo you are using to much weight. If you feel at the end of your first set you didn’t use enough weight add more. But use your common instinct to determine your weight. The desired results depend on how you feel after an exercise is complete. If you feel your muscles were completely exhausted, than you will probably gain muscle if you are eating high amounts of protein. If you feel your muscles were fatigued but you still have about 40 percent strength in them then you are toning not building. During your workouts you should change your routine by remixing your fitnesssongs when you are updating your workout playlist. This will give your body a chance to burn even more calories because of the absence of sequence.  However you only need do this one in every 10 trips to the gym.

iPod workouts are popping up all over the web, and as a personal trainer, I find
that fantastic. Finally we have a media outlet to download fitness. People can
use there ipod or Mp3 to help them with fitness issues, on the go. You can
search for your own personal iPod trainer for fitness. That’s great! And the
craze is just starting. But as a fitness professional, I am hoping that not
just people who will workout anyway are using this exciting convenience but
people who need help getting started, people who need personal trainers but
can’t afford them. People who need encouragement. People who need more
knowledge to help them lose weight. People who need someone walking them
through a program in the gym or at home. With these iPod fitness routines you
can. iPod workouts let you workout, not sit down and read about how to
workout. Just download and go. That’s movement, the ingredient to burning
calories. Not spending hours figuring out how to use a program. Just download
and go to the gym. That’s it! Lets go America, workout with your Mp3 or ipod, call it fitnesssongs or
Podfitness or ipod workouts, what ever name you give it, it gives you a reason
to “Just workout”

When a friend told me about personal training on an iPod player I actually laughed. Why would anyone want to listen to someone telling them what to do, and how could you tell them what to do and not be there?  This is impossible.   So being the personal trainer that I am I had to sample it.  And being the do it yourself guy that I am, I made a few demo files and uploaded them to my Mp3 player. So I created the Treadmill Burner 30 minute workout and the elliptical calorie cruncher for my cardio workout. For my weight lifting routine The Lat pulldown, the chest press, the smith machine squat and the leg press machine, all are between 6 and 7 minutes long.  So that gave me about 90 minutes of exercise to take to the gym with me. Since I use windows I had to save the file as Mp3 and then add it to my windows media player library, I also have an iPod, so I had to save it on my iTunes as well.  The process was really easy.  The hard part was making the music and compressing the files.  I saved them at 128 BPM and 96 BPM for the cardio (larger files).  The files totaled around 45 MB. Kinda large but wanted to maintain near CD quality.  So I went to the Gym, stepped on the treadmill put my earphones on pressed play and started the treadmill.  My intro informed me what I was about to do.    Then I followed the voice instructions.  Oh yea, my voice.  After 30 minute of treadmill work I must say I was impressed with the workout.  Reason being, I had to listen to the commands.  It forced me to do that workout.  And because I had to follow the commands it felt like I burned more calories in that 30 min workout.  But my workout wasn’t over.  I had to do the weights.  So off to the smith machine I go.  By the way I decided to mix a favorite song in between each exercise 2 for the cardio. So by the time I was ready for the smith machine the iPod workout song started.  Once again I followed the instructions and using less weight than I normally use still had a really good exercise.  I believe because I couldn’t listen to myself.  I had to listen to the iPod workout voice.  Not only that, but when I recorded the Mp3 files I made the actual sets count to the beat of the songs, a workout cadence so to speak.  So I had to move to the count of the song, with forced my body to be more controlled during the movements.  I felt complete muscular fatigue.  So I’m sure you get the picture about the rest of my workout.  Needless to say I was wrong.  Really wrong about this iPod workout craze. I’m sold!  Also most Gyms have the same Basic Exercise equipment, just different makers or brands.  So this can work for anybody.  Maybe the advice for me is to listen to my friends. And my advice to others, listen to your iPod.  Thanks Marc. You can find my Mp3 files at fitnesssongs.com

Charlie Trainer

For centuries the armed forces and other military organizations have implemented structured walking or marching, for organization and demonstration of power and might. This form of walking involves a group of people walking to a cadence being given by the group leader. Because of that cadence, the walk or, march, is usually higher in physical intensity than a normal walk. The result is more calories burned. If you want to use walking for your cardio exercise, and would like to burn more calories than a normal walk, you could join the army. But for those of us who would prefer to just live our normal lives and get the results from cadence walking there is a simpler solution. On solution is group walking with a leader give you a pace cadence to follow. A pace cadence is a voice command that instructs you to do something in a timed sequence or rhythm. This cadence causes the body to burn more calories because you have to mentally listen and physically respond to that command, similar to aerobic classes. If you just want to create that effect without a group. You can listen to music with a curtain beat per minute or get aerobic music that has adjustable beats per minute. Web sites like fitnesssongs.com, offer cadence command music for walking, treadmill use and elliptical exercising. With this added feature to your walk. You are sure to burn two to four hundred more calories than you would walking without cadence command.

Good fitness

Charlie Trainer.

If you have ever had chicken pox—and 95% of Americans have—you are at risk for the blistering rash and severe pain of shingles.

People who get shingles are often tempted to wait for the problem to clear up on its own. But waiting is the worst thing you can do.  Without prompt treatment with antiviral medication shingles pain may become chronic.

University of California virologist Dr. Michael N. Oxman was asked all about shingles.

What is shingles, and who gets it?  Shingles is a disease of skin and verves caused by reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV)—the same virus that causes chicken pox.

After a bout of chicken pox, the virus doesn’t leave the body.  It travels up sensory nerve fibers from the skin and establishes latent (dormant) infections in sensory ganglia that last for the rest of an individual’s life.

            We don’t yet know what causes reactivation. We do know that shingles occurs most frequently in people with reduced immunity—individuals taking corticosteroids or immunosuppressant drugs….undergoing chemotherapy…or suffering from HIV infection.

            In some cases, shingles may even be triggered by psychological stress.

            Shingles is especially common among people over 50—presumably because immunity declines with age. Among people who live to 85, half will get the disease.

            Is shingles contagious?  You can’t get shingles unless you’ve had chicken pox—and you can’t catch shingles from someone who has shingles. However, if you’ve never had chicken pox, you can catch chicken pox from a shingles sufferer.

            The shingles virus is similar to herpes simplex virus, which causes genital herpes. Unlike herpes simplex virus, however, VZV is not transmitted through sexual contact.

            What are the symptoms? Shingles usually begins with pain on one side of the body—typically on the trunk or around the eye.

            The pain—often quite intense—is caused by inflammation created as the virus reproduces within nerve tissue. Pain is generally followed by a rash in the same area one to three days later.

            Until the telltale rash appears, shingles is notoriously hard to diagnose.  Depending on where the pain is, shingles can resemble a heart attack…gall bladder attack…appendicitis…kidney stone…or a ruptured spinal disk.  Shingles can even be mistaken for glaucoma, if the eye is affected.

            Once your doctor has ruled out these ailments, keep a close watch for the rash. It’s essential to begin treatment as soon as the rash appears.

            If treatment isn’t started quickly, the virus may spread to other nerve cells. This can cause muscle weakness, hearing loss or other complications.

            Most common complication:  chronic pain. Some patients with this disorder—called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN)—are so sensitive that even the pressure of clothing on the skin can cause excruciating pain.

            How is shingles treated?  Until a few years ago, there was no treatment. Then it was found that the antiviral drug acyclovir (Zovirax) was effective. But acyclovir must be taken in very high oral doses—or injected.

            Some doctors used to prescribe steroids along with acyclovir. The thinking was that by reducing inflammation, steroids might prevent PHN.

            Studies have shown that steroids do not prevent PHN. Moreover, they can lead to stomach ulcers and raise blood pressure.

            Better:  two new antivirals, famciclovir (famvir) and valacyclovir (Valtrex), are more easily absorbed than acyclovir…and these are far more effective.

            What about controlling the pain? Aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen may be enough in some cases. For severe acute pain, doctors should prescribe codeine or another narcotic.

            What if the pain becomes chronic? Consult a doctor who specializes in pain management. Tricyclic antidepressants—prescribed at lower doses than for depression—are effective in 60% to 70% of patients with PHN/

            Some patients appear to get relief from alternative treatments such as acupuncture or electrical stimulation.

Fix for Foot Pain
As usual you get out of bed in the morning... and then something very unusual happens -- a knife-like pain stabs the bottom of your heel. This is not normal, you think, and it hurts. The cause may be plantar fasciitis (pronounced fashee-EYE-tiss). While the condition sometimes comes on gradually, it can also start suddenly, for no apparent reason. But whether chronic or acute, plantar fasciitis can cause excruciating pain.
According to Arnold S. Ravick, DPM, spokesperson for the American Podiatric Medical Association and a podiatrist in private practice in Washington, DC, plantar fasciitis is complicated and involves a number of factors, all of which must be addressed, making it especially tricky to treat.
GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF PLANTAR FASCIITIS
The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue that runs from the heel to the toes, covering the bones making up the bottom of the foot. Normally the fascia helps absorb shocks to the foot and also supports the arch, but if something causes it to tighten up, small tears can develop causing inflammation and irritation. Stretching may ease the pain but prolonged stillness, as in sleep, causes the fascia to constrict again -- this is why it hurts when you take your first few steps each day. Some principal causes of plantar fasciitis are physical exertion such as long-distance running, having a job that keeps you on your feet, being overweight, having flat feet or an unusually high arch, and just getting older, if you're one of those in whom the fascia begins to shorten or tighten, thereby putting pressure on the fascia. Dr. Ravick says plantar fasciitis can also develop from an incorrect gait, in particular a pronated one (turning in), but an injury might also alter a previously good gait and end up overstressing the bottom of the foot.
Unfortunately, once it develops, plantar fasciitis can last as long as nine months to a year. He says pain in your heel or elsewhere on the bottom of the foot, including at the center, should alert you to possible plantar fasciitis -- especially if it goes on a month or longer and continues to worsen. Don't put off seeking treatment, as the sooner you get started, the faster your heel will heal.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
If plantar fasciitis is diagnosed, the first step will likely be taping the foot for several days to partially immobilize the muscles and lessen the cycle of tightening and loosening, says Dr. Ravick. Patients should avoid stretching at first, and then once told to do so, begin stretching the arch, toes and Achilles tendon, a regimen they'll need to follow faithfully for many months, even after symptoms subside. Keep weight off the foot by limiting how much you walk, and eliminating all high-impact activity including running. And most will also need some kind of support in both their shoes. The inexpensive inserts available at drugstores can work if they are arch-supportive and rigid, unless your problem is caused by an incorrect gait, says Dr. Ravick. Gait issues must be corrected with special customized orthotic inserts, available through podiatrists. Another treatment approach sometimes used is a special foot/ankle splint, to be worn at night to stretch out the fascia and Achilles tendon. Although simple versions of these are available from foot-specialty retailers, it is best to seek professional evaluation and fitting through a licensed provider since optimal timing for their use varies from patient to patient.
For pain relief, Dr. Ravick advises NSAIDs and applying heat on the affected area. Interestingly, he disagrees with conventional advice to use ice -- he says doing so further tightens the fascia. While doctors will sometimes recommend a cortisone shot to alleviate severe pain, it's best as part of an overall treatment plan, since this might serve to weaken the fascia. Though surgery can be an option, it's seldom necessary, unless there are special issues, such as bone spurs. Some doctors are experimenting with new and different treatments, including shock wave therapies and endoscopic surgery. Naturopathic physicians also have expertise in treating this problem naturally, with a wide range of alternatives including hot/cold treatments, anti-inflammatory botanicals, supplements, phonophoresis (a way of delivering treatment via ultrasound) and more. Physical therapy can be helpful too.
PREVENTION
While about 15% of people will have an ongoing problem with plantar fasciitis, Dr. Ravick has strategies to help avoid recurrence -- and, better yet, to help avoid the problem in the first place.
Wear proper shoes. They should not be too thin (the ever-popular flip-flops are not a good choice, nor are lightweight ballet slippers) but rather should provide good arch support and shock absorbency. Heels can actually be helpful (women, take heed) though should be no higher than three inches. It's also a good idea to vary the height of your heels daily.
Replace athletic shoes often. Be aware that wear first appears on the inside of the shoe, so know that you can be losing important support even if your sole looks fine. Buy supportive shoes. Dr. Ravick advises the "fold test," meaning if a shoe folds or bends more than just a little, look for a different pair.
Stretch your feet regularly. Dr. Ravick suggests walking around on your tip-toes for five minutes, three times a week -- or walk around your bed on your toes several times each night before you go to sleep. Also stretch your calf muscles and Achilles tendons before you get out of bed in the morning.
Maintain a normal weight. There has been a rapid increase in cases of plantar fasciitis, which correlates neatly with increasing obesity rates in this country, notes Dr. Ravick.
Put your feet up. Moments of relaxation throughout the day go far for both your feet and state of mind. Elevate both, whenever you can.

AFP - New York leaders are pressing for a so-called fat tax on the soft drinks industry, saying that sweet beverages are responsible for an upsurge of obesity across the United States.

AFP - Women who drink a couple of glasses of red wine, beer or spirits a day are better at keeping the pounds off than women who do not drink at all, according to a study published Monday.

AFP - The bugs that help digest food may also cause the body to pack on the pounds if they are not properly regulated, a new study has found.

Time.com - A growing body of research suggests that your ever expanding gut is not only the result of weight gain, but could potentially be a cause

Reuters - People who are obese are at increased risk of becoming depressed, and people who are depressed are at increased risk of becoming obese, Dutch researchers have found.

Reuters - U.S. children eat an average three snacks a day on top of three regular meals, a finding that could explain why the childhood obesity rate has risen to more than 16 percent, researchers said on Tuesday.

Breaking up your fitness routine is hard to do. But it's crucial for avoiding the bigger heartache of overuse injury, fitness experts say.

Burnout is sneaky — it doesn't happen overnight — but the stages have classic signs. Clueing in to them can help you sidestep a workout slump.

People who complain they have no time to exercise may soon need another excuse.

Experts worry that "The Biggest Loser" focuses too heavily on competitive weight loss — a focus that is at best, counterproductive and, at worst, dangerous.

The country's top coaches and Olympians share their training secrets for building extreme strength, speed, endurance, and agility that can give you a gold-medal edge in your own life.

Overweight people may want to vacation in the mountains rather than at the beach — and not just to avoid putting on a swimsuit.  A new study finds obese people lose weight at high altitudes.

Horrified by headlines about the connection between a sedentary lifestyle and serious health issues, our writer tests a tiny exercise bike she can use while she works.

Going to the gym in January is like going to the mall on Black Friday, to the bar on New Year’s Eve: It’s amateur hour. And, as they say, sometimes what you don’t know can hurt you. Or at least really, really embarrass you.

America’s rapid rise in obesity appears to have leveled off. But there's little reason to cheer. Most of us are already overweight. Has society simply reached a maximum level of tubbiness?

If you’re trying to motivate yourself to get moving in the new year, here’s some inspiration: Mounting research shows that exercise isn’t just good for the body, it’s also good for the brain.

The fight against fat is going high-tech. To get an inside look at eating and exercise habits, scientists are developing wearable wireless sensors to monitor overweight and obese people as they go about their daily lives.

Flipping the switch and making a lifestyle change is the easy part. Look at any health club in January, after all, and you'll see plenty of new faces. The hard part is what comes next.

Forget the deprivation diet and marathon workouts. New research shows that taking baby steps — not giant leaps — is the best way to get lasting results.

In the season 9 premiere of “The Biggest Loser,” contestants got moving with their first challenge — to ride stationary bikes for 26.2 miles. In the end, five players were sent home while the two top “Losers” shed a combined 57 pounds.

When you’re sweating through an intense workout, you probably reach for a sports drink to  rehydrate your body.  But which beverage is right for you?

Studies have concluded that exercise can enhance the immune system, but is the effect great enough to stave off swine flu?

Is it true that exercising will eventually wear out your joints, heart or any other body parts? Should you wait after working out before showering? Smart Fitness answers your queries.

U.S. researchers estimate that an 18 percent tax on pizza and soda can push down U.S. adults' calorie intake enough to lower their average weight by 5 pounds per year.

Light to moderate alcohol consumption, especially red wine, is not only good for a woman's heart, it's also good for her waistline, according to a study reported Monday.

An initiative to get sugary drinks out of U.S. schools has begun to work, with diet beverages and smaller portions replacing some full-size, full-calorie varieties in school vending machines, organizers said on Monday.

What if steaks were healthier than strawberries, and ice cream a better weight-loss tool than carrots? It's time to rethink what you know about the food you eat.

Vitamin D is vital in activating human defenses and low levels suffered by around half the world's population may mean their immune systems' killer T cells are poor at fighting infection, scientists said.

He drops pounds overnight, but you gain weight just by glancing at a doughnut. Here are seven of his habits you should steal.

Food-borne illnesses, such as E. coli and salmonella, cost the United States $152 billion annually in health care and other losses, according to a new report.

Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, who has weathered some harsh criticism about her own weight, wants to make one point very clear: success can’t be measured by clothing size alone. She talks to msnbc.com about her vision for a fit nation.

A moment on the lips, forever on the hips? A bad figure is hardly the worst of it. Eating a lot of fat, especially the kind that's in cookies and pastries, can significantly raise the risk of stroke for women over 50, a large new study finds.

Experts worry that "The Biggest Loser" focuses too heavily on competitive weight loss — a focus that is at best, counterproductive and, at worst, dangerous.

These strategies ensure you will wake up refreshed and recharged, remain alert throughout the day, and wind down just in time for a good night's sleep.