Summit Total Health

How Much Protein Do You Really Need?

Almost everyone trying to build muscle has heard that they need to eat a lot of protein, so they pack on the meat and eggs hoping for the best. There is truth to this, but experts say you need to be careful with this.

A study conducted at the University of Texas was conducted to see how much protein our body really uses to make muscle. The researchers studied how fast muscles were produced by different people eating different amounts of lean beef.

A Walk a Day Keeps the Colds Away

Engaging in regular moderate exercise may significantly reduce the risk of catching a cold, according to new research published in the American Journal of Medicine.

Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle conducted a study of the effects of regular exercise on breast cancer in post-menopausal women. Half of the 115 women involved in the study were put on a program in which they exercised moderately for 45 minutes a day, five times a week. The other group did not engage in exercise, but participated in a weekly stretching class for the duration of the yearlong study.

The Advantages of Interval Training

It’s not as complicated as you might think. Interval training is simply alternating bursts of intense activity with intervals of lighter activity.
Take walking. If you’re in good shape, you might incorporate short bursts of jogging into your regular brisk walks. If you’re less fit, you might alternate leisurely walking with periods of faster walking. For example, if you’re walking outdoors, you could walk faster between certain mailboxes, trees or other landmarks.
What can interval training do for me?
Whether you’re a novice exerciser or you’ve been exercising for years, interval training can help you jazz up your workout routine. Consider the benefits:
• You’ll burn more calories. The more vigorously you exercise, the more calories you’ll burn — even if you increase intensity for just a few minutes at a time.
• You’ll improve your aerobic capacity. As your cardiovascular fitness improves, you’ll be able to exercise longer or with more intensity. Imagine finishing your 60-minute walk in 45 minutes — or the additional calories you’ll burn by keeping up the pace for the full 60 minutes.
• You’ll keep boredom at bay. Turning up your intensity in short intervals can add variety to your exercise routine.
You don’t need special equipment. You can simply modify your current routine.

The Older You Get the More You Need to Exercise

 
There is a enzyme in our bodies called AMPK (AMP-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase), this enzyme boosts muscle function and metabolism. AMPK also boosts the level of mitochondria function in our bodies. Mitochondria are the power plants for our cells. As we grow older these mitochondria don’t work as efficiently, this is called mitochondria disfunction. A result of this can be muscle loss and a slower metabolism.

Being Overweight is Expensive

A reason many people give for not eating healthy is simply the cost. A double cheeseburger from a fast food place just seems to be cheaper than buying the ingredients for a healthy meal. While this might seem true on a day to day basis it isn’t true in the long run. Cheeseburgers might be cheap when you buy them but they are expensive on your body and eventually this will come out of your wallet. Health problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, diabetes, and heart conditions are very expensive to treat and the price keeps going up.

The Keys to Losing Weight

Not so very long ago, in a place not so far away there was a study done by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The results were shocking. They found that 32% of American men are obese and 34 million American women are obese. An estimated 300,000 deaths a year in the U.S. are directly related to obesity. This is not good news.

The Importance of Senior Fitness

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), exercise and physical activity are some of the best things older adults can do to stay healthy. Even moderate exercise can improve the health of those who are frail or who have age-related diseases.

Some seniors are concerned that physical activity or exercise may be too strenuous or may do them more harm than good. In fact, it’s an inactive lifestyle that proves to do more harm than exercise does

Functional Exercise

When you go to a fitness center you usually see three type of “fit” people. There’s the body-builder type who are barely flexible enough to put on their tight-fitting t-shirt, there’s the runner type who could be blown away by an average breeze, and then there is the well-rounded athlete who has strength but also agility and flexibility. Which one would you rather be? You see exercise, like eating, should involve balance. Whatever your goal may be in exercise, your best result will come from a balanced routine.