Michael Phelps…a Swimming Machine!

I recently wrote an article about exercise and the effects it has on the metabolism.  Like many people in the world I have watched in awe as Michael Phelps has done the inhuman.  Watching him, it confirms what I have known for over 20 years…Swimming is the perfect exercise!

Last night they showed a breakdown of his day and the night before they talked about his diet.  I am going to attempt to summarize.

Michael Phelps eats a whole days worth of calories at one sitting.  He averages 3000 calories per meal and continues to eat throughout the day.  That means that he eats over 10,000 calories per day yet he complains that he can’t break over 200 pounds.  Why he would want to do that, I personally don’t understand.  As far as swimming goes, his Tuesday at the Olympics started with a warm-up swim of 2400 meters followed by 200 meter gold medal swim.  He then swam a 2400 meter warm-down, accepted his gold medal attended press conferences and attempted to rest a little before he had to do it all again for the 800 meter relay.  With all of his swimming measured out throughout his day, he swam over 5 1/2 miles in one day. Read more

Calorie Control

Calorie control is what all of the “packaged food” diet plans are based on. Jenny Craig and NutriSystem diet plans are based on a 1200 calorie diet plan. Each of their meals are approximately 300 calories. Consider 3 main meals at 300 calories each and 3 snacks at 100 calories each and you have your diet plan.

It is very easy to create your own program and it will be fresher and much better for you. For example, and regular sized apple has approximately 100 calories.  All you need is a Calorie counting book and a few hours each week.   By portioning out your own meal base on their calorie content and freezing them, you can have a freezer full of healthy “Unprocessed” meals. Read more

Finally A Game Parents Can Get Behind!

Unless you have been living under a rock, if you have school age children you should be highly aware of all of the new gaming consoles out on the market. There are Playstations I, II, and III, PSP’s, Gameboy’s, X-Box’s, X-Box 360 and now there is a system called the Wii pronounced “We”.

If you are like me, you grew up in a time where “Outside” was your gaming console. In the summer I spent every minute of every day at the pool or in the woods playing with my friends. I would only take a break to get a glass of water and for my mom to slap a sandwich in my hand on my way back out the door. Read more

Do you need a Fitness Trainer?

By: Darren O Connell

Wow it’s the start of a new year again so it’s time to make another effort at kicking bad habits and taking on good habits
such as: joining a Gym to get fit and lose a few pounds. When most people join a gym, motivation runs high for the first couple of months and it’s great, but then they start to lose interest, this usually happens around March or April, some times sooner. People get tired of doing the same old routine with little or no results. Boredom overtakes and they quit. There are a few secrets to maintaining a successful training program: Read more

Beginner Yoga Class Checklist

by: David Morgan

If you’re new to yoga, you might not know what to expect when you walk in the doors of a beginner’s yoga class for the first time. You might not even know how to start in choosing a beginner’s yoga class to attend. Here’s a “how to” checklist:

1. Nail down your goals and find the right style for you.

Everyone comes to yoga for different reasons. Sometimes these differences are slight, other times they’re vast.

For instance, are you interested in an intense physical workout to throbbing music, or are you on more of a spiritual path towards (quiet) enlightenment? Are you attracted to yoga because of its health benefits, and if so, is it physical or emotional health you are most interested in? Read more