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More Core: Bençao Push Kick Sit-Ups

 

One of my favorite core moves pictured here is from the workout called RevAbs™. When I first started doing RevAbs I wasn’t quite sure what I thought about it, but as I kept doing each DVD, it really grew on me. I really noticed a difference in my core, and also my legs and butt. What I really liked was the new variety of exercises I had never done before. I can become bored easily and always need to mix it up. New exercises always help to keep workouts fresh, interesting and make sure you are constantly challenging your muscles. I have added it to my hybrid routine using P90X also, and it’s a really wonderful combination.

All about RevAbs ~
Reveal Your Six-Pack
With Brett Hoebel’s proven Abcentrics™ training technique, you’ll learn to work your abs from six different angles, and to engage your abdominal muscles throughout your entire workout so every move counts. You’ll build a lean, strong physique with a variety of lively exercises, including the acrobatic martial art known as Capoeira.

 9 Workouts on 7 DVDs:

  • Abcentrics and How To Capoeira.Rev up your results by firing your abs throughout every workout, and learn Capoeira moves for full-body fat burning. (Approx. 35 min.)
  • Fire Up Your Abs. Calorie-scorching cardio combined with Brett’s Six-Pack, the ab circuit that works your core from 6 different angles. (Approx. 40 min.)
  • Power Intervals. High-intensity cardio with intervals of lower-body resistance moves designed to rev up your metabolism, melt belly fat, sculpt lean legs, firm the glutes, and work your abs—all at the same time. (Approx. 30 min.)
  • Total Strength. Works all your muscles to build a lean, hard body and get rid of ab flab. (Approx. 45 min.)
  • Mercy Abs. The mightiest little ab workout you’ll ever experience. (Approx. 15 min.)
  • Fat-Burning Abs. A fired-up routine of new ab and cardio combinations that burn fat fast. (Approx. 40 min.)
  • Power Intervals 2. Even more revved-up cardio and lower-body resistance moves to firm your booty and torch belly fat. (Approx. 30 min.)
  • Strength & Endurance. Build definition in your abs and everywhere else for a rock-hard body to match your rock-hard core. (Approx. 30 min.)
  • Merciless Abs. A fast and efficient shredding routine that makes your abs pop. (Approx. 15 min.)

You also get these tools:

  • RevGuide, filled with Brett’s personal training tips and motivational secrets
  • Nutrition Guide, developed by a nutritionist with complete, customizable meal plans to fuel your body while losing fat
  • RevAbs Wall Calendar, which lets you know exactly what to do throughout the program, and helps you stay motivated by tracking your progress

Plus, get these 4 FREE bonus gifts to keep you motivated:

  • Rev It Up Cardio, an extra workout DVD with more fat-burning Capoeira moves
  • Anytime, Anywhere Abs, a guide to working your abdominals when you’re away from home
  • Professional Fat Caliper,to measure your body fat before and after your RevAbs transformation
  • Plus FREE Online Support,to get 24-hour access to the RevAbs Web site, where you can chat with Brett and other fitness experts, and meet other RevAbs customers.

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
*Try this program with the RevAbs 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with your results within 30 days, simply call Customer Service to return the program for the full purchase price, less s&h—no questions asked.

Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.

Find RevAbs and my complimentary help at Beachbody.

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By Joyce – March 6, 2010

5 Lame Excuses Not to Exercise

This morning as I dove into the twitter stream and started reading all the really cool tweets about a huge variety of subjects, I started clicking links and learning. There is never a day that goes by that I don’t learn something. It’s my 140 school of any subject. You can find resources on practically anything and tons of helpful people to help you on your way. Really, all the work is being done for you, now you just have to apply it. Easy right? So wouldn’t that apply to health and fitness? Uh, no. There’s a boat load of info on health and fitness on Twitter, Facebook, the Internet in general, fitness community sites, books, local gyms. I could go on and on. As tempting as that may be on this particular day as I stand atop my soapbox, I’ll cut right to the chase. Here’s 5 excuses why people typically don’t want to exercise. The ”lame” part in the title was just because it’s a Monday.

1. I don’t have the time. You don’t have 10 minutes? If you are going to get in 30 minutes of exercise in a day you can accomplish that in increments of 10. You can lie on the floor and do crunches while watching re-runs of  Gray’s Anatomy. That 10 minutes counts. If you do activity3 times a day you’ve racked up a half an hour. There’s even a workout called the 10 Minute Trainer. 10 minutes!

2. No way I can get to a gym. That’s perfect. I can’t either most of the time. That’s a great reason to workout using a home program. You only need a small area to work out in.  I’ve used my living-room, my bedroom, my garage, my backyard and more.

3. It’s too expensive.  I coach on a site called Beachbody. The cost. Absolutely nothing. If you want to upgrade to the club membership it’s $2.99 a week. That’s about $.42 a day. The cost to have me help you? Absolutely nothing. Beachbody is not the only site like this. If you have access to the computer, which, if you’re reading this I assume you do, then you have an unlimited amount of health and fitness resources available to you.

4. I don’t like to exercise. I think there’s a misconception that people that workout are always happy to exercise and enjoy it all the time. If they do they’re  liars unusual. There are many days that I don’t feel like working out. But I also know the alternative. I view it like education. Most of us weren’t crazy about school and hated homework and getting up early. But what is the alternative? Being uneducated? Is your health not just as important?

5. I’m unmotivated and have no energy. Here’s really great news. If you exercise you will feel motivated and have more energy. It really is that simple. At some point most people are going to be told by their doctor, if you don’t eat better, exercise, quit smoking, lose weight you’re going to die. Why do we wait till that moment to do something about it? Most people don’t wait to be homeless to get a job. If they do they usually spend a lot of time in regret. Avoiding things we’ll regret is always a good idea.

I know that was a kind of rant about excuses, but it only comes from a place of watching friends and family pay the price for waiting. Without trying to sound pessimistic, we are all handed a genetic set of cards. Some of us have cancer in our families or diabetes or even alcoholism. It’s completely up to us what we’re going to do with that dealt hand. Really, excuses don’t hold any water. Time for all of us to stop making them.

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By Joyce – March 1, 2010

Usana MyHealthPak Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to the Usana MyHealthPak winner Keysha!

Thank you to Jeff Kline of PRSFit and the folks at Usana for all their help and generosity of such great products to review and thank you to all that entered the giveaway and commented!

Look for more healthy giveaways soon!

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By Joyce – March 1, 2010

Running Tips: Foot Strike and Footwear

I have recently started running. And when I say running I mean about 3 days a week for about 40 minutes. I’m blaming my friend Jeff Kline of PRSFit. If you don’t know who Jeff is, here’s a bit about his expertise:

 Jeff has been an elite athlete and involved in coaching for over twenty years. He has a BS Degree in Health Sciences, is certified by The National Exercise and Sports Standards Association a Master Personal Trainer, Endurance Coach and Nutrition and Wellness Counselor. The coach has written and presented papers to the nursing council on physiology and anatomy as well bone and muscle development. Coach Jeff uses his education and experience to help all clients meet their lifestyle related goals. Clients utilizing his personal guidance have reached many levels of success that range from personal best in local races to top finishes in major marathons and triathlons.

So basically that paragraph means I have to listen to him. I used to complain to him about how last time I ran my knees hurt. He reminded me of my plyometric habit, so I started to run out of excuses. Every time I had one he had an answer. And so with his warm up advice I have started running and become quite addicted.

As a novice runner, I’m wanting to hear the lastest and best advice and I’m finding Jeff’s coaching videos a great tool. I would really like to make these 3 day a week runs a part of my life. For me I’m not looking to do a marathon. Of course I say that now. I just love the feeling of the outdoors and the sun on my face, with my favorite music in my ears. I want to be able to go home to Maui and run the beach and on roads along the ocean. I want this to be a lifelong love. So I’ll keep taking Jeff’s great advice and sharing it here for all of you too!

Forefoot vs Heel Striking and Over-Pronation from Jeff Kline on Vimeo.

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By Joyce – February 24, 2010

Usana Health Sciences Review and MyHealthPak Giveaway

*This giveaway has ended*

*This is a product review*

I really believe that reviews of products are invaluable to a consumer. Especially with all the choices available. In an unregulated market, I think this especially true of supplements. It’s overwhelming to try to choose a product that is what it says it is, and actually be safe! Remember the whole Hydroxycut issue? I knew many people using it because of the promise and the assumption that the product would be fine for them to use. As consumers we should expect safety and honesty. Because supplements are a such a subject of many opinions, you’ll find this a rather lengthy post. I hope you hang in there. 

My introduction to Usana came from my friend and highly respected Jeff Kline of PRSFit.com. I had spoken to him and sought his expert opinion on a health issue I was having. After returning from Maui last year, within days I had the worst flu I had ever had in my adult life. It seemed like I was having a hard time getting back to my old self. Before the flu from hell hit me, I had not had a cold in two years. Sinus issues yes, but no colds. He then told me about his experience with Usana. He  really felt they were the best supplements on the market. So this sparked my curiosity and my interest in reviewing the MyHealthPak. My HealthPak is specifically made for you after you do a personal health assessment. I loved this idea.

The folks at Usana had a novel idea for my review and giveaway. They invited me to come out to their company in Salt Lake City, Utah and see Usana for myself! I was so impressed with their transparency and that they would show where and how they make their  products, and meet the people who work there, I just had to go. I was given a grand tour. 

What I learned about the Founder of Usana and how it all started:

Dr. Myron Wentz is an internationally recognized pioneer in the use of human cell culture technology for the diagnosis of infectious disease. He received a Ph.D. in microbiology with a specialty in immunology from the University of Utah, an M.S. degree in microbiology from the University of North Dakota and a B.S. degree in biology from North Central College. From 1969 to 1973, Wentz served as director of microbiology for Methodist Medical Center, Proctor Community Hospital and Pekin Memorial Hospital, all in Peoria, Illinois.

In the early 1970s, Wentz founded Salt Lake City-based Gull Laboratories and spent 20 years developing, manufacturing and marketing medical diagnostic test kits designed to detect infections and certain autoimmune disorders. The most successful of Gull’s products was the first commercially available test for the diagnosis of infection with the Epstein-Barr virus. Wentz served as president and chairman of Gull from 1974 to 1992 and continued on as chairman and director of research until 1998.

While Gull played a critical role in the world health arena, Wentz believed that disease prevention was as important as disease detection. He and other scientists were discovering the value of antioxidants in countering the negative effect of free radicals in the human body. Free radicals are believed to be the cause of many degenerative diseases, and spawn from a variety of factors including pollution, high-fat diets, lack of exercise, and smoking. Wentz became convinced that the single most effective thing people could do to prevent degenerative disease was to receive proper nutrition. Wentz’ insights into nutrition came from the most basic level of all: the individual human cell.

Armed with these insights, Wentz founded USANA Health Sciences in 1992. The name “USANA” is derived from Greek and Latin and means “true health.” A state-of-the-art manufacturer of nutritional supplements, USANA soon became a respected leader in the industry, with a full line of nutritional products designed to provide a complete and balanced spectrum of beneficial nutrients.

Wentz was presented in June 2007 with the Albert Einstein Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Life Sciences. He accepted the award from Global Capital Associates in Jerusalem at a conference of political, business and scientific leaders.

Read Usana’s statements about their commitment to quality and manufacturing. This is incredibly important to me as a consumer:

USANA’s Commitment to Quality Assurance & Good Manufacturing Practices


As a former pro windsurfer I was the most impressed by the roster of athletes and many Olympic Athletes taking and endorsing Usana supplements. As an athlete there is no way you are taking anything that you feel would hurt your chances of success. In fact, I learned that as far as drug testing, Usana has what they call an Athlete Guarantee Program. What it guarantees is that if one of the enrolled athletes tests positive for a banned substance as a result of taking Usana products, they pay the athlete two times their annual sports earnings, up to a max $1 million.

 The Olympic athlete roster for Team Usana at the 2010 Winter Olympics is impressive:

• US Speedskating

• Speed Skating Canada

• Biathlon Canada

• USA Luge

• Jennifer Heil – Canada Freestyle Moguls

• Julia Murray – Canada Freestyle Ski Cross

• Jennifer Botterill – Canada Women’s Hockey

• Adam Pengilly – British Skeleton Association

Also Usana is an Offical Partner of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour

Sony Ericsson WTA Tour (Women’s Tennis Association)
“USANA’s slogan, ‘Nutritionals You Can Trust’, is more than just advertising. It is their guaranteed assurance of the quality of their products, which allows our athletes to trust that they will be able to attain optimal health and fitness without the fear of violating the strict World Anti-Doping Agency code they all adhere to. Currently over 160 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour athletes take USANA® products, and we have received positive testimonials from many players expressing improved overall health since taking the product.”

—Stacey Allaster, Chairman & CEO of Sony Ericsson WTA Tour
 
 
There are too many additional athletes to name here , but the can view the complete roster on the Usana sponsored athlete page.
 
 
  • Charitable Giving:  Children’s Hunger Fund  
 
  • Helping the enviroment: Usana’s Green Pledge
  
 
Products I tried:

*Disclosure*

There are a large variety of products and the 3 categories are Nutritionals -Diet & Energy -Personal Care. I was provided a few different products  by Usana. A MyHealthPak specifically designed for my needs. I also was given Revitalizing Shampoo, Nourishing Conditioner, the Energizing Shower Gel, a Rev3 Energy, Rev3 Energy Surge Pak, packets of all three flavors of the Nutrimeal and each flavor of Nutrition Bar.

Pros: A complete line of life products backed by science. When looking over their website, they make a point to show their commitment to high quality and integrity. I liked all their products, although I preferred the Rev3 pak’s over the canned Rev3. A matter of taste preference. The MyHealthPak is the product I’ve consistently used for the last 3 weeks and have loved it. I really feel the difference in my energy levels and my ability to recover. I feel healthier than I have in a long time. I plan on continuing to take it to see what positive effects it has on  my immune system.

Cons: Not available in store. Order online or through an associate.

♥ The fun part for you!  

Giveaway: To be entered in the giveaway for 1 Usana MyHealthPak along with a health assessment which gives you customized paks that fit your personal needs, it’s easy! Leave a comment sharing if you have been a avid supplement user. That’s it!

Give away ends 2/28/2010 at 11:59 pm US CST.

Open to United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Mexico, Malaysia and The Philippines.

Winner is chosen using a random number generator.

Winner announced 3/01/2010.

 Reviews on Joyce Cherrier’s Blog reflect the personal opinion of the writer. This product was supplied to me (Joyce Cherrier) by the company for review purposes.  No compensation was accepted by me for this review but I did get to keep the products given to me.

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By Joyce – February 22, 2010

Have a Happy Healthy Heart

Have you ever taken one of those personality tests? Are you a yes person or no person? Type A? Glass half empty or half full? Melancholy or sanguine? Wait ..what? I always saw myself as a laid back sort of Maui girl with thoughts of beautiful beaches and checking surf reports, scarfing sushi and hoping someone has a weekend party. Then I got a real job, got married, had kids, bought a house and *gasp* moved from Maui. That last part bummed me out.

Happiness, they say, is a choice. And again a study has come out to let us know it’s also a health must. Here’s an article from Health.com that takes a look at the benefits of being happy:

People with a joyful, positive, and enthusiastic disposition—what psychologists call “positive affect”—are less likely than their gloomier peers to have a heart attack, a new study has found.

Is this really a surprise? I know anxiety, anger and being bummed out sure doesn’t feel good and I think most can feel their body responding to negative emotions. It tends to also be contagious. We can’t discount the effect it has on our hearts in more than just an emotional way.

Redford B. Williams, MD, the head of behavioral medicine at Duke University Medical Center, in Durham, N.C. In their ability to promote heart health, he adds, “I believe positive emotions rank right up there with weight loss, exercise, and quitting smoking.”

In the choice to be happy or not, filling our hearts and minds with the postive is a must. Have you ever gone to a movie and left feeling down? Or happy? All we chose to see and hear has an effect on us and then becomes far reaching. It’s not just about being an “up’ person, it’s a health issue for your heart.

Although we can’t always control negative people or circumstances (bills, mother-in-laws) that come into our lives we can learn to respond in a way that doesn’t effect our heart in a negative way. When my kids are grumpy and cranky we have a little game we play. Each one of us has to name three things we’re thankful for. That little game has changed the course of the day many times. All through the day we can direct our thoughts towards the positive. We can surround ourselves with great people and minimize the time spent with negative garbage as best we can. Add this to a great exercise and nutrition lifestyle and your heart will thank you for it!

What ways help you to be a happy, positive person? Share and spread the happiness so we”ll all be healthier!

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By Joyce – February 19, 2010

5 Breakfast Choices Not To Choose

             

The… patient should be made to understand that he or she must take charge of his own life.  Don’t take your body to the doctor as if he were a repair shop.  ~Quentin Regestein 

Awareness about what we eat is a big key to successful lifestyle changes. Obviously we can’t depend on restaurants to give nutritional info on their menus. That would mean less food ordered, which means less moola for them!  It’s really up to each of us to find out what’s on our plates. Eating out everyday is very common, so you can imagine how much of our calorie intake comes from that. I love when someone brings to light what’s in what were eating and Monica Nuñez does that for us in the Team Beachbody Newsletter:

1.  IHOP® Stuffed French Toast Combo: 1,476 calories. Yep. That’s 1,476 calories consumed, all before lunchtime! Some people consume that many calories in a day. Impressive! Of course, when you look at what this combo contains, you won’t be surprised: Cinnamon raisin French toast stuffed with sweet cream cheese filling, topped with cool strawberry or your choice of fruit compote and whipped topping. Served with two eggs, hash browns, two bacon strips, or two pork sausage links. This breakfast packs quite the punch, to your stomach andyour fitness goals. I’d skip it. The Stuffed French Toast Combo also contains 76.2 grams of fat, 173.1 grams of carbs, and 29.1 grams of protein.

2. Jack in the Box® Hearty Breakfast Bowl and Orange Sunrise Smoothie (24 oz.): 1,210 calories. Definitely “hearty” in calories, the breakfast bowl contains 780 calories, with 540 of those calories from fat. Total fat content is 60 grams—with 20 saturated fat grams and 7 trans fat grams. Although the bowl is not going to win the sodium challenge over the Deluxe Breakfast, it’s still impressive at 1,350 milligrams of sodium—oh, the salty goodness! The bowl also contains 34 grams of carbs (4 grams of dietary fiber and 1 gram of sugar) and 26 grams of protein. While the smoothie contains no fat, you don’t want or need to consume a 430-calorie beverage. The smoothie also contains 108 total grams of carbs (with 86, yes, 86 grams of sugar) and 4 grams of protein. Why not opt for a large orange instead? Come on! You can actually go “big” on this fresh fruit and not do any of the damage that this and the other large breakfasts listed will do. One large orange (about 6.5 ounces) has 86 calories, 21.6 grams of carbs (along with 4.4 grams of fiber and 17.2 grams of sugars), 1.7 grams of protein, 73.6 milligrams of calcium, and 333 milligrams of potassium.

3. McDonald’s Deluxe Breakfast (large-size biscuit; no syrup or margarine): 1,150 calories. You’ll consume 1,150 calories (540 calories from fat) if you opt for the Deluxe Breakfast—with the large-size biscuit. As with the IHOP Combo and the Jack in the Box breakfast, you will have consumed over 1,000 calories before noon. Wow! The risk you take when you decide to go through that drive-thru window is costly, even if the price of your breakfast is not. If you go for the conservative Deluxe Breakfast with the regular-size biscuit (at 1,090 calories, 510 calories from fat), you’ll save 60 calories. Does that make a difference? Maybe not—definitely not to your waistline if you eat the Deluxe Breakfast often. The Deluxe Breakfast with the large-size biscuit also contains 60 grams of total fat (20 grams of saturated fat), 116 grams of carbs (with 7 grams of fiber and 17 grams of sugar), and 36 grams of protein. At 60 grams of total fat, you consume 93 percent of your recommended daily allowance. The sodium content is also worth mentioning: 2,260 milligrams of sodium. Don’t forget that all of these numbers do not include the syrup and margarine.

4. Burger King® Enormous Omelet Sandwich and Minute Maid® Orange Juice (12 oz.): 870 calories. Most of those 870 calories will be coming from the 730-calorie sandwich. The omelet sandwich also has 45 grams of total fat, with 16 saturated fat grams and 1 trans fat gram. It falls a bit short of the Deluxe Breakfast with its 1,940 milligrams of sodium. Other nutritional content includes 44 grams of total carbs, with 2 grams of fiber and 8 grams of sugar, and 37 grams of protein. Your safest bet is to stick with the juice alone. At 140 calories, it contains 33 grams of carbs (30 grams of sugar), 2 grams of protein, and 42 milligrams of vitamin C. I dared not add anything like, say, a large hash brown. It’s almost as highly caloric as the sandwich at 620 calories (40 grams of total fat, with 11 saturated and 13 trans, and 1,200 milligrams of sodium). If it helps, you’ll only consume 10 more calories if you choose this Burger King breakfast over the Starbucks breakfast.

5. Starbucks® Venti Hot Chocolate (2% milk, with whip) and a Blueberry Scone: 860 calories. That 2% milk won’t really help you much in the way of saving calories. The hot chocolate contains 460 calories (160 calories from fat) and the blueberry scone contains 400 calories (160 calories from fat). If you opt for no whip cream, you’re still going to consume 390 calories in drink alone. I know it’s very hard to resist this sweet, delicious “breakfast,” but you’re better off avoiding so much sugar so early in the morning—well, OK, you’re better off avoiding so much sugar, period! That venti hot chocolate also contains 18 grams of total fat (10 grams saturated), 64 grams of carbs (with 2 grams of fiber and 54 grams of sugar), and 18 grams of protein. The blueberry scone has 17 grams of total fat (9 grams saturated), 54 grams of carbs (with 2 fiber grams and 17 sugar grams), and 5 grams of protein. If you simply can’t resist the hot chocolate, why not try a tall instead of a venti with nonfat milk and no whipped cream? It contains 190 calories (20 calories from fat), 2 grams of total fat (no saturated fat), 37 grams of carbs (2 grams of fiber and 31 grams of sugar), and 11 grams of protein.

If you’re working hard during your workouts and can’t figure out why you can’t lose that extra 5-10 lbs, I encourage you to start  a food journal and write down every single thing that you eat and drink. Everything! As you can see in these examples, even if you omit the butter thinking you have saved yourself tons of calories, it was a calorie nightmare to begin with! Don’t allow all that hard work during your workouts to go to waste. Be conscious of your choices when eating out. Remember, as a customer,  you can make special requests with your meals. It takes 3,500 calories for one lb of fat. If you had just 3 of those first items listed in a weeks period you’ve already gone way over! Grabbing a quick bite in a hurry without thought to what you’re actually eating will sabotage any other efforts. Stop and think. Make the best choice. Each right choice adds up to success!

 

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By Joyce – February 11, 2010

AquaHydrate Case Giveaway Winner

Congratulations go out to Kendra, the winner of a case of AquaHydrate High Performance Sport’s Water!

 Thank you to all that shared their water drinking habits and for helping us to keep in mind how important it is for health. Cheers!

Thank you to AquaHydrate!

More giveaways of other healthy things to come too!

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By Joyce – February 7, 2010

Can a Community Make a City Healthier?

New Orleans NiteI came across Ann and Aaron of Be Fit NOLA on Twitter…after exchanging a few tweets with Ann; we setup a time to talk where we discussed a little more about what they were doing with Be Fit NOLA.  After all, I was curious being that I live in the Greater New Orleans area and health and fitness, as you all know, is a big part of my life.

What they have done is three fold…ultimately they have put in place and leveraged all the key online tools to bring together and grow a community around health and fitness in the Greater New Orleans area.  But it doesn’t end there – the tools are also crucial to not only connecting people together around a great common goal (live a healthier lifestyle) but it’s about creating resources of information and educating people about the how, why, and what of living a healthy lifestyle. The third thing I see happening with this, is that they just might end up making the Greater New Orleans area healthier over time, plus showcase the city and surrounding areas in a different light.

It’s exciting but they definitely have their work cut out for themselves. New Orleans is an amazing place but unfortunately, it also repeatedly makes Forbes’ list of America’s Most Obese Cities.

The Be Fit NOLA’s web presence starts with their website, which they refer to as a 24/7 Central Health and Fitness Bank.  They have compiled a directory of health and fitness service providers for the Greater New Orleans area, listed the sport organizations and sport courts in the city, plus events and happenings…and they maintain a blog written by local health and fitness professionals on all major health and fitness topics.  They have other areas of the site but those are still “under construction”.

They have a rather active twitter presence, but they focus mostly on connecting with local New Orleans residents – which is somewhat limited. Out of the people they reach…how many are going to be interested in talking about health and fitness?

If you follow the online trends and conversations about/from New Orleans they revolve mostly around Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, the Saints, the Mayoral election, Bourbon St. and all the great food and drinks the city has to offer.  How is a conversation about health and fitness going to make it’s way into the dialogue?

You can also find Be Fit NOLA on Facebook, Flickr and YouTube.  They need more content but they understand the approach they need to take to engage their community to get them participating and contributing.

This brings me back to my original question and title of my post…Can a Community Make a City Healthier?!?

Ann and Aaron think so.  Ann told me she also realizes she will have to leverage traditional media, marketing and go around meeting people in person in order to get them interested in what they have to say and provide.  It will be interesting to check back in six months and see how much progress they’ve made.

 What are your thoughts on what they’re doing?

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By Joyce – February 3, 2010

Giveaway & Review: AquaHydrate High Performance Sport’s Water

AQUA-235x300 *This Giveaway has ended*

When the really nice folks at AquaHydrate offered to send me some of their water, you think I would be jumping for joy. But the truth is I loathe don’t really enjoy drinking water. I really can’t explain it, but generally I have to force it down. Sometimes I add lemon, sometimes tea bags and honey. Anything but plain water. To really review the water, I knew I should drink it consistently and for all my workouts. Those bottles looked awfully big.

The problem is dehydration is bad news. It can decrease plasma volume, cardiac output, your sweat rate, maximal oxygen uptake, muscle strength and liver glycogen. Sports like football, tennis and distance running commonly see 5% dehydration levels. Levels greater than 7% are extremely dangerous. Specialized receptors in the hypothalamus called Osmoreceptors cause you to get thirsty. The problem is your thirst doesn’t keep up with what you need. All this is to say that we need to drink water.

What pleasantly surprised me was how easy this water was to drink. The bottles were the 33.8 Fl Oz size and before I knew it, I drank the whole thing! That had never happened to me before. No way I could down that much water and like it! But  there was no weird aftertaste I’ve experienced at times with bottled water. If water can have a taste, this tasted really good. Also, I personally liked the big bottles. They were great for my hour workouts. As far as plastic bottles are concerned, it was good to know they are 100% recyclable.

There are many sport’s drinks out there to choose from. What’s inside the bottles is what counts.

Sugar is commonly found in sports drinks and most people are unaware of how much. Just to give you an idea of how much sugar you’re drinking in,  Dave Patania / Eyewitness News writes: 

A 20 ounce Powerade weighs in with over seven teaspoons of sugar. Powerade’s low sugar option – just over one.

A 32 ounce Gatorade – a staggering 14 teaspoons of sugar. Gatorade’s lower sugar brand, Propel 16 ounces, only one and a half teaspoons.

A 20 ounce Vitamin Water tips the scales with just over seven teaspoons.

Many have additives such as artificial colors in addition to the sugar.

So the idea of pure water appeals to me. I wanted to know the science behind their water. Here’s a bit of the science I found on their site:

Purity: Undergoes a proprietary seven-stage purification process that is finer than the human kidney. They note that purity is critically important in light of recent studies that have shown municipal tap water to be contaminated wide a wide variety of pharmaceuticals or drug byproducts including medicines for pain infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, diabetes, heart disease and  mental illness.

Ionic Minerals: More than  72 macro and trace minerals in AquaHydrate. Macrominerals in their ionic form are essential for athletes -for example, ionic calcium, sodium and potassium are necessary for muscle contraction and magnesium is essential for energy production. You actually need dozens of macro and trace minerals in order to replace what you’re sweating out.

Alkaline pH: The pH of AquaHydrate is raised to 9.15, putting it squarely in the alkaline range. This is important because the tongue responds better to an alkaline than an acid pH. Most people find that they can drink more water if it has an alkaline pH, because of its soft or silky texture and taste.

There’s tons of info on their site about all things bottled water. You’ll also find testimonials from a variety of athletes like Jack Nicklaus and others that  give their personal experiences from drinking AquaHydrate. I also noted that AquaHydrate was a supporter of the The Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation.  The Foundation has grown from a vision to reality, providing charitable services for children’s health care in five Florida counties: Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee, and Indian River.The Foundation’s mission is to provide support for activities that advance and enhance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of childhood diseases and disorders. In addition, it supports not-for-profit programs and projects aimed at children’s health, safety, and well-being.

My personal experience with AquaHydrate: I made sure during my review to make no changes to my diet or supplements. I didn’t alter my sleep patterns or work schedule. I have to say I noticed a significant increase in energy throughout the day but especially during my workouts. From workout to workout I felt I had recovered from the one before and even started adding an extra workout like a 3 mile run every other day to my 6 day schedule of training. Because I liked the taste I did drink a lot more water all day long and not just for workouts.

Now for the fun part for you!

For a chance to win a case of AquaHydrate it’s easy! Just leave a comment sharing if you’re an avid water drinker or mostly drink other beverages?

Giveaway ends Saturday at 11:59 pm Central Standard Time  2/06/2010

Winner announced 2/o7/2010 - USA only.    

Winner chosen using a random number generator

 

 

 Reviews on Joyce Cherrier’s Blog reflect the personal opinion of the writer. This product was supplied to me (Joyce Cherrier) by the company for review purposes.  No compensation was accepted by me for this review but I was given a case of Aquahydrate to keep.

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By Joyce – February 2, 2010