Essential vitamins and minerals for winter

At the first sign of a cold many of us reach for the vitamin C. But there is more to looking after your body during the winter months than the obvious. You might have considered a multivitamin supplement but wondered what all the minerals and vitamins listed as ingredients actually do. Each plays an important role in strengthening the immune system, boosting energy levels, improving your complexion and restoring vitality. We guide you through the maze of supplements.

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Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating

The holiday season is a time to celebrate with family and friends. Unfortunately, for many it also becomes a time for over-eating and weight gain. According to the National Institutes of Health, holiday eating can result in an extra pound or two every year. Over a lifetime, holiday weight gain can really add up. The holidays don’t have to mean weight gain. Focus on a healthy balance of food, activity, and fun. By implementing a few simple tips you can stay healthy through the holiday season.

Ten Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating

The dangers of going gluten free

The dangers of going gluten-free

It’s the biggest health craze of our time, though some doctors fear it’s creating real problems. (Even the Wheat Belly guru is worried)

by Cathy Gulli on Tuesday, September 10, 2013 7:00am

The first time Margaret Dron organized the Gluten Free Expo early last year, it was inside the gymnasium of a small community centre in east Vancouver. She had recruited one volunteer, two speakers, 38 vendors and expected 500 attendees.

Online Fitness Programs Growing In Popularity

The benefits of a personal trainer and the convenience of the Internet have come together in the latest fitness trend: online personal training. This concept emerged about ten years ago, but in the past five years, online training programs have amplified in popularity, said an expert yesterday at the American College of Sports Medicine‘s 15th-annual Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition.

Kids Should Not Consume Energy Drinks, and Rarely Need Sports Drinks, says AAP

Sports and energy drinks are heavily marketed to children and adolescents, but in most cases kids don’t need them – and some of these products contain substances that could be harmful to children.

In a new clinical report, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) outlines how these products are being misused, discusses their ingredients, and provides guidance to decrease or eliminate consumption by children and adolescents.

Fitness Testing

Fitness testing is a way of gaining information about the health, fitness level related and skill related components of an athletes fitness. Testing can take place in a number of environments, with laboratory testing being the most accurate; however there is still a large range of tests that can be carried out, away from a lab, which provide a lot of useful information. Fitness testing is not only for athletes, applies to any person that wants to get in a better physical fitness.

How FitnessPTO works

Training clients since 1993 has enabled me create a training system that is efficient, motivating, and which will help you achieve the best results you can!  Effective training is similar to going on a trip.  You need a starting point.  From there, you chose your destination.  Once you know where you want to go, you map out the route to get to there as efficiently as possible. It is also important that you plan for your meals along the way.  All of this makes for a successful and rewarding trip!

Top Five Fruits and Vegetables

Image via Wikipedia

The following lists can help add nutritional quality to your diet. I looked at variety and quantity of key vitamins and minerals, the amount of fiber, plus beta-carotene and phytochemicals — those non-nutritive components that have disease-fighting benefits. The description of nutritional benefits highlight their strengths, but this list is not all-inclusive.

Fighting the cold and flu season

It is very important to consume foods high in Iron and vitamin C.

Iron
Most of the iron you consume goes to form hemoglobin, the substance that helps your red blood cells transport oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. The rest is stored in the bone marrow, liver, spleen and other organs.
Because iron also plays a key role in helping to prepare your immune system‘s infection fighters for battle, a deficiency may lead to colds.

Guidelines for a healthy diet

– Avoid sugar (sugar, honey or brown sugar) and starch (white flower products, white rice, potatoes, corn) intake.
– Avoid products with excess fat.
– Avoid alcohol. Alcohol lowers the sugar in the blood and will increase your appetite. Also have a high number of calories.