Here's a great success story:

Marty Baylor

Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics

Success Story

I recently saw the movie “The Bucket List” where Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman join up to do some things they always wanted to do before they “kick the bucket”. It reminded me of my bucket list, which contains many things that I couldn’t do at the time I made the list, but could potentially do some day. The items on my list challenge me mentally, physically, and emotionally. They challenge me to stop putting things off and to just do it. I have already completed some items on my bucket list like obtaining my PhD, travelling to China, and getting on a roller coaster.

Over the last several years, I have been working on some of the physical challenges on my list. In 2000 I decided to lose weight and eat better. By 2003, I had lost 40 lbs by exercising and changing the way I ate. No diets for me. It was a permanent lifestyle change and I have kept the weight off.

Since being at Carleton, I have been working on losing those lingering 5 pounds and focusing on my attention to one of the items that has been on my bucket list for a while…running a 5K without stopping to walk. I used to run and play as a kid until I developed asthma in 8^th grade. I went from a 6.5 minute mile to walking a slow mile in 40 minutes or so. During the fitness push from 2000 to 2003, I was able to jog a mile in 12 minutes, which made me feel better about the progress I made, but not up to the 5K challenge. In recent years, my progress had leveled off and the 5K goal seemed far out of reach.

I read about the lifestyles program and decided it was time to just do it! I decided to work with one of the lifestyle trainers to kick-start my workouts. My lifestyles trainer helped me increase me energy and stamina. Russ’ Step class, really pushed my cardio workout. I have made so much progress that I jogged 2.5 miles on the high school track behind my parent’s home on Thanksgiving Day. I only stopped because I was getting bored running around the track and it was getting close to dinner time.

I am looking forward to going back to Boulder and running one of the qualifier 5K races that occurs just before the Bolder Boulder on May 26th. Who knows, maybe I will run the Bolder Boulder 10K!

Here are a sampling article submissions:

Health-related article: On breakfast and protein

I love breakfast. I like telling people, especially my kids, about how good it is to have protein at start of day, and about the importance of eating breakfast.

At the 2003 American Heart Association conference it was reported that people who eat breakfast are significantly less likely to be obese and diabetic than those who usually don’t.

In their study, researchers found that obesity and insulin resistance syndrome rates were 35 percent to 50 percent lower among people who ate breakfast every day compared to those who frequently skipped it.

"Our results suggest that breakfast may really be the most important meal of the day," says Mark A. Pereira, Ph.D., a research associate at Children’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. "It appears that breakfast may play an important role in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease."

[http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3009715]

An important component of breakfast is protein. "Based on several new studies, eggs may be back on the breakfast menu too! Healthy adults (with no history of diabetes) can enjoy one to two eggs per day without increasing their blood cholesterol or triglyceride levels.

People who eat protein, like eggs, for breakfast tend to eat fewer calories during the day and to maintain a healthier weight. They also report feeling more energetic than those who just eat carbohydrates, like a pastry, some toast, or bagel."

[http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/newsevents/newsreleases2008/february/Breakfast.shtml]

Protein is more satiating than carbohydrate, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (83, 2:211-20, 2006).

Most Americans - 80 to 90 percent in national surveys - believe that eating breakfast is a healthy habit. "However, only 40 to 50 percent of adults are actually eating breakfast on a regular basis," says Jessica Grennan (state health alliances director for the American Heart Association in Montana).

[http://www.dphhs.mt.govnewsevents/newsreleases2008/february/Breakfast.shtml]

Time to start eating breakfast if you're not already?

I love it when I read that even "a little" can go a long way, or at least bring some benefit. Every effort doesn't have to be heroic. If I pause for a few moments and relish the moment - with just that little effort - there will be fewer stress hormones circulating in my body and thus better physical well-being.

Additionally, even a little exercise - as little as ten minutes - can go a long way. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2007 found that even 10 minutes of moderate workouts per day (including walking briskly or riding an exercise

bike) led to a marked improvement in fitness and decrease in waist size, and, thus, reduced risks of early death. [Research was done by Timothy Church, PhD, and colleagues, of Louisiana State University; cited in Health magazine, December 2007.]

Subjects were average, unhealthy women in their 50's - a little too-close-for-comfort to my own state. Still, it reminds me that even

that little bit of physical exertion does a body good!

Womens Health Requirements for Life
By: Vickie Blair

Women are unique individuals each facing different health issues
affected by diet, environment, heredity etc. However they generally
fall into three age categories.

Womens Health Age 20-35

Although women in this age group generally have fewer health problems
than their older sisters they usually experience higher levels of
stress compared to older women. The challenges of balancing children,
career, and personal life can be stressful. During this demanding time
in a womans life it is essential to make sure that you receive the
proper nutrients to meet the energy levels your busy schedule demands.
Doing so will keep you healthier now and build a good foundation for a
healthy future.

The old adage an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is
certainly true in the area of skin care. Now is a good time to start
taking care of your skin to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles
down the road. A little sun is healthy, but too much can set the stage
for skin cancers of all types.

Speaking of pounds, maintaining a healthy weight now will make
staying healthy in your future years easier. Losing a few excess
pounds is easier now than in midlife. Exercise and a diet full of
nutritious foods is the best way to do this.

Womens Health Age 35-50

As women enter their 30es they begin a slow process of ending their
reproductive years. This is known as perimenopause. Actual menopause
is reached when your body has not experience your monthly cycle for
one year. Perimenopause can last up to ten years. Every womans body is
different and the duration and intensity of perimenopausal symptoms
varies. If you experience at least 3 of the following symptoms you are
probably entering perimenopause: moodiness, irritability, menstrual
changes, sleeping disturbances, bloating/water retention, hot flashes,
mild to moderate depression. Studies have shown that consuming
phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) in addition to a healthy diet and
lifestyle can reduce the severity of menopausal symptoms.

This is also the time when laugh lines and crows feet begin to show
up, along with the dreaded double chin. As your skin ages collagen and
elastin begin to break down, causing it to lose its firm supple
appearance. New skin cell production begins to slow down and this may
lead to a dry, dull complexion. Your scalp also is aging and this may
lead to dull, brittle, even thinning hair.

Womens health 50 and beyond

The major concerns for this group are heart health, keeping bones
strong, and preserving healthy joints. It is vital to supply your body
with the nutrients it needs to help prevent osteoporosis and heart
disease.

Your skin will have matured as well. It now takes your skins cells
twice as long to replace themselves as it did at age 20. Oil
production decreases, leaving your skin significantly drier. Skin
becomes thinner with age, making wrinkles, dropping, and irritation
more likely. Years of sun exposure can make the skin tone uneven.

One way to be sure to get the nutrients you need is to take a good
multi vitamin. This should be made of all natural ingredients, and
cold-processed to retain enzyme activity. Make sure that your vitamin
provider does clinical studies to prove delivery of the nutrients in
their product, and is willing to publish the results.


Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net/


Vickie Blair

10 Tips For Women to Improve Their Fitness Health
By: Taylor Ryan

Here are ten tips to improve your fitness health. Even athletes who
are incredibly fit may not be really healthy. They often tread a fine
line between health and illness or injury.

1) Listen to your body. As you are training it is easy to become
preoccupied with the repetitions you are doing, or the time you have
been exercising. Leave your watch at home and slow down or walk when
your body hurts- but on the same note do not be afraid to push
yourself, the gym should not be a leisurely walk in the park if you
are wanted to get sculpted. You must learn you understand your body

2) To improve your fitness health you need to eat a varied diet. Five
fruit and vegetables a day should be your minimum target. Your health
will improve if you eat at least five different kinds of fruit, then
any vegetables will be a bonus.

3) Take a complete day off from exercise every once in a while. It
does not have to be every week, but doing extra training when you are
tired may have a detrimental effect on your health and fitness. You
become fitter and healthier through rest as much as exercise. My off
day is generally Sunday

4) For muscle increase up protein intake: make sure every meal
includes good protein sources: lean meats, poultry, seafood, dairy,
and beans are great examples. Do no be afraid to include protein
shakes in your diet: WHEY is a great source and it takes awesome

5) Understand technique before trying anything new. This will insure
that you will not cause injury and you will maximize the results you
want. If you have questions consult a gym professional or another
reliable source.

6) You will improve your health and fitness by stretching more. Your
muscles get shorter through exercise, and if you never stretch you
will get injured. One method is to warm up slowly first, then spend
several minutes stretching before the main workout. Stretch thoroughly
after exercise as well.

7) You need to stay hydrated if you are exercising more. This means
drinking water and sports drinks if you are sweating a lot. You lose
minerals in your body while sweating. It is recommended to drink five
glasses of water a day, but if you are working out you need to drink
more than this. Do not get carried away, though, because it can be
just as dangerous to drink too much as too little.

8) Exercise with other people. You will meet new friends, and your
fitness will improve if you have other people to motivate you.

9) Do not become too competitive as this may harm your health.
Motivation from other people is good, but you should only compete
against yourself. Try too hard to keep up with someone else, and you
could become injured. This goes back to understanding your body: if
you know it can not handle something then PLEASE do not do it.

10) Have fun! Your health and fitness will improve if you are having
fun because you will stick to your exercise program.


Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net/

Effects of Stress

Before we have a discussion about stress, let’s define our terms.
What exactly, are the kinds of stress we are talking about? There are
the physical stresses like lack of sleep or working nine hours digging
ditches. There are the chemical or nutritional stresses that are
becoming more common every day in America. Just have a soda and watch
the people for a while. Then there are the emotional or mental
stresses. I bet you’re talking about emotional stress.

Okay, let’s talk about emotional stress, but understand that all
three kinds of stress can create the same effects of stress.

There are certain patterns that take place during times of stress, no
matter what kind you want to talk about. Here’s a list of effects:
circulatory changes, skin rashes, adrenal gland fatigue, lymphatic
system slow down, intestinal track irritation…almost every symptom of
the body will show the effects of stress.

So instead of looking at all the symptoms, which won’t do you any
good anyway, let’s get to the cause and the correction of the cause
of stress. Because no matter what the cause and effects of stress are,
there are some powerful ways to reduce them.

Emotional Stress

Some people never "get over" a loved one's death, marital breakup, or
other severe stress. Never. These people live their lives in the
constant presence of the past emotional stress. Even extensive
counseling doesn't help some people. Counseling at such times can be
most important for a person, but counseling does not reset the
emotional stress overload circuit breakers if they have been short
circuited.

How many stressful life events can you think about which cause your
"stomach to tie into a knot" or a queasy feeling to occur or tears to
fill your eyes? The presence of these symptoms when thinking about an
emotionally stressing event are a surefire indication that the
emotional stress overload points need to be "reset" by you or someone
close to you.

Have you ever seen a distressed person or a person completely
frustrated, clap their hand to their forehead? Maybe you’ve done it
yourself… recently. Why over the forehead?

It is no accident that placing the hand over the forehead is
instinctive reaction. Your body knows what it’s doing.

It has been discovered that on the skin of the forehead are located
neurological "circuit breakers" which are associated with mental and
emotional stress overload. The instinctive reaction of the person’s
nerve system is to draw attention to these circuit breakers.

Think about the last time you went through a stressful situation. How
about a school assignment that you had forgotten? What about that
person you have to talk to but don’t want to? What about that event
that’s coming up that you have to attend-and it’s the last thing
you want to do? Think of “that one thing” that causes you stress.

In each of these situations, if you think about the one that causes
you intensity, you may very well slap your hand to your forehead. You
might even add a shake of your head.

The point is this thought is causing you stress and the job of your
subconscious mind is to minimize the effects of stress by attempting
to reset your emotional circuit breakers. So let’s do this for real.
It will take 5 minutes and may very well change your life.

Find something moderately stressful. Think about it for ten seconds
or to the point that this thought causes you a “gut feeling” of
stress. You know what I mean? If it’s not there, add some sensations
like movement, sound, color, or brightness.

Now, place your finger pads on your emotional circuit breakers; they
are the two bony points on your forehead. Make sure you are thinking
about that stressful episode at the same time you are touching your
forehead. Hold these points with a slight stretching or tugging on the
skin and you’re going to reset these circuits. The contacts should
be held until a slight pulsation (like taking your pulse on your wrist
or your neck) is felt in both fingers simultaneously. This usually
takes from 30 seconds to two minutes. Once the pulsation is felt, the
contacts may be held for a few more seconds and then released.

This is a simple but powerful way for you to reset your emotional
circuit breakers in relation to a specific episode of stress. It will
dramatically reduce the intensity of the event. If not, do it again.
Do it until the intensity goes down to zero.

How do you feel? You have just removed a significant effect of stress
from your life.

Tips For A Healthy Body And Mind
By: Kevin Sinclair

Depending largely on the healthy choices that we make in our lives
for our bodies, depends on how much we can enjoy life to the fullest
and age gracefully without the burden of disease.

Listed below are some tips which you can follow to help you to
prolong your good years.

Research has proven that by eating breakfast early in the day can
help to reduce the risk of weight gain along with heart disease and
diabetes.

Avoid fats and carbohydrates from items such as sugar, potatoes and
white bread. It is recommended to select foods that are heart-healthy
and include fruits, whole-grain cereals and bread, reduced fat cheese
and low-fat or skimmed milk.

It is essential to try and beat the sugar high. However, for those
individuals that have a sweet tooth, it can be difficult to stay away
from sugar. It is true, in the eyes of some people, that it is much
easier to grab a doughnut while making way to the office. However,
sugar can become an addiction that is very difficult to break.

If you feel that you need a sugar fix each and every day, then by
using a substance by the name of 5-HTP is a great way to curb that
sugar craving. This can be found in all natural health food stores and
is also referred to as 5-hydroxytryptophan.

5-HTP is a product that can assist you if you are an individual that
lacks willpower and has a good appetite. After all, there really is no
magic weight loss pill.

5-HTP is a direct precursor to "serotonin". It is designed to cause
the feeling of being full as well as eliminating craving for
carbohydrates and aids to balance the serotonin levels in your brain.
It is a herbal compound that is safe and effective which helps you to
lift your spirits as well as being a great product if you suffer from
mood swings, anxiety and depression. It comes with a recommended
dosage of 50 - 100 mgs on a daily basis.

It is essential to vary your exercise routine in order to assist the
aging process to slow down. It is also vital to change exercise
routines to prevent boredom, and more importantly, the risk of injury
which can be caused by overusing particular muscles, bones or joints.

Attempt to rotate aerobic exercises such as walking, running,
cycling, swimming, dancing and skating.

If possible, add strength training exercises to your routine several
times a week, in order to stretch you muscles and prevent weakness,
stiffness, bone loss and falls.

It is also vitally important, and your personal right, to take charge
of your own medical history and lifestyle. It is not necessary to
become Doctor know-it-all, but rather undertaking research of specific
areas of health that pertain to your own personal conditions is a very
intelligent step in the right direction.

By undertaking research of the natural remedies that are available as
well as to what your doctor recommends will give you a bigger choice,
as well as natural healing options. It must not be forgotten however,
that receiving a second opinion from health care professionals is also
vitally important.

Every individual has the right to view their medical records and
eyeglass or contact-lens prescriptions. Each individual is also
entitled to have a copy of every lab result, immunization records, and
imaging studies. It is recommended to keep them filed in an organizer
at home. It is also important to obtain a list of up-to-date
medications and doses and keep them in your file, as well as carrying
a copy of this list with you at all times.

By supplying and feeding your body and mind with the best foods and
nutrients that are available, you will not only have more energy, but
your body will be stronger and your mind will be sharper. By following
the tips in this report, you are taking the first steps on the path
towards a healthier life.