Mark’s Weekly Health Challenge

This week, bust your butt to bust your gut. Exercise every day. Park your car way out of sight. Surprise the dog with an extra-long walk. Make television commercials your own personal sit-up special. Bike with the kids. Walk after every meal. Make activity your middle name this week. Now get moving!

Posted By: Mark Sisson

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Do Anti-Cellulite Shoes Work?

Several Apples have written in wondering about MBT and other supposed jiggle-reducing shoe brands, so in the interest of truth and avoidance of unattractive footwear, let’s set the record straight. Do anti-cellulite shoes work?

No, no, and no. Here’s a great article that debunks this ridiculous shoe trend. Not only are the numerous health and figure-fix claims about cellulite shoes total baloney, these kicks are expensive and super-ugly.

MBT, the main anti-cellulite shoe maker, even has an African myth of sorts to complete the marketing lure (check out Mark’s post on hoodia for another example of emotional bait).

These sneakers will make you wobble, feel dizzy, and possibly fall (so you can have a big bruise in addition to cellulite). What they will not do is cure cellulite.

Unfortunately, there’s just not really a “cure” for cellulite. It’s genetic, like bone density, skin tone and hair color. Of course, you can lift weights to build bones, fry in a tanning bed, and dye your hair, right? Ah, modern technology. There are things you can do to reduce the appearance of cellulite – but it will never go away with a magic cream or a funky pair of shoes.

If you’re really in angst come bikini season, these things can help:

- My personal theory: lay off the sugar, processed foods and trans fat, and make real fat your friend. Fat does not cause cellulite, but eating weird, unhealthy and processed foods does do weird things to our cells. I’m not saying sugar causes cellulite, but it certainly doesn’t help, either. Enough with the fat-free dairy, ladies (which just has sugar in place of fat). Sugar stores itself as fat and expands existing fat cells. Aha!

- The appearance of cellulite can be reduced if you have good, lean muscle tone and less flabby fat. So yes, you need to work out once in a while. Plenty of muscle tissue on that booty of yours will help “smooth” the external layer of skin and fat cells a little bit. Men don’t tend to have cellulite because they have more lean muscle mass, and their fat cells tend to be smaller and more flexible. So, reducing your overall body fat and increasing muscle mass will help in your quest to be as smooth as a baby’s behind.

- Increase circulation. This is where those creams and gels come in. Most of them “work” by temporarily stimulating circulation to fat cells that go so long without seeing so much as a blood platelet, they wouldn’t know what to do if one stopped by. (Okay, my doctor friends are rolling their eyes right now, but you get the idea.) If you can increase your circulation – often a problem with women (cold feet, anyone?) – you can potentially help nourish and smooth those outer cells a bit more. But no amount of cardio is going to totally eliminate cellulite.

Two things to remember:

1) If you’re reasonably fit and healthy, just revel in that figure. Do what you can, and don’t stress the rest. Guys really don’t care as much as we think they do. Seriously, they don’t – men’s eyeballs are wired differently, and detail is not a strong suit (they have better depth perception, while women see certain colors and details better). Whew.

2) As Cindy Crawford once famously said, “Even I don’t look like Cindy Crawford in the morning.” There are very few photographs that are not airbrushed to perfection these days. Women on the covers of magazines are beautiful, yes, but perfect? Nope.

Posted By: Sara

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We Take the Sting Out

Worker Bees’ Daily Bites:

All the news you want to click!

1) There’s something worse than a donut, actually.

There’s a caffeinated donut. No cops were hurt in the making of this product. The rest of us should just stay away.

2) Cure for diabetes!

That’s no joke. There is a very simple, free, enjoyable way to prevent – even cure – many cases of diabetes. It’s called exercise, and people aren’t doing it. In fact, diabetics seem to studiously avoid exercise, according to this clickativity.

Guess what? Diabetes is a stupid, made-up disease. We invent it from a combination of sloth and sugar and stress. It’s not even an interesting or worthy disease. If health problems were softball, diabetes would be the one shuffling around in the dust while all the other problems got chosen first. Why? Because they matter. Because they strike innocent people. Because they need research and cures. Diabetes is a big joke compared to diseases we should be worrying about.

Which is why, in our softball game, diabetes would go home crying. Over milk and cookies, little diabetes’ mother would explain: “Junior, 99% of the time, you’re simply not a disease deserving of any attention – not when there are so many other real diseases that don’t have cures and can’t be prevented. You just don’t need to exist. You’ve been needlessly invented and you have no excuse. In fact, your father and I haven’t quite known how to tell you this, but…you’re just a big, pointless waste of our health, time and money. In fact, I have to remind myself not to exercise, dear, or you’d simply vanish. Poof.”

Just imagine if we ate caffeinated donuts.

3) Counting Calories? Don’t Read the Label

Companies have all sorts of ways of making labels reflect the amount of calories they feel like their food contains, as opposed to how many calories the food actually contains. Slate brings us an excellent investigative piece on some of the crazy chemistry adventures of the food industry. May we point out: who really cares about calories? If you are eating a diet high in vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and some good fats, you won’t exceed your caloric needs. Another tip-off to too many calories: feeling stuffed. That’s a definite indicator.

We’re not opposed to nutrition and caloric information on food products – the more information, the better. But rest assured, if there’s a rule or a regulation, companies are going to find a way around it. Trans fat gets banned? No problem – they’ve just come up with a new refined fat that’s even worse. People don’t like the word “lard” on their ingredients’ list? That’s okay – just change it to mono- and di-glycerides and fool ‘em all! It shouldn’t be a big surprise that calorie information is often misleading. Fortunately, if you eat fresh, whole foods, you won’t have to worry about calories. Cool, huh?

4) A Dangerous Cocktail

Antidepressants, kids, and pharmaceutical companies: it’s a deadly combination. In this case, it’s been revealed that GlaxoSmithKline lied about teen suicide risk. If they can lie, it appears, they will. Way to go, guys. You realize how you earned those second homes, don’t you?

And It’s Clickative:

I feel pretty, oh so pretty…

Posted By: Worker Bee

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The Tuesday 10

The Top 10 Ways to Beat Stress…this week!

Thanks to all Apples who participated in last week’s how-to-beat-stress contest. Our winner, junior Apple Sandra W., had some excellent suggestions we’re adding to today’s 10 (and a free month’s supply of all-natural stress-busting Proloftin is on the way, Sandra!).

Thanks to the rest of you for the additional good tips! Here they are:

10. Choose your friends wisely.

This is possibly the most important thing you can do to manage stress in your life. It’s often overlooked, too. Choosing your relationships from a proactive, positive mindset is critical to your well-being. We all have people who “drain” us or bring negative situations or thoughts into our lives. And sometimes it’s hard to admit this – and even harder to take action. As much as you can, let these people go. Sometimes it’s not immediately possible to weed them all out, but over time, work to surround yourself with good, kind people who offer you true love, true support, and true reciprocity. Life’s too short to short-change yourself in the joy department. Really.

9. Get exercise – and get grounded.

Daily exercise regulates the delicate balance of hormones in your body. It’s the best way to relieve stress, tension and anxiety – plus it’s great for your body. Even better, exercise that literally gets you grounded (walking, hiking, or running) gives you an additional mental boost. Exercise doesn’t have to be lengthy or intense. A daily walk is the most natural and effective workout for both your mind and your body.

8. Listen to uplifting music.

Sound is very important. Think about the sounds you encounter and surround yourself with every day – and take steps to limit stressful sounds and noises like traffic, yelling, negative television news, and jarring music. Listen to music that makes you happy.

7. Swim.

Swimming is a wonderful stress-reliever, and it’s gentle on your joints, too.

6. Stretch.

Stretching loosens muscle tension, releases nerve “kinks”, massages your internal organs, helps flush toxins and just makes you feel great! Try to stretch gently for a few minutes every day. Hint: never stretch until it hurts.

Learn about yoga here.

5. Surround yourself with pleasant objects and belongings.

We’re not talking about expensive items or materialistic pursuits. But surrounding yourself with personal mementos, cherished objects and pleasant things to touch and look at – both at home and at work – does wonders for your sense of well-being. These things needn’t be pricey, just special to you. The same goes for clutter and objects you don’t like – toss them out and make room for things that make you happy.

4. Pray or meditate.

Calm yourself and renew your spirits with 5 to 20 minutes daily spent in quiet introspection. Whether you prefer to think through your day, think about your loved ones, or think about nothing at all, meditative activities literally reset brain waves and restore a sense of peace and serenity. Don’t neglect the need to “chill out” for a few minutes every day. Even better, get consistent about the time of day you spend with yourself; your brain will become accustomed to it and your body will get even more out of the sessions.

3. Express yourself.

Whether through music, singing, dance, art, sports or cooking, find ways to express yourself several times a week. Even sketching daydreams or tackling a minor project can be therapeutic. Whatever gets you in the moment is a wonderful energy booster and tension reliever. Many times, activities that involve your hands or require some movement do a better job of relieving chaotic and pent-up emotions than hours spent thinking about such feelings.

2. Breathe.

Some people call it heart math. Some call it soul breathing. Whatever you want to call it, try this out: take 5 or 10 deep breaths now and again. Concentrate on filling your entire body with air, then release it slowly. Imagine that you are made of mesh and the breath is entering and exiting gently through the mesh. You’ll be amazed at how good this feels.

Art: Deep Breath by Melanie Weidner.

1. Find an organization method that works for you.

Successful people often spend an entire day each week simply organizing their tasks, goals and thoughts. Even an hour a week can make a big difference in your stress level and your feeling of control. Whether you like to keep things organized with a notepad or a Blackberry, find a method, a time of the week, and a length of time that works for you. Even if you don’t accomplish everything, you’ll feel better just knowing you’re at the helm. (And remember not to give yourself too many tasks. Most people give themselves about twice as much as they can realistically expect to accomplish. Remember that many tasks actually involve several smaller tasks.)

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Posted By: Worker Bee

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Sting Operation

Worker Bees’ Daily Bites:

News for the men, news for the women, news for the kidlets…

1) First there was cellulite cream…now this?

This week in quackery: was it the metrosexual trend that got men worrying about things like body wash and, now, testosterone cream? We’re not complaining about the body wash, but who needs one more unhealthy, questionable miracle cure on the market?

Testosterone does diminish with age. But supplementing with hormones is a dicey proposition that we don’t recommend unless there’s a medical need. A better way to keep those hormones pumping naturally (make that several ways):

- Pump some iron, guys!

- For goodness’ sakes, go to bed before midnight once in a while.

- Easy on the beer.

- Overcome vegetable aversion. It’s not like they meow.

- Express yourself. You don’t have to start writing poetry, but find ways to let those feelings out once in a while. Sports count.

- Get plenty of antioxidants in your diet and enhance your intake with a good, potent multivitamin.

- Stick to healthy friendships and relationships as much as humanly possible. It’s good to be responsible and reliable, but don’t overlook the damage that too much stress can do to your body’s regulatory functions. We all age (well, except that guy in sales who thinks he does a great Austin Powers imitation). But stress has a big impact on how you age. Cutting back on stress does a lot more for your mojo than any Rx.

2) No one said it was fun…

Women, especially young women, are avoiding their annual female exam like the plague. Hey, no one loves it. But five minutes now means prevention of potentially fatal STDs and cancer. Yeah, it’s annoying. And?

To learn about the new vaccine for cervical cancer, check this out. Your insurance should cover it, and if not, it’s pretty inexpensive.

3) If you want to live to 100, move here.

Just leave a note for the kids first. Or not.

Web it out:

For the girls (but we know you’re looking, boys):

How Much Energy Is In a Kiss?

The reason for this clickativity: remember that it doesn’t really take a lot of calories to fuel your body, so choose them wisely. A little food goes a long way. Choose the foods that pack the most nutrition. Which definitely does not include a Hershey’s Kiss. Check out the category “Healthy Tastes Great!” at right for simultaneously delicious and nutritious foods.

Dog People: 1, Cat People: 0.

At any rate, this is cool health news. Remember that good health is a holistic, comprehensive endeavor. Concentrate on improving quality of life at home, at work, and at the dinner table, and you’ll feel great!

Charity-Challenged Brains?

This is going to be all over the news in about 20 minutes. That’s because drug merchants (ahem) some people might not want this important news about antidepressants to get out. Though depression varies in magnitude and therefore treatment needs vary, there are many natural, safe ways to help improve brain function, mood, emotional health and overall wellbeing. Tomorrow’s Tuesday 10 will help get you started. Until then – stay healthy!

Posted By: Worker Bee

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