When my editor asked me to do a piece on colonics, I couldn’t help but think of the Steve Martin character and his girlfriend in the movie “LA Story.” But I brushed aside skepticism, interviewed a handful of people who represent the pro and con of this alternative therapy, and wrote what I consider to be a fair assessment of colon hydrotherapy. Bottom line: it may have its place (for someone receiving a colonoscopy, or on an extended fasting diet), but for the most part it’s unnatural and the benefits are oversold. Eat fibrous food, drink lots of water and exercise instead.
Ignore everything you’ve ever heard or seen on television exercise product infomercials: to be strong and fit takes time, effort and variation. But still, there are techniques that can speed things up. One is eccentric movements – a.k.a., “negatives” – that portion of any weight-resistance exercise that we typically think of as the easy part. For example, after pressing a weight overhead, it’s the drop-down half of the exercise. If you go super slow on that portion, you significantly increase the muscle-building benefit. I explain it in detail in an article on HairLoss.com, where I am the fitness and nutrition section editor.
Just because your wallet is thinner right now doesn’t mean you have to let good nutrition go by the wayside. It might take a bit more vigilance in watching what you eat – same as how you watch what you spend – but it might also be an opportunity to rid yourself of bad habits. Very healthy beans, fresh or frozen produce and lower-cost chicken or fish you prepare at home can be exceptionally high in nutrients and lower in fat and calories than what you’d find in restaurants. I wrote about this on HairLoss.com, where I am the fitness/nutrition editor.
My editor at RealJock.com has assigned me coverage of how healthcare reform affects the LGBT community (RealJock is a very popular social networking site for gay men into health and fitness). I looked at the convergence of two very volatile issues, healthcare reform and same-sex marriage equality, relative to the accumulation of morbidity and mortality statistics pairing marriage with longer life spans. Factors include psycho-social dynamics as well as basic access to health insurance enjoyed by legally married individuals but denied to most people outside that legal (civil) institution. The situation is not encouraging, even for people in states where civil unions or gay marriage is legal, given how those partner benefits are subject to a federal tax.