Valentine’s Day conjures up images of the color red, chocolate hearts, rose bouquets and maybe a romantic toast. While all these help us celebrate a holiday to honor those we love, it’s also an opportunity to do something good for yourself; more specifically, your heart. According to mental health professionals, the quality of your relationships has significant impact on your overall health. Excessive stress is a risk factor in heart disease. Some cardiologists believe anger and stress actually generate heart attack and stroke because of the hormones associated with those emotions. Cortisol …

Most New Year’s Resolutions fail. Sorry to deflate your ego with a bit of reality. The premise behind making a promise to improve yourself is great in theory. But, year after year you probably find yourself setting a similar goal only to find yourself “breaking the rules” one month later. Part of the problem with New Year’s resolutions is most folks don’t set realistic, definitive, or attainable goals, making failure inevitable. You can promise yourself to quit smoking, but what does that mean? Instead, your resolution should be to cut your habit from five a day to three or less a day. Or …

Every year, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) surveys thousands of fitness professionals to release its “Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends” for the upcoming year. The ACSM is one of the most respected fitness organizations and considered the “gold standard” of personal training certifications. Their opinions and research is highly regarded by those in the industry which is why if you want a preview of what’s to come for 2012, the ACSM list is a good place to start. One of its big decrees: Zumba is in, pilates is out! The Zumba workout keeps climbing the list. Relatively new, …

It’s hard to believe it’s the last week in December of 2011. Each passing year seems to fly by just a bit quicker. Most people often reflect on what they accomplished and what they want to change for the upcoming New Year. “The best” and “the worst” lists of fashion, current events and culture offer a way to reflect on how we progressed as a whole. It’s no different in the health and fitness industry. There were a lot of trends that made an impact on 2011. Some are here to stay, and others will fade will the ball’s drop at midnight on December 31st. Here is a look at some of the most talked …

In an effort to deter Americans from drinking sugary drinks and eating junk food, health experts are suggesting those items contain exercise labels. The report comes from researchers at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It was published this week in the American Journal of Public Health. You've probably glanced at a nutrition label. It's supposed to give you an idea of how much you are consuming in relation to your daily calorie allowance. But most people don't pay attention to the fine print: like when a bag of potato chips is two and a half servings, instead of one. The new …

Holiday parties and dinners are in full swing this week. In addition to getting together with family and friends, your office is probably holding a social gathering. It’s safe to say that most of these will involve a lot of (free) food and maybe some alcohol. Plenty of people give into holiday indulges because it only comes around one time a year. But not everyone is okay with the food comas and weight gain that come with letting your guard down. The good news is, you can eat what you want and minimize dietary damage. You just have to keep a few pointers in mind. Don’t save calories for the …

What is a dieter’s best friend? Well, besides water, afternoon walks and the occasional splurge… it’s a camera. Arming yourself with this simple tool is the best way to get an accurate idea of how you look, what you eat and your progress. Most judge progress by the scale, followed by measurements and then calipers.  But, all three are effected by: What you eat: how heavy your food is, if it’s sitting right in your gut, if you have visited the bathroom in a while. What you drink: are you well hydrated or maybe you had a couple beers last night. When you weigh: it’s going to be dramatically …

No matter which holiday you celebrate this season, at least part of it revolves around food, family, presents, and social gatherings. These same traditions meant to cause joy, can impact some people in a negative way.  When you stress over the holidays, even for a short period of time, it can impact you health. The body’s reaction to stress is the biological “fight or flight” response. With it comes a release of several hormones including adrenaline and cortisol. An increase of adrenaline makes you heart rate and blood pressure rise. Whereas excess cortisol increases blood sugar levels and …

It’s finally time to address the HCG diet. This plan calls for injecting yourself with human chorionic gonadotropin or HCG while on a 500 calorie diet. Some companies offer pills or drops to take under your tongue instead of the shots. There are so many things wrong with this plan; and on Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration agreed. The FDA and Federal Trade Commission went after a bunch of companies that sell homeopathic HCG to help people lose weight. In the eyes of the FDA and FTC, the way these companies market their products makes them "unnapproved new drugs." It also makes their …

December is a great time to find a health club to call home. Whether you’re looking to take your outdoor runs to an indoor treadmill, diversify your workouts, or get a head start on the New Year’s Resolution crowd, you can find good deals when you join the last month of the year. Herndon residents have access to a variety of gyms for different needs. But with so many choices, picking the right health club is right for you, may seem overwhelming. So here is a list of clubs to get you started. All of the clubs are close by and cater to different audiences.  Read through the guide and visit the …

It is possible to eat too healthy. But by that point, your diet isn’t really healthy it’s just restrictive. More and more people are adopting what they consider a healthier lifestyle and that includes overhauling their diet. Under most circumstances, that’s great; but not when it takes control of your life. At first, it might be eliminating sugar. Then, the carbohydrates go. Next, after some internet research and scare tactic blogs, you decide gluten is the devil. You learn if you don’t eat organic produce, you won’t get the vitamins and minerals you need. And that dairy causes a long list of…

Most Americans have a pretty full medicine cabinet. There are prescriptions you never finished, those that you take on a daily basis, supplements, and various over the counter drugs used for everything from allergies to the common cold. We don’t give much hesitation to popping pills, especially if it’s a doctor reccomended prescription or a supplement with the promises of amazing health benefits. But it’s time to take responsibility for what we put in our bodies, the long-term effects, and how the medicines might interact with each other. A good example is the report on acetaminophen (Tyenol …

Let the craziness begin. With Thanksgiving behind us, there is nothing else to do but eat leftovers and shop. Whether you are a Black Friday deal finder, Small Business Saturday scavenger, or prefer surfing and shipping on Cyber Monday, the next few days are a great time to find gifts for family and friends. If you’re searching for someone who takes their health seriously and considers fitness a hobby or passion, there are plenty of items to choose from that fit anyone’s budget. You may want to consider a heart rate monitor. This tool helps individuals get more out of their workout by gauging…

Holiday season is now in full swing. Everyone is planning their Thanksgiving menu, inviting friends over and baking treats to share. While many feel cheerful over the next couple months, it’s not uncommon get anxious; between attending personal and business social events, finding time to purchase gifts, and planning what to serve at dinner, there is plenty of reason to have some apprehension. For some, this feeling stems from the food and lack of exercise that comes with this season. There are so many tempting meals. And when your social calendar takes off, it’s easy for your workouts to drop…

Fairfax County is ahead of the times when it comes to healthy school lunches. The county made national headlines when it pulled its chocolate milk because it contained high fructose corn syrup. (Eventually it was replaced with a “healthier” version that is lower in fat and made from real sugar.) But, even Fairfax County needs federal funding for its school lunch program, especially to provide free and reduced meals to children who come from low-income homes. When the Agriculture Department made recommendations for healthier school lunches in conjunction with the Obama administration, it …

Women who drink sugary beverages every day may be increasing their risk for heart disease. That’s what a five-year study presented by the American Heart Association shows. But what makes this finding different from others is the gender bias sweet drinks seem to have on a woman’s health. It doesn’t matter what a woman prefers: sweet tea, soda or dessert-like coffee drinks; if you have two or more a day, you are putting your heart health in jeopardy. Even if you don’t gain weight, you are still at risk. In fact, when researchers looked at women over five years in the study, they found that even…

When it comes to treating back pain, you may be better off signing up for a yoga class than going to the doctor. That’s the findings of several studies all released within the last week.  In a large scale British study people with long term back pain were divided into two groups. Half of them took a 12-week course of yoga and the others received standard health care from a medical professional.  Three months later, the group who participated in yoga was able to take part in 30 percent more activities compared to those who went to the doctor. They also experienced a reduction in pain. The …

The Fairfax County Health Department hopes its vaccine initiative spreads faster than the flu it’s designed to prevent. Community Immunity is a campaign to increase flu vaccination rates in the Fairfax community. The Health Department hopes to educate people about the importance of getting the vaccine every year even if people believe they are healthy. Getting vaccinated protects the person, their family, but also the community. The more people who get the vaccine, and get it early on, the less the flu will spread through Fairfax County. There are videos you can watch online that explain how …

Coffee is more than just the morning beverage of choice. It’s an excuse to get to know someone “over a cup of coffee”; it’s a quick business meeting at the local coffee shop, or relaxing after a dinner out with coffee and dessert. It’s as American as apple pie. Fortunately research studies are showing it’s a lot healthier than the pie. According to the American Association for Cancer coffee reduces your risk for skin cancer. The research shows that drinking more than three cups of coffee a day reduces the risk of basal-cell carcinoma by 20 percent in women and 9 percent in men. It’s the …

All sorts of health experts strive to come up with the next great diet: one that promises weight loss, good health and longer life expectancy. Because of that, the diet industry is multi-billion dollar business and there are probably enough fad diets that to try one each day of the year. But you would expect (or at least hope) a plan released by a doctor would rise above the rest with research based recommendations. Unfortunately The Prehistoric Diet, created by Dr. Oz falls short on several fronts. At first when I read through the plan, I thought I wasn’t on his official website. Maybe I …