On November 4, just 2 hours and 23 minutes after having begun the 26.2 mile race, Paula Radcliff crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon, winning 1st place in the women’s division. Making her win all that more impressive is the fact that Radcliff is a new mom, having only given birth this past January.

For many new moms (and dads), the idea of training for a marathon when you’re short on sleep and big on the wonder of your new bundle of joy is almost impossible to imagine. But beyond that, Radcliff’s amazing victory brings to the foreground questions of when it’s okay for a new mother to begin exercise again. There’s no definitive answer – it varies according to each woman – but many agree that there should be no strenuous exercise during the pregnancy and for at least 6 weeks after a natural birth.

As a professional runner, Radcliff ran throughout her pregnancy and began training again shortly after her difficult labor. Even though she’s a seasoned, experienced racer with six previous marathon wins, the workout schedule was still too much for her body: in May, she suffered a stress fracture of her spine, which stopped her from training for a full eight weeks. Again, Radcliff is a woman who has trained hard for a very long time. She is far more prepared than most to train during and after a pregnancy.

So where does that leave the rest of us? Mostly in a rocking chair, holding and bonding with our new baby. After a pregnancy and birth, our bodies change. Sleep cycles most definitely change. In order to stay healthy, we need to give our bodies a good rest before bouncing back to previous routines. Don’t push it and always talk with your doctor before beginning a new exercise schedule.

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Are you looking for a vaporizer that can you feel better while also offering many other benefits such as advanced flavoring? If so, the Volcano Vaporizer may be the next one that you consider. Unlike other models, the Volcano has something special to offer – it is a system that releases active ingredients of herbs through hot air vaporization. This system is unique, and for this reason has garnered a lot of attention. (more…)

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If you’re looking to eat healthy, the answer may not be in low-fat, low-sodium pre-packaged freezer meals. Cooking Light‘s 5 Healthy Food Trends highlights five ways of eating that you may not have heard of:

• Flexitarianism: Following in the footsteps of vegetarians, flexitarians eat a mostly plant-based diet, supplemented with lean meat, dairy, fish, and poultry a few times a week. Flexitarianism works so well because it is rich in vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber while low in saturated fat.
• Locally grown foods: Local farms are coming back strong, thanks to the new trend towards eating locally grown produce. Smaller farms often have the advantage of fresher fruits and veggies picked closer to their ripening date, leaving you with richer, better-tasting foods on your table. And since you get to talk with the farmer, you’ll know more about where and how your food is grown.
• Functional foods: These are the foods that are enriched and enhanced to provide you with nutrients that you may not be able to get naturally. Examples are calcium-enriched orange juice and milk with extra vitamins. These foods help you fill in the gaps of your nutrition, especially if you have special diet concerns, such as lactose-intolerance.
• Organic foods: Organic foods are grown without pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals. Organic produce has been proven to be more nutrient-rich and, many times, better tasting. Furthermore, you won’t be putting unknown chemicals into your body as you take a bite of your afternoon apple.
• Slow food: The opposite of fast food, slow food is made from fresh and locally-grown foods, prepared in traditional ways, and meant to be eaten while surrounded by family and friends. Since great care goes into the selection and preparation of slow food, you’ll likely be eating healthier and enjoying more.

Whether you want to give one or all of these a shot, the idea is clear: the way we eat is changing, and for the better.

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The Ultima Cardio Sport Heart Rate monitor was designed with the serious athlete and fitness enthusiast in mind. It stores over 80 hours of data from up to 6 different exercise sessions that can be upload to PC for long term storage and analysis. It can also keep track of 100 Stopwatch hours, 99 lap time memory, Interval Timer, Countdown timer, Hi/Low target zone alarms, audio/visual alarms, Time in the target zone, % of max, Time In/Above/Below the target zone. The data can be viewed on screen however it’s usually easier to read once you’ve uploaded it to a computer. This unit has everything you could want in a watch design heart rate monitor.

Price Range: $175 – $249
Stores: Megafitness.com and Amazon.com

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Earlier this year Spain was the first to take issue with super thin waif like models barring them from fashion shows. Italy reluctantly followed suit barring models under the age of 16 and requiring other models to have a clean bill of health from a doctor and have a BMI index of over 18.5. Brazil has just lost it’s fourth model this year has 4 models to anorexia (news). Many are calling for designers and organizers in the fashion world to address the issue with a unified stance, wondering how many more needless deaths will have to occur before the issue is given the attention it deserves.

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A recent study from Rueters showed a link between exercise and breast cancer.

t may help prevent breast cancer and can be a safer way to lose weight than dieting, doctors said on Monday.
One report from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, said a study of women aged 55 to 69 found that those with the highest physical activity levels when the study began had a 14 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer than those who got low levels of exercise.

The timing of this story is meaningful as it occurred on the same day that Jana Larsen Peters who founded Ribbons of Pink Foundation also passed away.

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We came across a great blog post today by Julia Harvey. Julia talks about setting up the propper diet environment

Your mental environment begins with a positive attitude and grows to your acceptance of new things, new people and new ideas — your mental willingness to see the bright side of everything and your mental ability to turn obstacles into opportunities. If your environment isn’t set up for success, it is YOUR responsibility to make it a better one.

We can all take some inspiration from that. We all know that we should eat better, exercise more and take better care of our bodies. However how many of us are taking the steps to create the right environment to make those changes happen? Are we taking the quick and easy way out, by saying we’re tired, overworked or over stressed, and that’s it’s just easier to get fast food and sit in front of the TV? The only time something is going to change is when you want it to and are ready to take responsibility for where we are and put together a plan of action to make things better.

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Fox News covers the growing area of Health Blogs

FOXNews.com – Best Blogs: 10 Health Web Sites Worth a Click – Health News | Current Health News | Medical News

A growing number of bloggers are focusing on the topic of health. Doctors and nurses and ambulance drivers are blogging about their on-the-job experiences. Patients are blogging about their struggle with a particular disease or condition, sharing their stories with friends, family and others with similar issues.

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According to the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA), aromatherapy is the art and science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants to balance, harmonize and promote the health of the body, spirit and mind. It explores the physiological, spiritual and physical realm of a person’s response to certain smells. It is a natural, non-evasive treatment used as a way to improve the healing process or to treat specific ailments. Aromatherapy identified as holistic medicine by the NAHA is used for both preventative treatment options as well as active treatment for acute and chronic stages of disease. (more…)

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On the Cabbage Soup diet, you can eat unlimited amounts of cabbage soup for seven days and lose 10 to 15 pounds. The recipe for the soup can vary slightly, but includes a variety of low-calorie vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, and cabbage, flavored with bouillon, tomato juice and onion soup mix. The more soup you eat, the more weight you can lose. On each day of the program specific foods must be eaten with unlimited amounts of soup and water.
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While many people crave a deep bronze tan, most of us don’t take enough precautions to protect our skin from the suns rays and possible long term damage it can cause. The outer layer of your skin known as the epidermis is filled with tiny little melanocytes or pigment causing cells. These cells are responsible for production of melanin which gives the skin it color. The suns rays contain ultraviolet or UV light. This UV light can be broken down into UVA and UVB rays. When the melanocytes detect UV rays they will trigger an increased production of melanin. This increased melanin production is what causes the skin to change color. While tanned skin may be attractive, melanin’s true purpose is to protect the deeper more sensitive layers of the skin from radiation. UVA rays are stronger and able to penetrate deeper into the skin past the melanin protection. Here are some tips for helping you keep your skin as healthy as possible.

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Rowing Machines or rowers offer you a full body workout that uses your arms legs and back. Beginners to more advanced individuals can use these machines. When choosing a rowing machine look for one that allows you to alter the resistance as your workout level progresses. Many also offer monitors to keep track of the calories burned, distance covered and strokes per minute.

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