Europeans have a different idea of what constitutes overweight than Americans. Here health authorities are up in arms as American’s BMI climbs over 30 into the realm of obesity. European researchers are taking harder looks at the effects of weight as the population’s weight pushes up over 25, merely overweight. With that rising weight, Europeans are also seeing a rise in weight related cancers, most notably colon cancer.amazon twin bed sheets

Reported in the September issue of the European Journal of Cancer, researchers at the University of Manchester in the UK used statistical models to predict the future of cancer rates in Europe. They also looked at something else: How would cancer rates change if Europeans changed their behaviors relative to weight and exercise? Read the rest of this entry »

“I really ought to quit smoking.”

“I’ve been meaning to start exercising.”

“I know I ought to moisturize and use sunscreen.”

“I need to lose some weight.”

Is there a reason you don’t start right now?

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It can be very hard to figure out where to get started when it comes to getting in shape: Do I just plunge in and get a gym membership or can I do something at home? Should I hire a personal trainer? Can I really do that program I saw on the late night infomercial? I’m not a kid anymore; what can I realistically do? The problems multiply when you consider diet: Low fat or low carb? Are any of those frozen low-cal dinners worth eating? What about all those shakes and bars and supplements?  Men’s Health Magazine and Jeff Csatari try to cut through all the nonsense with Your Best Body at 40+.

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“Paleo” or “caveman” diets and lifestyles have come into vogue with a lot of the leading edge fitness thinkers over the last few years. From barefoot running to raw foods, many luminaries are forging a trail to get back to basics.

Mark Sisson is one of those thinkers. He’s a fitness and nutrition expert whose daily writings have spawned a popular blog amongst the paleo set, Mark’s Daily Apple. There he relates his thoughts, his musings and experiences and his well reasoned arguments for what he calls a “primal” lifestyle. Sisson comes to primal or paleo thinking with a strong traditional fitness pedigree including experience as a competitive triathlete, trainer and even as a consultant on the popular home fitness routine P90X. His blog has served as a test bed for ideas and ultimately for his book.  The Primal Blueprint was released last year and collects many of his ideas into a single volume. The companion cookbook, The Primal Blueprint Cookbook, arrived on bookshelves mere weeks ago.

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You’ve heard over and over that you shouldn’t even try to lose weight quickly. The experts who say this insist that you can only really expect to lose a pound or two of fat per week on a diet, and anything more “must” be water weight, or worse yet muscle. Who wants to lose muscle, and what if you gain those pounds back just as fast as you lose it? A new study knocks all that logic on it’s ear.

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