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Posts tagged as “fitness”

71 Year-Old Bodybuilder Sam "Sonny" Bryant Jr. Inspires at Health and Fitness Expo

By goodblacknews on August 31, 2014

Screen Shot 2014-08-31 at 2.58.14 PM
Sam “Sonny” Bryant Jr. is a rarity.  He is a champion bodybuilder, and at the ripe old age of 71, he is still going strong.
“I just keep competing,” Bryant said at the I’m The Biggest Winner Family Health & Fitness Expo in Austell, Georgia. “I love it. It’s a lifestyle.”
With a body that puts most men half his age to shame, Bryant’s rippling physique is testimony to years-long hard work and dedicated commitment.
He works out twice a day alongside a full time, overnight job.  “I’ve got a room full of trophies,” said Bryant, who was invited to the Expo as part of a roster of quality experts and motivational speakers. “I can’t even count them all.”
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He first hit the gym to relive the stress of a failing marriage. Within months, Bryant was hooked. Now, he can deadlift 425lbs.  “I’ve been doing this for 27 years,” he said. “I used to do three or four contests a year, and I’d always have at least two trophies when I come home, so I’ve got over 70 or 80 trophies.”
sam-sonny-bryant-bodybuilder-_s87dBryant wants to prove that living a full and active life is possible at any age. All you need is the right approach, he says.  “I don’t think about my age,” said the Georgia native. “You’re going to age, that’s inevitable, but you don’t have to get old. I know people younger than me, but they’re older then me.”
“I can’t see giving up; this is my life. People ask me when I’m going to retire. I’m still working a 40 hours a week job. I say, why should I quit? I’ve figured this stuff out. More people die retired than die working.”
He believes it is never too late to improve your health. Bryant, who said he has never ever taken steroids or performance-enhancing drugs, advises fitness newbies to start off slow and keep doing the work.
“There is no age limit on exercising,” he said. “People got life but they’ve not living. Life is getting out and enjoying yourself. You’ve got to be physical. You’ve got to keep your heart strong.”
“You are not going to jump right in and start out wide open. That’s what happens to most people, they jump right in and think they’re going to look for instant results.”
“Once you start pushing your body, then your body is going to get used to it,” he said. “You just keep doing it, keep doing it, take your time and don’t look for that fast-paced stuff, and I’ll come to you.”
article by Kunbi Tinuoye via thegrio.com

Are You Always Tired? Nine Ways To Identify and Relieve Constant Fatigue

By goodblacknews on August 4, 2013


Are you always asking “Why am I so tired?” Are you having trouble staying awake during watching your evening TV shows? Most of us know what it’s like to be tired, especially when we have a cold, flu, or some other viral infection. But when you suffer from a constant lack of energy and ongoing fatigue, it may be time to check with your doctor.
Fatigue is a lingering tiredness that is constant and limiting. With fatigue, you have unexplained, persistent, and relapsing exhaustion. It’s similar to how you feel when you have the flu or have missed a lot of sleep. If you have chronic fatigue, you may wake in the morning feeling as though you’ve not slept. Or you may be unable to function at work or be productive at home. You may be too exhausted even to manage your daily affairs.
In most cases, there’s a reason for the fatigue. Here are 9 reasons why you might be tired:
1. You drink too much coffee
If you rely on caffeine to get through your day, you can develop a dependence—so without it you can go into withdrawl, needing several cups of coffee or tea just to feel “normal.” And the worst point of withdrawl? Right in the morning. To make matters worse, caffeine can still course through your system when you’re sleeping if you’ve had any coffee or tea in the evening, which can interfere with normal REM sleep and leave you feeling even more tired. An easy solution is to cut back on the amount of caffeine you consume during the day and steer clear of caffeinated beverages within hours of your bedtime.
2. You don’t eat breakfast
There’s a reason that breakfast is called the most important meal of the day, and everyone has told you not to forget it—from your doctor to your mother, to probably every teacher you’ve ever had. And yet so many of us still skip it on a regular basis, or just cram down a few pieces of toast before heading out the door. Take the time to fit in breakfast every morning and it will help you avoid that mid-afternoon crash.
3. You don’t exercise
It may seem counter intuitive, but exercising produces all kinds of helpful biochemicals that ward off fatigue and help you feel upbeat the rest of the time. Think of it as positive feedback: the more energy you put in, the more you get out.

Break A Sweat During Exercise To Keep Stroke Risk Low

By goodblacknews on July 22, 2013

Women Powerwalking © Copyright 2010 CorbisCorporation
Women Powerwalking © Copyright 2010 CorbisCorporation

Everyone knows that exercise is good for your health, integral to keeping your risks of conditions like heart attack, diabetes and stroke low. Now, a new study shows that at least for stroke, the key to reaping those benefits is to work out to the point where you break a sweat.
Researchers from the University of South Australia found that stroke risk is 20 percent higher for inactive people compared with those who regularly work out at a moderate to vigorous level — a level that would cause a person to break a sweat.
The study, published in the journal Stroke, included 27,000 Americans ages 45 and older who were part of the Reasons for Geographic and Ethnic Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. The researchers noted that there were about equal numbers of male and female, white and black participants in the study; many of the pariticipants were part of the “Stroke Belt” in the south.
Researchers followed them for 5.7 years on average to gauge how many would go on to experience a stroke, as well as their self-reported regular exercise habits. They found that about one third of the participants were considered “inactive,” meaning they exercise fewer than one time a week.

For Your Health: Four Ways to Reverse Diabetes

By goodblacknews on June 11, 2013

A close-up of an apple being held by a womanThere are many benefits to finding ways to reverse type 2 diabetes. A big one is its expense. According to the American Diabetes Association, the combined cost of medical care and lost productivity due to diabetes in the United States exceeded $174 billion in 2007.
People with diabetes pay 2.3 times as much for health care as non-diabetics, and $1 in every $10 spent for health care is attributable to diabetes.
Sadly, even though type 2 diabetes was once considered an adult disease, so many children now receive this diagnosis that it is no longer referred to as adult onset.
Recent guidelines from the American Diabetes Association advise that some new patients try healthy eating and exercise before they begin medication. Now, the latest science reveals that fine-tuning many long-held health habits may lead to even better results.
1. Eat fruits and vegetables. They can reduce your diabetes risk and protect your heart. In a new study, people who ate at least 12 types each week had a lower diabetes risk than those who ate a less diverse mix—regardless of overall quantity. Mix arugula with your romaine, snack on fruit salad, pile new veggies onto your sandwich.
2. Lose weight—even just a little—for better blood sugar control. Don’t worry if it’s taking a while to slim down. In a 2012 review paper, Sheri Colberg-Ochs, PhD, noted that exercise alone improved the ability of previously sedentary, middle-aged adults to metabolize sugars, regardless of whether they lost any weight. Their total cholesterol dropped too.

How Fiber Can Help You Lose Weight

By goodblacknews on May 5, 2013

A woman lying on her bed eating a bowl of cerealWant to make your weight loss regime a lot less strenuous? Eating high-fiber foods just may be the key to shedding pounds fast and efficiently.
Fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and hearty beans are not only low in fat and calories, but they also cause a drop in appetite that’ll keep you from grabbing those naughty in-between snacks.
Fiber Helps Weight Loss
Studies show that most people eat about the same weight of food each day. If you choose high-fiber, water-rich foods — such as broth-based vegetable soups, salads, fruits, and vegetables — instead of foods without fiber and water, you can eat the same weight of food but feel full on fewer calories.
Beyond the fiber content, crunching and chewing dietary fiber stimulates your senses and takes longer to eat. So psychologically, it may also be more satisfying than beverages or soft foods. Chewing also promotes saliva and the production of stomach juices that help fill the stomach.
Fiber at Breakfast Is a Healthy Weight Loss Habit
In its tracking of the eating habits of successful dieters — those big losers who have kept weight off for years — the National Weight Control Registry has found that most eat breakfast regularly. And cereal is one of their morning rituals.
In general, eating cereal — especially high-fiber cereals — is beneficial for weight loss. Studies that look at what people eat show those who eat more carbs, more fiber, and cereal in general weigh less than those who eat less fiber, carbs, and cereal.

Mo’Nique Talks to Spelman Students About Healthy Living

By goodblacknews on May 3, 2013
(Photo: Derrick Salters/WENN.com)
This week, Academy Award-winning actress Mo’Nique took the stage with other dynamic women to talk to Spelman College’s students about obesity and its health-related issues. The event, “The Best Advice I Ever Got: Conversations With Wise Women,” is part of Spelman’s push to better the health of its Black women on campus.
Mo’Nique talked about how for years she embraced her large size, believing it was an act of resistance against a culture that tells women that skinnier is better and fat shames those who don’t fit into that mold. She also talked about how Black women are encouraged to be thick in our community.  But on stage, she told the crowd that her husband made her realize the reality — she weighed too much. The Washington Post wrote:
When her husband asked her weight, she told him, “proudly, as sexy as I could, ‘262 pounds.’ ”  When her husband responded, “That’s too much,” Mo’Nique was dumbstruck. Until he added, “I want you for a lifetime.”
No loved one had ever told her, “That’s too much weight.” Deeply moved, Mo’Nique reflected on all she secretly carried that was “too much”: too much depression, too much anger, too much shifting the “poison” of her rage onto others. Her “best advice” to Spelman students: Shush the “fraudulent” inner voice that suggests you settle for less. “Will yourself to win.”
Since that day, Mo’Nique embarked on a fitness journey and lost a total of 70 pounds with the help of regular workouts with her trainer, cutting out junk food and eating healthier. And these are exactly the types of messages that Spelman wants for its students to hear.

Ellen and Lana Ector prove ‘Black Girls Workout Too’ with New Mother-Daughter Workout DVD

By goodblacknews on January 23, 2013
Ellen and Lana Ector

Mother and daughter fitness duo Ellen and Lana Ector. (Image: YouTube screen capture)

From Clutch Magazine: Two spunky women are seeking to break the myth about how black women interact with fitness.
Ellen and Lana Ector have transformed their popular group exercise classes into a workout tape that women can use at home. The Atlanta-based mother-and-daughter fitness duo have put together “Black Girls Workout Too”, an exercise program that pushes females to rigorously increase their heart rate while toning their entire body.
The Ectors are mission-driven with their new fitness project:
“Curves are good..in the right places! Statistics show that 4 out of 5. African-American women are overweight or obese and we have to change that!” a message on their fitness video’s website reads.
Read the rest of this story on Clutch Magazine.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PerORsDLIJg&w=560&h=315]

BET Scores Makeover Show With Celebrity Trainer Jeanette Jenkins

By goodblacknews on October 7, 2012

She’s trimmed, toned and tamed the abs of Hollywood’s elite. When the hottest names in entertainment need fitness fix, she’s the first personal trainer they dial. With a client roster that includes Kelly Rowland, Queen Latifah, Kimora Lee Simmons, Serena Williams, Paula Patton-Thicke, Chrisette Michele and many other A-list celebrities, celebrity fitness trainer Jeanette Jenkins has been around the block … and has the sweat to prove it.
Stepping down from a high-profile career and into the trenches of modern-day black American health, Jenkins has recently secured her own “makeover” show on the BET network. A move that’s a win-win for both “The Hollywood Trainer” and the television network who’s content has previously lacked in quality programming.

The show will feature Jenkins whipping everyday people into shape, helping them surpass their fitness hurdles and fears, and transform their lives from head to toe. “I’m going to have a few celebrity drop-ins every once in a while, but this show is really about the people. Showing them how they can change their lives with just what they have in their own homes and in their own environments,” Jenkins explained in an article on Uptown magazine.

Jenkins is currently soliciting participants for the show who are serious about making changes in their health and want to work towards getting the fit body they’ve always desired. As the founder and president of The Hollywood Trainer Weight-Loss Plan, which promises to teach people how to make healthy living a habit in 21 days, the Bikini Boot Camp and a DVD collection focused on blasting abs, in which she partnered with Kelly Rowland, there’s no doubt that Jenkins new makeover show will inspire people to get moving.
article by Sherrell Dorsey via frugivore.com

50 Cent To Publish Fitness Book

By goodblacknews on September 26, 2012

50 Cent wants to help you get your body together in exchange for probably a little more than $20.
The rapper and soon-to-be hip-hop Billy Banks has partnered with publishing house Penguin Group USA to release the Formula 50: A 6-Week Total Body Transformation Plan.
Rapper 50 Cent is set to tell all about his top fitness tips in a new exercise book.
On the project, 50 was quoted saying:

“I had a strong desire to write this book because it is very important to me to help people make positive changes and take charge of their overall health. Formula 50 is a radical six week mind-body transformation plan geared to help readers develop mental toughness to achieve optimum results while offering a nutrition component.”

The book is scheduled to hit stores on Christmas Day.
article via theurbandaily.com

Prime Time Sister Circles Target Middle-Aged Black Women To Improve Their Health And Happiness

By goodblacknews on September 17, 2012

 

Prime Times Sister Circles

Prime Times Sister Circles are helping black women cope with stress and related health issues. © bst2012 – Fotolia.com

When Drs. Marilyn Gaston and Gayle Porter started Prime Time Sister Circles in the Washington, D.C. area, their goal was to create a revolution in health for black women. An extension of their 2001 book, Prime Time: The African American Woman’s Complete Guide to Midlife Health and Wellness, they initiated a series of these three-month programs to encourage healthy eating and stress management in this demographic.