Up until recently, I had always gone to gyms that were near the beach in fancier areas that had a pretty even balance of men and women. However for the last while, I’ve been working out at a gym where the majority of the patrons are muscular, scarrier looking guys who pretty much just lift weights. At the gyms I used to go to, towards the end of the year the gym had always been empty, with fatties giving up on their effort, to eat and start with a new resolution in January. This had always been my favorite time to go since parking was easy and machines were always available. But yeh, back to the new place that I go to, this last week has been busier than ever! There does seem to be even less women lately, save for the regulars, and I guess it makes sense that if the men are lifting weights this isn’t something that they give up like some women do at this time of year, but I want my empty gym! And if this gym is as busy as it is now in November, I’m scared to see what it’ll be like on January 1st!
Speaking of funky smells at the gym, today I was at 24 hour fitness and as soon as I walked in, it smelled like chili! I figured it must just be some funky b.o., but then I noticed a dude with a crock pot serving chili samples, with a full bar of toppings! WTF?
It turns out it’s some healthy chili that I guess 24 hour fitness is somehow tied to, but serving it in the gym, right next to the cardio equipment is disgusting. It didn’t bother me when I was working out with the weights, but when I came back towards the entrance to do my cardio it was bothering me the whole time. Cross promotion is one thing, but c’mon 24 fitness, use your head!
Body odor is bad and can be distracting and disturbing to the people that are working out around you. Too much perfume, or any at all can be just as bad though. Personally, I find body odor (as long as it’s not too bad) to be less offensive to my nostrils while working out than a strong perfume.
Today I stopped by the gym on my way home from work to do some cardio. There was one machine available so I jumped on and started my workout. I noticed a very nice perfume and at first it didn’t bother me, but as I started to work out harder, and breath more rapidly, it got bad really quickly. The lady next to me had so much perfume on that even if i only breathed through my mouth, I could still smell it. Needless to say, I only stayed on that machine for a few minutes before I let the next sucker take it. All the other machines were full so I decided to give up, come home, and rant about it on my blog.
Angela Stokes, 30, lost 160 pounds in two years after she adopted a raw-vegan diet. She now weighs 138 pounds. But she steadily started gaining weight as a teenager because of an under-active thyroid gland. By the time she graduated from college her weight had ballooned to 300 pounds.
I was 300 pounds, very unwell, very miserable. I ate junk food all the time. I was very closed down emotionally. I had no interest in dieting; I just wanted to eat all the time … that was like my comfort in life.
At the time, she says she was so “emotionally shut down” she refused to talk to anyone about what was happening. The weight was also taking a physical toll on her health and she frequently battled infections and illness.
Stokes says living her everyday life became a challenge.
My mobility was quite restricted … I was unwilling to participate in things from cutting my toenails to going on a walk with my friends. I tried to give this impression that I felt fine about everything, but inside I was in a lot of pain a lot of the time.
Two summers after she reached her heaviest weight, Stokes was working at a greenhouse in Iceland, when a friend lent her a copy of a book about the health benefits of eating raw foods. Stokes, who had never been interested in dieting, says she was completely “absorbed” by the approach.
She started eating raw the very next day.
Everything in my life completely shifted. It was like a light bulb moment to be like … ‘this is what I was waiting for to reclaim my health”
She went cold turkey or “cold cucumber,” as Stokes often jokes. She stopped eating meat, animal products and processed foods and instead switched to a diet that consisted of uncooked and unprocessed vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.
To me, the thing with raw food is that it just makes sense. It’s simple and natural, eating food straight from the earth. There’s no rocket science, no mystery. Once you understand the simple principle that no other animal in the wild eats cooked or processed foods. That’s it.
Stokes, who now weighs 138 pounds, has kept the weight off for four years and authored several books on “raw foodism” lifestyle.
What tips does she have for people considering a raw vegan lifestyle? First, start slowly.
I recommend people start out being at least 50 percent raw and go from there. Maybe it ends up at some point you are completely raw, maybe not. As long as the majority of the stuff or at least 50 percent is fresh raw food … then you’re tipping the balance in your favor.
Stokes also advises people to start eating things they like such as peaches, plums or spinach and then slowly incorporate more fresh raw foods. She admits the lifestyle can be socially challenging and she encourages people to connect with other “raw foodists.”
It’s great to get support. If you look on the Internet and around you, you may find pot lucks. Read books to inspire you to keep going on this journey.
The gym can be an absolute cesspool of germs that can spread viruses and bacteria. With so much skin exposed and constant sweating, every machine or piece of equipment you come into contact with can be another opportunity to spread disease. Unfortunately this is something that those of us that don’t have a home gym have to deal with, but there are ways to reduce the risk of spreading and contracting germs.
Microbiologist, Dr. Phillip Tierno:
You’re not using that one machine exclusively for yourself. You’re leaving that machine, and someone else follows you and your germs that you leave behind. 80% of all infectious disease is transmitted by contact.”
The most common germs found at the gym include: staph aureus, klebsiella, enterobacter and E. coli, which can cause various ailments. All machines can transfer germs, however the ones that have the most frequent turnover, such as dumbells, or exercise bicycles and elliptical machines are more likely to have contractible germs because of how quickly the next person uses it after the last person leaves.
Studies show that in gym, the worst place for contracting germs in locker room and shower floors.
Unfortunately, germs do survive in the shower, on walls, and on the floor. I found it in hordes — unbelievable quantities. We use the word ‘innumerable.’ Innumerable.
Here are some tips to prevent contracting (and spreading) germs at the gym:
- Wear clothes that cover the parts of your body that will be contacting gym equipment. Tank tops leave the upper back and shoulders exposed to benches and short shorts can leave leg exposed to bicycle seats. The less skin that touches the equipment, the less likely you are to contact these germs.
- Bring 2 towels with you to the gym. Use one towel only to dry off your own sweat from your body, and a second towel to wipe off gym equipment before and after use. Bringing different colored towels can be helpful in not confusing the two.
- Do not touch your eyes or mouth while at the gym. Most of these germs that come into contact with your hand, can only be contracted into your body through mucous membranes such as the eyes and mouth. Thoroughly wash your hands before eating or touching your face after using gym equipment.
- Hang your gym towel over your shoulder, or on parts of the machine that rarely are touched. If you drop your towel on the floor, refrain from using it to dry off your own sweat.
- When using the gym shower, be sure to bring slippers so that your feet don’t come into direct contact with the shower floor. The shower floor has shown to contain the largest amount of contactable germs in the gym.
According to a recent study, doctors are not prescribing women an adequate level of pain relief. Women are more prone to long-term, agonizing conditions such as arthritis, migraines and irritable bowel syndrome. It has often been assumed that a woman’s body can genetically sustain a higher level of pain than men, to help them deal with the pain of childbirth, but according to researchers, the opposite may be true.
Women typically experience recurring pains such as migraines that last longer than the opposite sex. Women also feel pain in different ways, with different symptoms for similar conditions as men. Hormones, body composition and central nervous systems means women are more susceptible to a range of painful conditions, according to experts at a conference for the International Association for the Study of Pain.
IASP President, Dr Troels Jensen:
Chronic pain affects a higher proportion of women than men, but unfortunately they are also less likely to receive treatment compared to men due to various cultural, economic and political barriers. IASP hopes to provide a voice to these women by drawing attention to this global issue as a first step towards reducing pain and suffering of women around the world.
Scientists speaking at the IASP conference in Glasgow, stated that their findings could be used to prevent thousands of sick days each year, saving the country millions of dollars. Even widely used, over-the-counter medicines such as paracetamol have less of an effect on women, it has been found. The research also indicates that many doctors fail to take women patients as seriously as men, often brushing off their symptoms as ‘psychological’.
A woman who has never shown symptoms of infection with the AIDS virus may hold the secret to defeating the virus, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
Infected at least 10 years ago by her husband, the woman is able somehow to naturally control the deadly and incurable virus — even though her husband must take cocktails of strong HIV drugs to control his.
She is a so-called “elite suppressor,” and studies of her immune cells have begun to offer clues to how her body does it, the team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore said.
Study Director, Dr. Joel Blankson:
This is the best evidence to date that elite suppressors can have fully pathogenic virus. The feeling was initially that they had defective virus.
But the couple has been monogamous for at least 17 years, Blankson said, and tests show they are infected with the same strain of virus. What is different is the immune system of the wife, who cannot be named for privacy reasons.
That’s a good sign in terms of developing a therapeutic vaccine. Such a vaccine would not prevent infection but might be used to treat patients.
The AIDS virus infects at least 33 million people globally and more than a million in the United States. It has killed 25 million people since it was identified in the early 1980s.
New figures show 56,000 people are infected every year in the United states, mostly gay and bisexual men but also injecting drug users and their sexual partners, both male and female, as well as newborns and recipients of contaminated blood transfusions.
STALLING REPLICATION
Both the man and the woman, who are from Baltimore, were diagnosed 10 years ago, Blankson said. The husband is a former injecting drug user.
Tests showed that immune cells known as CD8 T-cells from the wife stalled HIV replication by as much as 90 percent, while the husband’s T-cells stopped it by only 30 percent, Blankson’s team reported in the Journal of Virology.
Her virus has also mutated in apparent response to this immune attack, becoming weaker, while her husband’s virus has remained strong.
Elite suppression offers clues to vaccine researchers on many fronts: how CD8 killer T-cells can attack HIV and how a stronger immune response can force HIV into a permanent defensive state. We are trying to figure out exactly how the T-cells work in her to inhibit viral replication. We are just trying to see what kind of cytokines they make.
Cytokines are immune system signaling proteins. One thing the researchers have noticed is that while the husband’s T-cells make just one, called gamma interferon, hers made both that one and another called TNF, or tumor necrosis factor.
That cannot be the whole story, though, because AIDS researchers have tried using such immune system proteins in patients and they did not work well.
And her immune cells seem to make the response only when they encounter the virus.
Another clue: the woman may have unusual activity in her human leukocyte antigen system, or HLA, Blankson said. This important component of the immune system helps recognize antigens — protein identifiers — of enemies such as bacteria and viruses.
Tea is no longer only for just grand mothers in their rocking chair. There are many health beneifts to consuming different types of tea. Second only to water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. Tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, and the processing of the leaves results in different types of tea with different health benefits. If you still think that drinking tea will make you look too old and stuffy, think again.
Green Tea
Origin: Green Tea comes from tea bushes from either China or Japan. Fresh leaves are picked and then are steamed or pan fired to release moisture. Leaves are then rolled and dried and given a final firing to ensure that all moisture is gone.
Flavor: China-style: light, smoky, and nutty. Japan-style: grassy, bright, and oceany.
Health Benefits: Green tea is by far the most researched tea out there, and for good reason: Its high level of antioxidants may help the body fight everything from cancer to skin disorders like psoriasis and dandruff. Studies have shown that in populations where green tea is consumed frequently, cancer rates tend to be significantly lower.
Black Tea
Origin: Picked leaves are left to oxidize completely until they turn black, and they are then pan fired. Black tea contains the highest amount of caffeine.
Flavor: Pungent, thick, rich, and tends to be on the sweeter side.
Health Benefits: Researchers found that chemical compounds in black tea may stop the growth of bacteria that causes bad breath. Other research has shown that the high amounts of amino acids may help strengthen the immune system.
Oolong Tea
Origin: Leaves are shaken or rolled to bruise their edges, and after a short fermentation they are pan fired. Oolong tea is often served at Chinese restaurants.
Flavor: Rich and fruity (like a cross between green and black teas).
Health Benefits: Research suggests that drinking oolong tea may promote weight loss as well as help boost one’s immune system. It is also said to help prevent tooth decay and is effective for fighting dermatitis.
Welcome to Maid of Muscle, a blog dedicated to women’s health and fitness. This site’s articles and stories will cater to women’s interests and needs including healthy dieting, the gym, fitness classes and other current news and events that you want to know.
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