Spend less time at the gym and more time outside.

Measuring your caloric burn with the help of the BioTrainer doesn't need to take place just in the gym. Working out can mean working out outdoors.

Tune up the bicycle and take a ride to a place you've passed by in the car but might not have been able to access unless on foot or bike. Go hiking at a local park and plan a (healthy) picnic at the end as your reward. With more daylight at the end of the workday make a date to meet friends at the local tennis or basketball courts.

And for those who are true "gym rats" and don't feel they are getting a real workout unless they're at the health club, try your warm up exercises and stretches in the open air before going inside for a change of pace.

And don't forget the sunscreen and a hat!

We Love: The Clean Between Machine

At BioTrainer we love to keep our bodies fit - and we recognize that healthy teeth and oral hygiene goes hand-in-hand with our fitness goals.

The Clean Between Machine’s ergonomic and cordless design includes a patented click-tip interdental brush system recommended by dental specialists.

The system also includes:

• Power Handle that oscillates at 7500 rpm to create a gentle soothing vibration that stops the formation of plaque.
• A Storage Base to remove and prevent plaque accumulation around the gum line
• A Sonic Gum Stimulator to prevent tooth decay and gum disease, reaching where floss cannot
• A Sonic Toothbrush to give your teeth a remarkably clean feeling
• Sonic Tongue Cleaner to freshen your breath
• 18 Interdental Brush Tips

Getting to all those hard-to-reach places can be hard, but the Sonic Clean Between Machine glides easily between teeth, deep into interdental pockets to sweep away food and debris that can breed bacteria, preventing periodontal disease. Visit their website for a special savings offer!

How clean is your gym?

Bacteria grow in warm, wet environments. Ask any emergency room attendant why it’s so cold in the ER and they’ll tell you it’s to stop breeding bacteria.

Most gyms leave it to the members to wipe the equipment down themselves after use. A good facility should provide paper towels and spray cleaner. Use it before you work out as you don’t know if the person before you might have used a sweaty towel to wipe down. And be thoughtful to wipe it down again after you’ve worked out.

To further protect yourself, wear long sleeves and long pants. Don’t hang your towel over the equipment. Bring your own towels as there is no guarantee your gym is washing its towels in bleach and rinsed in hot water. Don’t sit down naked or put clean clothing down on benches in the locker room; you don’t know what was sitting there before. And of course, wear flip flops in the shower.

How much water do you need?

The International Bottled Water Association has a great online calculator to determine your water needs and provide the following tips.

Keep in mind that there are other factors that may require you to drink more water. Here's a look at a few:

Dry Air Up There: To combat low humidity levels on airplanes, drink one 8-ounce serving of water for every hour in the air.

Winter Woes: The colder it gets outside, the more energy your body requires to maintain a 98.6 degree temperature, AND the more water your body needs. So be sure to drink extra water in cold weather.

Flu Blues: Maladies such as pneumonia and the flu can sometimes lead to dehydration, so be sure to drink more water when you are sick.

Beat the Heat: If you plan to spend considerable time outside in warm weather, prepare by drinking one to two extra 8-ounce servings of water.

Moms Need More: Due to high concentrations of water in breast milk, nursing mothers require three additional 8-ounce servings of water per day. Drink up, mom!

Pregnancy Increases Need: You'll gain as much water weight as baby weight when you are pregnant. This is in the form of increased blood volume, amniotic fluid, and tissue fluids. Be sure to drink 8 to 12, 8-ounce servings a day.

How the BioTrainer works

The BioTrainer quantifies motion; it records your movements and gives measurements in one of two ways:

• Activity Units - This is a method measuring your overall physical activity based on your body movements. Activity units CAN’T be affected by other factors such as age or weight. With activity units, The BioTrainer can be worn on different body parts depending on the activity or type of exercise.
• Calories - It can accurately calculate the calories burned as a result of exercise. You actually burn calories in two ways:

One is physical activity calories (which the BioTrainer measures), that are burned as a result of engaging in physical activity, such as exercise.

The other way is metabolic calories, which result from the body’s natural metabolic rate, even when you are inactive. Some of these would include breathing, digesting food, sitting, sleeping, and other “non-exercise” activities.

Almonds found to help regulate appetite, caloric intake

Daily consumption of almonds may trigger feelings of satiety and help reduce overall calorie intake, according to research by scientists from Purdue University.

Dieters often find it difficult to regulate their appetite, but a new study recently presented at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity's annual meeting indicates that almonds may help stop unhealthy snacking by enhancing feelings of fullness between meals.

The study -- funded by the Almond Board of California -- examined the effects of supplementing the diet with almonds on 20 overweight women. The participants were divided into two groups: The first was given two servings (300 calories) of almonds a day for ten weeks, followed by 10 weeks with no almonds, while the second began with 10 weeks of no almonds, followed by 10 weeks of two daily servings of almonds.

The researchers, led by Richard Mattes, found that when the women were supplementing their diets with almonds, they experienced no changes in energy intake, body weight, body fat or body mass index (BMI).

"We concluded that the women found their daily almond snack to be very filling, and so they naturally compensated in the caloric intake at other times of the day," Mattes said.
Essentially, because the almonds triggered feelings of fullness, the women consumed fewer calories from unhealthy sources.

They also noted that some of the fat found in almonds is not digested or absorbed by the body after consumption, which leads to lower caloric intake than the number indicated on almonds' nutrition labels.

The researchers stressed the need for larger, longer trials to prove their findings, as well as additional studies to determine which almond compounds are responsible for satiety.
Consumer demand for almonds has dramatically increased in recent years as the nuts' health benefits have become more widely known.

Walking burns more fat than running

According to the University of Iowa's Family Care Center's Counseling and Health Promotion Services, starting a walking program can produce remarkable results. By beginning at a slow pace and gradually building to a vigorous walk at least 30 minutes four or five times a week can improve muscle tone, ease stress, boost your energy level, and burn between 180 to 250 calories in each session.

Keep an eye on your BioTrainer to see the precise results of your walking regimen. Grab your partner, friends, and put your dog on a leash and get moving.

Successful dieters buddy-up for results

Veteran workout buddies share their tips for pairing up. from the Lansing State Journal

• Get a buddy. You might be more successful at losing weight, keeping it off and exercising regularly when meeting with a group or partner.
• Eat fewer calories. You lose weight when you consume fewer calories than you burn through regular activity and exercise.
• Exercise regularly. More than 90 percent of the people in the National Weight Control Registry who have kept their weight off use physical activity as part of their weight-control program.
• Weigh yourself daily. Plan for how to get back on track if your weight begins to creep up.
• Eat a healthy breakfast. You'll be less likely to snack all day or binge at lunch and dinner. Try low-fat yogurt sprinkled with low-fat granola, low-sugar cereal with low-fat, skim or soy milk, or fruit smoothies.
• Watch the fast food. People in the registry eat fast food less than once a week and eat out no more than three times a week.
• Don't be a couch potato. Most people successful at keeping off the weight watch less than 10 hours of TV a week, far less than the 28-hour average. If you do watch TV, try to exercise instead of eating while you watch.
• Stay consistent. Going off your diet on special occasions, weekends or holidays makes it tougher to truly change your lifestyle and keep weight off.

Some Retro Footwear from the 80's

An iconic "must-have" of the 1980's pop culture scene, the Reebok Freestyle will forever go down in history as the athletic shoe that changed the face of women's fitness. Twenty-five years later, the Reebok Freestyle remains one of the best selling shoes of all time.

Reebok is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a special collection of six limited-edition shoes. Called “Freestyle Forever”, the 2007 Freestyle collection will also feature six limited-edition Freestyles varying from authentic bring backs to modern-day artist collaborations. Beginning this month the footwear will be available on www.rbk.com and at select boutiques around the world for a suggested price range of $65-$150.

"Reebok is passionate about debuting the 25th Anniversary Freestyle Collection because the shoe represents our history as the brand that pioneered the women's fitness movement and started the high-top fashion trend," said Reebok's Chief Marketing Officer, Uli Becker. "Today, fashion is about freedom of expression and keeping it real. Back in the '80s, the Freestyle was worn by women who wanted to make a statement about their authenticity and individuality, and that still holds true today."

One of the first athletic shoes created especially for women, the original Reebok Freestyle symbolized female empowerment. After revolutionizing the industry and igniting the women's aerobics dance craze in 1982, the Freestyle made up more than half of the sales for Reebok in 1984. In 1986, Reebok launched the ad campaign "Life Is Not a Spectator Sport." Highlighting
the Freestyle, the campaign encouraged women to become active participants in the world of fitness. This message strongly resonated and gained an astounding following of trendy young female consumers of the time. The groundbreaking ad coupled with top celebrity endorsements, including model Cindy Crawford, singer Paula Abdul and most notably the appearance of iconic actress Cybill Shepherd wearing a bright orange pair at the 1985 Emmy Awards, solidified the
Freestyle's status as a key fashion item.

Desk Exercises

You're at your desk before dawn and won't be leaving until after sundown - but a sedentary day is NOT going to be good for your back, your shoulders, your waistline or your spirits... what to do? Enjoy this wonderful page of desk exercises you can squeeze in anytime - some even while you're on the phone with your boss! Desk Exercises

Over 50? Keep moving!

A Vision Paper released by the International Council on Active
Aging reported physical activity is a great means to prevent age-related loss of function, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, maintain and improve mental and physical health and generally maintain a higher quality of life.

Physical activity in older adults can reduce the risk of heart disease, some cancers, hypertension, high cholesterol and obesity; mediate hypertension, diabetes and depression; lower the risk of falls and injury; and improve sleep. Research results have become so frequent and so convincing that an increase in physical activity is recommended for older adults by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Administration on Aging, Surgeon General, and many other organizations.

30 minutes a day, five or more days a week of physical activity is recommended. Use your BioTainer to monitor your caloric burn.

Coca Cola includes caffeine content

Coca-Cola announced today it will continue it voluntary rollout of expanded nutrition labeling in the U.S. to include caffeine content on all of its beverages containing the ingredient. The Atlanta based company has already included caffeine labeling on its Full Throttle and Enviga packaging, and will roll out the new labels on its other brands, starting with cans of Coca-Cola Classic in May, and expanding to other brands and packages during the remainder of the year. The time at which the revised labels reach store shelves will vary by brand and by region as U.S. bottlers use up existing inventories of packaging. The new packaging labels will provide the exact amount of caffeine in each serving.

According to the Mayo Clinic, caffeine is an appetite suppressant, but the effect lasts only a very brief period — not long enough to lead to significant weight loss. Does caffeine increase your body's ability to burn calories? Perhaps, but probably not enough to result in significant weight loss.

Caffeine does act as a diuretic, so water loss may decrease your body weight. But it doesn't decrease body fat. And remember, caffeine is a stimulant that can increase your heart rate and blood pressure, interrupt your sleep, and cause nervousness and irritability. Also, many caffeinated beverages are high in calories, which can contribute to unwanted weight gain.

Follow the Rainbow to eat right!

For heart health - shoot for 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, children ages two to six should eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day; children over age six, active women, and teens should eat 7; and active teen boys and men should eat 9.

And don’t forget to follow a rainbow eating plan--reaching for lots of colorful produce is a powerful way to protect your heart.

Ready for Valentine's Day - A Chocolate Cake from Canyon Ranch Spa

Canyon Ranch Spa offers lots of delicious AND healthy alternatives to traditional high-calorie and high-fat menu items. They teamed up with Epicurious and below is one of the four-fork rated (highest) recipes on their website. Enjoy!

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 4-ounce jar baby food carrot puree
1 4-ounce jar baby food prune puree
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon pure almond extract
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1 1-ounce square unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup nonfat fudge sauce
1/2 cup raspberry all-fruit preserves
1/4 cup nonfat fudge sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat a 9-inch cake pan with canola oil. Dust with flour.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk, carrot and prune puree, extracts, coffee, and eggs. Beat lightly to mix. Combine with dry ingredients, using an electric mixer on low. Add melted unsweetened chocolate and beat on medium until glossy and smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on rack and cool.
5. Invert cake onto dry surface and slice in half horizontally. Spread raspberry preserves on bottom layer. Replace top and frost with nonfat fudge sauce. Slice into 16 servings. Each serving contains approximately 135 calories, 26 gm. carbohydrate, 3 gm. fat, 15 mg. cholesterol, 3 gm. protein, 153 mg. sodium, and 2 gm. fiber.

Makes 16 servings.
Canyon Ranch Cooks 2003

FDA Approves Orlistat - but warns that exercise must accompany its use

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved orlistat capsules as an over-the-counter (OTC) weight loss aid for overweight adults. Orlistat was initially approved in 1999 as a prescription drug to treat obesity, and remains a prescription drug for obesity at a higher dose than the OTC version. OTC orlistat will be manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline under the name Alli and is indicated for use in adults ages 18 years and older along with a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet, and exercise program.

"We know that being overweight has many adverse consequences, including an increase in the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes," said Dr. Douglas Throckmorton, Deputy Director for FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "OTC orlistat, along with diet and exercise, may aid overweight adults who seek to lose excess weight to improve their health."

"This drug is only going to be effective if it's used in conjunction with a weight loss program -- and what that means is a reduced-fat diet, decreased calories, and an exercise program," said Charles Ganley, MD, of the FDA's Office of Nonprescription Products in a news conference. "If someone just chooses to use orlistat alone -- without undertaking a weight loss program -- then this drug is not going to be very effective."

The product's most common side effect is a change in bowel habits, which may include loose stools. The FDA suggests a low-fat diet would lower the risk of such side effects.

GlaxoSmithKline, maker of orlistat, says It will be available this summer

One in Four Americans on a Diet

Health professionals continue to sound the alarm that obesity is the biggest health threat to Americans. Furthermore, Americans are bombarded with messages about how eating fried foods and excessive amounts of red meat can increase their risk of heart attack and stroke. These health warnings are of particular concern when eating out – where super-sized portions of deep-fried foods have been the staples of menus for some time.

According to a recent Maritz® Poll conducted by Maritz Research, a leader in marketing research, one in four Americans (24 percent) is currently on a diet. A higher percentage of women (29 percent) were watching their weight compared to men (18 percent). Male and female dieters were equally likely to maintain dietary discipline. Two-thirds (66 percent) of dieters indicated that they will stick to their diets, making healthy choices when eating out, compared to ‘overindulging’ because dining out is a special occasion. Furthermore, nearly six out of 10 (57 percent) of those surveyed indicated that offering low-carb or other healthy dining options was at least ‘somewhat important’ in their decision when choosing a restaurant.

"As all of the publicity around the need to develop better eating habits continues to resonate with a large segment of the population, I would expect that restaurant concepts built around healthy eating will be a large part of the future landscape of casual dining," said Rick Garlick, director of Consulting and Strategic Implementation for the Maritz Research Hospitality Group.
The online survey of nearly 1,900 Americans who recently ate at a casual dining restaurant also showed that when given a choice between food that is grilled or fried, an overwhelming majority (87 percent) said they preferred their food grilled.

"When dining out, you notice that many restaurants do not offer a grilled option to their customers. For example, how many menus offer fried wings as an appetizer, compared to those that offer a grilled wing option with a reduced-fat hot sauce?" said Garlick. "Unless you want fried, you often are left out."

The survey also revealed that more Americans are eschewing red meat. Thirty-six percent said they were eating less red meat compared to five years ago. Only 8 percent said that they were eating more red meat.

The BioTrainer™ is NOT a pedometer!

The important distinction between the BioTrainer™ personal exercise monitor and a simple pedometer is that the pedometer is expressly used to measure walking and simply counts the number of steps you take. The BioTrainer is a scientifically proven medical-quality monitor that accurately computes and stores both physical activity and calories burned during all types of “DAILY LIFESTYLE ACTIVITY.” In addition, all data stored can be tracked by using the online BioTrainer Subscription Program™ that gives a detailed ongoing analysis of your results.

Pedometers may be inaccurate

As reported in the Wall Street Journal, the University of Tennessee conducted a study comparing 13 pedometers. It showed big disparities between the steps pedometers counted and the steps the wearers actually took. At approximately the same time as the WSJ report, Consumer Reports reached a similar conclusion, showing that only three out of 12 pedometers it tested were accurate within 5 percent when used at 2.5 miles per hour.

In addition, a report by researchers at Ghent University in northern Belgium, says cheap pedometers are inaccurate. They have based their findings on research into almost 1000 inexpensive pedometers which were tested by 35 volunteers with an age of between 20 and 60 years.

Each volunteer was given 30 cheap pedometers as well as a sophisticated automated step count log against which to compare the performance of the gadgets.

Over a period of six days each one wore five cheap pedometers and counted the steps recorded daily with each of the pedometers. They then compared the figures against those of the automated log.

The researchers were prepared to accept a variation in performance of 10%, but it was found that only one in four of the pedometers fell within that range. Three out of four of the pedometers either exceeded or fell below 10%, and more than one in three had a variation that was greater than 50%. In almost two thirds of these, the pedometers overestimated the actual steps taken.

The authors say this is important because an error of 20% in 10,000 daily steps adds up to 2,000 steps, so either 8,000 or 12,000 steps will be recorded.

The BioTrainer Subscription and Nutritional Programs

The BioTrainer Subscription Program™ is the only system of its kind, as it will tell you if you have gained or lost weight, each day, every day. It consists of two vital components that will enable you to monitor your weight loss activity and achieve your goals:

The BioTrainer Monitoring System™
gives you the tools to track your progress. By entering your weight and level of caloric need upon registration, you can see your fitness progress and assess your objectives and goals. Each day the caloric information is inputted and is then tracked by a graph, which details daily results and automatically calculates whether you’re gaining or losing weight. By monitoring your weight loss progress you’re able to focus on your objective and stay motivated!

The BioTrainer Nutritional Program™
works as your own personal nutritionist – helping you plan your meals based on your caloric goals. It is both a food diary and meal planner, enabling you to decide what foods are best to create a balanced and healthy diet. Research has shown that individuals that actively journal and plan their meals achieve better results than those who simply follow a published diet. The BioTrainer Nutritional Program, combined with the BioTrainer Subscription Program, gives you the opportunity to monitor your nutritional and fitness goals and see your results.

The BioTrainer Weight Loss System™

The BioTrainer Weight Loss System™ uses the BioTrainer™ exercise monitor, a 1¼ oz. monitoring device worn on the waist that accurately measures calorie burn, as the catalyst to combine effective fitness and dietary programs for prolonged weight loss success. The National Institutes of Health states that proper diet, daily exercise, and caloric monitoring are the three vital components of weight control and optimal health. Not until the BioTrainer has there been an accurate method of measuring caloric burn over an entire day of activity that ranges from running to washing the dishes.

WHAT IS IT: The BioTrainer is not a gadget or a pedometer but a simple to use personal exercise monitor that employs a scientifically-proven and clinically tested measuring technology. By coupling a tri-axis accelerometer with a patented super-microprocessor, the BioTrainer is able to measure the inertia of your body’s motion 40-times per second, process the data, and then accurately calculate energy expenditure (in either calories burned or activity units). It also provides you with the total elapsed time in activity. This patented technology, developed through research supported by the National Institutes of Health, has shown to provide an extremely high level of accuracy for objectively assessing your daily physical activity.