Los Angeles, CA – Michael Torchia, founder of Operation Fitness, will be launching his Shape Up America Campaign 30-city tour with a free Health and Fitness Event at Pershing Square Park in Downtown Los Angeles on March 14th, 2010. Sinbad will act as Master of Ceremonies for the Awards portion of the event honoring Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (Health Advocate Lifetime Achievement Award), Cesar Millan (Animal Health Advocate Achievement Award) and Councilwoman Jan Perry (Health Advocate Honoree). There will be 2 rare pieces of equipment from the historical Muscle Beach that has been signed by the legends of bodybuilding on display at the Award Ceremony, which will go up for auction immediately after the event. In honor of “Health and Fitness Week,” the ebay auction will start at the conclusion of the March 14th event and will last the duration of Health and Fitness week. The proceeds will be donated to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s After-School All-Stars Organization and Mayor Villaraigosa’s Angel City Gladiator Program.

This monumental event will offer free health screenings, fitness demonstrations for children and adults, nutrition lectures, healthy cooking tips/food preparation, athletic competitions, an obstacle course challenge, boxing classes and martial arts demonstrations, Pilates and yoga classes, chair and table massages and pet health seminars. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) will also be setting up a flight simulator for the kids to use at the Shape Up America Campaign event in Pershing Square Park. In addition, Craig Fuller, CEO/President of the AOPA is creating a teen entrepreneurship pilot program, so kids can learn to become pilots at an early age.

The Shape Up America Campaign is designed to increase daily physical activity and healthy eating through education by means of programming, physical infrastructure improvements and city policy changes across the nation. The campaign targets all segments of our communities, including schools, city government, civic organizations, community groups, businesses, and other people who live, work and play in America. The goal is to show people how they can create fun, simple ways of working out, along with participating in stimulating activities at home, at the office, in a park or even in the wilderness. In addition, pet owners will learn innovative ways to get their pets in shape and on a healthy track with proper nutrition and sensible exercise.

Special guest appearances include: Bill Germanakos, the winner of the “The Biggest Loser” (lecturing), Michael O’Hearn (American Gladiator), Patricia Pease (Days of Our Lives), “Shorty” (Pit Boss/Animal Planet), Lauren Mayhew (WWE), Renowned Doctors, Fitness Experts, Holistic Practitioners, Pro Athletes, Bodybuilding Champions, and celebrities from the entertainment industry.

Health organizations who have already joined forces for the Shape Up America 30 City Tour include: The American Diabetes Association, The Alzheimer’s Association, The National Fibromyalgia Association, The Liver Foundation, The American Red Cross, The National MS Society, The American Heart Association, Generation Rescue and The American Cancer Society.

For additional information on Shape Up America, Operation Fitness or the event launching in Los Angeles, please call 800.933.8633 or visit www.operationfitness.com

For Press Opportunities, please contact Rachelle Brehm/LRB Publicity at 310-704-1357 or via email at RachelleBrehm1@aol.com.

People who shun carbs like bread and pasta are 25 per cent more likely to suffer clogged arteries than in a low-fat diet, the research published in the journal Diabetes found.

Hardening of the arteries is a key indicator of future heart problems, reports The Daily Express.

Dr Steven Hunter, from the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, said: “High-fat diets have become popular because they seemingly promote more rapid weight loss and because of their palatability.

“However, we now have proof that they do not help ­people lose weight any faster than more conventional diets.

“And the potential negatives of increased cardiovascular risks far outweigh the potential positives of more easily sustained dieting/weight loss, especially when there is a proven and safe alternative in low-fat high-carbohydrate weight loss diets.”

To reach the conclusion, experts looked at a group of obese pre-diabetic adults over eight weeks.

The study looks at more than 230.000 adolescent men at their time of enlistment into the Swedish army, and finds a very strong effect of cardiovascular fitness on multiple dimensions of intelligence. Newly recruits who performed best on a regular ergonomic cycle also performed strongest on a series of tests for global intelligence, verbal, visuospatial, logical and technical intelligence. As an even stronger test for this correlation, the researchers additionally assessed their subject’s physical education records at age 15 and then mapped changes in fitness to changes in intelligence. They found that – on average – those young men who moved in their percentile ranking for cardiovascular fitness also moved in their percentile ranking for intelligence. In other words: Changes in intelligence from age 15 to age 18 seem to track changes in fitness.

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The report based on 2007 data found that only 13 percent of U.S. high school students get at least three servings of vegetables a day and just 32 percent get two servings of fruit. Less than 1 in 10 get enough of both combined.

Some states — including Arkansas and North Carolina — were significantly below those averages. But some New England states, particularly Vermont, were notably better.

The CDC said the report was the first to give such detailed information on adolescents’ fruit and vegetable consumption. The information comes from a national survey of about 100,000 high school students in 2007.

CDC officials said the findings indicate a disheartening gap between how people should be eating and what they’re actually doing in an era of rampant obesity.

Federal nutrition goals for 2010 call for at least 75 percent of Americans to eat two servings of fruit each day and at least 50 percent to eat three vegetable servings.

“This is a call for states, communities, schools and families to support increased fruit and vegetable consumption,” said Heidi Blanck, a CDC senior scientist who worked on the report.

The CDC also released data on a survey of adults. It found fruit and vegetable consumption was basically unchanged from when a similar survey was done in 2005: About 27 percent got at least three servings of vegetables a day, and 33 percent got two servings of fruit.

People who participated in the survey were asked, essentially, how many times a day they had fruit or vegetables. Fruit juice counted but pieces of fruit are considered preferable, because they’re more filling alternatives to fatty, processed snacks, Blanck said.

After a high-fat, high-carb meal
Studies show these foods constrict blood vessels, making blood more prone to clot. Protect yourself: If you must indulge, keep your portion sizes reasonable. A daily aspirin will also help prevent blood “stickiness.”

During vigorous exercise you’re unprepared for
Having a heart attack while shoveling snow is a classic example of this. The heart attack occurs because the victim isn’t accustomed to that kind of effort and stress hormones skyrocket, causing blood pressure and heart rate to jump. Protect yourself: Regular exercise protects your heart. But increase your intensity level gradually.

Read about the other four

Stuffing

Make it healthy: Use whole grains

Choose whole grain bread and turkey or chicken sausage to significantly lighten your stuffing side. Feeling virtuous? Swap sausage for apples and walnuts.

Turkey

Make it healthy: Butterfly the bird

Butterflying (when you cut out the backbone and flatten the bird) lets the turkey cook for a shorter time, which keeps the bird from drying out. You need less oil and gravy because it’s juicy on its own!

Make it healthy: Get 2-for-1 flavor

Make a pumpkin-pecan pie this year so you won’t reach for a slice of each. Make your own gingersnap crust and you’ll save 5 g of saturated fat per slice over a traditional pie with made-from-scratch pastry dough. Also, don’t go overboard with healthy-but-high-calorie pecans.

Scalloped potatoes

Make it healthy: Skip fatty extras

Three ingredients to avoid: butter, bacon, and Cheddar cheese. Instead, switch to olive oil and fat-free milk and skip the bacon entirely. Be careful not to overindulge on cheese—this recipe sticks to 3 oz for 5 servings.

1.Sweet potatoes

Make it healthy: Hold the sugar

Avoid added sugar and marshmallows, plus high-fat items like butter, whole milk, dried coconut, and pecans. Instead, sweeten up your potato dish with spices like cinnamon and vanilla.

2.Cranberry sauce

Make it healthy: Ban the can

Canned versions may be convenient, but they may contain high fructose corn syrup and lots of extra calories. The good news is that making your own sauce is simple: Puree dried cranberries in orange juice and water for a natural dressing.

3. Cauliflower

Make it healthy: Roast it

Though it’s tempting to douse your cauliflower in Cheddar cheese, bread crumbs, and butter, that’s a quick way to kill this veggie’s nutritional value. Instead, roast with a moderate amount of Parmesan cheese (no oil necessary) for a savory flavor.

4. Green beans

Make it healthy: Hold the lard

Super-buttery beans cooked with bacon may spell Thanksgiving for you, but you’ll regret this fatty fare the next day. Instead, top your beans with a tasty pesto sauce that’s easy to make.

Another group of French researchers found that high-protein snacks help people feel full longer and eat less at their next meal. Study participants ate 200 calories of protein or carbs or nothing at all. Those who ate high-carbohydrate snacks were hungry again just as quickly as those who ate no snacks.

Other amazingly good tasting protein powders are:

• HDT Pro Blend 55 – More Info
• ISS ProM3
• Optimum 100% Whey Protein
• Champion Ultramet
• Next Nutrition Designer Whey
• CytoSport Complete Whey
• Prolab N-Large – More Info
• Syntrax Nectar
• EAS Myoplex (New Formula)
• Schwartz Pro-Whey

Protein powders have come a long way from even 10 years ago. Industry chemists have been perfecting protein and flavor blends that go down easier- all of which helps you (and Me) stay more loyal to our fitness regimens.

Anybody with other suggestions please comment!

• Holiday dinner is not an all-you-can-eat buffet: Fill your plate half with vegetables, one quarter with a lean meat and the rest with a starch of your choice. Eat slowly and stop when you are full.

• Turkey – go skinless: choose your 4-oz turkey portion skinless to slash away some fat and cholesterol. Save your appetite for the side dishes and desserts.

• Side Dishes – watch your portion size: go for smaller portions. This way you can sample all the different foods. Moderation is always the key.

• Make a conscious choice to limit high fat items: high fat food items can be found in fried and creamy dishes as well as cheese-filled casseroles in a traditional Thanksgiving meal . For instance, mashed potatoes are usually made with butter and milk; green bean casseroles are often prepared with cream of mushroom soup, cheese and milk and topped with fried onions; candied yams are loaded with cream, sugar and marshmallows. If you cannot control the ingredients that go in to a dish, simply limit yourself to a smaller helping size. Again moderation is the key.

• Drink plenty of water: alcohol and coffee can dehydrate your body. Drink calorie-free water to help fill up your stomach and keep you hydrated.