Archive for June 2009

Condom Use in Hip Hop Is Dead!?

With Lil Wayne knocking up London and Nivea, Guess who’s next?  The first thing I think about is no condom?! Who else? Why? Part of BlackFitness is being of sound body and mind…C’mon people!

The researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey of 95 African-American and Latino men (ages 15 to 25) as part of a four-year ethnographic study in New York City. The purpose of the current study was to explore how the men’s perceptions and participation in hip hop culture — “urban social and artistic expressions, such as clothing style, breakdancing, graffiti, and rap music” — and contextual factors of hip hop may be associated with the men’s condom use, condom-use self-efficacy, and sense of community.

The authors found that differences in participants’ perceptions of and levels of affiliation with hip hop culture were not statistically associated with differences in their sense of community or condom-use self-efficacy. The strongest factor negatively associated with condom use was frequency of participation in the hip hop nightclub scene.

Baby Mama

“Popular discourses on young men’s health risks often blame youths’ cultures such as the hip hop culture for increased risk practices but do not critically examine how risk emerges in urban young men’s lives and what aspects of youths’ culture can be protective,” the authors concluded. “Further research needs to focus on contextual factors of risk such as the role of hip hop nightlife on increased HIV risk.”

Why do I have to workout harder?

Everybody has a different personality from everyone else. Some people can focus very strongly on the goal of building muscle, which isn’t really as important to some others (even when they think it ought to be). Some people build muscle accidentally, because they are focussed on an activity or outcome (like being good at Martial Arts) that will also provoke muscular development.

When the sprinter Ben Johnson was caught taking steroids, (just before competing, rather than in training between competitions) he wasn’t using them to add extra muscle mass to his body. The drugs were making him so focussed on the race that his starting reaction speeded up.

(Before being caught, his reaction times had set off the ‘false start’ gun in several races, even though he wasn’t really ‘beating the gun’. Each time, settings for this false-start mechanism had been changed to allow for Johnson’s (apparently natural) lightning-fast reflexes.)

Some experts believe that it’s this ‘mini-steroid-rage’ that produces anabolic effects (muscle growth) in people who take the drugs and workout. If you take them, but you don’t work out, they just make you fat, so it seems unlikely that the steroids can directly cause extra gains in muscle mass. They just make you ‘hit the iron harder’ during each lift, and each gym visit.

Some people seem to produce more Testosterone than others, and it’s often claimed that this substance makes them more muscular. But tests show that the (natural) steroid increases AFTER a good workout, a boxing victory, an enjoyable activity session, a win at poker, or a successful attempt to ‘pick up’ a potential mate.

So it’s more likely that their ‘anabolic attitude’ leads to a better physique (because each workout works better) than their less ‘focussed’ mates, and stimulates more testosterone production, too.

So if you want a better body, try making this your number one priority for a while. Once the attitude becomes a habit, you can continue the work without being totally obsessed by it.

What I Ate Today...um...yesterday

Prune Juice

Granola

Shrimp Salad

Yogurt

2 scoops of peanut butter

Egg salad

Jello

How to get Fat Fast:Top 10 Meals

Mo nique:Fat and Fabulous Weight Loss

MoNique Before and After

Actress/comedian Mo’Nique and her husband Sidney Hicks are on the June 8 cover of Jet magazine, talking about their relationship and her recent 40-pound weight loss.

“I decided that I had to get some of that off of me,” she says. “Sid and I had a conversation. What he said to me was motivation. It was so gentle and sweet and he wasn’t judgmental. He said, ‘Baby, that’s too much and I want you for a lifetime.’”

In the past, Mo’Nique has celebrated the fuller female form: Her 2005-2007 reality show in Mo’Nique’s Fat Chance was a beauty contest for (really) full-figured women. She also wrote two books — Skinny Women Are Evil: Notes of a Big Girl in a Small-Minded World in 2003 and a 2006 cookbook Skinny Cooks Can’t Be Trusted.

But just because she has lost 40 pounds doesn’t mean Mo’Nique’s headed to Skinnyville. She’s down to 225 pounds and says her goal is 200 pounds on her 5-foot-6 frame.

No one had ever challenged Mo’Nique to lose weight in quite that way, so she decided she had to do it, so she could be here to enjoy her family. As the pounds melted away, speculation began that Mo’Nique had had gastric-bypass surgery, but she tells Jet no way.

Don’t let the doctor tell you that your prediabetic, don’t let your daughter ask you “mom were you always fat?”, don’t let people talk behind your back or until you can not run around with your 3 year old.

Mel B's Workout and Diet

I’ll start out by saying you can not spot reduce fat , DIET IS KING. So you can follow this plan all you want or even modify it…heck add it to what ever you’re doing now. It will not work if the diet is not right….

From motleyhealth.com

The Spice Girls tour may be well and truly over but there’s no stopping Mel B from flaunting her super-toned abs. From the singer landing a deal with lingerie label Ultimo to plans to release her very own fitness DVD, Star Style reveals the secrets behind the Spice Girl’s fabulous abs.

Getting Physical
Working out three times a week for 90 minutes at a time with her trainer Joey Kormier, Mel advises, “My workout is so intense, you only need to do it two to three times a week.” But thankfully you don’t need a personal trainer to get Mel’s enviable abs.

Incorporating strength training with high-impact cardio like Mel does will whittle down your waistline and boost your metabolism in just a few weeks. Aside from calorie-burning capoiera, the Spice Girl is also a fan of swimming, which is fantastic for an all-over body workout, and when she’s not taking a dip, she’s walking off any belly bulge – pounding the park pavements with her trainer or working the most complex of yoga positions to further sculpt those stomach muscles.

Mael’s Healthy Meals
Mel makes sure she eats three small meals plus two snacks a day. Eating little and often keeps hunger pangs at bay and also helps boost her metabolism and energy levels, thus helping to burn calories even when she’s not exercising.

According to her trainer, Mel follows strict portion rules, making sure that 30 per cent of her plate is made up of lean protein (such as chicken or fish), 40 per cent is wholewheat carbs or vegetables and the last 30 per cent consists of monosaturated fat. Protein-rich foods make your metabolism go into overdrive, making it become extra efficient in burning calories, whilst monosaturated fats, like those contained in olive oil, nuts and avocados help provide energy and burn carbs quickly – thus helping beat the battle against those unwanted inches.

Easy Exercises To Tighten Your Tum…
Crunch Time
Forget traditional sit-ups, the easy way to flatter abs is to lie on a fitness ball and do a set of stomach crunches placing your hands on your chest. The fitness ball forces your core back and stomach muscles to contract and also ensures you are doing the exercise correctly.

The Plank
Lie face down then lift yourself up on your toes and forearms, with your elbows bent at 90 degrees. Hold for 10 seconds and build up to 40 seconds. Repeat three times a day.

Toe Touch
Lie on the floor with arms and legs straight upwards, perpendicular to your body. Slowly curl your torso up and forward, raising your hands as close to your toes as possible, contract your abs and then reverse the direction, returning to the starting position.

Reverse Curl
Begin by lying back on the floor. With your hands at your sides, raise your butt as high as possible while keeping your upper back pressed to the floor. Contract your abs and then reverse the direction, returning to the starting position.

Want Washboard Abs Like Mel’s? Follow These Top Diet Tips
1. Reduce your salt intake. Instead of adding salt to food for added flavour, which instantly causes water retention, season your meal with herbs.

2. To help zap stomach fat, eat protein-rich oily fish like salmon and mackerel at least three times per week like Mel, and make sure to include flaxseed oil in your diet.

3. Swap fizzy drinks for mineral water, making sure to drink at least two litres per day to keep the belly bloat at bay.

4. Ditch refined foods like white bread and regular pasta as these can make you store fat. Instead, opt for low GI wholemeal varieties, making sure portion size is no bigger than your fist.

5. Make sure your main evening meal is packed with lean protein rather than heavy carbs, and try to eat before 8pm to avoid going to bed on a full stomach.

6. Mel B is a lover of protein shakes in the morning. They fire up your metabolism to help burn more fat, and are also essential for very active people as they fuel muscles and help repair and regrown muscle tissue after workouts.

Can Cancer Be Prevented?

Colon and Skin Cancer

A local blogger lost her father to cancer and I wish her my best. This had me thinking…Can cancer be prevented? As a scientist my mind tells me no but my heart says yes. I am not expert in this field but there is way too much exposure to toxins and carcinogens that can create abnormal cell growth. I often wonder if the abnormal malignate cell growth happens when the body is trying to repair it self after damage or if the mechanism that turns on cell growth never gets turned off…Again I’m not an oncologist, what I do know is regular check ups is a must (mental note follow your own advice).

(NaturalNews) Cancer rates are still higher among black Americans compared to their white counterparts, according to recent statistics released by the American Cancer Society.

Rates among black men are higher by more than one-third over whites, and the rates for black women are higher by 18 percent. Blacks will represent almost 63,000 of the estimated 560,000 deaths of cancer in 2007, the ACS reports. They also will represent 153,000 of 1.7 million new cancer cases in 2007.

Here is article by Cynthia Stein MD, MPH

Can cancer be prevented?

Yes. In fact, at the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention, we estimate that more than half of all cancers in the US could be prevented. Each year over 1 million people in this country are diagnosed with some form of cancer, but this number could be significantly reduced by basic lifestyle changes. There are some things, like age and family history, that we can’t control. However, there are steps that everyone can take to lower their risk of getting cancer:

Don’t smoke, and avoid second-hand smoke.

Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in the US. It causes about 30% of all the cancer in this country, including cancers of the lung, mouth, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, cervix, kidney, and bladder. Smoking also leads to many other health problems, including heart disease, stroke, lung infections, and pregnancy complications. Even the smoke from other people’s tobacco use (second-hand smoke) is harmful, increasing the risk of lung cancer and heart disease in nonsmokers. Children exposed to second-hand smoke are at higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome, asthma, lung infections, and ear infections. The good news is that as soon as people quit smoking, their health starts to improve. Quitting smoking is the single best thing that smokers can do to improve their health. MENTHOLS ARE SPECIFICALLY TARGETED TO BLACKS!

Maintain a healthy weight.

Excess weight has been linked to a variety of cancers, including colon, breast, and uterine cancer, and many other chronic diseases, like diabetes and heart disease. Almost 65% of adults are overweight, and over 30% are considered obese. For reduction of cancer risk and other health benefits, we should balance the amount of calories consumed with regular physical activity.

Be physically active.

Physical activity not only helps achieve a healthy weight, it also lowers the risk of breast and colon cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease, and diabetes. It enhances mood, improves sleep, and helps people reduce stress. Activity doesn’t need to be strenuous to be beneficial. Moderate exercise, like brisk walking, offers health benefits. Physical activity is important for children since healthy patterns of behavior can be established at a young age, and exercise in childhood may affect disease risk later in life. Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day.

Eat a healthy diet.

What we eat can have a significant impact on cancer risk. Eeating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains has been linked to a lower risk of multiple cancers and heart disease. Eating less red meat helps limit the amount of unhealthy saturated fat in the diet and decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, and prostate cancer. While eating a variety of healthy foods provides most of the vitamins our bodies need, taking a multivitamin with folate every day can offer extra protection against colon cancer, heart disease, and certain birth defects. Important in any healthy diet is total calories because excess calories from any source can lead to weight gain.

Black Women lag in Cancer Treatment

Limit alcohol.

Alcohol has different effects on different diseases. While it may help reduce the risk of heart disease, it also increases the risk of several cancers, including breast, colon, esophageal, and oral cancer. Alcohol use comes with risk of increasing blood pressure, weight, heart failure, addiction, suicide and accidents; therefore nondrinkers should not start drinking. Drinkers should limit alcohol intake to a moderate amount (1 drink/day for women, 2 drinks/day for men).

Protect your skin from the sun.

Sun exposure causes the majority of skin cancer. Some forms of skin cancer, like melanoma, can be fatal, and others, such as basal cell and squamous cell cancer, can be highly disfiguring. Since about 80% of lifetime sun exposure occurs before the age of 18, sun protection is critical for children. Adults need to avoid excess sun to prevent additional skin damage and to provide good examples for their children. It is best to avoid extended periods in the sun between 10 am and 4 pm, use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher, and wear protective hats and sunglasses.

Get regular screening tests.

While we don’t have screening tests for most cancers, we do have tests for colon, breast, prostate, and cervical cancer. Screening tests can work either detecting changes before they become cancer or finding cancer at an earlier and more treatable stage. Screening saves lives, but only if people get tested. Talk to your doctor about what tests are right for you.

Make healthy choices.

Of course, each individual is unique, and it is impossible to predict who will or won’t develop cancer. However, many healthy life choices offer multiple benefits, reducing the risk of a variety of cancers and other chronic diseases. For more information on strategies to prevent disease, visit www.yourcancerrisk.harvard.edu. Even small behavior changes can bring significant health benefits and improve the chances of living a long and healthy life.

Dr. Cynthia Stein is Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention.