BELLVILLE Jodie Snavely can light up a room with her lively personality and beaming smile.

Because the Bellville residents zest for life is so apparent, it would be easy to assume that her life is all rainbows and unicorns. But daily she deals with the struggles of living with type 1 diabetes a condition that, if not properly managed, can cause serious health complications.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. World Diabetes Day is celebrated on Nov. 14 to raise awareness on both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction that destroys cells in the pancreas that make insulin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, without insulin, blood sugar cant get into cells, causing buildup in the bloodstream. High blood sugar can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss and kidney disease.

With type 2 diabetes, cells dont respond normally to insulin (insulin resistance),and the body cant keep blood sugar at normal levels.

Snavely, 52, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 18.

Prior to her diagnosis she experienced such symptoms as excessive thirst and urination, mood swings and hair loss, she said.

But it was a ruptured ovarian cyst that led her to discovering she had type 1 diabetes. Her blood test results confirmed the diagnosis.

Mentally, I had no idea what I was in for. No idea, she recalled. I had no idea what diabetes was. I didnt know what was going to happen in my life.

Her doctor encouraged her to maintain a healthy diet, exercise, and to regularly check her blood sugar.

Then I went off to college and was like, Im not checking my blood sugar, she said. She saw it as a hassle.

After she graduated, however, checking her blood sugar was no longer optional in her mind.

My doctor told me to either straighten up or youre going to die from this, so it was that that made me step back and understand what can happen from diabetes if you dont check your sugar, she said.

Jodie poses with her husband, Bret.

From then on she took it upon herself to check her blood sugar not just once, but 10 times daily.

They recommend anywhere from 1-3 times daily to see where youre at, but I took it so seriously when that doctor said, You need to shape up. I was like, I dont want to die from diabetes, I want to live to be a very healthy person, and so Im now going to do everything I possibly can to keep healthy, she said.

Keeping track of her blood sugar levels helps give her peace of mind, she said.

I feel better knowing what my blood sugars are and keeping that in perfect control, she said. Is it always in control? No, because diabetes sometimes has a mind of its own. Emotions can take over, stress can take over, if I dont have time to eat, if I get sick Life gets in the way and you just have to do the best you can do to keep healthy.

One of the ways she keeps healthy is with regular physical activity. Her go-to exercise is running, which she started doing at 30 years old.

Running outside in the winter can be a great form of exercise -- just make sure you take necessary precautions before lacing up your running shoes.

She typically runs 4-9 miles two or three times a week in the winter and five times a week in the spring, summer and fall. She also enjoys taking part in races and has completed eight half-marathons, three Tough Mudders, numerous 5K and 10K races, and one 24-hour relay race.

She set a personal record at her most recent half marathon in October with a time of two hours and eight minutes.

Im very competitive, so I was super excited that I got a PR, she said.

Snavely takes extra care when training and preparing for races.

I have to consider how diabetes will affect me for two hours while Im running, so I have to think about where my blood sugars are at, what to eat before the race, how to fuel throughout the race and what to do afterwards, she said.

The extra effort may seem like a burden to some, but Snavely said its just a normal part of her routine.

I accept it and go with the flow, she said.

She also says a prayer during her races that God would watch over her.

On top of exercise, Snavely prioritizes a healthy diet. She sticks to foods like fruits, veggies, nuts, fish and poultry, and doesnt eat out much.

She also keeps in regular contact with her endocrinologist, Dr. Cynthia Dorsey of OhioHealth.

Im so thankful for her and her staff that keep me healthy, Snavely said. I see her every four months religiously.

In the 34 years that Snavely has been diagnosed with diabetes, she hasn't suffered any complications from the disease, she said.

For over 20 years shes worn an insulin pump, which is meant to mimic the functions of a pancreas.

I call it my pancreas on the outside of my body, she said with a laugh. Its a little machine that has a tube that goes into my body and I move that around every four days and it delivers insulin like your pancreas would, she explained.

She also has glucose tablets handy in case her blood sugar were to drop.

When it comes to managing diabetes, she said, You have to take it by the horns and take control of it. Is it easy? No, its not easy. Its a 24/7 disease that I have to manage.

But shes thankful for the support shes received along the way from family, friends and her physicians.

Keeping a positive frame of mind is all she knows.

Jodie smiles with her parents, Malena and Ron Puster.

I had two choices when I was diagnosed: I could become depressed and say, Forget it, Im not going to deal with diabetes,' or I was going to take it by the horns and do the best I could do, she said.

She credits her parents for helping her look on the bright side and to push past obstacles standing in her way.

She hopes to be like her grandmother who lived to be 99.

She was not diabetic, but I want to be like my grandma and live a long, healthy life, she said.

Diabetes is not going to take me down.

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How this Bellville woman is living her best life with type 1 diabetes - Richland Source

Published November 15, 2019, 1:24 AM

By Analou De Vera

Health advocates on Thursday encouraged the public, especially the young people, to engage more on physical activities as it is one of the keys to prevent diabetes.

During a press conference for the observance of World Diabetes Day 2019 in Quezon City, the advocates underscored that children nowadays are more glued to gadgets instead of participating in physical activities.

Now with the use of gadgets, we can see children, upon entering in a restaurant or wherever, they look at their gadgets, there are no physical activities. During our timegames like tumbang preso, takbuhan,these are now being forgotten. We must advocate for their return, said Diabetes Philippines President Dr. Grace Delos Santos.

Delos Santos said that a balanced diet and an active lifestyle are two important aspects for ones health, especially for children whose family has a history of diabetes.

Starting a good lifestyle among children is really important because as we know diabetes is a heritable disease, she said.

Meanwhile, good parenting also plays a big role in the prevention of diabetes, said Dr. Theresa Faller, president of American Association of Clinical EndocrinologistsPhilippine Chapter.

Nowadays people are so busy We want to discipline our children by making them quiet so you provide them with these gadgets and not actually encouraging them to go out, said Faller.

We have to encourage our children to engage in sports. Its not only just playing patintero and all that. Sports environment should be a very important advocacy for our children, she added.

Doing exercise for at least 30 minutes will help in maintaining a good and healthy body, said Dr. Jeremy Robles, president of Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism.

The recommendation of the American Diabetes Association was that we spent 30 minutes of exercise every other day. Look at it in a bigger picture. All of us have a potential to go into this problem because of our lifestyle so we have to change our lifestyle, said Robles.

Diabetes does not choose if you are rich or poor; if you are young and old, he added.

Meanwhile, General Manager of Novo Nordisk Philippines Serdar Kizilcik has emphasized the importance of early screening.

It is likely that diabetes affects you or someone close to you. Being aware of this is part of the shared responsibility between doctors and patients to screen for diabetes and work towards early control of the disease to avoid complications such as blindness and renal failure, he said.

Importance of urban planning

Danish Ambassador to the Philippines Grete Sillasen, meanwhile, said that programs for urban development should involve how to get their citizens active.

If you give people the infrastructure for having a better life, they will actively use it. If you put up a park, people will come and exercise, said Sillasen.

What we have done in Copenhagen, which is a great success, is we have bike lanes everywhere and we have secured pavements everywhere. Today, 62 percent of the people in Copenhagen go to their work or study place by bike, the ambassador noted.

Sillasen said that exercise is even much better if its part of ones daily routine.

Continued here:
Balanced diet, active lifestyle pushed to curb the onset of diabetes - Manila Bulletin

After a super-fast DNA test developed by scientists at Imperial College, Helen Rumbelow trialled their new gadget it lets people choose food to suit their genes

The Times,November 12 2019, 12:01am

Will it be my grandmothers cancer, or the family weakness for Alzheimers that will get me in the end? Our genes contain instructions for our death as well as our life, but they have always played dumb. Until now.

Now I can wear a wristband with my genetic vulnerability for fatal diseases coded into it. Which is by turns futuristic and kind of terrifying. For me, its like shaking hands with my heart attack scheduled for 2050: Nice to get to know you at last!

Weird, but I soon get used to it when I take the wristband shopping. Its the opposite experience to taking a toddler, endlessly pestering for sweeties, to the supermarket. When I aim the tiny scanner of the DNA Nudge wristband

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DNA Nudge app review: can this wristband tell you the best diet for your genes? - The Times

Diet plays an essential role in lowering blood pressure and a growing body of evidence recommends certain foods for their blood pressure-lowering properties.

One study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, makes a strong case for supplementing a diet low in saturated fats with walnuts to help lower blood pressure.

In a randomised, controlled trial, researchers examined the effects of replacing some of the saturated fats in participants' diets with walnuts.

Saturated fat is the kind of fat found in butter, lard, ghee, fatty meats and cheese. Eating a diet high in saturated fat is associated with raised levels of non-HDL (bad) cholesterol, a waxy substance found in your blood that is tied to cardiovascular complications, explains the British Heart Foundation.

They found that when participants ate whole walnuts daily in combination with lower overall amounts of saturated fat, they had lower central blood pressure.

READ MORE:High blood pressure: The surprising food that could lower your reading

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High blood pressure: Include this snack in your diet to lower your reading - Express

The advice for weight control used to be simple: eat less and exercise more. But emerging research suggests that not all calories are created equal. That bowl of frosted cereal for breakfast has a completely different impact on your body than an equivalent serving of oatmeal with fresh berries. Here are some of the foods that seem to contribute most to widespread obesity, and those with the most promise to help us slim down.

THE OFFENDERS

The sugar trap

Naturally occurring sugars in fruit, vegetables and dairy products give us necessary energy. But the added sweet stuff in our diets not only racks up empty calories, it numbs our cells to insulin, making the heart work harder to pump it out and bring blood sugar down to a normal range. Sugar that is not consumed by the body is also more likely than other calories to be stored as fat. Worse, perhaps, is that sugar releases feel-good opioids and dopamine in the brain and that high is habit-forming. According to researchers at the University of Tennessee, the increase in adults living with obesity is linked to the long-lasting effects of the high-sugar diets among children in the 1970s and 1980s.

Convenient caloriesThat a frozen pizza contributes more to obesity than a salad is no big surprise. But according to a recent report in Cell Metabolism, the first randomized, controlled trial of its kind, the problem is not simply bottom-line caloric intake or levels of macronutrients such as fats.

Over a period of one month, 20 healthy adult volunteers were admitted to the National Health Institutes Clinical Center in Maryland. For two weeks, they were given ultra-processed meals, bagels with cream cheese and turkey bacon, for example, or frozen dinners. For the other two weeks, they were fed unprocessed foods such as oatmeal with fruit and diners such as roast chicken with rice and peas. Both diets contained the same number of calories and the same amount of fat, fibre and carbohydrates. The key difference between the two menus: ingredients predominantly found in industrial food manufacturing, such as hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, flavoring agents, and emulsifiers.

The results were stark: Those on the ultra-processed diets ate faster, and about 500 calories more per day, than those on unprocessed diets. In fact, those on the unprocessed diets lost weight. Why processed foods led to these differences remains to be studied, but the scientists conclusion heavily processed foods cause overeating and weight gain in and of themselves.

Those on the ultra-processed diets ate faster, and about 500 calories more per day, than those on unprocessed diets

Potato chip pile-onClearly, chips arent a health food. Theyre loaded with salt and fried in oil, and people mindlessly crunch through large portions. How bad are they? Harvard University scientists say they are thebiggest culprit behind the pound-a-year weight creep.

By analyzing data collected over 20 years from more than 120,000 men and women in the U.S. who were not obese and were free of chronic diseases, researchers identified a number of specific foods linked to weight gain. Potato chips were the biggest offender: a daily one-ounce serving about 15 chips and 160 calories led to a 1.69-pound increase over four years.

As for healthier veggie sticks and straws? Theyre like a wolf in sheeps clothing, says Anna Taylor, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic. (They) lack fibre and protein, and are practically devoid of nutrients.

Grab-and-go smoothiesUnless you make them yourself, smoothies often come with hidden sugar and calories mainly from juice. But the fact that these drinks can pack as much sugar as a few bags of candy is only part of the reason they contribute to obesity. Nutrition and behaviour scientists at theUniversity of Bristol have found thatfruit smoothies and other energy-containing drinks are also less satiating than whole foods. We can gulp down anywhere from 300 to 700 calories of a spinach-and-berry-filled drink that wont keep us feeling as full as a whole-food option such as fruit slices with nut butter.

Refined grainsMany people think of carbs as the enemy when it comes to weight loss. But its important to focus on the right target: white rice, white bread, white pasta and all-purpose flour all of which lack the fibre and key nutrients of their whole-grain counterparts and carry a high glycemic index. The glycemic index is a scale that ranks carb-loaded foods by how much they raise blood sugar. Spanish nutrition researchers reviewed abody of research on diet and obesityand found that people who regularly consume refined grains, as well as other foods with a high glycemic index, have more difficulty managing their weight.

THE HEROES

Nuts to that

Not all fats are a four-letter word. Anew study published in the online journalBMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Healthfound that eating a handful of nuts on a regular basis may help prevent excessive weight gain and lower the risk of obesity. Thats because most of the fat in nuts are good for us: monounsaturated fat, as well as omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fat, are essential to protect our organs, help us absorb nutrients and produce important hormones.

Researchers also say that the fat, protein and fibre combination in nuts takes longer to digest than foods with just carbohydrates and protein, keeping us feeling full longer. They found that a consistent intake of at least a half-ounce of nuts a day was associated with a 23 per cent lower risk of putting on 10 or more pounds over a four-year period. An added bonus, when nuts became a regular part of participants diets, their unhealthy food consumption decreased.

Beans and lentils

The biggest obstacle to lasting weight loss is also the most obvious: hunger. Eating protein at every meal can help, says Alexandra Johnstone, a specialist in obesity and metabolic health at the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health at the University of Aberdeen. Plant-based proteins, such as beans and lentils, can also have a positive impact on the trillions of bacteria and microorganisms that live in our digestive tract, according to astudy presented this October at the United European Gastroenterology Week in Barcelona. A healthy gut is foundational, responsible for better food absorption and overall system regulation.

Fermenting is your friend

Naturally fermented foods are also getting a lot of attention from health experts because of their role in strengthening our gut microbiome. Researchers have linked the loss of healthy bacteria and microorganisms to all sorts of health conditions, including obesity. Foods like kombucha tea, kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut are preserved using a traditional process that boosts food shelf life and nutritional value, and provide a dose of healthy probiotics, the microorganisms essential to healthy digestion.

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What to eat (and avoid) if you're trying lose weight - National Post

Dementia is a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning and tends to develop as people get older, although is not a natural part of ageing. Early warning signs of the condition include memory loss and an impaired judgement, but as the symptoms progress, symptoms can become more pronounced, and people tend to feel isolated from those around them. Although getting older is the biggest risk factor for dementia, evidence shows that lifestyle decisions can influence a persons risk of developing the condition too.

According to the Alzheimers Society, doing regular physical activity is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of dementia, and numerous studies have backed up this claim.

A new study published in The Lancet Public Health builds on the existing literature by exploring how fitness levels over time influence dementia risk.

"It is important to say that it is never too late to begin exercising. The average participant in our study was around 60 years old at baseline, and improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness was strongly linked to lower dementia risk. Those who had poor fitness in the 1980s but improved it within the next decade could expect to live two years longer without dementia," says lead author Atefe Tari of the Cardiac Exercise Research Group (CERG) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

To arrive at this verdict, Tari and her research colleagues measured the fitness level of participants twice ten years apart. This approach enabled the researchers to evaluate how changes in fitness over time are related to dementia risk.

READ MORE:Dementia symptoms: Five ways you can prevent vascular dementia

Commenting on their findings, Tari said: "If you increase your cardiorespiratory fitness from poor to good you almost halve the risk of getting dementia. You also reduce the risk of dying from or with dementia.

Tari added: In our study, each increase of 1MET was associated with a 16 percent lower risk of getting dementia and a 10 percent lower risk of dementia-related death. This is an improvement that is very achievable for most people.

The metabolic equivalent (MET) is a unit that estimates the amount of energy used by the body during physical activity, as compared to resting metabolism.

The latest study adds to the existing body of research linking fitness levels to a reduced risk of dementia, and previous studies have also shed a light on the best exercise to reduce the risk of delay brain decline.

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According to a report conducted by the Mayo Clinic, any exercise that gets the heart pumping may reduce the risk of dementia and slow the condition's progression once it starts.

Researchers examined the role of aerobic exercise in preserving cognitive abilities and concluded that it should not be overlooked as an important therapy against dementia.

The researchers broadly defined exercise as enough aerobic physical activity to raise the heart rate and increase the body's need for oxygen.

For many people, walking is a great choice for aerobic exercise but other examples include swimming, bicycling and jogging.

"We culled through all the scientific literature we could find on the subject of exercise and cognition, including animal studies and observational studies, reviewing over 1,600 papers, with 130 bearing directly on this issue. We attempted to put together a balanced view of the subject," said J. Eric Ahlskog, M.D., Ph.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic.

He added: "We concluded that you can make a very compelling argument for exercise as a disease-modifying strategy to prevent dementia and mild cognitive impairment, and for favourably modifying these processes once they have developed."

The researchers note that brain imaging studies have consistently revealed objective evidence of favourable effects of exercise on human brain integrity.

Also, they note, animal research has shown that exercise generates trophic factors that improve brain functioning, plus exercise facilitates brain connections.

To reap the optimal health benefits, the NHS recommends doing at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity if you are already active, or a combination of both.

According to Alzheimers Society, a healthy, balanced diet may also reduce your risk of dementia, as well as other conditions including cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, stroke and heart disease.

According to the health body, a healthy, balanced diet should consist of:

It also important to avoid or cut down on certain items to reduce the risk of dementia, such as alcohol consumption, warns the charity.

At most, you should aim to drink no more than 14 units each week. If you regularly drink much more than this, youre at risk of alcohol-related brain damage, it said.

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Dementia care: The activity shown to lower your risk of developing the condition - Express

Visceral fat is deemed dangerous because its a type of body fat stored within the abdominal cavity. Its found near several vital organs which is why a persons risk of developing serious health problems is increased. Eating a poor diet has been found to lead to visceral fat build up, so making changes to the food youre eating is advised.

Diet plans come highly recommended for weight loss and fat loss, but with so many diets to choose from, which one is considered best?

Low-carb diets have been found to help get rid of visceral fat, and one in particular proven effective is the ketogenic, or keto, diet.

The keto diet shares many similarities with the Atkins diet, drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat.

A reduction in carbs puts the body into a metabolic state called ketosis.

READ MORE:How to get rid of visceral fat: This cheese could reduce the harmful belly fat

A study involving 28 overweight and obese adults found those who followed a ketogenic diet lost more fat, especially visceral fat, than people following a low-fat diet.

The participants also did this while eating roughly 300 more calories per day.

Low-carb diets in general have been shown to be key to visceral fat loss.

A greater proportion of the fat people lose on low-carb diets seems to come from the abdominal cavity.

DON'T MISS

Low-carb diets have also been shown to lead to more weight loss at first.

Studies demonstrate people on low-carb diets lose more weight, faster, than those on low-fat diets.

This is believed to happen because low-carb diets act to rid excess water from the body, lowering insulin levels and leading to rapid weight loss in the first week or two.

In studies comparing low-carb and low-fat diets, people restricting their carbs sometimes lose two to three times as much weight, without being hungry.

One study in obese adults found a low-carb diet particularly effective for up to six months, compared to a conventional weight loss diet.

But after that, the difference in weight loss between diets was insignificant.

Diet isnt the only way to get rid of visceral fat - regular aerobic exercise has also been shown to be effective.

An analysis of 15 studies in 852 people compared how well different types of exercise reduced visceral fat without dieting.

The authors found moderate and high-intensity aerobic exercises were most effective at reducing visceral fat without dieting.

But combining regular aerobic exercise with a healthy diet is more effective at targeting visceral fat than doing either one alone.

Examples of aerobic exercise include brisk walking, riding a bike, hiking and pushing a lawnmower.

As part of government guidelines, adults aged 19 to 64 should aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week alongside strength exercises on two or more days a week.

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How to get rid of visceral fat: Best diet to reduce the harmful belly fat - foods to eat - Express

Its almost inevitable that you've scrolled past a sweaty selfie of a friend, co-worker or high school classmate bragging about their WOD and professing their love for CrossFit.

CrossFit became a super popular workout a few years ago when box gyms began popping up not only across the country, but the world. CrossFit is practiced by members of over 13,000 affiliated gyms in 120 countries. In the U.S. alone, there are over 7,000 gyms offering the program. Its estimated that there are roughly 4 million CrossFitters, and its members are so devoted to the competitive approach to fitness that the community has even been described as cult-like.

With all this publicity, you may have wondered if this program could work for you. Before you jump into the box (ahem, thats CrossFit speak for gym), heres what you need to know about the workout craze and how to determine if it's right for you.

A form of high intensity interval training, CrossFit is a strength and conditioning workout that is made up of functional movement performed at a high intensity level.

These movements are actions that you perform in your day-to-day life, like squatting, pulling, pushing etc. Many workouts feature variations of squats, push-ups, and weight lifting that last for predetermined amounts of time to help build muscles. This varies from a traditional workout that may tell you how many reps to do over any period of time.

CrossFit Journal notes that the workouts are so effective because of their emphasis on the elements of load, distance and speed, which help participants develop high levels of power. The workout may utilize different equipment to accomplish this, including kettle bells, rowers and bikes, medicine balls, speed ropes, rings and plyo boxes.

CrossFit is similar to Orange Theory in that there is a standard "workout of the day" (WOD) that all members complete on the same day. The daily workout can be found on their website (which is always free), along with a guide to all the specialized lingo that is used. There is also a substitutions section on their FAQ page that suggests places to find level appropriate workouts. CrossFit is universally scalable and modifiable for all fitness levels, so it can be tailored to meet your goals and current fitness level, says Tracey Magee, owner and head coach of CrossFit Clan Performance Center.

You may have a preconceived notion of the type of person who belongs in a CrossFit gym (relatively young, jacked, etc.), but Tony Caravajal, certified L-2 CrossFit trainer with RSP Nutrition, strongly believes that CrossFit is hugely beneficial for the full spectrum of ages and athletic capabilities, starting with adolescents. CrossFit Kids classes are a fantastic way to help a child develop balance, coordination, as well as proper motor skills. He says that these skills are a fantastic way to put a child ahead of the game as well as instill a love for a healthily lifestyle.

Patrick Zeiher, owner of CrossFit Indian Trail, notes that one reason CrossFit is so beneficial for all ages is that the physical needs of a person vary by degree not by kind. We can literally have a 60-year-old athlete doing a similar variation of a workout as a 25-year-old competitive athlete, he says. Their needs don't vary by kind; in other words, they both need to be able to squat to a toilet, pick something up off the floor, or get themselves off the floor. The 25-year-old should just be able to do it all faster, says Zeiher.

Another essential element of CrossFit is the spirit of sports and competition. Many CrossFit gyms use strategic actions, like keeping a score board and posting winners to social media, as motivation rather than a reward system. So if youre someone who is motivated by competition to push yourself physically, CrossFit may prove a great exercise for you that drives fast results.

As with any high intensity workout, there is some risk involved. One study found that 20 percent of the CrossFit participants surveyed injured themselves while doing CrossFit endorsed workouts.

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The injury rate of CrossFit is about 20 percent, meaning 20 percent of people who perform CrossFit branded workouts regularly will be injured at some point, which is high for a recreational activity," says Cuyler Hudson, a physical therapist at Finish Line. "I personally see CrossFitters regularly in my physical therapy practice. Injuries will usually occur as an athlete fatigues, which causes their form to also fatigue, causing the load to be shifted from the areas it is supposed to be to areas that cannot handle the stress as well.

You may hear several acronyms and words thrown around during a class, either verbally or written on a board with the workout for the day. Here are some of the most common:

WOD: Workout of the Day

EMOM: Every Minute on the Minute

AMRAP: As Many Reps as Possible

Box: A CrossFit gym with the bare necessities to perform all the WODs.

Ladder: A series of exercises where you increase the number of reps by 1 each time they are performed. (i.e. 5 squats, then 6 squats, then 7 squats )

Zone Diet: The diet that CrossFit endorses. This diet is based on macronutrients.

SQ: Squat

PR: Personal Record. This refers to when you reach your personal best in a given exercise. For example, completing a certain number of push-ups in a minute.

Hero WOD: These workouts are named after first responders who have died in the line of duty. These workouts are especially difficult to remind CrossFitters of the sacrifices that these men and women made for their country.

Magee suggests that you communicate with your coach any limitations or restrictions you have, especially if youre just getting back into a workout routine or are a beginner. Once a person has been through their initial assessment, a qualified coach will help them determine the any modifications, such as particular movements or the volume of training for a particular workout, she says.

If you are a beginner, youre in luck. CrossFit accounts for this sector of the population. Some sort of beginner or foundations class is highly recommended for newcomers. In these classes, they'll learn the basics and improve fitness at their own pace. Once they learn the basic foundational skills and build their confidence, they can move into regular classes, explains Magee. A less experienced or very de-conditioned individual would be advised to start with fewer classes per week (usually 2-3), until their bodies have adapted to the new movements and the volume of training.

Even if you arent quite ready to jump full force into CrossFit, there are effective elements of the workout that you can incorporate into your current exercise routine.

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What is CrossFit? And is it right for you? Here's what you need to know - NBC News

To trim down the waistline, dieters can pick from a number of different weight loss diet plans. The keto, or ketogenic, diet is a popular choice for many slimmers and can help speed up fat burning results. However, an expert reveals the tips you must follow.

The low carb and high fat plan is thought to help promote fat loss, Elliot Upton, PT at ultimate performance and head of LiveUP online coaching, explained.

He told Express.co.uk: The idea of keto is to take in such a low amount of carbohydrates that your body switches to a metabolic state called 'ketosis' where it uses fat and ketones for fuel instead of glucose."

By following this plan, the body will start to burn through fat leaving those on the plan much trimmer.

READ MORE: Joe Wicks reveals simple workout plan to help burn fat - avoid making common mistake

Although many people may think they should avoid fat when trying to slim down, eating foods high in healthy fats could actually help them get into shape.

Pairing those foods with meals high in carbs and with a moderate protein content can give the best results.

Elliot added: People who follow the keto diet will eat a high proportion of their calories from fat, some protein and minimal or no intake from carbohydrates.

DON'T MISS

Common foods people eat on the keto diet tend to be anything with a high fat and low carbohydrate content, such as oils, cheese and dairy products, eggs, nuts and some fatty meats or fish.

If switching onto the plan, he explained why dieters much ensure they still eat enough nutrients.

Removing a food group can leave slimmers lacking in certain things and the expert explained how to compensate for this.

When you cut out an entire food group, there is the potential to be lacking in key nutrients, he said.

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Weight loss: This surprising food can help you burn fat fast - what can you eat? - Express

Ample evidence shows that regular exercise is a surefire way to boost longevity, because it lowers the risk of developing a wide range of deadly conditions.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the greatest threats to longevity, for example, but it can largely be prevented by maintaining high fitness levels and following a healthy diet.

While numerous studies demonstrate the health benefits of exercise in general or focus on specific groups of exercise, there is a growing field of research that is shedding a light on the specific forms of exercise that will extend longevity.

One of those studies, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, makes the case for speeding up your walking pace.

The study found that walking at an average pace was found to be associated with a 20 percent risk reduction for all-cause mortality compared with walking at a slow pace, while walking at a brisk or fast pace was associated with a risk reduction of 24 percent.

A similar result was found for risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, with a reduction of 24 percent walking at an average pace and 21 percent walking at a brisk or fast pace, compared to walking at a slow pace.

Interestingly, the health benefits were most pronounced in older age groups, with average paced walkers aged 60 years or over experiencing a 46 percent reduction in risk of death from cardiovascular causes, and fast paced walkers a 53 percent reduction.

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A fast pace is generally five to seven kilometres per hour, but it really depends on a walker's fitness levels; an alternative indicator is to walk at a pace that makes you slightly out of breath or sweaty when sustained," said lead author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre and School of Public Health.

The researchers sought to establish the link between walking pace and all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality.

To gather the findings, the researchers pooled together and analysed mortality records with the results of 11 population-based surveys in England and Scotland between 1994 and 2008 - in which participants self-reported their walking pace - the research team then adjusted for factors such as total amount and intensity of all physical activity taken, age, sex and body mass index.

"Walking pace is associated with all-cause mortality risk, but its specific role - independent from the total physical activity a person undertakes - has received little attention until now," Professor Stamatakis said.

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He continued: "While sex and body mass index did not appear to influence outcomes, walking at an average or fast pace was associated with a significantly reduced risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease. There was no evidence to suggest pace had a significant influence on cancer mortality however."

In light of the findings, the researchers are calling on public health bodies to promote walking pace as a simple and accessible way for people to help ward off developing life-threatening conditions.

Professor Stamatakis said: "Assuming our results reflect cause and effect, these analyses suggest that increasing walking pace may be a straightforward way for people to improve heart health and risk for premature mortality -- providing a simple message for public health campaigns to promote.

"Especially in situations when walking more isn't possible due to time pressures or a less walking-friendly environment, walking faster may be a good option to get the heart rate up - one that most people can easily incorporate into their lives."

The health benefits of exercise can be reaped at any age, according to research led by Alexander Mok, a doctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

Mok and his team of researchers examined how changes in exercise levels over time affect a person's risk of dying from any cause, as well as dying from specific conditions such as cardiovascular disease.

The findings, which are the result of a large population-based cohort study comprised of almost 15,000 people, found that high levels of exercise and increased physical activity over time correlated with a lower mortality risk overall.

Significantly, the results suggested that even if someone decided to exercise after being physically inactive, they would still both their longevity.

The greatest longevity benefits were seen among individuals who had high physical activity levels at the start of the study and increased them even more with time. These highly active people were 42 percent less likely to die prematurely from any cause.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, when done regularly, moderate-and vigorous-intensity physical activity strengthens your heart muscle, and this improves your heart's ability to pump blood to your lungs and throughout your body, and as a result, more blood flows to your muscles, and oxygen levels in your blood rise.

The health said: Capillaries, your body's tiny blood vessels, also widen. This allows them to deliver more oxygen to your body and carry away waste products.

Heart-healthy eating is also essential to longevity, and the health site recommends opting for the following to protect heart health:

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How to live longer: The simple exercise shown to extend your lifespan - Express