Cary Raffle Certified Personal Trainer - NYC

Every 3-6 months or 300-500 miles One of the first questions I ask a runner or walker who complains of aches such as shin splints, knee pain or foot pain is how old their running shoes are. When you run, every time you land your shoes absorb 3 to 5 times the weight of your body. Over time, the cushioning breaks down and instead of the shoes absorbing this impact, it is absorbed by your joints and muscles. Sweat, heat and time also cause the shoes to lose some of their cushioning and resiliency - so getting a good deal on a closeout shoe that has been sitting in a warehouse for 2 years may not be a bargain over the long run. If you have been working out indoors all winter, the shoes may look great but the cushioning is probably worn down. Some of us develop an emotional attachment to their sneakers - a model or color that has gone out of production, a pair of shoes that they ran a great race in, or in some cases an attachment to the idea that they haven’t fallen apart so they must be ok...

by Marin Gazzaniga for MSN Health & Fitness If you think you’ve put on a few extra pounds because your metabolism has slowed down, you may be only half right. Barry Stein of Wake Forest University School of Medicine is writing a book about staying fit after 50. As he explains, “As we age, we are subject to sarcopenia—muscle wasting. Since muscle burns more energy than fat, this means the metabolic load goes down and metabolism reflects that.” That is, if you do nothing about your loss of muscle with age, it will take you longer to burn off a candy bar at age 60 than at 20. Twins Tammy and Lyssie Lakotos, authors of Fire Up Your Metabolism, recommend both cardiovascular activity and weight training. “Cardiovascular activity burns calories while you do it. Additionally, you could burn about 20-30 additional calories afterwards, which may not seem like a big amount daily, but adds up over a lifetime,” says Tammy Lakotos. Strength training is effective long after you’ve put down the ba...

An overview from the American Heart Association Trans fat (also called trans fatty acids) is formed when liquid vegetable oils go through a chemical process called hydrogenation, in which hydrogen is added to make the oils more solid. Hydrogenated vegetable fats are used by food processors because they allow longer shelf-life and give food desirable taste, shape, and texture. Evidence suggests that consumption of trans fat raises LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels and lowers HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels, causing the arteries to become clogged and increasing the risk of developing heart disease and stroke. To read the full story about transfats and other fats, click here.