Tag Archives: smoking

President Obama Fit at 50

Today is President Obama’s 50th birthday. While it may make many of us cringe that we have hit the half century mark, think about what you would feel like if you were president. The highest office in the land is notorious for aging the men who have held it. All you have to do is look at pictures of President Obama from four short years ago.

Thing is, being 50 these days isn’t so rough if you take care of yourself.

“These days, we consider men in their 50s to be young at heart – literally and mentally,” says William Pollack, Ph.D., of the Harvard medical school.

If you think you’re too busy for fitness, try being the leader of the free world and keeping a healthy lifestyle. So how does the busiest person with the most stressful job on the planet stay fit? It’s always a good idea to work out first thing in the morning. It gives you an energy boost the rest of the day and less opportunity to make excuses. It just so happens that when you’re President of the United States, first thing in the morning is nearly a requirement, so it works perfectly for Obama.

“Most of my workouts have to come before my day starts,” says President Obama. “I probably get in about 45 minutes of exercise.” (more…)

Posted on August 4, 2023 by Jason

Cigarette Packs to Get More Aggressive Warning Labels

new FDA tobacco warning labelCigarette packages will soon display larger, more graphic warning labels. The announcement was made this morning, according to a press release sent by the CDC. The more prominent labels will feature photos illustrating the harmful effects of smoking. This is the first change in cigarette warning labels in the U.S. in 25 years.

Starting in September of 2024, the new labels will be required to cover the top half of both the front and rear of cigarette packages. There are nine different images total, selected from an initial group of 35. They feature messages such as “WARNING: Cigarettes can cause cancer” and “WARNING: Tobacco smoke can harm your children.” By October 22, 2024 cigarette manufacturers will no longer be permitted to distribute cigarettes for sale in the U.S. without the warning labels.

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Posted on June 21, 2023 by Margaret

America’s Health Habits Have Taken a Dive Since 2024

The quality of Americans’ diets has declined since last year. From fruit and vegetable consumption to exercise, and even smoking, Americans are reporting worse habits than this time last year.

A Gallup poll of 1,000 Americans that was released last week reveals the 55.9 percentage of Americans reported eating five or more servings of fruit and vegetables at least four days out of a week. Last May, the poll found that number to be 57.8 percent.

The poll concluded that produce intake is specifically down among Hispanics, young adults, seniors, and women compared to 2024.

In 2024, 68.2 percent of people said they “ate healthy all day yesterday.” This year that number dropped to 66.2 percent. That percentage translates to 4.5 million less Americans eating healthy this May.

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Posted on June 17, 2023 by Lacy

Be a Happy and Healthy Bride on Your Wedding Day

by Kelsey Murray

Spring and summer are possibly the most popular times for a wedding. Unfortunately for many brides, along with the wedding comes a boat load of stress to look “perfect” on their big day. Sadly, this quest for perfection can be very hard on a bride’s health. Crash dieting is often the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions a bride’s preparation for her wedding.

Aside from drastic weight loss, there are many other things that brides often do in preparation that can be unhealthy or harmful to her health. Here are some tips for avoiding some common practices that brides-to-be might not realize are putting their health in danger.

Choose your makeup carefully. Some makeup contains ingredients that can cause allergic reactions. Some symptoms might include skin redness, dryness, and itchiness. Look for makeup that is fragrance-free or made for sensitive skin and do not change makeup brands right before a big event because you do not know how your skin might react to it. If you are having your makeup done professionally, ask the makeup artist which makeup he or she uses and make sure that it will not cause you to have a reaction.

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Posted on June 15, 2023 by Health Buzz

Minneapolis Named Healthiest City in the U.S.

For those of you who may use the weather as an excuse for not exercising, look no further than the citizens of Minneapolis, Minnesota. That’s because they have been voted the healthiest city in the U.S. by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Each year, the ACSM rates the top 50 healthiest metropolitan areas in the country. They attributed Minneapolis’ jump to the top of the list to the increase in size and a decrease in smoking rates. Also factored into the equation was relatively low rates of obesity, heart disease, and asthma.

Additional factors were treated to the increase in healthfulness of the citizens of Minneapolis: an uptick in farmers markets and an above average percentage of park land. I think that would help explain why Portland, Oregon and Denver, Colorado both made the top five, as they are known for their love of outdoor living and activities. Washington D.C. and Boston, Massachusetts were number two and number three, respectively. (more…)

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Jason

4 Deadliest Lifestyle Choices

The World Health Organization has just released a report on non-communicable diseases. This includes diabetes, cancer and respiratory and heart diseases. Many of these diseases could be prevented with behavioral changes. While these numbers relate to the whole world, they are still powerful.

Let’s take a look at some lifestyle choices and how they affect life or death situations.

1. Tobacco Use

Smoking or chewing tobacco are one of the deadliest lifestyle choices you can make. Nearly six million people die every year due to tobacco use. Sadly, this also includes second-hand smoke. The report estimates that by 2024 the number will reach 7.5 million – that’s 10 percent of all deaths.

2. Lack of Exercise

The WHO report estimates that 3.2 million people die every year because they don’t get enough physical activity. If you don’t exercise, you increase your chance of dying prematurely by 20 to 30 percent. (more…)

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Jason

U.S. Will Be Smoke Free by 2024 If Trend Continues, CDC Says

Remember the days when you’d walk in a restaurant and they’d ask you whether you’d like to sit in the smoking or non-smoking section? Or when you’d come out from having a drink at happy hour just reeking of cigarette smoke? Seems weird to us now since the effects of second-hand smoke have become so well known, and many businesses (or municipalities) have gone smoke-free, but it used to be commonplace to have your meal — or to sit at your office desk — alongside a smoker. In fact, it’s only been in the last 10 years that the majority of Americans have been able to breathe smoke-free in public.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), little by little over the past decade the smoke-free trend has grown, changing the way we think about smoking, along with saving lives and money spent in health care costs annually. From 2000 to 2024, 25 states and the District of Columbia enacted state-wide smoke-free laws. Additionally, a number of states are considering doing the same or are planning to strengthen its existing smoke-free laws to better protect its citizens from second-hand smoke. If this smoke-free national trend continues at its current pace, this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report by the CDC reports that all U.S. states will be smoke-free by 2024. That’s less than nine years away!

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Posted on April 22, 2024 by Jennipher

Smokers May Disappear by Mid Century

The New York Post claims that only one in five Americans are now smokers, which is down from one in four about 10 years ago. A study of the tobacco industry predicts that cigarette smokers may not even exist in as little as 30 to 50 years. Why is everyone so hyped up over this? After all, 50 years is a long time. A 30 to 50 year time frame starts to sound more than reasonable when you consider how hard it is to quit smoking. The Centers for Disease Control stands firm that smoking is still one of the leading causes of preventable death. Smoking, undoubtedly, poses huge health risks and it’s not surprising that many smokers are in the midst of trying to quit.

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Posted on January 13, 2024 by Theresa

Healthy People 2024 Sets Moderate Goals for the Nation

I remember when the government first announced its Healthy People 2024 project. The 10-year goals were created to improve the health of the nation and set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). I remember thinking when the project came out, more than 10 years ago, that the goals were ambitious, yet I was thrilled that obesity and a healthy lifestyle was being talked about on such a national level.

Well, it’s 10 years later, and it’s time for another set of health goals for the United States: Healthy People 2024. This time, the goals are much more moderate, as the obesity epidemic is only getting more widespread.

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Posted on December 6, 2023 by Jennipher

Morbidly Obese Eat Free at Heart Attack Grill

There are fast food restaurants, and then there are fast food restaurants that put the rest of them to shame. Such is the case with the oft maligned Heart Attack Grill in Chandler, AZ.

Profiled in the media for their insane menu, which consists of the biggest burgers available (called the single, double, triple and quadruple bypass burgers), fries deep fried in lard, butterfat shakes, no filter cigarettes and Jolt Cola, they’ve recently come under fire for their newest promotion and spokesman.

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Posted on November 18, 2023 by Carmen

How Smoking Affects Your Workout

Without a doubt, physical exercise is important for each and every person on this planet. Unfortunately, some people don’t receive all the benefits of every workout, and may even incur some unwanted side effects. When this happens, it’s usually because of a chosen lifestyle that inhibits the body’s ability to function properly. For example, a lot of smokers believe that exercise can cancel out the negative effects of their habit. This is simply not true.

Everyone knows by now that smoking is dangerous; it causes numerous health complications and even death. Cigarettes affect the body in the exact opposite way that exercise does. All of the hard work you do during a workout is negated by the poisonous chemicals in a cigarette. Besides that, even a mild smoker prevents their organs from performing in top condition and then demands that those same organs support their body during an intense workout.

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Posted on November 18, 2023 by Theresa