Author Archives: Samantha

About Samantha

Samantha Bandasack is a junior at Wichita State University studying marketing and communications. She enjoys staying healthy by practicing hot yoga, weight lifting, and eating plenty of spinach so she can still have her favorite cookies.

Pregnant Kim Kardashian Craves Sushi and Diet Coke, Works Out with Tracy Anderson

The second most-watched baby bump (after Kate Middleton) is the queen of reality TV, Kim Kardashian. Since the announcement of her pregnancy with Kanye West, Kim has been asked about her cravings in every interview.

During an interview with E News, Kim said she is craving “sushi, but I know I can’t really have it, so I’m eating a lot of carrots and celery with lots of ranch.”

According to AmericanPregnancy.org, the highest mercury-level fish (shark, swordfish, ahi tuna) should be avoided during pregnancy, while mothers can have three, six-ounce servings of high mercury fish (white albacore tuna, sea bass, grouper) in a month.

Kim, like a lot of expectant mothers, thought she could get away with eating anything, but she realized it wasn’t a good idea. OpposingViews Entertainment reported Kim as saying, “I used to always say I can’t wait to get pregnant because I will just eat whatever I want, but it’s completely different, I’m like, OK, I want to eat as healthy as possible.”

“You won’t need to lose baby weight if you don’t gain it,” Jillian Michaels has told us. “It takes about 55,000 calories to make a baby.  This breaks down to about 200-300 extra calories a day.” (more…)

Posted on February 21, 2024 by Samantha

Gisele Bundchen Credits Kung Fu and Simple Diet Rules for Post Baby Body

Nine weeks ago supermodel Gisele Bundchen gave birth to her daughter, Vivian Lake Brady. The gorgeous model debuted her post-baby body in a black bikini on a recent vacation to Hawaii, as reported by People Magazine. Gisele has given birth to two children, yet she remains in tip top shape even within weeks of giving birth.gisele postpartum

How does the Brazilian model get her body back in shape post baby? According to Shape, the supermodel is loyal to a strict kung fu workout routine. Gisele has been completing 90 minutes of kung fu three times a week for the past four years.

Yao Li, Gisele’s kung fu instructor, explained that, “Practicing kung fu improves muscle tone and flexibility in the lower body. Blocking drills and hand techniques do the same for the upper body, especially the shoulders and arms.” (more…)

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Samantha

School Vending Machines Getting a Government-Mandated Healthy Makeover

Your child’s food in school is changing for the better. Last year the USDA required new healthier guidelines for school lunches. The changes to school lunches were made to help stop the increasing rate of childhood obesity. As reported by USA Today, foods sold at schools’ a la carte and vending machines will have to be healthier than they were before.

Here is a proposed standard of what a la carte and vending machines could look like in the near future:

  • Foods cannot contain high amounts of sugar, fat, and saturated fat.
  • Reduced-fat cheese, nuts and nut butters (almond butter, peanut butter, pistachio butter) can contain trans fat, but no other alternative foods can have trans fat.
  • A la carte and vending machine foods must be either a fruit, vegetable, dairy produce, protein food, whole-grain-rich grains or a combination of foods that have 1/4 cup of fruit of vegetables.
  • 10% of calcium, potassium vitamin D or fiber must be present in the foods. (more…)
Posted on February 4, 2024 by Samantha

The Obese More Likely to Die in Traffic Accidents and 5 More Shocking Obesity Facts

Obesity is killing Americans faster than a speeding train. OK, I might be exaggerating, but this disease, flagged as an epidemic, isn’t getting any better unless we as a society start actively living healthier lifestyles. Obesity causes a host of diseases and health problems that include high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, joint problems, and even death.

That all seems par for the course, but did you know that obese individuals are more likely to die in car accidents? According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there was an 80% increase in fatalities in traffic accidents for obese individuals. What could be causing obese people to die more often in car accidents? An obese drivers’ lower body is ejected farther before the seat belt safely engages the pelvis, plus the extra tissue on the driver stops the seat belt from fitting snugly, thus making it harder for the driver to be held safely upon impact.

Another factor at play is the design of cars. Researcher Thomas M. Rice said, “Vehicle designers are teaching to the test – designing so that crash test dummies do well. Crash-test dummies are typically normal size adults and children.” (more…)

Posted on February 1, 2024 by Samantha

Fruitarian Diet Hospitalizes Ashton Kutcher

Fruits are good for you, yes? They are filled with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and other wholesome nutrients. If your diet is made up of just fruits though, you might be out of your mind. Ashton Kutcher was when he started eating only fruits for a film role.

Kutcher stars in the upcoming film “jOBS,” in which he plays the late Steve Jobs. In order for Kutcher to look like the skinny and lanky Jobs, he had to shed some weight and do it fast. Jobs had been known to practice odd eating habits, which influenced Kutcher’s diet. There was a time when Jobs gave up meat and only ate fruit, and that’s how Kutcher found the Fruitarian Diet .

For a couple of months, Ashton ate nothing but fruit to lose weight. Then, right before filming, it is reported that he was hospitalized because of serious health issues. The actor said, “I was like doubled over in pain, and my pancreas levels were completely out of whack, which was completely terrifying considering everything.” Kutcher concluded that his hospitalization was due to his strict fruit diet. (more…)

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Samantha

Michelle Obama’s Fittest Moments of Her First Term

With this week’s inauguration wrapped up, Michelle Obama is set to be the nation’s first lady for another four years. She made a huge impact on the nation’s fight against childhood obesity in her first term and will no doubt continue to focus on that platform through 2024.

View Michelle Obama's Fittest Moments Slideshow

The first lady has tirelessly worked to tackle childhood obesity, most notably through her Let’s Move campaign that launched in 2024. The effort brings teachers, leaders, doctors, parents, and students together in a nationwide effort to educate about and reverse the challenges of childhood obesity. It can be a touchy subject, but there are times when Mrs. Obama approaches the subject with fun and excitement. We’ve compiled our favorite fittest moment of Michelle Obama’s first term and look forward to seeing what’s up her very toned sleeves in the years ahead. (more…)

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Samantha

Twitter’s Most Popular Fitness Memes Help Millions Lose Weight

Support systems are nice to have when you’re trying to live a healthy lifestyle. For the past few years, the Twitter world has offered information and a support network for people who may not have found it IRL (in real life). By adding a certain hashtag to your tweet, you can instantly join with the most supportive and trusted weight loss resources online.

We’ve found a few Twitter super memes, or communities, that have really grown to be the go-to resources for socially supported weight loss, fitness, and health. Not only do you get a virtual support group, but accountability, guidance, and access to resources are part of the package, or rather hashtag.

#RunChat

The running community is brought together on #runchat, organized by @RunningBecause and @iRunnerBlog. Whether a beginner or marathoner, there is a place for you at #RunChat. About one million people unite on this trending topic on Twitter. Followers benefit from a sense of a community that cares deeply about the sport of running and are willing to share information with each other. Join this Twitter community on #RunChat on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month at 8pm EST. (more…)

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Samantha

Stop Aging with 17 Day Diet’s Dr. Mike in Men’s Fitness

The second most popular diet of 2024 was 17 Day Diet, and the brand continues to make headlines in the new year. Since its debut in 2024, the book has grown in to a brand where you can apply Dr. Mike Moreno’s 17 Day principles to weight loss, cooking, and even slowing the effects of aging. This month, get some insight on his 17 Day Diet Plan to Stop Aging in Men’s Health Magazine.

Dr. Mike makes an appearance in the magazine’s January issue to talk about the book, but also set you up for your healthiest year yet.

Here are some of Dr. Moreno’s recommendations for prolonging the signs of aging.

1. Keep your heart healthy with exercise: As we age our hearts becomes more effective. In order for our hearts to become stronger with age, we have to do aerobic workouts. Walking, jogging, and running are just a few suggestions. Dr. Mike mentions that with the help of exercise and a healthy diet, “an older person can have the heart of a very young person.” (more…)

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Samantha

6 Apps You Must Download for Better Health in 2024

With the advancements in technology it seems like people have to do less and less work everyday. Sometimes, the scenes from Wall-E don’t seem so farfetched because everything we want or need has, or will, come to us so easily with the help of technology. The good news is that some of these advancements actually lend themselves to a healthier lifestyle. Some of them, like our favorite apps for the new year, will still make you work for it.

The iTunes store offers a seemingly endless bounty of apps that can help and guide people to live and manage their diets and fitness regimens. But to make your search a little easier, we narrowed down just six apps that we think will impact your fitness and diet routine if you’re still up for a little hard work!

1. Juice

Juice is a fun app to help you connect the dots between your daily habits and personal energy levels. Use Juice for seven days, record daily energy levels, then start making connections between sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Juice gives a personalized assessment with tips for feeling more energized. The more you use the app the more you learn about yourself and become more familiar with your body. You can also record other daily habits by adding categories like stress, life balance, and mood. Ditch the energy drinks and download Juice instead! Cost: Free

 

2. AthleteInMe.com- Exercise Calorie Converter

This is one of the top grossing health and fitness apps on iTunes, and it helps you learn what types of physical activity you need to do to burn off a meal. The app emphasizes fast food meals and can help settle that should you/shouldn’t you debate. Athlete In Me will show just how many miles it takes to burn off a Big Mac. Download the app to see if it’s worth it. Cost: $2.99 (more…)

Posted on January 14, 2024 by Samantha

Natural Fructose in Fruit is Fine; It’s the High Fructose Corn Syrup That Gets Us in Trouble

Remember a time when you were eating, but never felt full and ended up eating more food? This could be caused by the consumption of fructose. As reported by Medical News Study, researchers found glucose and fructose have an influence on parts of the brain that control appetite.

The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Assocation (JAMA), found that fructose produces hormones in the brain that will leave you feeling hungry. However, the study did find that glucose will leave you filling fuller and satisfied. Glucose is a type of sugar you get from food, which your body takes and turns into energy.

Since fructose makes your brain think you are still hungry and causes you to eat more, could there be a link between fructose and obesity?

Our resident dietitian, Mary Hartley RD, comments on the study’s new findings, saying, “Excessive fructose intake may have a link to obesity, but it is too early to tell. It is very difficult to single out a particular nutrient to blame. In addition, obesity is a multifactorial problem and contributing factors are not the same for all people.” (more…)

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Samantha

Nothing Funny About Tina Fey’s and Amy Poehler’s Healthy Approach to Diet and Exercise

If you don’t usually tune into the Golden Globes, I think you should this Sunday. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be hosting this year’s Golden Globes and I bet the two funny ladies will be sending you into a laugh attack.

In a hilarious interview with Marie Claire, Tina joked about her exercise regimen, saying, “Some people work with a trainer, some people work with a stylist. I work with a celebrity fecalist. A fecalist is basically a person who comes and collects my stools, and then examines them to see if I’m eating right and if I should be drinking more water and what my moods should be.” Of course, Tina is kidding, so we took the time to look at her real diet and exercise routines.

Before Tina hit her late 20s, she could eat anything she wanted to without having to worry about her waistline. At the age of 29, she noticed that she wasn’t at a healthy weight like most women her age. She started Weight Watchers to learn how to eat healthier and about portion control. With the help of the program, by the time she was 35 she’d lost 35 pounds. While on set people should stay away from the actress because she eats lots of beans and kale, healthy choices for the funny lady whose weakness is white cake with white icing. (more…)

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Samantha