7 Day Fitness Blog

Giuliana Rancic, who announced she’s battling breast cancer in October, told the Today Show on Monday early treatments were ineffective, so she’s going to have a double mastectomy.

“Instead of radiation, I’m going to go ahead and move forward,“ Rancic -- flanked by her husband Bill -- told Ann Curry about the procedure, in which both of her breasts will be surgically removed.

Rancic, who’s been public about her desire to have a child, said alternative treatments would have put her into early menopause, but that’s not the factor spurring the bold decision.

 “To be honest, at the end, all it came down to was choosing to live and not looking over my shoulder the rest of my life,” she said.

Bill, 40, kept a strong demeanor as he explained the technical aspects of their decision.

“We were faced with a decision to make ... this wasn’t a decision that was made lightly, we talked to as many experts as we could ... in this particular case, this is the best option for Giuliana.”

The E! host, 37, said the procedure will leave her with a less-than-1 percent chance of the cancer returning. She said Bill inspirationally told her, “I just need you around for the next 50 years, kid -- I don’t care what you look like ... so let’s just get you healthy” which bolstered her decision to go for the procedure.

She went into further detail about how her husband has helped her through the process.

“Bill has been the world to me through this,” she continued. “I couldn't have done it without Bill. Even right from the beginning, when we found out we had the option about mastectomy, we went in the backyard and I remember -- in typical Bill fashion -- he pulled out a yellow legal pad and made a pros and cons list of the mastectomy.

“And he just -- he brought some laughter to the process, some light to it and just kept reminding me who we are as a couple and that none of this is going to break us apart or get us down or affect our love for each other. In fact, it's just made it stronger and I couldn't be more at peace with the decision, but it was hard, and I still break down some nights when it's quiet in bed.

 “It's easy to just start crying and be very sad,” Giuliana said, “but I'm OK.”

The supportive spouse said he’s focused on the finish line, adding he hopes the cancer scare will be over by the holidays.

Other celebrity cancer survivors who’ve undergone the harrowing procedure include Christina Applegate, Wanda Sykes and Ann Jillian.

No more Oreos or Jamba Juice? Venus is aspiring to have a better diet in 2012.

A tall order for the taller sister. Can the meat-and-potatoes Wimbledon-queen summon her past success as a leaner and greener player?

Older sister Venus, who’s claimed five titles at the All England Club, is having a health scare of her own after being diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease, which can lead to damage of the body’s vital organs. The illness forced her drop out of the US Open this year and has pushed meat out of her diet.

Despite the seriousness of the condition, Venus has been sporting a positive attitude and even healthier eating habits. She told reporters, “I changed my diet completely, so lots of vegetables. I [altered] my mind frame completely because I was the person who always ate their steak first and their salad second.”

Times are changing for the superstar, who said last year that she “eats to live and not lives to eat.” She continued talking foodie favorites, saying that she considered “beans and rice and blackened chicken” a top meal choice.

Venus discussed her new diet’s impact on the future. “My goal next year is to play a full schedule. It will take some work to get there, but I’m no stranger to hard work.”

Murray aside, Venus’ newfound form and fitness will no doubt have fans worldwide salivating for a dominating force in an otherwise floundering WTA. Petra Kvitova, 21, the current world No. 2 and winner of Wimbledon and the Season Ending Championships, might be the answer. She’s still, however, young and half-baked in terms of talent and poise.

It’s time for Venus to turn up the burners and bring back the motivation for which she’s known. Currently ranked No. 103, having only played a handful of tournaments this year, Venus quickly doused rumors of retirement.

“I love the game. The racket feels right in my hand and I’m planning on going right back to where I was at the top of the rankings in the singles and doubles.”

With Venus back in-shape and on form, the alarm bells should be sounding for the rest of the women’s tour. It’ll be tough to get out of the fire and back into the figurative frying pan that is professional tennis at her ripe age of 31. But if anyone can come back from adversity and succeed, it’s a Williams.

High stakes (steaks?), indeed. Hint she likes home workouts and has a home trainer!!!

How does home workouts help patients with lupus?

Here are 6 ways that home workouts can benefit people with lupus:

Fatigue. "Physical activity helps prevent fatigue, a major symptom of lupus. Studies have shown that patients with lupus who participate in a program of aerobic home workout are able to reduce their level of fatigue and have more energy throughout the day.

Cardiovascular benefits. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people with lupus. If you have lupus, you are at risk of heart disease 20 years before the general population. Regular home workout, especially aerobic home workout like walking or bicycling, can reduce your risk of heart disease.

The obesity. Obesity is a common problem in people with lupus. Obesity can increase their level of pain, to put more pressure on the inflamed joints, increase your risk of heart disease, and make your fatigue worse.

The osteoporosis. Women with lupus are especially vulnerable to osteoporosis. Bone loss has been reported to be as high as 46 percent of these patients. Physical loading home workouts is an important part of preventing osteoporosis.

Sleep disorders. People with lupus have more sleep problems than the general population. This can add to fatigue and stress lupus. Many studies show that aerobic home workout is one of the best ways to improve sleep.

Quality of life. Because lupus is a chronic and unpredictable disease that can cause stress and anxiety. Aerobic home workout has been found to reduce depression in people with lupus and improve your overall sense of well being.

What kind of home workout is best?

Muscle training. Muscle-strengthening home workouts include isometric home workouts in which muscles contract and isotonic home workouts without movement and the movement including, as in weight training.

Be flexible. Flexibility home workouts are important to keep the full range of motion in your joints. Home workouts that stretch the muscles and increase flexibility to include Pilates and yoga.

Movement therapies. These home workouts combine physical movement and techniques to calm the mind. It has been shown to increase flexibility and help relieve the pain. Yoga can also be included here, as well as tai chi and qigong.
Aerobic home workout. These are activities that increase heart rate and help build endurance. For aerobic home workout to benefit your heart, want to have about 30 to 50 minutes of home workout at least three times a week.

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Do you like coffee? I did, it's taste and aroma make my mornings so much better!  Some of my clients drink coffee right before their home workout for energy, which is ok but I wanted to share the pros and cons before you drink that next cup. I heard that regular coffee drinking can have some negative effects on my health, so I decided to do my own little research and here is what I have found:

Coffee Pros

• 1. Antioxidants. Coffee is rich in antioxidants like chlorogenic acid and melanoidins. Antioxidants help prevent oxidation, a process that causes damage to cells and contributes to aging.
• 2. Parkinson's disease. Regular coffee drinking reduces the risk of Parkinson's disease. A number of studies [1],[2] have demonstrated that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are significantly less likely to develop Parkinson's disease.
• 3. Diabetes. Coffee drinking has the potential to protect against the development of type 2 diabetes. A prospective study[3] as part of the US Nurses Health Study found that moderate consumption of both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes in younger and middle aged women.
• 4. Liver cirrhosis. Coffee drinking may protect against liver cirrhosis, especially alcoholic cirrhosis.
• 5. Gallstones. There is some evidence [4] that coffee drinking may be protective against gallstone formation in both men and women.
• 6. Kidney stones. Coffee consumption lowers the risk of kidney stones formation. Coffee increases the urine volume, preventing the crystallization of calcium oxalate, the most common component of kidney stones.
• 7. Improved mental performance. Caffeine in coffee is a well-known stimulant. Coffee promotes alertness, attention and wakefulness. The cup of coffee can also increase information processing.
• 8. Alzheimer's disease. Regular coffee drinking may help to protect against Alzheimer's disease. Recent study [5] in mice showed that caffeine equivalent to 5 cups of coffee per day reduced the build up of destructive plaques in the brain.
• 9. Asthma. Caffeine in coffee is related to theophylline, an old asthma medication. Caffeine can open airways and improve asthma symptoms.
• 10. Caffeine safety. In 1958, caffeine was placed on the Food and Drug Administration's list as generally recognized as safe.

Coffee Cons

• 1. Heart disease. This is somewhat controversial. Most prospective cohort studies haven't found that coffee consumption is associated with significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

On one hand, diterpenes cafestol and kahweol present in unfiltered coffee and caffeine each appear to increase risk of coronary heart disease. High quality studies [6] have confirmed the cholesterol-raising effect of diterpenes. Also, coffee consumption is associated with an increase of plasma homocysteine, a risk factor for coronary heart disease.

On the other hand, a lower risk of heart disease among moderate coffee drinkers might be due to antioxidants found in coffee.

• 2. Cholesterol. Heavy consumption of boiled coffee elevates blood total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels [7]. Unfiltered coffee contains two cholesterol-raising compounds cafestol and kahweol.
• 3. Blood vessels. Coffee negatively affects the blood vessel tone and function.
• 4. Heart rhythm disturbances. Coffee can cause rapid or irregular heartbeats (cardiac arrhythmias).
• 5. Blood pressure. Although coffee drinking is not a significant risk factor for hypertension, it produces unfavorable effects on blood pressure [8] and people prone to hypertension may be more susceptible. Recent Italian study found that coffee drinking can slightly increase the risk for development of sustained hypertension in people with elevated blood pressure.
• 6. Osteoporosis. Coffee intake may induce an extra urinary excretion of calcium. Heavy coffee consumption (600 ml or more) can modestly increase the risk of osteoporosis, especially in women with a low calcium intake [9].
• 7. Heartburn. A cup of coffee can trigger the heartburn.
• 8. Sleep. Most are aware of the stimulatory effects of caffeine. High amounts of caffeine taken before going to sleep can cause difficulty falling asleep, tendency to be awakened more readily by sudden noises, and a decreased quality of sleep. However, some people can drink coffee and fall right asleep.
• 9. Dehydration. The caffeine in coffee is a mild diuretic and can increase urine excretion. This effect may be easily neutralized by drinking an extra glass of water.
• 10. Dependence. Although "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA, caffeine is still a drug, a mild central nervous system stimulant, and it produces dependence. Caffeine withdrawal is a real syndrome. You may get a few days of headache and irritability if you choose to quit drinking coffee, however, it is relatively easy to break this habit, and most people are not addicted to caffeine.

Find out why so many people are choosing to workout at home rather than the gym.
Which one are you?

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