Exercise for the new year! keep your body fit!

Rewards and Benefits

Experts recommend that teens get 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. Here are some of the reasons:

* Exercise benefits every part of the body, including the mind. Exercising causes the body to produce endorphins, chemicals that can help a person to feel more peaceful and happy. Exercise can help some people sleep better. It can also help some people who have mild depression and low self-esteem. Plus, exercise can give people a real sense of accomplishment and pride at having achieved a certain goal — like beating an old time in the 100-meter dash.
* Exercising can help you look better. People who exercise burn more calories and look more toned than those who don't. In fact, exercise is one of the most important parts of keeping your body at a healthy weight.
* Exercise helps people lose weight and lower the risk of some diseases. Exercising to maintain a healthy weight decreases a person's risk of developing certain diseases, including type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. These diseases, which used to be found mostly in adults, are becoming more common in teens.
* Exercise can help a person age well. This may not seem important now, but your body will thank you later. Women are especially prone to a condition called osteoporosis (a weakening of the bones) as they get older. Studies have found that weight-bearing exercise, like jumping, running or brisk walking, can help girls (and guys!) keep their bones strong.

2008 Years and the Five Elements "YEAR OF THE RAT" - Zodiac Fountain in Almaty

Years and the Five Elements
The Rat portrayed in the Zodiac Fountain in Almaty
The Rat portrayed in the Zodiac Fountain in Almaty

Persons born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the "year of the Rat," while also bearing the following elemental sign:

* 31 January 1900 - 18 February 1901: Metal Rat
* 18 February 1912 - 5 February 1913: Water Rat
* 5 February 1924 - 24 January 1925: Wood Rat
* 24 January 1936 - 10 February 1937: Fire Rat
* 10 February 1948 - 28 January 1949: Earth Rat
* 28 January 1960 - 14 February 1961: Metal Rat
* 15 February 1972 - 2 February 1973: Water Rat
* 2 February 1984 - 19 February 1985: Wood Rat
* 19 February 1996 - 6 February 1997: Fire Rat
* 7 February 2008 - 2009: Earth Rat
* 2020 - 2021: Metal Rat

2008 - YEAR OF THE RAT "The Lucky Year!"

Though the Western rat is reviled as little more than a bottom-dwelling disease carrier, this animal is viewed much differently in the East. The Eastern rat is revered for its quick wits and its ability to accrue and hold on to items of value; rats are considered a symbol of good luck and wealth in both China and Japan. Clever and quick-witted, the Rat of the Chinese Zodiac is utterly disarming to boot. Possessed of excellent taste, this Sign flaunts its style at every turn. Its natural charm and sharp, funny demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone. The Rat likes to know who is on its side and will treat its most loyal friends with an extra measure of protection and generosity.

Behind that sweet smile, though, Rats are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas. This Sign is motivated by its own interests, which often include money; greed can become a problem if the Rat isn't careful to keep its priorities straight. This Sign's natural powers of charm and persuasion can definitely come in handy! Although they are often hoarders, Rats can be very generous to those in their pack, namely friends and family members who have proven their loyalty. Others might perceive them as quick-tempered and sharp-tongued, but never boorish. Verbal jousting is a great pleasure for the Rat, a Sign that everyone around will quickly learn either to love or to hate.

Rats enjoy being on the outside looking in, as the outside affords a view into the inner workings of a system or situation. The Rat's keen mind always seeks out new knowledge, to be stored away for future use. This ever-curious Sign also welcomes challenges as a way to stay sharp. If boredom sets in the Rat is no fun at all, but that isn't likely; this Sign knows how to keep itself entertained.

A valuable lesson for Rats is to learn to consider others above themselves, at least sometimes. If they can develop their sense of self and realize it leaves room for others in their life as well, Rats could find true happiness.

The most compatible match for a Rat is the Dragon or the Monkey!!!.

Dietary Source of Lycopene

Dietary sources

Fruits and vegetables that are high in lycopene include tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, pink guava, papaya, red bell pepper, gac, and rosehip.

Unlike other fruits and vegetables, where nutritional content such as vitamin C is diminished upon cooking, processing of tomatoes increases the concentration of bioavailable lycopene. Lycopene in tomato paste is four times more bioavailable than in fresh tomatoes. This is because lycopene is so insoluble in water and is so tightly bound to vegetable fiber. Thus processed tomato products such as pasteurized tomato juice, soup, sauce, and ketchup contain the highest concentrations of bioavailable lycopene. Cooking and crushing tomatoes (as in the canning process) and serving in oil-rich dishes (such as spaghetti sauce or pizza) greatly increases assimilation from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. Lycopene is fat-soluble, so the oil is said to help absorption.

Fitness Boxing of Huron Park Fitness Centre

Fitness Boxing is one of the most popular and effective ways of getting into shape and staying fit. Traditionally, a boxers training regimen results in a lean and superbly fit athlete. Suitable for men and women of any age and ability, our fitness boxing programs will help you lose body fat and significantly increase your overall fitness level.

You can choose to work out in a group class setting or one-on-one with a boxing trainer. Whichever program you choose, fitness boxing is a safe, fun and effective form of exercise and one of the best ways of cross-training. It a diverse workout but enhances hand-eye co-ordination, balance and timing.

The Huron Park Fitness Boxing Studio is equipped with,
heavy bags, speed bags, double end bags and various other boxing apparatus. The studios also have 3-minute round timing systems to allow participants to mimic a boxing match by training for 3 minutes and resting for one minute and so on.





Classes are fully equipped with all the necessary gear: jumping ropes, boxing gloves, medicine balls and target mitts.


Surrounded by redeveloped parklands, Huron Park is your facility for recreation and wellness. The Centre provides a variety of physical and wellness programs for all ages and fitness levels.






Huron Park Fitness Classes
Try some of our innovative Fitness classes. A great way to combine all the components of fitness for a great work-out.
We offer a wide variety of fitness classes as either drop in or registration. Drop- in aerobic classes are included in the purchase of your fitness membership. Classes include: total body conditioning, low impact with weights, on the ball conditioning, step classes and much more. Over 50 classes a week are offered at Huron Park.


Personal Training
Huron Park specializes in one-on-one personal training and specialty exercise programs. Workouts are customized for each individual. Clients receive effective and safe exercise programs that maximize health and well being in a positive, balanced and comfortable environment.

Our staff will evaluate your fitness level through a fitness appraisal and design a program that meets your specific needs. Huron Park's training philosophy combines the science of exercise with attention to the mind, body and soul of each individual. Semi-Private Personal Training is also available.


The Weight Room
The weight room is packed with cardio and conditioning equipment including Treadmills, Stairmasters, Stationary and recumbent bikes, Rowing Machines, Elliptical Machines, Universal Equipment, Olympic Free Weights, and all sizes of bar and dumbbells. The weight room is supervised by professional staff available to help you reach your personal goals.


Gymnasium

Huron Park Recreation Centre features a full sized gymnasium with a beautiful wood sprung floor that is great for a multitude of sports and recreational activities. The Gymnasium can be set up for Basketball, Volleyball, badminton, indoor soccer, floor hockey and much more.







Arena

Skating is a great way to have fun and get some exercise! Huron Park offers a variety of skating programs for all levels.

Some of our programs include, Public Skating, Learn to Skate classes, Summer Lacross, Ball Hockey and of course Ice hockey. Our arena has 6 dressing rooms, and a spectator seating capacity of 900.

Whether you're on the ice playing, or in your seats rooting for the home team, you'll find Huron Park Arena the perfect fit for all of your sporting event needs.


Aquatics/Swimming

The Huron Park pool has been providing the Community with swimming lessons and public swims since 1967. It is a traditional 25 meter, 6 lane pool with a depth of 12 feet in its deepest end and 3.5 ft in the shallow end. It is available to rent for birthday parties.

Swimming is the perfect activity for people of all ages and abilities. Huron Park offers a variety of swimming lessons for all ages and skill levels.

Therapy Pool

One of the newest hot spots in Mississauga is Huron Park's therapy pool.

The unique therapeutic qualities of the water can help you improve mobility, muscle tone and general fitness in a protected environment. With a ramp and stairs for easy access, it's ideal for supervised or personal therapeutic exercises.

You can try one of our unique water therapy classes or participants may bring a personal therapist or work independently. A qualified lifeguard and specialty equipment will be available for your use. The therapy pool may be rented separately or with the main pool.



Physical Recreation and Active Living are Essential to Personal Health. Huron Park Recreation Centre provides an amazing variety of physical and wellness programs for all ages and fitness levels.


Huron Park Fitness Centre:
Located at 830 Paisley Blvd. West
Mississauga, Ontario
905 615 4820
www.mississauga.ca/huronpark

Want to burn more fat and calories when you walk, swim, or run? Then take a break.

Want to burn more fat and calories when you walk, swim, or run? Then take a break.


The rate at which your body burns fuel may be boosted even higher if you break up a long cardio session into two back-to-back 30-minute sessions with a 20-minute break in between. Breather, anyone?

Start. Stop. Repeat.
How can scientists tell that a 20-minute rest helps rev up your fat burning? Men in a study who did just that (in between 30-minute sessions on a stationary bike) showed elevated blood levels of free fatty acids -- higher blood levels than those produced during a single 60-minute cycling session. And that bump in free fatty acids is a sign of increased fat burning: Circulating blood levels of free fatty acids go up when your body starts to break down fat.

More Ways to Burn Fat
Here are a few more ways to boost the fat- and calorie-burning powers of your power workouts:

* Do cardio before strength training. Here's why . . .
Wait for Weights

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Maximize the calorie-burning benefits of your workout by tackling cardiovascular exercise before strength training.

Doing cardio first can help you exercise longer, and thus burn more calories, than you would if you were tired out by weight training first. And finishing your workout with weights helps boost post-workout metabolism -- the rate at which your body burns calories after you're done. The result may be an overall better calorie burn, according to a small study.

Although all types of exercise -- cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility -- help you burn calories, cardio workouts result in the greatest calorie burn. Because of this, it may be best to do your cardio exercises first while you are fresh. You're likely to spend more time on aerobic exercise and work out harder if you haven't tired yourself out by doing other kinds of exercises first. On the other hand, strength training results in the greatest boost in post-exercise calorie burning. It boosts your metabolism for a longer period of time, helping your body burn more calories after your workout is done. Ultimately, this means that doing your cardio workout first can help ensure that you achieve the maximum calorie burn from it, and ending your workout with a strength-training session helps ensure your post-exercise metabolism stays high.

* Eat more of this.
•Burn, Baby, Burn
Your exercise program is more likely to help you burn off the fat that you eat if you consume mostly unsaturated fats.

A recent study revealed how exercising helps the body oxidize, or burn, fat consumed long after the workout. However, in the study, exercise appeared to help burn only the unsaturated fats consumed. It had no effect on the rate at which the body oxidized saturated fats eaten at a later meal.

Exercising can help your body burn the fat that you eat even hours after you have finished your workout. However, the kind of fat that you eat makes a difference. Exercise appears to help your body more efficiently burn unsaturated fats eaten at a later meal. Unsaturated fats are fats that come almost exclusively from plants products, such as olive oil or canola oil. Saturated fats come almost exclusively from animal sources, such as lard and butter.
* Build some muscle. The more muscle you have, the more readily your body burns calories.


RealAge Benefit: A physical activity program that builds stamina, strength, and flexibility can make your RealAge as much as 8.1 years younger.

Acupuncture, an effective traditional treatment.

Scientists are studying the mechanisms and efficacy of acupuncture. Researchers using the protocols of evidence-based medicine have found good evidence that acupuncture is effective in treating nausea and chronic low back pain[3][4], and moderate evidence for neck pain and headache. The WHO, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American Medical Association (AMA) and various government reports have also studied and commented on the efficacy of acupuncture. There is general agreement that acupuncture is safe when administered by well-trained practitioners, and that further research is warranted. Though occasionally charged as pseudoscience, Dr. William F. Williams, author of Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience, notes that acupuncture --"once rejected as 'oriental fakery' -- is now (if grudgingly) recognized as engaged in something quite real."

Traditional Chinese medicine's acupuncture theory, although based on empirical observation, predates use of the modern scientific method, and has received various criticisms based on modern scientific thinking. There is no generally-accepted anatomical or histological basis for the existence of acupuncture points or meridians. Acupuncturists tend to perceive TCM concepts in functional rather than structural terms, i.e. as being useful in guiding evaluation and care of patients. As the NIH consensus statement noted: "Despite considerable efforts to understand the anatomy and physiology of the "acupuncture points", the definition and characterization of these points remains controversial. Even more elusive is the basis of some of the key traditional Eastern medical concepts such as the circulation of Qi, the meridian system, and the five phases theory, which are difficult to reconcile with contemporary biomedical information but continue to play an important role in the evaluation of patients and the formulation of treatment in acupuncture." Finally, neuroimaging research suggests that specific acupuncture points have distinct effects on cerebral activity in specific areas that are not otherwise predictable anatomically.

Indications according to acupuncturists in the West


According to the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (2004), acupuncture may be considered as a complementary therapy for the conditions in the list below. The conditions labeled with * are also included in the World Health Organization list of acupuncture indications. These cases, however, are based on clinical experience, and not necessarily on controlled clinical research: furthermore, the inclusion of specific diseases are not meant to indicate the extent of acupuncture's efficacy in treating them.

* Abdominal distention/flatulence*
* Acute and chronic pain control*
* Allergic sinusitis *
* Anesthesia for high-risk patients or patients with previous adverse responses to anesthetics
* Anorexia
* Anxiety, fright, panic*
* Arthritis/arthrosis *
* Atypical chest pain (negative workup)
* Bursitis, tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome*
* Certain functional gastrointestinal disorders (nausea and vomiting, esophageal spasm, hyperacidity, irritable bowel) *
* Cervical and lumbar spine syndromes*
* Constipation, diarrhea *
* Cough with contraindications for narcotics
* Drug detoxification *
* Dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain *
* Frozen shoulder *
* Headache (migraine and tension-type), vertigo (Meniere disease), tinnitus *
* Idiopathic palpitations, sinus tachycardia
* In fractures, assisting in pain control, edema, and enhancing healing process
* Muscle spasms, tremors, tics, contractures*
* Neuralgias (trigeminal, herpes zoster, postherpetic pain, other)
* Paresthesias *
* Persistent hiccups*
* Phantom pain
* Plantar fasciitis*
* Post-traumatic and post-operative ileus *
* Premenstrual syndrome [24]
* Selected dermatoses (urticaria, pruritus, eczema, psoriasis)
* Sequelae of stroke syndrome (aphasia, hemiplegia) *
* Seventh nerve palsy
* Severe hyperthermia
* Sleep Disorders PubMed:
* Sprains and contusions
* Temporo-mandibular joint derangement, bruxism *
* Urinary incontinence, retention (neurogenic, spastic, adverse drug effect) *

Additionally, other sources advocate the use of acupuncture for the following conditions:

* Infertility, regarding in vitro fertilization, see Expansions of in vitro fertilization - acupuncture