Blog Posts by Brett Blumenthal - Sheer Balance

If you aren't taking a 'Core' fitness class, abdominal exercises are often tacked onto the end of a fitness class, with the conventional crunch as the mainstay of these exercises. Once in awhile, if you are lucky enough to have a good instructor, the exercises might tackle the "lower abs" as well. 'Lower abdominals' and 'upper abdominals' are often used to describe the abdominal muscles, but in reality, these are not really muscle groups. Is a matter of fact, the lower and upper abdominals are really only referencing one muscle group of your abs. Contrary to popular understanding, your abdominal muscles are actually made up of four muscle groups. To truly strengthen and firm your abdominal muscles, it is important that you work all four of these muscle groups. Further, you should do exercises that strengthen your lower back, as the lower back is part of the core. Here is a description of the each muscle in your abdominal section, and a video of four exercises you can use to target all

In a recent post, I discussed the history of sugar and how over-consumption of the sweet, white substance can lead to disease and may even help promote cancer cell growth. Many people commented...it was a hot topic. The comments that I thought were the most intriguing, were when people argued that sugar is perfectly fine for us and that it can't possibly be a factor in disease or cancer. They specifically pointed to the fact that if sugar consumption was so much lower in the 1800s, but so was life expectancy, that the higher rates of sugar consumption today, obviously have very little impact on our health...after all, our life expectancy is almost double of that in the late 1800s. Their point: Eat up.

Really. Come on people...I'm all for logic, but this argument has a major hole in it: Life expectancy was much lower in the late 1800s because of the fact that health care was nothing of what it is today, NOT because people ate less sugar. For instance: Although there was

Recently, I was at a friend's house and we were in the kitchen. My friend turned the faucet on and then got really passionate about our discussion. She proceeded to stand at the sink, talking non-stop for over two minutes while the water ran, unused. I wanted to jump out of my skin! All that nice clean water...down the tubes! All that money wasted!

I admit, over the last five to ten years or so, I've slowly become a bit obsessive about resource conservation. I have always cared about the environment, but recently, I have proactively made changes in my life to help save resources...and in turn, save money.

Caring for the environment may seem like a major task, but little things can add up. More importantly, however, as you do your part to help conserve energy and resources you are actually helping yourself save money. The less energy you use, the less money you spend. The less gas you use, the less money you spend. The less water you use, you guessed it, the less money you

May and June mark an exciting time for students as they graduate from high school and college and embark on a new chapter in their lives. Graduation represents a new beginning...a fresh start...an exciting entry into a big world of possibilities.

With the ceremony of graduation comes commencement speeches, when often a well-known public figure imparts wisdom to the new graduating class. Although every speaker is different and has different perspectives, many address topics that they often feel are especially poignant and relevant to the time of graduation. Speakers may discuss the political, economic or social landscapes of the nation or world, or give a motivational pep-talk for new graduates to go out and make a real difference, or provide life lessons the speaker has learned in his or her lifetime.

To be honest, I can't say I remember a lot of what was said at either of my undergraduate or graduate graduation ceremonies. But if I were to personally deliver a commencement

Over the last ten years or so, carbohydrates have gotten a pretty bad rap. Truth be told, however, carbohydrates are a real necessity to a healthy diet. Carbs are our bodies' main source of energy and are important in regulating blood sugar, storing energy, repairing muscles, and maintaining and regulating a healthy digestive tract.

So why all of this negative hoopla? Just like anything else, moderation is key. And unfortunately, many individuals over-consume carbs and for that matter, over-consume the wrong carbohydrates. Too much of the wrong kind can cause you to have too much insulin in your bloodstream which can cause your body to turn calories into fat. Further, it might mean you are not ingesting enough protein or fat in your diet for proper growth and body maintenance.

So how do you know if you are eating too many carbohydrates and what can you do?:

Step 1 - Acknowledgment: I'm going to let you in on a little secret: The more carbohydrates you eat, the more you

Although we like to think that the people in our lives are well-adjusted, happy, healthy minded individuals, we sometimes realize that it just isn't so. Personally, I've had moments where I'll be skipping through my day, happy as can be, thinking life is grand and BAM, I'll be blindsided by someone who manages to knock the happy wind out of my sails. Sometimes it is easy to write it off and other times, not so much.

Maybe you are a positive person, but when you are around a certain individual, you feel negative. Or, maybe you have an idealistic view of the world and when you are with certain people, you are made to feel silly, unrealistic or delusional. Or, maybe you pride yourself in being completely independent and in control of your life, but when you are around a certain family member, you regress into a state of childhood.

Some of these situations, and yes, these people, can have a tremendously negative impact on our lives. And, although we are all human and have our

Have you ever eaten a meal, only to find yourself ravenous an hour later? Frustrating, isn't it? I remember growing up, when we would go out for Chinese Food, it was expected that we would be hungry after an hour or so. Chalk it up to bad choices. We obviously weren't eating dishes that were very filling.

Incorporating the right nutrients into your snack or meal can be helpful in ensuring you are satisfied...and satisfied until your next snack or meal. Doing this is important whether you are the type of person who eats several smaller meals throughout the day (like moi) or 3 larger meals a day. Following this rule of thumb will help you ward off cravings for unhealthier foods, ward off major hunger pains and keep your energy levels stable throughout the day.

So what is the secret? The following three ingredients are your key to a happy and satisfied tummy:

1. Lean Protein:

• What's its secret weapon? Lean proteins have a satiating effect. Eating meals that

In the media world, celebrities are used relentlessly to market products, programs and services within the health and wellness industry. Sure, from a business perspective this makes sense: celebrities are highly recognized and as spokespeople, they drive higher awareness than the average Joe. It amazes me, however, how the media focuses in on celebrity 'body parts' as a way to sell. The one that most recently had me baffled was 'Get Michelle Obama's Sculpted Arms'. I find this absurd. Honestly, why do you need the First Lady's arms? For that matter, why do you need anyone's arms? Why wouldn't you want your own arms sculpted?

Yes...I admit: I take issue with society putting continual and undue pressure on us to look like celebrities. The world does not need two, three or four Gwyneth Paltrows. The world doesn't need five Matthew McConaugheys. What the world needs, however, are people who are secure with themselves, happy to be who they are and healthy because of how they live