Product Reviews

As many of you probably know, Apple released the highly anticipated iPhone 3G on July 11th. Being a gadget fanatic myself, I was one of those excited customers dying to get my hands on one. Though I wait for my new 3G to come in, I still get to enjoy all the wonderful perks that came with the new iPhone 2.0 software update released upon the 3G’s arrival. With this update came many new features and applications.

The new iPhone software not only offers better email management, maps and customization, the new applications are taking the whole mobile phone experience to an entirely new level.

You see, iPhone offers a new “applications section” where you can pick and choose easy to use programs. From the long list of “apps”, as they call it, you can choose from a large variety of programs that help you get the latest sports scores, find the nearest gas station, or even calculate a tip when dining out.

The motto of the Advanced Mediterranean diet is “lose weight, live longer.” When you’re working towards these objectives while eating delicious natural foods, what’s not to like? Written by Dr. Steve Parker, the recent book attempts to provide consumers with dietary information that people don’t talk about with their physicians. To combat obesity, chronic disease, and other weight-related risk factors, the Advanced Mediterranean diet advocates foods that are associated with longevity and vitality. Staples include fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, olive oils, chicken, eggs, and fish.

By: Rick Schaff

-- an excerpt from my book, MISLED

www.HEALTHandINSPIRATION.com

Health and fitness magazines and radio and television commercial producers often find themselves in precarious situations due to the nature of how they generate revenues; most of their profits are produced by selling advertising space. Unfortunately, that means that they often have little choice but to work with companies that distort the truth. Simply put, even publications and programs that have stated goals to provide beneficial information on health and fitness to their audiences are often forced to sell ad space or time to disingenuous companies to stay in business. In many cases, the articles and programming must frequently support the “fabulous results” their clients’ products claim to provide. My magazine DIVAS was in print for two years; this provided me with firsthand experience about the compromising decisions every magazine owner and/or publisher must face. Jeff Everson, former editor for Muscle & Fitness Magazine and current publisher of Planet Muscle Magazine stated the following about this situation:

“One of the biggest problems that magazines endure is their dependence on supplement ads to pay their bills. If you just tried to publish a magazine about real training, you would never make it. While one naturally tries to improve the industry, it would be suicide to bite the hands that feed you.

With the provocative tag line, “Is it really cheating if everyone’s doing it?” the Chris Bell documentary exploded onto the Sundance Scene and into the hearts and minds of athletic competitors everywhere. Bigger, Stronger, Faster is both personal and public, interviewing everyone from his mother and two steroid-using brothers to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ben Johnson, and Carl Lewis. Bell’s theme centers around the American obsession to be the superlative, whatever it may be: the biggest, the fastest, the strongest, the best.

You’ve seen them in every fitness magazine on the market. You’ve seen them in GNC and in the supplement shop at your local gym. You may have even seen them on TV. What am I talking about? Those ads…you know the ones, touting the nitric oxide (NO) products as the next big thing in sports nutrition. To be honest, the mechanism seems plausible enough.

1. Take a supplement that is a precursor to nitric oxide.
2. The subsequent increase in nitric oxide causes vasodilation of the blood vessels.
3. This vasodilation increases nutrient delivery to the muscles.
   

Yes it is possible to get healthy snacks from a vending machine! A company based in San Diego called YoNaturals specializes in vending machines packed with organic and natural snacks and drinks. They carry products such as Luna and clif bars, organic milk, and organic juices. You won’t find the traditional sodas and hydrogenated goodies that are sold in traditional vending machines. Their machines are located in places such as gyms, office buildings, and schools. Too bad they didn’t have something like this when I was in University. I would have avoided eating all those unhealthy snacks that made me fall asleep when I was in the library studying!