There is a strain of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA that is now reported to be surfacing in gyms. According to a story in the New York Times, a staph bacterium usually associated with hospitals and nursing homes, has been surfacing in other settings.

If you don’t want to catch this deadly staph infection which cannot be treated by antibiotics then you don’t want to share towels or razors.  You should also avoid skin-to-skin contact when playing sports. Places to be careful around in the gym include the grips of exercise machines and the spouts at drinking fountains.  Buy a bottle of water to drink instead.

The popular Aquavee fitness company has put out a new machine, which is a Pilates Machine that can be used in the pool.  The new AquaVee Pilates Plus® is a thorough workout system designed to be installed in a backyard pool. 

This new aqua fitnees machine achieves is beneficial for cardiovascular fitness and also enhances strength and flexibility training through a unique melding of swimming, isotonic resistance, and the Pilates method. Their device also allows you to stay stable and swim in place while you do the exercises using and inflatable belt and resistance bands. 

This system is simple, sleek and self contained and easy for anyone at any fitness level to use.  Aside from giving you the regular aerobic benefits of exercising in the water you also get the toning and stretching that creates such a beautiful body for those who practice Pilates.

No doubt most of us have observed the ironies of smokers turning up at everything from kid’s baseball games to protests against global warming. It seems though that the Chinese government is going to put an end to this type of hypocrisy around health by banning smoking from the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. ASH, a U.K. antismoking activist group is pleased to report that the country has already started its no smoking campaign by posting No Smoking Signs in its cabs.

  The municipal government is also planning to enforce a set of regulations banning smoking at Olympic venues, where the athletes stay and in the stadiums. Sales of cigarettes would also be banned in all of the Olympic  venues, training and accommodation areas.   The only country before that has enforced No Smoking at the Olympics was Barcelona in 1992.

Next time you are feeling a bit under the weather, and need some medical advice, don’t call the doctor, call a real estate developer.”

That quote is from Dr. Richard Jackson, a pediatrician and one of the nation’s leading experts in the field of public health. Jackson is referring to the powerful and often overlooked impact that the communities we build have on the health of those who live in them.

Well designed neighborhoods that promote walking and cycling increase the odds that people will exercise, leading healthier and longer lives. Cities that have made efforts to emphasize walking and cycling have managed to shift between 14 and 20 percent of their transportation to those modes, versus the 1 to 1.5 percent national average.

(Source)

Having high muscle mass, especially in your youth, is good for the immune system.

The relationship with muscle mass to immune function lies within the reserve of protein structures. For example, during vigorous exercise and over-training, the protein reserves are used to repair muscle and recuperate from the training and therefore little is left over for our immune systems.

So, the more muscle you have available, the better.

(Source)