Author: Mike Furci (Page 43 of 65)

Mike Furci graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelors of Science in Health Education. His curriculum laid the foundation for his future in fitness and sports specific training. He owned and operated Club Olympia Fitness Center in Westlake, Ohio for more than 10 years, and was voted “Best Personal Trainer” by Cleveland Magazine. In 2009 he decided to expand his knowledge of the human body and attained his license as a Registered Nurse in 2011.

Mike specializes in improving athletic performance through strength, conditioning and nutrition. He uses his education and knowledge to train clients according to their specific goals, i.e., increased fitness, strength, weight loss, health or sports performance. Mike started training 30 years ago, and was a competitive bodybuilder with several overall titles, including the 1999 Mr. Ohio. He continues to train with 100% intensity to this day, which has helped him excel as a firefighter for the city of Lorain Ohio. His experience has also allowed him to train and consult with many competitive powerlifters and bodybuilders.

Mike has appeared on many news stations as a fitness consultant. His qualifications allow him to offer expert information on all aspects of health, fitness and sports specific training.

Five Foods to ward off Cardiovascular Disease

May 22, 2009 / Mike Furci

According to NewsMax Health Alerts, the five foods proven to fight cardiovascular disease are:

Spinach — Spinach is high in folate which helps prevent the accumulation of homoscysteine in the blood. Homoscysteine is a major risk factor for heart disease.
Salmon — Salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation and help prevent plaque from blocking arteries.
Tomatoes — Tomatoes are rich in lycopene which lowers cholesterol.
Oatmeal — Oatmeal is a great source of soluble fiber which absorbs excess cholesterol and removes it from your body.
Pomegranates — Pomegranates are rich in polyphenols, which are antioxidants that keep hearts healthy by neutralizing cell-damaging free radicals, and may also reduce LDL “bad” cholesterol.

The above foods although nutritious,??are going to do very little in the way of warding off heart disease.? There are other foods wich are literally poisons that need to be avoided if one is trying to eat heart healthy.? Conversely, there are also foods and nutrients which you need to add to your diet that are much more heart healthy than the above list.

Despite what you have learned, high cholesterol is not your enemy. Our enemy in this battle against heart disease is vegetable oils.? That’s right, the very same oils that are promoted as heart healthy.? Studies using rabbits in the early 1900’s are often touted as proof positive that a diet high in cholesterol, which raise cholesterol, promote heart disease.? If you look up these studies you’ll find that the researchers used corn oil or partially hydrogenated oil.?

One study used corn oil with the same amount of cholesterol people normally consume.? The rabbits in this study like all the others developed rampant atherosclerosis.? As we’ve known for decades through past, as well as recent studies, vegetable oils and hydrogenated oils facilitate atherosclerosis without adding cholesterol.? Only God knows how many people have died or suffered as a result of the mass marketing of vegetable oils as heart healthy over the last 7 decades.

Cholesterol, Diets, Heart disease, Medical Issues for Men, Men's Health and Wellness, Nutrition

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Smoking and your johnson

May 20, 2009 / Mike Furci

Are you a smoker?? If you are you obviously don’t care it’s the number one preventable cause of death in the U.S.? Well, maybe you’ll care that smoking promotes erectile dysfunction.? That’s right, chances are if you’re a smoker?you’re having trouble in the sack. ?Italian researchers followed 860 male subjects between the ages of 18 and 44 for 3 years.? The subjects were divided into 3 groups: smokers, never smokers and former smokers.? Those that smoked were 30 ? 90 percent more likely to have problems getting it up.? Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, which means it causes the diameter of arteries to become smaller.? Not only is this bad for Mr. Happy because it reduces blood flow, it is systemically bad for the body because it raises blood pressure.? Another negative effect smoking has is the inhaled chemicals decrease the amount of NO (nitric oxide) released by blood vessels.? Nitric oxide is responsible for the relaxation of blood vessels (arteries) which allows your johnson to come to attention when aroused.? Those of you who smoke because you think it makes you look cool (virtually everyone who starts) had better start thinking about how cool you?ll look with a frustrated naked woman in front of you.

Anti-Aging, Medical Issues for Men, Men's Health and Wellness, Sexual Health

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Dental Hygiene

May 19, 2009 / Mike Furci

Good dental hygiene can protect your teeth and gums from decay and other serious problems. Left untreated, dental and gum diseases can lead to tooth loss, infection, and damage to bones and nerves.
The American Dental Association offers these guidelines for proper hygiene:
* At least twice a day (and after meals when you can), brush with a fluoride toothpaste.
* Use an antimicrobial mouthwash.
* Floss at least once each day. If possible, floss after every meal to remove food particles from between teeth.
* Get a new toothbrush at least once every three months, or whenever the brush’s bristles become frayed and worn.
* Limit sugary meals, drinks and snacks.
* Visit your dentist twice a year for a cleaning and checkup.
HealthDay.com (HealthDay News)

What this health update does not discuss, is the link between bad oral hygiene and cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that people with periodontal disease have almost twice the risk of CVD as those without periodontal disease.

Researchers are not exactly sure why periodontal disease is linked to CVD; one possibility is that the bacteria actually damage the artery walls causing clots to form in order to repair the damage which can lead to fatty plaques. When researchers look at the areas where plaque has formed in the arteries they have found damaged tissue caused by viruses and bacteria.

Heart disease, Hygiene, Medical Issues for Men, Men's Health and Wellness

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Eat fat to lose fat

May 18, 2009 / Mike Furci

Fat is it friend or foe? Well if you ask most, including health care professionals, they’ll say foe. It’s time for people to wake up! The current ways of eating aren’t working. Just a few years ago, for the first time in history the top six books on the New York Times Best Seller list, were about the same subject: diets low in carbs, moderate to high protein, high in fibrous carbs (vegetable), and moderate fat. Why is this topic so popular? They work!

One of the biggest reasons protein diets work is the consumption of fat. That is, fat minus the abundance of carbs. Fat has many functions outside of being used as an energy source, and certain fatty acids are essential. Without eating them you’d literally get sick and die.

But how does fat help our diet? Well, fat satiates the appetite, and helps to stop the cravings for sugar. And probably most importantly, fat when combined with a low sugar intake actually aids in burning fat as fuel. That’s right, fat helps burn fat. When fat is restricted, our bodies have a defense mechanism built in through evolution for survival. Our bodies will actually stop using fat as fuel in an effort to preserve our stores for future use.

Bodybuilders have known this for years through trial and error, while dieting for shows, they would reach a certain body fat percentage and suddenly plateau for no apparent reason. We found that by adding fat to the diet like olive oil, or coconut oil, would jump-start the body to burn body fat. It’s not the amount of food you consume that is the problem. It’s the types of food you’re consuming.

Sounds bizarre doesn’t it.

Anti-Aging, Diets, Fat burners, Fatty acids, Food preparation, Foods products, Men's Health and Wellness, Nutrition

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The Two Set Workout

May 16, 2009 / Mike Furci

Although I would recommend a lower volume, higher intensity approach, the article below I recently re-read has some great info on getting the job done with quality instead of quantity. I’m glad to see articles in mainstream magazines debunking the myth that more is better.

There are many ways to grow from just 2 sets. Try each of these and see what works best for you.
Take the first set to failure:? You should not be able to complete one more rep than the set calls for.? For the second set drop the weight by 5% – 7% and try for the same number of reps.
Perform your first set with about 90% of the load you can use for the number of reps the set calls for (about 2 reps shy of failure).? Then load up your second set and take that to failure.
Take both sets to just one rep shy of failure:? This is a good safe option that minimizes risk for injury and overtraining.
Take both sets to failure:? Use this option sparingly (once or twice a month) and only if ou’ve got a year or more of training behind you.
“MF Trainer.” Mens Fitness oct. 2007:127

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