While Covid accentuated poor heath conditions in some, they were prevalent long before Covid.

The Good News: Physical activity can positively affect over 30 chronic conditions, making it the best deterrent of chronic disease in primary and secondary prevention.

Health Statistics for adults in the U.S.

• 50-60% have at least one chronic disease; 25-40% have two or more.
• Almost 40% are clinically obese.
• Hypertension affects over 100 million.
• Over 30 million have Type 2 diabetes.
• Osteoarthritis affects over 30 million. It’s thought everyone over 60 has at least 1 joint affected.
• Cardiovascular disease is responsible for almost 1 in every 4 deaths.

​What is MedFit Care?

​MedFit Care is a telehealth company offering medically necessary exercise prescriptions for consumers and patients nationwide.

A MedFit Care physician will write a medically necessary exercise prescription that can be used to pay for your MedFit Care fitness professional, who understands your unique needs and can work with you to improve your health and quality of life. With your prescription in hand, you are now able to use a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Savings Account (HSA), or your own funds as a medical expense tax deduction, to pay for the services of a qualified medical fitness specialist.​​

If you, a family member, or friend has health issues of concern, call our New Orleans Healing Center location at 504-754-1101 or​ stop by the New Orleans Healing Center to discuss your options.

​According to the National Institute on Health (NIH), fibromyalgia affects over 5 million U.S. adults and an estimated 3-6% of the world population. While fibromyalgia is most prevalent in women (75-90% of those with fibromyalgia), it also occurs in men and children of all ethnic groups. People with fibromyalgia experience aches and pain all over the body, fatigue (extreme tiredness that does not get better with sleep or rest), and problems sleeping.​

Fibromyalgia may be caused by a problem in the brain with nerves and pain signals. In other words, in people with fibromyalgia, the brain misunderstands everyday pain and other sensory experiences, making the person more sensitive to pressure, temperature (hot or cold), bright lights, and noise compared to people who do not have fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia has been compared to arthritis. Like arthritis, fibromyalgia causes pain and fatigue. But, unlike arthritis, fibromyalgia does not cause redness and swelling, or damage to the joints.​

Diagnosis and Causes of Fibromyalgia

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Up until recently, fibromyalgia has been very difficult to diagnose coining the condition as the “invisible disease” believing that the syndrome was “all in the head” of those who suffer from fibromyalgia. However, currently fibromyalgia can be identified through a questionnaire and the Manual Tender Point Survey test. There has been a breakthrough recently with a blood test that may identify fibromyalgia making it even more possible to treat fibromyalgia. However, more testing is needed to be more widely accepted. Here is a short list of what may cause fibromyalgia:

• Genes: Mutation or deficiency in the MTHFR or COMT genes specifically
• Having other diseases such as arthritis
• Family history
• Emotional or physical abuse
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Gender:  Occurs mostly in women
• Anxiety and depression
• Not moving enough

Exercise and Fibromyalgia

Moderate exercise is known to improve use of oxygen, energy levels, anxiety, stress and depression, sleep, self-esteem, cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, and mobility. While the pain and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia may make exercise and daily activities difficult, it is crucial to be physically active. Usually, there are no specific exercises to avoid if one has fibromyalgia. Aerobic exercise (running, jogging), weight training, water exercise, and flexibility exercises may all help.

Golf, tennis, hiking, and other recreational activities are also healthful. However, exercising hard (overexertion) leads to the problems people experience post-exercise, which are called “post-exertional malaise.” This occurs because people with fibromyalgia don’t have the energy to condition like others who can handle the increase in exercise and conditioning. Instead, if the exercise uses more than the limited amount of energy the body can make, their systems crash, and they feel like they were hit by a truck for a few days after. Because of this, the key is to find an amount of walking or other low-intensity exercises one can do, where he/she feels “good tired” after, and better the next day. Instead of ramping up in the length or intensity of the workouts, one should stick to the same amount while working to increase energy production.

Benefits of Exercise

Because the main focus of fibromyalgia is neurotransmitters and brain health, one key benefit of exercise is the boosting of endorphins and serotonin in the brain. Studies show that exercise can help restore the body’s neurochemical balance which in turn triggers a positive emotional state. Boosting levels of natural endorphins are essentially boosting pain-fighting molecules that help to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression which are symptoms of fibromyalgia. Elevating serotonin plays a vital role in mediating moods thereby helping relieve symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Other benefits of exercise include:

• Burning calories and making weight control easier
• Giving range-of-motion to painful muscles and joints
• Improving a person’s outlook on life
• Improving quality of sleep
• Improving one’s sense of well-being
• Increasing aerobic capacity
• Improving cardiovascular health
• Increasing energy
• Strengthening bones
• Strengthening muscles
• Relieving pain

Monday and Thursday 11:15 am-12:00pm

​DON’T THINK…..JUST DO…..

Circuit Training…you don’t have to think, all you have to do is show up!

Why Circuit Training ?
* GET THE MAXIMUM RESULTS IN MINIMUM TIME.
* CHALLENGE YOUR WHOLE BODY.
* MIX CARDIO AND STRENGHT.
* SEND YOUR METABOLISM SOARING.
* BEAT GYM BOREDOM.

What to expect?
A Dynamic warm up….get the blood flowing.
Mobility moves…prepare the joints and muscles for the work.
Core work…fire up the core muscles for stability and strength.
Finisher…intense moves designed to jack up the metabolism.
Stretch…static stretching for flexibility and minimize soreness.

This small group personal training class is designed for everyone. Come
try it out for free (first class is complimentary).
Monday and Thursday at 11:15-12:00
Arrive early for instruction.
Questions….call Paul 504-525-2956

Don’t Eat These 7 Foods

Don’t throw your fitness results away by eating the wrong foods. You workout hard, so keep your results by avoiding the following 7 foods:

Don’t Eat White Pasta White pasta is never OK to eat when you want to be fit. Sorry, it’s filled with way too many simple carbs. These plentiful carbs have one singular goal: to be stored on your body as fat.

Eat This: Spaghetti Squash On those nights when you really crave a big bowl of noodles, try this instead. Poke a spaghetti squash all over then bake at 400 degrees F for 45-60 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, scoop out the seeds and then scrape out the long, noodle-like strands of squash. Serve these healthy noodles with spaghetti sauce and meatballs.

Don’t Eat Store Bought Salad Dressing The nutritional benefit of your salad is all but undone by the questionable ingredients in store-bought salad dressing. From trans fats to preservatives, store-bought salad dressing is a landfill of unnatural ingredients that are best avoided.

Eat This: Simple Homemade Dressing Making your own salad dressing is so simple. It literally takes less than five minutes, and it tastes so much better freshly made. Here’s the equation to use when making your own dressing:

• 3 parts high quality oil – extra virgin olive oil, hemp seed oil, flax seed oil, or sesame seed oil.
• 1 part something acidic – vinegar, lemon, lime
• A dash of salt and fresh ground pepper
• Some fresh or dried herbs

Don’t Eat Packaged Granola Bars Packaged bars have one thing going for them—the convenience factor. This convenience comes at a price, as each packaged bar contains more preservatives, carbs, calories and sugars than you should be eating.

Eat This: Raw Nuts When you need a quick, energizing snack look no further than a handful of raw nuts. This is a great way to cut down on sugar and other harmful additives in granola bars while still enjoying a convenient energy boost.

Don’t Drink Blended Coffee Drinks Coffee chains have made it socially acceptable to sip on a large blended coffee drink topped with whipped cream anytime and anyplace. Unfortunately, your body is going to respond to all that sugar in the only way that it knows how…by storing it as fat. These blended drinks are extremely addictive, so it’s best to avoid them completely.

Drink This: Unsweetened Iced Tea The whole idea behind blended coffee drinks is to quench your thirst, but there are more fitness-friendly ways to do so. Double brew 4 cups of your favorite tea – try Chai Rooibos—then chill it in the fridge for a few hours. Serve over ice and sweeten with a sprinkle of Stevia if needed—guilt-free refreshment.

Don’t Eat Fast Food Breakfast Sandwiches The drive-thru may be calling you, especially when you’ve left for work in such a hurry that you forgot to eat breakfast, but don’t give in. Fast food breakfast sandwiches are filled with loads of preservatives, trans fats and questionable ingredients. Not to mention these little breakfast bombs contain more calories and fat than you need in the morning.

Eat This: Healthy Mini Muffins The recipe below for Healthy Mini Muffins make the perfect on-the-go breakfast or snack to keep you out of the drive-thru line. Make a batch on the weekend to stock the fridge and then grab as needed throughout your busy week.

Don’t Eat Sweetened Yogurt Little cups of fruit-flavored yogurts are often marketed as the next best weight loss secret, but you know better. These ultra-sweet concoctions are filled with sugars, corn syrup and preservatives, which will derail your fitness results and send you on a sugar high.

Eat This: Plain Greek Yogurt with Fruit Plain Greek yogurt has more protein and far less sugar than the cute little fruit-flavored yogurt cups. Dress it up by adding your own, chopped fresh fruit.

Don’t Eat Potato Chips Around three o’clock in the afternoon, when that vending machine is calling out your name, remember this fact: Studies suggest that a potato chip habit caused subjects to gain weight even faster than an ice cream habit. This is likely due to all the preservatives, trans fats, empty calories and salt, and how hard it is to each just a few.

Eat This: Bake Kale Chips Kale chips are crunchy and satisfying, just like potato chips, yet you’re able to crunch away guilt-free. Filled with fiber, protein and real food nutrients, this is one crunchy snack that won’t expand your waistline. Here’s how to make them at home: Wash and tear one bunch of kale into chip-sized pieces. Toss with a Tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.

The quickest and most permanent way to lose weight and feel amazing is through a combination of healthy eating and consistent, challenging workouts.