Why Are Celebs Flocking to Barry’s Bootcamp?

WIREIMAGE; GETTY; INVISION/AP

Jason Biggs was spotted at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood last month (and even made a joke about it on Instagram). A few days later Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson took another Barry’s Bootcamp class in the city — and supposedly followed their sweat session with a smooch.

So what’s the deal with this celeb fave?

“Barry’s is a results-driven workout,” partner and celebrity trainer Joey Gonzalez tells PEOPLE. “It’s for people who are totally serious about getting in shape and are frustrated with having tried things that just don’t work.”

And the love from celebs is nothing new. The boutique fitness class launched in 1998 in Hollywood, California, so “the whole culture with celebrities has been going on for decades,” says Gonzalez. “It’s just gotten more exposure as we’ve opened more locations. A few weeks ago I had six celebrities in one day in various New York classes.”

And the workout, which alternates between cardio and strength training in 15-minute intervals, keeps everyone coming back for more. “Cardio absolutely helps people get into shape. Aside from burning fat, it strengthens your heart and your lungs,” says Gonzalez. But that’s only half of what Barry’s is about. “The other 30 minutes is true strength training. You’re building lean muscle tissue and raising the resting metabolic rate so you’ll burn extra calories throughout the day.”

So you might start running on the treadmill at various speeds and inclines, and then switch to floor work with weights. And then you hit the treadmill again. And then back to the floor.

COURTESY OF BARRY’S BOOTCAMP

It’s that back-and-forth that makes the workout so effective, according to Gonzalez (above, in photo). “Agents and their clients know how well it works and how quickly it works. So when people have to get in shape right away for a scene or a photo shoot, we will see them five times a week for at least two weeks prior.”

It helps that the experience is tailor-made. “You can really customize the workout at Barry’s. Our weights range from 5-lb. to 70-lb. dumbbells. You’ll see some dudes crushing some major steel in class.” But that doesn’t mean women should be intimidated, he adds. “Our customer base is educated. The women have had that a-ha moment of ‘Oh, I should be lifting weights! This is okay to do. I’m not going to end up a meat head with huge, broad shoulders and guns just from doing 25 minutes of strength training a day!’ ”

And no, you don’t need a certain level of athletic prowess to succeed in class. “No matter who you are or what sort of background you come from, there’s a place for you. We’ll have one class with someone who is 60 lbs. overweight and right next to that person will be an Ironman triathlete, and next to that person might be someone in their 60s who can’t run and just walks on the treadmill. It really is for all age ranges, all body types, all levels of fitness.”

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1SwK02E

Summer Beach Time Means Water Safety

FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The millions of Americans who will flock to beaches this summer need to keep safety in mind as they frolic in the sand and surf, an expert advises.

“Any beach can be dangerous, and you need to be careful at all times, especially if children are with you,” Amie Hufton, an instructional assistant professor in physical education at Texas A&M University at Galveston, said in a university news release.

“Swimmers always need to be careful. One of the biggest dangers they face is a rip current. A rip current is created when the backrushing of water from the beach is channeled in a direction away from the shore. Some of these can be very strong, strong enough to pull you far away from the beach,” explained Hufton, an open-water lifeguard.

Eighty percent of rescues by ocean lifeguards involve people caught in rip currents, according to the U.S. Lifesaving Association.

“If you feel a rip current or think you might be in one, never swim against it. Try to stay calm and swim perpendicular to the current, which usually means parallel to the shore,” Hufton said.

Alcohol is another potential danger at beaches. About half of all drowning victims over age 13 had high blood-alcohol levels, according to the Texas A&M expert.

And, if you’re not a strong swimmer, don’t depend on cheap, plastic rafts to keep you afloat, Hufton cautioned. Wear a Coast Guard-approved lifejacket instead.

Another important tip is to always swim with other people.

“It’s never wise to swim alone, and if possible, use a buddy system to watch over each other in the water,” Hufton said.

It’s also a good idea to swim near a lifeguard.

“Always make sure you can see a lifeguard when you are in the water, and before you get in the water, it’s not a bad idea to go up and ask one how conditions are that day. They can give you some very good information. Most drownings occur on beaches where there is no lifeguard present,” Hufton said.

It’s also crucial to keep a close eye on children.

“Kids can easily wander off by themselves at the beach. If they get lost, they often follow the path of least resistance, which means they usually walk away from the sun, and often with the wind. Finding them often involves tracing a route from where they were last seen,” Hufton said.

Also, don’t let children swim near permanent structures because there is a much higher chance of a rip current there,” she added.

More information

Safe Kids Worldwide has more about water safety.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1evtUbe

Chris Pratt’s ‘Aww!’-Worthy Interview of the Week

Photo: Getty Images

Between movie premieres, awards-show hosting, caring for two-year-old Jack, and maintaining million-pack abs, Chris Pratt and Anna Faris don’t get a ton of private couple time. But according to Pratt, they understand how to take what they can get to keep their marriage going strong.

“Anna’s parents come down and they’ll give us the night to do something and the morning to sleep in,” Pratt told People. “I think it’s important to carve those times out no matter what you do for a living.”

The Jurassic World star pointed out that finding time just for him and Faris right now is even more important to prepare for the day little Jack heads off to college or elsewhere in (quite a few) years.

RELATED: 6 Steps to Rev Up Your Marriage

“A lot of times, people focus so much on their kids, and then when their kids leave the nest, they look at their spouse or partner like they’re a stranger,” he said. “It’s just as important, if not more important, to focus on your relationship with your partner because your children are going to leave one day [and] you have to maintain a relationship that’s going to outlast your child’s needs for you.”

According to Faris (Health’s April cover star!), she and Pratt would love to have more kids, but after Jack’s difficult birth, they need to take additional precautions.

“We want to, very much so, but it will definitely be a whole new complication because now I’m, like, a high-risk pregnancy, so it requires some different monitoring,” she told Health. “My doctor’s like, ‘I don’t think you’ll have to be on bed rest the whole time.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m on a show.’”

RELATED: 9 Smart Ways to Keep Your Marriage Healthy at Any Age

But it’s clear that the star of CBS’ Mom and Pratt are in this together—and completely in tune. As Faris told Health, “I wish we didn’t have this biological clock. I’m thinking we have to start talking about it, looking at all kinds of options. I’m so lucky that I have a partner in Chris who’s in the same industry and really understands what’s required of me in terms of time commitment. But I was like, ‘Oh man, this s–t is f—ing hard.’”

Pratt echoed his wife’s sentiments to People, adding, “I have the support of a strong partner who’s been through this and understands it and whom I can share these experiences with,” he says. “And we have a family that we’re starting that’s the focus of my attention.”

Based on the adorable photos Pratt and Faris post on social media, it looks like they’re doing a fantastic job of keeping their word.

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1evjW9S

3 News Stories That Will Restore Your Faith in The World

Photo: courtesy of YouTube

It’s been a downright depressing week. To help us all remember that positive things are still happening in the world, we have once again rounded up our favorite feel-good (and do-gooder) stories of the last seven days.

Bulletin Board Full of Money Encourages People to Take What They Need

A new video is showcasing a display that went up at Union Station in Los Angeles last month: The board, which read “Give What You Can, Take What You Need,” started out with a few handfuls of dollar bills attached to it, but those passing by quickly began to take notice.

As shown in the video, many people took dollars from the board—but many more began pinning their own fives, tens, and even twenties to it as well.

RELATED: The Heartwarming Reason These Students Donated Their Senior Class Trip Money

The creator, Tyler Bridges, says the concept was an effort to showcase compassion and to encourage similar projects in other cities.

“Some days you need a helping hand and some days you can be the one giving the helping hand,” he told The Huffington Post. “So we just wanted to encourage the people and remind them to ‘share the love.'”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSj9maQ1lPo

RELATED: 4 Health Benefits of Being Generous

Toddler Gets Touching Response After Writing to His Beagle in “Doggie Heaven”

Following the death of his beagle, Moe, in April, 3-year-old Luke West and his mother, Mary Architzel Westbrook, began occasionally writing letters to their lost pet.

When finished, the pair would address the letters to “Moe Westbrook, Doggie Heaven, Cloud 1” and place them in the mailbox. Typically Westbrook would retrieve the letters from the mailbox when Luke was asleep, but one day she forgot.

“I assumed the post office would throw it away—or that someone might even laugh at it, or us,” she said in an essay for Distinction magazine.

RELATED: How My Pet Helped Me Heal

Instead, she found a note her in mailbox with the return address listed as “From Moe.” Inside was a hand-written note that read: “I’m in doggie heaven. I play all day, I am happy. Thank you 4 being my friend. I wuv you Luke.”

Westbrook said she was “gutted” by the kindness of a stranger and planned to share the note with Luke that night.

Waitress’s Act of Kindness to Grieving Parents Goes Viral

A 21-year-old waitress at the West Side Café in Fort Worth, Texas is getting recognized on social media after paying the check of two of her customers.

Kayla Lane has been paying select customers’ bills for years as a way of showing gratitude to the community. When she found out a couple who came to dine at the restaurant had lost their 9-week-old daughter, she decided to pick up theirs.

RELATED: Read Taylor Swift’s Heartfelt Note to a Fan Whose Mom Passed Away

The couple, Debra Riddle and her husband Shaun, had previously taken their infant daughter Glory into the West Side Café, where she met Lane. When the couple returned, Riddle told Today that Lane came over to say hello and was shocked to hear that Glory had passed away.

After offering her condolences to the couple, she surprised them with a note at the end of their meal. It read: “Your ticket has been paid for. We are terribly sorry for your loss. God Bless. – The West Side.”

The couple said they later learned it was Lane who had paid for the meal.

“I felt it was my duty to help them simply through one day and the help I chose to give them was picking up their ticket,” she told Today. “It wasn’t because they necessarily needed it, it wasn’t because I felt bad, it was simply to show them that there are strangers out there willing to help them through this difficult time.”

RELATED: How to Give to Charity the Right Way

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1Ci0r9P

Thinking About a Pool? Think About Safety

FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Drowning is the leading cause of death of American children younger than 5, and they’re more likely to drown in a backyard pool than any other body of water, an expert says.

“What we often hear in the emergency room is that a group was gathered at the pool for an event or party, but no one was taking ownership of watching the children in the pool,” Dr. Natalie Lane, medical director of the emergency department at Children’s Hospital of Georgia, said in a hospital news release.

“Unfortunately, folks think someone else is watching the kids, or falsely assume that everyone is keeping an eye out. This is where the trouble begins,” she said.

Parents should not install a swimming pool at home until children are older than 5, the American Academy of Pediatrics says.

If you have a pool at home, there are safety measures you must follow, Lane said. She offers these precautions:

• Never leave children alone in or near a pool. Always have children supervised by an adult who can swim.
• Make sure to have a clear, unobstructed view of children of all times.
• Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings.
• Never using inflatable flotation devices instead of approved life vests.
• Children should learn to swim, or at least know basic water safety tips.
• Have a fence at least 4 feet high around the pool, with a self-closing and self-latching gate.
• When the pool is not in use, remove all toys and floats from the pool area that could attract children, and place a safety cover over the pool.

Other recommendations: Install a pool alarm to alert you when children are near the water, and have a qualified professional inspect drain suction fittings and covers on a regular basis to ensure they are safe.

Keep rescue equipment, a phone and emergency phone numbers poolside. Develop an emergency plan and have each family member rehearse their role.

If your child is missing, check the pool first. Parents and caregivers should also learn CPR and rescue breathing, Lane said.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about pool safety.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1J8CyJC

Tick Infection Epidemic Among American Indian Tribes in Arizona: CDC

FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An epidemic of Rocky Mountain spotted fever among several American Indian tribes on two reservations in Arizona has led to more than $13 million in societal costs in nine years, according to a new study.

That amount includes treatment, time off work, and loss of lifetime productivity due to early death.

The study likely underestimates the actual cost of the epidemic because it doesn’t include long-term losses from disability and expensive medical procedures, said researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Indian Health Services and the affected tribes.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is caused by Rickettsia rickettsii bacteria and spread through the bite of an infected tick. The disease has only recently become a serious problem among American Indians in Arizona, according to the researchers. The brown dog tick, known to transmit the bacteria in Arizona, can be carried into homes by untreated dogs and other pets.

The researchers reviewed 205 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever that occurred among members of two tribes hardest hit by the epidemic. These cases occurred between 2002 and 2011. More than 80 percent of the cases required emergency room visits, the study found. About 14 percent of patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 7 percent of patients died.

The average cost per death from Rocky Mountain spotted fever is more than $775,000. Children account for more than half of deaths caused by the disease, the study authors said.

Overall, more than 300 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and 20 deaths from the disease occurred on Arizona Indian reservations between 2002 and 2014, the researchers said.

The death rate for the illness is 20 percent, the researchers said, and the average time from the start of symptoms to death is eight days. Severely ill patients may have fingers, toes or limbs amputated due to blood loss. They may also need heart and lung specialty care, and management in an intensive care unit.

After someone is infected, the best way to prevent severe illness or death is immediate treatment with the antibiotic doxycycline, the researchers said.

There is no vaccine for the disease, and prevention must focus on preventing bites from infected ticks, according to the CDC.

Tribally run tick-control plans — including treating homes and lawns and placing tick collars on dogs — have been effective. But the cost of the programs have hindered control efforts, the CDC said. However, the long-term costs of failing to halt the epidemic could be far greater, the study authors said.

According to the study, prevention and early treatment of the disease could save millions of dollars by averting premature death and disability.

“Rocky Mountain spotted fever is completely preventable,” Naomi Drexler, a CDC epidemiologist and one of the study authors, said in an agency news release.

“State, federal and tribal health authorities have been working together since the start of the epidemic to build effective community-based tick control programs, and these efforts have produced remarkable reductions in human cases,” she added. “These programs are costly, but medical expenses and lives lost cost four times more than Rocky Mountain spotted fever prevention efforts. Increasing access to these prevention efforts is critical to save lives and protect communities.”

The study findings were published recently in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1J8Cw4m

Even Light Activity Can Boost Seniors’ Health

FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Regular light exercise can be as good for seniors as moderate or vigorous exercise, according to a new study.

Moderate-intensity physical activity has been shown to be good for your health. But, this study suggests that seniors should also be encouraged to engage in lower-intensity activity whenever they can, study lead author Paul Loprinzi, an assistant professor of exercise science and health promotion at the University of Mississippi, suggested in a news release from Oregon State University. Loprinzi was at Oregon State University at the time of the study.

“For example, instead of talking on the phone in a seated position, walking while talking will help increase our overall physical activity level,” he added.

For the study, researchers reviewed information from a U.S. national survey done between 2003 and 2006. They found that high amounts of low-intensity workouts provided significant benefits for people older than 65.

Light activity includes things such as walking, slow dancing, household chores and leisurely sports such as table tennis. Seniors who did 300 minutes or more per week of light activity were 18 percent healthier than seniors who didn’t. They also had less body fat and smaller waists than their less active peers.

The researchers also found that the people getting 300 or more minutes of light activity also had better insulin levels, and a lower risk for chronic disease.

The study was published in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

There are 168 hours in a week, the study’s co-author Brad Cardinal, a professor at Oregon State University, pointed out in the university news release. That means 300 minutes is about 3 percent of that time, he noted.

“You get a nice array of health benefits by doing five hours of light physical activity per week,” Cardinal said.

Light exercise tends to be more appealing to seniors and typically does not require a doctor’s approval, Cardinal added.

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about seniors and exercise.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1J8CvO2

Ancient Teeth Show Signs of Indoor Air Pollution

FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Tartar from 400,000-year-old human teeth reveals the earliest evidence of man-made air pollution, according to a new study.

The tartar — hardened dental plaque that is also known as calculus — on teeth found at Qesem Cave near Tel Aviv, Israel, contains possible respiratory irritants, including traces of charcoal possibly from indoor fires used to roast meat.

This air pollution may have posed a health threat to these early humans, the study authors said.

The tartar also shows evidence of plants that may have been part of the diet and fibers that might have been used to clean teeth or were remnants of raw materials.

“Human teeth of this age have never been studied before for dental calculus, and we had very low expectations because of the age of the plaque,” said study co-author Avi Gopher, a professor in the department of archaeology and ancient near Eastern civilizations at Tel Aviv University.

“However, our international collaborators, using a combination of methods, found many materials entrapped within the calculus. Because the cave was sealed for 200,000 years, everything, including the teeth and its calculus, were preserved exceedingly well,” Gopher added in an American Friends of Tel Aviv University news release.

The study was published June 18 in the journal Quaternary International.

This is the first evidence that the world’s first indoor barbecues had health-related consequences, study co-author Ran Barkai said.

“The people who lived in Qesem not only enjoyed the benefits of fire — roasting their meat indoors — but they also had to find a way of controlling the fire — of living with it,” Barkai said in the news release.

“This is one of the first, if not the first, cases of man-made pollution on the planet,” he added. “I live near power plants, near chemical factories. On the one hand, we are dependent on technology, but on the other, we are inhaling its pollutants. Progress has a price — and we find possibly the first evidence of this at Qesem Cave 400,000 years ago.”

More information

The American Lung Association outlines how to protect yourself from unhealthy air.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1Sw4PeT

Daily Weigh-Ins Keep Dieters on Track

FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Checking your weight every day could help you slim down, researchers report.

A two-year Cornell University study found that tracking the results of daily weight checks on a chart helped people lose weight and keep it off.

“You just need a bathroom scale and an Excel spreadsheet, or even a piece of graph paper,” study senior author David Levitsky, a professor of nutrition and psychology, said in a university news release.

People who lost weight with this approach in the first year maintained that weight loss throughout the second year, the researcher said. That result is significant because previous studies have shown that about 40 percent of weight loss is regained within a year, and nearly 100 percent is regained within five years, according to the study.

This approach “forces you to be aware of the connection between your eating and your weight,” Levitsky explained. “It used to be taught that you shouldn’t weigh yourself daily, and this is just the reverse.”

While daily weight checks did help women, they had a much greater effect in men.

“It seems to work better for men than women, for reasons we cannot figure out yet,” Levitsky said.

The study was published recently in the Journal of Obesity.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases explains how to choose a safe and successful weight loss program.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1Sw4PeO

Extreme Exercising Can Lead to Blood Poisoning, Study Reveals

FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Extreme exercise may trigger blood poisoning in people who haven’t trained properly, a new study suggests.

Researchers in Australia looked at athletes who took part in extreme endurance events. Examples of such events include 24-hour ultra-marathons and multi-stage ultra-marathons run on consecutive days.

The investigators found this type of exertion can cause intestinal bacteria to leak into the bloodstream. This can potentially lead to blood poisoning, they said.

Blood samples were taken before and after the events, and compared with a control group. The researchers said these samples proved that “exercise over a prolonged period of time causes the gut wall to change, allowing the naturally present bacteria, known as endotoxins, in the gut to leak into the bloodstream.”

Once those bacteria are in the bloodstream, the immune system responds, causing inflammation throughout the body. It’s a reaction similar to what happens during a serious infection episode, the researchers explained.

“Nearly all of the participants in our study had blood markers identical to patients admitted to hospital with sepsis. That’s because the bacterial endotoxins that leach into the blood as a result of extreme exercise, triggers the body’s immune cells into action,” research team leader Ricardo Costa, of the department of nutrition and dietetics at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, said in a university news release.

If not immediately diagnosed and treated, a bloodstream infection can be fatal, the study authors said.

But these findings don’t mean people need to sit out these extreme events. The researchers also found that fit and healthy athletes who follow a steady training program to gradually prepare for extreme endurance events develop immune mechanisms to counter this threat.

“The body has the ability to adapt and put a brake on negative immune responses triggered by extreme endurance events. But if you haven’t done the training and you’re unfit — these are the people who can get into trouble,” Costa said in the news release.

The findings were published recently in two journals. One study was in the International Journal of Sports Medicine. The other was in Exercise Immunology Reviews.

Anything over four hours of exercise, or consecutive days of endurance exercise, is considered extreme, Costa said.

“Exercising in this way is no longer unusual — waiting lists for marathons, Ironman triathlon events and ultra-marathons are the norm and they’re growing in popularity,” he said in the news release.

Costa advised anyone who signs up for such an event to get a health check first. Then, he said, build a slow and steady training program — don’t just try to run a marathon a month after signing up.

More information

The University of California, San Francisco has training tips for running a marathon.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1TBahyl