Contact Lens and Eye Care

All of us contact lens wearers know that it is a good idea to take good care of your lenses or your eyes will suffer. This includes cleaning contact lenses and not wearing your contact lenses for more than eight to ten hours. Here are some tips from the FDA.

The FDA and CDC are urgently advising consumers to take precautions to prevent contamination of the lenses and the products used to maintain them. These preventive practices include:

* Wash hands with soap and water, and dry (lint-free method) before handling lenses.
* Wear and replace lenses according to the schedule prescribed by the doctor.
* Follow the specific lens cleaning and storage guidelines from the doctor and the solution manufacturer.
* Keep the contact lens case clean and replace every 3-6 months.
* Remove the lenses and consult your doctor immediately if you experience symptoms such as redness, pain, tearing, increased light sensitivity, blurry vision, discharge or swelling.

In addition, regardless of which cleaning/disinfecting solution used, wearers may want to consider performing a “rub and rinse” lens cleaning method, rather than a no-rub method, in order to minimize the number of germs and reduce the chances of infection.

Bausch & Lomb has recommended that consumers stop using ReNu with MoistureLoc immediately and discard all remaining MoistureLoc solution including partially used or opened bottles. Both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to investigate reports of fungal keratitis in an effort to determine all contributing factors and/or products that may place contact lens wearers at increased risk for Fusarium keratitis. As part of this ongoing investigation, we are continuing joint inspections of the Bausch & Lomb plant and facilities in Greenville, SC including testing of products, environmental factors and raw materials. Because of the nature of the organism (Fusarium), extensive microbiological testing is being conducted and may take up to one month to fully analyze. We are committed to continuing a comprehensive approach aimed at determining the cause of these infections and will provide regular updates on our activities through preliminary public health notices issued through FDA.

As reported in the MMWR, patients with confirmed cases of Fusarium keratitis have reported using various contact lens cleaning solutions including various types of ReNu products and generics. We continue to confirm reported cases associated with products other than ReNu with MoistureLoc. Our interest in the MoistureLoc product is based on the disproportionate number of case of Fusarium keratitis associated with ReNu with Moisture Loc compared to the overall product market share. The trends of reported cases involving various contact lens solutions other than MoistureLoc have remained consistent throughout our investigation.

FDA continues to work with the CDC to investigate the Fusarium keratitis infections and will determine whether or not further action needs to be taken. While the investigation is ongoing, FDA will continue to update the public health notice and advice to consumers as needed. In addition, the FDA and CDC are urgently advising consumers to consult your doctor immediately if you experience symptoms such as redness, pain, tearing, increased light sensitivity, blurry vision, discharge or swelling. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released further clarification on the information on the multi-state outbreak of Fusarium keratitis that may be associated with contact lens use.

The post Contact Lens and Eye Care appeared first on Fitness Tips for Life.

Related posts:

1. Contact Lens Safety The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to improve contact lens safety by reminding consumers of the importance...
2. Taking care of Contact Lenses Taking care of Contact Lenses is critical to protect your sight. Yesterday I switched back to contact lenses from glasses. I...
3. Natural Skin Care Recipes Looking at natural skin care alternatives is becoming more and more popular these days. You are probably aware of the...

https://ift.tt/2RrUOEX

Joining a Health Club – The Tour

Health Club tours are always well scripted events that are conducted by a salesman for only one or two people.

When you are gong to go to tour the health club that you are interested in remember that touring one is not enough.

Decide which one you really like best just by location and reputation and then tour a couple of others.

Why Would You Tour Other Gyms?

Well every gym you tour will have a salesperson pushing the points that are strongest at that particular gym; the size, the amount of equipment, the trainers. After you have gone on a few tours than you will be saving what you think is the best for last.

At this point you are going to know a lot more about what would be important to you and you will be in a better place to not be sold by the pitch and instead be a bit more detached to what is important for your own needs in a health club.

So now on with the tours!

The Look Of the Health Club

Firstly do your fitness club tours at a time that you would normally work out, this will give you an idea of what the conditions are going to be when you workout yourself. When you start your health club tour the salesperson will start by telling you how great the gym is and how helpful and friendly the staff and other members are.

Look around the gym and see what the equipment usage is like, is there any obvious waiting for equipment? Are you going to be intimidated by huge bodybuilders making too much noise? On the other hand does it deem to country club like for your tastes without a motivational feel?

Even though you may have worn workout clothes for your health club tour try to make sure that you do not use the equipment, the act of working out may distract you from your objectivity.

While you are seeing the equipment take a look at the lighting, is the workout area bright enough. How much space is there between pieces of equipment? Are you going to be crowded in or is there to much room that makes the place look too empty?

Check out the layout of the entire fitness center, are there enough water fountains? Are you going to run into people while you are getting weights for the bench press?

When you get to the changing room check out the showers, stalls and lockers and make sure everything is clean. You may be uncomfortable with the idea of showering with other people but over time you will likely find it useful to be able to have a workout, shower, and then continue on with your day.

Workout Equipment

When you tour the health clubs there are three kinds of equipment to look at.

Cardio Equipment – steppers, stationary bikes, treadmills, rowing machines. How are the usage of these machines, these are always very popular and if your are at the gym at busy time your will not want to wait between uses of the machines

Weight Machines – contraptions that you put weights on including nautilus and others. How well are these maintained?

The worst thing for using these is if they are jerky when you are moving through your range of motion and you will not want to be using them which means they would be wasted equipment to you.

Weights, benches, racks – There are various ways to do your exercises but you have to sit or lean on something. Are there lineups for this equipment? How close and how many plates are around?

Again you would not want to wait to use this equipment as the time between sets is an important factor as to whether you have a good workout or not.

Miscellaneous equipment– abs equipment, lower back. This equipment is usually shoved off to one side in the health club. You will want to be able to get to it as almost every workout you will want to either work on getting a six pack set of abs or strengthening your lower back.

Is this equipment well covered or is it torn? Is there enough at a busy time or do you have to wait for this? It may not be too bad to wait for these pieces of equipment occasionally so it may not be a deal breaker for you.

One thing to really take a look at in your tour of the health club is the equipment and the apparent servicing of this equipment. Gym equipment is very tough looking and it may look to you like the equipment is very sturdy and does not need any work to keep it going.

This is very wrong! Any reputable gym will have someone working for them part time to maintain the equipment, keeping everything greased, recovering the benches and seats and generally making sure that all of the health club equipment is in tip top shape.

Cardio equipment must be maintained as well. The cardio equipment in a gym has to take much more abuse than nay equipment ever has to. Parts are worn and have to be replaced so that everything feels smooth when using stationary bikes, treadmills, stair machines and rowing machines.

Gym Amenities

Lastly you will want to check out all of those really cool amenities.or maybe not.

Suntan Beds – Are you going to get a great deal on the suntanning? Do you even care if you ever use a suntan bed? If not why even factor that into whether you want to join?

Squash or racquetball – if there is some kind of courts look at whether you have anyone to play with, if your are outgoing you may find plenty of people to play with but if not it may be just a waste of space to youand your membership fees pay for that upkeep.

Proshop and snack bar – these are among the most expensive places for clothes, drinks and equipment on the planet. Always an excuse for a break from the workout but they will always lighten your wallet.

Personal trainer on staff – This could be a great one, if there is a personal trainer then you may want to pay the 40 or so dollars an hour to improve your workouts but it can add up over time. See if there is some kind of plan for 10 sessions or something. And if you set up training then remember to take lots of notes in the car in the parking lot afterwards.

Pricing the Health Club

After you have been through more than a couple gyms and fitness centers you are going to know the tour pretty well and the hard close at the end that tries to have you sign up before you leave the door. Do not sign up right away as you can always leverage how the other gyms are when you are ready to sign up in the end. Every area of the country is a bit different as far as memberships go for health clubs but almost always there is a monthly payment, some kind of signup fee and a two or three year contract. When you are ready to decide look at all of the factors that are important and discount any amenities that you will be paying for but not using. The decision is usually a tough one between a couple of places but in the end I am sure you will be happy with your decision and on your way to an exciting new lifestyle.

The post Joining a Health Club – The Tour appeared first on Fitness Tips for Life.

Related posts:

1. Reasons Why You Should Join a Fitness Club Joining a fitness club can be a bit intimidating for some people. Before you join, be sure you know what...
2. Choosing a Gym – Distance from Home On about one of thee thing that I have found critical overtime, and that is a main determining factors on whether...
3. Health Club Staff Let’s go through the health club staff that you will meet on your first visit to a health club. The...

https://ift.tt/2OBDxKT

6 Exercises You Need To Do To Gain Muscle and Tone Your Body

If you have been going to the gym for a year and you still look and feel the same as you did when you first walked through the door then you need to start changing things up.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result.

I have seen far too many women at the gym spend 30 minutes on the hip abductor machine. Please ladies do yourselves a favor and Google hip abductors.

You will immediately notice that they make up only a small portion of your leg and the truth is that you can spend an eternity on that machine and you won’t see the results that you are after.

I implore you to spend your time more effectively at the gym.  If you really want to see quick results then you will want to do exercises that incorporate larger muscles so that you can build more muscle and burn more calories.

So let’s go over the 6 best exercises that most people don’t even do. There are a million videos out there on how to perform these exercises correctly.

I will just throw in a couple tips for you to keep in mind as you finally begin to effectively use your time to sculpt and tone the body that you deserve.

How To Tone Your Body The Right Way

1-Squats:  They have a rep as the king of all exercises for a good reason. Squats work most of the muscles in your legs and they also work the muscles of your core because you need to stabilize the weight.

A lot of people think that they are going to hurt themselves doing squats. If squats are done correctly then you will be absolutely fine.

In fact having a good squat will save you from future injuries during sports and everyday living activities.

The best tip that you are going to get is to keep your eyes up. Yes look upward while you squat! By doing that you will keep the bar off of your neck and you will keep your back straight.

2-Lunges: If you were looking for great over all leg development then look no further. Lunges also incorporate most of the muscles in your legs. I recommended using some light dumbbells which you will hold by your side that will increase resistance and force your core muscles to stabilize.

Tip; Lower yourself down slowly until your knee almost touches the floor.  You do not want to be crashing your knee down into the ground; so be careful.

Don’t let your knee pass your foot either because you do not want to over stress your knee joint.

3-Bent over rows: Bent over rows target the large muscles at the center of your back and also incorporate your biceps and forearm muscles. You will also need those core muscles again to stabilize and hold your position.

Tip: Keep your knees bent with your feet around shoulder width. Keep your back flat with your head and eyes up.

4-Lat Pull Down Machine: The Lat pull down also targets larger muscles of your back and also incorporates your biceps and forearm muscles. The machine is great because you can select a resistance that is lower than your body weight if you can’t do a pull up. Also on the flip side; if your body weight is too light then you can go well above your body weight to force an adaptation.

Tip; Many people might advocate pulling the bar down behind the neck to really isolate the Lats. That might increase your chance of injury! Play it safe by keeping your head up and pull the bar down in front of you.

5- Bench Press: For some reason many women avoid this exercise like the plague because they fear that it will leave them flat chested or looking like a Hulk.  Both fears are unfounded. Remember that you want to do exercises that incorporate more muscles.

The bench press is great for overall chest development but it does also incorporate your shoulders and triceps. You also need the muscles of your core and back to stabilize the weight.

Tip; You want to have your head, shoulders and butt in constant contact with the bench.  You also want to have your feet in contact with the floor.

6- Shoulder dumbbell press: This exercise is great for your shoulders but also incorporates muscles in your arms, back and core to stabilize the weight.

Keep in mind now that you have weights over your head that can fall on top of you so be careful.

Tip; Make sure that you are seated comfortably on a bench with support for your back. Keep your feet firmly on the floor or the provided foot platform.

For all of the exercises try and keep control for the full range of motion. You do not want have ballistic moments that can lead to injuries. You will also notice that you will be breathing quite heavily as compared to those simple hip abductor exercises.

That is because you are working a lot harder and thus your routine will be more effective. Oh and one least thing… please don’t hold your breath. Breathe as you contract your larger muscles and sculpt that sexy physique

The post 6 Exercises You Need To Do To Gain Muscle and Tone Your Body appeared first on Fitness Tips for Life.

Related posts:

The Best Compound Exercises Best Weight Lifting Exercises Best Triceps Exercises

http://ift.tt/1QS4dOO