Qnexa, a diet drug for weight loss and obesity has been rejected after lots of R&D and I’m sure big hopes by the many people who struggle with obesity as well as the drug maker that this would make it to market after promising studies showed a substantial benefit in weight loss.

The drug combines two different drugs, one a stimulant which suppresses appetite and the other a medication that is meant to stop seizures (anti convulsant). The combination had high hopes for helping those that were having a hard time losing weight, but ultimately an FDA panel rejected it and recommended it not be approved to go to market in the weight loss industry.

The reason? Well, even though a pretty remarkable benefit was shown by those that were taking it versus those that were not, the risks outweigh the benefit and when that happens, as expected, the FDA has the right to reject it.

It actually was among several other hopeful diet drugs that were being presented to the FDA for possible approval, so we’ll see if any of the others will get through the fairly rigorous and sometimes considered ambiguous process of approval.

I must admit I find it odd that this drug was rejected and yet very serious medical pain relievers that are causing thousand of people to become almost instant addicts were approved without much ado.

However, I must say that the potential side effects are not good for Qnexa. Some of the ones that were identified were suicidal thoughts, increased heart rate and potential birth defects in women who bore children while on the drug or that had been on the drug (it is not clear exactly which one).

The primary reason behind the disapproval was the concern over safety and the lack of enough data to back up that it was safe enough to introduce to the general public. However, the studies showing it’s effectiveness impressed everyone, pretty much showing that it may have been the most effective weight loss drug on the market had it been approved.

Buttttt….there are always things we can do to improve ourselves. And thighs that are a little bigger than you want them can be quite a challenge. Not only that, the thighs are one of the most common complaints of women, because they are so hard to target and they are so hard to pare down.

One of the moves you can try, in conjunction with some really good interval cardio to get the fat off sooner as well, is a curtsy lunge. The curtsy lunge is a great thigh toner, because it targets those dreaded “saddle bags” that you carry on the sides of your thighs. You know, those lovely things that seems to spread out enormously when you sit down?

A curtsy lunge is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. You start off with your legs shoulder width apart. Then, you take your right leg first, behind your left, and bow into a sort of backwards bow, or curtsy. You will feel the sides of your thighs and your glutes tighten up when you do this move, and the better toned you are in this area, the more “pulled in” you will appear.

Now, don’t get me wrong, you cannot get rid of saddlebags just with exercise alone, you must combine this with eating right, because saddle bags are very stubborn. But you can definitely help tone and shape them by doing targeted exercises like the curtsy lunge. And they’re fun to do too!

Now, not every small town or city has the terrain good running mileage. Running can be quite boring when you run in circles on a football court. Interesting form of running is from one place to another without the need to make circles.

To compensate on running when the weather is not on your side, there are fitness equipment that gives the same exercise results as running in the comfort of your own home; The Treadmill and an Elliptical fitness machine.

What is the difference? First of all, lets make a note that both of the machines are perfect for fitness exercising, They both are able to make the body sweat as if you are running in the park. Sweating means that body workout is ‘on the right track’; blood circulation speeds up, lungs are practiced for better breathing, normalizing heart rate, and etc.

The difference is obvious: Elliptical fitness machines lynch the pain in your joints and ankles that you probably get while running. When on a treadmill, and when running classical style, knees and joints are experiencing impact every time the foot touches the ground. These impacts are quite small in the beginning, but after 10 minutes of running they seriously affect the stamina of your body.

Elliptical machines don’t make this kind of problem. They are designed to rotate the legs in the same manner as when running, without a foot impact on the ground. The feet remain stationary positioned on the pedals and make elliptical rotations.

Balance on the elliptical machine is maintained with two handles for the hands that move forward and backwards along with the movement of the legs. This is the difference between the elliptical machine and the treadmill; the elliptical machine includes the hands in the workout, while in running hands have no role.

But a good thing about a treadmill is that there is an option on it allowing you to lift the treadmill a little higher; simulating running uphill. This type of running is advanced in character and puts more pressure on the thigh muscles giving it more power.

The choice on which machine is better varies from athlete to athlete. Treadmills gives more strength and is much more challenging with the cost of joint pains; the elliptical machine is more for cardio workout excluding any pain in the joints or knees.

You do a lot of running back and forth in both of these games, and that’s where you get the majority of your workout done. It’s not so much hitting the volley ball or the birdie with your racket that works your body out, but it’s like basketball, you’re constantly running back and forth chasing the ball.

The last time I played volley ball, it was pretty hot outside, and I was really out of breath at the end of the game, and sweating a lot to boot. It’s a great way to brush up on your hand eye coordination and keep your mind sharp because your mind has to be “on” the whole time.

A badminton set with two rackets and two birdies will cost you only about five bucks at Wal-Mart. And, if you’ve already got a net, then all you need are the birdies and the rackets. And then, of course if you have a net, you just need to buy the volleyball to play a couple different sports at once.

Both games are really fun, and just about anyone can do them. They get you moving, and they’re a great conversation piece afterwards, so you’re not all just sitting around like bumps on a log instead of engaging in physical activity.

Make sure you wear good tennis shoes, because if you don’t, you’re feet will slip and slide all over, especially if you’re wearing flip flops, which is the mistake I made a couple weeks ago, I was slipping and sliding all over.I’m lucky I didn’t blow my ankle out!

If you want to get right down to it, just about every physical activity carries with it some sort of fairly obscure, rare risk with it. Even running on roads seems to be dangerous sometimes when you hear random stories about people getting hit with cars. But what are you supposed to do, be limited to only working out in your basement for physical activity, and never enjoying the great outdoors and the variety of fun, heart pumping activities it offers?

Heck, weight machines can fall over on you and malfunction if you want to get technical, anyways. The most recent scare tactic was a report that came out saying that people may be getting sick more after they went to the ocean. The trick was that the people that went for a dip in the water instead of just staying on the beach and soaking up the rays, actually had a higher incidence of getting things like stomach problems or even cold and flu symptoms more than the people who didn’t go for a dip.

Apparently the concern is the pollution and bacteria that might be in the water which can enter the body and make one sick. So what are you supposed to do, never go in the ocean even when you’re on a gorgeous vacation where the crystal blue water is beckoning? I don’t know guys, I call foul on this one. I’m going to take my chances, and the next time I’m near the ocean, I’m still going in, sickness be damned!

Gym classes in elementary schools are even being revamped to include more actual activity time for the kids, so that they get their exercise in every day at school, rather than sit like lumps on logs all day. If you ask me, this one is long overdue. I remember sitting in class all day and not being able to focus just because I had SO much energy to burn off as a kid and sitting their all day made me nervous and anxious, not to mention tired!

Kids need to run around, and with the advent of video games, I think we really started to see a drastic decrease in kids physical activity and a subsequent increase in obesity. Kids need to move around – period. Not only for their physical health, but also for their mental health.  We need to have kids on structure fitness programs when they are in school, as this should be part of the learning process and helping them to develop good habits, and how to actually enjoy physical fitness. If you ask me, it’s more important than half the classes they have kids taking now!

If we start with kids when they’re young teaching them things that they will love to do that gets them plenty of cardio exercise and getting their heart rate up, chances are that the rest of the healthy lifestyle like eating well and being mindful of other things will follow. If we make this part of their school regimen, then we are not just strictly putting it in the hands of parents who may or may not know how to teach their children the healthiest habits they can be teaching them.

This is the job of the schools, not just to teach the kids about math, but also to teach them how to live longer, happier and healthier lives. In the end, it would benefit kids in the UK and here in the US, and they would pass these same habits on to their kids, and so on and so forth.