• Safe, durable, easy to use & fun for all ages!
• Low impact aerobic workout great for stretching and flexibility
• Improves balance, coordination & mobility
• Strengthens & tones muscles used in gyms, rehabs & physical therapy
• Inflates easily with hand pump (sold separately)

Product DescriptionThe world’s best burst-resistant exercise ball is the perfect solution for both professional and home use. Trusted by physical therapists and personal trainers throughout the U. S. , every ability level can benefit from the stability challenge the FitBALL® exercise ball offers for flexibility, strength, and aerobic training. Absolutely round and weight tested to over 600 lbs. , the FitBALL exercise ball is made of a unique latex-free material designed to deflate slowly if punctured. You’ll feel the difference immediately when you sit on our firm, yet flexible FitBALL® exercise ball. Clinical packaging.

FitBALL Pearl Stability Ball, 55cm Black – No Pump

Ditch the Teflon

Who doesn’t love Teflon? Teflon coated pots and pans work beautifully — you have to work to make something to stick to it, and clean up is a breeze. What more could you ask for? Maybe cookware that doesn’t release six toxic chemicals, including at least one carcinogen. But that’s just me — I’m picky like that.

Here’s the problem. One of the chemicals that makes teflon work — known as PFOA, or perfluorooctanoate acids, just isn’t safe. A study by the Environmental Working Group, in collaboration with Commonweal in 2005 found chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of US-born infants including PFOA. A year later, researchers at John Hopkins Hospital repeated the study, finding PFOA in umbilical cord blood in 99% of 300 newborns tested.

The study’s co-author, Lynn Goldman, MD, explains, “This study confirms that, as we might have suspected, exposure to PFOS and PFOA is fairly universal; this is of particular concern because of the potential toxicity, especially developmental toxicity, for these chemicals and the lack of information about health risks at these exposure levels.”

An EPA advisory panel has tentatively labeled PFOA a “probable” cancer-causing agent. In response, in a voluntary agreement with the EPA, eight major manufacturers have agreed to eliminate 95 percent of PFOA emissions by 2010. The hold out? They still get to use the chemical for making non-stick finishes. Some countries aren’t waiting for the manufacturers to protect their citizens — they’re considering a ban on all products with PFOA.

Even scarier, DuPont, Teflon’s maker, has a brochure about not using non-stick cookware near birds. In a word — don’t. They’ll die. Talk about a canary in the coalmine — the substance kills birds in minutes, but is completely safe for me? I’m not buying into that.

PFOA is a particular concern for a couple more reasons… it stays in the body and builds up over time, and the greatest damage is likely to be done to our smallest and most vulnerable family members — our children.

Safety tip: If you must use your Teflon cookware, the biggest danger is when the nonstick coatings are over-heated, so only cook foods at low heat. Dupont itself warns that exposure to the cookware at high heat
(approximately 500 degrees) can lead to “polymer fever,” a flu-like illness that may last several days.

Well-known brand names containing PFOA include Stainmaster, Scotchgard, SilverStone, Fluron, Supra, Excalibur, Greblon, Xylon, Duracote, Resistal, Autograph and T-Fal.

When you are ready to replace your Teflon pans with safer versions, don’t just throw them away. Consider selling them to a local metal recycling business instead. These pans are categorized as “dirty aluminum” which pays less than aluminum, but at least the material is kept out of landfills.

Aluminum Alert

Ok, you’ve ditched your Teflon, so what’s left? Almost everyone has aluminum cookware in their kitchen cupboards. It seems like a perfect choice: affordable, light-weight, and thermally responsive. But aluminum is reactive too, which means acidic foods like onions and tomatoes absorb aluminum while you cook. Heat up some tomato sauce in an aluminum pan and you can expect to serve 3-6 mg of aluminum per 100 g serving.

So what’s the problem with a little aluminum in your diet? The issue has raged for decades, but recent research continues to confirm aluminum can cause neurologic harm.

In a recent study reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, daily aluminum intake of as little as 0.1 milligrams was associated with a greater cognitive decline over the course of the study. In fact, subjects with a high daily aluminum intake more than doubled their risk of dementia.

Safety tip: Keep aluminum cookware in good condition. The more pitted and worn out the pot, the greater the amount of aluminum will be absorbed into your food. Minimize food storage time in aluminum and avoid cooking highly acidic foods in aluminum. Also consider using a good water filter. Some areas have dangerously high levels of aluminum in everyday tap water.

Safer Cookware

Great, we’ve just emptied our cabinets of pretty much all our everyday cookware. What are we expected to cook on now? Here’s a few popular alternatives that carry less risk to your health:

Cast Iron

The original “non-stick” cookware is a well-seasoned cast iron pan. Cast iron can be used to cook at even very high temperatures, with the ability to diffuse and retain heat very well. It even has a health benefit by leaching a small amount of dietary iron into the food.

Enameled cast iron pans are also available. While they can be a little pricey, the enamel coating prevents rusting and eliminates the need for seasoning the pan.

Glass

Glass is the most inert of all cookware. In other words, it doesn’t absorb odors and flavors from foods you cook in it, and therefore doesn’t leach them back into a later dish. For that matter, it doesn’t leach anything else into your food either, good or bad. It’s a great choice, safe for all ingredients, since acidic foods won’t react in glass cookware the way they will in some metal-based pans.

Stainless steel

Very durable, stainless steel browns foods better than non-stick pans. In their 2001 review of sauté pans, Cooks Illustrated chose a stainless steel pan over otherwise identical non-stick models. Stainless steel pans, typically made of an alloy of chromium, iron, and sometimes nickel, does not affect flavor of foods and is fairly easy to clean. However, it will leach metals, including nickel, and should be avoided by anyone with a nickel allergy.

References

Apelberg BJ, et al. Determinants of fetal exposure to polyfluoroalkyl compounds in Baltimore, Maryland. Environmental Science & Technology. 2007 Jun 1;41(11):3891-7.

DuPont. Key Questions About Teflon? non-sticks. Accessed online 2010 Jul 25.

Cannata JB, et al. Aluminium hydroxide intake: real risk of aluminium toxicity. British Medical Journal (Clinical research ed.). 1983 Jun 18;286(6382):1937-8.

Rondeau V, et al. Aluminum and silica in drinking water and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or cognitive decline: findings from 15-year follow-up of the PAQUID cohort. American journal of epidemiology. 2009 Feb 15;169(4):489-96.

Related posts:

1. 3 Vegetables that Fight Abdominal Fat
2. The lies on TV are making people fat
3. Heavy Metal: Dangerous to Your Health

• A new full-color, instruction guide with the most up-to-date exercise positions is included
• Gradual deflation time of 8-10 minutes when punctured under a constant load of 250 lbs
• Provides an extra margin of safety for users such as pregnant women and the eldery
• Available in four sizes to accommodate users from 4′ 7″ to 6′ 8″ tall
• Clinic packaging (in polybag, not retail box). Pumps sold separately.

Product DescriptionThera-Band® SDS® Exercise Ball (replaced by Pro Series SCP)

The Thera-Band® Pro Series SCPTM Exercise Ball is the latest offering in ball technology. Four common sizes are available for a custom fit. Each exercise ball comes with two plugs and an inflation adapter, along with the Thera-Band® Exercise Ball Guide Poster detailing 24 exercises.

Choose the Thera-Band Exercise Ball that best suits your individual needs.
coordination and strengthen the abdomen, back, chest, arms, thighs, legs and buttocks. Uses for the Thera-Band Ball include: exercise, gym, balance, fitness, yoga, pilates, resistance and stability. Clinic packaging (in polybag). Pump not included.

Thera-band Blue 75cm Slow Deflate System Pro-Series Anti-Burst Exercise Ball

• Burst-resistant over 300 lbs
• Workout DVD included
• Designed to deflate slowly if punctured
• Use for fitness & strength training, core stability, yoga, stretching and balance
• Improve back & core health while sitting at home or office

Amazon. com Product DescriptionFrom aerobic exercises to strength training and Pilates to yoga, this Burst-Resistant Exercise Ball from Natural Fitness can be used to promote core strength for all ages and ability levels. As an added benefit, this ball is composed of non-toxic vinyl. As a part of their commitment to provide health-conscious and environmentally-friendly fitness products, Natural Fitness has developed a non-toxic, phthalate free plasticizer for their PVC-based products. This new plasticizer is safer for the user and better for the environment. This 75-centimeter ball is recommended for people 6′2″ or taller and includes a workout DVD with fitness expert Andrea Metcalf, to guide you through both beginner and advanced workouts. About the Zero Impact Program One of Natural Fitness’s founding principles is to tread lightly on the earth. They aim to offset the environmental impact that results from the manufacturing and distribution of their products. To achieve this, the company created their Zero Impact Program (ZIP). While Natural Fitness is always looking for new and creative ways to offset their eco-footprint, here’s is what the company is currently doing: Plant-A-Tree Initiative: For every product sold, Natural Fitness will fund the planting of a tree, which can remove up to 2,000 pounds of pollution from the atmosphere. Through various partner organizations, the company hopes to improve the lives of people around the world by implementing sustainable land-use programs utilizing the trees provided. Locations for planting trees vary; but past projects have been conducted throughout Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Each location and project is researched and developed to implement the most effective plan possible; one that is best for the people and eco-system involved. Offsetting the eco-footprint of their employees and offices. Offering the most environmentally-friendly products available. Use a “green” web host company that utilizes solar panels to power its data center and office. Partnering with like-minded companies to raise public awareness about the environmental problems created through use of fossil fuels and other non-sustainable practices. Using recycled content paper in business cards, letterhead, envelopes, labels, checks, and printer/copier paper. All of the product packaging and inserts that Natural Fitness uses are made with recycled paper. Using recycled packaging materials and boxes in the company’s warehouse. They also pack with old newspapers and other recyclable paper products. Helped create the Chicago Biodiesel Co-op, which educated, promotes, and produces locally-derived biofuels. Greening the company’s comprehensive recycling program and using natural light when possible. Spearheaded an ambitious recycling program for the 500,000 square foot office building Natural Fitness occupies, along with 60 companies.

Natural Fitness 75cm Burst-Resistant Exercise Ball