REGULAR FEATURES:

alive magazine Visit Our Learning Center

healthy recipies Healthy Recipes

alive magazine Alive Magazine



Subscription

Our strict privacy policy keeps your email address 100% safe & secure.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Higher Resting Heart Rate, Higher Risk of Death

Posted April 30, 2013

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Cardiovascular Week — A resting heart rate – the number of heart beats per minute – is determined by an individual’s level of physical fitness, circulating hormones, and the autonomic nervous system. A rate at rest of between 60 and 100 beats per minute is considered normal.

People who are very physically active tend to have a low heart rate at rest, but the authors wanted to find out if heart rate had any bearing on an individual’s risk of death, irrespective of their level of cardiorespiratory fitness.

They therefore tracked the health of just under 3000 men for 16 years, all of whom were part of the Copenhagen Male Study. This was set up in 1970-71 to monitor the cardiovascular health of middle aged men at 14 large companies in Copenhagen.

In 1971 all participants were interviewed by a doctor about their health and lifestyle, including smoking and exercise, and given a check-up. Their cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed using a cycling test, set at three different levels of exertion.

In 1985-6, just under 3000 of these original participants were given a further check-up, to include measurements of height, weight, blood pressure, blood fats and blood glucose. Their resting heart rate was also recorded (ECG and VO2Max).

Sixteen years later in 2001, the researchers checked national Danish registers to find out which of these men had survived. Almost four out of 10 (39%; 1082) of the men had died by 2001.

Unsurprisingly, a high resting heart rate was associated with lower levels of physical fitness, higher blood pressure and weight, and higher levels of circulating blood fats. Similarly, men who were physically active tended to have lower resting heart rates.

But the results showed that the higher the resting heart rate, the higher was the risk of death, irrespective of fitness level.

After adjusting for factors likely to influence the results, a resting heart rate of between 51 and 80 beats per minute was associated with a 40 to 50% increased risk of death, while one between 81 and 90 beats per minute doubled the risk, compared with those with the lowest rate. A resting heart rate above 90 beats per minute tripled the risk.

On the basis of their findings, the authors calculated that every 10 to 22 additional beats per minute in resting heart rate increased the risk of death by 16%, overall.

When smoking was factored in, this showed that every 12 to 27 additional heartbeats per minute increased a smoker’s risk by 20%, with a 14% increase in risk for every additional 4 to 24 beats per minute for non-smokers.

The authors say that a great deal of attention has focused on resting heart rate as an indicator of longevity, but that it has not been clear whether a high rate is simply an indicator of low levels of physical fitness.

But they conclude: “We found that irrespective of level of physical fitness, subjects with high resting heart rates fare worse than subjects with lower heart rates. This suggests that a high resting heart rate is not a mere marker of poor physical fitness, but is an independent risk factor.”

Keywords for this news article include: Heart Rate, Hemodynamics, BMJ-British Medical Journal (see also BMJ-British Medical Journal).

Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world. Copyright 2013, NewsRx LLC

To see more of the NewsRx.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.newsrx.com .

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Cardiovascular Week -- A resting heart rate - the number of heart beats per minute - is determined by an individual's level of physical fitness, circulating hormones, and the autonomic nervous system. A rate at rest of between 60 and 100 beats per minute is considered normal.

People who are very physically active tend to have a low heart rate at rest, but the authors wanted to find out if heart rate had any bearing on an individual's risk of death, irrespective of their level of cardiorespiratory fitness.

They therefore tracked the health of just under 3000 men for 16 years, all of whom were part of the Copenhagen Male Study. This was set up in 1970-71 to monitor the cardiovascular health of middle aged men at 14 large companies in Copenhagen.

In 1971 all participants were interviewed by a doctor about their health and lifestyle, including smoking and exercise, and given a check-up. Their cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed using a cycling test, set at three different levels of exertion.

In 1985-6, just under 3000 of these original participants were given a further check-up, to include measurements of height, weight, blood pressure, blood fats and blood glucose. Their resting heart rate was also recorded (ECG and VO2Max).

Sixteen years later in 2001, the researchers checked national Danish registers to find out which of these men had survived. Almost four out of 10 (39%; 1082) of the men had died by 2001.

Unsurprisingly, a high resting heart rate was associated with lower levels of physical fitness, higher blood pressure and weight, and higher levels of circulating blood fats. Similarly, men who were physically active tended to have lower resting heart rates.

But the results showed that the higher the resting heart rate, the higher was the risk of death, irrespective of fitness level.

After adjusting for factors likely to influence the results, a resting heart rate of between 51 and 80 beats per minute was associated with a 40 to 50% increased risk of death, while one between 81 and 90 beats per minute doubled the risk, compared with those with the lowest rate. A resting heart rate above 90 beats per minute tripled the risk.

On the basis of their findings, the authors calculated that every 10 to 22 additional beats per minute in resting heart rate increased the risk of death by 16%, overall.

When smoking was factored in, this showed that every 12 to 27 additional heartbeats per minute increased a smoker's risk by 20%, with a 14% increase in risk for every additional 4 to 24 beats per minute for non-smokers.

The authors say that a great deal of attention has focused on resting heart rate as an indicator of longevity, but that it has not been clear whether a high rate is simply an indicator of low levels of physical fitness.

But they conclude: "We found that irrespective of level of physical fitness, subjects with high resting heart rates fare worse than subjects with lower heart rates. This suggests that a high resting heart rate is not a mere marker of poor physical fitness, but is an independent risk factor."

Keywords for this news article include: Heart Rate, Hemodynamics, BMJ-British Medical Journal (see also BMJ-British Medical Journal).

Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world. Copyright 2013, NewsRx LLC

To see more of the NewsRx.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.newsrx.com .

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,



Back to top

High Tech Fitness Tools

Posted March 5, 2013

Whitney Shaw is training for a marathon — and her friends know every single detail.

She tracks the distance and time of every run on the social network DailyMile, posts her proudest achievements to Facebook and maintains a thoughtful account of her fitness and nutrition efforts on a Tumblr blog.

“My friends know my weekly mileage,” said Shaw, 26. “If I’m not hitting that, I hear about it.”

The Minneapolis resident is among millions of Americans counting on mobile apps, social media and wearable tech gizmos to lose weight or get fit. These digital tools promise a combination of high-tech habit tracking and positive peer pressure that users say helps them shed pounds faster. But the apps also make oversharing too easy, prompting eye rolls among those checking Twitter from the couch.

One in five American smartphone owners have downloaded at least one health or fitness app, according to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, and there are more than 13,000 apps in that category in the iTunes store. DailyMile, which draws data from different apps, claims users have logged more than 12 million workouts.

Altogether, this tech trend takes what once was mostly private — every calorie consumed, step taken or pound lost — and turns it into public discussion. Apps often link to Facebook and Twitter, automatically posting details of the latest run or even a user’s weight for all to see. That can be encouraging, annoying or embarrassing.

“My worst nightmare is that I will tweet my weight,” said Meghan Wilker, co-host of the Minneapolis-based Geek Girls Guide podcast and a co-worker of Shaw’s at Clockwork Interactive Media. “It’s too easy to share something embarrassing when you automate everything.”

Share with caution

Shaw, inspired by Wilker and other tech-savvy co-workers, started running a year ago. But she’s mindful of what she shares online. Not everyone is interested in her daily training updates, she said.

“I’m pretty sure I would’ve had many friends ‘unfriending’ me on Facebook if I published on Facebook everything I put on Tumblr,” Shaw said. “It can be too much.”

She posts milestones to Facebook with links to Tumblr and DailyMile, for those who want more detail. On DailyMile, for example, Shaw recently posted an easy 4.4-mile treadmill run that took 41 minutes with the note, “Finished my movie, got my miles. Week 6 of #marathontraining is already here!”

Other DailyMile members can leave comments (usually encouraging) and give “motivations,” which are the equivalent of “likes” on Facebook.

Yet even on this niche social network, Shaw thinks carefully before posting, lest she hurt someone’s feelings or appear to be bragging.

“I was really slow when I first started running,” she said. Now her times are much faster. “You don’t want to be an elitist.”

While she’s vigilant about turning off the autoposting function of her fitness apps, not all people do.

Lee Hersh, who teaches yoga and blogs about health and fitness at www.fitfoodiefinds.com, said sharing on the right social platforms can serve both as a personal reminder and an encouragement for others to make healthier choices. She regularly documents her meals and snacks on Twitter and

Whitney Shaw is training for a marathon -- and her friends know every single detail.

She tracks the distance and time of every run on the social network DailyMile, posts her proudest achievements to Facebook and maintains a thoughtful account of her fitness and nutrition efforts on a Tumblr blog.

"My friends know my weekly mileage," said Shaw, 26. "If I'm not hitting that, I hear about it."

The Minneapolis resident is among millions of Americans counting on mobile apps, social media and wearable tech gizmos to lose weight or get fit. These digital tools promise a combination of high-tech habit tracking and positive peer pressure that users say helps them shed pounds faster. But the apps also make oversharing too easy, prompting eye rolls among those checking Twitter from the couch.

One in five American smartphone owners have downloaded at least one health or fitness app, according to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, and there are more than 13,000 apps in that category in the iTunes store. DailyMile, which draws data from different apps, claims users have logged more than 12 million workouts.

Altogether, this tech trend takes what once was mostly private -- every calorie consumed, step taken or pound lost -- and turns it into public discussion. Apps often link to Facebook and Twitter, automatically posting details of the latest run or even a user's weight for all to see. That can be encouraging, annoying or embarrassing.

"My worst nightmare is that I will tweet my weight," said Meghan Wilker, co-host of the Minneapolis-based Geek Girls Guide podcast and a co-worker of Shaw's at Clockwork Interactive Media. "It's too easy to share something embarrassing when you automate everything."

Share with caution

Shaw, inspired by Wilker and other tech-savvy co-workers, started running a year ago. But she's mindful of what she shares online. Not everyone is interested in her daily training updates, she said.

"I'm pretty sure I would've had many friends 'unfriending' me on Facebook if I published on Facebook everything I put on Tumblr," Shaw said. "It can be too much."

She posts milestones to Facebook with links to Tumblr and DailyMile, for those who want more detail. On DailyMile, for example, Shaw recently posted an easy 4.4-mile treadmill run that took 41 minutes with the note, "Finished my movie, got my miles. Week 6 of #marathontraining is already here!"

Other DailyMile members can leave comments (usually encouraging) and give "motivations," which are the equivalent of "likes" on Facebook.

Yet even on this niche social network, Shaw thinks carefully before posting, lest she hurt someone's feelings or appear to be bragging.

"I was really slow when I first started running," she said. Now her times are much faster. "You don't want to be an elitist."

While she's vigilant about turning off the autoposting function of her fitness apps, not all people do.

Lee Hersh, who teaches yoga and blogs about health and fitness at www.fitfoodiefinds.com, said sharing on the right social platforms can serve both as a personal reminder and an encouragement for others to make healthier choices. She regularly documents her meals and snacks on Twitter and

Tags: , , ,



Back to top

Lifestyle Changes Lead to Weight Loss and Fewer Medical Problems

Posted Feb 22, 2013

Deloris Brown, 46, said the most important part of her losing more than 70 pounds was making the decision.

She had some help, though. She wrestled with pre-diabetes, asthma and an autoimmune disease that often saw her in an emergency room as her immune system turned on her.

But that’s over, now, she said.

“I can’t remember when I last used my inhaler,” Brown said. “And I’m saving money because I haven’t had to buy the asthma medicine — and that was $140 for 30 pills.”

She put on pounds over the years because of her diet, which included a lot of stress eating and fried food, and the Prednisone, a drug she took for asthma and to fight off the autoimmune reactions. Weight gain and high blood glucose levels are a side effect of the drug.

Brown used a weight-loss method that scares a lot of people: She changed her diet, ate less and exercises nearly every day.

Brown decided in mid-2011 to lose weight, when she saw the first announcement for a new program called “Tread the Med” at the Washington University School of Medicine where Brown works.

“I’d been wanting to lose weight, so (friends and co-worker) formed a team to participate,” she said. The program assigned participants to walk 10,000 steps a day by walking around the hospital campus and other walking.

Tread the Med was “an initiative to get employees up and walking so they could have exercise in their daily lives,” said Betsy Snyder, wellness coordinator for Washington University School of Medicine. “We chose walking because so many people can do it and it’s so easy to do, the benefits are numerous and it leads to a less stressful walk.”

Each participant gets a pedometer with a goal of 10,000 steps per day for 100 days, Snyder said. People can build up to the goal while some are able to do 10,000 steps, she said.

“The purpose was that if you walk or do anything for 100 days, it becomes a habit,” she said. “Hopefully people continue walking after the program.”

That’s what Brown did. She joined the first session more than a year ago, then joined the second session.

During that second session, though, she had an asthma attack that set off the autoimmune disease. She had hives, rashes and other things that came with allergy attacks plus the asthma, she said.

“I knew then I had to lose weight, something to get my health under control,” she said.

She approached a childhood friend, Briant K. Mitchell, who ran a fitness center in Jamestown Mall. “She came to me crying,” he said. “I told her if she follows my program, she’ll get rid of the weight and be healthier.”

Mitchell says he caters mainly to people whose health depends on dropping weight. “Most of my clients have diabetes or pre-diabetes and hypertension,” he said. He and two physicians who were clients of his, created the eating program that Brown adopted.

“It’s the right amount of carbohydrates, nutritious food, six small meals a day,” he said, “and exercise for an hour four times a week.”

That was last spring. By the end of summer, she was missing 70 pounds. More importantly, her health numbers had improved and her asthma and autoimmune symptoms had vanished.

She said she might have weighed more than 229 pounds. “But that was the first time she weighed.”

She still works out with Mitchell and was in the second round of the Tread to Med program when she joined the fitness program. She’s in the third session now.

Each day she walks around the medical school with friends and co-workers. “That’s what’s good about this,” she said. “People asked how I did it and then they joined me and started walking too.”

The best part is that she feels better, she said. “I can do more, I have more energy and I feel so much better,” she said.

“My daughter told me when I lost the weight, Mama, I can get my arms around you now.”

Do you know a “How I did it?”

Suggest a candidate to:

Email — harry.jackson@post-dispatch.com

Phone — 314-340-8234′

©2013 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at www.stltoday.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

Deloris Brown, 46, said the most important part of her losing more than 70 pounds was making the decision.

She had some help, though. She wrestled with pre-diabetes, asthma and an autoimmune disease that often saw her in an emergency room as her immune system turned on her.

But that's over, now, she said.

"I can't remember when I last used my inhaler," Brown said. "And I'm saving money because I haven't had to buy the asthma medicine -- and that was $140 for 30 pills."

She put on pounds over the years because of her diet, which included a lot of stress eating and fried food, and the Prednisone, a drug she took for asthma and to fight off the autoimmune reactions. Weight gain and high blood glucose levels are a side effect of the drug.

Brown used a weight-loss method that scares a lot of people: She changed her diet, ate less and exercises nearly every day.

Brown decided in mid-2011 to lose weight, when she saw the first announcement for a new program called "Tread the Med" at the Washington University School of Medicine where Brown works.

"I'd been wanting to lose weight, so (friends and co-worker) formed a team to participate," she said. The program assigned participants to walk 10,000 steps a day by walking around the hospital campus and other walking.

Tread the Med was "an initiative to get employees up and walking so they could have exercise in their daily lives," said Betsy Snyder, wellness coordinator for Washington University School of Medicine. "We chose walking because so many people can do it and it's so easy to do, the benefits are numerous and it leads to a less stressful walk."

Each participant gets a pedometer with a goal of 10,000 steps per day for 100 days, Snyder said. People can build up to the goal while some are able to do 10,000 steps, she said.

"The purpose was that if you walk or do anything for 100 days, it becomes a habit," she said. "Hopefully people continue walking after the program."

That's what Brown did. She joined the first session more than a year ago, then joined the second session.

During that second session, though, she had an asthma attack that set off the autoimmune disease. She had hives, rashes and other things that came with allergy attacks plus the asthma, she said.

"I knew then I had to lose weight, something to get my health under control," she said.

She approached a childhood friend, Briant K. Mitchell, who ran a fitness center in Jamestown Mall. "She came to me crying," he said. "I told her if she follows my program, she'll get rid of the weight and be healthier."

Mitchell says he caters mainly to people whose health depends on dropping weight. "Most of my clients have diabetes or pre-diabetes and hypertension," he said. He and two physicians who were clients of his, created the eating program that Brown adopted.

"It's the right amount of carbohydrates, nutritious food, six small meals a day," he said, "and exercise for an hour four times a week."

That was last spring. By the end of summer, she was missing 70 pounds. More importantly, her health numbers had improved and her asthma and autoimmune symptoms had vanished.

She said she might have weighed more than 229 pounds. "But that was the first time she weighed."

She still works out with Mitchell and was in the second round of the Tread to Med program when she joined the fitness program. She's in the third session now.

Each day she walks around the medical school with friends and co-workers. "That's what's good about this," she said. "People asked how I did it and then they joined me and started walking too."

The best part is that she feels better, she said. "I can do more, I have more energy and I feel so much better," she said.

"My daughter told me when I lost the weight, Mama, I can get my arms around you now."

Do you know a "How I did it?"

Suggest a candidate to:

Email -- harry.jackson@post-dispatch.com

Phone -- 314-340-8234'

©2013 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at www.stltoday.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,



Back to top

Many Struggle with Eating and Exercise Disorders

Posted April 30, 2012

A healthier heart, greater bone density, strength and muscle mass, decreased body fat and stress reduction are just a few of the benefits of an exercise program. The key to enjoying safe, long-lasting benefits and results, however, is to recognize and understand the difference between training and over-training.

Although not widely publicized, a growing number of people struggle with an obsessive and compulsive need to exercise. Those with body-image illnesses are particularly preoccupied with the notion that they do not “measure up.” Within this mindset, diet and exercise can be a means to fix a perceived flaw, rather than for purposes of good health.

One body-image disorder that often goes hand in hand with compulsive exercise is anorexia nervosa, which is characterized by a preoccupation with weight, size and dieting.

According to the Mayo Clinic, anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and the food they eat. People with anorexia nervosa attempt to maintain a weight that’s far below normal for their age and height. To prevent weight gain or to continue losing weight, people with anorexia nervosa may starve themselves or exercise excessively.

Often suffering with low self-esteem, compulsive exercise and food restriction may be used as a form of self-punishment for eating too many calories, not performing well on a test or at work, annoying a friend or family member, etc. Obsessive workout sessions are usually extremely long in duration and/or high in intensity, and often contain a ritualistic aspect .

Symptoms of anorexia nervosa and compulsive exercise may include fear of body fat and gaining weight, misperception of self (not seeing themselves as they really are), desire to become thinner and thinner, and in females, loss of menstrual periods.

Other warning signs include working out with injuries or when sick, extreme worry or mood swings if sessions are missed, and the need to work out more than once a day or for many hours per day.

Those with compulsive exercise disorders become anxious and feel extreme guilt when they are unable to work out, and rarely find it fun or enjoyable.

Treatment of obsessive-compulsive exercise and other body-image disorders is extremely important. Without intervention, health and physical safety, emotional well-being and many other areas of life are affected considerably.

Obsessive-compulsive illness affects both men and women, and it should be noted that body weight alone is not always a marker of the condition. Spotting such clues usually comes from someone close to the person. This may be a family member, friend, teacher, coach or anyone else familiar with warning signs.

Marjie Gilliam is a certified personal trainer and fitness consultant. Email: marjie@ohtrainer.com. This article appeared in the Dayton Daily News.

A healthier heart, greater bone density, strength and muscle mass, decreased body fat and stress reduction are just a few of the benefits of an exercise program. The key to enjoying safe, long-lasting benefits and results, however, is to recognize and understand the difference between training and over-training.

Although not widely publicized, a growing number of people struggle with an obsessive and compulsive need to exercise. Those with body-image illnesses are particularly preoccupied with the notion that they do not "measure up." Within this mindset, diet and exercise can be a means to fix a perceived flaw, rather than for purposes of good health.

One body-image disorder that often goes hand in hand with compulsive exercise is anorexia nervosa, which is characterized by a preoccupation with weight, size and dieting.

According to the Mayo Clinic, anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and the food they eat. People with anorexia nervosa attempt to maintain a weight that's far below normal for their age and height. To prevent weight gain or to continue losing weight, people with anorexia nervosa may starve themselves or exercise excessively.

Often suffering with low self-esteem, compulsive exercise and food restriction may be used as a form of self-punishment for eating too many calories, not performing well on a test or at work, annoying a friend or family member, etc. Obsessive workout sessions are usually extremely long in duration and/or high in intensity, and often contain a ritualistic aspect .

Symptoms of anorexia nervosa and compulsive exercise may include fear of body fat and gaining weight, misperception of self (not seeing themselves as they really are), desire to become thinner and thinner, and in females, loss of menstrual periods.

Other warning signs include working out with injuries or when sick, extreme worry or mood swings if sessions are missed, and the need to work out more than once a day or for many hours per day.

Those with compulsive exercise disorders become anxious and feel extreme guilt when they are unable to work out, and rarely find it fun or enjoyable.

Treatment of obsessive-compulsive exercise and other body-image disorders is extremely important. Without intervention, health and physical safety, emotional well-being and many other areas of life are affected considerably.

Obsessive-compulsive illness affects both men and women, and it should be noted that body weight alone is not always a marker of the condition. Spotting such clues usually comes from someone close to the person. This may be a family member, friend, teacher, coach or anyone else familiar with warning signs.

Marjie Gilliam is a certified personal trainer and fitness consultant. Email: marjie@ohtrainer.com. This article appeared in the Dayton Daily News.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,



Back to top

Don’t Let Travel Be a Pain in the Neck

Posted April 6, 2012

According to a study by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, some of the most common causes of back and neck pain include lying, sitting or standing in awkward positions for prolonged periods of time, such as during long car rides, extended flights or sleeping on a mattress that doesn’t provide proper support.

Classic mistakes travelers make include overpacking, which can lead to needless back strain when pulling and lifting suitcases, wearing the wrong footwear and scheduling more physical activity into their trip than they are accustomed to.

More than 26 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 64 experience frequent back pain. It is also the leading cause of disability in Americans younger than 45.

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control show that adults with low back pain were three times as likely to be in fair or poor health and more than four times as likely to experience serious psychological distress as people without low back pain.

Dr. Jay M. Lipoff, a certified fitness trainer (see www.backatyour best.com), offers these travel tips to help keep your spine healthy:

Sit right. Adjusting your car seat can help you avoid stiffness, strains and soreness after a long drive. It should be tilted slightly backward and knees elevated slightly higher than the hips. If possible, take breaks and get up and move around, stretching your legs and back.

Protect your neck. The American Chiropractic Association estimates that more than 75 percent of drivers have their headrest at an inappropriate height. Reduce your chances of whiplash by raising the headrest so the middle of it meets the back of your head.

Grab the wheel. Most of us are taught to drive with our hands at the 10 and 2 o’clock position. That’s correct, as long as you drop your elbows so your arms and shoulders can relax. Alternatively, lower your steering wheel, grab the wheel at the 8 and 4 o’clock position, and use the armrest, if you have one, or rest your arms on your legs.

Stretch your neck. At stoplights or rest stops, do neck exercises. Examples are gentle side-to-side head turns or moving the ear toward the shoulder.

Start out slowly. When the back is idle for 20 minutes or longer, fluids creep back into the disc. As fluids enlarge the disc, it becomes more vulnerable. So when you arrive at your destination after a long drive, instead of jumping right out of the car, take a few minutes to just do some gentle stretches, reducing the fluid buildup in your disc area.

Lighten your load. Before you even get into that crowded and cramped airplane seat, you face a bigger hazard: luggage. Pack as lightly as you can manage and take advantage of curbside check-in if available so you don’t have to haul the bags yourself. A few bucks as a tip to keep your back healthy? Priceless.

Balance your load. When you carry bags, try to balance the load, a roller in one hand, your hand luggage in the other. On long walks through airports, trade sides regularly. If your suitcase has wheels, load everything on it and push rather than pull it. Pushing keeps the weight in front of you centrally, giving you better control.

Fly in comfort. Onboard the plane, place a neck pillow or rolled- up blanket or towel behind your neck to support it so the headrest isn’t pushing your head forward. Do the same behind your lower back to support the lumbar spine. If possible, use your carry-on like a footstool to raise your knees above the level of your hips. For reading, pull out the tray and place a pillow or your rolled-up jacket on it, then put your reading material on top so you don’t have to look downward to read.

Have some pillow talk. If you have a favorite pillow and can afford the luggage space, bring it along, because many hotel pillows can be quite uncomfortable. Your goal with the pillow you choose is to keep your neck in a neutral position, one that is similar to when you are standing or looking straight ahead. The idea is to support your neck so it’s in alignment with your spine, not bent forward.

Marjie Gilliam is an International Sports Sciences Master certified personal trainer and fitness consultant. She owns Custom Fitness Personal Training Services, LLC. Write to her in care of the Dayton Daily News, call her at (937) 878-9018 or send email to marjie@ohtrainer.com. Her website is at www.ohtrainer.com.

According to a study by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, some of the most common causes of back and neck pain include lying, sitting or standing in awkward positions for prolonged periods of time, such as during long car rides, extended flights or sleeping on a mattress that doesn't provide proper support.

Classic mistakes travelers make include overpacking, which can lead to needless back strain when pulling and lifting suitcases, wearing the wrong footwear and scheduling more physical activity into their trip than they are accustomed to.

More than 26 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 64 experience frequent back pain. It is also the leading cause of disability in Americans younger than 45.

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control show that adults with low back pain were three times as likely to be in fair or poor health and more than four times as likely to experience serious psychological distress as people without low back pain.

Dr. Jay M. Lipoff, a certified fitness trainer (see www.backatyour best.com), offers these travel tips to help keep your spine healthy:

Sit right. Adjusting your car seat can help you avoid stiffness, strains and soreness after a long drive. It should be tilted slightly backward and knees elevated slightly higher than the hips. If possible, take breaks and get up and move around, stretching your legs and back.

Protect your neck. The American Chiropractic Association estimates that more than 75 percent of drivers have their headrest at an inappropriate height. Reduce your chances of whiplash by raising the headrest so the middle of it meets the back of your head.

Grab the wheel. Most of us are taught to drive with our hands at the 10 and 2 o'clock position. That's correct, as long as you drop your elbows so your arms and shoulders can relax. Alternatively, lower your steering wheel, grab the wheel at the 8 and 4 o'clock position, and use the armrest, if you have one, or rest your arms on your legs.

Stretch your neck. At stoplights or rest stops, do neck exercises. Examples are gentle side-to-side head turns or moving the ear toward the shoulder.

Start out slowly. When the back is idle for 20 minutes or longer, fluids creep back into the disc. As fluids enlarge the disc, it becomes more vulnerable. So when you arrive at your destination after a long drive, instead of jumping right out of the car, take a few minutes to just do some gentle stretches, reducing the fluid buildup in your disc area.

Lighten your load. Before you even get into that crowded and cramped airplane seat, you face a bigger hazard: luggage. Pack as lightly as you can manage and take advantage of curbside check-in if available so you don't have to haul the bags yourself. A few bucks as a tip to keep your back healthy? Priceless.

Balance your load. When you carry bags, try to balance the load, a roller in one hand, your hand luggage in the other. On long walks through airports, trade sides regularly. If your suitcase has wheels, load everything on it and push rather than pull it. Pushing keeps the weight in front of you centrally, giving you better control.

Fly in comfort. Onboard the plane, place a neck pillow or rolled- up blanket or towel behind your neck to support it so the headrest isn't pushing your head forward. Do the same behind your lower back to support the lumbar spine. If possible, use your carry-on like a footstool to raise your knees above the level of your hips. For reading, pull out the tray and place a pillow or your rolled-up jacket on it, then put your reading material on top so you don't have to look downward to read.

Have some pillow talk. If you have a favorite pillow and can afford the luggage space, bring it along, because many hotel pillows can be quite uncomfortable. Your goal with the pillow you choose is to keep your neck in a neutral position, one that is similar to when you are standing or looking straight ahead. The idea is to support your neck so it's in alignment with your spine, not bent forward.

Marjie Gilliam is an International Sports Sciences Master certified personal trainer and fitness consultant. She owns Custom Fitness Personal Training Services, LLC. Write to her in care of the Dayton Daily News, call her at (937) 878-9018 or send email to marjie@ohtrainer.com. Her website is at www.ohtrainer.com.

Tags: , , , , , ,



Back to top

The Right Snacks Can Help Manage Weight

Posted April 4, 2012

Snacking can be a help or a hindrance when it comes to managing your weight.

Reasonable snacking can stave off hunger and prevent overeating at meals. But the problem seems to be in determining what is reasonable.

Americans snack more now than in past decades. A study done at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and published in The Journal of Nutrition compared data about snacking from national health surveys done between 1977 and 2006. During this time, Americans increased the percent of calories from snacking from 18 percent of total calories in 1977 to 24 percent of total calories in 2006. Twenty-four percent of calories from snacking equates to about 600 calories per day.

And what Americans snack on has changed. There has been a huge increase in salty snacks, both the low- and high-fat versions, from 2 percent of total snacking calories in 1977 to just more than 14 percent of total snacking calories in 2006.

Consumption of candy, nuts and seeds and cereals also increased. The amount of snacking on high-fat desserts, like cake, decreased, but snacking on low-fat desserts, like reduced-fat cookies, increased.

Surprisingly, consumption of regular sodas remained about the same, but intake of fruit drinks and sports drinks increased. Consumption of fresh fruit, recommended by most health professionals as part of a healthy snack, decreased. During this time period, obesity rates have dramatically increased.

Maybe Americans snack so much because food is so widely available and so heavily advertised. According to Mintel Menu Insights, a consumer market research firm, menu items at restaurants classified as a “snack item” have increased by 170 percent since 2007.

McDonald’s has a Snack Wrap (a beef patty with condiments wrapped in a tortilla), and KFC has “Snackers,” a smaller version of the typical chicken sandwich that comes in several varieties. A McDonald’s Grilled Snack Wrap with Ranch dressing has 270 calories, while a KFC Snacker has 210 to 310 calories, depending on the type you choose. These are more like a small meal than a snack, and if you add a sweet beverage (around 150 calories) or a small order of French fries (around 200 calories), you would increase the calories significantly.

Many dietitians recommend keeping snacks in the 100- to 200- calorie range. If you eat snacks that are a lot more than that, it can drive up your overall calories for the day.

Registered dietitian Amanda Carmichael, outpatient dietitian at Methodist Germantown Hospital, recommends snacks for those wanting to lose weight.

“Snacks help my clients feel more satisfied throughout the day,” she says. “They don’t get so hungry all the time, and they don’t feel deprived.” Typical snacks she recommends include cottage cheese and fruit, peanut butter and crackers or a bar-type snack, such as a South Beach Bar, preferably with at least 7 grams of protein. “Protein feels more satisfying.”

Carmichael finds many of her clients are eating only one or two meals a day. Some say they don’t have time to eat or they just don’t notice how hungry they are because they are so wrapped up in work or activities. But they make up for it when they finally do eat a meal, and often end up eating more food than they need, resulting in weight gain. This is where reasonable snacking can help, staving off extreme hunger so eating large quantities of food doesn’t become a habit.

One problem with snacking is planning. “People don’t want to plan,” Carmichael says. She suggests carrying appropriate snacks so you don’t get too hungry and end up choosing less- healthful choices.

Physician George Woodman, who maintains a busy general and bariatric surgery practice in Memphis and West Tennessee, says planning is the key. With his weight-loss patients, he finds the “one thing in common with those that do well is that they have planned ahead.” They have “a bag of something in their purse or a healthy snack packed with their lunch,” so they don’t have to rely on vending machines when hunger strikes between meals.

For those who want convenience, Carmichael recommends the 100- calorie packs of crackers or other snacks, but not the cookies and sweet varieties. “I hate the dessert-driven ones,” she says. With too much sugar and not enough fiber or protein, they don’t live up to her snacking standards.

If the prepackaged snacks are too expensive, she suggests buying a larger container of snack food, then portioning out small servings into zippered bags or small containers.

Woodman advises caution with commercially packaged 100-calorie snacks, noting “just because it’s 100 calories doesn’t mean it’s OK,” especially if someone consumes several packages at a time.

What people snack on makes a difference. “For some people, snacking means they’re choosing chips and candy,” says registered dietitian Rachel Burana, clinical dietitian at Delta Medical Center, “which means they are increasing their calorie level.” Not only do chips and candy pack a lot of calories, but they also do not provide a lot of fullness .

Burana steers her clients to higher-fiber snacks because they satisfy for a longer time. Some of her favorite recommendations include apple slices with peanut butter, whole wheat crackers with low-fat cheese, or yogurt and fruit.

Carmichael agrees heartily about making snacks high in fiber. If a client has eaten a snack but still needs a little more, Carmichael suggests raw vegetables with a small amount of dip. This choice provides lots of fiber with few calories.

Board-certified strength and conditioning specialist Jeremy Crowe, fitness trainer at Germantown Athletic Club, recommends snacks for his clients who are working on weight management.

“It helps keep your energy level at an even keel and keeps insulin from spiking too high.” If there is too much insulin circulating in the blood, less fat is burned for fuel. He recommends his clients eat every three to four hours, even if it is just a small amount.

One of Crowe’s favorite snacks to recommend is almonds. He likes their heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, and they seem to satisfy the need for a bit of fuel in between meals. Crowe suggests “20 almonds eaten over a 30-minute period” as a healthful and satisfying snack choice.

Many health professionals agree that nuts make a good snack, but moderate portions are key. Nuts are high in fat and calories. Most of the fat nuts contain is not saturated fat, which can raise blood cholesterol levels. Instead, most varieties of nuts contain more monounsaturated fat, which can decrease “bad” cholesterol.

With nuts, Burana says, the general rule is one small handful.

Burana tells her clients if they eat several snacks during the day, they should “make sure meals are smaller to compensate, so that the total calorie level is acceptable.”

Woodman, who often gets to his office at 5:30 a.m., makes his lunch part of his morning snack. “I divide lunch into two smaller portions, and eat half of it around 9 a.m. and the other half around 1 p.m.”

Crowe, whose day starts around 4:30 a.m. training clients before work, eats a high-protein breakfast early but likes to grab a couple of handfuls of almonds around 7 a.m. He finds this gives him plenty of energy to make it to lunch around 11 a.m.

“Just being hungry doesn’t mean you have to eat something,” Woodman said. “If you’re hungry now and dinner is just 30 minutes away, you can probably wait for the meal.”

Burana encourages her clients to use food journaling as a tool to find out if they are snacking because they are hungry or just because food is nearby or it has become a habit. She encourages her clients to “only eat when you’re hungry” and finds that journaling helps them keep track of how many snacks they have had on a particular day and figure out if they are bored, tired or truly hungry.

Megan Murphy is a Tennessee-licensed registered dietitian and associate professor of nutrition at Southwest Tennessee Community College. Call (901) 277-3062, fax (901) 529-2787, e-mail Meganmyrd@aol.com.

10 Healthy Snack Options

A piece of fruit and an ounce of low-fat cheese or small handful of nuts.

3 to 4 whole wheat crackers spread with a wedge of low-fat cheese spread (such as Laughing Cow).

A slice of thin bread, toasted and spread with 2 tablespoons hummus.

A corn tortilla filled with to 1/3 cup cooked beans, with a little shredded lettuce and salsa.

Half a cup of yogurt (Greek yogurt has more protein) with a few berries and two to three chopped almonds.

Half a lean meat sandwich on whole grain bread.

A banana or apple spread with 1-2 tablespoons peanut butter or other nut butter.

Small fruit and/or vegetable smoothie.

Small salad sprinkled with sunflower seeds and a tablespoon or less of a reduced-fat dressing.

Cut-up vegetables (choose a colorful variety) with low-fat salad dressing as a dip.

Snacking can be a help or a hindrance when it comes to managing your weight.

Reasonable snacking can stave off hunger and prevent overeating at meals. But the problem seems to be in determining what is reasonable.

Americans snack more now than in past decades. A study done at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and published in The Journal of Nutrition compared data about snacking from national health surveys done between 1977 and 2006. During this time, Americans increased the percent of calories from snacking from 18 percent of total calories in 1977 to 24 percent of total calories in 2006. Twenty-four percent of calories from snacking equates to about 600 calories per day.

And what Americans snack on has changed. There has been a huge increase in salty snacks, both the low- and high-fat versions, from 2 percent of total snacking calories in 1977 to just more than 14 percent of total snacking calories in 2006.

Consumption of candy, nuts and seeds and cereals also increased. The amount of snacking on high-fat desserts, like cake, decreased, but snacking on low-fat desserts, like reduced-fat cookies, increased.

Surprisingly, consumption of regular sodas remained about the same, but intake of fruit drinks and sports drinks increased. Consumption of fresh fruit, recommended by most health professionals as part of a healthy snack, decreased. During this time period, obesity rates have dramatically increased.

Maybe Americans snack so much because food is so widely available and so heavily advertised. According to Mintel Menu Insights, a consumer market research firm, menu items at restaurants classified as a "snack item" have increased by 170 percent since 2007.

McDonald's has a Snack Wrap (a beef patty with condiments wrapped in a tortilla), and KFC has "Snackers," a smaller version of the typical chicken sandwich that comes in several varieties. A McDonald's Grilled Snack Wrap with Ranch dressing has 270 calories, while a KFC Snacker has 210 to 310 calories, depending on the type you choose. These are more like a small meal than a snack, and if you add a sweet beverage (around 150 calories) or a small order of French fries (around 200 calories), you would increase the calories significantly.

Many dietitians recommend keeping snacks in the 100- to 200- calorie range. If you eat snacks that are a lot more than that, it can drive up your overall calories for the day.

Registered dietitian Amanda Carmichael, outpatient dietitian at Methodist Germantown Hospital, recommends snacks for those wanting to lose weight.

"Snacks help my clients feel more satisfied throughout the day," she says. "They don't get so hungry all the time, and they don't feel deprived." Typical snacks she recommends include cottage cheese and fruit, peanut butter and crackers or a bar-type snack, such as a South Beach Bar, preferably with at least 7 grams of protein. "Protein feels more satisfying."

Carmichael finds many of her clients are eating only one or two meals a day. Some say they don't have time to eat or they just don't notice how hungry they are because they are so wrapped up in work or activities. But they make up for it when they finally do eat a meal, and often end up eating more food than they need, resulting in weight gain. This is where reasonable snacking can help, staving off extreme hunger so eating large quantities of food doesn't become a habit.

One problem with snacking is planning. "People don't want to plan," Carmichael says. She suggests carrying appropriate snacks so you don't get too hungry and end up choosing less- healthful choices.

Physician George Woodman, who maintains a busy general and bariatric surgery practice in Memphis and West Tennessee, says planning is the key. With his weight-loss patients, he finds the "one thing in common with those that do well is that they have planned ahead." They have "a bag of something in their purse or a healthy snack packed with their lunch," so they don't have to rely on vending machines when hunger strikes between meals.

For those who want convenience, Carmichael recommends the 100- calorie packs of crackers or other snacks, but not the cookies and sweet varieties. "I hate the dessert-driven ones," she says. With too much sugar and not enough fiber or protein, they don't live up to her snacking standards.

If the prepackaged snacks are too expensive, she suggests buying a larger container of snack food, then portioning out small servings into zippered bags or small containers.

Woodman advises caution with commercially packaged 100-calorie snacks, noting "just because it's 100 calories doesn't mean it's OK," especially if someone consumes several packages at a time.

What people snack on makes a difference. "For some people, snacking means they're choosing chips and candy," says registered dietitian Rachel Burana, clinical dietitian at Delta Medical Center, "which means they are increasing their calorie level." Not only do chips and candy pack a lot of calories, but they also do not provide a lot of fullness .

Burana steers her clients to higher-fiber snacks because they satisfy for a longer time. Some of her favorite recommendations include apple slices with peanut butter, whole wheat crackers with low-fat cheese, or yogurt and fruit.

Carmichael agrees heartily about making snacks high in fiber. If a client has eaten a snack but still needs a little more, Carmichael suggests raw vegetables with a small amount of dip. This choice provides lots of fiber with few calories.

Board-certified strength and conditioning specialist Jeremy Crowe, fitness trainer at Germantown Athletic Club, recommends snacks for his clients who are working on weight management.

"It helps keep your energy level at an even keel and keeps insulin from spiking too high." If there is too much insulin circulating in the blood, less fat is burned for fuel. He recommends his clients eat every three to four hours, even if it is just a small amount.

One of Crowe's favorite snacks to recommend is almonds. He likes their heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, and they seem to satisfy the need for a bit of fuel in between meals. Crowe suggests "20 almonds eaten over a 30-minute period" as a healthful and satisfying snack choice.

Many health professionals agree that nuts make a good snack, but moderate portions are key. Nuts are high in fat and calories. Most of the fat nuts contain is not saturated fat, which can raise blood cholesterol levels. Instead, most varieties of nuts contain more monounsaturated fat, which can decrease "bad" cholesterol.

With nuts, Burana says, the general rule is one small handful.

Burana tells her clients if they eat several snacks during the day, they should "make sure meals are smaller to compensate, so that the total calorie level is acceptable."

Woodman, who often gets to his office at 5:30 a.m., makes his lunch part of his morning snack. "I divide lunch into two smaller portions, and eat half of it around 9 a.m. and the other half around 1 p.m."

Crowe, whose day starts around 4:30 a.m. training clients before work, eats a high-protein breakfast early but likes to grab a couple of handfuls of almonds around 7 a.m. He finds this gives him plenty of energy to make it to lunch around 11 a.m.

"Just being hungry doesn't mean you have to eat something," Woodman said. "If you're hungry now and dinner is just 30 minutes away, you can probably wait for the meal."

Burana encourages her clients to use food journaling as a tool to find out if they are snacking because they are hungry or just because food is nearby or it has become a habit. She encourages her clients to "only eat when you're hungry" and finds that journaling helps them keep track of how many snacks they have had on a particular day and figure out if they are bored, tired or truly hungry.

Megan Murphy is a Tennessee-licensed registered dietitian and associate professor of nutrition at Southwest Tennessee Community College. Call (901) 277-3062, fax (901) 529-2787, e-mail Meganmyrd@aol.com.

10 Healthy Snack Options

A piece of fruit and an ounce of low-fat cheese or small handful of nuts.

3 to 4 whole wheat crackers spread with a wedge of low-fat cheese spread (such as Laughing Cow).

A slice of thin bread, toasted and spread with 2 tablespoons hummus.

A corn tortilla filled with to 1/3 cup cooked beans, with a little shredded lettuce and salsa.

Half a cup of yogurt (Greek yogurt has more protein) with a few berries and two to three chopped almonds.

Half a lean meat sandwich on whole grain bread.

A banana or apple spread with 1-2 tablespoons peanut butter or other nut butter.

Small fruit and/or vegetable smoothie.

Small salad sprinkled with sunflower seeds and a tablespoon or less of a reduced-fat dressing.

Cut-up vegetables (choose a colorful variety) with low-fat salad dressing as a dip.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,



Back to top

iPad Health and Fitness Apps

Posted April 3, 2012

With its high-resolution display and access to thousands of games, movies and TV shows, the third-generation iPad offers plenty of excuses to laze on the couch.

For the more health-conscious among the 3 million users who picked up a new iPad last weekend, however, there are many free and paid apps that can incorporate Apple’s latest tablet into a fitness routine or diet regimen.

Currently, there are more than 3,700 iPad entries in the App Store’s Health & Fitness section. Want to know what to eat or desire a custom workout routine for achieving beach-worthy abs? Yeah, there’s an app for that.

[Note: Although iPhone/iPod Touch apps will work on the iPad -- albeit in an expanded form -- this list is limited to native iPad apps that take advantage of the device's increased screen real estate.]

GENERAL FITNESS

All-In Fitness HD

–Developer: Arawella Corp.

–Price: $1.99.

–Who needs it: Those with access to a gym or a home exercise machine who want to lose weight and tone or build muscle.

–Why it’s worth it: A custom workout generator provides programs tailored to users’ needs. Each exercise includes narrated videos to demonstrate proper technique and an illustration of which muscle groups are being worked. The database includes hundreds of activities, from yoga positions to free-weight exercises.

–Alternate apps: “Navy SEAL Fitness” ($1.99).

CALORIE TRACKER

“Calorie Counter–”

–Developer: About Inc.

–Price: Free.

–Who needs it: Those interested in an app for keeping track of eating habits and analyzing nutritional intake.

–Why it’s worth it: “Calorie Count” is free, simple to use and has a searchable database with entries for popular restaurant chains and brands. The app also includes exercise and weight logs and an analyzer for breaking down daily nutritional intake and showing areas that could use improvement.

–Alternate apps: “Calorie Counter by FatSecret” (free).

NUTRITION/FITNESS ANALYSIS

“Diet & Fitness Fracker by SparkPeople”

–Developer: SparkPeople.

–Price: Free.

–Who needs it: Any statistically minded person who is motivated by visual metrics and wants to lose weight.

–Why it’s worth it: Like many fitness apps, “Diet & Fitness” offers logs for food, exercise and weight and bases daily goals on users’ target weight loss. What sets it apart is its conversion of that data into colorful charts and graphs that visually depict dietary choices and exercise habits.

–Alternate apps: “Food Scanner: Good Food or Bad Food?” ($2.99).

YOGA

“All-in Yoga HD”

–Developer: Arawella Corp.

–Price: $1.99.

–Who needs it: Anyone with an interest in practicing yoga, from novices to gurus, who wants the motivation of a coach without the cost of a class.

–Why it’s worth it: After inputting age, weight, level of expertise and the goal of your session (flexibility, de-stressing, etc.), the app creates a customized, narrated workout from a database of more than 300 positions. The app will also sync data online to keep track of your workout calendar, and videos are available to demonstrate proper form.

–Alternate apps: “Daily Yoga” ($2.99).

RUNNING

“Couch to Half”

–Developer: Uncaged Confidence.

–Price: $1.99.

–Who needs it: Beginning runners with an eye on completing the 13.1 miles of a half-marathon who need help setting a schedule and maybe a bit of extra motivation.

–Why it’s worth it: Certified personal trainer Trish Blackwell guides users through a 12-week program. Each week has training tips, a workout schedule and videos for motivation and cross training. Blackwell also provides consistent encouragement and tips for beginners.

–Alternate apps: “WalkJogRun Running” ($4.99).

BODY BUILDING

“iMuscle — (Nova series)”

–Developer: 3D4Medical.com.

–Price: $4.99.

–Who needs it: Those without access to a personal trainer who want to know how to strengthen or tone muscles.

–Why it’s worth it: Using an interactive, detailed 3-D rendering of the body, “iMuscle” allows users to zoom in on specific areas, identify each muscle and get a list of exercises that will develop it. There are more than 400 exercise animations with tips for proper execution. Users can string these together to create customized workouts.

–Alternate app: “Get Ripped” ($4.99).

©2012 the Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, Tenn.)

Visit the Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, Tenn.) at www.timesfreepress.com

With its high-resolution display and access to thousands of games, movies and TV shows, the third-generation iPad offers plenty of excuses to laze on the couch.

For the more health-conscious among the 3 million users who picked up a new iPad last weekend, however, there are many free and paid apps that can incorporate Apple's latest tablet into a fitness routine or diet regimen.

Currently, there are more than 3,700 iPad entries in the App Store's Health & Fitness section. Want to know what to eat or desire a custom workout routine for achieving beach-worthy abs? Yeah, there's an app for that.

[Note: Although iPhone/iPod Touch apps will work on the iPad -- albeit in an expanded form -- this list is limited to native iPad apps that take advantage of the device's increased screen real estate.]

GENERAL FITNESS

All-In Fitness HD

--Developer: Arawella Corp.

--Price: $1.99.

--Who needs it: Those with access to a gym or a home exercise machine who want to lose weight and tone or build muscle.

--Why it's worth it: A custom workout generator provides programs tailored to users' needs. Each exercise includes narrated videos to demonstrate proper technique and an illustration of which muscle groups are being worked. The database includes hundreds of activities, from yoga positions to free-weight exercises.

--Alternate apps: "Navy SEAL Fitness" ($1.99).

CALORIE TRACKER

"Calorie Counter--"

--Developer: About Inc.

--Price: Free.

--Who needs it: Those interested in an app for keeping track of eating habits and analyzing nutritional intake.

--Why it's worth it: "Calorie Count" is free, simple to use and has a searchable database with entries for popular restaurant chains and brands. The app also includes exercise and weight logs and an analyzer for breaking down daily nutritional intake and showing areas that could use improvement.

--Alternate apps: "Calorie Counter by FatSecret" (free).

NUTRITION/FITNESS ANALYSIS

"Diet & Fitness Fracker by SparkPeople"

--Developer: SparkPeople.

--Price: Free.

--Who needs it: Any statistically minded person who is motivated by visual metrics and wants to lose weight.

--Why it's worth it: Like many fitness apps, "Diet & Fitness" offers logs for food, exercise and weight and bases daily goals on users' target weight loss. What sets it apart is its conversion of that data into colorful charts and graphs that visually depict dietary choices and exercise habits.

--Alternate apps: "Food Scanner: Good Food or Bad Food?" ($2.99).

YOGA

"All-in Yoga HD"

--Developer: Arawella Corp.

--Price: $1.99.

--Who needs it: Anyone with an interest in practicing yoga, from novices to gurus, who wants the motivation of a coach without the cost of a class.

--Why it's worth it: After inputting age, weight, level of expertise and the goal of your session (flexibility, de-stressing, etc.), the app creates a customized, narrated workout from a database of more than 300 positions. The app will also sync data online to keep track of your workout calendar, and videos are available to demonstrate proper form.

--Alternate apps: "Daily Yoga" ($2.99).

RUNNING

"Couch to Half"

--Developer: Uncaged Confidence.

--Price: $1.99.

--Who needs it: Beginning runners with an eye on completing the 13.1 miles of a half-marathon who need help setting a schedule and maybe a bit of extra motivation.

--Why it's worth it: Certified personal trainer Trish Blackwell guides users through a 12-week program. Each week has training tips, a workout schedule and videos for motivation and cross training. Blackwell also provides consistent encouragement and tips for beginners.

--Alternate apps: "WalkJogRun Running" ($4.99).

BODY BUILDING

"iMuscle -- (Nova series)"

--Developer: 3D4Medical.com.

--Price: $4.99.

--Who needs it: Those without access to a personal trainer who want to know how to strengthen or tone muscles.

--Why it's worth it: Using an interactive, detailed 3-D rendering of the body, "iMuscle" allows users to zoom in on specific areas, identify each muscle and get a list of exercises that will develop it. There are more than 400 exercise animations with tips for proper execution. Users can string these together to create customized workouts.

--Alternate app: "Get Ripped" ($4.99).

©2012 the Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, Tenn.)

Visit the Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, Tenn.) at www.timesfreepress.com

Tags: , , , , , , , ,



Back to top

Facts About Body Fat

Posted March 17, 2012

Q: I’ve lost some weight, but am still unhappy with the way I look. It seems like there is still too much fat around my waist and I am not sure what to do.

A: Body fat loss involves three components, carried out on a consistent basis: Strength training for building calorie-burning muscle, cardiovascular exercise and adherence to a healthy, well-balanced diet.

Take a tape measure and check your waist size. Studies show that women with a waist circumference more than 35 inches and men with a waist circumference more than 40 inches are at increased disease risk.

There are different types of fat, and, depending on your body type, you may find you have a harder time losing weight around the middle.

The most visible type of fat is subcutaneous fat, which is located just under the skin. An example are the “love handles” that men tend to have; for women, this is often noticeable in the hips and thighs. This type of fat is easy to see and to grab, as in skinfold caliper measuring.

A more dangerous type of fat is visceral fat, which lies much deeper, around the internal organs, and cannot be measured with skinfold caliper testing.

Subcutaneous fat accumulates slowly over time and can be very hard to get rid of once it is stored. Visceral fat is very easily stored, but also easily released. When visceral fat is released into the blood stream, it can lead to problems such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, stroke and even dementia.

Brown fat is important for regulating body temperature. It is more prevalent in children, and the amount decreases as we age. Scientists continue to study its effects, and have found that lean people tend to have more brown fat than people who are overweight or obese. Unlike other types of fat, research shows that when stimulated, brown fat actually burns calories.

Much more plentiful than brown fat, white fat helps the body to regulate temperature, store energy and produce hormones that are then secreted into the bloodstream. In contrast to brown fat, white fat shows very littl metabolic activity.

It is thought that insulin resistance, related to excess abdominal fat, may cause as much as 25 percent of heart disease seen in men and 60 percent of that found in women. Exercise can prevent and treat insulin resistance syndrome, which has been associated with type II diabetes and heart disease. Research shows that a brisk 45-minute walk can lessen a diabetic’s resistance to his own insulin.

Marjie Gilliam is a personal trainer and fitness consultant. E-mail: marjie@ohtrainer.com. This article appeared in the Dayton Daily News.

Q: I've lost some weight, but am still unhappy with the way I look. It seems like there is still too much fat around my waist and I am not sure what to do.

A: Body fat loss involves three components, carried out on a consistent basis: Strength training for building calorie-burning muscle, cardiovascular exercise and adherence to a healthy, well-balanced diet.

Take a tape measure and check your waist size. Studies show that women with a waist circumference more than 35 inches and men with a waist circumference more than 40 inches are at increased disease risk.

There are different types of fat, and, depending on your body type, you may find you have a harder time losing weight around the middle.

The most visible type of fat is subcutaneous fat, which is located just under the skin. An example are the "love handles" that men tend to have; for women, this is often noticeable in the hips and thighs. This type of fat is easy to see and to grab, as in skinfold caliper measuring.

A more dangerous type of fat is visceral fat, which lies much deeper, around the internal organs, and cannot be measured with skinfold caliper testing.

Subcutaneous fat accumulates slowly over time and can be very hard to get rid of once it is stored. Visceral fat is very easily stored, but also easily released. When visceral fat is released into the blood stream, it can lead to problems such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, stroke and even dementia.

Brown fat is important for regulating body temperature. It is more prevalent in children, and the amount decreases as we age. Scientists continue to study its effects, and have found that lean people tend to have more brown fat than people who are overweight or obese. Unlike other types of fat, research shows that when stimulated, brown fat actually burns calories.

Much more plentiful than brown fat, white fat helps the body to regulate temperature, store energy and produce hormones that are then secreted into the bloodstream. In contrast to brown fat, white fat shows very littl metabolic activity.

It is thought that insulin resistance, related to excess abdominal fat, may cause as much as 25 percent of heart disease seen in men and 60 percent of that found in women. Exercise can prevent and treat insulin resistance syndrome, which has been associated with type II diabetes and heart disease. Research shows that a brisk 45-minute walk can lessen a diabetic's resistance to his own insulin.

Marjie Gilliam is a personal trainer and fitness consultant. E-mail: marjie@ohtrainer.com. This article appeared in the Dayton Daily News.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,



Back to top

More Women Affected By Heart Disease Than Men

Posted Feb 27, 2012

Ideal cardiovascular health means maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

More women than men die of cardiovascular disease each year, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Additionally, women are less likely to receive appropriate treatment after a heart attack, then men.

For women, generally the primary caregiver, personal health concerns are often put on hold as family and loved ones tend to take priority.

Due to this, improper diet, not enough exercise, and daily stresses become the norm, put themselves at high risk for developing health problems increasing the risk for heart attack at stroke.

More than 400,000 deaths for women in the U.S. are caused by cardiovascular disease each year, according to AHA.

Metabolic syndrome is a medical term used when a person has three of more risk factors which increases their risk to developing coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, and type-2 diabetes, or other vascular diseases, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

Provided by the AHA, risk factors of metabolic syndrome include: the waist being greater than 35 inches; triglycerides higher than 150 mg/dL; HDL (good cholesterol) less than 50 mg/dL; blood pressure higher than 130/85 mm Hg; fasting blood glucose higher than 100 mg/dL.

Dr. Michael S. Fenster, M.D. interventional cardiologist with Hernando Heart Clinic in Brooksville, advised women at risk can experience warning signs in many different ways.

“For women and men, the most common warning sign is a discomfort in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes. It may come and go, often in relation to exertion or stress. It can manifest as an uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain,” advised Fenster.

Sometimes the discomfort can be felt in one or both arms, as well as the back, neck, jaw or stomach, he added.

“Some women experience a shortness of breath, that may or may not include chest pain,” Fenster said. “Additionally, breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or feeling light-headed are possible. What is important to realize is that many women present without these ‘classical’ symptoms. These atypical symptoms may range from a general ill feeling to severe shortness of breath or abdominal pain.”

Women who are at high risk for heart disease are those who have existing coronary artery disease, such as stents, bypass surgery, and/or history of heart attack, stroke. Additionally, blocked arteries in the legs, abdominal aortic aneurysm, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes are included in a person being at high risk, advised the AHA.

“Stroke warning signs include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, predominant to one side of the body,” said Fenster.

Sudden severe headache without a known cause, being confused or having trouble speaking are also warning signs to stroke, he added.

“Some may experience sudden vision problems in one or both eyes, trouble walking which includes dizziness or loss of balance and coordination,” Fenster said.

At risk women are those who currently smoke, have a poor diet, lack regular physical activity and cannot complete a treadmill exercise test, overweight (BMI over 25 kg/m2), family history of heart or vascular disease, high blood pressure, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, metabolic syndrome, and pregnancy complications such as high blood pressure, diabetes, delivering a pre-term infant, according to the AHA.

Leading a healthy lifestyle is considered having blood pressure less than 120/80 mm Hg; total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dL and not on medicine for cholesterol; fasting blood glucose less than 100 mg/dL and not on medicine for blood glucose; BMI less than 25 kg/m2; never smoked or quit for one year or more; performs 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week; eats a diet of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, high-fiber foods, and fish (oily preferred) twice a week or more; limiting saturated fats, cholesterol, alcohol, sodium, sugar, and avoids trans-fatty acids, according to the AHA.

For women who are trying to lose weight, 60 to 90 minutes per day of moderate exercise, advises the AHA.

Cardiac rehabilitation or a physician-guided exercise program is advised for women with recent heart problems (heart attack, stroke, or other cardiac condition).

If you or someone you know begins to experience any or a combination of warning signs for heart attack or stroke, the American Heart Association advises to call 9-1-1 immediately, as “every second counts”.

Dr. Michael S. Fenster, M.D., interventional cardiologist with Hernando Heart Clinic located at 14540 Cortez Boulevard, Suite 119 in Brooksville. His office can be reached at (352) 597-3368.

This is a two part series, look next week in Hernando Today’s Health & Fitness section, Thursday, for the second part in “Promoting Healthy Hearts in Women”.

©2012 the Hernando Today (Brooksville, Fla.)

Visit the Hernando Today (Brooksville, Fla.) at www.HernandoToday.com

Ideal cardiovascular health means maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

More women than men die of cardiovascular disease each year, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Additionally, women are less likely to receive appropriate treatment after a heart attack, then men.

For women, generally the primary caregiver, personal health concerns are often put on hold as family and loved ones tend to take priority.

Due to this, improper diet, not enough exercise, and daily stresses become the norm, put themselves at high risk for developing health problems increasing the risk for heart attack at stroke.

More than 400,000 deaths for women in the U.S. are caused by cardiovascular disease each year, according to AHA.

Metabolic syndrome is a medical term used when a person has three of more risk factors which increases their risk to developing coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, and type-2 diabetes, or other vascular diseases, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

Provided by the AHA, risk factors of metabolic syndrome include: the waist being greater than 35 inches; triglycerides higher than 150 mg/dL; HDL (good cholesterol) less than 50 mg/dL; blood pressure higher than 130/85 mm Hg; fasting blood glucose higher than 100 mg/dL.

Dr. Michael S. Fenster, M.D. interventional cardiologist with Hernando Heart Clinic in Brooksville, advised women at risk can experience warning signs in many different ways.

"For women and men, the most common warning sign is a discomfort in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes. It may come and go, often in relation to exertion or stress. It can manifest as an uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain," advised Fenster.

Sometimes the discomfort can be felt in one or both arms, as well as the back, neck, jaw or stomach, he added.

"Some women experience a shortness of breath, that may or may not include chest pain," Fenster said. "Additionally, breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or feeling light-headed are possible. What is important to realize is that many women present without these 'classical' symptoms. These atypical symptoms may range from a general ill feeling to severe shortness of breath or abdominal pain."

Women who are at high risk for heart disease are those who have existing coronary artery disease, such as stents, bypass surgery, and/or history of heart attack, stroke. Additionally, blocked arteries in the legs, abdominal aortic aneurysm, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes are included in a person being at high risk, advised the AHA.

"Stroke warning signs include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, predominant to one side of the body," said Fenster.

Sudden severe headache without a known cause, being confused or having trouble speaking are also warning signs to stroke, he added.

"Some may experience sudden vision problems in one or both eyes, trouble walking which includes dizziness or loss of balance and coordination," Fenster said.

At risk women are those who currently smoke, have a poor diet, lack regular physical activity and cannot complete a treadmill exercise test, overweight (BMI over 25 kg/m2), family history of heart or vascular disease, high blood pressure, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, metabolic syndrome, and pregnancy complications such as high blood pressure, diabetes, delivering a pre-term infant, according to the AHA.

Leading a healthy lifestyle is considered having blood pressure less than 120/80 mm Hg; total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dL and not on medicine for cholesterol; fasting blood glucose less than 100 mg/dL and not on medicine for blood glucose; BMI less than 25 kg/m2; never smoked or quit for one year or more; performs 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week; eats a diet of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, high-fiber foods, and fish (oily preferred) twice a week or more; limiting saturated fats, cholesterol, alcohol, sodium, sugar, and avoids trans-fatty acids, according to the AHA.

For women who are trying to lose weight, 60 to 90 minutes per day of moderate exercise, advises the AHA.

Cardiac rehabilitation or a physician-guided exercise program is advised for women with recent heart problems (heart attack, stroke, or other cardiac condition).

If you or someone you know begins to experience any or a combination of warning signs for heart attack or stroke, the American Heart Association advises to call 9-1-1 immediately, as "every second counts".

Dr. Michael S. Fenster, M.D., interventional cardiologist with Hernando Heart Clinic located at 14540 Cortez Boulevard, Suite 119 in Brooksville. His office can be reached at (352) 597-3368.

This is a two part series, look next week in Hernando Today's Health & Fitness section, Thursday, for the second part in "Promoting Healthy Hearts in Women".

©2012 the Hernando Today (Brooksville, Fla.)

Visit the Hernando Today (Brooksville, Fla.) at www.HernandoToday.com

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,



Back to top

Good Carb or Bad?

Posted Feb 18, 2012

Confused about which carbohydrates you should be eating?

Welcome to the club.

“It’s the biggest lack-of-consensus issue in the U.S. diet today,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. “We don’t have a standard method for assessing their quality.”

Carbohydrates, the most common of the three energy sources we get from food (the others are fat and protein), reside in the vast majority of our food, prominently in grains, vegetables, legumes and fruits. They are essential to good health – as long as you stick to the good sources and steer clear of the bad ones, which are linked to obesity and a host of chronic conditions, including diabetes and heart disease.

Most health experts agree that processed foods, sweetened beverages and refined grains such as white bread, pasta, flour and rice (which are stripped of their nutrients) are among the worst kinds of carbohydrate-rich foods you can eat.

Your digestive system breaks them down too easily, flooding the bloodstream with simple sugars (glucose), which in turn prompts a surge of the hormone insulin to carry the glucose into the body’s cells, said Michael Roizen, chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute and co-founder of realage.com. Too much blood sugar and insulin for too long can be dangerous on several levels: more fat storage, less fat burning, malfunctioning proteins that eventually lead to organ damage, even cancer cell growth, Roizen said. Your brain also gets addicted to the high glucose levels, leaving you craving more.

What constitutes a good carb, however, can be trickier.

It’s not as basic as “simple” versus “complex,” as fruits contain simple sugars but are a highly desirable carb source.

Rather, four main factors determine the quality of a carb, Mozaffarian said: dietary fiber (the more the better); how fast it makes your blood sugar rise (aka glycemic index, the lower the better); whole-grain content (the more the better); and structure (if it’s liquid, milled or pulverized, it’s not as good).

So Cheerios, which are made of 100 percent whole grain oats, get a thumbs up for whole grain and fiber content, but the pulverized nature of the oats makes it inferior to intact whole grains, such as steel-cut oats, Mozaffarian said.

And pasta? It seems like the quintessential fattening carb, but in fact it has a lower glycemic index than rice or potatoes and is a “reasonable choice,” he said.

Speaking of potatoes … the white ones have a high glycemic index, and studies have shown them to contribute to weight gain, so Mozaffarian banishes them to the “bad” list alongside Skittles. But other nutrition professionals, such as Stephanie Dunbar, director of nutrition and clinical affairs and the American Diabetes Association, gives potatoes the thumbs up because they have nutrients.

And then you have Jonathan Bailor, a health and fitness researcher who advises you source carbohydrates from citrus fruits, berries and a host of nonstarchy vegetables, such as spinach, and stay away from starches altogether – including whole grains. The best foods to eat, Bailor said, are those with greater water, fiber and protein content relative to their calories, so you get more bang for your buck.

“It’s not that whole grains are evil; it’s just absolutely not as good for us as nonstarchy fruits and vegetables,” said Bailor, who recently published “The Smarter Science of Slim” (Aavia; $34.95), the result of a decade of reviewing more than 1,000 diet studies.

Reading the nutrition label can help guide people through the morass. Choose items with less sugar – Roizen says to aim for 4 grams or less – and more dietary fiber. And no, brown sugar and honey aren’t metabolized any differently than the white stuff.But sugar doesn’t tell the whole story, as refined starches with little sugar are still terrible for you.

As a general rule of thumb, Mozaffarian recommends that you look at the ratio of total carbohydrates in a serving to dietary fiber, as that captures both sugar and starch content. If the ratio is 10:1 or more, avoid it. If it’s less than 5:1, it’s very good.

If all the confusion makes you want to reach for a bowl of mac-and-cheese, rest assured that everyone can agree on this: Eating lots of nonstarchy vegetables does every body good.

SHOPPING LIST

Take this list shopping to help you weed out the bad carbs.

BAD CARBS:

Soft drinks

Sports drinks

Fruit drinks

Beer

French fries

White rice

White bread

Sugar-sweetened cereals

Bagels

Baguettes

Croissants

Potato chips

Pastries

Cookies

White crackers

Brownies

Cakes

Pies

Candy

Sugar

Brown sugar

Honey

Debatable

Corn

Popcorn

White potatoes

Pasta

100 percent fruit juice (limited quantities)

GOOD CARBS:

Spinach

Kale

Tomatoes

Mushrooms

Beets

Brussels sprouts

Broccoli

Onion

Squash

Artichoke

Berries

Oranges

Tangerines

Melons

Mangoes

Pears

Peaches

Low-fat Greek yogurt

Sweet potatoes

Peas

Black beans

Kidney beans

Lentils

Brown rice

Barley

Amaranth

Quinoa

Whole-grain bread

Whole-grain pasta

Confused about which carbohydrates you should be eating?

Welcome to the club.

"It's the biggest lack-of-consensus issue in the U.S. diet today," said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. "We don't have a standard method for assessing their quality."

Carbohydrates, the most common of the three energy sources we get from food (the others are fat and protein), reside in the vast majority of our food, prominently in grains, vegetables, legumes and fruits. They are essential to good health - as long as you stick to the good sources and steer clear of the bad ones, which are linked to obesity and a host of chronic conditions, including diabetes and heart disease.

Most health experts agree that processed foods, sweetened beverages and refined grains such as white bread, pasta, flour and rice (which are stripped of their nutrients) are among the worst kinds of carbohydrate-rich foods you can eat.

Your digestive system breaks them down too easily, flooding the bloodstream with simple sugars (glucose), which in turn prompts a surge of the hormone insulin to carry the glucose into the body's cells, said Michael Roizen, chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute and co-founder of realage.com. Too much blood sugar and insulin for too long can be dangerous on several levels: more fat storage, less fat burning, malfunctioning proteins that eventually lead to organ damage, even cancer cell growth, Roizen said. Your brain also gets addicted to the high glucose levels, leaving you craving more.

What constitutes a good carb, however, can be trickier.

It's not as basic as "simple" versus "complex," as fruits contain simple sugars but are a highly desirable carb source.

Rather, four main factors determine the quality of a carb, Mozaffarian said: dietary fiber (the more the better); how fast it makes your blood sugar rise (aka glycemic index, the lower the better); whole-grain content (the more the better); and structure (if it's liquid, milled or pulverized, it's not as good).

So Cheerios, which are made of 100 percent whole grain oats, get a thumbs up for whole grain and fiber content, but the pulverized nature of the oats makes it inferior to intact whole grains, such as steel-cut oats, Mozaffarian said.

And pasta? It seems like the quintessential fattening carb, but in fact it has a lower glycemic index than rice or potatoes and is a "reasonable choice," he said.

Speaking of potatoes ... the white ones have a high glycemic index, and studies have shown them to contribute to weight gain, so Mozaffarian banishes them to the "bad" list alongside Skittles. But other nutrition professionals, such as Stephanie Dunbar, director of nutrition and clinical affairs and the American Diabetes Association, gives potatoes the thumbs up because they have nutrients.

And then you have Jonathan Bailor, a health and fitness researcher who advises you source carbohydrates from citrus fruits, berries and a host of nonstarchy vegetables, such as spinach, and stay away from starches altogether - including whole grains. The best foods to eat, Bailor said, are those with greater water, fiber and protein content relative to their calories, so you get more bang for your buck.

"It's not that whole grains are evil; it's just absolutely not as good for us as nonstarchy fruits and vegetables," said Bailor, who recently published "The Smarter Science of Slim" (Aavia; $34.95), the result of a decade of reviewing more than 1,000 diet studies.

Reading the nutrition label can help guide people through the morass. Choose items with less sugar - Roizen says to aim for 4 grams or less - and more dietary fiber. And no, brown sugar and honey aren't metabolized any differently than the white stuff.But sugar doesn't tell the whole story, as refined starches with little sugar are still terrible for you.

As a general rule of thumb, Mozaffarian recommends that you look at the ratio of total carbohydrates in a serving to dietary fiber, as that captures both sugar and starch content. If the ratio is 10:1 or more, avoid it. If it's less than 5:1, it's very good.

If all the confusion makes you want to reach for a bowl of mac-and-cheese, rest assured that everyone can agree on this: Eating lots of nonstarchy vegetables does every body good.

SHOPPING LIST

Take this list shopping to help you weed out the bad carbs.

BAD CARBS:

Soft drinks

Sports drinks

Fruit drinks

Beer

French fries

White rice

White bread

Sugar-sweetened cereals

Bagels

Baguettes

Croissants

Potato chips

Pastries

Cookies

White crackers

Brownies

Cakes

Pies

Candy

Sugar

Brown sugar

Honey

Debatable

Corn

Popcorn

White potatoes

Pasta

100 percent fruit juice (limited quantities)

GOOD CARBS:

Spinach

Kale

Tomatoes

Mushrooms

Beets

Brussels sprouts

Broccoli

Onion

Squash

Artichoke

Berries

Oranges

Tangerines

Melons

Mangoes

Pears

Peaches

Low-fat Greek yogurt

Sweet potatoes

Peas

Black beans

Kidney beans

Lentils

Brown rice

Barley

Amaranth

Quinoa

Whole-grain bread

Whole-grain pasta

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,



Back to top

Not Getting Picked to Play May Increase Obesity Risk

Posted Feb 9, 2012

The kid who never gets the ball tossed to him on the playground could be more likely to pass on any type of exercise.

A study led by a Kent State University researcher has found that children who were ostracized during a virtual ball-toss computer game were subsequently less physically active.

These findings — published Monday in the American Academy of Pediatric’s professional journal Pediatrics — could help shed light on contributing factors and potential solutions for the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic.

“Ostracism appears to cause a reduction in physical activity,” said study co-author Jacob Barkley, an assistant professor in exercise science at Kent State. “It could create a scenario where if you’re an overweight or obese child, that ostracism could reduce your physical activity. As you get more ostracized, you get heavier, you get more ostracized because you got heavier and things get worse and worse.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a third of children and adolescents are overweight.

Barkley got the idea for the study while watching his three sons, ages 3 to 7, playing in their backyard.

“I noticed when friends came over, the intensity of their activity increased dramatically,” he said. “After seeing that, I went and looked at the literature in terms of peer influence and physical activity behavior.”

Barkley found other studies showing a link between ostracism or bullying and a decline in physical activity. But previous research didn’t show a clear cause and effect.

For example, one study determined that children who felt teased verbally or physically were less likely to be active and more likely to be overweight, Barkley said. “But does this peer victimization cause them to be less active, or [does] the fact that they’re less active cause victimization?”

In his study, Barkley and his colleagues observed 19 boys and girls ages 8 to 12 who completed two experimental sessions at Kent State.

During one session, children playing a ball-toss computer game received the ball one-third of the time. During the other, the computer was programmed to exclude the children from receiving the ball most of the time.

After playing the computer games, the participants were taken to a gym, where they were allowed to choose sedentary or physical activities.

When they were excluded by the computer game, the study participants spent 41 percent more time with sedentary activities, such as reading books, coloring or playing matching games, the study found. When the children were included in the computer game, their physical activity level in the gym was 22 percent higher.

“I think it’s really important that children have positive peer interaction in their life,” Barkley said.

Barkley is conducting follow-up research exploring whether positive peer interaction encourages physical activity.

Emotions-obesity link

The link between emotions and obesity is definitely strong, said Amy Stanford, a pediatric nurse practitioner in the Sports Medicine Center at Akron Children’s Hospital.

Stanford works with the hospital’s Future Fitness Clinic, which provides medical management for morbidly obese children. The hospital also runs Future Fitness Club programs at recreational centers throughout the region to encourage children to get active.

Patients in the clinic typically deal with a variety of self-image and self-esteem issues, she said.

“We try to encourage the kids to find things that they enjoy doing,” she said. “That doesn’t always mean it has to be in a group. If there are things that get them moving and physically active that they can do with their families or with a best friend or even by themselves, we encourage that.”

Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or chpowell@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Powell on Twitter at twitter.com/abjcherylpowell.

©2012 the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

Visit the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) at www.ohio.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

The kid who never gets the ball tossed to him on the playground could be more likely to pass on any type of exercise.

A study led by a Kent State University researcher has found that children who were ostracized during a virtual ball-toss computer game were subsequently less physically active.

These findings -- published Monday in the American Academy of Pediatric's professional journal Pediatrics -- could help shed light on contributing factors and potential solutions for the nation's childhood obesity epidemic.

"Ostracism appears to cause a reduction in physical activity," said study co-author Jacob Barkley, an assistant professor in exercise science at Kent State. "It could create a scenario where if you're an overweight or obese child, that ostracism could reduce your physical activity. As you get more ostracized, you get heavier, you get more ostracized because you got heavier and things get worse and worse."

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a third of children and adolescents are overweight.

Barkley got the idea for the study while watching his three sons, ages 3 to 7, playing in their backyard.

"I noticed when friends came over, the intensity of their activity increased dramatically," he said. "After seeing that, I went and looked at the literature in terms of peer influence and physical activity behavior."

Barkley found other studies showing a link between ostracism or bullying and a decline in physical activity. But previous research didn't show a clear cause and effect.

For example, one study determined that children who felt teased verbally or physically were less likely to be active and more likely to be overweight, Barkley said. "But does this peer victimization cause them to be less active, or [does] the fact that they're less active cause victimization?"

In his study, Barkley and his colleagues observed 19 boys and girls ages 8 to 12 who completed two experimental sessions at Kent State.

During one session, children playing a ball-toss computer game received the ball one-third of the time. During the other, the computer was programmed to exclude the children from receiving the ball most of the time.

After playing the computer games, the participants were taken to a gym, where they were allowed to choose sedentary or physical activities.

When they were excluded by the computer game, the study participants spent 41 percent more time with sedentary activities, such as reading books, coloring or playing matching games, the study found. When the children were included in the computer game, their physical activity level in the gym was 22 percent higher.

"I think it's really important that children have positive peer interaction in their life," Barkley said.

Barkley is conducting follow-up research exploring whether positive peer interaction encourages physical activity.

Emotions-obesity link

The link between emotions and obesity is definitely strong, said Amy Stanford, a pediatric nurse practitioner in the Sports Medicine Center at Akron Children's Hospital.

Stanford works with the hospital's Future Fitness Clinic, which provides medical management for morbidly obese children. The hospital also runs Future Fitness Club programs at recreational centers throughout the region to encourage children to get active.

Patients in the clinic typically deal with a variety of self-image and self-esteem issues, she said.

"We try to encourage the kids to find things that they enjoy doing," she said. "That doesn't always mean it has to be in a group. If there are things that get them moving and physically active that they can do with their families or with a best friend or even by themselves, we encourage that."

Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or chpowell@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Powell on Twitter at twitter.com/abjcherylpowell.

©2012 the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

Visit the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) at www.ohio.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

Tags: , , , ,



Back to top

Find Exercise You Enjoy

Posted Feb 2, 2012

If you want to get fit, don’t make a New Year’s resolution.

That’s the wrong way to go about getting healthy, said Jana Beeman, owner of Balanced Life Today Health, Nutrition and Fitness in La Center.

“If you just make a resolution, you really won’t stick to it,” Beeman said. “People have to move with an exercise that captures some part of their imagination; it has to be fun or they just won’t do it.”

Gyms usually become crowded in January as throngs sign up after newly made New Year’s resolutions, but by spring, the numbers pretty much always drop back to normal, said Eddie White, executive director at Clark County Family YMCA, 11324 N.E. 51st Circle.

Rather than hitting the same old boring weights or treadmill, White and Beeman suggest trying to find something that piques your interest — like a dance class, bike rides or even firing up the video game machine with a fun fitness program.

“Exercise doesn’t have to be three sets of 10 on the weight machine,” White said. “It’s just getting out and moving. It’s going out and shooting hoops, playing catch, throwing a football. It can even be gardening.”

Kim Puyleart, who runs the Vancouver Mommy Fitness Playgroup, found her current fitness calling by creating the group on Meetup.com.

She used to teach Zumba dance classes, but stopped when she had her first baby 15 months ago.

After feeling isolated from spending too much time at home, she decided to build a set of exercise routines she could share with other new mothers — both for fitness and as a way to socialize.

“Being a mom is not easy, and it made me realize I really need to get out of the house,” Puyleart said. “So I started the group at the end of August. We do everything from circuit training to resistance training to cardio, but we use baby strollers so we can bring our babies along.”

In the winter, Puyleart brings her group to the Westfield Vancouver mall. The mothers incorporate their kids into the workout routine and break periodically for story time and other activities.

Sometimes the mothers will use their babies as weights and do squats or other exercises while holding them.

“It really is engaging, not just for the moms but for the kids, too,” she said.

Beeman, meanwhile, uses dance to stay fit.

She got very sick when she was young, and stumbled upon a belly dancing class as a means to regain her health.

“I just needed something that would keep me coming back, and after that first class, I was hooked,” Beeman said. “Belly dance is something that if it catches your interest and you relate to the music, it just takes over.”

Zumba, which is sort of a fast-paced Latin dance class, is a huge trend right now, but if you haven’t been all that active, Beeman suggests trying something a little slower to get you started.

“Some Zumba and dance fitness classes, they aren’t very careful about protecting people’s bodies,” Beeman said. “If you like the idea of dancing but you aren’t in great shape, why not start with something slower, like ballroom dancing, where it’s very carefully designed.”

If you have injuries or are just out of shape, restorative yoga is a slow, meditative way to let your body tell you what it’s ready for, she said.

“You expand into a pose slowly and your body tells you how far you can go,” Beeman said. “There’s even chair yoga, where you can actually do a full yoga routine while sitting in your chair.”

Swimming is another great, low-impact, easy way to start moving, White said.

“We do everything from arthritic swimming classes for our senior population to swim lessons for kids,” White said. “We also have counselors, and you can make an appointment and they can tell you what classes might be best and how to approach things.”

If you’re more of the stay-at-home type, things like Wii Fit or Dance Dance Revolution can help to get you moving, as can fitness video series like Crunchless Abs and Bender Ball, which Beeman recommends.

But if you decide to go that route, both White and Beeman suggest attending at least one class or consulting a fitness trainer first to make sure you’re doing the motions correctly.

If you rent a yoga program, for instance, and don’t do poses like downward dog correctly, you can actually end up injuring yourself, Beeman said.

One nice thing about community fitness centers is that they tend to have several options for classes, White said.

At the Clark County Family YMCA, organizers try to continually add new types of exercise to keep things fresh.

“A lot of our focus is on group exercise, whether that’s in the water or elsewhere, because people like that social or group atmosphere,” White said. “We have boot camps with different activities each week, dance classes. Our bodies quickly adjust and adapt to things so its a good idea to continually change things up.”

The YMCA also has a computer tracking program called ActivTrax that provides exercise and meal suggestions on the Web. It’s free to members and includes activities beyond the center like bike riding or hiking.

Even just going out for a walk is a nice way to get started — and if you have young kids, taking them on nature discovery hikes is a good way to encourage them to have fun while getting outdoors for some exercise.

“On discovery hikes, you can let kids veer off, pick up things like rocks or leaves and talk about them,” Beeman said. “Just doing something like that brings the attention outside, and it can be really fun fitness and really bonding at the same time.”

It takes about 21 days for a new habit to set in and feel normal, but if you do that by adding exercises that you enjoy, it becomes a much more easy task, she said.

“If you make a New Year’s resolution and you go to the gym and just push yourself, you end up in pain,” Beeman said. “Your muscles are burning and your joints are aching and your detoxing your body too fast. Just start with something simple. Go for a walk, get outside. People just aren’t built to be happy doing repetitive boring exercises.”

©2012 The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.)

Visit The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.) at www.columbian.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

If you want to get fit, don't make a New Year's resolution.

That's the wrong way to go about getting healthy, said Jana Beeman, owner of Balanced Life Today Health, Nutrition and Fitness in La Center.

"If you just make a resolution, you really won't stick to it," Beeman said. "People have to move with an exercise that captures some part of their imagination; it has to be fun or they just won't do it."

Gyms usually become crowded in January as throngs sign up after newly made New Year's resolutions, but by spring, the numbers pretty much always drop back to normal, said Eddie White, executive director at Clark County Family YMCA, 11324 N.E. 51st Circle.

Rather than hitting the same old boring weights or treadmill, White and Beeman suggest trying to find something that piques your interest -- like a dance class, bike rides or even firing up the video game machine with a fun fitness program.

"Exercise doesn't have to be three sets of 10 on the weight machine," White said. "It's just getting out and moving. It's going out and shooting hoops, playing catch, throwing a football. It can even be gardening."

Kim Puyleart, who runs the Vancouver Mommy Fitness Playgroup, found her current fitness calling by creating the group on Meetup.com.

She used to teach Zumba dance classes, but stopped when she had her first baby 15 months ago.

After feeling isolated from spending too much time at home, she decided to build a set of exercise routines she could share with other new mothers -- both for fitness and as a way to socialize.

"Being a mom is not easy, and it made me realize I really need to get out of the house," Puyleart said. "So I started the group at the end of August. We do everything from circuit training to resistance training to cardio, but we use baby strollers so we can bring our babies along."

In the winter, Puyleart brings her group to the Westfield Vancouver mall. The mothers incorporate their kids into the workout routine and break periodically for story time and other activities.

Sometimes the mothers will use their babies as weights and do squats or other exercises while holding them.

"It really is engaging, not just for the moms but for the kids, too," she said.

Beeman, meanwhile, uses dance to stay fit.

She got very sick when she was young, and stumbled upon a belly dancing class as a means to regain her health.

"I just needed something that would keep me coming back, and after that first class, I was hooked," Beeman said. "Belly dance is something that if it catches your interest and you relate to the music, it just takes over."

Zumba, which is sort of a fast-paced Latin dance class, is a huge trend right now, but if you haven't been all that active, Beeman suggests trying something a little slower to get you started.

"Some Zumba and dance fitness classes, they aren't very careful about protecting people's bodies," Beeman said. "If you like the idea of dancing but you aren't in great shape, why not start with something slower, like ballroom dancing, where it's very carefully designed."

If you have injuries or are just out of shape, restorative yoga is a slow, meditative way to let your body tell you what it's ready for, she said.

"You expand into a pose slowly and your body tells you how far you can go," Beeman said. "There's even chair yoga, where you can actually do a full yoga routine while sitting in your chair."

Swimming is another great, low-impact, easy way to start moving, White said.

"We do everything from arthritic swimming classes for our senior population to swim lessons for kids," White said. "We also have counselors, and you can make an appointment and they can tell you what classes might be best and how to approach things."

If you're more of the stay-at-home type, things like Wii Fit or Dance Dance Revolution can help to get you moving, as can fitness video series like Crunchless Abs and Bender Ball, which Beeman recommends.

But if you decide to go that route, both White and Beeman suggest attending at least one class or consulting a fitness trainer first to make sure you're doing the motions correctly.

If you rent a yoga program, for instance, and don't do poses like downward dog correctly, you can actually end up injuring yourself, Beeman said.

One nice thing about community fitness centers is that they tend to have several options for classes, White said.

At the Clark County Family YMCA, organizers try to continually add new types of exercise to keep things fresh.

"A lot of our focus is on group exercise, whether that's in the water or elsewhere, because people like that social or group atmosphere," White said. "We have boot camps with different activities each week, dance classes. Our bodies quickly adjust and adapt to things so its a good idea to continually change things up."

The YMCA also has a computer tracking program called ActivTrax that provides exercise and meal suggestions on the Web. It's free to members and includes activities beyond the center like bike riding or hiking.

Even just going out for a walk is a nice way to get started -- and if you have young kids, taking them on nature discovery hikes is a good way to encourage them to have fun while getting outdoors for some exercise.

"On discovery hikes, you can let kids veer off, pick up things like rocks or leaves and talk about them," Beeman said. "Just doing something like that brings the attention outside, and it can be really fun fitness and really bonding at the same time."

It takes about 21 days for a new habit to set in and feel normal, but if you do that by adding exercises that you enjoy, it becomes a much more easy task, she said.

"If you make a New Year's resolution and you go to the gym and just push yourself, you end up in pain," Beeman said. "Your muscles are burning and your joints are aching and your detoxing your body too fast. Just start with something simple. Go for a walk, get outside. People just aren't built to be happy doing repetitive boring exercises."

©2012 The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.)

Visit The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.) at www.columbian.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,



Back to top

Diet Excuses

Posted Jan 30, 2012

Ask any health expert to rattle off some of the bogus reasons they’ve heard as to why people can’t lose weight, and you’re likely to have enough excuses to fill a “Stuff Dieters Say” YouTube video. But there’s nothing funny – or pretty – about the little diet and fitness lies you persuade yourself to believe. Buying into incorrect information, such as the idea that skipping breakfast will save you calories in the long run or that your doctor will pull you aside if your weight is really a problem, will leave your scale stuck and could put your health at risk in the long-term.

The following ideas might seem like reasonable assumptions, but the research and experts suggest otherwise. Here, eight little fibs that might be making you fat.

1. Taking the stairs takes too long

Sorry folks, but taking the elevator at work isn’t just lazy, it’s inefficient, too. A small Canadian study calculated that when you factor in the time you spend waiting for an elevator to arrive, taking the stairs actually can save you about 15 minutes each workday. Researchers timed hospital workers making trips between one and six floors, and found that it took 2.8 times longer per floor to travel by elevator car than by stairwell. So the next time you catch yourself complaining about being too busy to work out, remember it’s possible to add minutes to your day and burn more calories.

2. Losing 10 pounds is good enough

Losing 10 pounds is nothing to sneeze at, but if you’re obese, a small dip in the scale should be the starting point – not the finish line – of a healthier lifestyle. While short-term studies have concluded that obese people can see significant improvements in their heart health after a 5 percent weight loss, a new 10-year Swedish study found that you most likely need to lose twice as much to yield meaningful results. Obese people who lost 4 percent of their body weight – or 11 pounds – showed no significant improvements in terms of major risk factors, including blood pressure and cholesterol levels. They needed to lose at least 22 pounds before systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure and insulin levels improved, and had to drop 33 pounds before significant benefits were seen in HDL and glucose levels.

3. My doctor will tell me if there’s a weight problem

If you’re waiting for your doctor to alert you that your weight is putting your health at risk, you’re better off facing your mirror for a true assessment. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that less than half of those who were overweight and two-thirds of those who were obese were told in the past year by their doctor that they were heavy.

A similar pattern crops up for children, as well. A 2011 study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that 22 percent of parents of overweight children recalled that their doctor voiced concern about their kid’s size and 58 percent of parents of obese children said that a physician told them their child is fat.

Weight is a touchy subject, especially for women, which might partially explain why female physicians are less likely to bring up weight with patients of either sex and why female patients are less likely to hear about it from their doctors. Plus, doctors sometimes figure that their patients have the resources to address weight issues on their own because there’s so much diet and fitness information available to the public, says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and author of “Doctor’s Detox Diet.”

4. I know what calories are

You probably know a thing or two about calories – like you need to eat less of them and burn more if you want to see the number on the scale go down – but chances are you understand less than you think.

A study in the American Journal of Public Health found that when teens read a sign that said it takes 50 minutes of jogging to burn off one soda, sales fell 50 percent compared with those who read signs listing the calories, suggesting that people have a false sense about how many calories they consume and use up. “People say all the time that they know about calories, but they don’t know how hard it is to burn them off,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, and author of “The Flexitarian Diet.”

5. I’m in control of what I’m eating

Sure, you have no one to blame for eating that extra cookie but yourself, but no matter how strong your willpower, you could be tucking in more food without even knowing it. A number of studies show that there are sneaky, subliminal factors that affect how much we serve ourselves. Not only do people dish out and eat larger portions when using bigger spoons, plates and bowls, they also tend to eat more when their food is a similar color to their plate, say researchers from Cornell University. Mindless-eating expert Brian Wansink found that people were more likely to dish out a big helping of pasta Alfredo on a white plate than a red one.

6. It’s too expensive to be healthy

Times may be lean, but eating healthfully doesn’t have to be a luxury. To be fair, a 2011 study in Health Affairs calculated that following the USDA’s MyPlate guidelines could cost Americans an extra $380 a year in food groceries, or $1.04 a day. However, findings from George Washington University researchers show that obese women earned $5,826 less per year than their thinner counterparts in 2008 – so maybe eating right is worth the investment.

Still, not everyone agrees that a balanced meal translates to extra dollars and cents. “You can cook frozen vegetables to save money,” notes Gerbstadt. “Eating healthy doesn’t have to be exotic or gourmet.” To see just how much it would cost to shape up your eating habits, Blatner suggests tallying a week’s worth of food and meal receipts – everything from your $10 lunch to your $4 cappuccino – and compare it with 7-day’s worth of good-for-you groceries. “It can be daunting to see a $100 to $200 grocery bill, but it’s usually less expensive compared with how much you’re spending dining out and eating on the run,” says Blatner.

7. A little snack won’t hurt

Well, that depends on your perception of what qualifies as a snack and how often you’re noshing between meals. After all, weight loss boils down to calories in, calories out. Investigating the snacking habits of dieters over the course of a year, researchers found that midmorning snackers lost 7 percent of their body weight compared with those who snacked later in the day, who lost 11 percent of their body weight. Why? Midmorning snackers usually didn’t stop at just one snack and tended to eat another later in the day, as opposed to afternoon and evening snackers.

“The problem with snacking is that people don’t know what a snack is,” says Blatner. “A snack is nutritious and filling; it bridges meals and is about 200 calories. Snack packs, cookies and candies aren’t snacks – they’re treats. You need to know the difference and know that there is a limit.” Blatner says that when you keep to these guidelines, you can snack up to twice a day and maintain a healthy weight.

8. I’ll eat less if I skip breakfast

Drill it into your heads: Skipping breakfast won’t save you calories in the long run. “People have this notion that if they don’t eat breakfast they’ll save calories or can cheat eat later in the day, but it really doesn’t work that way,” says Gerbstadt. “Your body needs food in small increments throughout the day to stay powered, and research shows that people who eat 400 to 600 calories at breakfast are less likely to be overweight.” Starting your day with a morning meal can help jump-start your metabolism by 10 percent and prevents you from overindulging on snacks and large meals later in the day because you are ravenous.

If you typically don’t feel hungry in the morning, Blatner recommends skipping dinner – just once – to reset your appetite clock. “A lot of times people say they’re not hungry when they wake up because they’d eaten too much for dinner. This way, you’ll wake up naturally hungry.”

For more tips and tricks, visit Fitbie.com

@2012, Fitbie.com Visit them at http://fitbie.msn.com/ .

Distributed by MCT Information Services

Ask any health expert to rattle off some of the bogus reasons they've heard as to why people can't lose weight, and you're likely to have enough excuses to fill a "Stuff Dieters Say" YouTube video. But there's nothing funny - or pretty - about the little diet and fitness lies you persuade yourself to believe. Buying into incorrect information, such as the idea that skipping breakfast will save you calories in the long run or that your doctor will pull you aside if your weight is really a problem, will leave your scale stuck and could put your health at risk in the long-term.

The following ideas might seem like reasonable assumptions, but the research and experts suggest otherwise. Here, eight little fibs that might be making you fat.

1. Taking the stairs takes too long

Sorry folks, but taking the elevator at work isn't just lazy, it's inefficient, too. A small Canadian study calculated that when you factor in the time you spend waiting for an elevator to arrive, taking the stairs actually can save you about 15 minutes each workday. Researchers timed hospital workers making trips between one and six floors, and found that it took 2.8 times longer per floor to travel by elevator car than by stairwell. So the next time you catch yourself complaining about being too busy to work out, remember it's possible to add minutes to your day and burn more calories.

2. Losing 10 pounds is good enough

Losing 10 pounds is nothing to sneeze at, but if you're obese, a small dip in the scale should be the starting point - not the finish line - of a healthier lifestyle. While short-term studies have concluded that obese people can see significant improvements in their heart health after a 5 percent weight loss, a new 10-year Swedish study found that you most likely need to lose twice as much to yield meaningful results. Obese people who lost 4 percent of their body weight - or 11 pounds - showed no significant improvements in terms of major risk factors, including blood pressure and cholesterol levels. They needed to lose at least 22 pounds before systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure and insulin levels improved, and had to drop 33 pounds before significant benefits were seen in HDL and glucose levels.

3. My doctor will tell me if there's a weight problem

If you're waiting for your doctor to alert you that your weight is putting your health at risk, you're better off facing your mirror for a true assessment. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that less than half of those who were overweight and two-thirds of those who were obese were told in the past year by their doctor that they were heavy.

A similar pattern crops up for children, as well. A 2011 study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that 22 percent of parents of overweight children recalled that their doctor voiced concern about their kid's size and 58 percent of parents of obese children said that a physician told them their child is fat.

Weight is a touchy subject, especially for women, which might partially explain why female physicians are less likely to bring up weight with patients of either sex and why female patients are less likely to hear about it from their doctors. Plus, doctors sometimes figure that their patients have the resources to address weight issues on their own because there's so much diet and fitness information available to the public, says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and author of "Doctor's Detox Diet."

4. I know what calories are

You probably know a thing or two about calories - like you need to eat less of them and burn more if you want to see the number on the scale go down - but chances are you understand less than you think.

A study in the American Journal of Public Health found that when teens read a sign that said it takes 50 minutes of jogging to burn off one soda, sales fell 50 percent compared with those who read signs listing the calories, suggesting that people have a false sense about how many calories they consume and use up. "People say all the time that they know about calories, but they don't know how hard it is to burn them off," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, and author of "The Flexitarian Diet."

5. I'm in control of what I'm eating

Sure, you have no one to blame for eating that extra cookie but yourself, but no matter how strong your willpower, you could be tucking in more food without even knowing it. A number of studies show that there are sneaky, subliminal factors that affect how much we serve ourselves. Not only do people dish out and eat larger portions when using bigger spoons, plates and bowls, they also tend to eat more when their food is a similar color to their plate, say researchers from Cornell University. Mindless-eating expert Brian Wansink found that people were more likely to dish out a big helping of pasta Alfredo on a white plate than a red one.

6. It's too expensive to be healthy

Times may be lean, but eating healthfully doesn't have to be a luxury. To be fair, a 2011 study in Health Affairs calculated that following the USDA's MyPlate guidelines could cost Americans an extra $380 a year in food groceries, or $1.04 a day. However, findings from George Washington University researchers show that obese women earned $5,826 less per year than their thinner counterparts in 2008 - so maybe eating right is worth the investment.

Still, not everyone agrees that a balanced meal translates to extra dollars and cents. "You can cook frozen vegetables to save money," notes Gerbstadt. "Eating healthy doesn't have to be exotic or gourmet." To see just how much it would cost to shape up your eating habits, Blatner suggests tallying a week's worth of food and meal receipts - everything from your $10 lunch to your $4 cappuccino - and compare it with 7-day's worth of good-for-you groceries. "It can be daunting to see a $100 to $200 grocery bill, but it's usually less expensive compared with how much you're spending dining out and eating on the run," says Blatner.

7. A little snack won't hurt

Well, that depends on your perception of what qualifies as a snack and how often you're noshing between meals. After all, weight loss boils down to calories in, calories out. Investigating the snacking habits of dieters over the course of a year, researchers found that midmorning snackers lost 7 percent of their body weight compared with those who snacked later in the day, who lost 11 percent of their body weight. Why? Midmorning snackers usually didn't stop at just one snack and tended to eat another later in the day, as opposed to afternoon and evening snackers.

"The problem with snacking is that people don't know what a snack is," says Blatner. "A snack is nutritious and filling; it bridges meals and is about 200 calories. Snack packs, cookies and candies aren't snacks - they're treats. You need to know the difference and know that there is a limit." Blatner says that when you keep to these guidelines, you can snack up to twice a day and maintain a healthy weight.

8. I'll eat less if I skip breakfast

Drill it into your heads: Skipping breakfast won't save you calories in the long run. "People have this notion that if they don't eat breakfast they'll save calories or can cheat eat later in the day, but it really doesn't work that way," says Gerbstadt. "Your body needs food in small increments throughout the day to stay powered, and research shows that people who eat 400 to 600 calories at breakfast are less likely to be overweight." Starting your day with a morning meal can help jump-start your metabolism by 10 percent and prevents you from overindulging on snacks and large meals later in the day because you are ravenous.

If you typically don't feel hungry in the morning, Blatner recommends skipping dinner - just once - to reset your appetite clock. "A lot of times people say they're not hungry when they wake up because they'd eaten too much for dinner. This way, you'll wake up naturally hungry."

For more tips and tricks, visit Fitbie.com

@2012, Fitbie.com Visit them at http://fitbie.msn.com/ .

Distributed by MCT Information Services

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,



Back to top

Don’t Be Overwhelmed By Exercise

Posted Jan 21, 2012

“Maybe you love to eat but hate to exercise,” Jim Karas proposes.

For most of us, that about sums it up.

Karas wants to help you get over the exercise part of that equation.

“The biggest hurdle you will ever face in losing weight isn’t sticking to a diet or going to the gym every day. It’s simply this: getting started,” he says.

Can you spare 15 minutes, three times a week? Trainer and author Karas says that’s enough to get you off to a good start.

“If you’re doing nothing, this is absolutely a step in the right direction,” says Karas, who blogs (and sells his fitness products) at jimkaras.com. Just those 45 minutes weekly will rev up your metabolism, increase your energy, and make you look and feel better, he says.

Karas brags that after an appearance years ago on “Good Morning America,” he cornered Diane Sawyer and delivered the bad news: She needed to lose 25 pounds. “She was shocked, but I got her attention.” (And became her trainer to help her do it.)

For those of us who aren’t Diane Sawyer, who have put off starting an exercise program, he insists that we don’t need to spend hours a week on a treadmill.

“You don’t have to have equipment. You don’t have to go to the gym,” he says.

Instead, Karas recommends taking three basic exercises – pushups, Pilates planks, and squats or lunges – and doing each until “you’re almost out of breath.” Then repeat the series “until you fill up 15 minutes” three times weekly. Instructions for all of these are all over the Internet.

And yes, he disagrees with federal guidelines that recommend 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity (or 21/2 hours of moderate exercise).

In most exercise regimens, “the neglected variable is intensity,” Karas says. “If you really get in there and get the job done, you optimize results and you save yourself time.”

"Maybe you love to eat but hate to exercise," Jim Karas proposes.

For most of us, that about sums it up.

Karas wants to help you get over the exercise part of that equation.

"The biggest hurdle you will ever face in losing weight isn't sticking to a diet or going to the gym every day. It's simply this: getting started," he says.

Can you spare 15 minutes, three times a week? Trainer and author Karas says that's enough to get you off to a good start.

"If you're doing nothing, this is absolutely a step in the right direction," says Karas, who blogs (and sells his fitness products) at jimkaras.com. Just those 45 minutes weekly will rev up your metabolism, increase your energy, and make you look and feel better, he says.

Karas brags that after an appearance years ago on "Good Morning America," he cornered Diane Sawyer and delivered the bad news: She needed to lose 25 pounds. "She was shocked, but I got her attention." (And became her trainer to help her do it.)

For those of us who aren't Diane Sawyer, who have put off starting an exercise program, he insists that we don't need to spend hours a week on a treadmill.

"You don't have to have equipment. You don't have to go to the gym," he says.

Instead, Karas recommends taking three basic exercises - pushups, Pilates planks, and squats or lunges - and doing each until "you're almost out of breath." Then repeat the series "until you fill up 15 minutes" three times weekly. Instructions for all of these are all over the Internet.

And yes, he disagrees with federal guidelines that recommend 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity (or 21/2 hours of moderate exercise).

In most exercise regimens, "the neglected variable is intensity," Karas says. "If you really get in there and get the job done, you optimize results and you save yourself time."

Tags: , , , ,



Back to top

Few Still Following Resolutions

Posted January 17, 2012

If you’re a woman who made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and you’ve made it this far without falling off the diet bandwagon, give yourself a hearty pat on the back. You’re above average. If you’re a man, you need to hang tough — but not for much longer.

A poll financed by the insurance industry found that the average woman who resolves to lose weight makes it only until Jan. 6 before breaking that vow. Men do better, but not by a lot. They tend to keep their diet resolutions until Jan. 18.

It turns out that few New Year’s resolutions make it past the end of January. According to the researchers, men who resolve to give up drinking usually manage for about a week, while women go two weeks. If quitting smoking is your focus, women last an average of seven days before lighting up again, while men go 20 days.

The resolution that lasts the longest? Exercising. Men who vow to start following a fitness routine tend to stick with it for six weeks, which is about twice as long as women.

Don’t feel bad if you came up short. At least you tried. A survey conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in December found that 62 percent of Americans didn’t plan to make any resolutions for 2012.

And, as they say in sports, there’s always next year.

©2012 the Star Tribune (Minneapolis)



If you're a woman who made a New Year's resolution to lose weight and you've made it this far without falling off the diet bandwagon, give yourself a hearty pat on the back. You're above average. If you're a man, you need to hang tough -- but not for much longer.

A poll financed by the insurance industry found that the average woman who resolves to lose weight makes it only until Jan. 6 before breaking that vow. Men do better, but not by a lot. They tend to keep their diet resolutions until Jan. 18.

It turns out that few New Year's resolutions make it past the end of January. According to the researchers, men who resolve to give up drinking usually manage for about a week, while women go two weeks. If quitting smoking is your focus, women last an average of seven days before lighting up again, while men go 20 days.

The resolution that lasts the longest? Exercising. Men who vow to start following a fitness routine tend to stick with it for six weeks, which is about twice as long as women.

Don't feel bad if you came up short. At least you tried. A survey conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in December found that 62 percent of Americans didn't plan to make any resolutions for 2012.

And, as they say in sports, there's always next year.

©2012 the Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

Tags: , , , , ,



Back to top

Free Diet and Fitness Apps

Posted Jan 12, 2012

If you’re thinking about starting that diet and getting fit in 2012, we have a couple of free iOS and Android apps that can help:

– “Food Fight! Nutrition Comparison” for iOS is free. It normally costs $1.99. The app lets you compare nutrition on 100,000 products to see how they stack up on calories, carbs, fats, protein and cholesterol to help you make better dietary choices.

– “My Fitness Pal” for Android is a free, top-rated calorie counter and has the largest food database of any Android app with more than a million foods.

– “Fast Food Calories” for iOS also is free. It offers calories and nutritional info on fast food meals, from McDonald’s to Chick-fil-A to Starbucks.

– “Heart Fitness” for iOS and Android, free, uses the camera in your phone to measure your heart rate.

The trick to losing weight and getting in shape is to move your mouth less and move your feet more!

If you're thinking about starting that diet and getting fit in 2012, we have a couple of free iOS and Android apps that can help:

- "Food Fight! Nutrition Comparison" for iOS is free. It normally costs $1.99. The app lets you compare nutrition on 100,000 products to see how they stack up on calories, carbs, fats, protein and cholesterol to help you make better dietary choices.

- "My Fitness Pal" for Android is a free, top-rated calorie counter and has the largest food database of any Android app with more than a million foods.

- "Fast Food Calories" for iOS also is free. It offers calories and nutritional info on fast food meals, from McDonald's to Chick-fil-A to Starbucks.

- "Heart Fitness" for iOS and Android, free, uses the camera in your phone to measure your heart rate.

The trick to losing weight and getting in shape is to move your mouth less and move your feet more!

Tags: , , , ,



Back to top

List of Best Diets for 2012

Posted Jan 12, 2012

-U.S. News and World Report news magazine has ranked the Best Diets for 2012. The list includes 25 diet plans. Government-generated programs won top spots while commercial programs got a lot of honorable mentions.

The tops overall:

1. DASH Diet — Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension won the top spot. It was developed by the National Institutes of Health.

2. TLC — Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes is a diet high in fiber and low in fat also developed by the National institutes of Health.

Tied for 3rd:

–Mayo Clinic Diet, a low-energy, high-nutrition foods such as fruits and vegetables and allows dieters to eat more while eating fewer calories. –Mediterranean Diet, which includes whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy fats such as olive oil and red wine in moderation. –Weight Watchers, which focuses on portion control and encourages plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy.

The magazine employed 22 experts including physicians and public health specialists.

The experts also ranked had six sub categories.

Easiest to follow:

Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Mediterranean.

Best for weight loss:

Weight Watchers, tied for second, Biggest Loser, Jenny Craig, and raw food.

Best commercial plan:

Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Biggest Loser

Best for diabetes plan:

Biggest Loser and DASH tied for first, Mayo Clinic, Ornish, and vegan were tied for third.

Best for heart health:

Ornish, TLC, DASH

Best for healthy eating:

DASH, TLC, Mediterranean.

Experts encourage people searching for an eating plan to include respect to lifestyle. For example, a diet that requires a lot of at-home food preparation for someone who hates to cook or is not home long enough, won’t work.

See the list of all of the diet plans examined by the magazine’s experts.

Follow health reporter Harry Jackson Jr. on Twitter at www.twitter.com/STLhealth for coverage of health, outdoors, health gadgets and tips from fitness trainers.

©2012 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at www.stltoday.com

-U.S. News and World Report news magazine has ranked the Best Diets for 2012. The list includes 25 diet plans. Government-generated programs won top spots while commercial programs got a lot of honorable mentions.

The tops overall:

1. DASH Diet -- Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension won the top spot. It was developed by the National Institutes of Health.

2. TLC -- Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes is a diet high in fiber and low in fat also developed by the National institutes of Health.

Tied for 3rd:

--Mayo Clinic Diet, a low-energy, high-nutrition foods such as fruits and vegetables and allows dieters to eat more while eating fewer calories. --Mediterranean Diet, which includes whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy fats such as olive oil and red wine in moderation. --Weight Watchers, which focuses on portion control and encourages plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy.

The magazine employed 22 experts including physicians and public health specialists.

The experts also ranked had six sub categories.

Easiest to follow:

Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Mediterranean.

Best for weight loss:

Weight Watchers, tied for second, Biggest Loser, Jenny Craig, and raw food.

Best commercial plan:

Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Biggest Loser

Best for diabetes plan:

Biggest Loser and DASH tied for first, Mayo Clinic, Ornish, and vegan were tied for third.

Best for heart health:

Ornish, TLC, DASH

Best for healthy eating:

DASH, TLC, Mediterranean.

Experts encourage people searching for an eating plan to include respect to lifestyle. For example, a diet that requires a lot of at-home food preparation for someone who hates to cook or is not home long enough, won't work.

See the list of all of the diet plans examined by the magazine's experts.

Follow health reporter Harry Jackson Jr. on Twitter at www.twitter.com/STLhealth for coverage of health, outdoors, health gadgets and tips from fitness trainers.

©2012 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at www.stltoday.com

Tags: , , , , , , , ,



Back to top

Exercise Boosts School Performance

Posted Jan 11, 2012

Children who get more exercise tend to do better in school, whether it comes as recess, physical education classes or even walking to and from school, according to findings published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

The study comes at a time when many U.S. schools have been cutting physical activity time in favor of more academic test preparation. Daviess County and Owensboro public school districts, however, agree with the study’s findings and have raised the amount of exercise opportunities, not only to combat the growing trend of obesity and inactivity in youngsters, but also because officials believe it enhances the educational experience.

“Physical activity is all part of the puzzle of learning,” said Amy Bouchard, the physical education instructor at Meadow Lands Elementary School. “Physical education is just as important as reading and writing and arithmetic.

“Physical activity increases the blood flow, so not only is that increasing the oxygen level to the brain, but it also improves cardio-respiratoy endurance. When the oxygen level to the brain increases, it facilitates learning. The children become more alert. They’re able to retain more.

“Physical activity also helps with behavior. It allows them to become more focused and engaged in the learning process. They’re not just sitting there zoning out.”

Many of the schools in the city and county have walking trails and use them during recess, and before- and after-school programs.

“We have 10 minutes of physical activity every day, even if the students have PE that day,” Bouchard said. “It’s a valuable part of the learning process.”

The international study’s author said there needs to be a balance in physical activity and academics, but that exercise benefits the student in the classroom. The study included an “observational” report in which researchers asked parents, teachers and students how active the youngsters were and then tracked their academic performance.

In another study component, one group of students was given extra time for physical education classes and other health and fitness exercises, and their academic scores were compared against a group that didn’t get extra exercise. The researchers found that those with higher rates of physical activity did better in the classroom.

The study included any kind of physical activity, from stretching and movement during a classroom break to a standard physical education class.

“As a PE teacher, I see the overall health benefit of exercise, but classroom teachers also tell me how much more focused the kids are in class,” said Jammia Joska, an instructor at Sutton Elementary School. “Their attention span is better, and it improves their classroom behavior when they get physical activity.”

Sutton Principal Dana Johnson made a push to increase PE from two 30-minute classes a week to three. The third PE class includes time on the walking track. Sutton and Cravens elementary schools recently installed walking tracks, and students are encouraged to come before school to walk, as well as participate in walking clubs, among other activities.

Bouchard agreed that behavior improves after exercise.

“It puts the students in a good mood,” she said. “And it’s helps socially because they get to be with their friends. They’re moving, they’re having fun, so they’re enjoying that part of the education process.”

In 2010, Meadow Lands and Southern Oaks elementary schools were among 20 Kentucky schools with the highest percentage of participation in the “Get Active Get Fit!” School Challenge, which included at least 15 minutes of physical activity a day for at least 40 of the 55 challenge days.

Rich Suwanski, 691-7315, or rsuwanski@messenger-inquirer.com

©2012 the Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Ky.)

Children who get more exercise tend to do better in school, whether it comes as recess, physical education classes or even walking to and from school, according to findings published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

The study comes at a time when many U.S. schools have been cutting physical activity time in favor of more academic test preparation. Daviess County and Owensboro public school districts, however, agree with the study's findings and have raised the amount of exercise opportunities, not only to combat the growing trend of obesity and inactivity in youngsters, but also because officials believe it enhances the educational experience.

"Physical activity is all part of the puzzle of learning," said Amy Bouchard, the physical education instructor at Meadow Lands Elementary School. "Physical education is just as important as reading and writing and arithmetic.

"Physical activity increases the blood flow, so not only is that increasing the oxygen level to the brain, but it also improves cardio-respiratoy endurance. When the oxygen level to the brain increases, it facilitates learning. The children become more alert. They're able to retain more.

"Physical activity also helps with behavior. It allows them to become more focused and engaged in the learning process. They're not just sitting there zoning out."

Many of the schools in the city and county have walking trails and use them during recess, and before- and after-school programs.

"We have 10 minutes of physical activity every day, even if the students have PE that day," Bouchard said. "It's a valuable part of the learning process."

The international study's author said there needs to be a balance in physical activity and academics, but that exercise benefits the student in the classroom. The study included an "observational" report in which researchers asked parents, teachers and students how active the youngsters were and then tracked their academic performance.

In another study component, one group of students was given extra time for physical education classes and other health and fitness exercises, and their academic scores were compared against a group that didn't get extra exercise. The researchers found that those with higher rates of physical activity did better in the classroom.

The study included any kind of physical activity, from stretching and movement during a classroom break to a standard physical education class.

"As a PE teacher, I see the overall health benefit of exercise, but classroom teachers also tell me how much more focused the kids are in class," said Jammia Joska, an instructor at Sutton Elementary School. "Their attention span is better, and it improves their classroom behavior when they get physical activity."

Sutton Principal Dana Johnson made a push to increase PE from two 30-minute classes a week to three. The third PE class includes time on the walking track. Sutton and Cravens elementary schools recently installed walking tracks, and students are encouraged to come before school to walk, as well as participate in walking clubs, among other activities.

Bouchard agreed that behavior improves after exercise.

"It puts the students in a good mood," she said. "And it's helps socially because they get to be with their friends. They're moving, they're having fun, so they're enjoying that part of the education process."

In 2010, Meadow Lands and Southern Oaks elementary schools were among 20 Kentucky schools with the highest percentage of participation in the "Get Active Get Fit!" School Challenge, which included at least 15 minutes of physical activity a day for at least 40 of the 55 challenge days.

Rich Suwanski, 691-7315, or rsuwanski@messenger-inquirer.com

©2012 the Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Ky.)

Tags: , , , , ,



Back to top

App Charges a Fee When You Skip the Gym

Posted Jan 10, 2012

If, in New Years past, a steadfast resolution to get your butt to the gym has resulted in your butt remaining steadfastly planted on your couch, it may be time to introduce your butt to hyperbolic discounting.

Hyperbolic discounting is not a fitness trend or diet plan or mail-order device that systematically smoothes cellulite while you sleep.

It’s an economic principle.

“Things that are farther out in time, we pay less mind to more than things that are closer or happening now,” explains 2010 Harvard grad Yifan Zhang. “Fitness is a perfect example. We don’t really want to go to the gym right now, but our future self will really wish we had gone to the gym.”

Monetary penalty, Zhang contends, can bridge the gap between your current (couch-bound) and future (toned-butt) selves. And not just the money you’re already sinking into a gym membership. We’re talking money on top of that money.

Gym Pact, a new program dreamed up by Zhang and fellow Harvard grad Geoff Oberhofer, charges you a penalty for skipping your workouts. It launches Jan. 1 at gympact.com.

“A gym membership is something you pay for at the beginning of the year or the beginning of the month, and there’s no additional money on the line,” Zhang says. “We wanted to tie a cash incentive to every single workout you do, week-by-week.”

Here’s how it works: You set a pact to get to the gym of your choice a certain number of times (minimum one day per week). You pick a fee to charge yourself for breaking your pact (minimum $5 per day missed). You download the Gym Pact app to your smart phone and check in when you get to the gym. (They’ll use GPS to confirm you’re actually there.) And when you fall short of your pact? They charge your credit card the pre-determined penalty.

“It’s based on sound theory,” says Eric Endlich, a Boston-based clinical psychologist who specializes in health and wellness. “Part of the reason certain things are addictive – gambling, alcohol, drugs – are the fairly immediate rewards. I’ve always thought if you drank and got a hangover immediately and then felt great the next day, no one would drink. People are motivated by immediate consequences.”

But can short-term incentives lead to long-term health? Sure, says Endlich.

“Once someone develops a habit, a certain amount of momentum takes over as people experience the benefits, and the habit is more likely to continue,” he says. “You start exercising to lose weight for your wedding or to win a bet at work and suddenly you have less stress, more energy, your cholesterol is going down. You have a better chance of sticking with it for new reasons you didn’t have to begin with.”

Of course, plenty of hurdles stand between would-be exercisers and actual exercise. And some of them can’t be addressed by financial incentives.

“The No. 1 reason people say they don’t exercise is time,” says Jennifer Hurst, professor of exercise science at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo. “Anybody can change for two weeks, but all of the sudden life comes in and you aren’t as motivated as you thought you would be.”

Hurst would like to see fitness centers play more of a consulting role to help people incorporate exercise into their lives.

“Fitness centers are designed for people who are ready to go,” Hurst says. “It’s going to take personal trainers who also have an understanding about behavior change processes, not just how to lift weights and use machines. People who will help you set goals and work the process of getting healthy into your life.”

Zhang and her Gym Pact colleagues tweaked the program after a soft launch in October, in part to more accurately reflect how fitness does (or doesn’t) fit into most people’s lives.

“We used to have people commit for a month of six months,” Zhang says. “But things come up. People get sick, you go on vacation. Now you commit week-by-week and you can change your pact for the next week any time until Sunday night. If you have a busy week coming up, you lower your commitment. If you have a light week, you up your commitment.”

They also added a positive incentive program, by which Gym Pact users who meet their fitness goals receive a small payout at the end of the week. (The money paid in by pact-breakers is divvied up among pact-keepers.)

It may not be the silver bullet that remedies the nation’s fitness ills, but any incentive is better than nothing, says Endlich.

“Americans are overwhelmingly sedentary,” he says. “Anything that helps them change their habits in a healthier direction is good. As much as technology and medicine have advanced, we haven’t come up with anything that remotely helps your health like exercise.

“No pill can help your mood, give you more energy, benefit sleep patterns, reduce every major cause of death and have no side effects,” he continues. “Exercise offers some 50-100 health benefits. If a simple program of incentive helps people do more of it, great.”

About the app

Gym Pact became available for free through the app store for iPhone on Jan. 1. The HTML5 app should be out around mid-March, and that will work for Android, BlackBerry, etc., according to the company.

If, in New Years past, a steadfast resolution to get your butt to the gym has resulted in your butt remaining steadfastly planted on your couch, it may be time to introduce your butt to hyperbolic discounting.

Hyperbolic discounting is not a fitness trend or diet plan or mail-order device that systematically smoothes cellulite while you sleep.

It's an economic principle.

"Things that are farther out in time, we pay less mind to more than things that are closer or happening now," explains 2010 Harvard grad Yifan Zhang. "Fitness is a perfect example. We don't really want to go to the gym right now, but our future self will really wish we had gone to the gym."

Monetary penalty, Zhang contends, can bridge the gap between your current (couch-bound) and future (toned-butt) selves. And not just the money you're already sinking into a gym membership. We're talking money on top of that money.

Gym Pact, a new program dreamed up by Zhang and fellow Harvard grad Geoff Oberhofer, charges you a penalty for skipping your workouts. It launches Jan. 1 at gympact.com.

"A gym membership is something you pay for at the beginning of the year or the beginning of the month, and there's no additional money on the line," Zhang says. "We wanted to tie a cash incentive to every single workout you do, week-by-week."

Here's how it works: You set a pact to get to the gym of your choice a certain number of times (minimum one day per week). You pick a fee to charge yourself for breaking your pact (minimum $5 per day missed). You download the Gym Pact app to your smart phone and check in when you get to the gym. (They'll use GPS to confirm you're actually there.) And when you fall short of your pact? They charge your credit card the pre-determined penalty.

"It's based on sound theory," says Eric Endlich, a Boston-based clinical psychologist who specializes in health and wellness. "Part of the reason certain things are addictive - gambling, alcohol, drugs - are the fairly immediate rewards. I've always thought if you drank and got a hangover immediately and then felt great the next day, no one would drink. People are motivated by immediate consequences."

But can short-term incentives lead to long-term health? Sure, says Endlich.

"Once someone develops a habit, a certain amount of momentum takes over as people experience the benefits, and the habit is more likely to continue," he says. "You start exercising to lose weight for your wedding or to win a bet at work and suddenly you have less stress, more energy, your cholesterol is going down. You have a better chance of sticking with it for new reasons you didn't have to begin with."

Of course, plenty of hurdles stand between would-be exercisers and actual exercise. And some of them can't be addressed by financial incentives.

"The No. 1 reason people say they don't exercise is time," says Jennifer Hurst, professor of exercise science at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo. "Anybody can change for two weeks, but all of the sudden life comes in and you aren't as motivated as you thought you would be."

Hurst would like to see fitness centers play more of a consulting role to help people incorporate exercise into their lives.

"Fitness centers are designed for people who are ready to go," Hurst says. "It's going to take personal trainers who also have an understanding about behavior change processes, not just how to lift weights and use machines. People who will help you set goals and work the process of getting healthy into your life."

Zhang and her Gym Pact colleagues tweaked the program after a soft launch in October, in part to more accurately reflect how fitness does (or doesn't) fit into most people's lives.

"We used to have people commit for a month of six months," Zhang says. "But things come up. People get sick, you go on vacation. Now you commit week-by-week and you can change your pact for the next week any time until Sunday night. If you have a busy week coming up, you lower your commitment. If you have a light week, you up your commitment."

They also added a positive incentive program, by which Gym Pact users who meet their fitness goals receive a small payout at the end of the week. (The money paid in by pact-breakers is divvied up among pact-keepers.)

It may not be the silver bullet that remedies the nation's fitness ills, but any incentive is better than nothing, says Endlich.

"Americans are overwhelmingly sedentary," he says. "Anything that helps them change their habits in a healthier direction is good. As much as technology and medicine have advanced, we haven't come up with anything that remotely helps your health like exercise.

"No pill can help your mood, give you more energy, benefit sleep patterns, reduce every major cause of death and have no side effects," he continues. "Exercise offers some 50-100 health benefits. If a simple program of incentive helps people do more of it, great."

About the app

Gym Pact became available for free through the app store for iPhone on Jan. 1. The HTML5 app should be out around mid-March, and that will work for Android, BlackBerry, etc., according to the company.

Tags: , , , , , , ,



Back to top

Sticking to New Year’s Fitness Resolutions

Posted Jan 5, 2012

Kids have been coming up with excuses to dodge gym class for eons.

So it should come as no surprise that as adults, people have become masters at finding reasons not to exercise.

Nevertheless, New Year’s resolutions to work off those holiday cookie calories make this the most lucrative time of year for the fitness industry and personal trainers.

A nationwide survey by the research firm Barna Group in 2011 found that the bulk of New Year’s resolutions are related to weight, diet and health.

Additionally, fitness clubs sell about 12 percent of their memberships in January, the highest volume for the year, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, which represents more than 10,000 fitness facilities.

But despite promises made and gym memberships paid, people still find excuses to weasel out of exercising.

“I generally see people make these resolutions and stop three weeks later,” said Dexter Tenison, owner of Memphis Adventure Boot Camp in East Memphis and Cordova.

Karen Moss, owner of Better Bodies Yoga studio in East Memphis, typically sees a jump of nearly 50 percent in clientele following New Year’s, she said.

However, fewer than half stay committed, she said.

Below, Memphis area fitness professionals offer solutions to some of the most common excuses for why people don’t work out.

Excuse: It’s too hard.

Solution: “A lot of people see (exercising) as an overwhelming thing, where you have to change every aspect of your life,” said Tenison, who has seen roughly 1,500 people of all athletic ability levels come through his boot camp program.

“People say, ‘I have to get on the treadmill an hour every day and not eat anything.’

“Make small adjustments each day. Going from nothing to just walking 10 to 12 minutes a day is a huge improvement. Then you start to jog 10 or 12 minutes, then maybe some crunches,” he said.

Excuse: I’m too stressed-out.

Solution: “That’s why you need to come in, to learn how to breathe,” said Moss of Better Bodies Yoga.

“Your body has accumulated stress, illness, body fat — you have to move through some discomfort to get back.

“Becoming more flexible is going to make us less stressed.

“Before I started yoga, I was a huge multitasker. But when you stop and are present, it changes your nervous system. It’s the only time you’re disconnected from the phone, the traffic. It’s a healing time,” she said.

Excuse: I don’t have time.

Solution: “When someone says they don’t have time, what they really mean is they don’t see the value of putting the time toward it,” said Neil Weaver, assistant department head of personal training for Lifetime Fitness in Collierville.

“What I usually ask is, ‘Do you watch a 30-minute TV program every day?’

“Everyone can carve out some kind of time, even if it’s 20 minutes.

“You can do things with your kids. If they’re an infant, get a running stroller. I bought one for my wife at a garage sale for $15,” he said.

Excuse: I can’t afford it.

Solution: “It’s difficult to say cost is a barrier,” said Richard Murphy, manager of exercise and movement at the Church Health Center’s Wellness Center.

Located in the medical district, CHC’s fitness facility serves a large spectrum of Memphians from the working poor to the extremely wealthy.

“Regardless of whether they have a gym membership or not, there are three things you need. First, find something that’s fun. Second, find something that gets you moving. Third, find something that gets you out of the house.

“Walking the dog is a cheap way to get exercise. If you like dancing, call a friend and go over to each other’s houses and dance.

“I find treadmills in the house usually turn into coat racks after a few months.

“It has to be fun or you won’t keep it going,” he said.

— Lindsay Melvin: (901) 529-2445

©2012 The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.)

Visit The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) at www.commercialappeal.com

Kids have been coming up with excuses to dodge gym class for eons.

So it should come as no surprise that as adults, people have become masters at finding reasons not to exercise.

Nevertheless, New Year's resolutions to work off those holiday cookie calories make this the most lucrative time of year for the fitness industry and personal trainers.

A nationwide survey by the research firm Barna Group in 2011 found that the bulk of New Year's resolutions are related to weight, diet and health.

Additionally, fitness clubs sell about 12 percent of their memberships in January, the highest volume for the year, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, which represents more than 10,000 fitness facilities.

But despite promises made and gym memberships paid, people still find excuses to weasel out of exercising.

"I generally see people make these resolutions and stop three weeks later," said Dexter Tenison, owner of Memphis Adventure Boot Camp in East Memphis and Cordova.

Karen Moss, owner of Better Bodies Yoga studio in East Memphis, typically sees a jump of nearly 50 percent in clientele following New Year's, she said.

However, fewer than half stay committed, she said.

Below, Memphis area fitness professionals offer solutions to some of the most common excuses for why people don't work out.

Excuse: It's too hard.

Solution: "A lot of people see (exercising) as an overwhelming thing, where you have to change every aspect of your life," said Tenison, who has seen roughly 1,500 people of all athletic ability levels come through his boot camp program.

"People say, 'I have to get on the treadmill an hour every day and not eat anything.'

"Make small adjustments each day. Going from nothing to just walking 10 to 12 minutes a day is a huge improvement. Then you start to jog 10 or 12 minutes, then maybe some crunches," he said.

Excuse: I'm too stressed-out.

Solution: "That's why you need to come in, to learn how to breathe," said Moss of Better Bodies Yoga.

"Your body has accumulated stress, illness, body fat -- you have to move through some discomfort to get back.

"Becoming more flexible is going to make us less stressed.

"Before I started yoga, I was a huge multitasker. But when you stop and are present, it changes your nervous system. It's the only time you're disconnected from the phone, the traffic. It's a healing time," she said.

Excuse: I don't have time.

Solution: "When someone says they don't have time, what they really mean is they don't see the value of putting the time toward it," said Neil Weaver, assistant department head of personal training for Lifetime Fitness in Collierville.

"What I usually ask is, 'Do you watch a 30-minute TV program every day?'

"Everyone can carve out some kind of time, even if it's 20 minutes.

"You can do things with your kids. If they're an infant, get a running stroller. I bought one for my wife at a garage sale for $15," he said.

Excuse: I can't afford it.

Solution: "It's difficult to say cost is a barrier," said Richard Murphy, manager of exercise and movement at the Church Health Center's Wellness Center.

Located in the medical district, CHC's fitness facility serves a large spectrum of Memphians from the working poor to the extremely wealthy.

"Regardless of whether they have a gym membership or not, there are three things you need. First, find something that's fun. Second, find something that gets you moving. Third, find something that gets you out of the house.

"Walking the dog is a cheap way to get exercise. If you like dancing, call a friend and go over to each other's houses and dance.

"I find treadmills in the house usually turn into coat racks after a few months.

"It has to be fun or you won't keep it going," he said.

-- Lindsay Melvin: (901) 529-2445

©2012 The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.)

Visit The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) at www.commercialappeal.com

Tags: , , , , ,



Back to top

Simple Tips for Weight Loss Success- Part 3

Posted Dec 31, 2011

How can you lose weight in 2012? Let us count the ways. Whether you’ve vowed to lose 5 pounds or 50, the following advice will help make achieving your weight loss resolution a little easier. We scoured research journals and spoke with diet and fitness experts to find a year’s worth of practical and effective methods to rev your metabolism, torch fat, and flatten your belly. In this three- part series, we’ll bring you a total of 52 ways to cut the fat.

The following tips are simple, but the effects will add up.

“When you successfully implement one change, you’re more likely to do another. The more you’re able to stick to your goal, the greater your confidence, and the more chance you’ll have to start and accomplish new goals. These small changes can add up to a lifestyle change,” says Jessica Cassity, author of “Better Each Day: 365 Expert Tips for a Healthier, Happier You.” Over the next 52 weeks, use these strategies in your daily life to help you reach your goal by year’s end.

-Pop smarter. Popcorn is a great whole grain snack, but don’t pour on the butter. Three cups of Orville Redenbacher Pour Over Movie Theater Butter popcorn will set you back 154 calories and 12 g of fat. Choose the Smart Pop version and snack without guilt for 48 calories and 1 g of fat.

-Take a fish oil supplement. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who took 6 grams of fish oil a day and exercised three times a week lost 3.4 pounds more in 12 weeks than those who just hit the gym and didn’t take a supplement.

-Max out. Stoke up your after-burn by lifting heavy. Women burned twice as many calories the 2 hours following a workout that involved doing 8 reps of lifting 85 percent of their max as when they did 15 reps at 45 percent of their max. Your max refers to the maximum amount of weight that you can lift in a single rep of an exercise. To estimate your one-rep max, determine the greatest amount of weight you are able to perform an exercise to exhaustion. Plug in the weight and number of reps into this formula: Weight

How can you lose weight in 2012? Let us count the ways. Whether you've vowed to lose 5 pounds or 50, the following advice will help make achieving your weight loss resolution a little easier. We scoured research journals and spoke with diet and fitness experts to find a year's worth of practical and effective methods to rev your metabolism, torch fat, and flatten your belly. In this three- part series, we'll bring you a total of 52 ways to cut the fat.

The following tips are simple, but the effects will add up.

"When you successfully implement one change, you're more likely to do another. The more you're able to stick to your goal, the greater your confidence, and the more chance you'll have to start and accomplish new goals. These small changes can add up to a lifestyle change," says Jessica Cassity, author of "Better Each Day: 365 Expert Tips for a Healthier, Happier You." Over the next 52 weeks, use these strategies in your daily life to help you reach your goal by year's end.

-Pop smarter. Popcorn is a great whole grain snack, but don't pour on the butter. Three cups of Orville Redenbacher Pour Over Movie Theater Butter popcorn will set you back 154 calories and 12 g of fat. Choose the Smart Pop version and snack without guilt for 48 calories and 1 g of fat.

-Take a fish oil supplement. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who took 6 grams of fish oil a day and exercised three times a week lost 3.4 pounds more in 12 weeks than those who just hit the gym and didn't take a supplement.

-Max out. Stoke up your after-burn by lifting heavy. Women burned twice as many calories the 2 hours following a workout that involved doing 8 reps of lifting 85 percent of their max as when they did 15 reps at 45 percent of their max. Your max refers to the maximum amount of weight that you can lift in a single rep of an exercise. To estimate your one-rep max, determine the greatest amount of weight you are able to perform an exercise to exhaustion. Plug in the weight and number of reps into this formula: Weight

Tags: , , , ,



Back to top

Simple Tips for Weight Loss Success- Part 2

Posted Dec 29, 2012

How can you lose weight in 2012? Let us count the ways. Whether you’ve vowed to lose 5 pounds or 50, the following advice will help make achieving your weight loss resolution a little easier. We scoured research journals and spoke with diet and fitness experts to find a year’s worth of practical and effective methods to rev your metabolism, torch fat and flatten your belly. In this three-part series, we’ll bring you a total of 52 ways to cut the fat.

The following tips are simple, but the effects will add up.

“When you successfully implement one change, you’re more likely to do another. The more you’re able to stick to your goal, the greater your confidence, and the more chance you’ll have to start and accomplish new goals. These small changes can add up to a lifestyle change,” says Jessica Cassity, author of “Better Each Day: 365 Expert Tips for a Healthier, Happier You.” Over the next 52 weeks, use these strategies in your daily life to help you reach your goal by year’s end.

-Eat an orange. People who don’t get enough vitamin C burn 25 percent less fat when working out than those who have adequate levels, say researchers. They also found that people who are vitamin-C deficient can quadruple their fat burn after taking 500 mg of the nutrient.

-Do intervals. You’ve probably already heard it, but doing interval training – alternating between periods of intense exercise and recovery – burns more fat and calories than exercising at a steady rate. University of Guelph researchers found that cyclists who switched between cycling for four minutes at 90 percent of their max and 2 minutes of recovery for an hour burn up to 36 percent more calories after their workout than those who biked at a moderate pace for the same amount of time.

-Go organic. Canadian researchers found that people with the highest levels of organochlorides – a chemical found in pesticides – were more likely to have slower metabolisms.

-Munch on almonds. Spanish researchers found that people who eat a diet high in MUFAs lose more fat from their middles than people who follow a high-carb diet or a high-fat one.

-Outsmart the elliptical trainer. The calorie-count mechanisms on cardio equipment are often off by 20 to 30 percent. So if the readout says that you’ve cranked out 260 calories’ worth of exercise, a more accurate estimate could be 200 calories burned. To even things out, aim to burn off 30 percent more than your target, notes Cassity in “Better Each Day.” Even if your machine’s calorie tally is accurate, ramping up your workout will help you achieve your weight loss goal.

-Pick a smarter spread. Rather than smear on a tablespoon of butter over your morning toast (102 calories, 11.5 g of fat), try apple butter (20 calories, 0 g fat). It tastes delicious and packs a fraction of the fat and calories.

-Choose Canadian bacon. You can get a heftier portion of the leaner meat and still cut fat. Two slices of Canadian bacon are 89 calories, 4 g of fat (57 g); two slices of the regular kind contain 86 calories and 6 g of fat (16 g).

-Try Meatless Monday. Vegetarians usually have a lower body mass index than those who eat meat. For instance, lacto-ovo vegetarians have an average BMI of 25.7, whereas meat eaters check in at a BMI of 28.8. Not ready to forgo meat entirely? Incorporate Meatless Monday into your eating routine. You’ll still be able to reap the benefits as vegetarian diets tend to be lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher in fiber, potassium and antioxidants than other diets.

-See the sun. Researchers from the University of Minnesota found that people who had higher levels of vitamin D were able to lose more weight on a reduced-calorie diet than those who had inadequate levels – even though both cut 750 calories from their diets. Your body generates vitamin D naturally through sunlight, and it’s also found in foods like salmon, tuna, fortified milk and cereals and yogurt.

-Broaden your circle of friends. Having a lot of friends might not just help you live longer – it may make you leaner, too. A study in Cell Metabolism found that having a more active social life can turn regular white fat into calorie-torching brown fat, increasing overall calorie burn. Researchers found that when lab rats were placed in a living environment with 15 to 20 other mice and had greater opportunity to play, they lost weight due to increased brown-fat stores.

-Have half a grapefruit. There’s no need to go on an all-grapefruit diet, but incorporating the fruit into your diet can help you lose weight, say researchers from Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, Calif. They found that people who ate half a grapefruit before every meal lost 3 pounds more than those who didn’t. Why? Not only is grapefruit a good source of fiber, but it also seems to help regulate insulin levels.

-Sweeten with cinnamon. An in vitro study by the USDA found that the spice can increase the rate at which sugar is metabolized by 20-fold. Eating 1/4 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of cinnamon a day has also been shown to lower blood sugar levels. The spice is also a great low-calorie alternative to sugar to sweeten your coffee.

-Clean your house. A tidy home may translate to a fit body. A recent study found that how clean a house is – or isn’t – is a better indicator of the occupant’s fitness level than the home’s proximity to safe walking trails and sidewalks. “Scientists really don’t know if it’s because you burn calories while cleaning the house or if it’s a reflection of how you take care of your body,” says Cassity. “It’s probably a little bit of each.”

-Avoid boxed baked goods. Store-bought cookies, cakes and mixes are often loaded with saturated fat. Case in point: A serving of Entenmann’s coffee cake is loaded with 260 calories and 13 g of fat – 4 of which are saturated. Make your own dessert at home for less.

-Switch to sorbet. A 1/2-cup serving of Haagen-Daz chocolate sorbet has half the calories and a whopping 16 grams fewer fat than a serving of chocolate ice cream.

-Slurp broth-based soups. A bowl of creamy New England clam chowder contains 154 calories and 5 g of fat. Switch to the broth-based Manhattan clam chowder at 73 calories and 2 g of fat per cup. Penn State researchers found that people who had a cup of soup before lunch ate 20 percent fewer calories at the meal. When you choose a low-cal soup to fill up on beforehand, you can actually consume fewer calories overall, too.

-Cut the can. And while we’re on the subject of soup, fresh is better than canned. Harvard researchers found that people who ate canned soup for 5 days in a row had BPA levels in their blood that were 10 times higher than those who ate homemade soup for the same amount of time. Elevated levels of BPA – a chemical- and hormone-disruptor that’s found in plastics and plastic-lined cans – has been shown to increase the number and size of fat cells.

-Skip fried food. It’s a no-brainer. Deep-frying adds tons of fat and calories. Make this fast-food swap: Instead of a Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap (Crispy) from McDonald’s, try the grilled version. You’ll save 80 calories and 7 g of fat.

For more tips and tricks, visit Fitbie.com

@2011, Fitbie.com

Visit them at http://fitbie.msn.com/

Distributed by MCT Information Services

How can you lose weight in 2012? Let us count the ways. Whether you've vowed to lose 5 pounds or 50, the following advice will help make achieving your weight loss resolution a little easier. We scoured research journals and spoke with diet and fitness experts to find a year's worth of practical and effective methods to rev your metabolism, torch fat and flatten your belly. In this three-part series, we'll bring you a total of 52 ways to cut the fat.

The following tips are simple, but the effects will add up.

"When you successfully implement one change, you're more likely to do another. The more you're able to stick to your goal, the greater your confidence, and the more chance you'll have to start and accomplish new goals. These small changes can add up to a lifestyle change," says Jessica Cassity, author of "Better Each Day: 365 Expert Tips for a Healthier, Happier You." Over the next 52 weeks, use these strategies in your daily life to help you reach your goal by year's end.

-Eat an orange. People who don't get enough vitamin C burn 25 percent less fat when working out than those who have adequate levels, say researchers. They also found that people who are vitamin-C deficient can quadruple their fat burn after taking 500 mg of the nutrient.

-Do intervals. You've probably already heard it, but doing interval training - alternating between periods of intense exercise and recovery - burns more fat and calories than exercising at a steady rate. University of Guelph researchers found that cyclists who switched between cycling for four minutes at 90 percent of their max and 2 minutes of recovery for an hour burn up to 36 percent more calories after their workout than those who biked at a moderate pace for the same amount of time.

-Go organic. Canadian researchers found that people with the highest levels of organochlorides - a chemical found in pesticides - were more likely to have slower metabolisms.

-Munch on almonds. Spanish researchers found that people who eat a diet high in MUFAs lose more fat from their middles than people who follow a high-carb diet or a high-fat one.

-Outsmart the elliptical trainer. The calorie-count mechanisms on cardio equipment are often off by 20 to 30 percent. So if the readout says that you've cranked out 260 calories' worth of exercise, a more accurate estimate could be 200 calories burned. To even things out, aim to burn off 30 percent more than your target, notes Cassity in "Better Each Day." Even if your machine's calorie tally is accurate, ramping up your workout will help you achieve your weight loss goal.

-Pick a smarter spread. Rather than smear on a tablespoon of butter over your morning toast (102 calories, 11.5 g of fat), try apple butter (20 calories, 0 g fat). It tastes delicious and packs a fraction of the fat and calories.

-Choose Canadian bacon. You can get a heftier portion of the leaner meat and still cut fat. Two slices of Canadian bacon are 89 calories, 4 g of fat (57 g); two slices of the regular kind contain 86 calories and 6 g of fat (16 g).

-Try Meatless Monday. Vegetarians usually have a lower body mass index than those who eat meat. For instance, lacto-ovo vegetarians have an average BMI of 25.7, whereas meat eaters check in at a BMI of 28.8. Not ready to forgo meat entirely? Incorporate Meatless Monday into your eating routine. You'll still be able to reap the benefits as vegetarian diets tend to be lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher in fiber, potassium and antioxidants than other diets.

-See the sun. Researchers from the University of Minnesota found that people who had higher levels of vitamin D were able to lose more weight on a reduced-calorie diet than those who had inadequate levels - even though both cut 750 calories from their diets. Your body generates vitamin D naturally through sunlight, and it's also found in foods like salmon, tuna, fortified milk and cereals and yogurt.

-Broaden your circle of friends. Having a lot of friends might not just help you live longer - it may make you leaner, too. A study in Cell Metabolism found that having a more active social life can turn regular white fat into calorie-torching brown fat, increasing overall calorie burn. Researchers found that when lab rats were placed in a living environment with 15 to 20 other mice and had greater opportunity to play, they lost weight due to increased brown-fat stores.



-Have half a grapefruit. There's no need to go on an all-grapefruit diet, but incorporating the fruit into your diet can help you lose weight, say researchers from Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, Calif. They found that people who ate half a grapefruit before every meal lost 3 pounds more than those who didn't. Why? Not only is grapefruit a good source of fiber, but it also seems to help regulate insulin levels.

-Sweeten with cinnamon. An in vitro study by the USDA found that the spice can increase the rate at which sugar is metabolized by 20-fold. Eating 1/4 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of cinnamon a day has also been shown to lower blood sugar levels. The spice is also a great low-calorie alternative to sugar to sweeten your coffee.

-Clean your house. A tidy home may translate to a fit body. A recent study found that how clean a house is - or isn't - is a better indicator of the occupant's fitness level than the home's proximity to safe walking trails and sidewalks. "Scientists really don't know if it's because you burn calories while cleaning the house or if it's a reflection of how you take care of your body," says Cassity. "It's probably a little bit of each."

-Avoid boxed baked goods. Store-bought cookies, cakes and mixes are often loaded with saturated fat. Case in point: A serving of Entenmann's coffee cake is loaded with 260 calories and 13 g of fat - 4 of which are saturated. Make your own dessert at home for less.

-Switch to sorbet. A 1/2-cup serving of Haagen-Daz chocolate sorbet has half the calories and a whopping 16 grams fewer fat than a serving of chocolate ice cream.

-Slurp broth-based soups. A bowl of creamy New England clam chowder contains 154 calories and 5 g of fat. Switch to the broth-based Manhattan clam chowder at 73 calories and 2 g of fat per cup. Penn State researchers found that people who had a cup of soup before lunch ate 20 percent fewer calories at the meal. When you choose a low-cal soup to fill up on beforehand, you can actually consume fewer calories overall, too.

-Cut the can. And while we're on the subject of soup, fresh is better than canned. Harvard researchers found that people who ate canned soup for 5 days in a row had BPA levels in their blood that were 10 times higher than those who ate homemade soup for the same amount of time. Elevated levels of BPA - a chemical- and hormone-disruptor that's found in plastics and plastic-lined cans - has been shown to increase the number and size of fat cells.

-Skip fried food. It's a no-brainer. Deep-frying adds tons of fat and calories. Make this fast-food swap: Instead of a Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap (Crispy) from McDonald's, try the grilled version. You'll save 80 calories and 7 g of fat.

For more tips and tricks, visit Fitbie.com

@2011, Fitbie.com

Visit them at http://fitbie.msn.com/

Distributed by MCT Information Services

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,



Back to top

Simple Tips for Weight Loss Success

Posted Dec 27, 2011

How can you lose weight in 2012? Let us count the ways. Whether you’ve vowed to lose 5 pounds or 50, the following advice will help make achieving your weight loss resolution a little easier. We scoured research journals and spoke with diet and fitness experts to find a year’s worth of practical and effective methods to rev your metabolism, torch fat, and flatten your belly. In this three-part series, we’ll bring you a total of 52 ways to cut the fat.

The following tips are simple, but the effects will add up.

“When you successfully implement one change, you’re more likely to do another. The more you’re able to stick to your goal, the greater your confidence, and the more chance you’ll have to start and accomplish new goals. These small changes can add up to a lifestyle change,” says Jessica Cassity, author of “Better Each Day: 365 Expert Tips for a Healthier, Happier You.” Over the next 52 weeks, use these strategies in your daily life to help you reach your goal by year’s end.

-Hit the gas early during your workout. College of New Jersey researchers found that men who started a 30-minute running workout at high speed, working at 70 percent of their VO2 max, and then eased up to 50 percent of VO2 max burned 5 to 10 percent more fat than those who started slow and then revved up the pace. The after-burn of the high-intensity workout seems to carry over into the lower-intensity period, increasing overall fat burn.

-Use public transportation. Turns out taking the bus or train is as good for your body as it is for your wallet and the environment. In one recent study from two Pennsylvania universities, researchers found that people who switched from driving everywhere to using a light-rail system lost an average of about 6 pounds in a year.

“The theory is that by walking the extra blocks it takes to get to and from bus stops and train stations – instead of pulling up right in front of a destination – you naturally increase your activity level enough to result in weight loss,” says Cassity.

-Drink two cups of coffee, black. A study in the journal of Physiology and Behavior found that drinking two cups of caffeinated coffee can boost your metabolism by 16 percent compared with the decaf kind. Make sure to drink it black though. The 67 calories in a spoonful of sugar and a tablespoon of cream can negate caffeine’s calorie-burning benefits.

-Blot your pizza with a napkin. You’ll dab off about 4.5 g of fat – or close to 30 calories per slice. Of course, depending on the pizza and your toppings, the amount of excess oil you can remove varies, notes Keri Gans, RD, author of “The Small Change Diet.” If you want a healthier slice, she prefers one loaded with veggies.

-Have a glass of wine. Rat studies show that resveratrol, a compound in red wine, may help fight weight gain when eating a high-fat diet. The same seems to hold true in humans. Harvard researchers found that women who drank about two glasses a day gained less weight and were less likely to become overweight than teetotalers.

-But avoid vodka. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that drinking even as little as 1 ounce of vodka can slow your metabolism by as much as 73 percent.

-Douse your food in Tabasco. Capsaicin – the spicy compound found in the white membrane of chili peppers – has been shown to rev up your metabolism and can torch somewhere near an extra 50 calories. Eating salsa may boost fat burn a little bit, says Cassity, but don’t let that give you license to pile on the chips and guac. You still need to watch out for overall calorie intake.

-Fuel up on fiber. In addition to making you feel full, longer (and therefore helping you eat less), fiber can help you burn through as much as 30 percent more calories, according to a study in the Journal of Nutrition. “Fiber has roughage,” says Gans. “And roughage takes a longer time for your body to break down and requires more energy to digest.”

-Sleep more. Researchers found that dieters who logged 8.5 hours of shut-eye burned more fat than those who slept 5.5 hours. While both groups lost a similar amount of weight (6.6 pounds), the ones who got a full night’s rest dropped the majority of their weight from fat while those who slept less lost most of theirs from muscle.

-Increase physical activity outside of the gym. In a recent U.K. study, 34 overweight women completed the same 150-minute-a-week exercise program, and while some women lost up to 7 pounds of body fat, others gained up to 5. The researchers think that the women who lost the most were the ones who maintained or increased their physical activity beyond the gym; those who gained weight had cut back on their everyday activity. “If you’re going to the gym, you don’t want to negate it by eating a lot afterward or no longer taking the stairs,” says Cassity. “You have to live the same life – if not improve on it – when you pick up exercise.”

-Eat breakfast. A study conducted by the U.S. Navy found that people who ate breakfast daily helped boost the metabolisms of its personnel by as much as 10 %.

-Pump iron. Lifting weights can help you torch a few more calories even after you finish your session, according to a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Women who did an hour-long strength-training program burned 100 more calories in the next 24 hours than when they didn’t hit the weights.

-Choose tuna swimming in water. Stick to tuna packed in water not oil. Three ounces of water-packed chicken of the sea contains 109 calories and 2.5 g of fat compared with 158 calories and 6.9 g of fat in the oil-soaked kind. Plus, it’s a good protein source that’s rick in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce your risk of heart disease and help prevent depression, says Gans.

-Drink chocolate milk. McMaster University researchers compared the effects of downing low-fat chocolate milk, fat-free soy protein drink, and a traditional carbohydrate recovery drink after exercise. Not only did the milk drinkers gain more muscle than those who drank the soy and carbohydrate beverages, but they also lost twice as much fat.

-Drink cold water. German researchers found that your metabolism can increase by as much as 30 percent during the 10 minutes after you drink a cold glass. Why? They speculate that your body burns more calories as it tries to warm the water.

-Brew a cup of green tea. A 2010 Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics study found that after 3 months, people who drank two glasses of decaf green tea a day lost 2.6 more pounds than those who drank an herbal brew. Researchers believe that catechin compounds in green tea may prevent fat formation and stimulate your metabolism.

-Say yes to yogurt. A study in the International Journal of Obesity found that eating yogurt as part of a low-calorie diet may help burn more fat. People who tucked in three 1-cup servings a day lost 22 percent more weight and 61 percent more fat than those who dieted without including yogurt. Even better – most of the fat lost was from the belly.

For more tips and tricks, visit Fitbie.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

How can you lose weight in 2012? Let us count the ways. Whether you've vowed to lose 5 pounds or 50, the following advice will help make achieving your weight loss resolution a little easier. We scoured research journals and spoke with diet and fitness experts to find a year's worth of practical and effective methods to rev your metabolism, torch fat, and flatten your belly. In this three-part series, we'll bring you a total of 52 ways to cut the fat.

The following tips are simple, but the effects will add up.

"When you successfully implement one change, you're more likely to do another. The more you're able to stick to your goal, the greater your confidence, and the more chance you'll have to start and accomplish new goals. These small changes can add up to a lifestyle change," says Jessica Cassity, author of "Better Each Day: 365 Expert Tips for a Healthier, Happier You." Over the next 52 weeks, use these strategies in your daily life to help you reach your goal by year's end.

-Hit the gas early during your workout. College of New Jersey researchers found that men who started a 30-minute running workout at high speed, working at 70 percent of their VO2 max, and then eased up to 50 percent of VO2 max burned 5 to 10 percent more fat than those who started slow and then revved up the pace. The after-burn of the high-intensity workout seems to carry over into the lower-intensity period, increasing overall fat burn.

-Use public transportation. Turns out taking the bus or train is as good for your body as it is for your wallet and the environment. In one recent study from two Pennsylvania universities, researchers found that people who switched from driving everywhere to using a light-rail system lost an average of about 6 pounds in a year.

"The theory is that by walking the extra blocks it takes to get to and from bus stops and train stations - instead of pulling up right in front of a destination - you naturally increase your activity level enough to result in weight loss," says Cassity.

-Drink two cups of coffee, black. A study in the journal of Physiology and Behavior found that drinking two cups of caffeinated coffee can boost your metabolism by 16 percent compared with the decaf kind. Make sure to drink it black though. The 67 calories in a spoonful of sugar and a tablespoon of cream can negate caffeine's calorie-burning benefits.

-Blot your pizza with a napkin. You'll dab off about 4.5 g of fat - or close to 30 calories per slice. Of course, depending on the pizza and your toppings, the amount of excess oil you can remove varies, notes Keri Gans, RD, author of "The Small Change Diet." If you want a healthier slice, she prefers one loaded with veggies.

-Have a glass of wine. Rat studies show that resveratrol, a compound in red wine, may help fight weight gain when eating a high-fat diet. The same seems to hold true in humans. Harvard researchers found that women who drank about two glasses a day gained less weight and were less likely to become overweight than teetotalers.

-But avoid vodka. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that drinking even as little as 1 ounce of vodka can slow your metabolism by as much as 73 percent.

-Douse your food in Tabasco. Capsaicin - the spicy compound found in the white membrane of chili peppers - has been shown to rev up your metabolism and can torch somewhere near an extra 50 calories. Eating salsa may boost fat burn a little bit, says Cassity, but don't let that give you license to pile on the chips and guac. You still need to watch out for overall calorie intake.

-Fuel up on fiber. In addition to making you feel full, longer (and therefore helping you eat less), fiber can help you burn through as much as 30 percent more calories, according to a study in the Journal of Nutrition. "Fiber has roughage," says Gans. "And roughage takes a longer time for your body to break down and requires more energy to digest."

-Sleep more. Researchers found that dieters who logged 8.5 hours of shut-eye burned more fat than those who slept 5.5 hours. While both groups lost a similar amount of weight (6.6 pounds), the ones who got a full night's rest dropped the majority of their weight from fat while those who slept less lost most of theirs from muscle.

-Increase physical activity outside of the gym. In a recent U.K. study, 34 overweight women completed the same 150-minute-a-week exercise program, and while some women lost up to 7 pounds of body fat, others gained up to 5. The researchers think that the women who lost the most were the ones who maintained or increased their physical activity beyond the gym; those who gained weight had cut back on their everyday activity. "If you're going to the gym, you don't want to negate it by eating a lot afterward or no longer taking the stairs," says Cassity. "You have to live the same life - if not improve on it - when you pick up exercise."

-Eat breakfast. A study conducted by the U.S. Navy found that people who ate breakfast daily helped boost the metabolisms of its personnel by as much as 10 %.

-Pump iron. Lifting weights can help you torch a few more calories even after you finish your session, according to a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Women who did an hour-long strength-training program burned 100 more calories in the next 24 hours than when they didn't hit the weights.

-Choose tuna swimming in water. Stick to tuna packed in water not oil. Three ounces of water-packed chicken of the sea contains 109 calories and 2.5 g of fat compared with 158 calories and 6.9 g of fat in the oil-soaked kind. Plus, it's a good protein source that's rick in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce your risk of heart disease and help prevent depression, says Gans.

-Drink chocolate milk. McMaster University researchers compared the effects of downing low-fat chocolate milk, fat-free soy protein drink, and a traditional carbohydrate recovery drink after exercise. Not only did the milk drinkers gain more muscle than those who drank the soy and carbohydrate beverages, but they also lost twice as much fat.

-Drink cold water. German researchers found that your metabolism can increase by as much as 30 percent during the 10 minutes after you drink a cold glass. Why? They speculate that your body burns more calories as it tries to warm the water.

-Brew a cup of green tea. A 2010 Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics study found that after 3 months, people who drank two glasses of decaf green tea a day lost 2.6 more pounds than those who drank an herbal brew. Researchers believe that catechin compounds in green tea may prevent fat formation and stimulate your metabolism.

-Say yes to yogurt. A study in the International Journal of Obesity found that eating yogurt as part of a low-calorie diet may help burn more fat. People who tucked in three 1-cup servings a day lost 22 percent more weight and 61 percent more fat than those who dieted without including yogurt. Even better - most of the fat lost was from the belly.

For more tips and tricks, visit Fitbie.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,



Back to top

Step Away from the Holiday Table

Posted Dec 23, 2011

Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cookies, cakes and pies. With all these scrumptious foods filling many tables this Christmas season, control can be hard to achieve.

That is part of the reason why Americans on average gain seven to 10 pounds during the holidays, and why there is a lot of information out there about how to lose that extra weight.

It is, however, possible to avoid needing to diet and work out to get back to pre-holiday shape. The answer? Don’t overeat in the first place.

“We all can enjoy the holidays. It’s just a matter of being cautious of what we’re eating and what we’re doing,” explained Jennifer Ruby, personal trainer and registered dietitian at Gold’s Gym in Chambersburg.

How much someone can eat before it is considered overeating depends on that person’s caloric requirement. Each person’s is different depending on body type, but generally, an average healthy women should eat between 1,200 and 1,400 calories a day and an average healthy man should eat between 1,800 and 2,000 calories a day.

“If you exceed that, then that would be overeating,” Ruby said.

A diet regimen is easier to maintain if it’s started before the holidays, but the plan to curb overeating at a holiday meal should start at least the morning beforehand with breakfast. It really is the most important meal of the day, Ruby said, and eating it will help one maintain a healthy diet throughout the rest of the day.

“When we skip meals we tend to

overeat at the next meal,” Ruby added.

Also, if hunger starts lurking between the morning and the meal, munch on fruits and vegetables. They have fiber, which will help keep hunger away.

“By eating a small salad and a piece of fruit beforehand, you won’t arrive starved and tempted to fill up on fried chicken tenders and fatty roast beef,” stated an article compiled by Clemson University Cooperative Extension based on the United States Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate nutrition program.

It’s time to sit down to that big meal with all the foods that could bring any diet to a halt. It’s not bad to have those not-so-healthy dishes, as long as they are eaten in the correct portions. Ruby suggests using a 9-inch dessert plate instead of a larger dinner plate; this will make it easier to choose the right portions, and therefore eat less.

Meat is the main dish of most dinners. Measuring portions is as simple as comparing a size of a cut of meat to a hand.

(A portion of) meat is 3 to 4 ounces, about the size of a woman’s palm without fingers,” Ruby said. “The actual width should be the (size of) the side of your hand.”

Starches, like mashed potatoes, rice and pasta should be in a 1/2 cup portion. For vegetables, the right portion is 1/2 cup for cooked vegetables and 1 cup for raw vegetables — but that is lenient.

“We try not to put a size on vegetables because we want people to eat more,” Ruby said.

Fruit is a seemingly “healthy” food that actually can be a problem because of the sugar in some varieties. According to Ruby, the correct portion of fruit is about the size of an apple or a banana. For fruit juices, the right portion is 4 ounces.

A correct portion of dairy is 8 ounces of liquid, or 1 slice of cheese, Ruby said.

If unsure whether the host of the holiday meal will have healthy options, bring one in case. Vegetables are rich in texture and are low-calorie, and can be cooked in many healthy ways.

“For example, stir-fry a mixture of vegetables with olive oil and herbs, or steam some cabbage seasoned with caraway seeds and a sprinkling of salt and pepper,” the MyPlate article stated.

Dessert time can be the most difficult to tolerate a diet, for obvious reasons.

“Instead of having all dessert, I might fill half the plate with fresh fruits and then maybe have one or two cookies,” Ruby said.

The MyPlate article offered numbers comparing all-dessert and dessert-fruit choices: “A cup of fresh fruit and a small cookie or half a slice of pie has about 290 calories, but a plate with a peppermint brownie, a slice of pecan pie and a butter cookie contains…900 calories.”

The people who may have the biggest issue with keeping health in mind during the holidays is those who have a tough time with it throughout the rest of the year, Ruby said.

“Unfortunately it’s a vicious cycle,” she added.

However for those who just overindulge under the temptation of the expanded spread of food, getting on a fitness regimen soon after is the best remedy.

“Instead of going to sit down and watch the football game (after the meal), take a walk and then come back and watch the TV,” Ruby said.

——

Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com or 262-4771.

How big should a portion be?

Meat: 3-4 ounces

Starches (potato, rice, pasta): 1/2 cup

Vegetable: Raw, 1 cup; cooked, 1/2 cup

Fruit: Medium size, like an apple or banana; fruit juice, 4 ounces or less

Dairy: 8 ounces, or 1 slice of cheese

©2011 the Public Opinion (Chambersburg, Pa.)

Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cookies, cakes and pies. With all these scrumptious foods filling many tables this Christmas season, control can be hard to achieve.

That is part of the reason why Americans on average gain seven to 10 pounds during the holidays, and why there is a lot of information out there about how to lose that extra weight.

It is, however, possible to avoid needing to diet and work out to get back to pre-holiday shape. The answer? Don't overeat in the first place.

"We all can enjoy the holidays. It's just a matter of being cautious of what we're eating and what we're doing," explained Jennifer Ruby, personal trainer and registered dietitian at Gold's Gym in Chambersburg.

How much someone can eat before it is considered overeating depends on that person's caloric requirement. Each person's is different depending on body type, but generally, an average healthy women should eat between 1,200 and 1,400 calories a day and an average healthy man should eat between 1,800 and 2,000 calories a day.

"If you exceed that, then that would be overeating," Ruby said.

A diet regimen is easier to maintain if it's started before the holidays, but the plan to curb overeating at a holiday meal should start at least the morning beforehand with breakfast. It really is the most important meal of the day, Ruby said, and eating it will help one maintain a healthy diet throughout the rest of the day.

"When we skip meals we tend to

overeat at the next meal," Ruby added.

Also, if hunger starts lurking between the morning and the meal, munch on fruits and vegetables. They have fiber, which will help keep hunger away.

"By eating a small salad and a piece of fruit beforehand, you won't arrive starved and tempted to fill up on fried chicken tenders and fatty roast beef," stated an article compiled by Clemson University Cooperative Extension based on the United States Department of Agriculture's MyPlate nutrition program.

It's time to sit down to that big meal with all the foods that could bring any diet to a halt. It's not bad to have those not-so-healthy dishes, as long as they are eaten in the correct portions. Ruby suggests using a 9-inch dessert plate instead of a larger dinner plate; this will make it easier to choose the right portions, and therefore eat less.

Meat is the main dish of most dinners. Measuring portions is as simple as comparing a size of a cut of meat to a hand.

(A portion of) meat is 3 to 4 ounces, about the size of a woman's palm without fingers," Ruby said. "The actual width should be the (size of) the side of your hand."

Starches, like mashed potatoes, rice and pasta should be in a 1/2 cup portion. For vegetables, the right portion is 1/2 cup for cooked vegetables and 1 cup for raw vegetables -- but that is lenient.

"We try not to put a size on vegetables because we want people to eat more," Ruby said.

Fruit is a seemingly "healthy" food that actually can be a problem because of the sugar in some varieties. According to Ruby, the correct portion of fruit is about the size of an apple or a banana. For fruit juices, the right portion is 4 ounces.

A correct portion of dairy is 8 ounces of liquid, or 1 slice of cheese, Ruby said.

If unsure whether the host of the holiday meal will have healthy options, bring one in case. Vegetables are rich in texture and are low-calorie, and can be cooked in many healthy ways.

"For example, stir-fry a mixture of vegetables with olive oil and herbs, or steam some cabbage seasoned with caraway seeds and a sprinkling of salt and pepper," the MyPlate article stated.

Dessert time can be the most difficult to tolerate a diet, for obvious reasons.

"Instead of having all dessert, I might fill half the plate with fresh fruits and then maybe have one or two cookies," Ruby said.

The MyPlate article offered numbers comparing all-dessert and dessert-fruit choices: "A cup of fresh fruit and a small cookie or half a slice of pie has about 290 calories, but a plate with a peppermint brownie, a slice of pecan pie and a butter cookie contains...900 calories."

The people who may have the biggest issue with keeping health in mind during the holidays is those who have a tough time with it throughout the rest of the year, Ruby said.

"Unfortunately it's a vicious cycle," she added.

However for those who just overindulge under the temptation of the expanded spread of food, getting on a fitness regimen soon after is the best remedy.

"Instead of going to sit down and watch the football game (after the meal), take a walk and then come back and watch the TV," Ruby said.

------

Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com or 262-4771.

How big should a portion be?

Meat: 3-4 ounces

Starches (potato, rice, pasta): 1/2 cup

Vegetable: Raw, 1 cup; cooked, 1/2 cup

Fruit: Medium size, like an apple or banana; fruit juice, 4 ounces or less

Dairy: 8 ounces, or 1 slice of cheese

©2011 the Public Opinion (Chambersburg, Pa.)

Tags: , , , , , , ,



Back to top

Sport Specific Diet to Boost Performance

Posted Dec 15, 2011

Catch Kevin Attila at the Student Union Building, and he might be snacking on almonds or finishing a bowl of oatmeal.

Over the summer, the sophomore guard for the College of SouthernIdaho men’s basketball team realized how important diet is for his training. Since then, he’s dropped weight and become lighter and more agile on the court, said assistant coach Ryan Devlin.

For athletes, body builders and other fitness buffs, high-performance diets mean more than watching calorie intake. Every bite counts, whether it’s lean protein for building muscle or the right kind of carbohydrates for energy.

At the beginning of summer, Attila decided he wanted to lose about 15 pounds. He signed up for personal training sessions at Johnny’s Fitclub Fitness in Boise.

There, a personal trainer helped him develop a strict, high-performance diet tailored for his particular needs:oatmeal, four egg whites, a yolk and a glass of 1 percent milk for breakfast; a sandwich with wheat bread and extra turkey for lunch; almonds and protein shakes for snacks; and a grilled chicken breast with broccoli and brown rice for dinner.

“That was my diet every single day,”Attila said.

After one month, Attila reached his goal weight. His performance improved, and Devlin noticed.

“I’ll be dead honest with you. His shots are better. His footwork’s better. He’s so much quicker on the court, “Devlin said. “He’s a helluva player.”

Attila eats a bit more now that he’s trying to maintain his weight, but he’s still strict about what goes on his plate.

CSI basketball players aren’t required to adhere to a strict diet, said women’s head coach Randy Rogers. Part of the reason,Devlin said, is the team doesn’t have resources for dieticians or trainers, like Boise State or University of Idaho do.

Another factor:The entire women’s team lives in the dorms, Rogers said, and relies on cafeteria food. He can encourage the players to stay away from pizza and burgers but can’t force them.

“For the most part they do (listen), and most don’t drink pop anyway,”he said.

Student athletes aren’t the only ones who treat food as precision fueling. Twin Falls fitness model, personal trainer and figure competitor Geri Helm eats according to a calibrated formula, too.

Figure competitors are comparable to body builders, with a bigger emphasis on muscle tone instead of size. That means staying slender so judges can see their muscles.

Figure competitions take place between April and October. During that time, Helm sticks to a strict diet before performances.

“To give you enough time to get you into the right physical condition, you need a minimum of 12 weeks,”she said. In that time, her diet consists of lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. She stays away from simple starches like pasta and potatoes and avoids alcohol and sugar.

Helm has always eaten healthy, so this isn’t a huge shift for her. Still, “sometimes it is a little tough,” she said. Cravings can get bad when she strays from her regimen or isn’t getting enough nutrients.

YMCA fitness director and triathlete Eric Snow watches his diet while training for triathlons, consuming plenty of complex carbs, protein and healthy fats. He pays even more attention the week leading up to a race.

“Right before it, like the week of, you’re probably going to include some additional carbohydrates in your diet, cutting down on the amount of protein and the amount of fiber in your diet,”he said.

Like Helm, he sometimes gets cravings, but said it’s natural. And the dietary restrictions are worth it.

“It’s more than just having a specific diet during the training season,”he said. “For me personally, it’s more of a lifestyle thing.”

©2011 The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho)

Visit The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho) at magicvalley.com

Catch Kevin Attila at the Student Union Building, and he might be snacking on almonds or finishing a bowl of oatmeal.

Over the summer, the sophomore guard for the College of SouthernIdaho men's basketball team realized how important diet is for his training. Since then, he's dropped weight and become lighter and more agile on the court, said assistant coach Ryan Devlin.

For athletes, body builders and other fitness buffs, high-performance diets mean more than watching calorie intake. Every bite counts, whether it's lean protein for building muscle or the right kind of carbohydrates for energy.

At the beginning of summer, Attila decided he wanted to lose about 15 pounds. He signed up for personal training sessions at Johnny's Fitclub Fitness in Boise.

There, a personal trainer helped him develop a strict, high-performance diet tailored for his particular needs:oatmeal, four egg whites, a yolk and a glass of 1 percent milk for breakfast; a sandwich with wheat bread and extra turkey for lunch; almonds and protein shakes for snacks; and a grilled chicken breast with broccoli and brown rice for dinner.

"That was my diet every single day,"Attila said.

After one month, Attila reached his goal weight. His performance improved, and Devlin noticed.

"I'll be dead honest with you. His shots are better. His footwork's better. He's so much quicker on the court, "Devlin said. "He's a helluva player."

Attila eats a bit more now that he's trying to maintain his weight, but he's still strict about what goes on his plate.

CSI basketball players aren't required to adhere to a strict diet, said women's head coach Randy Rogers. Part of the reason,Devlin said, is the team doesn't have resources for dieticians or trainers, like Boise State or University of Idaho do.

Another factor:The entire women's team lives in the dorms, Rogers said, and relies on cafeteria food. He can encourage the players to stay away from pizza and burgers but can't force them.

"For the most part they do (listen), and most don't drink pop anyway,"he said.

Student athletes aren't the only ones who treat food as precision fueling. Twin Falls fitness model, personal trainer and figure competitor Geri Helm eats according to a calibrated formula, too.

Figure competitors are comparable to body builders, with a bigger emphasis on muscle tone instead of size. That means staying slender so judges can see their muscles.

Figure competitions take place between April and October. During that time, Helm sticks to a strict diet before performances.

"To give you enough time to get you into the right physical condition, you need a minimum of 12 weeks,"she said. In that time, her diet consists of lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. She stays away from simple starches like pasta and potatoes and avoids alcohol and sugar.

Helm has always eaten healthy, so this isn't a huge shift for her. Still, "sometimes it is a little tough," she said. Cravings can get bad when she strays from her regimen or isn't getting enough nutrients.

YMCA fitness director and triathlete Eric Snow watches his diet while training for triathlons, consuming plenty of complex carbs, protein and healthy fats. He pays even more attention the week leading up to a race.

"Right before it, like the week of, you're probably going to include some additional carbohydrates in your diet, cutting down on the amount of protein and the amount of fiber in your diet,"he said.

Like Helm, he sometimes gets cravings, but said it's natural. And the dietary restrictions are worth it.

"It's more than just having a specific diet during the training season,"he said. "For me personally, it's more of a lifestyle thing."

©2011 The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho)

Visit The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho) at magicvalley.com

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,



Back to top