Fitness Posts

This isn’t the first study to show aging arteries in children and previous studies have reported that children with risk factors for heart disease are exhibiting signs of hardening and narrowing of the arteries, a condition which is usually found in adults. Researchers used ultrasound imaging to measure the thickness of the inner walls of carotid arteries, which supply blood to the brain. Increased carotid artery intima-media thickness, also known as CIMT, is an indicator of a build up of fatty deposits or plaque in the arteries that lead to the brain and heart. The average for a child is .45 millimeters, but one 12 year-old boy had a CIMT of .54, which is equivalent to that of a healthy 45 year-old man.

Children in the study also had levels of fat chemicals, which are known as triglycerides that were far above the optimum levels for their age group. Dr. Samuel S. Gidding, chief of pediatric cardiology at the Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware noted that teens don’t typically suffer heart attacks, but they can be at risk for early signs of heart disease. He also commented that changing diet and increasing exercise could slow and perhaps even stop deterioration. Either way, teens and parents need to take a proactive approach to treating obesity in children while there is time to reverse the process.

There are 10,000 Olympic athletes that need to be fed during the 2008 event, which represents the tastes of over 200 countries. Approximately 80 percent of the food at the Olympics is shipped in from China and is grown on special farms where the soil, water and food are constantly being tested. After it’s arrival, it is X-rayed and tested again according to Aramark, the Philadelphia-based caterer to the Games. There is a lot of international scrutiny and suspicion about food safety, so everything is watched very closely. The dining room sits 6000 people and is the size of 3 football fields. One of the most popular dishes is Beijing duck, which is carved by a local chef who prepares it a kitchen all of his own.

The “World Menu” consists of 1500 items for every meal and it took more than a year to put together. Some breakfast offerings include grilled catfish, veal schnitzel with butter sauce, pizza with white clam sauce and ham and eggs. They address many issues such as super low-sodium diet, gluten allergies and even homesickness. It was developed with four sports categories in mind: endurance, precision, weight class and team sports like soccer and basketball. Jillian Wanik is the lead dietitian at the Athletes Village and she just loves it when the dining room if full and bustling. She says, “It’s a very joyful place, very positive.” There are menu cards, which list the name of each dish, portion size and extensive nutritional information and are offered in English, French and Chinese.

Wanik, who is from Hartford, Conn., works with two other dieticians from Chile and Hong Kong and they provide an information kiosk right in the dining hall. They work with athletes individually and with doctors and trainers to develop specialized plans. “People used to take things like nutrition for granted,” Wanik said, “but as competition gets more intense, nutrition is becoming increasingly prominent.” It’s a way for athletes to boost energy and perform at their peek, so nutrition is very important to them.

Some common sense and a few tips can help keep your workouts safe and reduce injury in this summer heat. When exercising outdoors, try to do it early in the morning or later in the evening, after the sun has gone down. Temperatures are typically 10-15 degrees cooler and you won’t be working your body in the direct heat. Also try to wear lightly colored, loose fitting clothes that reflect the sun’s heat, as they are designed to keep sweat away from the skin. There is a broader selection to choose from now and they can be found at a biking or running stores.

Stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water and sports drinks. Make sure to have a combination of the two because just drinking water can cause diluted sodium levels, which causes hyponatremia. This is a condition that can be serious and could lead to convulsions or even death. Sports drinks like Powerade or Gatorade provide much needed potassium and sodium that water does not. It’s also a good idea to work out with a friend or partner, so you both can keep an eye on each other. When the heat index exceeds 100°, it may be a good idea to not exercise outside at all. If you belong to a gym, it may the ideal time to take advantage of it and stay indoors where you are safe guarded from the heat and humidity. 

Chili’s Bar and Grill offers a variety for kids, but 94 percent of those meals were too high in calories with one of their meals being country-fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples and chocolate milk, which added up to 1,020 calories. Burger King offers a “Big Kids” meal with a double cheeseburger, fries and chocolate milk with a whopping 910 calories. Subway came out with the best numbers with only 6 of the 18 meals being over 430 calories. The study noted that Subway does not offer soft drinks with their kids’ meals and it is thought that this helped lower the calorie count.

Recommendations that came out of the report are for restaurants to start offering more fruits and vegetables with their meals instead of French fries and soda. They also would like restaurants to reformulate their menu’s to lower saturated fat, trans fat and salt, which will also help calories. Six restaurant chains were excluded from the report – Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, IHOP and TGIFriday’s – because they do not disclose the nutritional information of their meals even after being asked. When eating out with your kids, pick restaurants that freely disclose nutritional information and look for meals that are high in nutrients and low in calories. If possible, limit eating out at fast food restaurants to once a week to minimize and control high calorie intakes.

Coffee is getting more attention for it’s health benefits, so instead of using those fancy creamers, try adding cinnamon and nutmeg instead. Drinking 2 to 3 cups a day can greatly reduce your risk of heart disease. When enjoying a salad, skip adding the croutons and instead add celery or carrots for crunchy substitute. Carrots are full of fibers, vitamins and minerals that help lower blood pressure by relaxing artery walls. Stay away from pepperoni and sausage when ordering pizza and choose chicken instead. Chicken is a good source of vitamin B6, selenium and niacin as well as a good source of zinc.

Leave a few bites on your plate instead of finishing it all and only eat when you are hungry. Try to eat breakfast everyday and snack on foods that are in high in fiber. Stick with healthy proteins at mealtime and refuel every four hours. Also look to young vegetables such as baby artichokes, turnips, carrots and squashes, which are more tender and have greater taste appeal.

It’s hard to cut calories when it comes to desserts, but by choosing cake slices from the middle will lower your intake of frosting and ultimately cut a few calories. If you like to snack a lot, pre-measure them as they can increase the amount of calories you consume and lead to weight gain.  Avoid carbohydrates at dinnertime by having a burger without the bun and remove bread from the table. Also avoid fried foods and special sauces, which are filled with high fat calories. If you have to have sauces or dips, try using bean dip or salsa on veggies or fat-free yogurt with fruits.

The Mediterranean Diet is rich in olive oil, fruits, nuts, grains, vegetables and fish. It’s also low in meats and dairy, which may result in lowering the risk for diabetes. A group of Spanish university graduates were followed for four and a half years, and scientists tracked their dietary habits and confirmed new cases of diabetes through medical records. What they found was that those who ranked to have the strictest adherence to the diet, had the highest scores to reduce their risk of diabetes by 83 percent compared with those who were more lax about their diet. Professor Miguel A. Martinez-Gonzalez, who is the lead author and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Navarra, noted that good fats such as those in olive oil are quite healthful, and that America needs to change the belief that a good diet starts with a low-fat diet.

One important aspect of this diet focuses on a diet higher in plant foods and lower in animal products, which has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and cancers. They are practically vegetarians and eat a lot of fresh fish and very little meat. Some of the vegetables they consume are peppers, capers, spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, eggplant, mushrooms, white beans, chick peas and lentils. They do drink a glass or two of wine a night with dinner, but in small portions of approximately 3 ounces. In limited amounts, wine has been linked to lower rates of heart disease because it contains antioxidants, which keeps blood circulation healthy and prevents blood clots from forming.

In a twelve year study of 2500 people, it was determined that those who followed the Mediterranean diet had a decrease in blood pressure, body weight, blood fats and insulin and blood sugar levels. It also helps protect the brain. In a four-year study, those who followed this diet were 40 percent less likely of developing Alzheimer’s disease than those who followed the typical Western diet. Mediterranean people also spend a great deal of time walking, so exercise in conjunction with this diet is key to be successful. This is more than just a diet; it is a lifestyle, which combines diet with physical exercise.  By making a few changes, you can be on your way to healthy and fit lifestyle while reducing your risk for chronic diseases.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), nearly two-thirds of Americans are obese or overweight. This equates to 31 percent of the population, which has doubled from 1980 to 2000. Researchers at Emory University have also determined that obesity is responsible for 27 percent of the increase in medical costs from 1987 to 2001. People who are obese tend to miss more work and be less mobile on the job. In fact, obesity is a stronger trigger for chronic health problems than heavy drinking or smoking. It is being treated as a disease now and therapy, bariatric surgery and drugs are all contributing to the higher cost of health care.

Nearly 14 percent of US chief executives counted it as a top issue when it came to concerns over health care benefits in the Conference Board-RTI report. Many employers now offer financial incentives for employees who fill out personal health evaluations and many more offer wellness programs to try and address the issue with employees. Nicholas A Christakis, a sociology professor at Harvard, has studied the effects of social networks and has concluded that changing the habits of a few workers may affect the behavior of many more. He says that when one friend gains or loses weight, the odds improve that another will as well. He says, “You can take advantage of this multiplicative power of networks, so my behavior influences you, and you influence the next guy, and so on.”

Obesity can lead to Diabetes and heart disease, which could increase health care costs even more. The goal is to approach it from a preventative perspective and change behaviors early to avoid the onset of these diseases.

Cardiovascular exercise or aerobics has been touted by experts as one of the best ways to burn fat and should be worked into your routine at least 3 times a week. It’s more important to get your heart rate up, rather than the actual exercise itself. Walking, jogging, riding a bike or jumping rope all qualify as aerobic activity, which involves working all the major muscles of the lower body continuously.

Strength training is another way to burn fat by lifting weights or resistance training. When done on a regular basis, the muscles will adapt and grow stronger for a sculpted and more tone physique. While increasing lean muscle, the body will result in an increased basal metabolic rate, which is a requirement for fuel at rest. That being said, the more muscle you have the more fat you will burn, which amounts to major fat loss.

Flexibility training and yoga along with your regular workout program, helps to increase performance, balance and speed of motion. It also helps to reduce next day soreness, cuts down on injury and recovery time and get’s you back in the gym sooner. Aerobics is very popular right now and many people are using it to stay lean and fit.

Sleep, rest and recovery are key to any workout routine, so be sure to include them between workouts. Rest at least 48 hours between strength training sessions and limit cardio to 3 to 6 hours a week. Always strive to get a goods night sleep because that’s when the body’s recovery process goes into high gear. Experts recommend at least 7 to 8 hours of sound, restful sleep a night.

Meditation and stress reduction reduce the body’s reaction to stress and helps to alleviate many health problems associated with it. It also raises your body’s level of the anti-aging hormone, DHEA. It comes in a supplemental form over the counter and is a precursor to testosterone. It’s necessary for muscle growth and fat loss. Meditation also helps balance hormonal shifts as well as reduces stress and should be incorporated into your workout routine.

Try to incorporate all five of these into your daily workouts with the goal of achieving the highest level of fat burning possible.

When traveling, always try to eat a healthy breakfast before hitting the airport or the road. If you don’t have time though, you can always pick up yogurt, cereal and low-fat milk or fresh fruit. Try to plan your trip ahead of time so you are not stuck somewhere and put in the position of making unhealthy choices. Pack healthy snacks for a road trip, such as nuts, fruit and bottled water. Instead of eating out of stress, anxiety or boredom, drink water to stay hydrated, which allows you to drink on your own schedule. If you are flying, try having a plain bagel or an egg sandwich on a roll, but skip the high fat sausage, cheese and butter. The airports offer a lot more variety now days and usually you can get a healthy veggie wrap, sandwich or burrito. Try to workout while you are traveling to reduce stress and burn off any extra calories, taking advantage of gyms and workout rooms at hotels and resorts.

Look for simplicity in a health bar. Some of the healthiest ones have very few ingredients and by looking for the basic ingredients like nuts, seeds and fruit will help you keep on track. Try to choose bars with organic or raw ingredients if possible.  One good one to try is Organic Food Bars, which are made with a base of organic almond or cashew butter and have fruit, organic seeds, organic biosprouts and some rice protein. They are extremely nutritious and there are a lot of flavors to choose from like blueberry, cranberry, chocolate chip and high protein just to name a few. You can find these bars at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and many health food markets.

Another good one to try is Larabars, which are made of 2 or 3 ingredients and you will never see chemicals on their labels. They are a blend of nuts and fruit and can also be found at many health food stores. Keep these on hand for a snack after you work out or if you just need a little something on the run. I always keep a couple in my bag and take them with me when I travel. This keeps you from making bad food choices like fast food and convenience store junk food when you need something quick.

Monounsaturated fatty acids

The oils category contains canola oil, flaxseed oil, olive oil, peanut oil, pesto sauce, safflower oil, soybean oil, sesame oil, and sunflower oil. Use these oils to make stir-fry’s, toss with rice or pasta, drizzle over soups or grilled foods and use in marinades. Use flaxseed oil to make salad dressings, as it cannot be used for cooking. One serving equals one tablespoon and it has numerous health benefits.

Nuts and seeds include almonds, almond butter, brazil nuts, cashew butter, chunky natural peanut butter, dry-roasted peanuts or sunflower seeds, hazel nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds. These are great snack foods, but you can also sprinkle them on salad or crush and use as a crunchy topping for chicken or fish. Use nut butters on crackers, bread or fruit or stir them into soups and sauces to add flavor. One serving equals 2 tablespoons.

Florida or Hass avocados can be sliced and served with salad or mash them with lime juice, salt and pepper to serve with your favorite chips or chop and fold into salsa. One serving is a ¼ cup. Olives are another MUFA, so choose from black olives, black olive tapenade, green olives, or green olive tapenade. They can be sliced on pizza, added to salads or pasta, or eaten as a snack. One serving contains 10 large olives or 2 tablespoons of tapenade. Chocolate is a favorite, so choose dark or semisweet chocolate chips, shaving or chuncks. One serving equals ¼ cup and they can be used to make desserts. Try chocolate pudding with bananas and graham crackers for a healthy snack.

Experts agree that weight loss happens in two stages. The first stage is the losing stage and it’s all about food restriction, rather than exercise. It has to do with individual preference and what you can live with. They use 10 percent as a realistic goal, which means you shouldn’t set impossible goals for yourself, or it will certainly lead to failure. They feel that after six months, if you have lost 10 percent of your body weight, than you’re a success story. The second stage is maintenance, where exercise becomes much more important. Burning a few hundred calories a day allows you to eat a little bit more, which makes the diet easier and more tolerable to maintain. Successful dieters exercise between 60 to 90 minutes a day and do more than just a short walk. Weight-bearing exercises burn more calories and use a lot of the big muscle groups and experts agree that aerobic activity is the best when it comes to loosing weight because you burn more calories.

Successful dieters also weight themselves regularly to help them stay on track. They keep food diaries and count calories as well as eat breakfast seven days a week. Eating a meal first thing in the day helps people manage hunger. Obese people tend to not eat breakfast, eat a light lunch and eat a lot from late afternoon and on. Successful dieters monitor when they fall short of a goal and develop solutions to common problems. For instance, if you raid the refrigerator every day when you get home, then you have to come up with a plan to deal with that.

Genetics also plays a role in weight loss as it determines how quickly we feel full when we eat, how inclined we are to stay physically active and how much energy we burn at rest.  Stress also plays a role and experts are just starting to realize it’s full impact on this area of our health. They do know that stress prompts the body to release cortisol, making cells more resistant to insulin. Excess insulin in the blood causes more calories to be stored as fat, especially in the abdomen area. More research is being done and by understanding the biology of weight regulation, the better experts are to design drugs to target specific problems. The drugs available now are not subtle or precise and have only modest effects. With more research they should be able to develop drugs that target hormones that regulate satiety, appetite and metabolism.  

There never seems to be enough hours in the day to work out, but here are some tips to get you out of house and in shape with time to spare. These types of exervises also help to shake up your routine and keep you from becoming bored. Park or baseball fields nearby are great locations do some of these exercises. Start by running to the field or park, spend a couple of minutes warming up and then do the following exercises for 10-15 minutes with little or no rest in between.

• 50, 75 or 100-yard wind sprints
• walking lunge variations
• bodyweight squat variations
• box jump, squat jump or lunge jump variations
• pullups on the playground monkey bars
• pushup variations
• mountain climbers on ground

You can rotate through all of these exercises or just pick a couple and keep alternating them. Really concentrate on keeping the intensity high to maximize your work out. Doing these exercises at high speed provides a more effective work out and leaves you more time to get on with your life. Studies have shown that working outdoors can possibly burn more calories compared to indoors. Even if you’re not in top shape, these exercises can be done with a lower intensity level, so you can ease your way into it.

Wii Fit by Nintendo brings 40 different activities and exercises to help people get off the coach and start getting fit again. It is a cross between a video game and personal trainer and provides a way to not only get into shape, but to have fun while doing it. Some activities include yoga, aerobic stamina, cardio, soccer, walking a tight rope between buildings and down hill skiing.

By adding in the Wii Balance Board, which is a sturdy board that wirelessly connects to the Wii, and you’ve got yourself a useful tool for monitoring your balance and agility. The board measures your “Wii Fit” age after running you through some tests for a couple days, but people who have tried it said that you can get very different results from day to day. The premise is that it tracks your progress over time, which should lead you to a younger “Wii Fit” age. It does not look like it will be a long-term viable measuring tool, but it still is a way to improve your technique as you work out and have fun while doing it.

More games to come in the near future are We Ski and Skate, which promise to be more expansive than the Wii Fit.

Challengers are encouraged to take advantage of video and interactive tools from fitness and weight loss professionals to promote success. Participants can weigh in on-line at www.discoveryhealth.com to chart their progress.

This is a free program and anyone wishing to shed pounds, get into shape or just live a healthier lifestyle. This challenge is partnered with Eating Well, Pod Fitness, US Today, and is supported by the American Diabetes Association all in an effort to help participants be successful. Log on today to begin tracking your progress on your way to a healthier lifestyle.