Bodies By M.E.

In a country where supersizing and soaring obesity rates have become the norm, what is the best way to deal with our annual feast day?

Streamlining. The key to a healthy holiday meal, I’ve discovered, is that less can be more. Less fat. Less sugar. Less salt. And less on the plate. But not less flavor.

As a health-conscious cook and passionate eater, I’ve always loved Thanksgiving fare—garlicky winter greens, sweet-tart cranberries, a bronzed, crisp-skinned bird. It’s delicious, even when simply prepared, and good for us. Turkey, for example, is an excellent source of lean protein. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A and potassium. Pumpkin is an abundant source of beta-carotene, fiber, and iron. Kale, collards, and mustard greens, chock-full of vitamins A and C, have cancer-fighting properties. Fresh cranberries contain vitamin C and fiber.

Still, it seems inappropriate to equate Thanksgiving with “healthy.” The humble gathering the Pilgrims experienced in 1621 has morphed into a feast of decadent caloric proportions—one that includes the likes of bacon-wrapped roast turkey, cheese-laced squash casserole, butter-drenched mashed potatoes, and marshmallow-topped candied sweet potatoes.

It’s no wonder, then, that on Thanksgiving Day the average American consumes between 2,400 to 4,000 calories, according to Marlisa Brown, registered dietician and president of Total Wellness, a nutritional consulting company based in Long Island. This is way in excess of the USDA’s recommended daily calorie requirements of 1,600 to 2,400 for women and 2,000 to 3,000 for men, depending on weight, age, and physical activity level.

The solution? Develop a healthy Thanksgiving mind-set before the main event. This means creating (and sticking to) a realistic calorie budget; getting some exercise before or after the meal; and lightening up the typically fat- and sugar-based Thanksgiving menu. To this end, the accompanying recipes yield maximum flavor with a minimum of fat and calories, and the following tips will help dinner guests and cooks alike keep extra holiday pounds at bay.

If your genetic cards are stacked up against you don’t give up hope. Intensive lifestyle changes may be able to influence your genetic predisposition. Dean Ornish M.D., president of Preventive Medicine Research, recently led a study investigating the impact of intensive lifestyle changes on men with low-risk prostate cancer.

The researchers compared gene expression of 30 male participants with prostate cancer before and after a vigorous 3-month program of dietary change, moderate exercise, stress management and group support. All participants refused surgery, hormone therapy and radiation; instead participating in the lifestyle program, which also tracked tumor growth.

The program participants followed a vegan diet, walked 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week, and practiced stress management. Their diets were supplemented with soy, fish oil, vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin C. After 3 months, the researchers observed changes in gene expression that affected the tumors. Genes that promoted cancer were no longer active or were less active and genes that helped fight cancer were switched on.

Adherence to the lifestyle program made the difference in the positive outcome of this study. The findings suggest that it is never to late to make positive changes that can affect your health.

Nope, it’s not a time machine you need if you want to be a decade younger. It’s a treadmill. Or a bike. Or just a good pair of sneakers.

That’s right. The most physically active folks in a recent study showed signs of being as much as 10 years younger on a cellular level.

Go Long on Protection
How does exercise do that? By keeping your telomeres long and healthy. What on earth are those, you ask? Simple. They’re like the plastic tips on shoelaces. But in your body, they cap the ends of the DNA strands (chromosomes) in all your cells. Over time, your telomeres can shorten to the point where cells stop regenerating, and even die (think accelerated aging). Shortened telomeres also leave your chromosomes vulnerable to the kind of damage that may trigger diseases such as cancer. (Here’s a whole slew of ways to keep your telomeres from getting shorter.)

Running from Old Age
The fact that exercise keeps your cells renewing themselves and protects your DNA is good motivation to get out there. But if you need another push:

• Get comfy. Watch this video to find out how you can measure your arch for the perfect exercise-shoe fit.
• Consider a quickie workout. It’s good for you, too!
• Take breaks. Here’s why taking a break during your workout is actually best.
• Get more out of less by following these 10 easy guidelines on form.

Find out why it’s more important to exercise than to be thin.
RealAge Benefit: Exercising regularly can make your RealAge as much as 9 years younger.

Exercise is a valuable to a weight loss program, however exercise alone leads to modest weight loss and at a slower rate to calorie restriction. The best results are achieved when exercise and diet are combined. Once we achieve our desired goal, how do we maintain our weight goal?

Exercise is important for weight loss maintenance. Maintaining our current weight is much harder than losing weight. If exercise is included dietary changes need not be so drastic. Here is the math- to lose one pound of fat a week a 500 calorie/day deficit must be achieved( 3,500 cal/one pound of fat), 500 cal x 7 days =3,500 cal. By adding enough exercise to burn 250 cal/day and eating 250 cal/day less, a weight loss program can be very manageable.

The journal Obesity recently published a study stating that high level of exercise is not needed to maintain weight loss. Exercising at a moderate intensity for one hour most days of the week is recommended for weight loss maintenance.

A recent study from the University of Alabama suggests that high levels of exercise may not be the only way to maintain weight loss. The researchers found that participants who maintained their weight loss consumed 384 calories less per day than those who regained their weight. How, weight loss maintainers ate low-energy food choices such as fresh fruit and vegetables than the regainers. Exercise remained the same among the losers and gainers.

The Bottom Line: Exercise is necessary to maintain weight loss, however less may be needed if a low-calorie diet is practiced.

Physical activity guidelines were announced this month by the Department of Health and Human Services. The basic recommendations that Americans should accumulate 150 minutes of moderate activity per week have not really changed since the 1996 surgeon’s generals guidelines.

The message is simple, swim, bike, run, rake leaves do what you enjoy and do it everyday. Just keep moving. The difference is that the new guidelines include such activity as daily chores and there is no “one size fits all”. The recommendations are broken down into specific groups. Aerobics exercise remains to be the core of these recommendations but strength training and flexibility are also included.

Here are some ideas to help you incorporate physical activity into your day.

For The Time Crunched

Time-crunched, a little creativity will help. Instead of exercising five days a week try three days at a higher intensity. What works well is a Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday routine. Interval training can be done in such a way that you get a great workout in a short amount of time, warming up for five minutes, on a scale of 1-10 ( with one being easy and ten being all out effort) 6,7or 8 can be your higher intensity and 3,4 or 5 can be a recovery, followed by a cool down at 1 or 2.

Strength training should be done at a minimum of twice a week. My advice, train major muscles group to fatigue and move on. Body weight exercises can also be incorporated. Always remember to work on flexibility.

The Older Set

Older adults should try to accumulate 150 minutes of physical activity and at least two strength training sessions a week. Walking or joining an over 50 exercise class can help. Rubberized resistance can be used for strength. Strength training in a pool may be especially beneficial for those who may be arthritic or have a limited range of motion in certain muscle groups. Balance training should be incorporated and will be time well spent.

Children

The guidelines stipulate 60 minutes of moderate activity daily for ages 6 to 17. In today’s world with exercise competing with Xbox this can seem like a challenge. It is up to adults to create the opportunity, given the opportunity children will be active, play and let their imaginations run wild. Do not expect them to work out like adults do, they tend to rest and starting up again. Children should exercise the good old fashion way, play kick ball, hide and seek, climb monkey bars and walk to school.

Those Who Can’t Get Enough

In the past we may have cautioned about doing more than 150 minutes of exercise, now experts are finding that with 150 minutes of exercise a 25% health risk reduction can be achieved, exercise 300 minutes a week and 40% health risk reductions have been achieved. To avoid a overuse injury mix up your routine, do not increase your intensity by more than 10% and remember to stretch.

One for the Porch, One for Your Plate

When you grab a pumpkin for your fall porch this year, grab one for your plate, too.

Why? Two really good reasons: Pumpkin makes an incredibly rich and flavorful base for all sorts of soups, stews, and desserts. And it’s absolutely packed with blood-pressure-friendly nutrients.

Halloween Help for Your Heart
Pumpkin flesh is crammed full of phenols — a type of health-promoting antioxidant that’s found in many plant-based foods. But pumpkin phenols may have particularly body-kind qualities. In cell studies, phenols from pumpkin flesh put a damper on the same enzyme that some blood pressure drugs target to reduce vascular tension. In other words, the phenols in pumpkin may help keep blood vessels relaxed, which means better blood pressure and better heart health. (Here’s another fun way to relax your blood vessels.)

Save the Seeds
When you scoop out your pumpkin, save the seeds so you can roast them. Pumpkin seeds are rich in alpha-linolenic acid — a healthy fat that also helps protect blood vessels. No time to cook fresh pumpkin? No problem. Use canned pureed pumpkin. It’s precooked, tastes great, and is just as good for you. BTW, cooking pumpkin seems to enhance its phenolic properties.

Recipe Corner
Of course, pumpkin is best known as a great pie filling. But put a new twist on it with this quick, simple, and yum-o recipe from EatingWell: Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie.

And when you’re ready to expand beyond dessert, try EatingWell’s easy, breezy Pumpkin Popovers.
RealAge Benefit: Getting the right amount of antioxidants through diet or supplements can make your RealAge 6 years younger.

Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride”
John F. Kennedy