Bodies By M.E.

If you a guy and you’re looking for longevity you may want to hang up your running shoes and jump into the pool! A recent study published in the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education (2008;2{3} determined from a review of medical and physical activity data of 40,547 men aged  20-90 years that swimming can be the best exercise to enhance longevity.

Adjustments were made for age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol intake, and family history of heart disease. The study authors found that regular swimmers were 49% more likely to out live runners. An all cause mortality risk was 53% lower for swimmers compared to sedentary men and 50% lower than walkers.

According to lead study author Steven Blair, PED, “swimming provides a healthy alternative to traditional modes of exercise for improving cardiovascular fitness for the general population as well as those with chronic disease”.

With the return of spring and the longer days, now is a great time to connect with nature and take your exercise outside.. A growing body of research supports the benefits of participating in a “green exercise routine” and the importance of spending time outdoors.

A recent Danish survey found that access to and from “green areas” was associated with lower stress and reduced likelihood of obesity. It makes sense to assume that living in a environment that encourages outdoor fitness activities such as walking and biking can be a great motivator to live a more healthful lifestyle.

Health Place (2007; 13{4} ,839-40)

Recently published in Idea Fitness Journal (March 2009),” Slow Medicine Movement Gains Ground” stated that a growing number of medical leaders are calling for a resistance in the quick medicalization of health care. Simply put, rather that prescribing medication, costly tests, and surgeries medical professionals are spending more time listening and including friends and family for support. It is important to state that “slow Medicine” recognizes that urgent health problems do require prompt care, but also suggest that some issues could benefit from a slower approach.

Preventive or complimentary medicine uses this approach. Many of these practices do require more time to deliver results with fewer side effects and are less invasive. Deep breathing and yoga practices are an example of a slow approach to healing.

A book that explains this approach is My Mother, Your Mother: Embracing “Slow Medicine” the compassionate approach for your aging loved ones by Dennis McCullough, M.D. (Harper Collins 2008).

Medicine balls may be new to your club, but they have been around long before Jack La Lane. A little trivia Hippocrates used animal skin balls stuffed with sand to rehabilitate his patient’s injuries.

Medicine balls offer a great alternative to dumbbells, they are more sport like and fun to train with, an important tool to implement in a functional strength training program, and they can be used to train through all planes of motion and used for sport specific training incorporating explosive movements and power.

Medicine balls available today can be bounced, tossed, and float in a pool. Their weight can range from 2-20 pounds. Small weight increments can add significant intensity to a strength training program, so be careful how fast you progress in weight.

Muscle pain and discomfort are a major limiting factor to high intensity exercise efforts. Previous attempts to reduce or minimize muscle soreness during exercise have produced relatively little practical benefit. A recent study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism suggests that caffeine may provide a solution.

Twenty-five college-aged men who were either low or high-caffeine consumers ingested caffeine or a placebo followed by 30 minutes of cycling one hour later. The experimental beverage contained 5mg caffeine per kg of bodyweight, or the equivalent of 3 to 4 cups of coffee or Red Bulls. The researchers assessed the participants perceived level of quadriceps muscle pain along with exercise oxygen consumption, heart rate, and cycling work rate.

Following testing, participants in the caffeine group reported a moderately significant reduction in quadriceps muscle pain. The effects were consistent for both habitually high and low-caffeine consumers. The researchers postulate that the effects of this study indicate that caffeine remains effective as an analgesic even in persons with a tolerance for caffeine.

Past research has identified the performance enhancing benefits of caffeine, but its effect on muscle pain during exercise had not been studied. This study indicates that pre-exercise ingestion of caffeine might reduce the soreness associated with a particularly intense training session or a change in the routine. However, caution is advised because as a stimulant caffeine can have negative side effects in some individuals.

Gliottoni, R.C., et al (2009) Effect of caffeine on quadriceps muscle pain during acute cycling exercise in low versus high caffeine consumers. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 19(2).

Stability balls have been a popular rehabilitation tool for a long time in physical therapy. In recent years they have become popular in the fitness industry. Look around any gym or wellness center and you will see many types of balls such as medicine balls, sponge balls, and bosu. Not only are they effective in developing core strength and balance, but they are a lot of fun and can breathe new life into a stale exercise routine.

Stability balls are very versatile and can be used to train almost any body part in a short amount of time, exercises can be easily modified to be easier or more difficult. Any body weight exercise or free weight exercise can be performed using a stability ball along with the added benefit of training for balance and core strength.

Choosing the appropriate ball size is critical.

Basic guidelines:

45cm=5′

55cm=5′-5′7″

65cm=5′8-6′3″

75cm=over6′3″

Stability balls tend to lose air over time, so make sure to inflate often

We all tried to lose weight from time to time and have learned that it can be quite a frustrating roller coaster. If it isn’t hard enough to lose weight it is even more difficult to keep it off.

The National Weight Control registry tracks more than 5,000 people who have lost at least 30 pounds and maintained the loss for over a year.  Natalie Digate Muth, MD, MPH, RD CSCS of North Carolina School of Medicine shares their secrets.

Control portions- Portion sizes where smaller in the past, today food is super sized and portion distortion is a common error of the well intended dieter. Research suggests that portion control is the greatest predictor of successful weight loss (Logue et al.2004).

Be aware- Be mindful of everything you put in your mouth. Examine why you are eating, are you really hungry or are you emotionally eating. Emotional eating is a very dangerous spiral to get into when trying to lose weight. My favorite, keep a food diary, done honestly it can give you great feed back in how much you really eat, also you may want to add your emotional state . Try to make a connection as to why you are eating and avoid negative patterns.

Keep tabs on your weight.

Turn off the tube- Watching TV or reading can distract you from how much you are really eating. The National Weight Control Registry reports losers watch less than ten hours a week of TV (Raynor et al 2006).

Idea Fitness Journal 2009

Johns Hopkins Health Alert
Weight control is far more complex than simply balancing calories consumed with energy expended. Here are 10 top (alternative) reasons why Americans are overweight – and some may surprise you.

Rates of obesity are higher than ever in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than six in 10 American adults are overweight or obese — and most adults are about 25 lbs heavier than people were in the 1960s. To make matters worse, more than half of all overweight people actually think they’re at a healthy weight, according to a recent Associated Press poll.

In theory, weight control is a simple matter of balancing energy intake (the calories supplied by food) with energy output (the calories expended by physical activity, the digestion of food, and the functioning of your body). To lose weight, you need to expend more energy than you take in. In practice, however, the task is not that simple. While the basic principle of energy balance remains true, several mechanisms — genetic, metabolic, and environmental — can affect how much you eat and how your body uses and stores energy.

A revealing study published in the International Journal of Obesity (online edition, June 27, 2006) highlighted 10 reasons why Americans are fat. The study explained that too much food and a lack of exercise are not the only factors contributing to obesity. They identified 10 other possibilities:

• Weight gain factor 1 — Less sleep. We’ve gone from an average of nine to seven hours of sleep a night; sleep deprivation is linked to a more robust appetite.
• Weight gain factor 2 — Pesticides and other chemicals in foods. These substances can change hormonal activity, which can boost body fat.
• Weight gain factor 3 — Air conditioning and heating. We don’t sweat and shiver as much as our ancestors, so we don’t burn as many calories.
• Weight gain factor 4 — Fewer smokers. Nicotine is an appetite suppressant.
• Weight gain factor 5 — Greater use of medications, such as antidepressants and diabetes drugs, which have weight gain as a potential side effect.
• Weight gain factor 6 –Population changes. There are now more older people as well as more Hispanics in the United States, and these groups have higher rates of obesity.
• Weight gain factor 7 — Older birth mothers, whose children are more prone to excess weight gain than the offspring of younger mothers.
• Weight gain factor 8 — Genetics. Obese moms may pass the trait onto their children in utero.
• Weight gain factor 9 — Higher body weight = greater fertility. Heavy people produce more offspring than thinner people.
• Weight gain factor 10 — Assortative mating. Heavy people tend to mate with each other and produce heavy children.

Posted in Nutrition and Weight Control on April 29, 2009

Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician. Click here for additional information: Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Disclaimer

The annual American Dietetic Association’s Food and Nutrition expo attracted the cream of the crop in October 2007; here is their cutting edge advice.

• Baby boomers will fall victim to a debilitating condition called sarcopenia (small, underdeveloped muscle fibers) that eventually leads to a more progressive loss of muscle.

• Pay attention to your brain. Presenters discussed the benefit of proper nutrition for brain health and optimal function. An emphasis was placed upon including omega-3 fatty acids and theanine, an amino acid found in tea.

• Ecogastronomy, a new term that refers to eating a “green” diet that also benefits our planet. An example of negative influence are eating red meat, using plastic and not purchasing locally grown produce.

The take home message is simple; we need to decide what is best for your health and the planet.

The BOSU was invented in the 90’s by David Weck. It is a stability ball cut in have and placed on a rigid base. BOSU stands for both sides up. Exercises can be performed on the inflated dome side or the rigid platform side. It can be used for balance and core training, functional strength training as well as more traditional training. With creativity it can become a beneficial part of a work out.